Posted by
Jeff Penner
- Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Although no official announcements have been made regarding cast members (aside from R2-D2), Star Wars: Episode VII begins filming in May, according to Disney CEO Bob Iger. Moreover, one little detail was dropped as well: the story takes place 30 years after the Battle of Endor.
During a company earnings call, Iger dropped those tidbits that will surely set the Star Wars craze back in motion. An official press release states, "Disney and Lucasfilm are excited to announce that principal photography on Star Wars: Episode VII, directed by J.J. Abrams, will commence May 2014 and will be based at London’s historic Pinewood Studios."
Production starting so soon may sound rushed, and perhaps it is. With very little known about casting and characters, it leaves fans to wonder what they'll be filming exactly. Only a slew of press releases in the next month and a half can answer that (and probably will).
I'm excited to see where this film is heading; originally this was going to be very "Luke-, Han-, and Leia- centric" and hand the reigns over to a new cast. However, it may have them in supporting roles only.
Where do you sit on this fence? Leave Star Wars alone or "bring it on"?
Posted by
Anonymous
- Monday, March 17, 2014
What is a MacGuffin? For anyone who hasn't heard this term before, "MacGuffin" was first used by the famous film director Alfred Hitchcock to refer to "an object that drives the plot of a story forward—even if it's intrinsically meaningless." Most importantly, a MacGuffin is usually the person, place, object, or thing pursued by the main character. Counting down from 20, this is Part 1 of the list of objects I think are well-known MacGuffins from the geek world of the most popular science-fiction and fantasy movies.
20) The Crystal Shard from The Dark Crystal (1982)
As the lost piece from a magical crystal, the crystal shard, when discovered, was important because it would bring peace to the alien world of the protagonist, the elf-like "Gelfling" Jen. Jen went on a quest to find the lost shard of crystal, and The Dark Crystal depicts the adventures he encountered on his journey.
19) Unobtanium from Avatar (2009)
First referred to as Unobtainium, this element was the main object that brought about the plot in James Cameron's movie Avatar. Found on the moon Pandora, humans mine Unobtanium for their survival in the 22nd-century world of the movie.
18) Multipass from The Fifth Element (1997)
Somewhat of an identification card, the pass card with Multi Pass written on it was used in Luc Besson's science fiction movie The Fifth Element as a way to pass through different planets. Without it, neither Leeloo Dallas (Milla Jovovich) nor Korben Dallas (Bruce Willis) would have been able to save 23rd-century Earth from the evil Lord Zorg. This was not really pursued by the characters, but it is of value throughout the movie.
17) Kryptonite from the Superman series (1978, 2006, 2013)
You may ask why would kryptonite be considered a MacGuffin? But, dear Fanboys and Fangirls, if you think about it, all the adventures of Superman are based upon him fighting his archenemies and kryptonite. Without kryptonite, neither Lex Luthor nor Metallo would be able to use it against him, and Superman would not need to save the day because they wouldn't be able to get past him in the first place!
16) The Matrix from The Matrix Trilogy (1999–2003)
After Neo (Keanu Reeves), the main character, finds out the truth about reality and discovers that everything is created by the Matrix, his destiny changes. He becomes "The One" who fights the programmed robots brought about by the Matrix, the Smiths, and throughout the trilogy his goal is to destroy the Matrix. Without the Matrix, Neo would have spent his days living life "normally" as a white-collar worker with a 9–5 job, and the battle for freedom from the Matrix would never have happened!
15) The Stargate from the Stargate series (1994)
This "interstellar transportation device" helped the characters of the Stargate SG-1 television series and the Stargate movie go through the event horizon and travel to other planets. The device, known as the stargate, allows Dr. Jackson and his crew to explore different worlds and embark on various adventures. It is by far the most important object pursued by the characters.
14) Red Matter from Star Trek (2009)
Originally a television series that began in 1968, 2009's Star Trek was the eleventh film of the franchise, directed this time by J.J. Abrams. In it we see how a young Spock and Kirk become part of Starfleet and the Enterprise in the year 2255 after a time-warping event causes Romulus to be destroyed and their personal histories to be rewritten from the original setup. When the crew of the Enterprise goes after a Vulcan distress signal, they come face-to-face with the Vulcan ship Narada and its enemy captain, Nero. It is during this time that Nero drills red matter into the core of Vulcan, creating a black hole that destroys the planet entirely. Developed by the Vulcan Science Academy, red matter was valuable to both Vulcan and Romulus, and both were after it. Unfortunately, it caused the destruction of both planets.
13) The Cure from World War Z (2013)
If you haven't watched this movie, then you shouldn't read on, because there will be spoilers! In this apocalyptic world of zombies, the main character, Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt), an employee of the United Nations, ends up becoming a hero and going after zombies. While the World Health Organization and the rest of the world search for a cure, Lane tries to find one throughout the movie. In the end, we learn the cure is actually any type of virus! Apparently, the zombies do not prefer unhealthy humans.
12) The AllSpark Key in Transformers (2007)
The AllSpark is the essence of the Transformers and is apparently the origin of Primus, the leader of the Transformer group the Autobots. The cube acts as its host and when opened it will find another. When utilized, the Allspark creates new Transformers; thus the evil group of Transformers, the Decepticons, are always after it. This was the main plot of the 2007 film Transformers in which the Decepticons go after the protagonist, Sam Witwicky (Shia LeBouf), because he possessed the AllSpark. The AllSpark is highly powerful and remains the MacGuffin of the Transformers series.
11) The Aether from Thor: The Dark World (2013)
In the second movie of the Thor series, the plot begins when the Dark Elf Malekith is reawakened by the existence of the matter, Aether. By itself, the Aether is not dangerous, but when it finds a host it can destroy the universe and change the course of everything! When Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) becomes possessed by this matter filled with darkness, Thor must not only try to bring together the Nine Realms but also save the woman he loves. Malekith comes after the Aether as well so that he can use its power to cause chaos and conquer the universe, thus making the plot even more complex.
Stay tuned for the Top 10 MacGuffins! If you have any suggestions or comments about these MacGuffins or would like to add any videos or MacGuffins of your own, don't forget to post below!
Posted by
Orion Petitclerc
All right, here's something all y'all should know: first, I'm not Southern/Texan, so don't let my use of y'all confound y'all. (Y'all git that?) Second, the life of a Venom fan is a sad one, indeed. We're accustomed to wandering aimlessly in a hungered trance through the wastelands of obscurity as our idol suffers in a limbo of nonexistence between appearances in comics and television. Then, at the first drop of the precious life blood that is the smallest scrap of news into the stale water of our collective tears, we gobble it up voraciously, processing and ridiculing every minute detail as our All-Father, Todd McFarlane, had taught us to do those 25 years ago when he and David Michelinie brought Venom into this world. There is only one of two reactions to be had from a Venomaniac upon the deliverance of the news: the blind ecstasy of joy and anticipation, or the infernal flurry of disappointment and spite. More often than is justifiable, we experience the latter of emotions; but we know this is the price for our love, and we accept it for those scarce moments of reaffirmation.
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Turns out this cover to Agent Venom's series is quite appropriate to the
topic at hand. |
Back in mid-December, I ran an article in which I experienced a mixture of reactions when Sony hid an official press release about the development of a Venom spinoff film as an Easter egg in their Amazing Spider-Man 2 viral website. Ever since that fateful day, the Venomaniac community has been debating and sweating bullets over who would bond with the living suit in the film.
One party—the party of comic book geeks and long-time Venom fans, including myself—is crossing its fingers, hoping that Eddie Brock, the first Venom host, would reprise his role and take his rightful place.
The other party—the party of recent Venom converts—are rooting and making a lot of noise for Eugene "Flash" Thompson to make his heroic debut as the gun-toting Agent Venom, the current host of the symbiote in the comics.
The producers and writers haven't given us too much to bite at in terms of their decision on who will be Venom. Yet in SFX's recent interview with the producers of the Amazing Spider-Man franchise, Avi Arad—a veteran Spider-Man movie producer who's been attached to both the current and the original Spider-Man film franchise (originally headed by director Sam Raimi)—teases the Brock party while at the same
time continuing to metaphorically rock the boat with uncertainty:
Venom hated only one guy—Spider-Man. He wasn't innately bad, he was a shortcut guy, not really into fighting hard for achievement. That's the Venom story. Can he also be a good guy? As you know, Venom was also called "lethal defender of the innocent." We had a great history with him, especially caring for the homeless, which is a very sensitive issue and something that many of us are very concerned with. Our villains all represent a different side of the misunderstood, and some of them unfortunately turned to the dark side. Venom happened to be a phenomenal character. With Eddie Brock, or if you do Flash Thompson, it doesn't matter who is going to be inside the suit—what's important is that a man like him is going to realize there comes a time when you wake up in the morning and say "How did I get here? There must be a better way."
Don't see my point? Here, let me break this quote down. From "Venom hated only one guy" to "Venom happened to be a phenomenal character," things were looking good for the Brock camp. Everything in between those clauses was purely Eddie Brock reference, and not just that: it was all referencing his early career from Dark Origin (not a valid example, but that limited comic book series is just as important) to his days in San Francisco during his multiple solo series from the '90s. This is exactly what we in the Brock camp have been dreaming of: a Venom film that took the character back to his Golden Age with a production crew that respected the source material while improving upon it from years of experience.
I'll forgive Arad for screwin' up that whole "lethal defender of the innocent" plug for its inaccuracy, being that he meant to say Venom was also called a "lethal protector of the innocent," as was the subtitle of his first solo series, Venom: Lethal Protector. All confetti and fireworks, right?
Then comes the part that, even to this moment in writing about it, absolutely boils my blood and brings back that inescapable, utter dread: "With Eddie Brock, or if you do Flash Thompson, it doesn't matter who is going to be inside the suit." IT. DOESN'T. MATTER? You're saying that the hosts of Venom are interchangeable, Arad? Let me list for you guys and gals a few of the only characters that are truly interchangeable: Tweedledee and Tweedledum. Thing One and Thing Two. Those creepy twins from The Shining. They are interchangeable. The various hosts of the Venom symbiote are in no way interchangeable.
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| It's hard not to see double when looking at these two. |
Okay, sure, maybe they all do share a common theme under the Venom banner, but to say "it doesn't matter who is going to be inside the suit" is an unnecessarily liberal interpretation of Venom in general. Let's take a look at the possible host candidates for the film and see how interchangeable they really are. In the mainstream Marvel comic book continuity, there have been four characters who've carried on the Venom legacy: Brock, Angelo Fortunato (who lasted two issues before he was killed), Mac Gargan (better known as another of Spider-Man's classic foes, the Scorpion), and Thompson. We can leave out Harry Osborn, Peter Parker's best friend and son of his greatest foe, the Green Goblin, who was the first (and, so far, only) Venom host in the Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon. There was a period a while back when Venomaniacs feared he would bond with the suit in the film, but thankfully it's been officially confirmed that Osborn (Dane DeHaan) will become the Green Goblin in Amazing Spider-Man 2.
We can safely assume that Fortunato wasn't even considered due to the fact that even those few who know him as a Venom host don't really care for him. Additionally, Gargan can be taken off of the candidate list because there's no way Sony would sacrifice his potential as the Scorpion for a future film. (Besides, Gargan didn't fare too well with fan opinion during his career as Venom.) I'll still include Gargan in my argument against these characters' interchangeability, though. That leaves us once more with Brock and Thompson as the top contenders.
Let's start with age before beauty, shall we? (Wow, I didn't realize how accurate that expression would be in this case.) Brock is basically everything Arad summarized Venom as, plus some. Unlike every other host listed above (save Fortunato), Brock was created to become Venom. Heck, by all intents and purposes, Brock is Venom; the name "Venom" was derived from the drivel and venomous exposés Brock was forced to write for trashy magazines and newspapers when his career as a journalist for the Daily Globe tanked after the Sin Eater debacle. He is the very definition of an ironic character: he represents everything Spider-Man could have become had he not taken to heart his Uncle Ben's final lesson (y'know, "With great power…" yadda yadda). Venom was originally a twisted version of Spider-Man who mocked even his appearance and powers. Brock's theme is a combination of both Arad's interpretation and the consequences a person encounters when given great power without accepting the great responsibility that's entailed.
Gargan was a wholly different type of Venom from Brock. He was a thug and a monster with an interest only in himself. At least Brock cared about protecting the innocents; Gargan had to be ordered to do that. Norman Osborn used Venom as a boogeymen and leashed dog for his Thunderbolts and Dark Avengers initiative, and Gargan's Venom earned himself a bad reputation as a hulking, voracious cannibal. Where Brock refused to accept responsibility for his issues and crimes, Gargan outright flipped responsibility the bird and went on a murderous tirade when Osborn wasn't looking.
Thompson is, perhaps, the only true heroic Venom of the bunch, but even he came with some baggage. Like Gargan, Thompson wasn't originally created to become Venom; Thompson was one of the few original supporting characters in Spider-Man's history.
First he was Parker's high school bully and the world's biggest Spider-Man fan, then he became one of Parker's best friends and a veteran hero of the U.S. Army. Thompson has had more time than any other Venom host to evolve as a character, and it really shows when you look at his long history. He volunteered with Project Rebirth 2.0 and became Agent Venom to serve his country once more after he received a crippling disability from his service in the military. He then struggled through alcoholism and father issues throughout his career while keeping the corruptible influence of the symbiote at bay. He's been to hell twice and back (literally) and has earned himself a place as one of two most popular Venom hosts. (See another of my articles in which I give a retrospective of his Venom comic book series.)
I think you can see what I mean when I say that none of these characters is at all as interchangeable as Arad suggests. Yes, the theme he attaches to Venom as a character is mostly accurate in Brock and Thompson's cases only. It does matter who is in the suit, however, and it is ignorance like Arad's that makes me and my fellow Venomaniacs worry about the film we've all been waiting for. If Sony's going to hire someone to oversee a property like Venom who has a very intricate history, they had better hire someone who actually knows that history very well and has more than a passing interest in the property.
Have you been scorned by a film studio's handling of your favorite property? Who are you looking forward to as Venom in his solo film? I want to hear about it, Fanboys and Fangirls. Let us grumble and geek out in the comments section below. I assure you, this is not the last you'll hear from me on the Venom movie subject—not by a long shot! I implore you to leave comments. I want to hear from you all!
Posted by
Jeff Penner
- Sunday, March 16, 2014
Fresh from Hong Kong's C3 Festival, here is Fewture Model's UM-03 Ultimetal Megatron. This is a prototype only but is enough to get my wallet's eyebrows up!
Not a lot to go on aside from the image (from TAG Hobby) and some good guessing based on the 2014-release Optimus Prime figure (see images below). For example, it will likely feature plenty of diecast parts, metallic paint, removable panels, and some lights. The Optimus figure has a moving mouthpiece, so there will likely be some sort of matching electronic feature. Perhaps his cannon lights up? Prime also includes the Autobot Matrix of Leadership (yeah, I capitalized it all, did I stutter?) as well as his hard light axe gauntlet. Surely Megatron will counter with his hard light mace attachment and possibly a mini version of himself as a gun?
Here is a look at the full model on display:
The price tag will most likely be in line with Optimus, which drains your Paypal account for $800US. The Autobot leader is set to ship in 2014, no release date yet for Megatron.
Here is a quick glimpse at some of Optimus Prime's features, many, many more of which can be seen here at tomopop.com.
Are these figures too much? I seriously want them and I find myself inspired to make some money for them. Is that a stupid goal for a grown man? Comment below!
Posted by
Jeff Penner
- Saturday, March 15, 2014
We were asked to remove some images last month of Michael Bay's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles designs, but we have some new options from AC Toys, the action figure tie-ins.
We'll soon see these puppies, er, turtles in action when the first trailer appears before Marvel's Captain America: The Winter Soldier on April 4 (yes, there is a new Captain America movie coming out, they haven't really marketed it much, keep your eyes open for promotional material to start any day now).
These designs show what we caught a glimpse of last month: four very unique individuals instead of simply four different colored headbands from the '80s cartoon.
Have a look and praise or skewer in the comments below!
Ninja Turtles will be directed by Jonathan Liebesman (Wrath of the Titans) and produced by Michael Bay (The Rock). The script was written by Josh Appelbaum and André Nemec, based on characters created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. The cast includes Megan Fox as April O'Neil, Alan Ritchson as Raphael, Noel Fisher as Michelangelo, Danny Woodburn as Splinter, Jeremy Howard as Donatello, Pete Ploszek as Leonardo, Will Arnett as Vernon and William Fichtner as Shredder. It lands in theaters August 8, 2014.
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.jpg "Photo of the Multi Pass from The Fifth Element")
.jpg "Kryptonite from the Christopher Reeves Superman film series")
.jpg "Screenshot of Neo's Matrix Vision")
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.jpg "Red Matter from J.J. Abram's Star Trek")
.jpg "Photo of Brad Pitt in World War Z")
.jpg "Prop replica of the AllSpark from Michael Bay's Transformers")
