What self-respecting geek podcast could go for any amount of time without doing a Star Trek show. In this episode we do ours. But first more Disney news than you can shake a billion dollar check at, Moon Knight returns and with a really great start, and why quitting comics is the same as lesbians of the 1980's. Oh no we didn't! Oh yes we did and it all on this episode.
Is there a reason why is Hollywood so keen on putting out so many Marvel based movies? So far we have had announcements about a Fantastic Four reboot, a Ghost Rider sequel, another X-Men movie with possibly a New Mutant film to follow, and now Fox is rebooting Daredevil and talking about that long overdue Silver Surfer flick. So what's up with all these Super Hero to film movies, staring Marvel heroes? Well the Disney acquisition has a lot to say in this. While Disney will have a hand-off approach to the comic publisher, there's no way in hell they're going to sit back and let a bunch of other studios continue to reap profits from movies. Any layman knows that the House of Mouse is waiting for license agreements to lapse and they will vacuum up all these properties and put them out under one entity - the way it really should be. Most of the movie licenses work like the comic properties, under a "use or lose" agreement. So if these other studios intend to continue to make money off Marvel properties, they've got to produce something from them no matter how good or bad they've done in theaters. Now there's been a lot of talk about how many of these property only enjoy moderate success, but don't listen to the bullshit. Most of these movies, with a few exceptions, made more then money back in theaters and did pretty damn well on DVD sales. Super Hero movies are not simply the flavor of the month but viable money making entities that does not seem to be going anywhere. So to all the nay-saying and nit pickers, good luck in the trend to see an end to this trend any time soon.
Remember when Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Season 8 was announced? It was said to be roughly 28 issues and would continue where the Season 7 television series ended? Well, now it's going to run 40 issues and according to an interview with Joss Whedon on Complex.com, there's going to be a Season 9. Joss promises this will be a different kind of storyline from Season 8 and might not run with as many issues. “I have had for a long time a conception for Season Nine," Said Whedon, "that is very different from Season Eight. It may not run as long, because 40 issues sounds great until you realize that it’s four or five years." It's no surprise that there will be another run on BTVS, considering it's Dark Horse's best selling title.
The film rights to Masters of the Universe are now in the hands of Sony’s Columbia Pictures, following the break-up of Mattel with Warner. Mattel allowed Warners’ option on the property to expire after reported creative differences. Development now starts over, with a new script expected, and possibly a new director. The rumors so far claims John Stevenson of Kung Fu Panda being attached. Escape Artists, producer of Taking of Pelham 123 & Pursuit of Happyness, will produce. No word as to if Will Smith or Denzel Washington will be taking the Skelator role.
Production has begun on a sequel to Ghost Rider film, and according to reports Nicholas Cage will be reprising is role as Johnny Blaze and David Goyer is going to direct, and might b writing too considering he wrote a script for the movie years ago when he was in negotiation to direct the first film. Mark Steven Johnson ending up writing and directing the first film. Before anyone puts the idea for a new movie down, don't forget that the first film grossed $116 million domestic and 113 million foreign, bringing it's over all gross to $229 million total - more then enough reason to give it another go.
Many people will confuse Eastwick as a remake of the 1987 Jack Nicholson/Cher vehicle "Witches of Eastwick", but the movie itself was based the 1966 John Updike novel of the same name (followed later by a sequel called "The Widows of Eastwick.") In the novel the three main characters, Alexandra Spofford, Jane Smart, and Sukie Rougemont are abandoned by husbands and form a coven. In the novel the "witches" already have power when Darryl Van Horne arrives in Eastwick. In the movie the three women are unmarried, two are single mothers and none have any actual powers until Van Horne (played by Jack Nicholson) shows up. All three are seduced and impregnated by Van Horne and the movie ends with them living in his mansion with said children. It was made in the 1980's and feather hair and shoulder pads aside, the 80's sensibilities are very apparent.
After the movie there was a little known 2002 pilot and a stage play which didn't get much in the way of attention.
The series pilot goes off the movie and novel in a few ways. Roxanne, Joanna and Kat, the three main characters, barely know each other and don't really like each other until a local woman (played by Veronica Cartwright - who was also in the 1987 movie) is attacked by fire ants while all three receive odd coins that draw them to make wishes in a fountain at the same time. While at the hospital where the fertile Kat is a nurse supporting a beer drinking out of work husband, the three get together for drinks and express wishes of meeting someone new. Enter Darryl Van Horne - played by Paul Gross - who buys a historical mansion and the newspaper where the doormat Joanna works as a struggling reporter where she pines for the handsome young photographer and has to put up with an editor with a breast brushing fetish.
So far we have a very interesting pilot that could lead to some fascinating possibilities. Each woman wakes up to their power very quickly and each power follows a bit of a formula (one psychic, one seems to control the forces of nature in surprising ways, one can make men do what she wants just by looking them in the eye.) There's a Pushing Daisies feel to the opening narrative which isn't a bad thing. The three main characters are likable and you can empathize with them which is important to sustain a television series. So far there isn't enough to nitpick about the episode, except the dialogue can be a little too clever at times but not enough to make ones eyes roll. Gross has some big shoes to fill following a role made popular by Jack Nicholson, and he's forward to a point that makes you wonder why he isn't beat up more but so far he put out the right vibe some someone (or something) dark and dangerous. Final vote, give it a watch, it looks like it might surprise everyone - long s it doesn't fall into routine like Desperate Housewives did.
Dear God, they're rebooting Highlander. Really? Highlander, which hasn't produced a good version since. . .well every single one of them blew chunks. The first movie gets love because there are people who love any bad movie for pretty much any bad reason, and the 1980's is chock full of bad movies and people that love them. Admittedly Highlander spawned four sequels - the last one produced and shown on the Sci-fi channel, which pretty much says it all, and a TV series that was better then all the movies combined - which isn't saying much at all. There have been books and plenty of fan-fiction and even a short lived comic. There's no knocking the popularity of the franchise. . .wait a minute, yes there is as every single movie was, in fact, one piece of shit piled upon another. I mean Sean Connery was called "Spaniard" and didn't bother getting rid of his Irish accent - is there a better definition of the word "lame?" Despite this Summit Entertainment hired the makers of Fast and Furious. Justin Jin & Neal Moritz, to remake/reboot the franchise. And how will this next try at making this do? Think on this one: Moritz is currently producing the problematic Green Hornet and is making a movie based on the 1980's crap-fest Flash Gordon. The only shining part of this story is Iron Man writers Art Marcum and Matt Holloway will being doing the script. So that's one cherry on this pile of dung.
Get ready to ultimate, because the real cut of the Watchmen is finally coming out and there won't be any bullshit Blu-Ray Regular DVD distinctions. This November will mark the release of Watchmen: The Ultimate Cut, a 5-disc version of the movie based on the greatest comic mini-series ever written. This edition will include the Tales of the Black Freighter cut into the movie, new commentary tracks, the "Under the Hood" documentary and all 12 episodes of the Watchmen motion comic. The movie didn't do as well as expected in the theaters but generated $45 million dollars in sales on DVD, and the ultimate cut might not do so badly either. Estimate retail price will be $44 for the regular DVD and $59 for the blu-ray. Let's see how this one does.
Sexy women & Halloween, can anyone think of a better combination? And just toe add to the fray, the costume division of Jakks Pacific is creating a Women of Marvel line of costumes for this years witch-fest. The costumes include American Dream, Black Cat, Emma Frost - in what little costume she wears, and Black Suit Spider-girl. They will have a number of age groups and a range of styles. Paul Gitter, President of Marvel's Consumer Products says, “We continually look for ways to broaden the awareness of and maximize the potential of the Marvel universe among all audiences, and the launch of the Women of Marvel collection addresses the growing demand across the female demographic with high quality, fashion forward merchandise featuring the most relevant Marvel brands.” All I can say is if the products match the costumes from the comics - make mine Marvel, indeed.
Starting a sequel before the movie comes out is the newest trend in Hollywood. The idea is you can get things started and have some control over eventual costs, especially if you can begin production and stop if your movie flops. The latest getting this treatment is the upcoming Warner Brothers flick, Sherlock Holmes, an action heavy version with Robert Downey Jr. playing the lead. According to The Hollywood Reporter Brad Pitt is in negotiations to play the Holmes arch-villain Moriarity, and Kieran and Michele Mulroney are doing the script. This is all probably a start and if the movie is any kind of success then we can expect the sequel with the speed of Harry Potter in a Quddich match.
Marvel news just doesn't stop. Every week brings something new to the table, and now it's the four children of Jack Kirby bringing the noise. The fraternal four have filed 45 copyright-termination notices looking to reclaim the copyrights to characters created or co-created by Jack Kirby. They are suing under the U.S. Copyright Act permitting authors and their heirs to terminate old copyright grants after a long waiting period. They want to reclaim these copyrights by 2014. According to a Disney spokesman, the notices involved are an attempt to terminate rights seven to 10 years from now and involve claims fully considered in the acquisition.” Some of the copyrights in question includes Captain America, Fantastic Four, X-Men, Thor, Iron Man, Hulk, Silver Surfer, Galactus, Magneto, Doctor Doom and Black Panther. If the heir gain these copyrights they could ask for a substantial share of profits created by these characters through comics, movies, cartoons and licensing - or they could license the characters themselves without Marvel's permission. Could this sudden interest in taking these copyrights have anything to do with the sudden success of super hero movies, or the big, deal with Disney? We say thee, fuck yeah.
Looks like Megan Fox wasn't sexy enough to beat the kid flick. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs kicked box office butt gaining $30.1 in box office bucks. Right behind it The Informant, only cracking the $10 mark. So where does Jennifer's Body fall? Squarely at #5 behind the lastest Tyler Perry crap-fest and the Jennifer Anniston flick boyfriends and husband's were forced to go see, Love Happens. Sadly the comedy horror flick only managed to grab $6 million - so much for sexy being #1.
The battle to get Hollywood blockbusters on IMax and 3D venues is no joke, and the competition is feirce. And proven track records have nothing to do with it, it's all about first come, first serve. Take the example of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Warner Brothers moved it from from a Chirsmas 2008 run to a Summer 2009 but couldn't get it on IMax screens until Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen finished its IMax run. Spider-Man 4 plans to debut on IMax on the same day in 2011 t will come to regular theaters. The reason for this race to IMax screen is simple, the higher ticket prices that comes with seeing a movin on Imax drive up a movie's gross, especially during the Summer Movie season. This is forcing studios to spread their 3D and digitally enhanced blockbusters throughout the year in order to secure enough of the prime venues. While it’s a good bet that more and more screens will become 3D-enabled, there is still a shortage properly equipped theaters that is likely to be with us for at least a couple more years. This shortfall will be especially evident when a number of 3D films debut in close proximity. As for the giant screen Imax venues, they will remain a limited resource for the foreseeable future with just 273 theaters worldwide at present.
According to Variety Disney has announced that its 3D film Tron Legacy will be released in 3D on December 17th, 2010 at both Imax and traditional theaters using Disney Digital 3D. The Mouse House has inked a 5-picture agreement with IMAX and has decided that Tron Legacy is Imax-worthy, even though the original 1982 Tron film, while groundbreaking in many respects, only brought in a mediocre $33 million at the box office.
Disney is hoping that the prospect of a new Tron film produced in 3D will be enough to propel the pioneering property that melded movies and video games to success at last. It should be interesting to see if there are enough 3D-capable screens by December 2010 that films will be able to be released exclusively (or nearly exclusively) in the extra-dimensional format.
Jessica Biel is in final talks to join the cast of A-Team, according to Variety, along with Sharlto Copley from District 9. Reportedly, Biel will play Faceman’s old girlfriend. Copley will play the helicopter pilot Capt. “Howling Mad” Murdock. They join Liam Neeson as John “Hannibal” Smith, Bradley Cooper as Faceman, and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, who will play Sgt. “B.A.” Baracus. Ridley Scott is still producing the TV to film epic and no bullets will be hurt during the filming of this movie.
In case everyone forgot during the big buy of Marvel by Disney, Disney also owns the Muppets. We probably forgot because nothing seemed to have come of that purchase since it was made. Well Dick Cook, Disney Studios Chairman, just announced another Muppet movie is on the way. It's going to be called "The Cheapest Muppet Movie Ever Made" and is being written by Forgetting Sarah Marshal scribe Jason Segel. It's based on an idea by Muppet creator Jim Henson where Gonzo gets the chance to make a big Hollywood movie but blows all the money on the credits so has to make the movie on the cheap. No release date as been set yet.
The on thing you have to love about Pop Culture is the number of WTF moments it loves to provide. Universal Studios is making a movie based on Battleship - the fucking board game. I think this put the final nail in the argument that Hollywood has really run out of anything remotely resembling fresh ideas. But this one just gets better because Battleship, which will be released on July 1, 2011, Universal is also making a movie based on Stretch Armstrong - the children's toy from the 1980's. Maybe Billy Zane can play Stretch, if he can take a break from all those aweful SYFY made movies. Look for Stretch Armstrong to bomb at a theater near you Aprit 15th 2011 - and you thought nothing could be more depressing then Tax Season.
Did we just mention remake fever in an earlier article, how it's here to stay and will keep rolling until they eventually remake Bugs Bunny Cartoons just to give them an update? Well if there wasn't enough proof of this by, oh let's say all the bloody remakes, one more is coming down the pipe - and this one is just a little be different. Due to the results of a deal cut by Disney and Apples Corps, Rober Zemekis is set to remake - of all things - Yellow Submarine, the 1968 Heinz Edelman animation which featured 16 Beatles songs. This time around it's getting the Polar Express and Beowulf treatment, as it will be a fully made 3D movie. The release date is set for 2012 and we can't wait to see the Blue Meanies in this one.
Disney has partnered with Guillermo del Toro to create a new production imprint call Disney Double Dare You. DDY will create all ages horror animated features based on both original and already created works. Del Torro says, “As a director, I love to take audiences into fantastic new worlds and provide them with some anxious moments in the process. It is part of the Disney canon to create thrilling, unforgettable moments and villains in all their classic films. It is my privilege for DDY to continue in this tradition… I look forward to coming up with fresh and original stories that will take Disney films in a whole new direction. The emphasis is on fun, and we have some great ideas already on the storyboards.” The first project under the new production banner is an original story by Del Torro call Trollhunters. One has to wonder where Del Torro will find the time, beside bringing the Hobbit to the big screen, he's also bring Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse 5, and an adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's At the Mountains of Madness.
Remake fever doesn't look like it's going to die any time soon, and the famous horror soap, Dark Shadows, is also getting the treatment. To be fair it has been remade twice before, once in a 1990's TV version and again in a B-Movie. Now it's being revived again as a major motion picture staring Hollywood heavy weight Johnny Depp and directed by equally large fan favorite Tim Burton. In light of this Hermes Press is going to begin reprinting the 35 issue Gold Key comic versions of Dark Shadows. Starting in March of 2010 Hermes will begin putting out five deluxe hard cover volumes containing the comics which was written by Doom Patrol and Deadman creator Arnold Drake and penciled by Silver Age artist Joe Certa, who co-created Martian Manhunter. Each issue will be digitally restored and contain art, pin-ups and documentary material from the original TV series, including essays about Dark Shadows effects pop culture.
Who thought the next part of the news about Disney buying Marvel would be how many license deals the company begins to get back. Who was wondering if Mickey would appear in the pages of Marvel Max? I guess we pretty much imagined a whole bunch of interesting things happening behind this deal except this one. The New York based law firm of Levi & Korsinsky has filed a class action law suit against Marvel Entertainment challenging the purchase of Marvel by Disney. Here how the transaction works, Marvel Shareholders would receive $30 per share plus .745 of share value in Disney which totals $4 billion big ass bucks. However the suit says that the amount does match the intrinsic value of Marvel. According to a previous investigation by a law firm “the transaction appeared to be unfair to current investors of Marvel Entertainment, Inc. “by failing to conduct an open and fair auction process for the Company in order to maximize shareholder value” They may have a point. What we have to remember is that Marvel Entertainment currently has the rights to 5000 properties, i.e. characters - including Spider-Man, Hulk, Fantastic Four, etc. With the boom in Super-Hero movies, which translates into marketing properties of all kinds - including toys, games, clothing, video games, DVD, movie syndication, etc - all means lot of big ass bucks all around.
On the flip side, Marvel Entertainment, Inc. reported in 2007 Total Revenue of $485.81 million with a Net Income of $139.82 million and in 2008 Total Revenue of $484.66 million with a Net Income of $205.53million. Marvel shares traded after the announcement at $49.05 per share, and the day before announcement at $38.76 per share. Those who are currently investors in shares of Marvel Entertainment, Inc., and purchased the shares before August 31, 2009, have some interesting options before them.
I guess we have to see where things are going and who is and is not right in this. More news as it comes in.
Hospice to Host Comic Book Show
West Orange, NJ -- Superheroes For Hospice is hosting their 2nd Comic Book Show on Saturday, October 10, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Saint Barnabas Health Care System Corporate Building, located at 95 Old Short Hills Road, West Orange. All proceeds will support the patients and families of the Saint Barnabas Hospice and Palliative Care Center (SBHPCC).
This project started in December 2008 by Volunteer Coordinator, Spiro Ballas. “I’m reliving my youth for a good cause,” says Ballas. SBHPCC relies heavily on donations and fundraising projects to bridge the gap between the cost of care and the insufficient reimbursement received from insurance companies.
Over 25,000 comic books have been donated to the project, some of which have been converted into over $800 for SBHPCC.
“It is a win/win situation for all involved,” thinks Ballas, explaining, “1st, comic book donors get a tax write-off for their generosity—which can be more valuable than what they would get in today’s market if they tried selling them on Ebay—2nd, comic book fans will pick-up books at the show at a very strong discount, and, 3rd, hospice receives extra revenue to support their special kind of care.”
Comic books are still being collected for this and future shows. Area artists and writers are welcome to showcase their material at the show, as long as a percentage of sales at the show is donated to SBHPCC.
For more information about the show, or to make a comic book donation, please contact Spiro Ballas at SBallas@SBHCS.com or 973-322-4866.
Established in 1981, the Saint Barnabas Hospice and Palliative Care Center, located at 95 Old Short Hills Road in West Orange, provides comprehensive care for patients with advanced illness, and their families, throughout ten counties in the State of New Jersey. The Saint Barnabas Hospice and Palliative Care Center supports inpatient
units at Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, and Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark, NJ, as well as Van Dyke Hospice at Community Medical Center in Toms River. It also provides home care and services for individuals in long-term care and assisted living facilities.
Google is helping to promote the new version of Monopoly, Monopoly City with an online game using Google Maps. It's being called Monopoly City Streets and the idea is that online players can purchase a city street via Google Maps - and that's any street, which means if you look hard enough you can literally purchase "Boardwalk" and "Park Place" if you're fast enough. (Face it, that won't be a very original idea with potentially millions of players on this one.) Players can build up their property’s value by building improvements using the $3 million in cash each player starts with, trade with other players anywhere in the world, and compete to design a new building that will be used in the game. Monopoly City, the new version of the board game, allows players to build 3-D city in the middle of the board, and incorporates significant changes in game play. Players do not need to acquire all of a property group to begin building improvements; and the value of property and incomes can rise and fall. The online game is being launched in English, Spanish, French, Dutch, and German.
Looks like Disney isn't the only giant doing big buying these days. Toy R US just bought up the KB Toys brand and URLS. While on big plans were announce the mega-toy company did say that when you go to KBToys.com you'll end up at ToyRUs.com for now on. This is not the only toy brand Toys R US has grabbed this year. The KB Toys purchase joins TRU’s acquisition of eToys.com and FAO Schwartz - which include both the New York and Las Vegas stores.
Joss Whedon is writing a one-shot Willow comic for Dark Horse, due to be release this December. According to Dark Horse, this is one of several one-shots they have planned, but the geek-made mega Director/Writer is set to do the first on based on the never-failing Buffyverse. And he's actually going to write it, not script it then put it off on one of his legion of lesser writers. The comic will be 40 pages and sell for $3.50. After this a Dark Horse will release a Hellboy and a Conan one-shot.
Looks like we just might get to see that Hobbit movie after. The report just came in that the $150 million dollar lawsuit against New Lines Cinema and Harper Collins has been settled out of court. In case you've been living in Misty Mountain with your precious then you know that Christopher Tolkien took the media giants to court because they neglected to actually pay royalties for those billions of bucks made for the mega-blockbuster movies, the mega-books sales, the mega-DVD sales, merchandising, etc. Guess they were to busy counting all that money to remember someone actually owns the rights to the actual work all that stuff was based on. So now that everyone is satisfied (definition - Chris Tolkien just bought a small planet to keep his future car collection on) looks like the Hobbit movie might become a reality. Well, we can hope.
In a totally WTF moment the internet is abuzz with news about the Rambo 5 movie - and it's not only the fact that there's actually going to be a Rambo 5 movie. Apparently the idea for the next installment is to have Rambo lead a team of hunters into a jungle after a genetically mutated monster that escaped the government and is on a killing spree. Let me guess, the team is made up of ex-wresters, a big ass Black b-movie action star, a future governor who doesn't have time to bleed or duck and, of course, a sexy native chick who has spooky tales about the aforementioned creature ala boyscout campfire tales. Who wants to bet the preda. . .I mean "creature" has a nuclear back-up contingent. I'm not saying this sounds like a rip-off of a classic movie by a much better action star - oh wait, that's exactly what I'm saying.
Seems that the Marvel news macine continues to roll along in and drop some pretty interesting news bombs. Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the web blog, Greg Weisman posted that Sony Pictures is no longer involved in any Spider-Man related TV projects, including the latest Spectacular Spider-Man. Sony made a deal with Marvel Entertainment to turn over all TV right for more favorable options in the film franchise. While this might bode good or ill towards the future of the movies, it certainly sound like it may be a good thing for the future of the web slinger on TV. For one thing this could me that elusive 2nd season will actually be seen, and with the power house of mouse now in charge could there be a possible live action series on the horizon? Who knows but we fanboys can most certainly dream.
It's either a match made in hell or a marrage made in a very violent heaven. Apparently Ruy Richie has been signed to direct a feature film based on 90's comic violence icon Lobo, according to Variety. Lobo is a space motor cycle riding boundy hunter who is nigh-industructable and once upon a time could create copies of himself by bleeding. The only thing he loves more then ultra-violence are a pack of space dolphines and screwing with Superman when he gets the chance. Don Payne wrote the script and production is set to begin in 2010. Looks like DC is trying to catch up to Marvel on comic movie properties, let's hope for the best.
Looks like Kick-ass has got a date. Lionsgate has announced that the comic to film will be release April 16th, 2010. based on the comic series by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr. The studio picked up the film for distribution last month. The story is about what happens when a young man decides to go out and fight crime and gets his butt kicked for his trouble. It also has stereotype Black drug dealers and a sword wielding head chopping ten-year-old. Sounds like a hit.
Another mark against the upcoming Green Hornet movie rares another ugly head. The release date has been pushed up to December of 2010. Let's take a look at the list of set backs; first we get script problems, losing Stephen Chow, picking a weed head comedian who's only but so funny - and at times almost as big as Kevin Smith. Not to mention picking a character so obscure barely anyone really remembers him. How many things can go wrong before anyone sees how bad this movie is going?
Warner Brothers recently hired Danish director Nikolaj Arcel to direct Deadman, according to Variety. Arcel is relatively new to the game having only directed two Danish features. Originally Guillermo del Toro was supposed to direct but will now produce The film which was written by Gary Dauberman. This kind of news leads to the obvious question: They're making a Deadman move? For real? Go figure.
It is very hard to try to get the Hollywood logic. Read enough of those insider books and you find that even those in Hollywood have trouble explaining the way this industry thinks. Take for example Fantastic Four and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. The first movie cost $100 million to make, It went on to gross $154,696,080 domestically and $175,883,639 in foreign markets. This adds to a worldwide gross of $330,579,719. The sequel cost $130 million to make, then grossed $131,921,738 domestic, and $157,126,025 foreign, and that adds up to $289,047,763 worldwide. This kind of success is hard to ignore - even if critics and some fanboys wish they could. So what's the point here? So you have hits on your hands despite the critics so what do you decide to do? A third movie? Nope? Hollywood, or more specifically 20th Century Fox has made the decision to reboot the franchise. That's right kids, the Fox has hire producer Akiva Goldman - who's busy doing Jonah Hex as well as The Losers and Teen Titans. They've also tapped Michael Green to write the script. Green is currently an executive producer on Heroes and also co-wrote might or might not be coming Green Lantern movie. Admittedly there were some problems with the first two Fantastic Four movies, but very few can argue with their success. So why not simply do a new movie continuing the story fix the obvious problems? Rebooting the whole thing from the beginning, you'd never catch comic companies doing that. . .oh crap. . .nevermind.
The top four movies at the box office, The Final Destination, Inglourious Basterds, Halloween II and District 9 were all rated "R" - and in some of those cases a very hard "R." It is not only a rare event for so many "R" rated movies to take a top box office spot, but these movies made a combine profit of $76.5 million dollar nearly equal to the record setting numbers of the same period pin 2007. The Final Destination grossed over $28 million, Inglourious basterds dropped to 2nd place but managed to pull in $20 million more dollars, Halloween II - which cost only $15 million bucks to put together - grossed $17 million and District 9 pulled in another 11 million - putting it's over all gross to $95 million dollars in it's third week showing. These four movies made 38% more then 13 films combined that ran this same time period in 2008. Who says rated "R" movies can't be successful? Oh yeah, pretty much everyone these days.
Welcome two new Hideout members, geek gals of great renown and much courage to joins this group. This week we talk about things some of us might be over looking, movies, comics and TV show that don't get enough mention. But first we news, rants and reviews - OH MY. Enjoy.
It's the biggest news of the week. Podcasters have begun to raid their mother's basements and comic stores to do shows about it. The blogger speculation on the subject will be enough to make Oliver Stone cry hot tears of jealousy. The mighty House of Mouse, Disney, purchased Marvel Entertainment for a reported 4 billion dollars and everyone is expecting the Fantastic Four/Rescue Rangers team-up any day now. What does this mean for Marvel? Better animations? Smaller breasts on the X-Babes? The theories are numerous, the possibilities are finite and what will happen next remains to be seen. One thing for sure, the marriage between the House of Mouse and the House of Ideas is going to make waves throughout the fan community for months to come until the fallout from this becomes a reality.
Marvel says, " Disney is the perfect home for Marvel's fantastic library of characters given its proven ability to expand content creation and licensing businesses," said Ike Perlmutter, Marvel's Chief Executive Officer. "This is an unparalleled opportunity for Marvel to build upon its vibrant brand and character properties by accessing Disney's tremendous global organization and infrastructure around the world."
And Disney says, "This transaction combines Marvel's strong global brand and world-renowned library of characters including Iron Man, Spider-Man, X-Men, Captain America, Fantastic Four and Thor with Disney's creative skills, unparalleled global portfolio of entertainment properties, and a business structure that maximizes the value of creative properties across multiple platforms and territories," said Robert A. Iger, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company. "Ike Perlmutter and his team have done an impressive job of nurturing these properties and have created significant value. We are pleased to bring this talent and these great assets to Disney."
