In the early 90’s anime was starting to come into the United States. There were dealers at conventions raking in serious dough by offering VHS copies of anime series. One of the shows that I was exposed to in this time was a show called Patlabor. The series focused on a division of the Tokyo police department that dealt with giant robot crimes. These robots, called “Labors”, had various functions from military to construction. Patlabor had a 47 episode TV series with 16 episodes for an OAV and three movies, so it’s safe to say it was very popular during its run. Now the folks at Special Vehicles Section 2 are getting a new series and the best part is it is going to be live action!
The new show is going to focus on all-new faces, but Chief Shigeo Shiba, the character in charge of labor maintenance in the original series, will reprise his role and even be voiced by the original actor, Shigeru Chiba. There are going to be twelve 50 minute episodes a movie is slated to follow the series in 2015.
One of the best things about this live action series? They made a 1:1 scale replica of the labor for this show! There are pictures depicting what looks to be an AV-98 Ingram and it towers over the cast (See below). I would expect that the live action show will feature large-scale CGI battles with the labors, but it was a combination of action, story and likeable characters that bound the original series together and made it special. We’ll have to wait until sometime next year to see exactly how the new Patlabor compares, as it won’t be out until 2014 in Japan.
Renny Harlin (Cliffhanger, Die Hard 2) is back to work on his newest project, Hercules: The Legend Begins. The film will explore the origins of the fictional Hercules, son of Zeus. The plot centers around Hercules being exiled and fighting his way home to the woman he loves, Hebe, despite her being promised to his brother.
Kellan Lutz is set to star as the titular Hercules, but this won’t be Lutz’s first Greek mythological rodeo – you may remember him as Poseidon in the 2011 movie Immortals. He also took to the big screen in the cash cow Twilight trilogy as Emmett Cullen, so it’s safe to say Lutz’s screen presence won’t be an issue. However, there is a five hundred-pound elephant in the room – An itty bitty Brett Ratner film starring Dwayne Johnson. I think, wait, no I’m sure it’s called Hercules: The Thracian Wars. Yeah, that’s definitely it. Both films are coming out in 2014, so it will be very interesting to see which movie steals the other’s thunder.
I think it’s safe to say The Rock isn’t gonna be upstaged by anyone. We’re several years removed from the Tooth Fairy, and I don’t see a return to those days any time soon. Not to mention the budgets for both films are wildly different: Thracian Wars is coming in at approximately $110 million, as opposed to The Legend Begins‘s modest $70 million. Money certainly doesn’t guarantee a movie’s quality, and doesn’t always guarantee box office success, so the $40 million discrepancy doesn’t necessarily point to The Legend Begins‘s demise (I invite you to read up on a feature film titled Cutthroat Island if you dispute that claim). We’ll have to wait until both films have hit theatres to see who wins out in the end.
The producers of The Legend Begins are aiming for a mixture of Gladiator and 300, however I’m also seeing remnants of Starz TV’s Spartacus. What’s unfortunate is many writers and critics are giving this film a bad rap already, solely based on the trailer. Judging a movie nine months before a release is a bold move. Keep in mind, before you follow the opinions of these critics, that trailers don’t always fall in line with the overall quality of the movie. Some of the most satisfying movies are the ones with the least revealing trailers. I hope it gets a fair shake and it looks like it has potential to satisfy fans of this genre.
Paramount Pictures has just released the first trailer for Jason Reitman’s new film, Labor Day. Based on the novel of the same name by Joyce Maynard, the film follows a depressed mother Adele (Kate Winslett) and her teenage son Henry (Gattlin Griffith) who are forced to take in an escaped prisoner played by Josh Brolin. As the Labor Day weekend goes on their relationship begins to change drastically. Joining them is a solid supporting cast in Clark Gregg (Marvel’s Agents of Shield), J.K. Simmons (Spiderman, Juno), and Tobey Maguire (Spiderman). The film is being given a limited release on Christmas day, presumably to boost Oscar potential (Plausible, as Winslett and Brolin both give stellar performances) and availability will expand later in January.
I actually got a chance to catch the film at the Chicago International Film Festival and for the most part I really liked it. If you’re a fan of Jason Reitman’s previous works, (Excluding perhaps the polarizing Young Adult), you should find this among his best. This first trailer does a good job of conveying the mood the picture’s going for, while giving away very little of the plot:
I feel the theatrical trailer gives away too much of the story, and since it’s all about the character’s relationships and the events that unfold, I’d suggest skipping it.
And finally, in case you can’t get enough of Labor Day, here’s a clip from the film that was released a couple of weeks ago:
This is the time of year when the leaves start to change to vibrant colors and a cold chill fills the air. It is the end of October and it is the time where we prick up our ears at strange sounds at night. But what if you haven’t been bitten by the Halloween spirit yet? What are you waiting for? Here are five movies to get you into the mood for the holiday!
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One of the better anthologies that are out there focusing on Halloween. There are four stories that are interwoven together and they are all awesome. Sprinkle in some comic art and some great costumes and special effects and this will get you in the mood for the holiday.[/tab]
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There are movies that I watch religiously and there are movies I will watch once and never again. This is the ONLY movie I have not watched at all because it is that scary. I’ve showed it to other people and they have come back to me shivering. The film will worm its way into your brain and stay there making you jump at strange noises at night.[/tab]
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Why choose this film instead of the first? Simply, because I have to say that this film is superior than the first one in every single way. These four stories will captivate you and will want to watch the entire movie from beginning to end.[/tab]
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This has a very creepy vibe to it as it deals with two people who are watching over an inn. The inn has seen better days and it is about to close, but the two folks who take care of the inn are also ghost hunters. And, what’s worse they go looking for ghosts in this inn and when they find them that is when the problems start. Not quite The Shining, but that is hard to beat.[/tab]
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This is a film I missed in the theaters and will see at some point if only because the premise sounds so promising. A house in the countryside in which the family is trapped when they come under attack from animal masked killers? What more perfect a choice to watch as you sit in the house waiting for all the little trick or treat’ers to come knocking on your door?
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These are some of the scary movies that are out there that will get you into the mood for Halloween. What about you? What are some of the scary movies you love to watch to get you in the mood for this holiday? Let us know as we love to hear from you!
Happy Halloween to all you Grizzly Bomb readers out there. No doubt a lot of you will be getting geared up for your own Halloween antics and slapping on your costumes for a night filled with mischief and scares. For anyone that is having a party, some terribly terrific tunes will be needed to add just the right atmosphere. Grizzly Bomb is more than happy to oblige. Here is a short play list of this reviewers personal favorites; hopefully they will manage to give you all a bit of a chill.
Rocky Horror Picture Show – Over at the Frankenstein Place
The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a film that is perfect for any occasion, but Halloween is where it truly can shine. The soundtrack has so many fantastic tracks on it that it is tricky to pick one, but this one is just perfect for when you need to slow the mood down and have a sing along with your friends at the same time.
Alice Cooper –Man behind the Mask
What is better than Friday the 13th on Halloween? Alice Cooper singing about Jason Voorhees perhaps? A rocking track from the great man himself which, if you are of a certain generation, will get you rocking around the kitchen with a tie around your head in no time.
Bobby Pickett and the Crypt Kickers – Monster Mash
Now this is a classic song for the Halloween season. You will be hard pressed to find anyone that has not heard this song at least once and it is perfect for all you monster mashers out there.
Sheb Wooley – The Purple People Eater
While more of an obscure selection, this but song has some great visuals attached to it. With such a catchy tune it’s difficult not to want to sing along to the chorus when it kicks in.
Warren Zevon – Werewolves of London
This song probably has another meaning and is not to be taken literally. But it does conjure up some awesome visuals and with such great lyrics involving werewolves that eat Chinese food and attack old ladies it is a perfect Halloween themed tune.
Oingo Boingo are better known for their work on 80’s classics like Weird Science. But it is also a band that had a certain Danny Elfman in it (the man behind pretty much every Tim Burton film score to date). With his band Oingo Boingo he made some incredible musical hits including this little tune.
Ramones – Pet Cemetery
The Ramones are rock legends and have dabbled in film scores before (Rock and Roll High School is one of the most notable entries), but this tune manages to capture the feeling of Stephen King’s work perfectly.
Ozzy Osborne – Bark at the Moon
Ozzy has knocked out some incredible horrific tunes but this song (for the video alone) needs to be included in any Halloween bash. The great guitar riffs certainly don’t hurt this piece of metal history.
It is difficult to pick a White Zombie track that does not exhibit Rob Zombie’s unique love of horror movies. But with Living Dead Girl he manages to give us an incredible song which also harks back to the German horror films of the silent era of cinema. This tune is not as frantic as his other hits (like say Dragula), but it is still a hauntingly effective tune that is great to listen to with the lights out.
Michael Jackson – Thriller
The grand daddy of music videos and the ultimate Halloween song, there is little else to say about this John Landis directed masterpiece. It is with this video that we will leave our trip through the weird world of music and let you readers enjoy your Halloween antics. There are plenty more Halloween songs out there, but hopefully this list will keep you entertained until the trick or treating commences.
Now how could I end an article on spooky tunes without including this classic!
The day has finally arrived in which we get our first real look at Bryan Singer’s newest incarnation of the X-Men franchise. That’s right, the X-Men: Days of Future Past trailer is here!
I’ll admit that X-Men: First Class is easily my favorite of all the films to date so I was quite excited to see James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender back as Magneto and Professor X. Of course they aren’t quite themselves, especially Professor X, as shown by the copious amounts of dust being blown off Cerebro. Well, that and Patrick Stewart saying “I was a very different man.”
The trailer seemed like it gave everyone a little bit of screen time, both returning mutants and those new to the game. If X-Men: Days of Future Past does nothing else, it will hopefully be remembered as the movie that featured actors named Bingbing and Booboo. Incidentally, they both look quite amazing as Blink and Warpath.
There was very little to quibble over with this trailer. It had direction, gave a good look at the plot of the film (for those of us who are not very familiar with the X-Men books), and was pretty in doing so. However, outside of Nixon looking nothing like Nixon, my biggest issue was the use of “Adagio in D” from Sunshine. I understand that it is a beautiful piece of music and it does fit quite well with the action of this trailer, but it is getting dangerously close to being overused. I’d much rather have heard something from John Ottman’s score.
So, are you excited for X-Men: Days of Future Past? Does this first trailer make you more excited? This is the first of many, many, many trailer and posters and photos and pretty much the deluge of material that comes along with modern film promotion, but it is nice to enjoy this moment when everything is new and fresh.
X-Men: Days of Future Past is scheduled to arrive in theaters on May 23rd, 2014.
Grizzly Bomb 