Just Another Reason For Me To Love Simon Pegg....

I adore Simon Pegg and everything he has done professionally. I also feel like he is a true "geek" in his own personal life and loves the culture as only a true fan from childhood can. So when he appeared on Sirius Radio's show 'Unmasked' and relayed a story about the first time he showed his 3 year old daughter A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back, it juts drives home the point that he is someone who "gets it" and should be looked towards for opinions by big wigs on what geeks may want to be included/excluded from projects to come. Check out the story after the jump and how it may have influenced JJ Abrams in his production choices for Star Wars VII (a movie that Pegg is not even billed as appearing in!). I love this man....



So apparently, when he sat down to watch Empire with his daughter and Yoda came on the screen this is the exchange between them that occurred:

When he appears, I saw her sort of sit up. She looked at the screen and then she looked at me and then she looked back at the screen and she watched it for a bit. And then she said – ‘Daddy, he’s real!’ And I kind of like burst out crying. I was like – ‘You’re my child!’ And it’s because he’s there. He’s there interacting with Mark Hamill. Even if he was CG, we’d still know he wasn’t really there because he’s a sort of a little long-eared alien. But the fact that it was a puppet who’s existing in the same space as Mark Hamill, talking to him, it made her believe in him in a way that CG would never do.”

OH. MY. GOD. What a perfect way to raise a child, and the validation of her saying this has to make you feel good as a geek parent. But it gets better.

Apparently on a set visit to SW VII, he met up with his friend JJ Abrams. Pegg relayed the story to JJ, and JJ used that story as part of his argument with the big wigs and executives for more practical effects and puppets over full on CGI. Abrams had been making the case for practical effects all along, but Pegg's story literately put a face to the feelings and may have been the reason why they ultimately allowed JJ to do his thing.

When Pegg finally got the chance to visit the Star Wars set (and possibly shoot a role in the movie, depending on who you believe), the actor was approached by some of the puppeteers, who identified him as “the guy whose daughter saved Star Wars.”
“I know that J.J. had always planned to do that,” Pegg said of the new film’s use of practical effects, “but it was a nice little validation of that impulse, I think, to have a child of that age say that.”

Wow. Imagine being that kid.... her timely and TRUE comments may have helped save the new Star Wars films.... Congrats Simon, you got a good egg right there!!!  

Star Wars: Into Darkness by The Unusual Suspect

In honor of the recent pairing of JJ Abrams with Star Wars, I give you the faux trailer for Star Wars: Into Darkness! This is so well done, and I love the fact that he takes the best moments of the original trilogy and Yoda's speech and puts it to JJ type music. I think there might have even been a lens flare in there.... lol. Check out the video after the jump...





Thanks to Cal & Samurai Frog for the vid....

So JJ Is Doing 'The Wars' Huh? A Short CCD Rant by Mike CCD

So, LucasFilms and Disney have announced that JJ Abrams, of 'Lost' & the new 'Star Trek' franchise fame, will be the director of the seventh full length 'Star Wars' movie. It is set to take place somewhere in the future after the events of the 'Return of the Jedi', may feature some of the familiar characters we love (albeit much older and in a supporting roles) and will sure to be the movie event of 2015 alongside 'Avengers 2'. While I love me some JJ and am actually really excited for another set of Star Wars movies, I can't help but have some trepidation. So here is a little bit of a rant on why I think it could be good, but also 3 reasons why this could be disastrous. Lets delve in, shall we...



Lets look at the positives:

 1) Disney is in charge now, and George has moved on to greener pastures. I was never someone who hated on Lucas... they are HIS movies after all. But he may have dropped the ball, a bit, on the prequels (depending on your feelings) and now the Mouse House is in charge. Disney is not in the business of losing money (usually). With Marvel killing all types of cinema box office records, the pressure is on. Which brings me to my next point...

2) JJ is no slouch. The guy has a track record....a huge one. 'Lost', 'Alias'...kid can do TV! 'Mission Impossible III' & 'Star Trek'... kid can save franchises! 'Super 8'? The kid can do original. So he ain't no slouch that can be bossed around... nah, JJ is as big as you can get in the current climate of Hollywood. I think this is great, because whether it turns out good or not, at least we will get HIS movie... HIS vision. Now I don't know exactly how it's all gonna shake out, but at least we're getting a masters take, right now, while he is in his prime! And finally...

3) The guy always has killer casts. Just look at his track record: Made a star out of Keri Russell on 'Felicity'; discovered a little actress named Jennifer Garner and made her a bonafide star on 'Alias'; picked out one of the greatest ensemble casts of all time and made them all stars in their own right, forever, on 'Lost'. Also, he made a star out of Chris Pine, Karl Urban & Zachary Quinto on the big screen in Trek. All those kids from 'Super 8' are gonna be stars... watch! Especially, that little Fanning girl...she is a star in the making. And let's not forget how he cast Phillip Seymour Hoffman as one of the best, most unsuspected villains of all time in 'Mission Impossible 3'... before PSH was the mega-serious acting star he is today. If I gotta put together what amounts to one of the most important casts in the history of cinema, I want THIS guy!

So the proof is in the pudding. If anyone is up to making this film, it is JJ. Steven Spielberg is too old and might not have the heart for this undertaking. Same with a guy like Sam Raimi. Kevin Smith seems like a good choice, but might be too snarky and smart with his dialogue for his own good. Matthew Vaughn, Duncan Jones, Rian Johnson or Matt Reeves? Good choices but, probably not seasoned enough yet. Joss Whedon is a bit busy killing the Marvel Comics Universe. My only other logical choice would have been Jon Favreau. Guy is a great director, can do big budget, and has a killer relationship with the studio but, can he do full-on Sci Fi? not sure. JJ really is the logical choice.

...but, there are a downsides to this as well. And to be honest, you don't have to make that far of a stretch see them. Like all things, this situation has two sides. Here is my take on why this may not work so great...

My main man Sean Hartter's take on JJ doing The Wars & Trek

1) If JJ takes on 'Star Wars' and all it is going to entail over the next 10 years, he's probably leaving 'Star Trek'...and that sucks, 'cause he made Trek watchable. He made it great. And he did it as the complete overseer.. directing the movie which, contrary to popular belief, is not a role he occupies often. He is more often associated with projects as a producer but, when he actually directs, the guy is gold. So will he stay on as a Trek producer into the future? Probably but, being in the chair is probably over. And that stinks for Trek fans... which brings us to point #2.

2) 'Star Trek' & 'Star Wars' are completely different and the fans all kinda hate each other. It's the oldest rivalry in the world of Sci fi. Trekkies hate the Wars. Star Wars fanboys hate Trek. it is one of the written rules of geekdom. Watch this clip from Fanboys to prove my point:




Now, Am I crazy to think that this new pairing of, 'Star Trek' legend, JJ with 'Star Wars' can cause the geek universe to fold in on itself and implode? No... there will be blood in the streets of sci-fi conventions everywhere! Phasers will not be set to stun, light sabers will be extra charged, and people are going to die when this fight finally takes place. Romulans vs. Wookies, Klingons vs. Bounty Hunters, Green Bitches as slaves in Jabba's dungeons... it is gonna be fucking crazy!!!! Trek fans will hate JJ for leaving their franchise and bringing glory to 'Star Wars'. If 'Star Wars Episode VII' turns out to be shit, Star wars fanboys will say it is because we trusted a shit-loving Trekkie with our franchise. It could be awful no matter how it turns out. And finally...

3) JJ is directing from a script. Not HIS script.... not a script from one of his collaborators or someone he is working side-by-side with. He is going to have to work from someone else's blueprint.  I'm not sure how I feel about that. I guess we will have to see which direction they want to take it. Will they go down a similar path of the Timothy Zahn Extended Universe Star Wars books that have been released throughout the years? Will they completely break that canon and move in another direction? Will it relate to Jedi and the original trilogy at all, or will it be set so far in the future that it will only echo those movies in spirit and unsaid connections? No one knows for sure. And this could be a major hang up.

So there it is. My three reasons why it could be great and 3 reasons why it could turn out badly. I, for one, will be there to see it no matter what... but, would love to hear your opinion on the whole situation. please leave some comments on the page and tell me what you think about JJ helming the Wars!!!!    

Revenge of the Red Shirts

I came across this awesome photo over at Dorkly .com and wanted to try and suss out more of a backstory by going to the original page where it was posted, but I have spent the last 45 minutes surfing over at the DrediKnight's webpage and found no site of it amidst the reggae and snowboarding pics that dot the page. But even though I couldn't get a backstory on this awesome photo, it doesn't take much information to know that this may be one of the greatest examples of group cosplay in the history of conventions. the Red Shirts are the poor souls who are members of Star Fleet and are usually the ones who die on Star Trek. They are the expendable henchmen that keep the crew in working order for the writers who have to kill someone, and can't exactly kill of Captain Kirk or Spock. JJ Abrams also gave them a nod in his film when all the cadets (including a young Kirk & Spock) wore Red Shirts while they were at Star Fleet Academy. But where do all those dead Red Shirts go... or better yet, where do they go once they have risen from the dead??? Comic Con of course!!!! Check out this dope photo after the jump...

  

Boilerplate: A Retrospective by Cal

I was watching The Wind and The Lion, an action adventure from the seventies starring Sean Connery, Candice Bergen and Brian Kieth as Teddy Roosevelt. The movie reminded me of the Robot named Boilerplate and how he was digitally inserted into 19th century history in the terrific faux textbook about the adventurous robot soldier. I was happy to hear that J.J. Abrams has decided to put the film version of the book into production.

Click after the jump for more...

Finally, Boilerplate saw some action in the Spanish-American War as he fought right begind Teddy Roosevelt. From there he went on to fight in the Phillipine-American War and the Boxer Rebellion in China and the Russo-Japanese War where Boilerplate made supply runs that were too dangerous for humans. Boilerplate traveled through the Arabian Desert with TE Lawrence despite the fact that the sand was a constant danger to his joints before heading out to fight in WWI where he disappears while delivering food and water to the Lost Battalion in the Argonne Forest.

http://www.books4yourkids.com/2010/05/boilerplate-historys-mechanical-marvel.html

J.J. Abrams and his production company Bad Robot recently announced that they would produce a movie version of Boilerplate: History's Mechanical Marvel, Paul Guinan and Anina Bennett's 2009 graphic novel that follows the adventures of mankind's first robot.

http://io9.com/5601795/jj-abrams-to-produce-victorian-era-robot-flick-boilerplate

5 Reasons To Watch 'Alcatraz' This January

We are reaching the point in that fall TV schedule when shows go on mid-season hiatus and networks bring in mid-season replacements for shows that under performed (only 3 episodes for Charlies Angels & Playboy Club... really???). One of the most anticipated mid-season additions is 'Alcatraz', the new show from uber genius JJ Abrams. The first official teaser trailer (30 seconds... C'MON!!!) has leaked and it has piqued my interest... so here are 5 reasons why I think you should give the show a shot come January. Click after the jump for the list and an embedded version of the trailer...



Synopsis courtesy of /Film:

The series centers around a mysterious event in 1963 that made 302 Alcatraz prisoners and guards vanish without any explanation. For some reason we don’t yet know, a prisoner named Jack Sylvane (Jeffrey Pierce) appears in present day Alcatraz and makes his way to San Francisco to seek payback from those who’ve done him wrong. It’s up to a spunky young police officer (Sarah Jones), assisted by a geeky Alcatraz expert (Jorge Garcia), to stop Sylvane, all the while dealing with a mysterious federal agent (Sam Neill) who clearly knows more about the Alcatraz disappearances than he lets on.

Here we go:

1. JJ Abrams- That's all. That's enough. I won't state the obvious about how successful Mr. Abrams has been, but I will say this: This cat doesn't put his name on stuff that isn't good. Well... let me take that back. He put his name on' Undercovers', which was a pretty good show that got cancelled early on and was considered a bust. JJ is looking to bring Bad Robot back to TV hardcore and this is the vehicle.to do it.
2. Time travelling criminals- The worst criminals from throughout history are appearing in 2011? Holy. Fucking. Shit. What a great idea. I remember a classic movie from the 80's called Time After Time. It was about Jack the Ripper & H.G. Wells using time machines to come to modern day America. It was awesome because Jack was a true smooth criminal and adapted masterfully, making him hard to track & apprehend. Criminals have the ability to think on their feet and adapt to their circumstances faster then people who aren't risking their freedom constantly. 
3. Sam Neil- Yessir... Sam Motherfucking Neil. I love this guy. LOVE 'EM!!! Dr. Alan Grant don't take no shit son!!!  He is playing the federal agent who clearly knows a bit more about the 1963 disappearance and re-appearance of the 302 criminals here in present day. I can't wait to see the layers of this onion peel back and reveal just how deep Mr. Neil is really involved in the whole situation. Damien Thorne FTW!!!
4. Fox Network-  OK, OK... I know that Fox is notorious for fucking with shows, even when they are successful. They move time slots, cancel seemingly popular shows,  and make overall bonehead decisions, especially when the shows are geek/nerd based properties. Hell, they have the best Sci-Fi show on TV right now (Fringe) and THEY ARE DOING EVERYTHING IN THEIR POWER TO GET THE SHOW CANCELLED (THEY MOVED THE SHOW TO fRIDAY NITE FOR CHRIST SAKES!!!) But on this show they seem to be all in. They have 7 shows already shot, and have even gone back to conduct re-shoots to tighten those puppies up. There are another 6 episodes due to start filming BEFORE the show even airs. A short 1st season (13 episodes) will benefit Alcatraz because it will give Fox less of a chance to fuck it up.
5.  Jorge Garcia- Yup... Hurley is still a fat fuck that will sure to make for some humorous chubby-based jokes and scenarios present on Alcatraz. This giant fatty may be a tubby bitch, but homie can certainely act his ass off. He was one of the best parts of the end of Lost (for the records, I ALWAYS hated Hurley, but had to change my tune in the end) and I can't wait to see him reunite with JJ & the gang.