Listen to My Radio Show... Dammit.

For those of you who didn't listen live, our most recent radio show, from Monday at 7pm ,is now available for listening.



If you are the first listener to email me at geekeratiradio@gmail.com answering the trivia question on the show you will win an autographed picture of Katee Sackhoff.

Finding Neverland Director to Helm Bond 22

Coming on the heels of Martin Campbell's redefinition of the Bond character in Casino Royale, Marc Forster (Finding Neverland, Stranger than Fiction) will be directing the next Bond film. The 22nd installment of the franchise will also see the return of Daniel Craig in the starring role.

Initially, the choice of Forster to direct the new film may seem an odd one, but I think it might be a further step in the right direction. While Campbell's Casino Royale was one of my favorite Bond films in years, I think that had more to do with the inclusion of Alexander Witt as the Second Unit Director than it did with any input Campbell had as Director. Casino's strengths were in the action and Craig's acting, and not in the subtle direction of small scenes.

Let us ask the question the following way. Please allow for the underlying assumptions (the "given" statements) for the sake of the argument, even if you disagree.

1. GIVEN: That Casino Royale was one of the best James Bond films ever made.


2. GIVEN: The Bourne Identity was a key film in the redefinition of the spy film genre.


3. GIVEN: One of the things that made Casino Royale so entertaining was the way the action sequences awed the audience.


4. GIVEN: Martin Campbell directed Goldeneye, Vertical Limit, and No Escape in addition to two Zorro films without Alexander Witt as Second Unit Director.


5. GIVEN: The above films had wide range of quality, from good to bad.


6. GIVEN: Goldeneye has a very different "feel" than Casino Royale


7. GIVEN: Alexander Witt was Second Unit Director on Black Hawk Down, The Bourne Identity, Gladiator, Black Rain, and Speed.


8. GIVEN: The action sequences in the listed Alexander Witt films have certain stylistic similarities that contributed to the entertainment value of those films.


9. GIVEN: Casino Royale had a "Bournesque" feel to a lot of the action.


10. THUS: Alexander Witt had a lot to do with what was entertaining about Casino Royale

With all of the above in mind, I think that bringing in a director who has directed some very entertaining (non-action based) films in the past is a way that the Bond films could improve. But only if they hire the right Second Unit Director.

The Earth's Mightiest Heroes Coming to Big Screen

When one imagines the reaction of a comic book fan to the news that The Avengers (totally different than The Avengers) were finally coming to the Big Screen, one imagines images of geeky childhood delight. Well, according to Borys Kit of the Hollywood Reporter, the first part of that equation has arrived. The Avengers will be coming to the big screen, with a screenplay by Zak Penn.

But the second par of that imagining, isn't happening on my part. Instead, I worry. I worry an unreasonable amount. I am getting hives from worry. I am very precious about my dear Avengers. You see, they are my favorite superhero team. I own every issue of their comics, no small feat, and have stuck with them through thick and thin. Sure, I don't think that The Avengers have ever been as entertaining as the Giffen/Maguire/Dematteis era of The Justice League, but their lows haven't been as low and their "average" level of writing has kept me entertained for over thirty years. So, in my preciousness I am worried that any Avengers movie will lack the heart of what I enjoy about the franchise.

But my preciousness is really the least of my worries. I am more concerned with the fact that The Avengers are a TEAM, a very large team, as this picture demonstrates.



That picture was drawn in the 90s. Since then the list of heroes who have been a part of The Avengers has only grown. No, I don't expect any movie about The Avengers to try to include every Avenger, but I do expect the movie to be a team movie and that means team movie problems.

What team movie problems?

Well, there's the whole, "how do you introduce the team members to an audience who might not know them" problem. This problem was key in the weaknesses of the Fantastic Four film. Too much time covering the back story and you end up with no narrative.

Then there's the "too many heroes" problem. What heroes do you choose and how many? How many are too many? Which heroes get personal narratives? Do any? Is this just a "group" story, in which case it isn't very Marvelesque, or does it have the requisite Marvel soap opera qualities?

Finally, there's the "satisfying the fanboy" problem. How obscure do you get with the members of the team? Do you do the "original Avengers," Iron Man, Hulk, Ant-Man, and Thor (with Captain America coming quickly, but the Hulk leaving as rapidly)? Do you go with the "classic Avengers," Iron Man, Ant-Man (in one of his multiple forms), Vision, Captain America, Thor, Scarlet Witch, Hawkeye, and Wasp? Is that even really the "classic Avengers?" What about Black Panther and Beast? They both rule and spent a lot of time hanging out with the team.

I don't want to think about it. I'll just think about the animated movies they did recently. They were okay. They lacked the Marvel essence, but they were a good team adventure.

I don't even want to think of who the villain might be in an Avengers movie.

Zak, I don't envy you the attempt.

Vecna has Made His Move!

I thought that the BEAR retrieval units were going to be used for rescuing soldiers, but it appears the BBC got it all wrong. The BEARS are tearing down the various barricades citizens have designed to protect themselves from the growing Zombie scourge.

I can hear the BEAR pounding on my steel safety door, but I didn't expect the cooing sound...

So...calming...

Isn't he cute...

Maybe I should just let him in...

No! I must do my radio show this evening. Time to call my buddy Kas. Better to be a vampire than a mindless zombie.

Dieting

Yeah, so the timing on this is pretty ironic. I mean, I just started on an anti-hypertension diet yesterday, and now it looks like it was a bit too late. Or maybe too early on the other hand. I mean, who cares about high blood pressure when you have zombies around, anyway?

Ironically, if zombies were to eat my mortgage company and a certain attorney, I think I'd be feeling a lot less stressed out at the moment. I suppose I prefer even attorneys to zombies, anyway.

I guess the new diet will be helpful if I ever have to run from some zombie gang, but I'd hate to get in shape just in time to join the ranks of the undead. I mean, I haven't seen many fat zombies anyway--I guess brains don't exactly have a lot of saturated fat--but then again that may just be selection bias. Maybe the films of fat zombies don't make it on the news. That would be typical.

Boston Legal Lets Go of Four Actors Due to Zombie Apocalypse (BLITEOTW)

According to TV Guide, Julie Bowen, Mark Valley, Rene Auberjonois and Constance Zimmer won't appear during episodes of Boston Legal this fall. The underlying cause for the actors being dropped appears to be the Zombie Apocalypse which began this morning, though the particular reasons each of the actors won't be on the show next season vary.

A few of my friends, in the recently created Zombie Annihilation Unit of LAPD, have confirmed that Julie Bowen has refused to leave her house until society becomes more stable. Not surprising given the close proximity her house has to several Los Angeles cemeteries. The last thing I would want experience when walking out of my house is some dessicated and rotting starlet from the Silent Era trying to eat my brains. Particularly since I couldn't be sure whether the Starlet was doing it due to "hunger" or just jealousy that I was working.

As for Mark Valley, it seems he thought that he was as tough as his counterpart on the show and tried to "help" local law enforcement "take care" of the zombie problem. Well...now he's a part of the problem. I just saw his corpse moaning on exclusive TMZ footage.

I have yet to read any news regarding Rene Auberjonois and Constance Zimmer, but I would like to express my disappointment that Constance in particular won't be back. I have a big crush on her and would be willing to watch even a zombie Constance on the show. Just imagine how much more complex her character's relationship with Clarence might be if Clarence had to deal with the constant threat of having his brains devoured by his girlfriend. Could Clavant, or Clarice for that matter, handle that? I think not.

Vecna is Doing What?!

For those who have long wondered what the Lord of Secrets has been planning, the BBC has the scoop. It appears that, having achieved the status of Lesser God, Vecna has done what any intelligent, self-serving, deity in search of new followers would do. He has become a contractor with the US Military.

That's right, Vecna, the most reviled lich in Greyhawk history, the villain whose hand and eye have been coveted by the most greedy adventurers, has designed a "Teddy Bear" looking robot to help extract wounded soldiers from dangerous battlezones.

Who knew that Vecna was making Warforged? I thought that was the purview of Merrix D'Cannith.

Is this Lesser God...

Planning on taking over the world with these?

BEAR Image Source: Vecna Technologies, Inc.
Vecna Image Source: Wizards of the Coast.
Hat Tip: Ziggurat of Doom.