Jonathan Kent Dies at 90

Sad news today from the Los Angeles Times. Glenn Ford, the actor who played Pa Kent in Richard Donner's Superman, has died. Ford turned 90 this past May when he was saluted by the American Cinametheque for his historic film achievements. The Times obituary is a wonderful remembrance of a wonderful acting career. But by focusing on Ford's "important" films and his noir work, it leaves out the role he defined for a generation of filmgoers.

Ask any Gen X-er who they think of when they think of Superman's dad and they will most likely say, "Glenn Ford." Okay, to be honest they'll most likely say, "That old guy from the Chris Reeves Superman movie. (sic)" Yes, I know that should be Christopher Reeve, but "Reeves" is what most people will say. Glen Ford's portrayal of Jonathan Kent is the superhero parent performance that all other superhero parent performances are judged by. Though Ford's character doesn't live past the first act (he dies in a scene that re-envisions Superman's childhood radically from what had been established continuity), his presence is felt throughout the entire movie. The Donner film is the story of how two fathers, one human and one Kryptonian, provided the moral foundation for the World's Greatest Superhero.

Ford's portrayal was stern and loving and has stuck with me since that day.

So yes, Ford's roles in Gilda, The Blackboard Jungle, and The Courtship of Eddie's Father should be remembered and praised (in fact, go watch Eddie's Father now! Shirley Jones...mmmmm), it is the death of Jonathan Kent that makes my heart sink today.

Download Johnny Cash, Gwen Stefani, INX, and Audioslave for Free?

In a move to challenge the supremacy of iTunes in the music download business, Universal Music Group has decided to back SpiralFrog. According to the Los Angeles Times and the Financial Times the New York based SpinalFrog will open a music download website where advertising dollars, and not purchase dollars, will pay the fees for downloaded music. You and I will be able to download the Universal Music Group artists we enjoy while Perry Ellis and Levi's Jeans will pay the bill.

Downloading songs will require the "purchaser" to view a 90 second advertisement before the actual download begins, viewing a 120 second ad will be required for video downloads, which will have the effect of increasing the effective download time. According to the "Times," SpiralFrog believes that young purchasers will be willing to wait the few extra moments for free and legal downloads.

One can only speculate whether young purchasers will be willing to leave P2P networks where music is available free with no wait, but the success of iTunes leads one to believe that the model may work well.

One thing is certain, the SpiralFrog/UMG alliance will provide a market test for the viability of the internet as an advertising funded vehicle. Currently radio and broadcast television are funded primarily through advertising, consumers will have to wait to see if the internet follow their model or whether the future is more like cable where advertising is a part of the picture and subscription fees are the other part of the equation.

If the commercials are entertaining, maybe Ricky Gervais or Dr. Z entertaining, I think I might just be willing to wait 90 seconds. Waiting until December when they start the service will be the harder trial.

Bonus Points for Microsoft

Apparently David Brent, of BBC Documentary The Office fame, was hired in his capacity as Business Advisor to do a training video for Microsoft. Take that Apple. Sure...you might have Chinese workers who manufacture iPods over 60 hours a week. Sure...you might have to "revise" your financial statements. Sure...your batteries might need to be recalled. Sure...you had to settle with Creative for patent violation, but used the settlement as an opportunity to increase monopoly status. But do you have David Brent as a trainer? No, right, no.

Seriously though, I am a huge fan of The Office and this is funny stuff. Some of my favorite lines, "Will Sir William of Gates be there" or "Nobody watching this video has met William Gates, I'll bet you that."

On the downside, you had better watch this fast. The Microsoft empire has already pulled this from YouTube due to copywrite violations. All I have to say, is this was available for purchase on MSN I'd buy it and they wouldn't have to worry about the copywrite.

Back to Our Regular Scheduled Programming

Sorry for the quick digression yesterday, but one must reach out to friends in need. Now it is time for us to get back to the other important things in our lives; Snakes on a Plane, Eureka, and Rockstar: Supernova.

• Last Friday my wife and I went to the theater to watch the "cutting edge" and "internet buzzworthy" camp-action film Snakes on a Plane. We had a good time. The film delivers what it promises, namely snakes...on a plane. There are plenty to spare. Sure we had fun, but is the film any good from a "is it rewatchable" perspective? Not an objective aesthetic perspective (it falls very flat on that count), but on a basis of whether a Snakes on a Plane DVD will spend more than once spinning in one of our DVD players.
  
  Quick answer...no. The film was fun, but I think it would fall flat on multiple viewings. Unlike many of the masterpieces in the camp-action film genre (Deatrace 2000, Big Trouble in Little China, and Kung Fu Hustle) Snakes on a Plane is neither campy nor action-y enough for multiple repeated viewings, a couple of extra viewings sure but nowhere near Deathrace level. Snakes starts with appropriate camp, but it has a patina of respectability. It is this patina that made my wife wince whenever the villain delivered a line of dialogue -- thankfully rare -- and made me wonder if someone couldn't have just made the film "straight."
  
  Don't get me wrong. I had a great time at the show, but I left wanting either a more serious film or a funnier one. In the end, I left the theater amazed at how quickly snakes could hollow out a human skull, how useful olive oil is, and wondering why I was denied a kung fu showdown between the villain and the random kickboxing stud who happened to be on the flight. Happy Married Couple, but we're only watching it one more time on Netflix.



• The Summer television season is an interesting hodgepodge of new, and old, television shows. It is a time to try out a popular series you haven't watched regularly in the past, and a time to watch interesting new shows on cable networks. One of my wife's, and my, favorite shows is "The Closer" on TNT. We like the character dynamics and the way the show plays with standard criminal "procedural" narrative devices. It's well written, fun, and we discovered it last year. This year, the Summer brought another enjoyable show to be recorded regularly on our TiVo.
  
  SciFi channel's new original series "Eureka" is a gem of a show. The best way to describe it is a quirky, modern day, science fiction, version of the Andy Griffith Show. Colin Ferguson plays a formal US Marshall who has recently become the Sheriff of a strange town called Eureka. The city is filled with fantastic technology and strange characters. Most of the town's residents are supergenius scientists who have been recruited to live in Eureka by the US Government where they invent the devices that make our lives easier. The city was created during the Cold War to ensure the development of the sciences in the US and to prevent espionage etc.
  
  Ferguson is wonderful as the Sheriff and presents the character's "talented fish out of water" personality with humor and charm. Each episode he deals with some new, and often interesting, problem resulting from the town's unique residents. Much like the "Andy Griffith Show" the stories are often mundane narratives about quirky citizens, well at least they often begin that way. Unlike in Mayberry, there are some very evil people who are interested in Eureka and the series has a few secrets that it is keeping from the audience. It will be fun to see where the show is heading. Happy Married Couple.



• When it comes to "Rockstar: Supernova," I have only one thing to say. If Magni doesn't win...I don't think I will buy their CD. That is unless Dilana wins. Really, for me it is between those two with regard to who I think would be the best edition to the band. Toby's cool, Storm is a Valkyrie, Lukas looks like the love child of Clint Howard and Billy Idol, and any one of them would be "alright" and I might buy the CD after hearing a couple of songs first. I'd buy the Dilana or Magni "Supernova" CD sound unheard. As for Ryan, he is a jackass. I can't believe that people have forgotten what a jerk he was the first couple of weeks. I know that the "writers" are painting Dilana as a bit of a diva lately, but it will take more than creative editing to get me to like Ryan. Dude can't decide if he is Emo, Grunge, or Glam and is phenomenally inconsistent. Magni is a straight up rocker. Dilana is the epitome of Punk meets Glam (the '70s deal). Lukas is straight Glam, glitter and all, but without the voice to pull that style off (except when he actually lets himself sing, then he has a nice voice). Toby...is well...Toby, he's like jock rock, same goes for Storm. She could totally beat me up and make me like it.
  
  My ranking of the final 6:
  
  1. Magni
  2. Dilana
  3. Toby
  4. Lukas
  5. Storm
  6. Ryan
  
  
  I know that I am not "in sync" with the public on the Magni deal, but I think that the 15 year-olds who dominate the polls are nuts.

This Post is for Maia

I have a friend who is experiencing very hard times and has asked for sympathy and help. One of the things she asked for was scripture or Psalms to help her in her current life. This isn't something I do very often, but given that I have written about my own sadness in the past and asked for other's sympathy, I could do no less for her.

When I am overwrought with sadness there are a couple of pieces of scripture which help me to see that I am not unique in the silence with which G-D rewards my prayers. Key among these is Psalm 22:

Tehillim - Chapter 22

1. For the conductor, on the ayeleth hashachar, a song of David.
2. My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? [You are] far from my salvation [and] from the words of my moaning.
3. My God, I call out by day and You do not reply, and at night I do not keep silent.
4. But You are holy; You await the praises of Israel.
5. Our ancestors trusted in You; they trusted and You rescued them.
6. They cried out to You and they escaped; they trusted in You and they were not shamed.
7. But I am a worm and not a man; a reproach of man, despised by peoples.
8. All who see me will mock me; they will open their lips, they will shake their head.
9. One should cast his trust upon the Lord, and He will rescue him; He will save him because He delights in him.
10. For You drew me from the womb; You made me secure on my mother's breasts.
11. Upon You, I was cast from birth; from my mother's womb You are my God.
12. Do not distance Yourself from me, for distress is near; for there is none to help.
13. Great bulls have surrounded me; the mighty ones of Bashan encompassed me.
14. They opened their mouth against me [like] a tearing, roaring lion.
15. I was spilled like water, and all my bones were separated; my heart was like wax, melting within my innards.
16. My strength became dried out like a potsherd, and my tongue cleaves to my palate; and You set me down in the dust of death.
17. For dogs have surrounded me; a band of evildoers has encompassed me, like a lion, my hands and feet.
18. I tell about all my bones. They look and gloat over me.
19. They share my garments among themselves and cast lots for my raiment.
20. But You, O Lord, do not distance Yourself; my strength, hasten to my assistance.
21. Save my soul from the sword, my only one from the grip of the dog.
22. Save me from the lion's mouth, as from the horns of the wild oxen You answered me.
23. I will tell Your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise You.
24. You who fear the Lord, praise Him; all the seed of Jacob, honor Him, and fear Him, all the seed of Israel.
25. For He has neither despised nor abhorred the cry of the poor, neither has He hidden His countenance from him; and when he cried out to Him, He hearkened.
26. Because of You is my praise in the great congregation; I pay my vows in the presence of those who fear Him.
27. The humble shall eat and be sated; they shall praise the Lord, those who seek him; your hearts shall live forever.
28. All the ends of the earth shall remember and return to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall prostrate themselves before You.
29. For the kingship is the Lord's, and He rules over the nations.
30. They shall eat all the best of the earth and prostrate themselves; before Him shall all those who descend to the dust kneel, and He will not quicken his soul.
31. The seed that worships Him; it shall be told to the generation concerning the Lord.
32. They shall come and tell His righteousness to the newborn people, that which He has done.

Tommorrow we will resume our regularly scheduled programming and discuss Snakes on a Plane, Eureka, and Rockstar: Supernova.

Betrayal and The Book of Jhereg

Hi, I'm Eric. I am a member of Christian's SciFi/Fantasy Book club.

Our first book, Betrayal by Aaron Allston, is the first novel in the 9 part Legacy of the Force series which comes after the action of the New Jedi Order. The story is built up around the goings on in the Correllian System, where a dangerous weapon capable of destroying whole planets is being reactivated by the local regime in an effort to leave the Galactic Alliance. The story focuses on the actions of Jedi Knight Jacen Solo. By the way how do you pronounce this guy's name? Is it a J pronounced like an H and a hard C like "Hawken" or is it more like the common name Jason? Anyway, all of the main EU and cannon characters are along for the ride. The book features many Jedi vs. Sith battles, a bunch of droid smashing urban fights and lots of starfighter combat. The action in the book was exciting and kept up through the entire book and sets the table well for the 9 part series.

For the month of September our club deciced to read The Book of Jhereg by Steven Brust. Readers in the club will only be required to read book 1, Jhereg. In a strange coincidence I met a fan of Steven Brust today in my bowling league. I only broght it up with him because he happened to be reading a collection of fantasy stories which contained a Steven Brust short story set in his Taltos world. He had a very high opinion of the story. So obviously we are headed somewhere good.

I Knew Firefox Was Too Good to Be a Human Creation!

It turns out that the Firefox Web-browser, my browser of choice, was created by aliens and not mankind. Students at Oregon State University have found proof. I only hope it is the friendly little grey aliens with transporter technology and not the mean snake aliens who take possession of human hosts and built the pyramids.

Hat tip: Ziggurat of Doom.

Stephen Colbert Puts the Following People "On Notice!"

Put your own choices On Notice!

Don't Forget CBS's Online Network Innertube When Planning Your Fall Viewing

When it comes to the internet as network entertainment medium, it looks like CBS might just be "getting it." According to the Hollywood Reporter the Eye will be floating a number of its key shows on their internet channel Innertube.

The HR reports:

episodes from "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," "CSI: Miami," "CSI: NY," "Jericho," "NCIS," "Numbers" and "Survivor" will be posted on Innertube the morning following their initial network broadcast. Episodes of the three "CSI" series, "NCIS" and "Numbers" will be available for four weeks while episodes of "Jericho" and "Survivor" will remain available on the broadband channel all season.

.

Add to this revelation, the DVD advance release of "Kidnapped" and "Studio 60" pilot episodes to Netflix by NBC and you can see how these two networks are trying to stay ahead of Disney and their iPod connection. By the look of things, it appears that CBS and its Innertube Channel may just be leading the way and may have even come up with a possible solution to the "Serial Television" problem that Hollywood Reporter Ray Richmond reported about during the Television Critics Association Summer Meeting.

It is with the serial drama, like the new show "Jericho," where the new medium will become most useful in establishing an audience. The consumer directed and on demand nature of internet content will raise the possibility of "Jericho's" survival. Let's say the show gets good critical reviews early on, but that the show is extremely dependent upon knowledge of prior episodes. No problem, consumers can watch -- at will -- the earlier episodes, in the case of "Jericho" the whole season to the date the person first tries the show, and catch up on what has happened.

Not to mention that if "Jericho" doesn't get enough TV viewers, ratings are everything, but it achieves awesome web numbers, the show might continue as an online (and hopefully eventually DVD) only show. Imagine if "Firefly" had been made available in this format by Fox, or "The Inside," or "Invasion."

Those assume that the show will be good, a fact I cannot testify too or even guess at, but if the show isn't good than Innertube won't harm the show either. The addition of an internet television network is an exciting opportunity for even more viewer selected programming. Current Nielson systems are not 100% accurate, but bandwidth demands don't lie. If one show's content creates a drain on servers, you know you have a hit.

Exciting times my friends exciting times.

B is for Bookclub

I want to thank those of you who put out ideas for authors to be read by my fantasy/scifi book club. As you may know, next month we will be reading a book by a fantasy/scifi author whose name starts with a B. Once more, I don't want to dictate to my reading group which books should be read so I'll provide the following list and ask all of you to vote which book I should recommend to my group.

1. The Mucker by Edgar Rice Burroughs


2. Beyond 30 by Edgar Rice Burroughs


3. Elfstones of Shannara by Terry Brooks


4. Wishsong of Shannara by Terry Brooks


5. Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury


6. The Hallowed Hunt by Lois McMaster Bujold


7. The Book of Jhereg by Steven Brust

Eric, who is a part of my group, mentioned that he was thinking Brooks for B and I am a pretty big Brooks fan. Sword of Shannara is a pastiche to the Lord of the Rings, with a little post-apocalyptic fare, but Elfstones and Wishsong are wonderful fairy-tales which I would be happy to re-read.

The Mucker and Beyond 30 are often overlooked adventure tales by Edgar Rice Burroughs. I have found both to be quick, and pleasant, reads. They are very much products of their times, and they lack the "fantastic" element of Burroughs' Mars/Venus/Moonmaid stuff, but they make for a good look at the history of the genre.

The Hallowed Hunt by Lois McMaster Bujold is a good representation of where Fantasy is at today as a genre.

The Book of Jhereg is a remastered version of the first Taltos novel. The author has made slight changes to make the narrative more consistent with later books. These books are essentially hard-boiled Fantasy novels, think Mike Hammer meets magic.

As for Something Wicked This Way Comes, does it really need justification? Classic.

So, I leave the voting up to you and I will make my recommendation to the group on Thursday (after we have discussed the latest Star Wars novel) based on your comments.

As for the Star Wars novel, I will post a review of the book on Friday.

I Have Officially Lived in a Horror Movie

Have you seen Jeepers Creepers 2? No? That's alright, it isn't like you are missing out on A Clockwork Orange, but if you have seen it you will better understand what my day today was like.

Jeepers Creepers 2 is a story of a high school athletic team (I believe basketball, but maybe football) whose bus breaks down in the middle of nowhere, USA. Soon after their bus breaks down, they discover they are being hunted by a batwinged and undead scarecrowesque demon. It's fun stuff, if silly, and very Manly Wade Wellman-like, not as Wellman-like as Pumpkinhead but pretty Wellman-like.

Anyway, that's what happened to me today. As a part of my job I have organized a trip for 40+ high school students to travel from Los Angeles (actually Rosemead, Alhambra, San Gabriel, and Monterey Park) to Sacramento where they will meet with their Assemblymember (Judy Chu) and get a tour of the California Capitol. It's all in the hopes of inspiring this group of students to become political go-getters at their local high schools, not that they much need it. These students are already very excited about the political process and are great to work with, which makes today's events even more like a formulaic horror movie.

At mile 12 in Merced County on the I-5 running between Los Angeles and Sacramento the bus carrying these brave young future leaders lost its drive shaft and coasted to a halt in the middle of farm country in the San Joaquin Valley. That's right, they broke down in the middle of the Big Valley with no Heath to save them. All we could see for miles around were rolling hills, some orchards, and the wandering grazing cow. Stranded, but cellular capable our driver called for back up and we were notified it would be two hours before a replacement bus would arrive.

That's when we were attacked by a batwinged undead scarecrowesque demon. Luckily, I brought my full "DJ-CJ monster hunting kit" (registered trademark), jumped out the side door of the bus and did battle with this spawn of the pit. The battle lasted for hours and the students were in awe, not merely with my (patented) l33t monster fightin' skillz but also with the wide array of "tools" in the DJ-CJ monster hunting kit (registered trademark). In the end it was chemical solution x-2345jxr (patent pending) that dissolved enough of the beast's corporeal form that I could begin the arcane and difficult ritual required to return the beast to the pit. Sadly, the ritual required the still beating heart of a high school student. I hate it when I fight so hard to prevent casualties only to have to cause one of my own.

After three hours we were back on the road and in another two-hours arrived at our hotel in Sacramento.

Okay, to be honest there was no demon fighting, but the rest of the story is true.

Science Fiction and Fantasy Feedback Request

Recently, I started a Fantasy and Science Fiction bookclub at the local friendly bookstore where I buy most of my books. The books I don't by there are usually ebay, abebooks, or at small used bookstores. What can I say, I value the small business owner. The bookclub currently has a very limited membership. I am the coordinator and there are three other members of differing depth of "FantaSciology" (that would be knowledge in the realm of Fantasy/Science Fiction), though most seem to have a good deal of "FantaSciphilia" (love of Fantasy/Science Fiction). My goal is to both increase the membership of the group and to maintain the interest of the current membership.

That is why I am asking you for help. I need recommendations. Before you just jump to the comments section and list you recommendations, let me give you background on the "rules" we are using to select books.

Each month we will read one book and discuss it. We will choose the book based on where the author's last name is in the alphabet. Thus the first book we read will be by an author whose last name starts with an A. Those are the strict rules and I hope you can all recommend 26 books for me.

The books you recommend can cover any age level, interest, or sophistication. They can be new, old, or forthcoming. They might even be books you have written. I just need book recommendations, even graphic novels are welcome.

Of the group, I have read the most Fantasy and Science Fiction and I don't want to limit the experience to things I have read or limit the group to my own tastes.

As an example, our first book is the first book in the new Star Wars Expanded Universe series Betrayal by Aaron Allston. I haven't read much of the Star Wars Expanded Universe stuff, but two of the club members are Star Wars fanatics.

What do you recommend?

Expanded List of Genre Movies Releasing This Year: How They Stack Up So Far

Earlier this year, I posted an Expanded List of Genre Movies (mainly scifi and fantasy) that were coming out this year. Now that the year is a little more than half over, I can give brief up/down votes on those that have already come out.

Here's my brief rating system based on the fact that I see pretty much every movie with my lovely wife.

Happy Married Couple -- Both of us enjoyed the movie.

Disgruntled Husband -- My wife liked the movie, but I was less than happy. My wife will have to sneak viewings of the film when I am out of town on business or out with the boys.

Estranged Wife -- I enjoyed the movie, but my wife was less than happy. I'll have to sneak viewings of the film when my wife is out of the house.

Dinner was Good -- Neither one of us thought the movie was all that special, but neither one of us hated the film. At least the dinner and conversation was worth the time out. We will probably watch it again when it is on HBO.

We Could Have Stayed In -- We would have had more fun if we stayed home watching Monk or Stargate. The experience wasn't terrible, but $20?

Who's Idea Was This Again?! -- We both hated the film and the person who recommended it will be reminded ad infinitum when making future recommendations.

Here goes:

• Tristan and Isolde Opens January 13. I enjoyed this film quite a bit. It took a mature look at the relationship between Tristan and King Mark. It's out on DVD, so pick it up. Happy Married Couple.


• Underworld: Evolution Opens January 20. Not as good as the first film. The plot was really sketchy, and that is in comparison to the first, but it is pretty at times and the action was fun. Dinner was good.


• Nanny McPhee Opens January 27. Saw it on DVD and I should have seen it on film. I really liked this quirkly piece of film making was entertaining, though it is extremely formula for a fairy tale. Happy Married Couple.


• V for Vendetta Opens March 17. Remember remember the 5th of November? The directors and the producers of this film would have been well reminded to read about the Gunpowder plot of Guy Fawkes. Not as insightful as the graphic novel, and that wasn't really all that insightful. Kinda pretty though.We Could Have Stayed In>


• Stay Alive Opens March 26. (Massive Multiplayer Online RPGs can Kill!) I have to add this to my Netflix queue. Couldn't build the courage to see this in a theatre.


• Silent Hill Opens April 21. Despite the fact that some of my friends liked this, I have yet to see it. My wife was resistant and we had other priorities.


• X-Men 3 Opens May 26. Can you say disappointing? Where did all the money go on this production? Obviously not into sets and effects, or to screenplay for that matter. Wait for DVD, it just didn't live up to prior entries. Dinner was Good


• The Omen 666 Opens June 6. Though I really like Liev Schreiber, I am hesitate to watch another remake of a classic film with him as star. Manchurian Candidate disappointed, and I fear this one will too. I'll catch it on DVD.


• Superman Returns Opens June 30. I loved it. Does it have problems? Sure, but it felt like a Superman movie and had the right heart. If I hear about "deadbeat Superdad" one more time, I will kill that person. Superman left moments after the Second movie, in the "universe" of this film, and Lois doesn't remember the romance she had with Supes. What's to prevent her from dating the day after Superman 2? Not memory of a romance. And given Lois' filmic identity, I don't think she cares much about "protection." Only disappointment is that this is essentially Superman 1 redux, as DisContent pointed out.Happy Married Couple.


• Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest Opens July 7. I'll know if we liked this when the third one comes out. It was fun, but very dark in subject matter and ended on a down note. All symptoms of being the middle movie of a trilogy. You can read my longer review, but to sum it up...Too much buckling and not enough swashing. Happy Married Couple (if the sequel is good), Dinner was Good (if the sequel isn't).


• Lady in the Water Opens July 21. Contrary to the critics, my wife and I very much liked this film. We watched it for what it was, a fairy tale. It followed formula perfectly. Alas, one of the characters was a film critic and you know how critics react to being criticized. Could have used one more rewrite on the names, but the lack of depth in the mythology is really only a lack of depth of the characters in the film's understanding of the mythos. The problem with "creating" a mythology is that you ought to share more of the history with your audience than Shyamalan does. Happy Married Couple

The rest of the movies in the initial list haven't come out, but I will provide capsules as we see them.

On a side note, we saw Ultraviolet with Milla Jovovich. No real story, but if you like watching Milla chop up baddies for 90 minutes and can tolerate 5 minutes of "development," the movie is fun. Reminded me of a version of Equilibrium without the Fahrenheit 451 references or commentary on our phara-culture. I think the 3.7 on IMDB is a bit harsh, but understandable. My wife and I did watch this on DVD while playing a board game, the game was more engaging. Dinner was Good

We also saw the Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3D. Have you seen The Neverending Story? Yes? Then avoid this movie. No? Go watch The Neverending Story. The film didn't utilize 3D technology in any innovative way, unless you consider spitting out food at the audience innovative. Same boring 3D tricks, with better technology on the 3D, as the old 3D films. Script was derivative of both Neverending Story and Wizard of Oz. What's that? Blink three times and you'll return home? Is that a tornado? Who's Idea Was This Again?! It was mine, I think it will take longer to live down than my wife's recommendation of Head Over Heels I hated that, even though I adore Monica Potter.

That's it for now.

David Gemmell, Author of Heroic Fantasy Novels, Died at Age 57

A little over two weeks ago, one of my favorite Fantasy authors went under the knife to have quadruple heart bypass surgery. I was worried, but it appeared that he would recover. Sadly, he died last Friday. The biography on the back of each of his novels hinted that Gemmell had livid a hard life, and it appears that his youth caught up with him.

Though I am a Fantasy fan, I had never read a novel by David Gemmell prior to 2001 when my friend Tom Wizniewski (hope I'm spelling that correctly) recommended the book Legend to me. Legend was the first of 30 novels Gemmell wrote over his career and the novel that defined the themes readers would become familiar with in his future works. Legend was published in 1984, I read it in 2001, and I expect that one-hundred-plus years from now Fantasy fans will still be opening it's pages.

According to the BBC article I read, notifying me of Gemmell's death, one of the things that made him so popular was the "Sense of Adventure" presented in his novels. I think that the focus on Gemmell's sense of adventure is a good one, but I don't think it captures the essence of a Gemmell novel. Gemmell could really spin a yarn. While authors like Robert Jordan seek to become Tolkien clones writing massive tomes about supposedly complex "worlds" with well developed mythology (these authors often only succeed at being derivative of past Fantasy masters), Gemmell sought to tell exciting tales. Gemmell was the Robert Howard or Edgar Rice Burroughs of his day. His stories were inventive and inspired by history, real history, and each page eagerly welcomed readers with action and conflict.

Returning to an earlier comment, what were these themes that Gemmell presented again and again in his fiction? Gemmell's writing usually featured three things. First, and I would argue foremost, Gemmell's novels were infused with his brand of Christianity. Gemmell's novels almost always have narratives discussing the nature of God and Justice in the world. Given that his novels take place in fantasy worlds similar, but different, from our own. The most frequently discussed theological principle in Gemmell's work was that of Just War Theory. It infuses his Drenai Stories (the Drenai are a society based on the ancient Greeks) with discussions of what role, if any, violence can play in the actions of people whose religion forbids murder etc. Typically, his protagonists are flawed heroes who embody this conflict.

The second major theme is Gemmell's constant adaptation of history and historical battles into wonderful Fantasy tales. Legend is an adaptation of the battle of Thermopylae, his Rigante stories mirror the struggles of the Highlanders and Irish with the English. Two of my favorite Gemmell books are his adaptation of the story of Alexander the Great. No one makes me want to open up my Thucydides more than Gemmell, if only to find out what events inspired his creations. He has even written alternate Arthurian and Robin Hood tales.

Gemmell's third theme is the one that finally caught up with him, age. Age and the toll it takes on the body are a constant discussion as Gemmell's stories often feature aging, or aged, heroes struggling against the forces of darkness. These were often the tales I found most inspiring, where the hero has the emotional heart to fight on but his physical heart is giving out.

Last year, Gemmell began what was to be a series of books adapting the Trojan War. The first book, Lord of the Silver Bow was exciting and I was looking forward to the rest (Shield of Thunder is due out in September in England). One of the things that I was most jazzed about was the opportunity to read, in a single author's voice, the entirity of the war. Homer begins in the middle in the Iliad and covers the very end in the Odyssey , the post-homerica covers some of the beginning and end, but there is no really satisfying holistic yarn. It looked like Gemmell was going to provide that yarn, sadly it looks as if the series will end abruptly.

Joker Has Been Cast for Next Batman Movie

According to "Bags n' Boards," the comic industry blog over at Variety, Heath Ledger has been cast as the Joker in the next Batman film. The second Batman film will have the same creative team as Batman Begins, Chris Nolan at the helm and David Goyer (of JSA fame) with co-screenwriting duties.

Tom McLean at "Bags n' Boards" has a decent discussion of the history of the Joker role as played by Cesar Romero, Jack Nicholson, and Mark Hamill. He even adds some speculation with how certain spoof trailers might show up on the internet with references to Ledger's performance in Brokeback Mountain. I, for one, seem to remember that Batman and Bane had a Brokeback moment and that the Joker's Brokeback moment was with Batgirl (Barbara Gordon) in Killing Joke, but that is just me.

As for my opinion regarding the casting, I think that it is a spot on selection. I never really liked Nicholson as the Joker. First, he was over the top Jack and not over the top Joker in his performance. Second, as much stage presence as Nicholson has, he wasn't angular or "striking" enough to play the Joker. His Joker looked like a silly clown. When the first Tim Burton Batman announced that Michael Keaton would star, I hoped that he would be the Joker. If you combine his character in Beetlejuice with his performance in Pacific Heights, I believe you capture the Joker's personality to a tee. Besides, Keaton's angular eye brows and curly hair almost make him look like the Joker without the makeup. For me the quintessential drawings of the Joker are the Bolland stuff from Killing Joke , he just seemed to capture the insanity perfectly.

I look forward to seeing what Ledger will do with the role. He has shown he can do action, and that he can act, but can he pull of sympathetically crazy? That's what I think Nicholson's Joker lacked, a sympathetic-ness to which the audience can be horrifically drawn. Goyer has a great knowledge of the DC Universe and has revitalized many of the historic characters (as a comic book writer) in his work in the JSA title. He has made silly villains seem ominous (Kobra anyone?), so I have high hopes for the next Batman movie.