Well, the bad weather showed up last night with a vengeance, but luckily we still have power. Which is a big plus, because that means we have heat and the ability to cook food. There’s a couple of inches of ice on the ground already, and now it’s snowing like a blizzard. And since I work about 20 miles from my house, this means I’m in for a fun ride home.

My buddy Hayes is doing YET ANOTHER contest, so hop over there as soon as possible and sign up. This time, the prize up for grabs is a 2-disk set of grindhouse samurai movies: Shadow Hunters and Shadow Hunters II: Echo of Destiny. Who wouldn’t want to add these gems to their movie collection?

A few days ago, another friend of mine asked me what I was writing on now. I had to stop and pause before I answered, because, honestly, I have several things in the works right now. So when I replied that I was working on four different scripts, I was acknowledged with a questioning look.

“Scripts?”

“Yeah…you know, movie scripts,” I said.

“When the hell did you start writing movie scripts?”

As I opened my mouth to answer, I stopped abruptly and thought about the question. I stopped writing novels and started writing screenplays about six months ago…but did I ever tell anyone? I don’t think I did, except for an exclusive few that have been reading them.

SO, to announce (in case you didn’t already know) and reiterate, I’m not writing book-length fiction at the moment. Instead, I’m focusing on script-writing and trying to put-into-flesh some of the book ideas I’ve had. Script-writing, I’m finding out, is a lot easier for me because you don’t have to have quite as much specific details about things. But, on the flip-side, it’s a lot harder because you have a time constraint to work within (i.e. the length of the film) and therefore have to make sure you pace everything correctly, lest you wind up with a 7-hour movie.

It’s a lot of work and it’s straining my brain, but I really enjoy it. I’ll post more about them, if you’d like. Just let me know.

That’s it for now. I’m going to stare at the white-out that is overtaking the window in front of me. Have a good weekend.

MSB

…so not sure when my next post will be. Might be tomorrow, if we still have power…might be a few days if we lose power, like we did this time last year. So, this is just a friendly heads up so you won’t worry. One way or the other, I’ll post again when I can.

Until then, stay warm.

MSB

I had the pleasure of watching Sam Rockwell in Moon the other night.

I gotta tell you: I was very impressed. I didn’t have any preconceived notions about the movie before I sat down to watch it, because I didn’t know much about it. All I had heard was that it had Sam Rockwell in it and the movie itself was very well done.

Wow…it sure didn’t disappoint.

The basic plot, according to imdb.com, is this:

With only three weeks left in his three year contract, Sam Bell is getting anxious to finally return to Earth. He is the only occupant of a Moon-based manufacturing facility along with his computer and assistant, GERTY. The long period of time alone however has resulted in him talking to himself for the most part, or to his plants. Direct communication with Earth is not possible due to a long-standing communication malfunction but he does get an occasional message from his wife Tess. When he has an accident however, he wakens to find that he is not alone. He also comes to realize that his world is not what he thought it was.

Don’t be misled, though: this is not hard sci-fi…it’s not about aliens anything like that. This is a human drama set against a sci-fi backdrop. It’s about Sam Bell’s struggle with isolation and then how he deals with a startling revelation about his existence that he wasn’t prepared to face. I can guarantee you this movie isn’t for everyone, but I am personally very glad I watched it.

Anyone else seen it? Chime in and let’s discuss.

MSB

A couple of things today that caught my eye:

The L.A. Times published an interesting article on how Sci-Fi films deserve more of the spotlight when it comes to awards. Check it out here.

Gizmodo.com discusses the actual physics of space battles. This is good stuff and really makes you think.

Screenrant has presented us with the first character posters for The Last Airbender. This is one of my most highly anticipated movies of 2010, as I’m a huge fan of the cartoon. So, seeing these characters in the flesh is a big treat. Check ‘em out.

FirstShowing.net scared the crap out of me with this (older) article about how Warner Bros. is looking to remake Stephen King’s It. Folks, I’ve never liked clowns, but this book made me flat out terrified of them. When the TV mini-series was released, Tim Curry did a pretty good job of transferring the terror from page to screen. But a rated-R version of this movie could very well put me in an institution for sure.

Finally…want a zombie coloring book? Go here.

Later, folks.

MSB

Interesting news from the video-game front: Sony’s new console game titled MAG (Massive Action Game) will allow up to 256 players to combat each other online…that’s 256 players in a single match, at a time! This is HUGE (obviously) primarily because the current number of players per match in console games is 16 – 18 at a time. Just imagine the chaos and carnage that will ensue with an exponential jump in players. Wow. I’m excited.

On a similar note, I just learned that the average age of a typical gamer nowadays is 35. I was like, “Huh?” If that’s the case, then why can I not seem to find anyone over the age of 16 playing Halo 3 online? Anyway, it’s an interesting statistic and one that I believe reflects my generation’s mentality (I’m only 36 after all).

In movie news, ScreenRant tells us Warner Bros. is interested in a reboot of the Mortal Kombat film franchise. I’m kinda torn on this one. I think the previous two movies were ok, with the second beating the first hands-down…but I’m not sure if there’s a big enough fan-base for the games to draw a crowd to the movies. Still, though, with technology being what it is now, I sure would like to see some of the game’s Fatalities integrated into a film.

Finally, Anthony Burch over at SciFi Scanner gives us the Five Real Reasons Why Video Game Movies Usually Stink. For as much as I want to see certain games put on the big screen, I have to tip my hat to Anthony…he has pretty much hit every major flaw with video-game movies that I’ve ever thought of, and more. Until we invent 100%-immersion technology for watching (or excuse me, ‘experiencing’) movies, the true video-game-to-movie crossover will probably never work.

Your thoughts? Let’s discuss.

MSB

After a long day of being sick yesterday, I think I’m finally on the mend. Seems that my sinuses don’t have a flair for fighting off infection and therefore succumb to any old nasty virus that happens to come around. Thanks a lot, sinuses. I appreciate all of your hard work to keep me healthy.

My buddy Hayes at Hayes Hudson’s House of Horror reviewed a CLASSIC movie that you MUST check out. Click here to read it: Black Devil Doll. I have not seen this, but it has already popped into my Top-10-Must-Watch-List. Sounds hilarious!

Secondly, there are rumors rumbling around in Hollywood that Gremlins 3 might be on the horizon. And, surprise!, it would be in 3-D. The author of the article above doesn’t like the fact that we keep revisiting the films we loved as kids. But I’d be interested in seeing what they could do with this…BUT ONLY IF they use puppets and not CG. I think CG certainly has its place (hello, Avatar?), but something like this franchise is a classic and shouldn’t be tampered with.

That’s about all I have for now…more later.

MSB

Ah, the weekend looms closer. And that makes me real happy!

Real quick today:

Courtesy of FirstShowing.net, here are the Best 19 Movies of 2009 That You Didn’t See. Several of these stick out as winners to me, including The Children, The Killing Room, Moon, The Road, and Thirst. I plan on watching all of these when they make their DVD debuts.

TV Guide reports that Joss Whedon may be in talks with an unnamed network about a new series.

Sci-Fi Squad gives us the Top 10 Sci-Fi Experiments Gone Wrong – Movie Edition. Hats off for naming The Fly as #1. It doesn’t get any more wrong than that…

From Screenrant.com, J.J. Abrams talks about Cloverfield 2 and a surprising possible villain for Star Trek 2. I loved both of the original movies and hope he surprises us with new stuff in the sequels.

Finally, courtesy of AMC.com, a zombie series may soon hit TV.

Your thoughts?

MSB

Alright, alright…I missed yet another post yesterday. I know…I suck. Shoot me. What’s my excuse this time? Well, I don’t have one. So chew on that for a while!

My first bit of info for you today is this: Jonathan Levine has been tapped to direct Warm Bodies, a zombie love film. Warm Bodies is based on a short story titled I Am a Zombie Filled with Love written by Isaac Marion (click on the title to read the story…it’s short and awesome). According to FirstShowing.net, Warm Bodies is described as “Twilight meets Shaun of the Dead. I am definitely going to check this out.
And be sure to check out the short story above as well. I loved it. Two lines that struck me as absolutely brilliant (and funny) were:

‘I would probably look pretty sharp if my intestines weren’t dragging at my feet. Ha.’

and

‘Death has relaxed me.’

Good stuff.

Sticking with movies, Bruce Campbell will be making a sequel to My Name is Bruce. This one will be titled Bruce vs. Frankenstein. Interested? I know I am. I saw My Name is Bruce and lemme tell you: it is classic Bruce Campbell. I am, for sure, a Campbell-fan and love most of what the man has done (I can think of a couple of movies that suck, but ONLY a couple). So we’ll see what this one has to offer.

And finally, check out this article that describes how a U.S. version of Torchwood is in the works. Oh, and its being looked at by Fox. Bleh. Fox has pissed me off to the last straw. After the way they butchered Joss Whedon’s work (i.e. Firefly and Dollhouse), not to mention the countless number of pilots they’ve tried out for good-looking shows and then dropped like a bomb, I think Fox needs to back out of the sci-fi/fantasy genre and leave it alone. Am I bitter? Eh…maybe. Will I watch the show if it’s produced? Probably…especially because it’s rumored that John Barrowman will act in it (just like in the BBC version).

Ok, I’m done rambling for now. What do you think? An American version of Torchwood? A zombie love-film? Let’s discuss.

MSB

Just two things today: one is a set of pictures, which I’m sure you’ll enjoy…the other is a question, proposed by me.

First, the pictures. Check out these cool shots of Robert Rodriguez’s upcoming Predator reboot, ‘Predators’. From what I understand, these are some of the first pics to be released from the studio. Nice.

Second, your question: would you rather read a sci-fi thriller about a murder mystery on another planet, or would you rather read a sci-fi thriller about aliens attacking human beings on another planet?

Why am I asking you this? Because, of course, I have an ulterior motive. Geesh. Do you have to ask?

MSB

Hmmmm…

I just read this article about the true story of Peter Pan. And I have to say, I’m almost shocked. I never knew that the original story was so full of adult overtones. For those of you unfamiliar with the real story, it apparently contains:

• scenes of the pirates brutally massacring the Indians
• the death of Tinkerbell
• a scene where a group of fairies are returning home from an orgy

Wow. Just when you think you know Disney’s source-material. This makes me wonder how many other kids-movies/shows/books are based on adult-themed works.

• Is The Little Mermaid actually a lesbian trapped in a fish-body who eats sailors alive?
• Is The Rescuers actually about a sex-slave trading operation that two mice try to end?
• Is Mickey Mouse really a pimp?
• Is Finding Nemo really about child-abandonment?

Sure, these examples are extreme, but who knows? Maybe the origin material isn’t as sweet and innocent as we think it is.

Don’t get me wrong…I’m not a prude by any means. I just find it interesting that a story rich with bloodshed and other adult-topics was toned down enough to become a children’s story. This case sounds like one instance where censorship was very appropriate.

Your thoughts?

MSB