Forces of Geek: we like pop culture: 11/1/11

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

DANIEL DAY LEWIS Gets All LINCOLN-y

Here's a first look at Daniel Day-Lewis as Abraham Lincoln from Steven Spielberg's upcoming film Lincoln.

This shot has Lincoln wearing modern day clothes after stepping into a wormhole just moments before entering the Ford Theater and finding himself in the body of Steve Jobs just moments before an Apple Press Conference in 2010.

Deadline is reporting that Hammer Films has acquired the rights to the novel Boneshaker by Cherie Priest for a film adaptation.

Cross Creek Pictures and Hammer Films will co-produce the adaptation, while Cross Creek and Exclusive Media Group will co-finance.

John Hilary Shepherd (HBO's Nurse Jackie) is writing the screenplay and Hammer's head of production Tobin Armbrust is overseeing the project's development.

The steampunk sci-fi novel is set in an alternate 1880's Seattle, where the city has been walled in and a toxic gas has turned many of it's occupiers into "Rotters" more commonly known as zombies. A young widow is looking for her teen son in the underworld of Seattle while dealing with a criminal overlord, airship pirates, and heavily armed refugees.

Just a week and a half after dropping out of directing a big screen version of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. due to casting and budget disagreements, Soderbergh has found his next project.

According to THR, Soderbergh will direct The Bitter Pill based on a script by U.N.C.L.E. scribe Scott Z. Burns. This will mark the third collaboration between Soderbergh and Burns, having already worked together on The Informant and this year's Contagion.

Details about The Bitter Pill are being kept under wraps, but it's being described as a thriller set in the world of psycho-pharmacology.

The good news: The Old Murderhouse Theater brought the glory that is Aliens to the ice stage.

The Bad News: It happened on Nov. 18th and 19th.

Okay, so you missed watching Ripley skate around on the ice battling the Bitch that took Newt but that doesn't mean you can't watch excerpts from it and not enjoy it fully.

I know, I know, it's not the same but maybe, if you are really good, the theater troupe might take this Bastard of Awesomeness on the road and it'll show up in your city where you can spend the evening watching it in pure joy.

But until then, watch the following video and get a small taste for it.

You'll be glad that you did.

According to Deadline, David Ayer (Training Day, Harsh Times, Street Kings) has been hired to write a reboot/update of Scarface for Universal Pictures.

The update is supposed to put a contemporary spin on the outlaw tale that was first released in 1932, which was directed by Howard Hawks and starred Paul Muni as an Italian who took over the Chicago underworld. The 1983 Brian DePalma directed remake starred Al Pacino as Tony Montana, a Cuban who takes over the cocaine underworld in early 1980's Miami.

The studio set up the project back in September and from the get-go the intention has been to combine the themes of the first two films with a contemporary crime context. So, the story will follow an immigrant who breaks into the crime establishment and rises to the top through ruthless violence and ambition.

The Raid was one of the most buzzed about films at this year's Toronto Film Festival and ended up winning the Midnight Madness Award at said festival.

The film would have caused a major bidding war amongst studios, but Sony Pictures Classics was smart enough to have secured domestic distribution rights back at this year's Cannes Film Festival, based on seeing only partial footage from the film.

Deadline is now reporting that the film is rumored to be playing the upcoming Sundance Film Festival and will feature a new score by Mike Shionda from Linkin Park and Joe Trapanese.

SPC also has the rights to remake the film, which the studio has set up at Screen Gems and SPC's Tom Bernard and Michael Barker will release the original film in the spring of 2012.

When you mix Queen and The Muppets together what you are going to have come out of the bowl is something so sublime that you might just well up with tears.

I know because I cried and I'm not ashamed to admit it.

Frankly you'd be hard pressed to find anything in this life that will ever match the beauty of Beaker singing MiMiMi to a bear and that includes the birth of your first child.

And no, that is not a ridiculous statement for I would have no problem handing over a kid that I released from my nether region into the arms of a demon just to watch Statler and Waldorf criticize Fozzy the Bear until he wept.

Maybe you had to grow up in the late 70s/early 80s to appreciate where it is I'm coming from but the following version of Bohemian Rhapsody is simply that awesome.

Video after the break.

It’s Die Hard, Smallville style, as Clark tries to rescue Lionel and Mama Kent from whacky gunmen that have taken over the LuthorCorp Building in Metropolis.

Yippe-ki-yay, Mama Kent!!

It's taken almost a week for me to even discuss what I saw last Thursday because the horror of it is still fresh in my mind but I feel that I must share my pain because, if I don't, it will cause my soul to whither up and die.

It happened in the kitchen at my in-law's house while the TV was tuned into the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (as it should be), I was watching my mother-in-law cut up some onions when all of a sudden I heard the phrase: "...Turn Off the Dark" being mumbled by Matt Lauer followed by piped in music.

I sat transfixed by what I saw on the screen. Surely this has to be a mistake, I thought as I watched Spider-Man leap into dance moves, there is no way Stan Lee agreed to this.

But alas, it was my Spider-Man and it destroyed me and six days later the nightmares still come.

If you happened to miss the atrocity I have included it after the break, if you did see it and are still horrified, I am setting up a support group to help get us through it.

Let me know what day is good for you and I'll bring the coffee.

I grew up during a more innocent time when tired parents would entertain themselves by putting disgusting things into their children's mouths and watch as their kids realized that what they were tasting was horrible (this was before cable TV) and I am almost glad for it.

For instance, I remember when I was about four my dad gave me a spoonful of horseradish sauce and, as he watched me withering on the floor thinking that my soul had exploded in my throat, he laughed and laughed.

There are only a handful of moments I remember in my life that made my dad truly euphoric (one episode revolved around feeding me cow balls when I was 12 and didn't tell me until I had finished them) and I'm glad that my discomfort made him feel so damn good.

Which is why watching a baby eat some Pop Rocks is hilarious and bathed in nostalgia for me, and not an instance of abuse to be shown to the authorities (are you reading this YouTube commentators?)

Besides, if we can no longer watch a toddler eat weird things for our twisted amusement, then I don't want to live in America anymore.

Video after the break.

Ender's Game is working on casting right now, and Harrison Ford is being looked at to play the role of Colonel Hyrum Graff.

Variety reports, now that Asa Butterfield (Hugo) is officially cast as Ender, the casting team has started looking at the other roles that need to be filled. The adult lead of the film is Colonel Hyrum Graff, among the possible actors to play the part, Viggo Mortensen was previously being looked at, now the talk is all about Harrison Ford.

The upcoming reboot of The Munsters finally has a director, and it's none other than X-Men helmer Bryan Singer.

According to Deadline, Singer has been interested in the project for a while and will be working with Bryan Fuller to create the reboot of the classic 1960s comedy. The reimagining of the show is reported to be darker than the original while maintaining the style of original.

Cameron Crowe's upcoming film We Bought a Zoo already has a lot of buzz, and now it's giving potential viewers a new clip.

The new clip shows Thomas Haden Church as Damon's brother trying to convince him to see what he is doing is a waste of time and money, watch it for yourself after the jump.

The true story flick starring Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson is getting lots of acclaim at festivals and opens right before Christmas on the 23rd.

Leslie David Baker, better known as Stanley from The Office, has released a single (available on iTunes) called 2 Be Simple feat. N.U.M which, judging from the music video, is all about the poontang and a few celebrity look-alikes.

Why this has happened, I do not know, but I guess with Steve Carell gone, things are getting a bit weird up in Scranton.

Personally, I'm hoping that Creed hops on the music video train soon 'cause I'm pretty sure his stuff would rival Lady GaGa's.

Music video after the break.

NBC's upcoming comedy Bent has it's latest star and it's Marcia Gay Harden.

According to TVline, the Oscar winning actress will star opposite Jeffrey Tambor in an episode for the midseason comedy which is yet to be scheduled. The show also stars Amanda Peet, David Walton, J.B. Smoove, and Jesse Plemons.

In the upcoming thriller Kill Your Darlings, Daniel Radcliffe just may be playing the role of famous Beat poet Allen Ginsberg.

Twitch reports that Radcliffe told French press that it was "very likely" he would soon be playing the role for a film that would come out in 2012. Written by John Krokidas, the film originally starred Jesse Eisenberg as Ginsberg in 2009.

Liev Schreiber is coming to television on Showtime. He'll soon be seen in the pilot for the drama Ray Donovan.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Scheiber will be playing the lead character who is a "professional 'fixer' for the rich and famous in Los Angeles." Created by Ann Biderman from Southland, the show will be start production in LA in the first quarter.

One of the most talked about movies of the year, Shame, has a brand new trailer that is likely not safe for work.

Shame's NC-17 rating brought the title a good bit of notoriety. It has won multiple awards at festivals and has critical acclaim from many.

Starring Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan, the film was also nominated yesterday by the Spirit Awards for Best International Film. It was directed by Steve McQueen. Check out the trailer after the break.

KYLE CHANDLER Joins BROKEN CITY

According to Variety, Kyle Chandler has been cast in Allen Hughes' Broken City opposite Mark Wahlberg and Russell Crowe.

The script was written by Brian Tucker and follows a detective (Wahlberg) who's hired by a powerful politician (Crowe) to identify his wife's lover, who is subsequently found and killed.

Barry Pepper (25th Hour, True grit, Saving Private Ryan) co-stars as a mayoral candidate and Chandler will play the director of his political team.

Other cast members include Jeffrey Wright (Source Code, Casino Royale) Griffin Dunne (Snow Angels, After Hours), Catherine Zeta-Jones (The Rebound, No Reservations, Traffic), and Justin Chambers (Lakeview Terrace, The Zodiac).

It’s that time of year, so I thought I’d share what Geek Tech I’m most thankful for in 2011.

The list includes technology that has proven to be reliable and essential for me.

As well as enjoyable.

Disney has released a new one sheet for John Carter as part of the marketing blitz that continues on their upcoming sci-fi film. While the poster isn't breaking any new ground, it's definitely a step up from the first one.

Last week the studio released several new images from the film and the studio is set to release a second trailer for the film in the near future.

John Carter is the film adaptation of the classic sci-fi novel John Carter of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs. The story is based around a civil war vet who is transported to Mars, where he finds himself mixed up with 12 foot tall aliens, a princess and a world on the fringe of collapsing.

The film stars Taylor Kitsch in the title role along with James Purefoy, Mark Strong, Lynn Collins, Willem Dafoe, Bryan Cranston, Dominic West, Thomas Hayden Church, Samantha Morton and Polly Walker.

John Carter will open in theaters on March 9, 2012.

Check out the full one sheet after the jump.

The Syfy Original reality competition show is back as Face Off announces its contestants for the second season.

The show promises to be more imaginative, outrageous, and exciting. And with special guests like LeVar Burton (Star Trek: The Next Generation), Vivica Fox (Independence Day), Catherine O'Hara (Waiting for Guffman, Nightmare Before Christmas), and Michael Westmore (Star Trek) it's bound for greatness. See the full press release with the contestants after the break.

A Flight of the Conchords movie may be coming soon, but you'll have to wait since it's only a dream right now.

Bret McKenzie, one of the stars of the show told The Hollywood Reporter that "we're gonna try and do a movie. We just need a story." So while it's still just a dream, it could become a reality considering director James Bobin, who just did The Muppets, is also interested.

A new red band TV spot has been released for Young Adult and it's pretty great. I'm not sure what market this spot could actually play in, but it's a nice teaser for Chalize Theron's character.

The story follows Charlize Theron's (Monster, North Country) character, an alcoholic writer of young-adult novels who's just been divorced and moves back to her hometown. She's looking to rekindle a relationship with an ex-boyfriend (Patrick Wilson) from high school, who is now happily married with kids.

The film was written by Diablo Cody (Juno, Jennifer's Body) and directed by Jason Reitman (Thank You For Smoking, Up In the Air) which makes this their first collaboration since 2007's Juno, which Cody won a Best Original Screenplay Oscar for.

I'm really looking forward to this one, Young Adult will open in theaters on December 16th.

Check out the full, NSFW red band spot after the jump.

Patrice O'Neal has passed away at just 41 years old, after suffering a stroke in October.

He was one of five regular guests on Comedy Central's Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn.

And he was very funny.

Check out some of his standup after the jump.

Soon you will be able to order The Office's Dunder Mifflin Paper in the real world thanks to a new deal between Staples and Comcast.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Staples' Quill.com will soon be carrying Dunder Mifflin brand paper packages. The licensing deal was made between NBC's parent company Comcast and the office supply store.

Check out what I checked out this week.

Whether the comics are inspiring or disappointing, I read them all.

Welcome to The Pull List.

And, as always...Spoilers ahead!

No offense to anyone who has bright red hair and a face full of freckles (personally I dig you) but there has always been a certain lore about you guys that involve your fiery tempers, your over-sexed desires and, of course, your soulless bodies that seem to hate the sun.

And I plan to perpetuate those horrible stereotypes with the following video (just for the record, if you are over-sexed please feel free to contact me with lurid emails) because, frankly, the video is hilarious.

How best to describe it?

Hmmm...think Evil Asian Ronald MacDonald meets the Karate Kid and you'd be on the right track.

Video after the break.

(And for the record, I don't think you're soulless, I think you have collected thousands of them from all your victims and keep them in glass jars underneath your bed).

I was midway through High School when my Early Civilization teacher Mr. McCreedy recommended I watch Ken Russell's Rock Opera Tommy.

I'm sure it had to be sparked by the fact that most of my movie-going habits revolved around new Hollywood releases when not rewatching the oeuvre of Spielberg and Lucas.

Or it could have been my much bragged about discovery of my parents' late 60s records, which included The Who, but also obscure psychedelic vinyl dreams like The Electric Prunes.

Years before viewing anything remotely avant-garde, the cinematic suggestion came at the right time in my life. With the exception of a heavily edited-for-television Altered States, it was the first Ken Russell film I'd ever seen and I never forgot the first viewing.

Hugh Laurie has decided to retire from television after the eventual series finale of House M.D.

In an interview with the Daily Record, Laurie said that after eight seasons of being a controversial doctor, he is done with TV roles.After doing nearly 170 episodes of the show and receiving Emmy nominations and Golden Globes, Laurie thinks that he is "no longer a desirable commodity for TV."

The Voltron you remember from the 1980s TV series is back! Live out your childhood fantasies, or introduce a new generation of fans, playing as the Space Explorers, Lions and Voltron himself!

Voltron: Defender of the Universe is a re-mastered experience that combines classic Voltron animation and style with high definition graphics and audio that deliver high-impact, real-time single and multi-player gameplay with up to five players.

Relive the most defining moments from the classic series, including the discovery of the Lions and the very first time the Space Explorers form Voltron. Battle King Zarkon’s evil forces and journey across the universe, exploring a variety of environments – including planet Arus. It is up to you to restore justice and galactic peace.

Get ready to activate interlock! Dynotherms connected! Infracells up! Mega thrusters are go! Let’s go, Votron Force!

This week marks the official release of VOLTRON: Defender of the Universe on PlayStation Network (11/29) and XBox LIVE Arcade (11/30)! Interwoven with clips from the original animated TV series, players can command the individual Lions, or even team up to form Voltron and wield his EPIC blazing sword! Relive an 80's adventure re-mastered in high-definition for an arcade-style game. Galactic peacekeepers may choose to play either online in seamless 1- to 5-player co-op or offline in 1- or 2-player co-op.

To celebrate this momentous event, we're giving away two Voltron avatars for XBLA!

Inside this husk of a human being lies a creamy center than melts whenever I experience an overload of animal cuteness, which is exactly what the following video does to me.

Had I known beforehand that what I was about to view would burrow its way through my jaded exterior so thoroughly I would have worn a flack jacket to protect me but alas, I was caught unaware so, naturally, I am bathed in the unnatural feeling of happiness that can only come from a porcupine eating a corn-on-the-cob.

And, apparently, I am not the only one who is pissed that something so adorable exists in this world. A comment left by a person who watched the video sums up the experience quite nicely:

How dare they look like this and sound like this with an anti-cuddle coating. Proof of a cruel and mocking God.

My sentiments exactly.

Video after the break.

If you happen to be a big fan of Japanese Idol bands and are steeped in the culture you'll have to forgive me, I am but a lay person who has only wandered into the shallow end and am particularly intrigued by the phenomenon even though I don't understand 98 percent of it.

I get the basic tenements of Idol culture: ultra cute girls or boys who sing J-pop style songs and who embrace all the weird cultural bits that make Japan such and interestingly crazy country.

But this is particular video from Momorio Clover Z is so off-kilter that I am over-dosing a bit on all the visuals: close-ups of a girl eating rice, overtly sexual dancing with a flash of panties, a bunny and dog mascot crying, followed by random jazzercise moves....it's all so frighteningly confusing.

And yet, oddly fascinating, in a completely f*cked up way.

It's like being on acid except that it lasts for six minutes instead of twelve hours and you don't wake up wondering why you have no pants on.

Video after the break.

January shows The Firm and Alcatraz aren't that far away, so they both have new footage in teaser trailers to show everyone.

While the teasers don't really give us anything that hasn't already been said, they do show us the characters for the two new shows in action. Like all trailers they are meant to create suspense and make you watch the show, that being said they do look to be pretty good shows. Check it out for yourself and tell us what you think.

The World War II best-selling non-fiction In the Garden of Beasts is becoming a film thanks to Tom Hanks and Universal.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Hanks is looking to adapt and produce the novel with Gary Goetzman through their Playtone banner. He is also looking at the project as a potential starring vehicle.

This week we see another tease from the set of Game of Thrones. Three simple pictures that don't give away anything, but show us what we will see in the next season.

After the first season of the show ended, HBO gave a teaser that included only text and left many people wanting more before the long wait till the summer of 2012. Now those that wanted to see a bit of the second season get their wish with these three new photos from Entertainment Weekly. Take a look after the break.

Meet Curt Conners, kind of. While pretty much everything for The Amazing Spider-man has been kept secret, a design of the Lizard leaked in the form of a Pez dispenser.

Comic Book Movie was the first to post the images of the new tiny candy machines. While it's only a Pez and probably nothing like what the movie version looks like, it at least gives the impression that Sony isn't going in a totally wild direction with the character design. In case you'd rather just wait to see the real thing, I've graciously put the image after the break. but really, you should check it out.

CONTEST! Win CARTOON NETWORK PUNCHTIME EXPLOSION XL For XBOX 360!

Featuring the casts of some of Cartoon Network’s most iconic shows, Cartoon Network Punch Time Explosion is the network’s first-ever all-star brawler set to make its debut this spring on the highly-anticipated Nintendo 3DS. Fans can go toe-to-toe with characters from your favorite Cartoon Network shows including The Powerpuff Girls, Dexter’s Laboratory, Chowder and many more.

And we're giving away a copy for the XBox 360 system.

The name Stephen Edward Poe is not immediately recognizable to most people. Star Trek fans might remember him under the name Stephen E. Whitfield, the author of the landmark work, The Making of Star Trek (1968), perhaps the first behind the scenes book dedicated to the creation of a new television series.

For that book Whitfield had unparalleled access to executive producer Gene Roddenberry, a man who had no problem talking about his creative process and lionizing himself in the process.

In the introduction, Poe (as Whitfield) talks about his job working for an advertising agency that had scored an account with the AMT Corporation, "a manufacturer of scale model plastic hobby kits." AMT had famously scored the rights to produce scale models based on the ships seen in Star Trek, and Poe was assigned the job of "working closely with Desilu Studios and NBC-TV in order to generate publicity that would reflect favorably on AMT and, hopefully, future sales of the Enterprise model kit."

Poe would soon find a friend in Star Trek's art director Matt Jeffries, and have an inside scoop on Star Trek's creation from that source as well.

Two years after Barry Sonnenfeld successfully translated Elmore Leonard’s Get Shorty to the big screen, Quentin Tarantino brought us Jackie Brown. Both are 86% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, but the Quentin Tarantino fan-base jacked up the approval on Jackie Brown to 78%.

That seems fair, since he was MGM's first choice to direct Get Shorty.

What can you learn from a movie about gun-runners, crack-heads, bank robbers, and other low-lives? Find out after the break.

According to Variety, Rachel Weisz (The Constant Gardner, The Lovely Bones, The Brothers Bloom) has been cast opposite Colin Firth (The King's Speech, Love Actually) in The Railway Man, an epic story about wartime torture and forgiveness.

Jonathan Teplitzky (Burning Man, Gettin' Square) is set to direct the film which is based on a true story based on the autobiography by Eric Lomax. The story follows Lomax's capture and torture by the Japanese in World War II, where he was sent to work on Burma's famous "death railway" and his struggle for the next 30 years of his life, trying to come to terms with the trauma.

The script was written by Frank Cottrell Boyce (Millions, Code 46, 24 Hour Party People) and Andy Paterson and shooting is set to begin next February in Australia, Thailand, and England.

This is what evil looks like

As a kid, I had a very strict rule that anyone who played with me had to follow: There must be no talk about The Captain and Tennille lest that person wished to be punched in the throat.

You see, I was scared of Tennille.

With her huge teeth, her Nazi helmet hair and her dead, soulless eyes, I was pretty sure she was a demon sent from hell to steal my soul. And The Captain? Well, he was just a minion that made sure Tennille had a large supply of babies to feast on.

Oh sure, mock my paranoia but you didn't have to watch their variety show every week and wet yourself in terror during the year of 1976-1977 like I did and spend many a sleepless night thinking that Tennille's massive chompers were under their bed.

Okay, fine, I'm a freak but let me give you just a taste of what real horror looks like after the break and maybe then you'll feel my pain.

According to Deadline, Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Delicatessen, The City of Lost Children, Amelie, A Very Long Engagement) is set to direct T.S. Spivet based on the 2009 novel The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet by Reif Larsen.

The big budget family film will be shot in 3D and will be the first English language film Jeunet has made since 1997's Alien: Resurrection... all of his other films have been made in his native country of France.

Supposedly, this project will be a return to the vibrant world of Amelie, Jeunet's 2001 hit film.

It's hard to resist the theme song to Super Mario Bros. in any musical rendition (I know, I've tried) but damn, I think the accordion has just the right pitch to make it my favorite.

The subtle shrillness of it, the way that the instrument sounds 8-bit, I don't know, but somehow a bunch of Bulgarian dudes plugging away on a mutant Casio/file folder might just be the perfect instrument to ever produce the iconic notes that makes me want to punt a turtle across a screen.

Well done guys, I believe I have found a winner.

Video after the break.

That's right, Ben Whishaw has been cast as Q in SKYFALL, making it the first appearance of the gadget genius in the rebooted Daniel Craig James Bond films, per THR.

Even if you've never heard of Whishaw (LAYER CAKE, PERFUME, BRIGHT STAR), just by glancing at the above image of the actor you will quickly realize he is younger than Craig, making it the first time Q has ever been younger than James Bond on the silver screen. Whishaw is 31, while Craig is 43.

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Wednesday, November 30, 2011

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