Assembling...

They've finally revealed the design of the Hulk that they will be using in the upcoming Avengers film. It's Kirbyesque in nature which will make it the best version yet of the character put on film. Very cool.

Here's an artist's rendition of the assembled heroes from which the Hulk design was taken:

I. Cannot. Wait.

The How About Project Part 15 (of 26)

I don't remember the first time seeing Julie Christie on screen, or when it was I developed my crush on her. But I do still get something akin to butterflies when she appears on screen these days; it's not very often and I think she still has that unique presence of hers that demands your attention. What an actress.

Here are 3 of my fave pre-80s films starring the great British talent:

3: Darling (1965)
2: Demon Seed (1977)
1: McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971)

Cap Poster From Tyler Stout

Love this. A little artistry goes a long way. Hope the film rocks...

The How About Project Part 14 (of 26)

Here are a few of my fave Shakespeare adaptations made before the 80s:

3: Hamlet (1948, directed by and starring Laurence Olivier)
2: Romeo & Juliet (1968, directed by Zefferelli and starring the incomparably gorgeous Olivia Hussey)
1: Macbeth (1971, directed by Roman Polanski)

Any other adaptations you can recommend? Perhaps of Bill's less familiar works?

Dogme 95 Continues

Just finished reading Richard Kelly's The Name of This Book is Dogme 95. It was an entertaining and informative book with an interesting structure. I read it because I count myself a fan of Lars von Trier and felt it pertinent to get a better grasp of the movement he helped spearhead more than a decade and a half ago. Also because I recently discovered that up to 60 films have been branded with the Dogme 95 label, at least according to IMDB. I thought there were maybe 20 at the most. So count me surprised, impressed, etc., by the staying power of the movement's influence.

If you're not familiar with the movement and its Vow of Chastity, you should really go and read up on it. The movement has inspired some fascinating films that will likely never stop stoking debate about cinematic worthiness and the state of filmmaking today. Those crazy Danes were on to something that not enough people -- supposed movie-lovers -- have still to take notice of. Filmmaking goes stagnant, even when the tech is evolving. Bay's Transformers series is the best example. Amidst all that kineticism on screen, there's just an inescapable, overriding disrespect for the audience, and sheer boredom. And things seem to be getting worse.

Go and watch a few of the Dogme films and begin a conversation with someone about film. I recommend starting with Festen (The Celebration), The Idiots, and The King is Alive. You may not "like" any of the films that you watch, but you will definitely form a respect and opinion about them. They will definitely make you think more about what constitutes artfulness and/or effectiveness in the filmic world.

Some more thoughfulness would go a long way to improving what we're watching.

The Hobbit!

Entertainment Weekly has a few first pics up of scenes from the The Hobbit. Only a year and a half to wait...

The How About Project Parts 12 & 13 (of 26)

At this halfway point I'm tempted to give Hitchcock another gander.

My fave Hitchcock in black & white:

3: Notorious
2: The Lady Vanishes
1: Psycho

And my fave Hitchcock in colour:

3: Rear Window
2: North By Northwest
1: The Birds

Trailer: The Last Circus

This film has had great word-of-mouth and it looks as bloody marvelous as it does insane. From the director of the criminally ignored (at least in North America and the UK) 800 Bullets, this film already feels like a gorgeous tattoo to the brain.

Malick's The Tree of Life in the Eyes of His Contemporaries

X-Men: First Class : From Comics to Film

Critically, where do I place it amongst the others in the franchise? It's on par with the second film and may be the best of the bunch in a lot of ways. I'm not going to review it as I'm biased about my X-Men entertainment. It's like sex or pizza: even when it's bad it's awesome. But I will say that I'll think of this new film as the Magneto movie more than anything. He's been the most consistent, coolest thing in all of the films and he deservedly gets full attention in the prequel, much thanks to the actors portraying him. We end up rooting for the guy and that complicates things for us in a very cool way, since he's known as the "bad guy". I love the film's setting and its rewriting of the Cuban Missile Crisis. I love Prof X's lechery and surprising naivety. Kevin Bacon was excellent as Sebastian Shaw although I was hoping for that signature widow's peak and ribboned ponytail.

And I loved all the significant moments that comprised a stellar ending. However. I hated Beast. January Jones was terrible as Emma Frost -- great-looking but awful line-delivery. Terrible instincts as an actress it seems, unless the editors had it in for her. Hated the choice of opening scene. And will always take issue with the lack of respect for the X-canon.

X-canon you ask?

I hereby provide an incomplete list of offenses committed by the storytellers of this otherwise effective installment. And I do so, not to nitpick or underscore my ubergeekness, but to hopefully entice those of you not familiar with the X-Men in print, to go and seek them out there. The X-canon is a rich and fantastic thing. No, an uncanny thing.

The Hellfire Club: Riptide and Azazel were never members and have zero connection to the Club in the comics. Riptide was a Marauder who helped massacre other mutants and once shredded Nightcrawler with ninja stars that his tornado-body created. Ahem. Azazel is Nightcrawler's father and a demonic mutant from biblical times. (Mind you, Mystique is Nightcrawler's mother so that could still happen in the movies.) The costumes in the movie are not the centuries-old, fetishistic period dress that helped define the Club in the comics. There is no Inner Circle as in the comics. Emma Frost's diamond form is a secondary mutation that shouldn't appear for another 40 years. Don't get me started on the aging thing.

Prof X: In the comics we've never seen him with hair (at least I haven't), he lost his ability to walk during a battle with Lucifer in India, and never knew Mystique as a child. Will he eventually father his insane son, Legion, with Holocaust survivor, Gabrielle Haller, as he does in the comics? Could make a good sequel.

Magneto: Whole awesome chunks of his story are never even mentioned. The first version of his Brotherhood consists of none of the people shown in the film, and should actually include his son and daughter, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch. The connection to Sebastian Shaw is created solely for the film.

Moira MacTaggert: Was never CIA. She is a Scottish scientist. She was the one Prof X actually met and fell in love with at Oxford. Eventually, long after the departure of Xavier, she has a son with her Scottish politician husband, and that son becomes the nasty reality-warping mutant, Proteus, who a team of X-Men, consisting of Wolverine and Storm, battle and kill.

Banshee: Should be around the same age as Prof X and Moira MacTaggert. He and Moira eventually become a couple. He was not a member of the first class and actually gets recruited alongside Wolverine, Storm, etc. later on in the series. Oh yeah, and he's famously Irish.

Darwin: Was one of a handful of X-Men recruited secretly between the first class and Wolvie's, who nearly all perished in their first battle against Krakoa, the Living Island. He survived, remains alive in the comics, and is a current member of X-Factor (alongside Banshee's daughter, Siryn, who does appear briefly in the second and third installments of the film series).

Havok: In the comics he is the younger brother of Cyclops. Chronology be damned.

Beast: What a mess. To really appreciate the character, check out his profile at Wikipedia. Too many anachronisms and liberties taken with this fabulous comic-book creation.

How great is it though, that on film the X-Men originate in the 60s just like they do in the source material? 'Tis a great film despite the license taken with the adaptation process. Action-packed and dramatic in the right places. Even funny where its needed.

Just don't get me started on the aging thing.