Kyle Kingson (Alex Pettyfer) has it all – looks, intelligence, wealth and opportunity – and a wicked cruel streak. Prone to mocking and humiliating “aggressively unattractive” classmates, he zeroes in on Goth classmate Kendra, inviting her to the school’s extravagant environmental bash. Kendra accepts, and, true to form, Kyle blows her off in a particularly savage fashion. She retaliates by casting a spell that physically transforms him into everything he despises. Enraged by his horrible and unrecognizable appearance he confronts Kendra and learns that the only solution to the curse is to find someone that will love him as he is – a task he considers impossible. Repulsed by his appearance, Kyle’s callous father banishes him to Brooklyn with a sympathetic housekeeper (LisaGay Hamilton) and blind tutor (Neil Patrick Harris). As Kyle ponders how to overcome the curse and get his old life back, he chances upon a drug addict in the act of killing a threatening dealer. Seizing the opportunity, Kyle promises the addict freedom and safety for his daughter Lindy (Vanessa Hudgens) if she will consent to live in Kyle’s Brooklyn home. Thus begins Kyle’s journey to discover true love in this hyper-modern retelling of the classic “Beauty and the Beast” story.

Comingsoon.net has posted the teaser trailer for the upcoming Vanessa Hudgens movie “Beastly”. Wikipedia states the plot of the movie as:

Kyle Kingson (Alex Pettyfer) has it all – looks, intelligence, wealth and opportunity – and a wicked cruel streak. Prone to mocking and humiliating “aggressively unattractive” classmates, he zeroes in on Goth classmate Kendra Hilferty (Mary Kate Olsen), inviting her to the school’s extravagant environmental bash. Kendra accepts, and, true to form, Kyle blows her off in a particularly savage fashion. She retaliates by casting a spell that physically transforms him into everything he despises. Enraged by his horrible and unrecognizable appearance he confronts Kendra and learns that the only solution to the curse is to find someone that will love him as he is – a task he considers impossible. Repulsed by his appearance, Kyle’s callous father (Peter Krause) banishes him to Brooklyn with a sympathetic housekeeper (Lisa Gay Hamilton) and blind tutor (Neil Patrick Harris).

As Kyle ponders how to overcome the curse and get his old life back, he chances upon a drug addict in the act of killing a threatening dealer. Seizing the opportunity, Kyle promises the addict freedom and safety for his daughter, Linda Taylor (Vanessa Hudgens) if she will consent to live in Kyle’s Brooklyn home. Thus begins Kyle’s journey to discover true love in this hyper-modern retelling of the classic “Beauty and the Beast” story.

The fairy tale movie based of the book of the same title.
Beastly stars Vanessa Hudgens (High School Musical), Mary-Kate Olsen (Full House), Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother), Alex Pettyfer, and Peter Krause.

Beastly hits theaters on July 30, 2010.

Dirty Sexy Money di Craig Wright (USA 2007) Prima stagione

Bizzarra serie televisiva che sembra fondere “Dallas” e “I Tenenbaum”. Protagonista, Nick George, un giovane avvocato dai sani principi che deve prendere il posto del padre (morto in un sospetto incidente aereo) come avvocato di famiglia della più ricca e chiaccherata famiglia di New York.

Come spesso capita la puntata pilota è intrigante, ma il resto della stagione si invischia in eccessi di macrotrama (chi ha ucciso il padre di Nick? chi è il figlio illegittimo nella famiglia Darling) e la vagonata di intrighi, scandali, gelosie e intrallazzi sentimentali che in genere vengono usati ed abusati per tentare di fidelizzare lo spettatore alla serie Tv. Anche se la serie è ben confezionata con una fotografia elegante, una buona regia ed un cast notevole (Donald Sutherland, Jill Clayburgh, William Baldwin), la formula di “Dirty Sexy Money” tende subito a stancare. Il tono grottesco e comico di questa famiglia scandalosamente ricca e decadente abbinato ad una trama contorta e parzialmente drammatica, non funziona del tutto. Per non parlare dell’odioso attore che interpreta Nick George, ovvero Peter Krause protagonista della serie “Six Feet Under”, che sa esibire anche qui come in “Six Feet Under” solo tre espressioni: perplesso, irritato e perplesso-irritato. Fantastica invece come sempre l’interpretazione di Donald Sutherland, sempre qualche metro sopra il resto del cast, ma che non basta a salvare questa serie dal meritato oblio. La ABC infatti ha cancellato “Dirty Sexy Money” dal proprio palinsensto alla fine della seconda stagione a causa del basso seguito da parte del  pubblico.

Voto: 5 secchi di vomito

The Cover of Irredeemable Volume 1 written by Mark Waid and drawn by Peter Krause. Published by Boom! Studios.

Ever since the Watchmen came out in 1986, there have been multiple comics that have tried to deconstruct the superhero myth. To be honest, it was starting to get old. Now Mark Waid is trying to provide a different perspective.

Irredeemable is the story of how the world’s greatest hero became the world’s greatest villain. The Plutonian is a Superman-esque character who gets fed up with the way humanity treats for all his failures without acknowledging his successes. Basically, he feels under appreciated. So he lashes out at the people he used to protect by burning people to skeletons with his heat vision, destroying major cities by bombarding cities with meteors from orbit, and even sinking entire island city-states just by pushing them into the ocean.

Artwork from the interior of Irredeemable#1

The Plutonian is a very bad man.

What makes the story work though is that it’s told through the perspective of the world’s heroes who are trying to stop The Plutonian despite practically becoming fugitives because he’s capable to detecting them from just about anywhere on the planet with his super hearing.

They go about questioning his old acquaintances to try to discover anything they can about him. I particularly liked how the fugitive heroes questioned The Plutonian’s equivalent of Lois Lane to discover his secret identity.

The writing is supurb, but I am having a little trouble with the art. Peter Krause, who provides the interior art, is a very capable artist and can convey emotion well in the characters. The only problem I have though is that you can have a little trouble discerning exactly what is going on in the pages. Sometimes the action of one panel doesn’t work with another to know what’s going on int he story. I had to re-read some pages before I could figure out what was going on.

This is the kind of book for people who are interested in the ideas of superheroes as being human with faults. Kind of a college student read.

In December, Boom! Studios is releasing a companion series to Irredeemable titled Incorruptible, also written by Waid. The new series’ plot mirrors that of the original series: Max Damage, a supervillain, reevaluates his life in the wake of The Plutonian’s rampage and decides to become a superhero, taking the name Max Daring. I’m looking forward to seeing how a low level supervillain will fair against someone as powerful as The Plutonian.

What do you guys think? Sound like an interesting title? Stupid? Let me know in the Comments.

Let’s face it, Hollywood is never going to fund a big-budget original movie ever again.

Search your feelings, you know it to be true.

Marco and I have been talking for a while about doing a series of posts on movies that should be made. Now don’t get me wrong, the projects we’ll be proposing shouldn’t actually be made. In a better world, the budgets would go to real artists who do good work, but that’s not the world we live it, and at Counterforce, we believe in making the best out of a bad situation. Just like Liam Neeson.

no thank you

So, let’s get right down too it. You know, you know they’re going to make an ID4:2 some day, so we might as well make it enjoyably bad. Hell, just the idea of watching this movie instead of some Michael Bay cartoon-adapted crapfest gives me a boner. You can never ever go wrong blowing up as many international landmarks as possible.

Thus, The Counterforce Casting Couch: Independence Day 2

PREMISE:

This is gonna be a little rough, we can fill in the blanks during lighting shifts on the set. So, it’s like 20 years after the event of ID4. Will Smith is the President, obviously. The White House will have just finished being rebuilt and look exactly the same as before. Jeff Goldblum will basically be playing Al Gore. Sorta Green Living Apostle / Technocrat in Chief. Shia LeBeouf is Goldblum’s rebellious kid and Aaron Yoo is his buddy who films all their wacky adventures on his Flip Camera. There will be some drama because Shia doesn’t know his dad was a hero because Goldblum’s role was classified or something.

Ryan Kwanten from True Blood will fill in the Hick Character contingent with his little jailbait sister, Dakota Fanning. I threw a lot of brits into the cast so there can be other groups of characters in the UK and Australia, Iraq, etc. Famke Janssen will play somebody’s wife. Maybe Bill Pullman’s.

So, the Aliens come back, only this time, they come in peace and claim to be seeking asylum. Apparently these aliens are the not-evil faction of the bad guys. Will Smith will have all these mixed feelings because he hates aliens, but doesn’t want to be prejudiced to the nice ones. It will be like that scene in Star Trek 6 where Kirk talks about the klingons who killed his son, only this time it will be Will Smith saying it, and he’ll be talking to the First Dog.

Obviously, the bad aliens come back and destroy a shit-ton more monuments and landmarks. They’ll be led by Nic Cage, who is some kind of evil billionaire who helps the Aliens in exchange for world domination. Definitely gotta sack the Burj Dubai, the White House, Big Ben, the Golden Gate, the Vatican, etc. But this time, the good aliens have shared some of their technology, so the fight is slightly more fair, but earth still gets its ass kicked and the bad aliens occupy the planet. This would all take place on July 2nd.

yeah, that shit's gonna fall

The next day would be a lot of failed counter-offensives and characters hiding from Alien stormtroopers. Then Shia LeBeouf will decide to form a resistance and Aaron Yoo will do all the tech shit to get the word out on the internets. Ryan Kwanten will be there with Dakota, and he’ll turn out to be some kind of hillbilly ass-kicker. I see a scene with him, shirtless, feather tied to the back of his head, destroying enemy food supplies boston-tea-party style. Then we’ll cut to Said Taghmaoui in Iraq with a British accent and he’ll be all, “It’s the Americans, they want to organize a resistance, about bloody time!”

And then July 4th will be the big counter-attack. Aaron Yoo will die. Will Smith will fly an alien fighter ship with Bill Pullman as his wingman. They’ll fight their way to the mothership, land on it, then fight their way to Nic Cage’s lair on the bridge. Somehow, Jeff Goldblum will be there too. A big fistfight later, Will Smith wins, then escapes and Bill Pullman and Jeff Goldblum pilot the Mothership into the sun, sacrificing themselves. Shia hooks up with Dakota Fanning, and then after the credits roll, Samuel L. Jackson walks into a bar to talk to him about the Avengers initiative.

And… scene.

Fuck yeah!

You know you’d pay to see it.

Note: Irredeemable #7 will be in stores on October 7.

Writing: Mark Waid continues to produce some of his best work. I’m not sure what enlightening writer-pilgrimage he went on, but he’s returned in top-form. This issue, he resolves last issue’s two cliffhangers, which leads to another shocking dual-cliffhanger. Could this be the start of some startling trend?  Waid continues to terrorize and shock us, while throwing in a few hilarious one-liners that prove he’s a master of this spandex-clad medium. Earlier, I had trouble distinguishing the different members of Irredeemable’s superhero team, Paradigm, but this issue sees Volt and Charybdis, fully-developed and fully-badass.

Art: Apparently, a lot of readers have complained about Peter Krause’s art, even finding it repulsive. Yes, it lacks some of the picture-perfect quality of mainstream art, but Krause’s art isn’t about the grandstanding splash-page. His work is clear and detailed. Krause favors storytelling, and he captures Waid’s radical ideas better than most.

Final Word: Waid has total freedom here, but unlike many mainstream writers who venture into the Indie market (I’m looking at you, Millar), Waid manages to keep his ideas in check. This issue does juggle a lot: A confrontation between the Plutonian and Charybdis, the disturbing discoveries of the other Paradigm members, and a pretty lengthy flashback. Thankfully, Waid manages to execute these ideas fairly coherently. This series is a fantastic example of stellar superhero comics, filled with respect and love for the old, while adding and enriching the medium. This issue is no exception.

Grade: A-

For more comic goodness, go here.

„*Knock knock – Who’s there? – Death – Death who? You’ve got to be more specific! – Uhm, the one that kills you? – Yeah alright, hit the cue, we’re so fucked up in here, we don’t even care!” Neben Akte X und den Simpsons ist Six Feet Under wohl eine der Serien, die mich am stärksten beeindruckt und geprägt haben. Ich kann mich noch ganz gut daran erinnern, wie die Trailer auf VOX liefen und ich nach der ersten Folge am liebsten die ganze Serie am Stück gesehen hätte. Mhtja, damals waren Breitband und BitTorrent lange noch nicht so weit, ich musste also Woche für Woche warten und dann auch noch deutsche Synchronisation ertragen. All hail to the modern highspeed-interwebz, just sayin’. Jedenfalls hat mir selbst das die Serie nicht vergräzt. Entgegen den meisten aktuellen Shows aus Amerika hat sie nämlich nicht nach der ersten Staffel rapide an Qualität abgenommen, sondern ist zeitweise immer stärker geworden, hatte sicher auch mal schwache Episoden, aber dann wieder solche emotionalen Bomben parat, die mir so in kaum einem Feature-Film begegnet sind. Ich mein, die Folge, in der David vom Anhalter gequält wird… Jeez! Warum ich mir trotzdem nie die DVDs besorgt habe, ist eine gute Frage. Serien auf DVD sind nie mein Ding gewesen, aber diese Box macht nun doch den Anfang.

Ich wusste schon seit Jahren, dass die Grab-Design-SuperBox existiert, der Preis war mir aber eindeutig zu heftig. Kürzlich ist sie mir dann wieder in den Sinn gekommen und beim wochenlangen eBay sondieren habe ich schließlich ein Schnäppchen landen können und sie für knapp 60eu ergattert. Yay for me! Im boxigen Gräbchen mit Gedenkplatte und Kunstrasen-Top findet man durch frontales Aufklappen die fünf Staffeln in Digipaks mit Überzieh-Schubern, sowie ein kleines Begleitbüchlein. Es wird also Zeit, sich die Serie noch mal von vorne bis hinten anzuschauen. Wer die Show über eine Bestatter-Familie noch nicht gesehen hat, der sollte es nachholen. Six Feet Under, erdacht vom American Beauty Drehbuch-Autor Alan Ball, hat die herrlichsten Charaktere der TV-Geschichte, und mit herrlich meine ich hier fucked up. Und zwar so richtig. Die sind alle total durch. Das kommt vor allem deshalb so runterziehend gut, weil die schauspielerische Leistung erbarmungslos exzellent ist und mir bis heute einige Lieblingsschauspieler beschert hat, angefangen natürlich mit Peter Krause, der später in hervorragenden Filmen wie We Don’t Live Here Anymore, Civic Duty und der The Lost Room Mini-Serie zu sehen war. Rachel Griffiths ist post-Serien-mortem leider bei den gurkigen Brothers & Sisters gelandet, dafür sorgt aber Michael C. Hall mit der hervorragenden Show Dexter derzeit für Furore (übrigens auch ein Must-Watch!). Jedenfalls dort, wo gute Serien nicht ins spätnächtliche RTL2-Programm (%§#@*?!?!) verbannt werden. Hat alles hier angefangen, und wöchentlich im Vorspann mit irgendeinem Leben geendet.

Titel: Six Feet Under
Idee/Produktion: Alan Ball
Volumen: 5 Staffeln mit insgesamt 63 Episoden zu je ca. 45 Minuten.
Erstausstrahlung: 3. Juni 2001 bis 21. August 2005 in den USA
Cast: Peter Krause, Michael C. Hall, Rachel Griffiths, Frances Conroy, Lauren Ambrose, Freddy Rodriguez, Jeremy Sisto, Mathew St. Patrick, James Cromwell, Justin Theroux usw.

Six Feet Under: Season 1 Trailer

Six Feet Under: In Memoriam 2001-2005 Trailer

A NBC pode ter encontrado uma excelente substituta para Maura Tierney na série Parenthood, a atriz Helen Hunt está negociando com o canal para entrar no elenco. A atriz é conhecida no mundo das séries por ter estrelado a ótima série dos anos 90, Mad About You.

Maura Tierney ( a Abby emE.R), intrepretou o papel no episódio piloto de Parenthood, mas teve que sair do elenco para se dedicar ao tratamento contra um câncer de mama, diagnósticado em julho.

Parenthood tem um ótimo elenco com Peter Krause (Six Feet Under), Dax Shepard (Bem Vindo à Prisão) e Erika Christensen (Traffic). A série é baseada no livro homônimo de Ron Howard, que já foi adaptado também para a telona em 1989, no Brasil o filme ganhou o nome de “O Tiro que Não Saiu pela Culatra”.

Helen Hunt é uma excelente atriz, que infelizmente teve poucas chances no cinema, chegou a ser indicada ao Globo de Ouro em 98, pelo filme “Melhor é Impossível”, mas seu último grande filme foi em 2000 em “Do Que as Mulheres Gostam”. Daí em diante se dedicou mais a filmes pequenos ou no trabalho por trás das camêras, como diretora e produtora. O blog torce para que ela realmente retorne à televisão

.

July 2009 | Boom!

Creator: Mark Waid
Writing: Mark Waid
Art: Peter Krause
Colour: Andrew Dalhouse
Letters: Ed Dukeshire
Cover: Dan Panosian

Qubit tells his story of first meeting The Plutonian. Nations of the world gather to discuss this global crisis and almost every country is willing to offer the fallen super his every desire.

Another issue blows me away. Every time I ask myself, how could this get better? Each time I read the next, I’m left in awe gaping the last page.

This is brilliance. Everything I’ve ever wanted from an oversaturated genre and I don’t want it to stop.

There is a specific scene in this book that keeps haunting my mind. The scene where Qubit finally gets his answer to a question he asked when first meting the Plutonian. It was a beautiful moment that made me sit back in my chair and release a contented sigh.

If I were ever to meet Mark in person, I’d probably be filled with such joyous emotion, tears would spill down my cheeks.

And the art. The story wouldn’t have the deep impact without Peter’s wonderful art. And how about Dan’s cover? So beautiful. I’d love a poster of that to put on my wall.

I’ve used all the words left in me. This series is wonderful. Just read it. Go to your local comic store, or online seller, and just buy it. Right now.

Note: Irredeemable #6 will be in stores on September 2.

Writing: Six issues in and Mark Waid is still full of ideas. He’s created an amalgam that blends Silver Age concepts with contemporary storytelling. It makes for a highly appealing product. I always enjoy comics with madly creative ideas that can’t easily be seen in film. Unfortunately, Waid spends a little too much time being clever, and the characters are thinner than I’d like. The only one that’s fully developed is the Plutonian. However, the flash more than makes up for the lack of substance.

Art: Peter Krause is right there with Waid, every inspired step of the way. Whether it’s vast, apocalyptic landscapes or horrifying, skeletal people, Krause renders everything Waid throws at him.

Final Word: Waid & Krause produce another thrilling issue. So thrilling, in fact, that it contains not one, but two cliffhangers. Now, I really want to know what happens next issue!

Grade: B+

Irredeemable #6 PREVIEW

For more comic goodness, go here.

Here is a silly picture of Peter Krause they have on ABC.com, and that fact is exactly my reaction to what I just watched.

These last few episodes weren’t terrible but by the last one I remembered what problems I had with it and why this show did get canceled. Way to much Blair Underwood and Lucy Liu. I don’t know if they became the central focus because of who they were but it really slowed the show down. I didn’t care for their plotlines and it took away from what the first season was about, the crazy antics of the Darling family. In fact I felt like the Darling’s became so removed from the show that really the entire thing just centered around was the Nick/Lisa drama, Simon Elder being a bastard (and a lame one mind you), and Nola Lyons trying to get her brother back. If they didn’t try to have these “serious” plots mixed in with the crazy plots then things wouldn’t have unraveled so bad.

By plots I mean the ones that the show took seriously. I found the whole thing to be ridiculous but the writers and producers thought the audience would by into the ludicrous plots of organic gasoline and former spouses fighting on a Today Show esque talk show.  Why do I hate those plots yet I am fine with Jeremy Darling having fake amnesia or Brian moving into his half-brothers apartment instead of to a hotel? Because the latter two are completely acceptable because all of the Darlings are immature and make terrible decisions. When supposedly smart and grounded characters like Nola Lyons are stabbing people with scissors it makes it takes us out of the play world of the Darlings and makes the situation look contrived.

The first episode back “The Facts” was a terrible plot about the chauffeur telling a reporter these fake lies so that she would use him as her confidant. It was useless and all of the plots were stupid and underdeveloped.

The only episode I actually enjoyed was probably “The Convertible.” It mainly focused around Glenn Fitzgerald and Natalie Zea as they drove in a car (ridiculous yet completely Darling) to their destinations in Washington D.C. after their plane almost crashed. Karen was looking for a sperm donor and Brian was meeting up with his ex-wife. It also had some genuine moments in it and the whole episode wasn’t focused at all on those I said above. Yes there was a Lisa storyline but who cares for that.

The last two just got really muddy as they tried to wrap some story lines up and even began a few that will of course never pan out. We learned that Dutch, Nick’s father, is in fact alive she of course is a big middle finger to the audience who wanted to know which Darling did him in. Plus we hardly saw Tripp at all. Was Donald Sutherland to buy or to ashamed to be working on this show by then?

I had to watch it to see how it ended and I was disappointed. Supposedly this show had time to rewrite the ending so I don’t know where it went because things were open ended at the end and just ridiculously drawn out. Maybe if I see the second DVD on sale for 10 dollars I’ll pick it up but right now I have no plans on ever watching this again.

But if you want to watch a great first season, then pick it up, this second one is a joke.

Man, Mark Waid really is evil. More than the clever marketing slogan that launched this series, it’s becoming increasingly real as I read each new issue of this superhero-turned-bad series from BOOM! Studios. When I saw Waid at Comic-Con he was all smiles and thankful nods. If I see him again, I think I’ll avoid eye contact and walk slowly away.

With lines like, “On the upside, however, this is a boom time for map makers,”and, “Let’s call it even,” once noble superhero The Plutonian stamps his evil intent upon the world. His former team-mates of The Paradigm are inching their way to something that may one day resemble success and doubts over The Plutonian’s ex-girlfriend, Bette surface. The Paradigm are the sort of superhero archetypes we’ve seen before, and Waid humorously acknowledges that fact through the character of Volt, a black electricity wielding hero.

Waid does a great job once more of unleashing superpowered bitterness and child-like rage through his main character’s behaviour, and Peter Krause’s art is not overly rendered, but done with a darkness that fits into Waid’s plots. One glare or wry smile from The Plutonian is more than enough here, and that Hitchcock level of restraint from showing violence makes these pages work a treat.

As “slipped” at BOOM!’s Comic-Con panel, a new series called Incorruptible could be on the way, and with a title like that I can only assume it offers a look at The Plutonian’s past before the mysterious turning point flipped his switch. Waid wisely gives us glimpses at the character’s happier past in Irredeemable, but if BOOM! provides a look at The Plutonian’s two states of mind in separate, though perhaps concurrently running, series it opens up this tale to an even deeper reading experience.

The $10 TPB of the first four issues of this great series is out now, and seeing as #5 is only 99c you can get the whole mad tale thus far for less than $11. I bought mine yesterday because it’s one of those books you have to own to pass to your non-fanboy friends, despite any possible doubts they may have. This isn’t “just another superhero series,” and that’s what makes it so brilliant.

By: Mark Waid (writer), Peter Krause (Artist), Andrew Dalhouse (Colorist)

The Story: The story opens in Plutonian’s secret fortress, where he takes a disk associated with Modeus, his arch-foe, and uses it to speak to the entire world at once. He doesn’t have a message for the world. He just wants to scare everyone even more. Waid then opens up an old memory of Volt’s, back when he was just starting with the Paradigm, when he noticed something between Plutonian and Bette. And we finally see a flashback that starts to show some of what may be driving Plutonian’s anger. In the meantime, Qubit’s Artifical Intelligences have been working to try to figure out where Modeus has gone, because Qubit figures that to fight Plutonian, they’re going to need better advice. What the AI’s uncover is mysterious and startling at the same time.

What’s Good: Waid and Krause are in fine form and deliver a strong story that sustains the tension of the series. Plutonian continues to fascinate. You can’t look away from a mass murderer, especially when no one can stop him.

I’m really enjoying the Qubit and Volt characters. Qubit is the cold brains archetype, while Volt seems to be the chip-on-his-shoulder, Luke Cage-type. Like in the last issue when Waid knitted together Qubit’s flashback to the present story, this month he does the same with Volt’s. The flashback shows us what Volt used to be like, and the present shows us how he has changed. Qubit’s AI’s are intriguing and I can’t wait to see more of them.

Artwise, Krause just keeps getting stronger. He uses deft, scratchy lines to shadow scenes and alternates between low-detail, broad views where people are parts of the environment, and close-up, expressive faces to show fear, insanity, desperation, overconfidence and distrust. Yet none of this takes away from the dynamic, but realistic poses needed to communicate energy and movement in the comic book medium. I also have to take my hat off to Andrew Dalhouse. Many of the pages bear dominant colors, either in the panels or even outside. Dalhouse effectively signals changes in mood and scene very subtly with this technique.

What’s Not So Good: Waid and Krause are treating us like intelligent readers, so only through strategically-placed flashbacks do we see the back story coming together with its clues. This means that the reader has to do more work to keep up, but the effort is well worth it.

Conclusion: A tightly-plotted story with great art, priced to bring in new readers. Get it while you can.

Grade: B+

-DS Arsenault

Irredeemable #5- NEW ARC! AND ONLY .99 CENTS!

This is your chance to hop onboard the superhero event of 2009 that dares to ask: What if the world’s greatest hero decided to become the world’s greatest villain? Buy issue #5 for .99 cents and get the trade of the first four issues for only$9.99 and experience what everyone has been talking about. A “twilight of the superheroes”-style story that examines super-villains from Mark Waid writer of KINGDOM COME and EMPIRE!

… for more visit boom studios/irredeemable

DISCUSS THIS STORY

Six Feet Under
Lauren and I have been pounding through the TV series on DVD lately, putting our Best Picture project on hold until the winter months. As I mentioned before, we’ve been watching Six Feet Under, the HBO series that ran from 2001-2005. The main reason why I chose that series is because we’re such big fans of Dexter, and Michael C. Hall was one of the main actors in Six Feet.

So far, after seven 52-minute episodes, we are really enjoying the show and are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our next DVD in the mail today to continue the first season. I learned that the star of the series, Peter Krause, is a native of Alexandria, Minnesota and went to Gustavus Adolphus in St. Peter. My favorite character on the series so far is actually the mother, played by Frances Conroy, who just so happens to play Barney’s mother in an episode How I Met Your Mother, the other series we’re following right now.

DJ
Saturday night I was back at the Profile to DJ another wedding dance. This was one of the easiest all-around dances I’ve ever done. I arrived at 5:30, hung around till 6:30 before the first guests started arriving, played some cocktail music for another hour, and finally close to 8:00 the couple arrived. They did a receiving line and then started dinner after 9:00, which means the waiting staff had the food ready to go about two hours prior and had to keep it all warm. The dance finally kicked off around 10:00, and was over by 1:00. The couple preferred country, making my job all the easier. One of the groomsman told me it was the best music selection he’d ever heard at a wedding dance, which was a nice compliment.

Titanic
Sunday, we sat down to watch the Twins/Angels game, but the Twins quickly fell way behind and I lost interest and needed to get out of the apartment, so Lauren and I headed to St. Paul to the Science Museum to see the Titanic exhibit. We watched a fairly interesting movie on the iMax amphitheater and then walked through the exhibit, which included over 600 artifacts from the Titanic which had been lying on the bottom of the Atlantic for 90 years.

It was all very interesting, but the coolest part was an actual large piece of the front of the ship that was on display several feet behind a knee-high glass wall. The sign specifically said “PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH” but we were the only ones in this particular room at the time, so I leaned as far over the wall as I could and took a swipe at the Titanic, but I missed. I quick glanced around again and heard someone coming, so I took a second lunge over the wall with my arm and my finger finally made contact with the Titanic. I felt like touching the Titanic was something that I’d never ever have the chance to do again, and probably not very many people have done, so I risked getting kicked out of the exhibit to do it… and glad I did!

Rain
And for the first time all summer long, we actually had a really good thunderstorm late last night around bedtime. There was lightning, thunder, and fairly heavy rain. I was beginning to think we’d go an entire year without one good storm, which would have severely disappointed me. I still find it very odd that the hottest day so far in 2009 was May 17.

Note: Irredeemable #5 will be in stores on August 5.

Writing: Waid continues to brilliantly execute psychotic twist after psychotic twist with sinister timing. Most of those in this issue involve the way Waid juxtaposes the past and the present. It’s a brilliant technique. Also, this is a jumping-on point for new readers, more on that in a moment. So, things did slow down a bit, but that actually worked in the book’s favor. We’ve taken a minute to finally slow down, and flesh out the characters a little more.

Art: Peter Krause’s art may not be as stylistically memorable as I’d like it to be, but it certainly gets the job done. It’s consistent, and almost certain to appeal to everyone’s taste. Believe it or not, there is a wide variety of emotions in this comic, and that’s where Krause’s strength comes in. He can handle just about anything, from the quiet to the earth-shattering loud.

Final Word: As I said, this is a good place for new readers to come in. BOOM has kindly offered this fifth issue at only a buck, and the first trade, which contains the previous four, for ten dollars. This is a series worth reading. One last thing: I really loved the humor in this issue. There’s a wickedly funny line in the beginning from the Plutonian, and there’s also a moment when Waid pokes fun at himself for the similarities between these characters and some comic icons.

Grade: B+

For more comic goodness, go here.

Jennifer M. Wood – MovieMaker.com

Depending on the era in which one grew up, what is “cool” can be a very different thing. But whether you watched James Dean on the big screen, were introduced to cinema through Quentin Tarantino or believe that great movies begin and end with Michael Bay, “cool” cinema takes us beyond the expected, captures the zeitgeist and changes the way we view the films that come along for us afterward. 

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The same can be said for the 25 film festivals profiled below. With the help of hundreds of independent moviemakers, festival directors and fest attendees, we scoured the world to identify more than two dozen fests that are creating a truly unique film festival experience (for moviemakers and festival-goers).

ANN ARBOR FILM FESTIVAL
ANN ARBOR, MI • www.aafilmfest.org• Even the best programming can’t save an imperfect screening venue. “The biggest reason for the ‘coolness’ of AAFF,” according to executive director Donald Harrison, “is its home base: The historic Michigan Theater… The quality of projection—both in the 1,700-seat movie palace and its state-of-the-art, 200-seat screening room—is world-class.”

BIG APPLE FILM FESTIVAL                                                                      
NEW YORK, NY • www.bigapplefilmfestival.com •
With the glut of NYC festivals, it’s easy to get lost in the mix. But BAFF is creating a niche all its own by focusing “primarily on the New York film community,” says founder Jonathan Lipp. An event for independents, BAFF “plays the films that you hope people will get to see, but worry that they won’t be able to—specifically the ones I have been in,” says actor Jesse Eisenberg, who took home this year’s NY Emerging Talent Award.

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BIG ISLAND FILM FESTIVAL
WAIKOLOA, HI • www.bigislandfilmfestival.com •
“What could be cooler than watching your film in Hawaii under the stars with palm tress swaying in the gentle breeze and the fragrance of plumeria wafting around you?” asks founder Leo Sears. It’s hard to argue with logic like that, especially when each of the many moviemakers who suggested BIFF for this list made mention of the Waikoloa Bowl at Queens’ Gardens as a truly unforgettable screening venue.

BOULDER INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
BOULDER, CO • www.biff1.com • More than 5,000 feet above sea level may not be the first place you look for high-quality cinema, but sisters and fest directors Robin and Kathy Beeck put the moviemaker first. “They really, truly want you there and they want to be absolutely sure that you have fun,” says moviemaker Christine Bonn (In Times of War).

BROOKLYN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
BROOKLYN, NY • www.brooklynfest.org • It shouldn’t be surprising that New York City’s coolest borough offers one of the world’s coolest fests. Though plenty of big names have been a part of the fest, selections are from received submissions only; no films are invited. All films must be independently-produced and every film is in competition, so that “even the smallest film, regardless of its category, can win the Grand Chameleon Award,” says executive director Marco Ursino.

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CONEY ISLAND FILM FESTIVAL
CONEY ISLAND, NY • www.coneyislandfilmfestival.com • By sheer virtue of its location, there’s built-in cool in Coney Island. “It’s a friendly, freaky film festival with a small-town familiarity but a gritty, big-town toughness,” says moviemaker Katrina del Mar (Surf Gang). Plus, asks del Mar, “Where else will you get your ticket taken by Insectavora the fire breather? Where else can you walk into a festival that’s housed in the Coney Island Sideshow, with its famous posters of freaks, and eat popcorn while watching sword swallowers perform between great and super-cool films?”

CUCALORUS FILM FESTIVAL
WILMINGTON, NC • www.cucalorus.org • “One might look at Cucalorus and think, ‘What the hell?’” offers director Dan Brawley. “We don’t give out awards, Cucalorus is at the wrong time of year and it all takes place in a quiet, historic port city in North Carolina.” But it’s that non-competitive atmosphere that allows moviemakers to forget the cutthroat nature of their profession and reconnect with their love of movies. “Competition is the opposite of creativity,” says Brawley. “Cucalorus really tries to bring people together to explore creativity.” This ingenuity extends to the social side of the event, which includes a Blue Velvet locations tour.

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DISPOSABLE FILM FESTIVAL
VARIOUS LOCATIONS • www.disposablefilmfest.com • Created in 2007, DFF offers “a democratized space where the work of zero-budget filmmakers is celebrated and exhibited,” says co-founder Carlton M. Evans. So what is a “disposable” movie? “Short films made on non-professional devices such as one-time use video cameras, cell phones, point-and-shoot cameras, Webcams, computer screen capture software and other readily available video capture devices,” says Evans. “With people everywhere gaining access to these devices, we felt the time was right to draw attention to the creative potential of this new mode of filmmaking.”

ENVIRONMENTAL FILM FESTIVAL
WASHINGTON, DC • www.dcenvironmentalfilmfest.org • Founded in 1993, EFF was green long before it was fashionable. “Environment is a broad topic and the festival reflects that with its extremely diverse selection of films,” says managing director Christopher Head. With more than 100 partner organizations, EFF is internationally recognized as one of the largest environmental film showcases in the world and screens at more than 50 venues, including the Smithsonian museums.

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FANTASTIC FEST
AUSTIN, TX • www.fantasticfest.com • Called “The geek Telluride” by Variety, the country’s largest genre film festival specializes in horror, fantasy, sci-fi, action and “just plain fantastic movies from all around the world,” according to the fest’s Website. Held at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, which Entertainment Weekly named the best cinema in America, the venue is one where attendees can eat, drink and watch movies without being distracted. With past events featuring the world premieres of such films as There Will Be Blood and Apocalypto—and guests including Mel Gibson, Bill Murray, Paul Rudd and Paul Thomas Anderson—this is one fest that truly lives up to its name.

Indy Film Producer's Guide $16.47

GEN ART FILM FESTIVAL
NEW YORK, NY & CHICAGO, IL • www.genart.org • As one of the world’s largest arts and entertainment organizations, Gen Art hosts more than 100 film, music, art and fashion events annually, including film festivals in New York and Chicago. “While it’s hard as hell to get into,” says Confounded Films’ Stephen Lyman, “the film plus party format is unique and a lot of fun for both the filmmakers and the audience.”

INDIE MEMPHIS FILM FESTIVAL
MEMPHIS, TN • www.indiememphis.com • Promoting artistic crossover, Indie Memphis “inspires filmmakers from across the country through the unique creative landscape that is the home of the blues and the birthplace of rock ‘n’ roll,” says executive director Erik Jambor. “Sun Studios, Stax and Rev. Al Green’s Full Gospel Tabernacle church are all part of the filmmaker experience during the festival’s opening weekend, allowing filmmakers to connect as they explore the cultural history that resonates through Memphis.”

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LAKE PLACID FILM FORUM
LAKE PLACID, NY • www.lakeplacidfilmforum.com • While some moviemakers hit the festival trail with the sole focus of finding publicity, “one of the main attractions of the Forum is the total lack of frantic publicists, hustling photographers and aggressive celebrity addicts,” says artistic director and co-founder Kathleen Carroll. But that doesn’t mean the A-list sightings aren’t aplenty; Martin Scorsese, Jon Favreau and Steve Buscemi have all been guests. “The Forum is a place where people who are passionate about films can meet and learn from each other,” says famed author—and Forum co-founder—Russell Banks.

LOCARNO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
LOCARNO, SWITZERLAND • www.pardo.ch • “Every August around 180,000 cinemagoers, 1,100 journalists and 3,400 industry professionals converge on the small Swiss-Italian town of Locarno, right in the heart of Europe, which becomes the world capital of auteur cinema for 11 days,” says press coordinator Stefanie Kuchler of the 62-year-old event. While other fests boast outdoor events, Locarno’s Piazza Grande hosts audiences of up to 8,000 for a nightfall screening in the heart of the city, Cinema Paradiso-style.

PHOENIX FILM FESTIVAL
PHOENIX, AZ • www.phoenixfilmfestival.com • Director Paul Osborne, whose doc Official Rejection offers a comic take on what indie moviemakers experience on the festival circuit, knows what makes a great fest, and notes that “Far and away, the best we saw was the PFF.” Citing audience turnout, media attention, political fairness and moviemaker treatment as the keys to the fest’s success, Osborne notes that “the festival never takes itself too seriously and its directors are not just available, but actually visible to solve any problems that arise anytime.”

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ROGER EBERT’S FILM FESTIVAL
CHAMPAIGN-URBANA, IL • www.ebertfest.com • For more than a decade, Roger Ebert has made an annual event of screening the most overlooked films he’s recently seen, as well as re-released classics, to give them another chance in the spotlight. “Our festival has no prizes, no awards, no deal-making, no submission process,” says festival director Nate Kohn. “It’s purpose is singular: To celebrate 12 films that Roger Ebert feels deserve a second look and further discussion.”

SAN FRANCISCO FROZEN FILM FESTIVA
SAN FRANCISCO, CA • www.frozenfilmfestival.com • It’s not just cool, it’s frozen. Named for Mark Twain’s famous quip that “The coldest winter I ever spent was my summer in San Francisco,” SFFFF takes place in the dead of summer, when the city “is at its most chill,” according to co-director Gabriel Bellman. The fest includes a strong musical component and screens “animation, documentaries, feature films, shorts, music-based films and skate films. We believe we uniquely capture the music-based and diverse nature of San Francisco itself.”

SEBASTOPOL DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL
SEBASTOPOL, CA • www.sebastopolfilmfestival.org • This fest is making a big splash in a town that Tom Waits, Les Claypool and Peter Krause call home. Understanding that few things go better with movies than a bottle of wine—particularly in California’s wine country—the doc fest takes place near one of the area’s biggest coalitions of wineries, Wine Road. “Part of being the coolest is knowing about it when no one else does,” says program director Jason Perdue of the two-year-old event, “and being the one to let everyone else know.”

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SIDEWALK MOVING PICTURE FESTIVAL
BIRMINGHAM, AL • www.sidewalkfest.com • “After 10 years, Sidewalk has perfected its own personal trifecta: Hospitality, networking and humility,” says festival coordinator Natalie Hummel. “The festival places a huge emphasis on filmmaker attendance, and not for the sake of name-dropping. It likes to mix filmmakers up in an unusual town with unusual activities, thus forcing guests to break out of their shells and share raw, human experiences, both in theaters and on rooftops.”

SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST
AUSTIN, TX • www.sxsw.com • Originally founded as a music event, this cutting-edge fest added film into the mix 15 years ago in response to the changing nature of the entertainment business. Since then, SXSW has grown into one of the world’s best known media events, introducing audiences to ground-breaking musicians and moviemakers alike. In 2009, this behemoth event screened more than 250 films and boasted more than 7,000 film participants. In addition to being a featured employer on “The Real World,” SXSW has also partnered with Fantastic Fest (also on this list) to double the cool factor.

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SUNSCREEN FILM FESTIVAL
ST. PETERSBURG, FL • www.sunscreenfilmfestival.com • Plenty of fests offer workshops, and most have a well-known guest or two. But a fest that has celebrities teaching the workshops? “From actor Patrick Wilson teaching an actors’ workshop to Oscar-nominated screenwriter Timothy Sexton (Children of Men) and Steven de Souza (Die Hard) teaching screenwriting, Sunscreen gives filmmakers more than just a festival,” says executive director Tony Armer.

TRAIL DANCE FILM FESTIVAL
DUNCAN, OK • www.traildancefilmfestival.com • “Strange” and “cool” aren’t always interchangeable terms. But when TDFF president Anthony Foreman asks, “Where else can you walk right in the middle of a wild west shootout, have a world famous trick-roper twirl a lasso over your head, dance to live rock ‘n’ roll music with a wild west town backdrop and see some of the finest independent films ever produced right in the same facility?” this is clearly one place where the two words converge.

UNITED FILM FESTIVALS
VARIOUS LOCATIONS • www.theunitedfest.com • With events in New York, Los Angeles, Tulsa, San Francisco, Chicago and London, this is one appropriately-named fest. “Rapidly growing in size and scope, and building on a solid festival history, the United Film Festivals showcase top-notch, award-winning narratives, documentaries and short films in six thriving cities across the U.S. and Europe,” says founder Jason Connell. This growing reputation has attracted the attention of well-known indies like Henry Jaglom, who showcased Hollywood Dreams in New York, and Matthew Modine, who premiered Cowboy in Los Angeles.

“WHAT THE HELL DID I JUST WATCH?” COMEDY FESTIVAL
SEATTLE, WA • www.whatthehelldidijustwatch.com • The name alone might be enough to land the event on this list. But this fest, which is dedicated to “bringing the funniest videos we can find to the masses,” according to organizer Kanton Budge, has a lot more to offer, including low submission fees, an intimacy that makes the fest “a great testing bed for filmmakers to showcase their work and see how an audience responds” and free beer! “We’re sponsored by the local brewing company, Mac and Jacks. They provide us with a few kegs every year, and we give out a free beer with every ticket purchase.”

WOODS HOLE FILM FESTIVAL
WOODS HOLE, MA • www.woodsholefilmfestival.org • “The Woods Hole Film Festival is a filmmaker’s festival,” says executive director Judy Laster. “More than just a screening showcase, WHFF has an expansive outreach through our ongoing efforts to help filmmakers get screening opportunities after the festival and through our partnerships with global media organizations.” This includes year-round events on Cape Cod, including programs such as Dinner & A Movie and Filmmaker in the Schools. “Set in the scientific, seaside, summer village of Woods Hole,” Laster says that “a small film can have a worldwide experience.” MM

Most beszéltük meg msn-en Andival, hogy nagy kedvenc mindkettőnknél. Na de miért is?

Nate (Peter Krause) soha nem akart részt venni a családi temetkezési vállalkozásban. Sőt még Los Angelesből is lelépett. Karácsonyra illik hazalátogatni, ha pedig apu épp akkor hal meg, akkor illik besegíteni, és legidősebb fiúként pátyolgatni a család többi tagját.
Itt kérem mindenki lelkibeteg és mindenki hallucinál. A család minden egyes tagjának megvan a saját kis katasztrófákkal teli élete. 5 évad sok mindenre elegendő, láthat az ember jellemfejlődést, meg visszatérő problémákat.
Az anyuka (Frances Conroy) egy buzgó mócsing, rendmániás társfüggő, aki a családjáért él. A gyerekeiben és a főzésben látja élete értelmét. Ezzel együtt néhány lépésével tud meglepetést okozni a hölgy. Ez elmondható a sorozat összes szereplőjéről. Nagyon komoly állkapocs zuhanásokat lehet átélni.
A fiatalabb fiú, David (Michael C. Hall – a Dexterben láthatjuk még), küzd a melegséggel (meleg vagyok, nem vagyok meleg, bevállaljam???), emellett minden kényszerességet  sikerült örökölnie az anyjától. Hajlama van a pánikbetegségre, megfelelési kényszerre, túlérzékeny, vallásos, ennyi dióhéjban.
Clarie (Lauren Ambrose), a legfiatalabb testvér középiskolába jár. Egy kiszuperált olajzöld hullaszállítót vezet, művészi ambíciói vannak, és rendszeresen él mindenféle drogokkal.
Ez a szűk Fischer család, legalábbis az első szériában.
Ha nincs is vérségi kötelék, ide tartozik még a dél-amerikai származású, hulla sminkelő zseni, Fredericó (Freddy Rodríguez-játszott a Grindhouseban ) , és Brenda (Rachel Griffiths), akinek zavaros viszonya van Natetel és az egész világgal.

Mi teszi ezt a sorozatot különlegessé? A finom morbid humor. Nehéz egyensúlyozni ezen a terepen. Vékony a határ a bántó, visszatetsző humor és a még jó ízlés határain belüli ötletesség között. A Sírhant műveknek sikerül.
Szereplőink, különösen Fredericó és David előszeretettel társalog a hullákkal, Natenek inkább álmai vannak, Clairenek leginkább a vágyait látjuk képi megjelenítésben.
A karakterek nem egyszerűek, így egy hétköznapi szituációra adott reakciójuk sokszor megdöbbentő. Maga temetkezési vállalkozás, azonban nagyszámú, egyáltalán nem hétköznapi szituációt  rejt magában. Kezdjük ott, hogy minden  rész elején  megismerjük az aktuális páciens(ek) előtörténetét, azaz egy ember halálának körülményeit. Ez a sorozat elején látható 3-4 perc lehet tragikus, vicces, hátborzongató, és szép is.

Érdemes időt szánni a soundtrackek meghallgatására is. Az albumon melankólikus hangulatú számok és a főcímzene különböző variációi váltogatják egymást.

Az típusú sorozat, amiről 3 rész után teljes bizonyossággal el tudod dönteni, hogy nézed-e a továbbiakban, vagy neked ez nem jön be.

A sorozatot eredetileg 2001-től 2005-ig sugároztak.  Szülőatyjai Alan Bell, Robert Greenblatt és David Janollari.

Díjak és jelölések:
Golden Globe díj (2002) – Legjobb női mellékszereplő: Rachel Griffiths
Emmy-díj (2006) – Legjobb televíziós sorozat – drámai kategória – legjobb színész jelölés: Peter Krause
Emmy-díj (2006) – Legjobb televíziós sorozat – drámai kategória – legjobb színésznő jelölés: Frances Conroy
Golden Globe díj (2002) – Legjobb férfi alakítás jelölés: Peter Krause

Peter Krause

El Variety informa que Peter Krause (Six Feet Under) estará protagonizando en compañía con Mary-Kate Olsen, Alex Pettyfer y Vanessa Hudgens la película llamada “Beastly”. Esta es una adaptación de la CBS films de la la novela de fantasía de Alex Flinn

Daniel Barnz estará dirigiendo este semi-remake de “La bella y la Bestia”.

Krause será el padre materialista de una hermosa adolescente (Pettyfer) que le hace una broma a una compañera de clases sin saber que en realidad es una bruja (Olsen).

La cinta se está ahorita filmando en Montreal.

Maura Tierney Photo: NBC

NBC has pushed the debut of its new drama series Parenthood from Sept. 23 to their midseason schedule due to an unspecified medical matter involving star Maura Tierney, 44, according to a statement NBC released July 10.

The show, which is based on the 1989 movie starring Steve Martin, was scheduled to begin production on July 27, has been pushed back for 2 months and will resume in late September.

Parenthood explores the relationship between four siblings (Tierney, Peter Krause, Erika Christensen, and Dax Shepard) and their parents (Craig T. Nelson and Bonnie Bedelia). The new medical drama Mercy will take Parenthood’s spot this fall.

Na foto podemos ver Alex Pettyfer, que interpreta um garoto narcisista que, depois de ser enfeitiçado, fica deformado. Não ficou legal não… Mas é um filme para pré-adolescentes, o que podemos esperar?

E foi anunciado ontem que Peter Krause (Paranóia Americana) é o novo nome que integra o elenco da comédia romântica(?).

De acordo com a Variety, Krause irá interpretar um homem rico e materialista, pai do protagonista da trama.

A adaptação do conto A Bela e Fera está sendo dirigida por Daniel Barnz e suas filmagens estão se realizando em Montreal.