Watching the Watchmen

The Warner Bros. movie Watchmen will be released on 6 March.

The movie is based on a 1986-7 Graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons which was 'revolutionary' for the superhero genre. It was was recently named one of the 100 greatest novels of the past century.

One blogger commented, "These types of stories turned the comic book genre on its head because of how human it makes its characters. As it turns out, none of these people really do what they do for truth, justice, and the American way...or at least not in the boy scout manner that Superman does. They aren't so noble and clean-cut. Their motives aren't so pure. Their actions aren't always so heroic. Watchmen was considered revolutionary because of all of this - it deconstructed the genre and explored a much darker, more conflicted side of 'masked adventuring.'"



'Watchmen is set in an alternate reality which closely mirrors the contemporary world of the 1980s. The primary point of divergence is the presence of superheroes. Their existence in this iteration of America is shown to have dramatically affected and altered the outcomes of real-world events such as the Vietnam War and the presidency of Richard Nixon. In keeping with the realism of the series, although the costumed crime fighters of Watchmen are commonly called "superheroes", the only character who possesses obvious superhuman powers is Doctor Manhattan. The existence of Doctor Manhattan has given the U.S. a strategic advantage over the Soviet Union, which has increased tensions between the two nations. Additionally, superheroes have become unpopular among the public, which has led to the passage of legislation in 1977 to outlaw them. While many of the heroes retired, Doctor Manhattan and the Comedian operate as government-sanctioned agents, and Rorschach continues to operate outside the law.'



The title references a line by Roman poet Juvenal, "Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?" – "who watches the watchmen?" – a question which occupies the regular folk in the film's world.

I think it will be worth a look and a good vehicle to spark discussion at least about the nature of man.

HULK SMASH

Yesterday the new Marvel Comics movie, The Incredible Hulk opened. It is supposed to be better then the 2003 Hulk, which was considered a box office failure. I liked it but it's not one of my favorite Marvel Comic adaptations. This is generally what happens with origin stories (Spider-Man 1 is an exception).

The 2008 Hulk movie picks up where the previous on left off, with one noticeable difference...a new cast. Ed Norton plays Bruce Banner/Hulk, William Hurt as General Ross, and Liv Tyler as Betsy Ross, Bruce Banner/Hulk's love interest. New to the series is Tim Roth who plays a Special Forces soldier who turns into Hulk's arch-nemesis, Abomination.

Hulk was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, and made his first appearance in May 1962. The character has appeared in a television series, with spin-off television movies, starring Bill Bixby as Dr. Banner and Lou Ferrigno as the Hulk; in animated series in 1966, 1982 and 1996.

In the first issue, the Hulk was gray. Writer and Marvel editor-in-chief Lee had wanted a color that did not suggest any particular ethnic group. Colorist, Stan Goldberg however, had problems with the gray coloring, resulting in different shades of gray, and even green, in the issue. Stan Lee picked the uncommon color, green. From issue #2 (July 1962) on, Goldberg colored the big brute's skin green.

Should be a good SCI-FI action flick.

"You're making me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry."

Today in History - Star Wars: A New Hope Released

Space fantasy Star Wars opens on this day in 1977. The film became one of the most popular movies of all time, breaking box office records. Filmmaker George Lucas was nominated for Best Director and Best Screenwriter Oscars, and the film won seven Oscars for technical achievements and its musical score, written by John Williams.

I was six years old when I saw this movie. The entire Hopper Clan went stood in line for what seemed like hours at the Cooper 6, downtown Denver, CO. I remember sitting in the smoke (you could smoke in the movie theater at the time) filled balcony section of the theater. Stadium seating, surround sound, a "gi-normous" movie screen accompanied by pretty state-of-the-art special effects, cool plot, blasters, aliens, interstellar space travel via light speed, made this space opera come to life; a remarkable accomplishment

Thirty-one years later and I'm still a big fan (not withstanding the short comings) of the series.

CELEBRATING OVER THREE DECADES OF BRINGING ORDER TO THE GALAXY!

Indiana Jones 4 - May 22

He's back after a 19 year sabbatical; this time he gives the Nazis a break, and turns his whip towards the commies!

Farwell to a Great American

Charlton Heston, 1923-2008

I meant to post this earlier...

LOS ANGELES - Charlton Heston, who won the 1959 best actor Oscar as the chariot-racing "Ben-Hur" and portrayed Moses, Michelangelo, El Cid and other heroic figures in movie epics of the '50s and '60s, has died. He was 84.

The actor died Saturday night at his home in Beverly Hills with his wife Lydia at his side, family spokesman Bill Powers said.

"Charlton Heston was seen by the world as larger than life. He was known for his chiseled jaw, broad shoulders and resonating voice, and, of course, for the roles he played,"

He is one of my favorite actors and conservative 'activists' (see National Rifle Association). He also participated in the big Civil Rights march in 1963. My top Heston movies:

1) Ben-Hur (1959). 11 Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Actor. 'Nuff Said!

2) Planet of the Apes (1968). Loosely based on the novel La planète des singes by Pierre Boulle.
An excellent SCI-FI movie with one of the most memorable lines of all time: George Taylor (Heston)- 'Take your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!' Check out the Forbidden Zone for more Apes stuff. By-the-by, Charles Heston makes a cameo in the 2001 Tim Burton re-make.

3) Khartoum (1966). Heston as General Charles 'Chinese' Gordon taking on the Mahdi (Lawrence Olivier) and his army during the Battle or Siege of Khartoum (March 1884 - January 1885) in the Sudan.

Other notables: The Ten Commandments, The Omega Man, El Cid.

Heston's family said in a statement. "No one could ask for a fuller life than his. No man could have given more to his family, to his profession, and to his country."

Saviors from Space

I'm a big SCI-FI geek and rarely miss an opportunity to catch the latest movie at the theater. Science fiction movies usually do pretty well at the box office. Probably the most noteworthy, oldie-but-goodie, is The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), adapted from the 1940 short story "Farewell to the Master" written by Harry Bates. Like so many movies of the era, their storylines were often set against the backdrop of the Cold War. The Day the Earth Stood Still is no exception. But there is another element that is often missed by moviegoers. There's a great deal of religion mixed in. Probably the most overt example can be found in the Star Wars movies and its use of the Force. George Lucas admitted that he "put the Force into the movie in order to try to awaken a certain kind of spirituality in young people. . . . I think there is a God. What that God is and what we know about God, I'm not sure."

There's a more subtle expression of religion in The Day the Earth Stood Still in addition to Klaatu's stated belief in "the Almighty Spirit":

Scriptwriter Edmund H. North transformed the alien emissary Klaatu into a Christ-figure, implying that extra-terrestrials would be the true saviors of mankind. He did this in a subtle manner, having Klaatu adopt the earth name Carpenter and through the alien’s death and resurrection. North considered it his "private little joke" hoping "the Christ comparison would be subliminal."

In your spare time, sit down to watch Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, and Billy Gray, who played "Bud" in Father Knows Best, and see how many New Testament, Christ-like allusions you can find in The Day the Earth Stood Still.

Iron Man - Launching May 2008

Iron Man arrives in theaters on 2 May 2008 from Paramount Pictures and Marvel Entertainment, based on Marvel's best-selling Iron Man comic book character. The movie looks promising, although the Black Sabbath song 'Iron Man,' as heard in the trailer, is over the top.


The official movie website is here. It looks like part of the story is similar to the straight to DVD animated movie, The Invincible Iron Man that came out in January 2007.

Elvis vs. The Mummy

This is my kind of horror flick (it's an oldie but a goodie):

Mud Creek, Texas, is about to get all shook up. When mysterious deaths plague the Shady Rest retirement home, it's up to an aging, cantankerous "Elvis" (Bruce Campbell) and a decrepit and black"JFK" (Ossie Davis) to defeat a 3,000-year-old-Egyptian mummy with a penchant for sucking human souls! Can the King show the world that he can still take care of business?

I'm casting my vote for Elvis!

James Bond - 007

Title Of Next James Bond Film Revealed

'Quantum Of Solace' Due In November

Saturday, January 26, 2008: (London):

James Bond movie Quantum of Solace is about the spy's attempt to find the man who forced his love Vesper to betray him and prevent a coup in a Latin American country.

Bond, played by Daniel Craig, learns that the organisation behind Vesper is more powerful than he had imagined. A lead takes him to Haiti, where he meets the beautiful Camille, played by Olga Kurylenko, who also wants to exact revenge.

According to thesun.co.uk, Camille takes Bond to a ruthless businessman who is part of Vesper's organisation. As Bond flies to Austria, Italy and South America, he learns of a plot to overthrow a government and wants to prevent it.

James Bond movies have been some of my favorites as a kid growing up. I liked the high-tech gadgets, the 'Bond' girls, the villians, and the exotic locales. I eagerly looked forward to the next Bond film; usually, the title would be announced at the end-of-credits of the previous film.

I've always been a big fan of Sean Connery as Bond, grew attached to Pierce Brosnan, and overly skeptical of Daniel Craig (a blond haired, blue eyed Bond???). Needless to say, after watching Craig pull off Bond...James Bond in the 2006 version of Casino Royale, I'm a fan of the new Bond.

Where did Bond come from?

James Bond was born from the creative mind of Sir Ian Lancaster Fleming (May 28, 1908 – August 12, 1964),

a British author, journalist and Second World War Navy Commander. Fleming is best remembered for creating the character of James Bond and chronicling his adventures in twelve novels and nine short stories. Additionally, Fleming wrote the children's story Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and two non-fiction books.

Here's the Bond filmography:

Of note, these EON productions are commonly recognized as "official" James Bond films, whereas the 1954 television adaptation of Casino Royale, starring Barry Nelson;

the 1967 film Casino Royale starring David Niven as Bond, and Peter Sellers;

and Never Say Never Again (1983) starring Sean Connery, are regarded as "unofficial" because they were not produced by EON and do not form part of the main canon.

Sean Connery as Bond (1962-67, 1971, 1983):

1. Dr. No (1962)
2. From Russia with Love (1963)
3. Goldfinger (1964)
4. Thunderball (1965)
5. You Only Live Twice (1967)

George Lazenby (1969):

6. On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)

Sean Connery:
7. Diamonds Are Forever (1971)

Roger Moore (1973-1985):

8. Live and Let Die (1973)
9. The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
10. The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
11. Moonraker (1979)
12. For Your Eyes Only (1981)
13. Octopussy (1983)
14. A View to a Kill (1985)

Timothy Dalton (1987-1989):

15. The Living Daylights (1987)
16. Licence to Kill (1989)

Pierce Brosnan (1995-2002):

17. GoldenEye (1995)
18. Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
19. The World Is Not Enough (1999)
20. Die Another Day (2002)

Daniel Craig (2006- ):

21. Casino Royale (2006)
22. Quantum of Solace (2008)
23. Bond 23 (working title) (2010) - Daniel Craig projected

Finally, my favorite Bond stuff: Thunderball (primarily because of the underwater fight scenes and Tom Jones' theme song with the same title; SPECTRE (SPecial Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion); deadly briefcase, Aston Martin DBS,

Jaws,

Ursula Andress, Ernst Stavro Blofeld (as played by Donald Pleasence),

and the best scene ever, from Goldfinger:

James Bond: Do you expect me to talk?
Auric Goldfinger: No, Mr. Bond. I expect you to die.

12 O'Clock High

Pretty good flick and cool guy performance by Gregory Peck.

I and a handful of other officers got a movie day back in CGSC, Fort Leavenworth, KS to see and discuss organizational leadership in "action." Everything was perfect...almost. No popcorn.

In this story of the early days of daylight bombing raids over Germany, General Frank Savage must take command of a "hard luck" bomber group. Much of the story deals with his struggle to whip his group into a disciplined fighting unit in spite of heavy losses, and withering attacks by German fighters over their targets.

Points to ponder:

- Leadership is the process of influencing people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation while operating to accomplish the mission and improving the organization.

- "A good soldier, whether he leads a platoon or an army, is expected to look backward as well as forward; but he must think only forward. -- General Douglas MacArthur, Graduation Speech at the United States Military Academy (17 June 1933).

- Organizational leaders influence several hundred to several thousand people. They do this indirectly, generally through more levels of subordinates than do direct leaders. The additional levels of subordinates can make it more difficult for them to see and judge immediate results. Organizational leaders have staffs to help them lead their people and manage their organizations’ resources. They establish policies and the organizational climate that support their subordinate leaders.

- "If you are the leader, your people expect you to create their future. They look into your eyes, and they expect to see strength and vision. To be successful, you must inspire and motivate those who are following you. When they look into your eyes, they must see that you are with them." -- General Gordon R. Sullivan,
Hope is Not a Method (1996)

Cool, actual combat footage is used in this tense war drama. The first part of the movie deals with General Savage turning his organization around...for the better!

The Best Christmas Movies Ever!

Not only do I like music...a lot...I love movies too...a lot. Here's my Christmas movie favorites:

1. A Christmas Story. This 1983 comedy celebrates the sort of Christmas a young boy may have had in the 1940s. Young Ralphie Parker wants only one thing: a Red Ryder Carbine Action 200 Shot Range Model Air Rifle. His parents don't want him to shoot his eye out and refuse to get it. Wacky hijinks ensue as Ralphie develops some very creative ploys to convince his mother and father that this is the only thing they should give him.

2. A Charlie Brown Christmas. In this half-hour Christmas special, Charlie Brown becomes the director of the school holiday pageant and goes out with Linus to buy an aluminum tree for the show. Instead, they bring back a forlorn real tree. Our hapless hero finds himself dismayed by the rampant commercialization of the holidays and searches for the true meaning of Christmas.
3. How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The original 1966 animated classic is the only version that does justice to Dr. Seuss. In it, the Grinch (a non-human Scrooge) tries to ruin Christmas for the Whos in Whoville by stealing their presents, trees, and holiday treats. Of course, the Grinch has a change of heart and finds love and friendship with the Whos.
4. Elf. As usual this year, Santa Claus is coming to town, but before he does, so is an innocent, six-foot three-inch tall, wide-eyed, loveable, pure-as-the-driven-snow Santa helper, whose gift is not a sleigh full of material goods but what people need even more this season: a dose of Christmas spirit. Elf delivers a fair amount of holiday cheer, along with a host of homages to tales from Christmas Past and a sack full of humor.
5. The Muppet Christmas Carol. The fourth feature film to star The Muppets, and the second produced after the death of Muppets creator Jim Henson. It is one of many film adaptations of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.

There's many good Christmas movies: classics (It's a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street) or more recent (The Nativity Story). However, the aforementioned list are my favorites and movies I can watch repeatedly, throughout the year.

Merry Christmas! Frohe Weihnachten!

The Dark Knight Returns - Summer 2008

The Dark Knight, a sequel to the 2005 release Batman Begins, which rebooted the Batman franchise after an eight-year hiatus, is scheduled for release Summer 2008. Christopher Nolan, director of Batman Begins, continues as the director of the sequel, which stars Christian Bale again as Batman and Heath Ledger as the Joker. The film follows Batman becoming more of a detective, dealing with the escalated situation from the end of Batman Begins as well as the dilemma of his vigilante crusade, and his friendship with district attorney Harvey Dent, played by Aaron Eckhart.

This movie looks promising as was Batman Begins. The new series is a return to the psychologically dark character of his original 1930s conception; the Joker is certainly psychotic and scary, which keeps in step with the comic books.

Batman and Gordon find alliance with a newly appointed DA Harvey Dent to stop a vicious killer with a warped sense of humor known only as The Joker, the epitome of evil and a threat to Gotham City.

So, pretend the previous Batman movies never happened and get on board with the new series. And don't forget to cast your vote for Harvey Dent, District Attorney.