Tim and Heidi soar in with the first episode of “Speeding Bullets”, a podcast for Superman fans by Superman fans. They lay out where Superman is to be found these days, and describe what this new super podcast is flying to. They also give their history and love of the Man of Steel.
This is just the beginning though and it’s only up, up, and away from here.
But we want to hear from you. Send us your feedback to: speedingbulletspodcast@gmail.com.
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Premiering today exclusively on CONtv, Mythica: A Quest for Heroes is the first installment of the Mythica trilogy from Arrowstorm Entertainment. The next two parts (Mythica: The Darkspore and Mythica: The Necromancer )will also debut on the new streaming channel later this year.
The story of Mythica: A Quest for Heroes is fairly typical of fantasy-adventure films: a temple is raided, a woman is kidnapped, and her sister, a healer-priestess, hires a team of would-be heroes to find and save her. Along the way they face dangerous creatures (ogres, orcs, etc.) and learn about themselves.
Here’s what isn’t typical: The first hero to sign on for priestess Teela’s quest is a young woman named Marek, a young magician with a club foot. It is Marek who finds the rest of the group, and convinces them to join the quest, and her story is really the heart of the film.
Marek is played by the incredibly engaging Melanie Stone, who infuses the part with the perfect balance of eager anticipation and fierce tenacity. Her teammates include Adam Johnson as the noble warrior Thane, and Jeremy Stormoen as the delightfully roguish thief, Dagen. Rounding out the party is Nicola Posener as Teela.
All four are relative unknowns, with a few genre credits and bit parts in more mainstream productions, and all four are relatable and watchable, but it is Stone who really grabs the camera’s – and the viewer’s – attention. I enjoyed her performance in this film so much that even when the plot was somewhat predictable, I was never bored.
The supporting cast, including Kevin Sorbo as Marek’s mentor Gojun Pye, is as interesting as the core four. Of particular note are the performances by Christopher Robin Miller as Hammerhead the Innkeeper/Bartender and Sebastian Michael Barr as Marek’s friend Egan.
If Anne Black’s direction feels, at times, as though we are watching a well-plotted LARP adventure, that doesn’t detract at all from the story. (Black is also one of the writers, along with Jason Faller and Kynan Griffin.) After all, the Mythica series was inspired, in part, by RPGs. A combination of digital and practical effects – an impressive array considering the size of the filmmakers’ budget – enriches the film, and Nathaniel Drew’s soundtrack was a delightful surprise.
The creators of the Mythica trilogy have said in interviews that this project was created by fans for fans, but it was also supported by fans: a Kickstarter campaign was a crucial source of funding for the first film, and the Kickstarter campaign for the second installment (link here) was launched yesterday.
If you’re looking for a highly intellectual film, Mythica: A Quest for Heroes isn’t it. If, however, you want to spend an enjoyable hour and a half watching some really likable characters on a journey, not just to save Teela’s sister, but also toward camaraderie, then point your web browser or Roku device of choice toward CONtv, pop some popcorn, and have fun.
The Die Hard Franchise just won’t die. It’s the enduring man flick. It’s even got it’s way into Barney Stinson’s Bro Code.
In celebration of the 5th Die Hard movie’s release to DVD and BluRay on June 4th. The folks at FiancesOnline.com made this very numbers based infograph.
I’m super excited about Mission: Impossible coming back. The first movie is in my list of top 10 movies and I’m a sucker for Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt (and I often quote, “you’ve never seen me ‘very upset.'”). In an amazing feat the limited release of the movie in IMAX (starting Dec 16th) made it the 3rd most popular movie this weekend in the box office. Check out showtimes in your area and “Like” IMAX on Facebook for some behind the scenes featurettes about MI:Ghost Protocol and more info about great IMAX movies: http://www.facebook.com/IMAX.
The Killer Elite opens 9/23. Buy tickets now on Fandango.com.
Find out more about The Killer Elite at killerelite.com
I went to see “The Killer Elite” last week at a special press screening and I have to say I was blown away. I’m not normally one for assassin vs. assassin movies, but “The Killer Elite” is more than just your typical violence for the sake of violence film – it’s actually a real interesting story about trained assassins, government corruption and the role the West has played in the Middle East. Entirely relevant for the current culture and political times today.
Both myself and Lisa, who came along, walked out after seeing it surprised at how much we really enjoyed the film because, at the end of the day, it told a compelling, redemptive story. Added bonus? Yvonne Strahovski (Sarah Walker from Chuck) plays the romantic lead.
Synopsis:
“Based on a shocking true story, Killer Elite pits two of the world’s most elite operatives – Danny, an ex-special ops agent (Jason Statham) and Hunter, his longtime mentor (Robert De Niro) – against the cunning leader of a secret military society (Clive Owen). Covering the globe from Australia to Paris, London and the Middle East, Danny and Hunter are plunged into a highly dangerous game of cat and mouse — where the predators become the prey.”
Non-Spoilery Verdict:
Come for the explosions, car chases, stellar cast and leave with a compelling story.
Jason Statham does what he does best in this role: he plays the hard on the outside, teddy bear on the inside lead. As Danny he gets to really play with the tortured soul who is pulled back into the assasian business because of his friend. Robert DeNiro gets to play an excellent role as a foil for Jason’s character adding to every scene he’s in without having to outshine the rest of the cast. Yvonne gets to play a good Australian country girl, and even though her role is smaller than the male leads, she really lights up the screen at every turn. I was pleasantly surprised that her character wasn’t as flat as I had anticipated she might be in this very male genre film.
Clive Owen is masterful and gripping in his role. Of the three male leads I really believed his character most of all.
At the beginning the movie did feel more like an independent film (long, non-actiony type shots), but the action picked up and left me interested through out. There were a couple unexpected turns that the movie made that I wasn’t expecting and the overall message was redemption is possible and who you were does not have to define who you become.
Downsides to the movie (for me) was it was rated R for language (brief nudity) and violence (though the violence wasn’t as bad as I thought it may be).
This is a really great movie based on a non-fiction book The Feather Men and I recommend you go see it for yourself.
A while back, Smart Pop Books announced a Dollhouse essay contest. This is my submission, which failed to make the minimum requirement of 3,000 words. The following is a half-joking comparison between Spy in the House of Love, and the 1992 crime film, Reservoir Dogs. Contains spoilers for both properties, of course.
In conjunction with G.I. Joe coming to theaters soon, 4 premium lenticular Slurpee® cups produced by IGH Solutions are coming to 7-Eleven®. The cup’s new lenticular printing technology allows it to capture a full-motion video clip on the cup’s label.
Each collectible Slurpee cup (available this month at 7-Eleven stores while supplies last) features one of four characters — heroes Duke and Snake Eyes and anti-heroes Storm Shadow and Baroness — with each character appearing fully animated as a result of a new lenticular printing technology patented by IGH Solutions.
Since its release more than 40 years ago, G.I. Joe has been one of the most sought-after collectible toys for generations of kids (and adults). For the first time, collectors can own a mini-scene of animated film footage captured on a cup. The full-motion video effect is capable of capturing up to 24 frames of animation.
“The entertainment industry loves this printing technology for its ability to mimic sophisticated film imagery on movie merchandise,” said Ed Dedman, product manager for drinkware at IGH Solutions. “Retailers love it because it drives collectors into their stores and generates buzz in the action film merchandise blogosphere. We believe these one-second action-scenes enhance the collectability of these G.I. Joe Slurpee cups.”
Want to catch up on Transformers before you go see the sequel? Buy Transformers
I went and saw Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen yesterday. It wasn’t bad – all in all I’d give it… maybe… a three-star rating out of five. Maybe. By now, it’s made its money back. The last time I checked it was at 201M USD and climbing. Second biggest blockbuster opening in history – second only to Dark Knight. The movie itself is about what you’d expect if you’ve seen either, A) the first Transformers movie, or B) anything else by director Michael Bay. The story continues with Sam, the slightly goofy, every-teen hero, and his life after the first adventure – where he discovers an alien race, helps save the world, and gets the girl. And since the first movie was also a Michael Bay movie, the aliens are visual-complicated CG robots, saving the world involves a lot of stuff blowing up, and the girl is incredibly hot.
Fast forward to post-high school. Sam decides to leave home and head east. Leaving behind the robots, stuff blowing up, and Mikaela. For what? 40,000 a year in tuition, his dad would say. But really – he wants to distance himself from all the baggage of the past – while not making a break with his girlfriend, who – according to his mother, talking under the influence… well, we’ll say that Sam and Mikaela are on ‘good terms’. Which is odd. And selfish. This sets the tone for Sam in this movie.