Green Lantern vs. Captain America: Tale of Entertainment Weekly Superhero Hunks

 I have no idea if Green Lantern (a new film based on a superhero comic I never followed) and Captain America (based on another superhero comic I never followed) are going to be any good. As far as eye candy goes, though, it'll be a fun contest.

I admit to being pleased to see Chris Evans headline the Captain film; I thought he was fun to watch in the Fantastic Four films (again, based on a comic I never followed – frankly, superhero comics never were big for me).

But I'll have to give my preview vote to a third film,  Green Hornet, for now, because it co-stars Chinese actor-singer Jay Chou, of whom I'm quite a fan. Unless I've missed it, Green Hornet has not yet gotten an Entertainment Weekly cover story. When it does, I say put Chou on the cover. I am primarily a fan of his music; he and David Tao are arguably the best at mixing R&B, rap, pop, and traditional Chinese music into powerful tunes.

But I am also a fan of Chou's acting. You might remember him as one of the princes in Curse of the Golden Flower, and he was very good in that. But I think a film that fits him even better was his early starring role in Initial D, a Chinese drift-racing film from 2005.

So, hey, Entertainment Weekly: Where's Jay Chou's cover story?

New Trailer for Upcoming Live-Action Space Battleship Yamato

The newest preview trailer for the Yamato live-action movie (based on a classic Japanese anime and manga) is out and worth a look:

Special 200th Blog Post: '77 Movie Trailer

This is the 200th post I've written for this blog, so to celebrate, I'm embedding this video courtesy of the folks at Starlog.com. It's a trailer for an upcoming movie that looks like it's fun, inspiring, funny, touching -- and a reminder of the joys and pains of teenage science fiction geekhood.

You also might want to check out James Zahn's article providing background to the movie and a including a short Q&A with '77 creator Patrick Read Johnson.

Star Trek Conquers the Newsstand, Part II

And more. Also read the review of the new movie from David McDonnell, longtime Starlog magazine editor.

Star Trek Film Conquers the Newsstand

The movie that's impossible to ignore (not that I'm trying) is J.J. Abrams' Star Trek, which opens this week. The movie's PR crew should be getting a big bonus this year, regardless of how the film does at the box office, because the photos of the new James Kirk and Spock and Uhura and others are plastered on the covers of many magazines, including some unexpected places.





More to come.

Stardust Review

Stardust (08.12.07): Based on a best-selling fantasy novel by the team of Gaiman and Vess, Stardust is the immensely entertaining story of a young man out to impress his love by bringing back to her a part of a fallen star. Much ensues. Impossible to relate here. (For example, Robert De Niro as as a tough-acting gay pirate captain of an airship. It just gets more complicated from there.)

Charlie Cox as the young hero, Tristan, has to carry the storyline on his shoulders, but he gets much help from De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Rupert Everett, Peter O'Toole, and a ton of others, all of whom appeared to have had a grand old time making the film. Often when the actor's enjoyment comes across on screen, the audience is left with a sense of wonder -- wondering why we're not enjoying it as much as the actors. But this time, that's not the case. Much fun.

For this and other movie reviews, see here.

Blade Runner, Redux

So the next issue of Starlog magazine will feature a report on Blade Runner's 25th anniversary and director Ridley Scott's final, final, final version. I'm actually excited about this.

And, okay, the new Flash Gordon looks cute, too.

Blog, Blog, Everywhere. Now Please Stop.

Sitting in the Metreon movie theaters waiting for the beginning of The Bourne Ultimatum (which I'll review on my other site, http://www.weimar.ws/kino.html ), and I notice someone a couple rows ahead of me has brought his laptop computer and is working or playing on it. I don't pay much attention at first, but later, out of sheer boredom (the movie started late, and the "pre-feature entertainment" was annoying), I glanced again at his computer screen and saw that he was blogging.

Blogging at the movie theater. Madness, isn't it? But then, if it means people will be blogging wherever they go and not talking inanely into their cell phones, I suppose I have to come out in support of the trend.

Free Robbie the Robot!

Robbie the Robot, star of Forbidden Planet and a subscription commercial by Starlog magazine (who says my references can't out-archane anybody?!?) (archania on the archane: that commercial also spurred a snarky negative editorial in Galaxy science fiction magazine at the time) ... er, where was I? Oh, yes, Robbie is imprisoned at the Metreon in downtown San Francisco, right outside the Things from Another Planet comics store on the second floor.
Free Robbie the Robot! August 4, 2007, photo by John Zipperer.