Showbits

Though the following information already exists as various comments on existing threads, I perceived the pending premieres of a pair of popular pilots prompted promotion (phew!) — so to ensure our readers stay savvy and don't miss the return of these franchises, here's a timely reminder.

On Sunday, January 13th, at 8:00 PM EST, and Monday, January 14th, at 9:00 PM EST, will be Fox's two-part The Sarah Connor Chronicles, which attempts to bring the successful Terminator movie series to the small screen. The show features a strong cast that includes Thomas Dekker (Heroes) and Summer Glau (Firefly), as seen in this trailer:

Five weeks later, on Sunday, February 17th, at 9:00 PM EST, will be NBC's debut of what could be a new Knight Rider series. This two-hour movie is what's known as a "backdoor pilot": a stand-alone film that could conceivably lead to a continuing series. Trailers such as the following have not yet shown much actual movie footage, just teasers:

Each show is based on a successful license; what could possibly go wrong?

(Hat tip to Coming Soon)

Here's a five-minute clip from Cloverfield:

I'm amused by the reaction of the New Yorkers to seeing Lady Liberty's decapitated head; I would think 9/11 would've struck a bit less shock and somewhat more caution around seeming catastrophes. The videographer does not seem to manifest himself much, though it does seem my previous concern that the film would be shot entirely from that character's perspective will be realized — but the motion is far less jerky than I feared. Perhaps my stomach will tolerate it after all.

Earlier this month, a full-length trailer was released for Cloverfield. Before then, the film's title was only a rumor, with the project being better known by its release date — 01-18-08 — or as "J.J. Abrams' new monster movie." Even with this trailer, little is known:

What is known: Cloverfield is an American-made film about a giant monster attack on New York City, from the director of Lost, Alias, and Star Trek XI. I've not actually seen these samples of Abrams' work, but they've earned enough publicity to make his latest venture worth a look.

For all the secrecy around the film, the most intriguing element is the antagonist itself. In the last decade, Hollywood has seen the reimagining of the archetypal behemoths, Godzilla and King Kong. How will Abrams' threat to the Big Apple set itself apart from its ill-received predecessors? The Internet is abuzz with speculation: could it be a Lovecraftian, Cthulu-type abomination? A giant mechanoid? The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man? As depicted in the trailer, the destruction of the Statue of Liberty suggests the seriousness of the assault, but pure mayhem on a major metropolis has been done often enough, including in Independence Day. To engage and retain the audience, Abrams has to produce something original — assuming the monster is even a central figure, in much the way the Autobots were not the stars of The Transformers.

Regardless of the content, it's vital Cloverfield be presented in an easily-consumable format. The entire film appears to be shot in the amateur style of The Blair Witch Project, which I hope is not the case. As I've learned with that film and the likes of the last two Bourne films, I haven't the constitution for the irregular motion and unfocused shots. Films should be emotionally, not physically, demanding. Give me a clear and shocking view of a creepy colossus, and I'm sold.

When a movie, show, or franchise is successful, it not only spawns cheap imitators, but also encourages the funding and development of similar properties and adaptations. Without the success of Spider-Man and X-Men, we'd likely not have Heroes, for example. Observe RiffTrax's description of that show:

Imagine, just imagine, if ordinary citizens suddenly began to discover that they have acquired extraordinary powers. Why, you would have X-Men. But imagine if instead of acquiring X-Men-like powers of healing, time travel, mind control and the ability to fly these people instead had those powers but weren't X-Men! Why, then you'd have the very un-X-Men-like Heroes! Follow the exploits of Claire, Hiro, Peter, Logan, Scott Summers, and Jean Grey as they struggle to come to grips with powers that are so obviously not modeled after X-Men.

You need not be that cynical about new properties, regardless of their influences; nothing exists in a vacuum, after all. So while superheroes are currently en vogue, I'm nonetheless excited about Jumper, starring Hayden Christensen as a Nightcrawleresque ne'er-do-well and Samuel L. Jackson as the man who hunts him. (If a lightsaber's involved, this pairing cannot end well.) Based on Steven Gould's 1992 novel of the same name, this film's trailer is now available (tip of the hat to TheForce.net):

Most everyone wishes for superpowers, but I think it's in one's youth that the need for uniqueness, power, and escape is most powerful. So to see two young men with the most alluring of Star Trek's magics — teleportation — will have me first in line for this film's release on February 15th. Sure, Hayden Christensen did Star Wars: Episode II few favors as Anakin, but his performance in the sequel and in Life as a House have redeemed him in my eyes. And for those still carrying a grudge — well, here's your chance to see him disappear. :-)

After stumbling across the excellently-choreographed Ryan vs. Dorkman Star Wars fan films, I started watching for more from the dynamic duo of Ryan Wieber and Michael Scott. Hearing their interview on Geekza was cool, but I wanted to see more.

I found it when I subscribed to Scott's YouTube channel, as shortly thereafter, he posted this teaser trailer:

It's a live action adaptation of the Dark Horse comic book The Descendants, which doesn't seem to be a widely-distributed publication; the best source of information I've found about it is its MySpace page. We can gather more from watching the trailer, though.

First and most important, it features Ray Park, who deserves any role he wants after his enjoyable performances as the short-lived Darth Maul and the evil mutant Toad. Second, the trailer exhibits some great special effects, but something about their nature that I can't put my finger on suggests homebrew — like that of a high-quality fan film instead of a professional studio. Backing up that intuition is the fact that many other sites are reporting this venture is intended to be a Web series. But from co-director Scott himself comes the admission that its ultimate format is to be determined:

We're trying to get funding for the full project, but we don't know yet what form it will take. At this point in the negotiations with certain groups, it could become anything from a theatrical feature to a TV miniseries to a collection of webisodes posted right here on YouTube. It's up in the air at the moment.

So there remain many questions about this project, but based on the directors' portfolio and what I've seen of this latest collaboration, I hope the answers are positive. IMDb suggests we won't be seeing the fruits of their labor until 2009, which should be enough time to get The Descendants the green light it deserves.

I discovered In the Shadow of the Moon last month when I thought my moviegoing for 2007 was complete and looked at the year's remaining releases to confirm. I was pleasantly surprised to find Ron Howard's name attached to this documentary about the first lunar landing. It made me keen to see the film's theatrical release, but I suspected its limited distribution would resign me to waiting for the DVD.

Today, a review on Tech_Space linked me to the film's official site, where I found a version of the movie trailer superior to this one:

Now I know I can't wait to see this film. There have been so many documentaries about the crises of the world (Inconvenient Truth) and the nation (Fahrenheit 9/11) that we need to be reminded of the powerful steps mankind can take when focused on positive change. Amidst our legitimate fears and concerns, humanity must remember that it has much to be proud of.

The good news is that Shadow's distribution is growing beyond its initial release, and it will be in my own town just a week from today.  I will be honored to accompany these men who boldly went where no one had gone before.

Courtesy Ctrl+Alt+Del comes this trailer of the film adaptation of the Marvel comic book, Iron Man:

For those (like me) who are far less comics-savvy than Showbits reader Gene D.: no, that isn't War Machine in the trailer. "Iron Man's original suit in the comic books was gray," writes Gene; "Later, it became the familiar red and gold." So the early appearance of ironclad Robert Downey Jr. should not be confused for his similarly-equipped, monochomatic sidekick.Until this film releases on May 2nd, you can sate yourself with the direct-to-DVD animated origin story, released this past January.

New Line Cinema, the studio that brought us the Lord of the Rings film adaptations, has released a teaser trailer for its December 7th, 2007 release: His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass.

The film is based on a book originally published in the UK in 1995 — two years before Harry Potter — under the name Northern Lights. This work of young adult fiction is about an orphan whose titular golden compass (or "alethiometer"), like Wonder Woman's magic lasso, reveals the truth. What won't the nations of this fantastical world — or, true to the trilogy's roots in a passage of "Paradise Lost", worlds — do to possess, or destroy, such a powerful artifact?

Though any children's fiction is likely to be overshadowed these days by the behemoth of a boy wizard, Philip Pullman's book is not without its recognition: it earned a Carnegie Medal for children's fiction in 1995, and a popular poll of all 70 previous Carnegie Medal winners awarded Northern Lights top honors.

The success of other fantasy films this millennium has paved the way for more adaptations of this genre; I can only hope this movie serves to bring more people to the original work in a way I previously have not been. My popular knowledge of fantasy and fiction, accrued from a lifetime (albeit a short one) working in bookstores, visiting libraries, teaching high school English, and late nights deep in pages of such adventures, has not crossed my path with that of The Golden Compass. If I'm bold enough to be any indication, it's likely most people will acquaint themselves with this series via its cinematic form, not the undoubtedly superior source material.

I rarely read novels twice, be it the Chronicles of Narnia, The Lord of the Rings, or Harry Potter. So perhaps I'm not hardcore for the genre (though I'd beg to differ) and thus my ignorance can be dismissed. Nonetheless, I'd appreciate insight and advice from anyone more familiar with Mr. Pullman's works. Is the movie worth seeing? Should I read the book first? How excited are you for this adaptation — and the inevitable sequels, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass?