Movies opening today, SA!

Six new films open in South Africa today, and my Top 2 picks for the weekend are both horror flicks.

First up is smash hit horror-comedy Zombieland. I've blogged about Zombieland before but in short it seems appropriate to think of it as America's answer to Britain's Shaun of the Dead - a distinctly comic take on fighting hordes of flesh-eating undead.

Starring Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg and Little Miss Sunshine's Abigail Breslin, the film centres on a group of mismatched survivors in a world overrun by zombies. Harrelson apparently turns in a stellar comedic performance as a Twinkie-obsessed, rifle-packing cowboy called Tallahassee - reminding cinema goers for the first time in ages how strong he can be in an offbeat comedy.

Out of interest, Zombieland is the most financially successful zombie movie of all time, overtaking the box office takings of Zack Synder's Dawn of the Dead remake. Although nowhere near as witty as Shaun of the Dead, Zombieland is still apparently a lot of bloody fun. It's rated a very impressive 89% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.


Sorority Row is a remake of a "classic" 1983 slasher about a group of college girls involved in a prank that goes horribly, and murderously, wrong. Cue I Know What You Did Last Summer, with the young women (all saucily clad if the production stills are to be believed!) attempting to cover up the incident, hide the evidence and just generally forget about their actions. Thing is, some months later, a hooded killer starts exacting bloody vengeance, slaughtering the sorority girls in increasingly creative ways.

Starring a bunch of pretty young things, including Briana Evigan, Leah Pipes, Rumer Willis, Jamie Chung, Margo Harshman and Audrina Patridge, Sorority Row also has Carrie Fisher playing a no-nonsense house mother. Rock on Princess Leia! Still though, I don't imagine the film attempts to add anything new to the usual slasher formula, even if it is very slickly done. Sorority Row is just 23% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. For the record though that's not an unusual score for a horror film and I'll admit I'm always a sucker for this gratuitous sub-genre.


Also opening this weekend in more limited release are:

Che: Part 1 - The first half of director Steven Soderbergh's epic 4-hour biopic of everyone's favourite Argentinian commie revolutionary on a T-shirt, Ernesto "Che" Guevara. Academy Award winner Benicio del Toro apparently gives an amazing performance as the title character, but was denied a nomination at this year's Oscars. Spanish and English language, and 72% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Stoning of Soraya M. - Harrowing art circuit drama based on the book of the same name by Freidoune Sahebjam, which is in turn based on a true story. In English and Persian, the film examines the cruelty and injustice of Sharia Law when it's used by a man in a remote Iranian village to rid himself of a wife he no longer wants. 54% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

Kurbaan - Bollywood thriller-love story with Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor. The 2 stars play academics who meet while lecturing at a Delhi university, marry and move to the United States. Their bliss is soon shattered, however, when they become embroiled in a deadly terrorist plot and love morphs into suspicion.

Waltz With Bashir - Highly acclaimed animated documentary from Israel, dealing with writer-director Ari Folman's repressed memories of the 1982 Lebanon War. Winner of the Best Foreign Language film at this year's Golden Globe Awards, the film has also won dozens of other accolades whether it's been nominated in documentary, animation or foreign language categories. 96% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. This is the hard-to-find movie to catch at local cinemas this weekend.

"In brightest day, In blackest night, No evil shall escape my sight...."

Green Lantern is something of an unusual superhero.

For one thing, the name doesn't apply to just one character. Fearless Hal Jordan, principled John Stewart, cocky Guy Gardner and twentysomething slacker Kyle Rayner are all humans beings who have possessed a green power ring at some point or other (Golden Age Green Lantern Alan Scott received his powers from an altogether different, magical source).


In fact, it's worth noting that there are/were thousands of alien Green Lanterns as well, as they all form part of the Green Lantern Corps, a kind of intergalactic police force put in place by the all-powerful Guardians of the Universe to combat evil and ensure order across the various star systems. So, yes, Green Lantern is one of the more sci-fi-ish of comic book superheroes, with grand extra-terrestrial adventures that take the current Green Lantern of Sector 2814 far from earth.

What's also interesting, and unusual, about Green Lantern is that he's incredibly powerful - potentially even more so than Superman. When it comes to Green Lanterns willpower is everything. They need only channel their will through their power ring, and by concentrating, they can make anything they imagine a reality. Need to subdue a powerful opponent? Will unbreakable green shackles into existence around his wrists. Need to generate a force field? Combine willpower and the ring yet again. Purely on its own the rechargeable power ring will allow the Green Lantern to fly (typically beyond light speed), travel between dimensions, speak in any language and access the most expansive informational database in existence.

The point is: Green Lantern is not some masked neighbourhood vigilante. He operates at an epic level with epic abilities that may put off a lot of readers who like their fantasy at least confined to this planet. I'm normally one of those people. However, on the recommendation of a retailer at this year's ICON games & comics convention (I was looking for a good standalone superhero tale), as well as the fact that I thoroughly enjoyed Alan Moore's Green Lantern shorts in DC Universe: The Stories of Alan Moore, I picked up my first ever Green Lantern trade paperback. Green Lantern: Rebirth, by writer Geoff Johns and penciller Ethan Van Sciver, collects all 6 issues of the award-winning 2004-2005 miniseries that resurrected and redeemed the "greatest Green Lantern of them all," Hal Jordan.


Without going into too much detail, in 1994, shortly after Superman died and Batman was paralysed, during DC's "intense" period, Green Lantern Hal Jordan went insane when his home city was decimated. He slaughtered his way through the Green Lantern Corps, killed most of the Guardians and even destroyed the central battery that gave all the rings their power. Then he tried to destroy the entire universe. Hal eventually came to his senses and kind of redeemed himself through self-sacrifice, but the other DC heroes would never trust him again. And although Green Lantern sales were flagging at the time (Evil Hal Jordan was used by DC as a way to pass the Green Lantern mantle to the younger, hipper Kyle Rayner), the company's treatment of Hal Jordan, a long-time embodiment of law, order, principles and courage, angered a lot of fans. Hal Jordan was the great Silver Age Green Lantern after all, and remains the most iconic of the Green Lanterns in popular culture.

Green Lantern: Rebirth attempts to rectify the situation, explaining exactly why Jordan did what he did in the early 1990s, as well as restoring his honour, and, most importantly, restoring him to life as well. Prior to 2004, for almost a decade, Hal Jordan served as the ghostly host of God's Spirit of Vengeance, the Spectre.

Green Lantern: Rebirth also crucially does a lot of explaining in regards to Green Lantern history and lore - particularly in regards to the colour yellow. For those who don't know, yellow has traditionally been the Green Lanterns' weakness. They cannot affect anything or anyone of that colour due to an "impurity" in their rings. In Green Lantern: Rebirth, the reader finally discovers what exactly this impurity is.

Out of interest, Green Lantern: Rebirth is also apparently recommended reading if you wish to follow DC's big crossover series of the moment, Blackest Night which is also written by Geoff Johns, and has to do with the existence of power rings of different colours, which require the channeling of different, darker and more dangerous emotions.


Although Green Lantern: Rebirth includes a brief summary of characters and important events at the beginning of the book, I do admit that as a noob reader of the series I found the book a tad on the confusing side. It also never helps when you're not emotionally invested in the characters, due to a general unfamiliarity with them.

Rebirth is also one of those tales where chaos is unleashed early on, with explanations for unexplained events only arriving much later - no doubt to keep readers, desperate for answers, buying the miniseries when it was originally released in individual comic form. Anyway, no matter how beautifully crisp and clean Van Sciver's linework is, sometimes it's a bit difficult to work out what's going on in the midst of frequent massive explosions, and powerful characters going mad.

Once the answers do arrive though, the narrative becomes a lot easier to comprehend (even for a series noob) and Johns deserves a lot of credit for absolving, and resurrecting, Hal Jordan without resorting to typical comic book ridiculousness. What happens makes sense given the characters involved.

Johns also ensures the reader reevaluates the common fan theory that Batman's character opposite is Superman. With Batman harbouring a hatred for Hal Jordan, and frequently overruling John Stewart and the other Green Lanterns in the Justice League, it soon becomes apparent that Hal Jordan is his polar opposite. While Batman draws his strength from fear and darkness, Hal Jordan is all about hope and light. As a Batman fan, I had certainly never thought of it that way before. And ultimately Rebirth gave me a lot more respect for Green Lantern.


Speaking of Green Lantern, as I'm sure many geeky types out there already know, after years and years of being tossed around in development purgatory at Warner Brothers, a Green Lantern film is finally coming our way. Shooting is set to start in early 2010 for the latest superhero epic, with a release date of 17 June 2011.

Green Lantern stars Van Wilder himself Ryan Reynolds as test pilot Hal Jordan, and the film is directed by Martin Campbell, the man who has given us 2 of my favourite recent Bond flicks, Goldeneye and Casino Royale. In all honestly I think I'm more excited about Campbell's involvement as opposed to Reynolds. I'm sure Reynolds will be fine, but he's not quite my Hal Jordan - other frontrunner Bradley (The Hangover) Cooper seemed like a better option to me. Also, I'm not a fan of actors who hog choice roles, and Reynolds already has a major superhero role coming up, when he stars in a Deadpool movie (a solo spin-off from X-Men Origins: Wolverine). Plus he was also in Blade Trinity.

Anyway, in terms of other notable Green Lantern movie news, there will be something inn the region of 1,300 visual effects shots in the film, and there are rumours that Rorshach and new Freddy Krueger, Jackie Earle Haley will play Green Lantern's nemesis, rogue Lantern, Sinestro. That's certainly a rumour I can get behind!

Michael Jackson’s This Is It reviewed

Michael Jackson’s This Is It is actually a pleasant surprise. I was expecting the documentary to be a grandiose tribute that oozed sycophantism. I was expecting the Jackson family and Michael’s extensive entourage to take centre stage – posturing for the camera and milking the King of Pop’s death for one last tear and, more importantly, one last cent. This Is It though, is surprisingly nothing like this.


Of course the profiteering off Jackson’s talent and weirdness is still very much evident. However, there isn’t an obnoxious member of his family in sight and there are no demonstrations of grief to bait the same response from the viewer. This Is It is basically a concert film, chronicling the rehearsals and extensive behind-the-scenes preparations that were underway earlier this year for Michael Jackson’s long-awaited return series of concerts, set to kick off in London’s O2 Arena on 13 July 2009. In the end This Is It feels more like something that could sit comfortably alongside reality TV shows like So You Think You Can Dance? and Idols, as well as film musicals like Fame and Bandslam, in that the film is predominantly a celebration of personal expression through performance art.

A good chunk of This Is It focuses on young up-and-coming dancers, back-up vocalists and veteran band members who are ecstatic about their once-in-a-lifetime chance to work with Michael Jackson – not only one of the most groundbreaking musical performers of the past 30 years, but also a lifelong inspiration to many in the film. The excitement of these few dozen unknown performers is infectious and at the same time quite touching, as the viewer is immediately aware that Jackson’s death deprived these talented individuals of a career-defining moment; a chance to shine like no other.


As for the portrayal of Michael Jackson in the documentary, director Kenny Ortega (also an instrumental figure during preparations for the live show) has provided a fascinating, and surprisingly balanced look at the man. There’s no sign of the drugged up, anorexic zombie that the tabloid media have been writing about since Jackson’s death from cardiac arrest. In This Is It, Jackson comes across as a hands-on performer and perfectionist, involved in every stage of the concert preparations. He has fun with his dancers, joking around, and exhibits a daredevil’s enthusiasm when it’s time to test stage equipment like the cherrypicker crane. Jackson gets frustrated with poor sound, with bad timings, with himself – in short, he’s a fallible human being who makes mistakes (even if most of his underlings are hesitant to correct him).

At the same time, Ortega doesn’t attempt to gloss over Jackson’s eccentricities. Jackson still appears as a loon; the type of man who wakes up in the morning and decides to wear sequinned trousers for the day. He’s also the type of man who makes his band perform the same riff over and over again because it just doesn’t “simmer.” In fact a good portion of Jackson’s dialogue in This Is It is laughable odd; clearly the ramblings of a mentally scarred creative genius.


This Is It does run a little overlong at just under 2 hours. By the time the Earth Song sequence begins the viewer’s mind is beginning to wander, meaning they’re not exactly concentrating when Billie Jean, obviously the big number of the live show kicks off. This doesn’t detract however from the fact that so much earlier footage in the documentary is electric. The dancer auditions, Thriller footage and CGI-enhanced They Don’t Care About Us are especial highlights, and they really push home the point that Jackson’s death deprived the world of something special when the rehearsals, and the unfinished product, were already so promising.

Michael Jackson fans will probably get more enjoyment out of This Is It than more casual viewers, seeing as how central Jackson’s music and dance moves are to the documentary. And it’s certainly a strange experience to be in the cinema and hear people singing softly all around you. Ultimately though, whether you’re a Michael Jackson fan or not, This Is It is a very interesting look at what it’s like to stage a multi-million dollar live show. It’s a behind-the-scenes view that audience members are rarely invited to see, and for this alone the film is recommended viewing – even if you only catch it eventually on DVD.

Trailer Tuesday: Clash of the Titans

Every time a new piece of information surfaces online about fantasy adventure Clash of the Titans, I find myself frantically blogging about it again and again. Now the first teaser trailer has been released for this remake of the 1981 film very loosely based on the Greek myth of Perseus, the demigod hero who battled Medusa and reclaimed his royal birthright.

There has been something of an outcry about the trailer for Clash of the Titans 2010, with many people calling it cheesy and obvious. "Titans. Will. Clash!" Well, duh. But frankly I didn't expect the remake to be anything but cheesy... and a rollicking good popcorn flick at the same time. I've long given up hope that the film will be a faithful depiction of the original mythological tale, just as the original Clash of the Titans wasn't. Hollywood just can't leave a good story alone... This doesn't mean however that the film can't be fun.


Anyway, the way Clash of the Titans 2010 is being punted (at least in this trailer) reminds me of the approach taken with video game sequel Prince of Persia: Warrior Within. Trying to come across as dark, edgy and generally "badass", the game makers and marketers upped the violent content, flashed plenty of nubile female flesh, turned the amiable hero brooding and aggressive, and inserted a music score that comprised largely of pumping nu-metal - which was completely inappropriate for the game's ancient Middle Eastern setting. This fan-made trailer for Warrior Within captures the game's tone far more accurately than the official one released in 2004.

The point is that Prince of Persia: Warrior Within tried just a little too hard to look cool... to the point of coming across as a joke. And now, several years later, Clash of the Titans has adopted the same flawed approach to selling itself. 11 year old boys may gobble up the depiction hook, line and sinker, but anyone older, or with a little more sense, should see straight through the posturing and posing.


This may all sound like I'm being very cynical about the Clash of the Titans remake, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Ignoring the laughable amounts of testosterone packed into the trailer, what I've seen so far looks great. When the remake was announced I was always most excited about how the mythological creatures in the story were finally going to receive a 21st Century special effects treatment - especially since, till now, ancient world-set movies have tended to be more historical than mythical in focus (Gladiator, Troy, Alexander, 300). What is glimpsed in the Clash of the Titans trailer (giant scorpions, Medusa, harpies(?)) looks fantastic - slick, credible-looking and everything I imagined. Squeeeee!

Crucially too, while the Clash of the Titans remake has a substantially different plot from the original, if you look carefully, you can spot moments that have made the transition from the 1981 film - including Princess Andromeda all trussed up, ready to be sacrificed. For the record the plot of Clash of the Titans 2010, for those who don't know, sees furious Perseus (Sam Worthington) drawn into a battle between the Olympian gods, when Hades (Ralph Fiennes), lord of the Underworld seeks to depose the almighty king of the gods, Zeus (Liam Neeson). Perseus, assisted by Zeus's loyal Olympians and a band of mortal heroes, must realise his demi-god destiny (Zeus is his real father) and stop the unleashing of hell on earth.


I've compared the imagery for Clash of the Titans 2010 and 1981 here and if you're interested, you can also compare the trailers for the 2 films here. It's amazing the difference almost 30 years can make!

If that still isn't enough Clash of the Titans for you, you can also check out these leaked, low quality concept posters - one of which gives us our first glimpse of winged horse Pegasus.

Clash of the Titans is set for release in the United States on 26 March. South Africans can probably expect the film round about the same time, given that's the time of year when the blockbuster season kicks off and our cinema schedule seems to align more closely with the American one.

With video game adaptation Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time also releasing in cinemas next year, 2010 seems to be the year of ancient world fantasy. Finally!

Game on! The mega boss battle begins

The only pop culture consumption that happened this weekend was of the Gaming variety. Apart from going to watch my cousin's first ever Christmas play - where he seemed happier to swing around his shepherd's staff than sing with the other 3-4 year olds at his preschool - I generally took it easy, having developed a head cold as a result of Durban's recent bipolar weather... and, halfway through Sunday, I was struck by an agonising urinary tract infection (yay for being a woman!).

Anyway, on Saturday night, we finally reached the mega boss battle of our weekly Dungeons & Dragons campaign - which has been running now for well over 2 and a half years. Deep under a frozen citadel, half-elf paladin Herkon, human battlemage Mikah, elven assassin-ranger Kalanae and our NPC (non-player character) assistant, Valesh the halfling bard, faced off against dark god Veckna and powerful dragon lich Misherak.

In case you were wondering what a high stakes D&D battle looks like:

Surprisingly, neither Veckna or Misherak were the monologuing villain types, although in the latter's case that could be explained by the fact that the dragon had lost his will power and was now under the complete control of Veckna, who wore the lich's phylactery - an emerald jewelled amulet - around his neck (Harry Potter readers, for phylactery, think Horcrux).

The combat actually went quite well, all things considered. It took a little while to get up close to Veckna, who spent most of the time on a raised throne 15 foot high, or behind an impenetrable wall of force. However, eventually we did manage to get off a few powerful hits when Veckna attempted to cast spells (including briefly handicapping Herkon with a ray of enfeeblement) and he was forced to call on Misherak to defend him.


Mikah, who was polymoprhed into a huge lizard man, was aided by Valesh and his summoned air elemental (represented by an *ahem* Easter Island head) and together they made pretty short work of the ice-breathing dragon lich. Misherak crashed to the ground in a pile of shattered bones, and with the dragon's "death" Veckna lost his final bit of invulnerability. Herkon, in full Smite mode, laid into the god with his greatsword once more.

Just 9 hit points short of death (as we were to find out afterwards), Veckna teleported away. Much to our frustration, our gaming session ended pretty much there, with our heroes frantically trying to find the evil overlord - who could be up to a mile away in any direction - before he calls his other powerful minions (many of them corrupted celestials), and we have another big battle on our hands. And another combat certainly won't be easy seeing as we've already used up most of our best spells and ability buffs. Grrrr... so close and yet so far!

Movies today, South Africa!

Four new movies open locally today and my Top 2 picks for the weekend are as follows:

1) Surrogates - I've blogged before about this intriguing-looking sci-fi thriller. Starring Bruce Willis as an FBI agent, Surrogates is set in the near future, when people rarely leave the comfort and safety of their own homes. Instead, they control surrogate robotic bodies, which they send out into the world to realise their greatest fantasies without fear of consequence. Thing is, someone has learned how to kill people by destroying their surrogates, and the authorities are called in to find and stop whoever is responsible.

Apparently Surrogates is far stronger in concept than actual execution, scoring a mediocre 38% on Rotten Tomatoes. I can't say I'm especially surprised about comments that the film doesn't explore it's fascinating premise in enough detail, or that it's riddled with plot holes and inconsistencies. Still though, my enthusiasm levels for Surrogates are quite high.


2) Julie & Julia - Earlier this week I profiled this comedy drama as part of my blog's Trailer Tuesday feature. The first proper chick flick to hit the cinema in ages, Julie & Julia intertwines the 2 inspiring true stories of Julie Powell (Amy Adams), a lowly cubicle dweller turned ultra-successful blogger, and celebrated 1960s TV chef Julia Childs (Meryl Streep), who both discovered a passion for life, and a powerful sense of self, through the art of cooking.

Julie & Julia is 75% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. It's apparently light, fluffy, largely inconsequential fare but is carried by the charming performances of its stars, and the heartwarming nature of the tales depicted.


Also opening this weekend:

1) BBC Electric Proms: Robbie Williams - For one night, and one show only, you can see British pop superstar Robbie Williams performing his first live show in 3 years. Williams opened this year's BBC Electric Proms on 20 October, accompanied by a string section, horn section and full band, and this special recorded show will be broadcast at Ster Kinekor cinemas throughout South Africa. For more information on the screenings, head here.

2) Twilight - In preparation for the release (in 2 weeks' time) of highly anticipated sequel New Moon, Nu Metro is re-releasing the 2008 fantasy romance that kicked off the popular film franchise, at cinemas across the country. Based on Stephenie Meyer's bestselling novel, Twilight tells the tale of teenager Bella Swan, who falls madly in love with dreamboat vampire Edward Cullen.

This may destroy my street cred but I'm seriously considering going to watch the film. In the past year I've read the book, and now I want to see exactly what sent teenager girls worldwide into a hormonal frenzy. And there ain't no better screen than the big screen! Twilight is 49% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

Girlz 'N' Games comic #56: Best Friends Forever!

If you're a regular reader of this blog, then it's probably not a surprise that this Girlz 'N' Games comic is based on a true story!

Well, kinda. Of course the situation depicted has been twisted for humorous effect, but it's become something of a running joke that our friend Tim need only mention Guitar Hero 5 and myself and the bf are at his house in a flash.

Without owning the game, its assorted peripherals or even a next-gen console, I've become a big fan of Guitar Hero. The entire series is that rare thing: a fantastic party game that still is fun, and definitely challenging, when you're playing alone. The same can't be said for so many games designed specifically for the Wii console. I still don't know if I had a Wii whether I'd ever plug it in except during parties or social gatherings. It's solo play offerings have never really wowed me.

Anyway, there isn't much else to add in the way of explaining this comic. I think we've all been in this situation in one form or another - whether you're the abuser or the abusee. Regardless of whether we'll admit it or not, the cool "stuff" people have - whether it be a giant flatscreen TV, a Blu-ray player, a Wii or a popular Xbox game with all its peripherals - can be a major swing factor when it's time to plan our social calendar for the coming weekend. In these trying economic times, the person who has the coolest toys almost always "wins":) BFs Forever!


Oh, on a technical note I'm going to be experimenting with the inclusion of actual backgrounds (as opposed to slapping up coloured rectangles) in the coming few comic strips. Let me know what you think.

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As usual, if you like my latest Girlz 'N' Games comic, please forward it on to your like-minded friends. You can also show your support by joining the Girlz 'N' Games Facebook fan group, which is open to all. The big advantage of joining is that you'll immediately receive an email notification every time a new comic is uploaded.

If this doesn't suit you, you can also follow me on Twitter - I tend to tweet when a comic is in production, as well as provide a heads up when it's about to debut online.


Good God, I hope this girl is legal!