Man of Steel

I liked Man of Steel, it was good but far from great. I was expecting them to rush through the Krypton scenes, but was glad that they fleshed out the origin story with his parents while also making Zod's story arc more relatable.

I had quite a few issues with the film, mainly cause though the visuals of mayhem and destruction looked impressive including moments of Faora kicking serious butt, followed by Zod confronting Superman; eventually the action in the second half felt little too tedious.

Henry Cavill was great and embodied most of the qualities of Superman so well, but I wish they had established the character of Superman in the world for some more time, instead of Zod invading so soon. Amy Adams was unlike any other Lois Lane before, but she made the character her own and I wanted to see more scenes of her and Clark Kent.

Clark and his backstory through flashbacks both as a kid and as an adult including the Kent family scenes delivered the emotional punch (one scene in particular) that was more memorable than the physical punches and action later in the film.

This incarnation of the character is not my grandpa's Superman, not my father's Superman and probably not my Superman either. But he is the Superman of this new generation and though some of his character and universe mythos have been changed or lost in this adaptation, I enjoyed this film and its modern interpretation. And now with the origin story being established I am hoping we will get to see a better film from Zack Snyder next time with a more balanced out script of story and action.

This is one of my favourite tracks by Hans Zimmer from the movie score which was also used in the trailers. Play the music, increase the volume (perhaps put on your headphones) and close your eyes throughout the track as you slowly experience goosebumps and then visualize Superman taking flight.

If this video appears blocked, search for the track "What Are You Going to Do When You Are Not Saving the World? " on YouTube, the 5 minutes version.

Arrested Development Season 4 on Netflix

I finished watching the entire season 4 of Arrested Development on Netflix. I wasn't too pleased with the opening episodes but it started getting better after episode 3. And though the episodes aren't all out funny like the original seasons, they are still pretty entertaining even though some of the plot felt confusing at times. Some of the jokes and plot lines really pay off well in the later episodes.

It appears seven years haven't been too kind on Portia de Rossi, though in the later Lindsay episode she looked much better with her short hair. Tobias episodes were initially the most funny ones, I also enjoyed the episodes of Gob, Lindsay, Maeby and Buster. But George-Michael episodes were my overall favourites and pretty hilarious in some instances. All in all I am glad they brought the show back and perhaps they can have season 5 next year in a regular narrative format.

How Netflix’s ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT Could Change TV Forever
Click on the above article to get more info on the episode format and why they chose that.

In the future I plan to watch all the Arrested Development season 4 episodes again but in random order to see how it plays out.

Mallrats

Watched Mallrats today after a long time and reconfirmed my stance on it. Mallrats has always been my favourite Kevin Smith movie and it still is.

I know Mallrats continues to get flak from many fans and viewers. Clerks and Chasing Amy are definitely better films and probably Smith's strongest works, but I still prefer Mallrats over them for the more fun and entertaining factor. It's still hilarious, including so many great lines.

It's surprising to know that the movie cost $6 million back then in 1995 despite it being limited in its scope and shooting locations.

And at a time now when adding comic and pop culture references in movies and TV episodes are becoming sort of a cliche and are almost passe during certain instances, Kevin Smith back then managed to make it seem organic with his writing and infused it naturally through his characters and plot lines. It also probably helped that not many film and TV people were doing those things at that time.

Oblivion is a visual stunner and more

I wish I had the chance to see Oblivion in IMAX as it was meant to be seen that way. The movie is worth the ticket price for its stunning visuals alone especially all the gorgeous landscape shots. The production design team did a fantastic job while invoking this great vibe of sci-fi world for Oblivion; including the cool vehicles, drones, weapons and other tech which were also some of the highlights of the film.

Though it didn't really stand out throughout, M83 did a good score to the film with some memorable themes. (You can listen to the entire soundtrack below which was composed by Anthony Gonzalez and Joseph Trapanese).

The world of Oblivion is established pretty quickly during the opening minutes of the film, while the story build up takes its time. Also it was interesting to see how a large portion of the film's beginning is carried out pretty much by only two characters, played well and effectively by Tom Cruise and Andrea Riseborough.

There are quite a few twists in the story and though they are far from original concepts, it works in the premise of the movie. Oblivion doesn't reach the levels of greatness I was hoping for, still it's a worthy and great step up by director Joseph Kosinski who has delivered a entertaining and visually compelling film.

Oblivion IMAX Poster (Click to enlarge)

Source: Collider.com

Mondo is also releasing the soundtrack on vinyl with cover art by Kilian Eng as shown below. More details here.

I am glad that I downloaded Django Unchained

As someone who is always advocating people to watch movies at the cinemas, I am glad I decided to watch Django Unchained for the first time through the downloaded copy back in January.

Quentin Tarantino has crafted a fantastic and compelling film which is non-stop entertaining, while being able to do the transition through the tones of drama, comedy, suspense and action so naturally. The soundtrack with that compilation of songs is another highlight of the film.

Tarantino's signature style of violence with over-the-top display of blood is a delight to watch and is almost comedic in nature at times. But then there is the sheer brutality of human suffering which is more unnerving. And though those scenes are instances of fiction, it serves as a gentle reminder of the real horror which was apparently more cruel and obviously prevailing during the sinister part of American history.

The movie got released in India on Friday and I decided to watch it again, this time on the big screen. Besides the ridiculous three months late India release for Django Unchained, I knew they will butcher the film here in someways.

The cigarette smoking warning during major parts of the film was so annoying. One of the unsettling scenes in Django Unchained was the revelation of Broomhilda and how she was handled by others. Thanks to Indian Censor Board and Sony Pictures India, that entire scene was cut out due to partial nudity, resulting in Django's state of emotions and the impact of that scene being totally lost on most viewers.

And Sony Pictures India is likely more to blame for the cut, as they probably wanted to make the movie more accessible to everyone. So I guess all the blame is on the Indian Censor Board who didn't want us to witness the scenes. Because we all know human female bodies are so hideous, that everyone including the female audience would be totally repulsed by it. Just remembered, there is also another brief moment where there is male nudity later on which was also cut. Guess they didn't want to seem partial.

The movie was already rated R (Restricted) in US and is meant for mature audience worldwide. So Indian Censor Board's decision to remove that scene was not only censorship of art, but was also undermining the adult viewers in India.

And any smoker above the age of 18 already knows the ill effects of smoking and so does the non-smokers. The audience doesn't need to be preached by the law or government about this. If they are really so bothered about the well being of the citizens, why don't they just ban cigarettes outright? Oh yeah, they can't afford to lose the millions in tax money, so they compensate for that by showing false sense of concern with warnings being interjected in movies and ruining the cinema experience.

Update: Sony Pictures India got back to me and reminded me that Django got A rating and that movies with A rating in India are still open to further cuts by the Censor Board (which I was aware of).

And they confirmed that there was no question of them trying to a wider audience rating by including cuts, as the movie had already received the strictest rating (A) in India. And that if they hadn't accepted the cuts, the film release would not have been possible.

Still in this case I find the cuts baffling cause movies with far more nudity have gotten away without cuts in India. Thanks to Sony Pictures India for their response and it's little comforting to know that they aren't to blame for the cuts.

Thanks to Bob Gale, I got my first BTTF autographs

Time Machine Restoration chief Joe Walser already had my mailing address, but I had no idea Bob Gale would be sending me something. I was totally surprised and ecstatic when I noticed Bob Gale's name on the poster tube.

It was so thoughtful of Bob Gale to send me this cool poster and this wonderful personalized letter. A hearty thanks to Bob Gale for taking time to send me the letter and the Back to the Future poster autographed by him, Robert Zemeckis and Christopher Lloyd. On my own, there is no way I would ever get a chance to get all of their autographs on a poster. And a big thanks to Joe Walser and Terry Matalas for having me on the TMR team in the first place.

Now I am wondering whether I should frame this poster or wait until I bring it at We're Going Back 2015 and get more autographs on the poster from the rest of the BTTF cast and crew. See, I am becoming greedy already :-).

Click to enlarge.

  

Diamond Select Toys to release Mr. Fusion prop replica from BTTF

DST (Diamond Select Toys) is planning to release the Mr. Fusion prop replica from Back to the Future. The replica will have sound and smoke effects. DST had a prototype on display at Toy Fair 2013, but no release date or pricing information was given. Check out the photos and video below.

I am highly skeptical when it comes to BTTF products from DST, especially after they released their inaccurate Flux Capacitor replica; with its wrong enclosure color being the biggest sore detail. Then there is the simple Outatime license plate replica which had inaccurate font and text placement. No DMC logo on their DeLorean models which also had wrong side wiring details among other things. So beyond their BTTF minimates, I haven't really been happy with their BTTF products.

So when I learned that DST is doing another BTTF replica, I was kinda surprised that they are still considering to make more BTTF products. In some ways I am now actually hopefully that they can really make this a solid replica, i.e. if they are willing to make the necessary changes. Starting off with the mold of the white base, which needs to be altered and made shorter. The extra screw holes at the top need to go. And the area behind the Mr. Fusion logo needs to be hollow and transparent just like the Krups coffee grinder. There are more details that need tweaking, but the ones mentioned are more prominent.

There are talented individuals with access to accurate prop details and dimensions who are more than willing to offer their assistance in developing a great Mr. Fusion. DST, all you guys have to do is take up on their offer and rework on your prototype design. Fans are willing to put up with a late release, as long as the final product is more screen accurate, instead of rushing this existing prototype into final production. DST, so please gain the good will of BTTF collectors by being open to the idea of making changes to this Mr. Fusion.

(Click to enlarge) 

Image Source: Superherohype.com and Figures.com

Factory Entertainment to release Back to the Future Shakems

Factory Entertainment has acquired the Back to the Future license and they will be rolling out some cool BTTF products in 2013. Starting off with their Shakems line, which are similar to bobbleheads as in mini statues with spring action. The first four BTTF Shakems are as follows.

Doc Brown Shakems
Marty McFly Hoverboard Shakems
DeLorean Time Machine Shakems
Manure Truck Accident Shakems

(Click to enlarge)

These are prototypes and are still in approval stages. Yes, there are no actor likeness on these products and due to the bobblehead type nature of these products, they appear to be more cartoonized versions of the characters. Still the sculpts looks good and costume details are captured quite nicely, but Marty's face needs to be more expressive. Also Doc's costume needs the orange markings and his shoes could use the brown color touch up. Overall it's refreshing to see a company releasing BTTF products beyond DeLorean models. I love the DeLorean Time Machine and I'm looking forward to Hot Wheels releasing their Elite BTTF DeLorean Models in 1:43 and 1:18 scale later this year.

But I also want to see more characters from the BTTF universe being released in the figure and statue format. These Shakems from Factory Entertainment is a good start towards that. And I have to say, that Biff's car filled with manure display is just brilliant. This is what I want to see, a company doing the unconventional and really embracing their acquired licenses. It's great to see that memorable and hilarious moment from the film being captured in a sculpture format like that. More movie scene specific sculptures please.

Mattel acquired the BTTF action figure license along with actor likeness rights back in 2011 and then backed out from producing the figures. Hot Toys has acquired the BTTF license along with likeness rights, though I am not sure if we will see any figures in 2013. From what I discussed with Factory Entertainment, they seem very passionate about the BTTF franchise and I think they will do the BTTF line justice. Also FE makes movie prop replicas, so maybe down the line we can finally have a company doing accurate BTTF prop replicas.

Last month I got the Universal Monsters - Frankenstein Limited Edition VFX Bust from Factory Entertainment. And it's a gorgeous piece of art. I can only hope FE manages to get actor likeness rights and releases more similar BTTF character products in the future.

To know more about Factory Entertainment, check out their website below and follow them on Facbook and Twitter.

http://www.factoryent.com/
https://www.facebook.com/factoryent
https://twitter.com/Factory_Ent

Along with Back to the Future, Factory Entertainment is releasing products from Jaws, Jurassic Park, Ghostbusters, Shawn of the Dead and others. Thanks to Figures.com and Action Figure Times for all the photo coverage.

(Click to enlarge)

 

 

  

A message from Bob Gale on the completion of the BTTF Time Machine Restoration

I can't wait to see the BTTF DeLorean Time Machine in person and see the fruits of labor due to the hard work of Joe, Terry and the rest of the TMR team for which we all fans will be always indebted to. Hopefully I get to see it when I visit US in 2015 or maybe even prior to that.

And a big thanks to Bob Gale for supporting this project and the whole TMR team from day one. Also considering my contributions are comparatively miniscule, I am honored and humbled for being mentioned.

Time Machine Restoration

A message from Bob Gale, co-creator, co-writer and co-producer 

of the Back to the Future Trilogy

11 February 2013

Great Scott!

Are you telling me we restored a time machine out of a DeLorean?  And with STYLE?

Damn straight!

Congratulation, kudos and giga-props to the DeLorean Time Machine Restoration Team!

The job you guys did has exceeded my expectations! 

Take it from me, the vehicle has NEVER looked this good, not even on the first day it rolled out of Kevin Pike's shop – and I was there.   To say that the restored Delorean A-car is totally awesome is a major understatement!

A giga shout out to Joe Walser: he is truly THE MAN!  It was his dogged determination, his obsession with quality, his unflagging dedication, and his in-depth knowledge of the vehicle inside and out, all of which he imparted to an incredibly talented crew of skilled technicians, mechanics, fanatics, lunatics, and OCD-ers (and every one of you guys kick ass!), that got the job done.  With style.  And with the amazing Terry Matalas always there to keep the proverbial train on the tracks...or, I guess I should say, to keep the modified time car on the tracks.

Special thanks to everyone who bought a patch. Or two. Or all three.  Those dollars really helped.  And every penny was channeled directly into the flux capacitor...or the wiring...or the stainless steel restoration...or any of a countless number of other aspects and details.  So display those patches proudly – you really made a difference.

And thanks to everybody who has friended us here on Facebook – and to Vivek Bhat for keeping that time car on the tracks online.  All of us on this project have been gratified to know how many friends we have. It's nice to know that people care, even just a little.  It made it a lot easier to get through some incredibly long days and nights. 

It's taken over two years to get here.  There are endless stories to be told about what was done and how it was done, the bullets we dodged, and the almosts, the what-ifs and the alternate time lines.  But those are tales for the future.

Right now, we celebrate a job well done.  

Congratulations, everybody!

Meanwhile, keep checking in for updates about Universal's plans for the display of the restored Delorean Time Machine, which we'll pass on once we know what's going on.

To be continued...!

          -- Bob Gale

Elysium Comic-Con Video Interview with Matt Damon and Jodie Foster

Since the year 2013 began, whenever I am online catching up on movie updates, I keep hoping to see some news about the Elysium trailer or more so for the actual trailer to be online. The movie releases on August 9 and I'll be waiting another week until its India release on August 16. (Damn you Sony Pictures India).

So now in anticipation of the trailer I began going through the various comic-con videos which I had watched and saved from movie sites back in July 2012, but I forgot to share them online before.

If you enjoyed District 9 and if you're remotely excited about Elysium, you should consider watching these interview videos which are embedded below.

Matt Damon gets into more details as to how the movie took off and how he got the role, Neill Blomkamp's creative approach, importance of comic-con, among other things. Jodie Foster talks about comic-con, her movie Contact, her role in Elysium, themes explored in the film, the studio's involvement with Neill, her approach in acting, her directing projects.

There is a moment in the video where Matt Damon mentions, "there was a whole separate book on weaponry". And I couldn't stop smiling while thinking about the awesome weapons and props this movie is going to showcase.

You can now pre-order the book Elysium: The Art of the Film, which will also include inputs from designer Syd Mead.


Interview with Matt Damon by Edward Douglas of ComingSoon.net (If video plays glitchy on Firefox, use Chrome)



Interview with Jodie Foster by Steven Weintraub of Collider.com





TEDxVancouver - Neill Blomkamp - November 21, 2009

While looking up on Elysium, I came across this TED talk given by Neill Blomkamp few months after District 9 got released. He talks about aliens and possible future Earth civilizations. The video is not exactly related to Elysium, still it's a great thought provoking talk by Neill on a fascinating subject.