It’s been two weeks since I last did one of these. Primarily because there’s been bugger all in the way of news.  But I’ve managed to scrape together a few interesting developments.

‘Bourne 4’ get the ol’ double whammy

Thank christ for this. Now that the Michael J. Fox of directing, Paul Greengrass, has done a runner from ‘Bourne 4’, ol’ Maaaaatt Daaaaaaamon has scarpered as well.  Seeing as though the Greengrass sequels were nausea inducing rehashes of the very good original, I see this as a cause for celebration.  I’m sure someone will try to continue the franchise at some stage.  But for now, we’re safe.

‘Harvey’ loses The Beard

In yet another piece of great news stemming from what a director ISN’T doing, Steven Spielbergs planned remake of the Jimmy Stewart flick ‘Harvey’ has gone the way of the dodo.  Apparently he couldn’t get his muse, Tom Hanks, to do it, and then failed to get Robert Downey Jr to sign on the dotted line.  After this and his Old Boy remake starring the Fresh Prince falling through, it’s all good news for us.

Now, maybe The Beard can go make something more original.  At the very least, go make that Lincoln bio with Liam Neeson.

Twice upon a time in Mexico

Johnny Depp is set to return to Mexico, this time as revolutionary hero Pancho Villa in Emir Kusturicas upcoming Spanish-language biopic titled ‘Seven Friends of Pancho Villa and the Woman With Six Fingers’.  Pocket rocket Salma Hayek is also starring.  Let’s hope there’s a big ass snake involved.

Anderson and Seymour Hoffman get the faith

Paul Thomas Anderson’s next flick will centre around a new religion created in the 50’s which catches on in America.  This period drama will star Philip Seymour Hoffman as ‘the Master’, the man who created the religion and will involve his relationship with his ‘lieutenant’, who begins to question the faith as more and more people become followers.

I like all of Anderson’s movies, Seymour Hoffmans a great actor and Scientology is ripe for satire (see Bowfinger).  This should be good.

The Chronicles of Diesel

Now that he’s finally realised that he’s not Arnie, Vin Diesel has settled in to cashing in on his past hits.  After returning to the Fast and the Furious franchise, and those xXx 3 rumours stinking up the joint, now here he is insisting on continuing the Riddick series.  With not one flick, but two!

I’m not the greatest fan of ‘Pitch Black’ or ‘TCOR’. ‘Pitch Black’ was okay with a great ending.  Nor am I a fan of Diesel.  So this does not interest me as much as it probably does you guys.  If you want to believe Diesel, then it seems that Twohy has written the script, they’re scouting locations and it’s all systems go.  If this is true, at the very least they must feature Riddick outrunning the sun again.

Girls are warm, soft, lovely, and almost exclusively smarter than I, having never been capable of figuring out how I was wrong when I hit on their best friends, got black-out drunk, and called them all miserable psychos in need of Summer’s Eve lily pad wash.  I sometimes can’t help myself, being a man among men with electricity in my veins and raw meat in my stomach.  And sometimes I’m totally right, and being a dude is a much better state of being.  In this follow-up edition of “Dig, Dug, Damn!” titled “Sci X, Y“, I express my man-crushes on some of the strongest, most intelligent, skilled, and suave homeboys in all of science fiction / fantasy.  Women are unbelievable and to die for, but these guys are the masters of the universe (Sorry, He-Man, you didn’t make this list!)

Richard B. Riddick

If he were a real person, and I met him, the only thing I could possibly say is “I love you!”, and I’d say it all weird and animated like that Boxxy spaz.  The entire Riddick Saga (Escape from Butcher Bay, Pitch Black, Dark Fury, Chronicles, Assault on Dark Athena) is my Star Wars, as can be verified by my best friend who heard me tell him everything about the differences between the theatrical and Director’s Cut of the film when it was airing on television a few nights ago and he made the mistake of switching the channel.  First of all, he’s one of the last living members of a badass race of peoples, is the most prolific serial killer in the universe, and has energy projection skills, dexterity, intelligence, stamina, strength, battle and weapons skills, pilot skills, and can see in the dark!  Not to mention that he is an antihero in the purest sense of the term, taking care of himself and his, not giving a damn about the fate of all life in existence, wanting only to protect Imam and Jack/Kyra.  Hell, he even went so far as to have himself imprisoned on a prison planet that is covered by inferno fires for all but 20 minutes a day so he could break Kyra out.  Serious business, right?  I know he’s not one for having friends or anything even resembling them (lest you count being among his countless murder victims as having “hanged out”), but he likes to play the game “Whose A Better Killer” and that is just… just beautiful, man.  David Twohy and Vin Diesel have my eternal gratitude for creating this property.

Spike Spiegel

What can be said about the coolest anime character of all time that isn’t said by the fact that Cowboy Bebop, which is a sum of 26 30 minute broadcast episodes and a feature length film, is the most celebrated and mainstream accepted property of in the history of anime.  Sure, people are also fans of the weathered old vet  Jet Black, the sultry, hip, and madly attractive Faye Valentine, the hilarious, odd, and also attractive (if weirdly) Ed, and even Welsh Corgi data dog Ein, but it’s Spike’s battle with himself, with his past, with his future, with Vicious, his arch enemy, with Julia, the one and only love of his life, that animates the series, gives life to the characters and their missions, and is so damned cool!   Spike will chase you down with a space ship battle, pursue you on foot for miles when you crash, battle you hand-to-hand with ease and take you down while wearing a suit and smoking a Marlboro.  It’s that kind of image and performance and projected masculinity that all male children wish for in the fathers and in themselves when they come of age.  He’s such a romantic character, a life based around tragedy, loss, and everything else that makes the heart sing and weep, and it’s a very attractive existence, to be honest.  Bonus: Spike had been cut, stabbed, shot, and blown up too many times to count and survived through it all so that he could finally conclude the chapters in his life left open, dying one of the most heroic and manly deaths ever.

Angel

Just as Riddick is my Star Wars, Angel is my Star Trek.  First of all, the series Angel is better than Buffy in every capacity and disagreeing only makes you look stupid, so don’t do it (I’m looking at you, Joss Whedon).  Second, Angel the character portrayed perfectly by David Boreanaz, is the greatest vampire in all of pop culture.  His story is this: Born in Ireland and named Liam in the 1600s, he drank and whored until Darla, expertly played by the delicious Julie Benz, vamps him and names him Angelus, the demon with the face of an angel.  He eats his family, runs off with Darla and they terrorize the world together, adding Drusilla, sired by Angel, and Spike, sired by Dru, until one day he eats a Romanian girl and the gypsies curse Angelus with a soul, to make his eternal life one of torture and punishment for all the dirty, miserable things he had done.  Brilliant!  A hundred years pass and he becomes a hero and falls in love, only to discover true happiness will never be his as he loses his soul, a stipulation ensuring he suffers forever.  Yo, my boy Angel went to hell and hell spit him out, because without a soul Angelus is the worst of the worst!  His recreational activities including eating people, nailing puppies to walls, and nearly destroying the world by sending it to hell via a portal.  But with soul regained Angel learns to accept his misery only then to discover he has a destiny: The vampire with a soul will play a pivotal role in THE apocalypse, and for his role he will be rewarded the shanshu, meaning his vampire self will die so that his human self may live, but the prophecy doesn’t say what side he will come down on, good or evil, if he will be Angel or if it will be Angelus, if he is the world’s salvation, or it’s crucifier.  What an epic destiny!  And with a future ahead of him so hardcore, he is obviously one of the most powerful beings, and most conflicted and good, true men in heaven, hell, or any dimension in between.  So yeah, but the show isn’t just good for him and the rest of the equally good characters, but the show being some of the best television of all time is really what makes Angel so incredible.  The last two episodes, Power Play and Not Fade Away are the best series finale I’ve ever seen, ever.  No matter the certain death you face, never stop fighting the good fight.  Never.

Deeper into the night, swimming slowly down the underwater tunnels where the light reaches pitch black, torches held but not yet in use, batteries are low and we will need to use them sparingly, remember? Diving equipment is lightweight, less air in the packs but small enough to squeeze through some of those tight crevices we heard about. I turn round to see how far you are behind me, having felt the guide rope tug a bit back there. I turn around and you are gone. Flash-light quickly turned on. Breath. Stay calm. Somewhere near. There is no place to go except forward and back. The rope is clean cut, a knife cut. Had you had enough and gone back? Why didn’t you say anything? You could have told me you wanted to go back, I would have agreed. Would I have agreed? OK, we would have argued for a minute or so and then you would have won. A black shape falls towards me, your knife, threads of rope caught between the serrated edges. How long have I been alone? Fuck you. I’m going down alone, I’ll get there on my own, no-one has ever done that, and I’ll be the first. And I get to make you feel jealous when I get back. OK, it should be another hundred feet this way and then it curves to the right. An other black object falls down towards me through the cold water as I shine the torch back, just in case, and I lose it from the beam after a few seconds when the battery dies. How long was I looking back for? I thought it was a minute or so but these batteries are new, they should last four, five hours maybe. Shit, it’s dark. OK, fuck this, I’m going back. I start to swim upwards when I hit a roof. What roof? There is no roof. Fuck, why doesn’t the torch work? Shit, is the tunnel getting smaller or did I miss this detour on the map? This shouldn’t be here. OK, downwards it is, into the black.

This three-page-long edition is based on a real story that happened in Brazil. As such, it’s available in English and Portuguese. / Esta edição de três páginas é baseada em uma história real que aconteceu no Brasil. Assim sendo, está disponível em inglês e português.

For English-speaking readers:

PAGE 1

PAGE 2

PAGE 3

The sources and inspirations: write-up on The Guardian and two excellent blog posts by Brazilian film critic Pablo Villaça (here and here, in the correct order and in portuguese).

Para leitores que falam português:

PÁGINA 1

PÁGINA 2

PÁGINA 3

Fontes e inspirações: matéria no Estadão e dois excelentes posts do crítico de cinema brasileiro Pablo Villaça (aqui e aqui, na ordem certa).

Throughout history, men and women alike have dreamed of technological advances such as advanced robotics, did they perceive that said technological advancement would subsequently result in near-constant isolation of the human race? Apparently not. The year is 2017 when a company known as VSI create ‘Surrogates‘, robotic shells in which the user can place their own personality, thoughts and to some extent their soul, into it’s well known invulnerable shell, protecting the user from harm and letting them experience anything they desire all from the safety of the users own home.

With the creation of the Surrogates, crime rates have fallen to almost nothing, until FBI agent Tom Greer (Bruce Willis) catches wind of the first murder to happen within years. Greer finds that everything isn’t what it seems within this futuristic, perfect utopia and in turn, questions what exactly defines a human. Now, that is something that really should be taken into account here, there have been countless films in the past which focus on the creation of somewhat autonomous sentient beings (even if that may be debatable here), such as in; I Robot, Terminators and Transformers, but Surrogates brings forward something unique to the table. Whilst at first, the film may not seem so dark and sinister, if you read in to the concept, it’s really quite disturbing, essentially exploring philosophical questions such as ‘What defines humanity?.’

The futuristic comic book adaptation features Bruce Willis (Die Hard Trilogy, Sixth Sense, The Fifth Element), Radha Mitchell (Pitch Black, Phone Booth, Silent Hill, also the upcoming ‘The Crazies’), Rosamund Pike (Pride & Prejudiced, Die Another Day, Fracture), Boris Kodjoe (Brown Sugar, The Gospel, Starship Troopers 3) , James Cromwell (Babe, L.A Confidential, The Green Mile) and Ving Rhames (Pulp Fiction, Mission Impossible II, Dawn Of The Dead). Willis is renowned for his die hard attitude which appears in most of his films, and he does an exceptional job throughout Surrogates of preserving that, whilst some people may see as a flaw, I on the other hand, think it’s an attribute that should be carried with him. Alternatively, Mitchell’s performance, whilst definitely professional, seemed rather benumbed at best, but this may be due to the fact her character doesn’t really get a chance to make a big impact throughout Surrogates. I would however like to applaud Cromwell on his rather impressive representation of Dr. Lionel Canter which, teamed with Willis, kept the film going for me. An intricate film which subsequently makes you think, and definitely doubt, you’ll love it if you are sci-fi/comic book fans, otherwise it might not be the film for you.

]]> http://andrenavarro.wordpress.com/2009/11/08/the-wonders-of-modern-filmmaking/ Sun, 08 Nov 2009 20:33:49 +0000 andrenavarro http://andrenavarro.wordpress.com/2009/11/08/the-wonders-of-modern-filmmaking/

I recently came across this sentence in a novel: “It was the kind of store I loved to see walking down the street when I was a kid.” Whoooo. I’d like to see any kind of store walking down the street!

I was thinking about that particular gaffe while I was walking down the street today. I happened to see something that made me realize the sentence wasn’t totally ludicrous — a house rolling passed me. Okay, it was being towed, but still, it was moving along the street instead of being securely attached to a foundation.

Something else I saw: a henpecked rooster. Not a pretty sight! That poor thing was pecked raw by the hens. I will never again use the word henpecked, though to be honest, I’m not sure I ever did.

Many words outlive their usefulness and become meaningless clichés, such as pitch black. Does anyone today even know what pitch is? I had to look it up. It’s a black, sticky substance from the distillation of tar. What about hair the color of a raven’s wing. Have you ever seen a raven’s wing up close? Perhaps you saw a crow. I don’t know enough about birds to tell the difference, but I do know that comparing hair to a crow’s wing doesn’t portray the same poetic image. And why are writers still referring to the squeals of stuck pigs? Some clichés are of more recent standing, such as a stuffed briefcase. If you saw someone with a briefcase, how would you know how full it was?

Clichés, poorly constructed sentences, and unnecessary bits of exposition should be eliminated during the editing process. Today’s Daughter Am I blog tour stop includes a segment of Daughter Am I that remained in the book up until a week before publication. It’s not a bad excerpt, but it added nothing except a bit more history to a novel that already had a lot of history.

You can see the segment here: Dead Darling from Daughter Am I.

Click here to buy Daughter Am I from Second Wind Publishing, LLC. 

Click here to buy Daughter Am I from Amazon.

Click here to download 30% of Daughter Am I free from Smashwords.

Click here to read the first chapter of Daughter Am I.

: : : : : : : : : :

Blind Café. What can you imply from the name? Just imagine it by yourselves.

I know about this restaurant from Hamka, my co-worker. He told me that there was a unique café around Pascal Hypersquare. What’s the special? It is dining in the dark. The word “dark” is not meant that there is not much light or the room is only illuminated by the twilight light of candles. It is not like that. This dark means absolute darkness. Total absence of the light. If you could recall the movie title of Chronicles of Riddick prequel, then it is like that.

Sometimes, I leisurely go along Pasir Kaliki street, just wondering, what kind of dining place it is. But I could not find it. Other time, when I was walking in Ciwalk, I saw the place. Ok, we decided to have dinner in that place for quenching my curiosity.

From the person I meet in the front counter, I was informed that the concept of this restaurant is just like what Hamka said. She said that the purpose of having dark condition for dining is to enhance the pleasure of mouth and tongue in tasting the food. It is by blocking the sensory of vision so that the brain will focus on the sense of taste. This process may intensify the deliciousness of food if it is compared to when we have a meal with our eyes seeing regularly.

Ok, I ordered menu for two people (the price was able to be paid, but…) If I’m not mistaken, I ordered a kind of chicken steak or something like that. I was not familiar with the food title.

The dining place is in the second floor. The first floor is for the cashier and counter for placing order. There are also two tables provided for those who can not stand the darkness. Before going to the second floor, we were asked to handover things that can produce light. Cellular phone, flashlight, and cigarette lighter are among the things. In order to avoid unnecessary trouble, I emptied my pocket and put them all in the provided locker. In front of the stair, a waiter (a blind man) give a little explanation about concept of dining in the dark and also the purpose of that condition blah..blah..blah.. (exactly like I’ve written in the previous paragraph).

Then we go upstairs, line-up in a train-like queuing. I put both my hands on his shoulders and he led us the way to our table and sofa.

OK, it is a complete darkness.

After properly seated in the sofa, my eyes immediately have maximum accommodation, trying hard to catch a light. But it was nil. Vaguely, I noticed a little light on my left side. It looks like the entrance door. The situation was rather quite in the sense of there were no voice of people or chattering sound nearby. The room was filled with gentle sound of music from Indonesian popular song. A metal-like clinking sound was heard nearby. It is probably the waiter who was preparing tableware.

The total darkness, quietness, and gentle blowing of air conditioner made a perfect blend in performing chilly ambience. I wished I didn’t put my jacket in the locker. After several minutes, a waitress voice was approaching us. This one is not blind. She’s wearing a night-vision goggle. There is a tiny flickering red dot around her face. It means, even though the surrounding is dark, it is recommended to not performing any improper behavior whatsoever. Why? Well, it is certainly because there are other persons who can see you (and off course there is The All Seeing). She brought beverages and put the glasses directly into our reach. Our hand moved very slowly with extra care. If the glass was tipped over and the content was spilled, it would be very troublesome. It is even quite difficult to get the straw, avoiding the possibility for it to unintentionally enter my nose hole, heheh… Several minutes later, a man came to our table. This time, the food was with him.

Ok, now this was rather unique. After he finished serving the food, he began to describe the position of the meal on the plate. French fries and vegetables on the right side, meat on the middle, the sauce in the farther side (or something like that, I forgot the details). What is more, although we ordered a steak, there was no knife provided to cut the meat, only spoon was available. Instead, the meat is served in pieces, so that it can be consumed immediately.

On the first several feeding, I used the spoon. After a while, my hand started scrabbling the plate in order to find the food remains which were not taken by the spoon ( I hate to leave edible leftover in my  plate, such a waste)

So, how was the food?

Well, it is because I was in the hungry condition, the food tasted good. Even so, it didn’t seem to be different with other food restaurants. The state of darkness, which was claimed to enhance the glossal tasting sensation, was not proved to be in effect for me (well, maybe it depends on the characteristic of the tongue. Mine is close enough from being insensitive :p). Besides, judging from the amount of the paid cash in the cashier, the quantity of the food is too little. With the same price, I think I can get a full-belly burping in other restaurants. The quite ambience and pitch black setting is not enjoyable for having a chat. The feeling of the chance than somebody may eavesdrop is quite troublesome.

Anyway, it was not bad for only quenching my curiosity. But overall, this place would not be my choice list for dinner, unless somebody is willing to treat me, would you? Hehe…

———-

Lihat versi Bahasa Indonesia

It was back in June when I first mentioned Don McKay. It stars Thomas Haden Church (Sideways, Spider-Man 3, George of the Jungle, The Specials) and Elizabeth Shue (Piranha 3D, The Karate Kid, Leaving Las Vegas) and is directed by Jake Goldberger. sounds mighty cool in a twisty turny kind of way.

Twenty-five years after abandoning his hometown, Don McKay gets a letter from his ex-girlfriend saying that she is dying and wants him to come see her. When Don returns home, Sonny doesn’t seem quite like he remembers her and everything seems a little bit off. In this darkly comic debut thriller, writer/director Jake Goldberger tells a story where no one is who they seem and everyone appears to be hiding something.

It also stars Melissa Leo and even cooler features the mighty M Emmett Walsh (Blood Simple, Blade Runner) and my fave Keith David (The Thing, They Live, Pitch Black, Requiem for a Dream and so much more).

An intriguing plot and some great actors are involved so it should, hopefully, be an absolute gem of a film.

Now Quiet Earth have come across this clip.

Festie season may be drawing to a close, but the new shows and sounds keep rolling in! Starting with the crisp brush of autumn breeze and ending with a Halloween nightcap, October is one of my favorite months- you can smell the mischief in the air! Or maybe that’s a grape blunt.

As always, I keep this post updated and added to throughout the month and you can find it by looking in the right-hand column on my main page under “Shilo’s Event Calendar.”

Here’s what’s going down on Planet Shilo:

• 1: Respect presents 12th Planet vs. Infiltrata @ Dragonfly
• 2: Pure Filth presents Bassface w/MRK1, The Professionals, DLX, Remo, Gaslamp Killer & more
• 3: LA Decompression Festival
• 3: Space Island Decom After Party/ Oscure, Braden, R/D, Propa Tingz, Henry Strange, Imagika & more

• 7: Nosaj Thing & Fever Ray @ Henry Fonda Theatre
• 7: Low End Theory w/Thavius Beck, Waajeed, Geology, Blu Jemz & residents
• 7: House of Dub @ House of Blues w/Pablo Hassan, Sam XXXL & more
• 10: Dynagroove w/Drumcell, Smog Stage @ Nucleus
• 10: Fantasia

• 14: Pretty Lights @ Key Club
• 14: Low End Theory w/Dirty Digital Mestizo, Mike Gao & more
• 15: Smog @ Respect w/Pawn, DLX, Pablo Hassan, MC XYZ & more @ Dragonfly
• 16: 16Bit & Beyond w/Random Rab, Braden & Mr. Caparro @ AC Supper Club in Venice
• 17: DROID Behavior 7-Year Anniversary w/Chris Liebing, Kid 606, Drumcell, Deru, Derek Michael, & special guest from Alpha Pup/Planet Mu

• 20: Pitch Black @ Zanzibar (Santa Monica)
• 20: Dubtroit w/Seven, DJ Evol, Pawn & Q.45
• 21: Low End Theory 3-Year Anniversary! Flying Lotus, SamIYam, Dibia$e, Jneiro Jarel, Free the Robots, My Hollow Drum, MatthewDavid, Kutmah, Nobody, Nocando, Daddy Kev
• 22: The Do Lab presents: Beats Antique, Deru & Jupiter @ King King
• 24: Droid Behavior presents Acid Circus
• 24: Smog w/Distance, Noah D, Emu & more
• 25: I LOVE LA

• 28: Low End Theory: Jogger Record Release Party with Jogger, Dr. Strangeloop & Ana Sia!
• 30: Kraak & Smaak @ The Roxy
• 30: Calling All Kids w/Flying Lotus & friends
• 30: Hard Haunted Mansion w/Deadmau5, 2MANYDJS & more
• 31: Halloween 3-D w/Daedelus, Jogger, Tokimonsta, 6Blocc, & more
• 31: Hard Haunted Mansion w/Justice, Major Lazer, Modeselektor, & more
• 31: HALLOWEEN! BEST HOLIDAY EVER! I am gonna dress up as a DJ.

Originally posted at Edible TV on September 30, 2009.

This is the latest installment in a continuing series that documents my personal quest to become the host of my own cooking show. Since this is a relatively new “career,” there are no vocational programs or community college courses to prepare me for it. From what I have seen, the two most important elements in securing such a position are passion for food and plain old dumb luck. Born with a passion for food, I set out to make my own luck.

It’s Always Darkest Right Before It Goes Pitch Black

Wow!  Life is great.  I am actually making money writing about food and travel.  Notoriety?  Yep, I’ve got some of that, too.  I’ve just published an interview with Food Network star Bobby Flay and my series on tailgating (Saturdays in the South) has created a bit of a buzz here in college football obsessed Alabama.

After a night out on the town with a co-worker I pop into a 24-hour eatery to scarf down some horribly un-healthy food.  Nachos at 2AM anyone?  I pass a table of drunken foodies who are discussing the upcoming visit of Bobby Flay to the Port City.  I’m not sure exactly how but I got pulled into the conversation but one point someone asks me if I have read the interview with Flay in ‘Zalea magazine?

I wake up one day to find a voice message from my editor that asks me to call the magazine when I get a chance.  I’m pumped because the last time I had a message like that it was to tell me that I was interviewing an Iron Chef.  We have been efforting the great Emeril Legasse who had just opened a restaurant in nearby Gulfport, Mississippi.  Could it be?  Or maybe Alton Brown perhaps?  His show Feasting on Asphalt 2 was taped right here in the heart of Katrina Country.

The recession really hadn’t been recognized as such yet but it was about to hinder my goals for the second time in less than a year.  The newspaper that was the parent company of the two periodicals I wrote for was shutting down production on the weekly rag and cutting out freelance on the remaining monthly magazine.  Once again, I was out of a job.

To make matters worse, the part-time gig I had waiting tables at a cheesy Italian chain restaurant was now my lone source of income.  Big national chains are the scourge of the restaurant industry.  They are a menace to locally owned restaurants, shamelessly enslave their employees and quite literally poison their customers all in the pursuit of the almighty buck.  And now, through no fault of my own I was forced to prostitute myself at one of these denizens of culinary corruption.

At least I have a potential cooking show in the works. . . right?

Affiche française

Une lourde menace pèse sur l’univers. Planète après planète, les féroces Necrommongers étendent leur empire, ne laissant aux populations conquises qu’une alternative : se convertir ou mourir. Et c’est ainsi que le plus improbable sauveur de la galaxie est tiré de son exil et appelé à la rescousse…

Les chroniques de Riddick est un film de science-fiction sorti en 2004, faisant suite au film Pitch Black, situant l’action 5 ans après. Vin Diesel en est toujours le principal protagoniste.

L’histoire des chroniques de Riddick n’est qu’un prétexte pour un concentré d’effets spéciaux, d’action et de cascades. Vin Diesel y interprète le stéréotype du héros de film d’action hollywoodiens, bourré d’effet spéciaux et sans grande ambition. Sa voix (bizarrement grave dans le doublage français), ses répliques, son caractère (héros mystérieux au passé sombre, renfermé sur lui-même)… Vin Diesel est bien parti pour rester coller à ce genre de films. Il s’en détachera en partie avec Baby-Sittor (même si ce rôle lui est quand même attaché pour ce film).

Les chroniques de Riddick réuni tous les clichés du genre science-fiction / action. L’idée de départ était bonne, mais  le scénario final est décousu, des éléments restent sans explications. Le résultat est lisse et amer. Presque Riddick-ule

Ma note:

A noter: la présence de Colm Feore (Empire, Paycheck), Karl Urban (Eomer dans Le Seigneur des Anneaux II & III), Judi Dench (Orgueil et Préjugés, M dans les James Bond).