Two-and-a-half glorious minutes of giant monsters and robots
By DonKaye_ParallelUniverse Thu 1:54 PM
With its release a little under two months away, a new trailer for director Guillermo Del Toro's monsters-and-robots rally "Pacific Rim" has arrived.
This trailer goes a lot more in-depth into the history and mythology of the movie's storyline, while delivering the biggest bounty yet of shots showcasing the massive scale that Del Toro is working on and the sheer destruction that his apocalyptic battle between the Kaiju and the Jaegers creates. And yet, if any director won't lose sight of the human story as well, it's Del Toro.
We're at the point now where we just want to see the thing. Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day, Ron Perlman star, along with a whole slew of monstrous creatures and robots the size of buildings. Check out the official plot description and trailer below.
When legions of monstrous creatures, known as Kaiju, started rising from the sea, a war began that would take millions of lives and consume humanity's resources for years on end. To combat the giant Kaiju, a special type of weapon was devised: massive robots, called Jaegers, which are controlled simultaneously by two pilots whose minds are locked in a neural bridge. But even the Jaegers are proving nearly defenseless in the face of the relentless Kaiju. On the verge of defeat, the forces defending mankind have no choice but to turn to two unlikely heroes -- a washed up former pilot (Charlie Hunnam) and an untested trainee (Rinko Kikuchi) -- who are teamed to drive a legendary but seemingly obsolete Jaeger from the past. Together, they stand as mankind's last hope against the mounting apocalypse.
"Pacific Rim" is out in theaters on Friday, July 12.
Plus, DC superstar talks 'Justice League' comics, 'Arrow' and more
By DonKaye_ParallelUniverse Thu 11:17 AM
Geoff Johns is among the biggest names in comics today. In addition to being chief creative officer at DC Comics, Johns' vast body of work as a best selling writer in the last 13 years includes "JSA," "The Flash," "Infinite Crisis," "Action Comics" (with his mentor, filmmaker Richard Donner), "Blackest Night," "The Flash: Rebirth" and more, including his now legendary run on "Green Lantern."
We spoke with Johns via phone and asked about ending his "GL" run, where his other books are headed, his thoughts on DC's "The New 52" relaunch, the "Arrow" TV series and DC's future on film, including the upcoming "Man of Steel."
MSN Movies: How are you feeling about the end of your run on "Green Lantern"? Has it sunk in yet?
Geoff Johns: Well, I've been working on the book for nine years, and since that time I've been really fortunate to work with as many great collaborators, both on the artist's side and the writer's side, as I have. I just got the final issue, and there are a lot of artists that we worked with over the course of the run that are in the issue, and I'm really proud of it. It's been a long run and it's been rewarding and, for me, the story -- the way the story was developing between Hal and Sinestro and what ultimately was going to happen in this issue -- it felt like the exact right time to close my run out and move on to new things.
How do you know when it is the right time to stop? Does the story feel like it's coming to a natural conclusion? What are the signs that it's time after a long run like that?
It's a bit of everything. For me, really, the story in this case really dictated it. I had been plotting the story out for quite a while and I knew that Hal was going to once again kind of sacrifice himself at this moment to attempt to use a black ring, and the whole idea was to get to rebirth once again, and Hal Jordan's "carpe diem" attitude is probably the best thing that describes that character: He lives for the moment. And he's so full of life that even death can't hold him down.
Once I got to the story line where it was really going to be kind of another return from the dead -- organically it felt like the perfect time to end the run. It felt very balanced. And the characters were in a similar spot at the end of this but very, very different characters. For me, with everything that happened between those it really ultimately just made perfect sense. It's always been about Hal Jordan and Sinestro, and this story line encapsulates that and pushes it one step further. This is the right story for me to bow out on.
Geoff Johns: Well, I've been working on the book for nine years, and since that time I've been really fortunate to work with as many great collaborators, both on the artist's side and the writer's side, as I have. I just got the final issue, and there are a lot of artists that we worked with over the course of the run that are in the issue, and I'm really proud of it. It's been a long run and it's been rewarding and, for me, the story -- the way the story was developing between Hal and Sinestro and what ultimately was going to happen in this issue -- it felt like the exact right time to close my run out and move on to new things.
How do you know when it is the right time to stop? Does the story feel like it's coming to a natural conclusion? What are the signs that it's time after a long run like that?
It's a bit of everything. For me, really, the story in this case really dictated it. I had been plotting the story out for quite a while and I knew that Hal was going to once again kind of sacrifice himself at this moment to attempt to use a black ring, and the whole idea was to get to rebirth once again, and Hal Jordan's "carpe diem" attitude is probably the best thing that describes that character: He lives for the moment. And he's so full of life that even death can't hold him down.
Once I got to the story line where it was really going to be kind of another return from the dead -- organically it felt like the perfect time to end the run. It felt very balanced. And the characters were in a similar spot at the end of this but very, very different characters. For me, with everything that happened between those it really ultimately just made perfect sense. It's always been about Hal Jordan and Sinestro, and this story line encapsulates that and pushes it one step further. This is the right story for me to bow out on.
(Interior illustrations from "Green Lantern" #20)
Sure. With "Aquaman," we're in the middle of a story line right now where Aquaman is attempting to, you know, he's been forced to take the throne of Atlantis again after there was a war between Atlantis and the land. And he's a reluctant king. He grew up on land, he doesn't want to be king of Atlantis, but in this case he has no choice. They need a king and they need someone who's going to kind of heal the rift between land and sea, and that's his job. He's literally that and he's going to have to physically do that as well.
In Justice League right now we're building to a story line called "Trinity War" -- there's a couple of different teams that support the Justice League, and basically the death of a hero sparks some tension between these teams. Ultimately, as they go across the world trying to solve this murder the Leagues will face something else at the end of it that will head us into fall. We haven't really talked about that just yet ...
(Triple "Trinity War" cover of "Justice League" #22, "Justice League of America" #6 and "Justice League Dark" #22)
Well, I think like everything there's, you know, some characters, some titles that work and some that don't. But Dan (DiDio) and Jim (Lee) head up publishing, they've really spearheaded "The New 52" and I give them credit for it because it's been really strong. I think there are characters like Wonder Woman and Aquaman and Animal Man who've really benefited from kind of a fresh start. I look at "Aquaman" and Issue 1 did really, really well, partly because it was part of this big initiative. Everybody was looking at all these characters and all these "Number 1" issues. I think if you delivered on the book, you had a chance to find a bigger audience than you would have normally. There are a lot of great books out there.
What are some new writing projects that you can announce or talk about?
Well, I can say that Gary Frank and I are wrapping up "Shazam" right now. We've been telling the Shazam story and Justice League for just about over a year and Issue 21 of "Justice League" out at the end of June will be the final chapter of that story line. And then Gary and I will be moving on to Volume 2 of "Batman: Earth One." which is a graphic novel that will be due out late next year.
The first volume of "Batman: Earth One" was incredible.
The new one is going to be the next chapter in our "Batman: Earth One" saga. This volume is going to deal with Batman and how he learns to become a detective. He goes up against the Riddler and Killer Croc, and there's another villain in there. Plus, we continue the story with James Gordon and his daughter Barbara and Harvey Bullock and Alfred Pennyworth -- there's a very different Alfred Pennyworth in "Batman: Earth One" than people might know.
What are your thoughts on "Arrow"? It's a big success, but people were a little skeptical at first.
It started strong, but it got stronger and stronger over the course of the season. I'm really excited. Greg Berlanti and Andrew Crisford and Marc Guggenheim have taken the show in a great direction. It's fun to be part of the show and seeing success for a character like Green Arrow. I remember talking to some people and thinking, let people be skeptical. They should be skeptical because superhero shows are really, really hard to do. The fact that this one has found an audience is terrific. I'm excited because they've already started working on next season and I've heard a little bit about it and it sounds really great.
Are you going to do some writing for Season 2?
I should not say that yet.
Before we go, there's a lot of speculation about the DC Universe getting onto the big screen and "Man of Steel" possibly paving the way for "Justice League." Anything you can say about that?
I can't talk about that. Sorry, man.
Any general statements you want to make about "Man of Steel"?
I just can't wait until "Man of Steel" is out. I can't wait until people see it.
"Green Lantern" #20 is out in stores Wednesday, May 22.
Vin Diesel back for third round as galactic anti-hero
By DonKaye_ParallelUniverse Wed 3:30 PM
"Pitch Black" was a real sleeper when it came out in 2000, a smart, inventive sci-fi thriller with a terrific anti-hero at its center. The 2004 sequel, "The Chronicles of Riddick," expanded the universe with some dazzling imagery, but got bogged down in a cumbersome story. Nevertheless, Vin Diesel is coming back in "Riddick," and the first full trailer is here.
The new film finds Riddick stranded on a desolate planet and surrounded by vicious alien predators. Desperate to escape, he activates an emergency beacon that sends every bounty hunter in the galaxy after him -- some more lethal than ever before. But since this is Riddick, after all, he won't be easy for them to catch.
In addition to Diesel, the film (written and directed once again by David Twohy) also stars Katee Sackhoff ("Battlestar Galactica"), Bokeem Woodbine, Dave Bautista ("Guardians of the Galaxy"), Keri Hilson and Karl Urban (Dr. McCoy from "Star Trek Into Darkness").
Check out the trailer and the menacing new poster below.
"Riddick" is out in theaters Friday, September 6.
Are you ready to go for round three with Riddick? Tell us on our MSN Movies Facebook page and on Twitter.
Here's the lowdown on all your new 2013-2014 shows
By DonKaye_ParallelUniverse Wed 3:02 PM
The TV networks have been announcing their 2013-2014 schedules all week, and we're pleased to report that those slates include plenty of new programs that fall into the categories of sci-fi, supernatural and fantasy. Here's a rundown of all those new shows and whether they look like they're worth checking out.
"Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.": Developed by "Avengers" writer-director Joss Whedon (whose previous TV efforts include the now-classic "Buffy the Vampire Slayer") , this is Marvel Studios' first live-action foray into TV since launching the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2008 and will no doubt tie into that. Back-from-the-dead Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) leads a new team of agents as they deal with superheroes, villains and everything else that your normal government agencies can't fathom. A must-watch for fans of Marvel, Whedon and pretty much everyone interested in geek culture and comic books. (Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on ABC)
"Almost Human": The newest TV entry from J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot Productions is an action drama set 35 years in the future, when human cops team up with cyborg partners to fight crime. Karl Urban (Dr. McCoy in the new "Star Trek" films) plays the cop and Michael Ealy ("Underworld: Awakening") is the robot, and of course there's a deeper conspiracy just waiting to be uncovered by them. This is a J.J. Abrams show, after all. (Mondays at 8 p.m., late fall on FOX)
"Sleepy Hollow": What happens when 18th-century soldier Ichabod Crane gets transported -- along with a headless redcoat -- to the present and teams up with a modern-day cop? You get one of the silliest premises we've heard in a long time -- but then again, this is from the guys who wrote the "Transformers" movies, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (to be fair, they were also part of the brain trust behind "Fringe"). Based on the trailer, however, we have to say this looks kind of ridiculous. Heads may roll, but so may eyes. (Mondays at 9 p.m. on FOX)
"Once Upon a Time in Wonderland": A sequel/spin-off of "Once Upon a Time," this will follow basically the same premise but, as you might have guessed, will play off the adventures of a young woman in Victorian England named Alice (Sophie Lowe) who finds herself falling back down the rabbit hole into a strange land that she visited once before and had almost forgotten. Yes, this sounds like the Tim Burton movie, but with the enormous success of "Once Upon a Time," we wouldn't count it out. (Thursdays at 8 p.m. on ABC)
"Dracula": Jonathan Rhys Meyers ("The Tudors") will star as the legendary Count, who arrives in London disguised as an American businessman looking to bring some new inventions to England. But he's really interested in seeking vengeance on those who made him what he is, while doing some blood-drinking in the process. We're always wary of new takes on this iconic character, and vampires have saturated pop culture for a while now, but we must admit the trailer looks pretty impressive. (Fridays at 10 p.m. on NBC)
"Resurrection": The small town of Arcadia, Mo., is changed forever when deceased loved ones begin returning to life 30 years after they've died. It begins with an 8-year-old boy named Jacob for whom no time has passed at all even though his parents are now elderly. Written and executive produced by Aaron Zelman ("The Killing"), the premise sounds creepy and will no doubt feature some continuing mysteries if it stays on the air long enough. Omar Epps, Kurtwood Smith, Matt Craven and Frances Fisher star. (Midseason on ABC)
"Believe": J.J. Abrams ("Lost," "Star Trek Into Darkness") and Alfonso Cuaron ("Children of Men," "Gravity") are executive producers on this program about a little girl (Johnny Sequoyah) with special powers like telekinesis and precognition who is pursued by interests who have their own agenda for her powers. So it's up to wrongly convicted prison escapee Tate (Jake McLaughlin) to protect her ... at all costs. Will this be another of Abrams' increasingly infuriating "mystery box" shows, or will Cuaron bring his magic to it as well? (Midseason on NBC)
"The Tomorrow People," "Star-Crossed" and "The 100": All three of these have been picked up by The CW, and their place on the network's schedule will be unveiled during its Thursday (May 16) presentation to the media. "The Tomorrow People" is based on a British series from the '70s about a group of young people who gain superpowers as part of the next stage of human evolution. "Star-Crossed" is about a teen romance between an alien boy and a human girl after he and several other of his people are assimilated into a high school -- boy, does this sound right up the CW's alley. Finally, "The 100" follows a group of young misfits who are sent back to a devastated Earth to recolonize the planet after nuclear war caused humanity to flee. And let's not forget "The Originals," a "Vampire Diaries" spin-off that will follow the Mikaelson clan as they head to New Orleans for more supernatural soap opera antics.
Which 'Star Trek' episodes could be movies, and which shouldn't?
By DonKaye_ParallelUniverse Wed 2:55 PM
If you're the slightest bit leery of spoilers about "Star Trek Into Darkness," the J.J. Abrams-directed sequel to his hit 2009 reboot of the venerable sci-fi franchise, then perhaps you should keep away from this article. We're not going to give away much (that's for another time), but we might say something now that makes you a bit uneasy if you want to go in completely fresh.
Related: Who's who in 'Star Trek Into Darkness'
They also chose the one "Star Trek" story that is best known outside the original show's fan base, when surely they could have poached something less well-known and perhaps even more open to reinterpretation, with the new "Trek" taking place in an alternate timeline and all. So in the spirit of being helpful, we've selected five "Trek" episodes that we could see turned into movies -- and five that we wouldn't touch with a dead tribble.
You could make movies out of:
1. "Mirror, Mirror": I guess we're actually in a "mirror universe" already with the new "Star Trek," except that everyone here acts kind of dumb and reckless instead of evil. So imagine seeing Zachary Quinto's Spock fight the evil, bearded Spock. Or how about Zachary Quinto's Spock fighting the Zachary Quinto killer from "American Horror Story: Asylum"? It's still an evil Spock, kind of. And Chris Pine's Kirk could fight the evil Chris Pine who tried to sabotage his own career by appearing in "This Means War."
2. "The Doomsday Machine": You could make a real conspiracy theory story out of this one. Instead of the Doomsday Machine floating into our galaxy and smashing up planets, let's imagine that a bad Starfleet admiral (played by, I don't know, Peter Weller) finds one, discovers its control panel and uses it himself to smash up planets so that he can provoke a war with the Klingons or some other alien race that provides instant fan service.
3. "Arena": The alien race in this episode, the Gorn, is one of our favorite species from the old show. But those lizard masks were so stiff and immobile! Surely some CG would make the Gorn a lot more expressive, and the zipper on the back of the costume could be made invisible too. Put the Gorn in the arena with Kirk and Spock and watch the reality-show-competition sparks fly. With Donald Trump starring as the alien race overseeing it all, the Metrons.
4. "Errand of Mercy": "Star Trek Into Darkness" hints that a war with the Klingons is coming, so why not go for it and remake this episode, in which Kirk and Spock are the entire Federation response to a Klingon occupation of the neutral planet Organia. Original series fans remember what happens when you annoy the Organians. One thing missing from the new "Trek" movies are other species that can put us all in our place. The Organians can fill that order nicely.
5. "The Tholian Web": The original series' third season had very few high points, but this is one of them, just because it's so weird. Giant webs in space! Weird crystalline aliens! Rips in the universe! And Kirk missing for half the episode. How would Chris Pine feel about that? This is the kind of trippy sci-fi we'd like to see more of in the big-screen "Trek" franchise.
Don't even think of making a movie out of:
1. "The Way to Eden": Space hippies invade the Enterprise and incapacitate the crew with some of the worst songs ever heard on network TV. Yeah, we could see this playing out on the big screen ... not in a million years. Not even if you made the space hippies into the Occupy Alpha Quadrant movement or something like that.
2. "The Omega Glory": More heavy-handed political metaphor here, with the Yangs (Yankees) and Kohms (Communists) playing out a mini-Cold War with sticks, stones and the occasional phaser supplied by a deranged Starfleet captain. This episode was so clumsy and poorly conceived that we can't even think of a good joke about somehow updating this to include the Tea Party. And Gene Roddenberry, of all people, wrote this one?
3. "Spock's Brain": Classic bad "Trek" here. The line "Brain, brain, what is brain?" could be applied to the actual script for this segment, since intelligence seemed to be in low supply when this one was written. We're sure Chris Pine's Capt. Kirk wouldn't mind combing through a planet of scantily clad women in search of the title object, but we think Zachary Quinto might protest being pushed around by Dr. McCoy like a wind-up toy for most of the running time.
4. "Bread and Circuses": Yes, this episode was a little ahead of its time in portraying gladiatorial combat as a TV blood sport, but really, any segment that took place on a planet with a parallel Earth culture -- "A Piece of the Action" (Chicago gangster planet), "Patterns of Force" (Nazi Germany planet), "The Paradise Syndrome" (Native American planet) -- is asking for trouble. Put Pine and Quinto in togas or SS uniforms and prepare for a long summer of empty theaters.
5. "The Mark of Gideon": This is the one where Kirk wanders around a seemingly empty Enterprise and eventually comes across -- what else? -- a beautiful young woman. We never understood this episode and still to this day don't even know what the hell it's all about. All right, we did finally figure it out, but the whole thing seems unnecessarily complicated ... sort of like a new "Star Trek" movie that is just coming out this week.
"Star Trek Into Darkness" is out in theaters now.
Plus, a new Instagram account and a chance for fans to design their own Chapter 1
By Myriam Gabriel-Pollock May 14, 2013 7:28PM
Lionsgate has debuted the first official poster for "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" on the new official Instagram for the film.The new poster features the tagline, "The sun persists on rising, so I make myself stand," straight from Suzanne Collins' pages.
Bing: More about 'Catching Fire' | More about Jennifer Lawrence
Compare this poster to the first official poster for "The Hunger Games"—there is quite a shift in atmosphere and attitude. The "Catching Fire" poster feels beautifully serene and yet, Katniss is quite alone. The clouds that appear as wings make her seem like an angel perched on a rock...or a mockingjay set to take off and change the world. The "Hunger Games" poster shows Katniss in her Games gear, surrounded by the Capitol audience; whereas the "Catching Fire" one features her in a natural landscape, far from humanity.
Thoughts on the poster? Share them in the Comments.In the meantime, Lionsgate is encouraging fans to design and illustrate the first chapter of "Catching Fire" for their chance to see their work featured on The Hunger Games' Facebook page. Drawings, photos, GIFs and video can be used in a multimedia piece inspired by the words of the book. Check it out here.
"The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" is out in theaters Friday, November 22.
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Speed, strength and the power of flight make Kal-El who he is
By DonKaye_ParallelUniverse May 14, 2013 4:43PM
Three new "Man of Steel" featurettes focus on three of the most iconic aspects of Superman: his speed, his enormous strength and his ability to fly.
One thing that Superman fans want to see in the new "Man of Steel" is their hero being, well, Superman: using his incredible powers to battle forces that threaten the world he has sworn to protect.
Judging from the trailers we've seen so far, we'll be seeing plenty of that in the Zack Snyder-directed movie. This three short pieces -- while gifting us with more footage from the film -- focus on three of Kal-El's most famous powers and how they're utilized.
"Man of Steel" stars Henry Cavill as Superman, along with Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Michael Shannon as General Zod, Russell Crowe as Jor-El, Kevin Costner as Jonathan Kent, Diane Lane as Martha Kent and Laurence Fishburne as Perry White.
(via Superhero Hype)
Translate 41 different tongues into alien lingo
By DonKaye_ParallelUniverse May 14, 2013 4:32PM
Starting today (Tuesday, May 14), you can translate the 41 languages supported by Bing -- Microsoft's Internet search engine -- into Klingon, the tongue spoken by the alien bad guys of the same name in "Star Trek."
The introduction of Klingon into Bing's translation service comes just as the latest film in the franchise, "Star Trek Into Darkness," is set to beam into theaters nationwide.
You can now take text from any of the 41 languages supported by the Bing translation service and change it into Klingon, just as things written in Klingon itself cam now be translated into more than three dozen Earth-based tongues (Full disclosure: Parallel Universe is also a product of Microsoft).
Microsoft engineer Eric Andeen happens to actually speak Klingon -- one of a small group of humans who do so -- and helped develop the translator for Bing. The original language was created by linguist Marc Okrand, who ran with it after hearing a few made-up Klingon words in the 1979 movie "Star Trek: The Motion Picture."
Those words were spoken by late actor James Doohan, best known for playing the Enterprise's Chief Engineer, Montgomery Scott, but who would also supply voices and lines for aliens from time to time. Okrand published "The Klingon Dictionary" in 1985, while other sites and organizations dedicated to Klingon language and culture have sprung up since them.
Bing director of communications Craig Beilinson said, "We have people who understand the deep science of linguistics and we also have people who are passionate about the Star Trek' franchise. This was a labor of love from a lot of different avenues."
The Klingons do appear in the new movie, and even have a few lines, so you might want to take the opportunity to brush up now and impress your friends by not having to read the subtitles!
"Star Trek Into Darkness" is out on Imax Wednesday, May 15 and in theaters everywhere Thursday, May 16.
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