There are very few keys to making a great and memorable hero. Of course, it can be done in the traditional sense where he stands for truth, justice and is honorable in all things. Clark Kent in Smallville embodies all these characteristics and it makes for a great show. On the other hand, in today's world and for today's audience there is another way. Movies like Pitch Black show a hero character with a very different personality, and yet it still works.

Another recent movie presents a hero who, while not having the best or most honorable personality, is still very memorable. That movie is the comic book style action flick Jumper. Despite many bad reviews, I really enjoyed this film, and I believe I have figured out why. It's not because the hero is necessarily good. In fact, one reviewer describes him as, "...a jerk without one redeemable bone in his body." What makes this hero work for today's audience, which is surely a young audience, is that his power is something everyone would want to have.

Too many people who chose to hate the film, and it is certainly a choice how we react to external stimuli, allowed the character flaws of the hero, played by Hayden Christensen, to turn them against the movie. One reviewer even said that it had him rooting for the paper-thin, religious zealot, villain, even though he was an atheist. Now no movie is, of course, for everyone, but I think those who chose to be down on it may have missed something really cool that the movie presented. One reviewer, who I believe caught it, had this to say:

"All the things he does with his power is for himself, no one else. To me, the most meaningful scene in this film, is the few seconds when he watched the News of TV, saw a bunch of people get caught in flood, and then emotionlessly turned it off. He could have gone and saved those people, and become a stereo-type hero. But he didn't. He got superpower, he use it to enjoy life. It's that simple. But isn't it what we would all do, if we got his power?"

There is a freedom that is represented by what this character has. A freedom I believe most people long for in their own lives. I don't mean the specific acts of teleporting into a bank and robbing it. I am talking about a lifestyle. This lifestyle is portrayed so well in the movie that I suspect that those with whom is resonated like the film, and those who could not connect were unhappy with the presentation.

The anti-herioc character of Riddick, created by Vin Diesel and David Twohy in the movie Pitch Black, offers something similar. While his special ability has somewhat more limited use than that of the Jumper, I'm sure everyone remembers being afraid of the dark. It's very easy to connect to the idea of having the ability to see clearly in absolute darkness. Today we have electric lights enough to brightly illuminate any hour of the day, yet we still know how effective blackouts and power outages can be in horror movies. In that situation, one might recall a desire for the eyes of Riddick.

A character can stand for truth, justice, and honor with no special ability at all, and still be a very memorable lead. That's only one path to making a great hero, though. Sometimes, starting with a superpower that represents the greatest of wish fulfillment, or a doorway to wildest dreams, can lead to some great characters that audiences will never forget.

Tags: movies

*** MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS ***

I had my suspicions, even from the trailers. I suspected this movie might just contain some very big turn-offs for me. Sadly, an article on Tractor Facts titled 10,000 B.C.: And a White Man Will Lead Them confirmed my worst fears. In that article it states:

"D'Leh - looking handsome above - fights killer ostriches, horse-whispers to a saber tooth, gets mystical about the moon, plants crops, and leads a legion of black men into liberating themselves (and pyramid slaves) from The Almighty. That last bit comes off as more than a little condescending, because, for some inexplicable reason, large villages of capable black warriors are unable to rise up until a white man shows them the way."

I have to say I am truly sick of this mentality from Hollywood. Since the dawn of film, Hollywood has depicted a world view where up until old honest Abe Lincoln came along, blacks are shown anywhere in the world, through all of human history, to be slaves. I won't even get into the mountains of archaeological or anthropological evidence that show that nothing could be further from the truth. Still, even classic writers like Shakespeare created dramatic stories which featured black characters in positions of power and influence in, of all places, Europe. Yet, in Hollywood the same backwards myth perpetuates.

That's only one aspect of Hollywood myth making that has irked me for some time now. Another reviewer, writing on Kaylow Media had this to say:

"Plus, the Pharaoh is depicted as a shrouded, hissing snake-like villain. It’s only after he’s killed by The World’s Most Improbable Spear Toss that we see that he’s an ordinary Caucasian white guy. Ruling ancient Egypt. In Africa."

If you go by what Hollywood shows, one would not even realize that Egypt is in Africa, let alone was ever an African kingdom. I think a simple look at Joel Freeman's Egypt photo gallery says all that need be said about how the ancient Egyptians saw themselves. Hollywood has never been known for anything resembling historical accuracy and there is a reason for this. Consider a movie like Troy. Greeks are not today, nor were they at any point in history, white like Brad Pitt and Sean Bean. When Hollywood creates, they create a Hollywood world.

Now don't get me wrong. I don't fault Hollywood for what they create, nor do I expect that they should do any different. I'm simply saying that I'm done watching it. Their works are simply not for me. This is, in fact, the whole matter. One must consider who the movies are made by and who they're made for. Think of it this way. In China, when they sit down to make the next great wuxia epic, do you think the creators sit down and think, "I want to make an epic movie and I want it to have a Chinese hero instead of a white guy."? Of course not! That would be ludicrous. It's all about who the movie is by and who it's for. The largest American movies are made for the largest majority of the population. That's both wise and financially sound. There's no reason to expect them to do any different.

What this means, though, is that for those of us who desire to see something different, or want a different experience, we have to make it! That's what it comes down to. Sitting around waiting for someone to make something for us, when they have no valid reason to, is folly. If we want to see a different story, then we must make that different story. If we want a different kind of hero, then we must create that hero. Some of the best movies, TV shows and anime done were made because the creator wanted to see something different and wasn't getting it anywhere else. So it is with any of us who want something different. No need to sit down and lament what someone else is making. Instead of spending two hours watching it, spend that two hours creating something for you.

Tags: movies, Hollywood

I've been noticing an interesting trend in a lot of Hollywood motion pictures lately, most recently with the new Rambo film. While we have all known for a long time that shooting a film in Eastern Europe can lead to huge cost savings in production, now I am starting to see even visual FX, and sometimes the post production, being done in Eastern Europe! Considering the average salary in places like the Ukraine, Bulgaria, Czech Republic or even China, how long before the cost effectiveness of employing the talent there becomes too big a temptation for our local producers.

Of course no FX house in Eastern Europe or Asia is going to be putting ILM out of business anytime soon, but for the more typical effects seen in most horror and action movies, they are proving to be more than up to the task. Recent films like Dragon Wars and The Host, show that they are quickly catching up in the area of creatures. The all Chinese Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie shows that overseas studios can even do an amazing job on a Pixar style CGI picture at 1/3 the cost. The human characters in that film looked like they were literally ripped right out of a Disney 2D film and given 3D life.

I first took notice of this phenomenon when I saw the comic book influenced Ultra Violet. That film was not only shot digitally in China, but the visual FX and post production were done there as well. Ultra Violet, though, was a highly stylized film where even the live action sets, costumes and wigs looked bright and plastic, like something out of a video game. As time went on, though, I became more and more surprised as I watched a good mainstream film and then see the visual FX credits full of names like Miroslav Ivanovitch, and the FX house is yet another new one I never heard of.

Were it not for the need for a quick turnaround and definite high speed English communication, I think most TV work would already all be overseas. Canada no longer holds the promise it once did as their wages are not only rising, our dollar has fallen dramatically. We all know George Lucas is currently in Singapore doing his new Star Wars TV series. I have also spoken to some studios in the Philippines which have made some very interesting claims about how much work, even on major pictures, is being done undercover there, where English is a lot more common.

So is the end near? Is it only a matter of time before it makes little sense to a producer to hire expensive American CG artists to do a project? Does the notion that, with a few summer blockbuster exceptions, CG seems to be getting worse in film mean the audience doesn't really care? Is it possible that, even at a slightly lower quality, overseas FX will become the accepted norm?

Tags: movies

Warner Bros. and the creators of Superman Doomsday are at it again with Justice League: The New Frontier, an upcoming animated movie debuting February 26th on DVD and HD formats. This time it looks like they are raising the bar in every way. In this 1950's era origin story of the Justice League, it seems they are really pushing American animation to the limits of how serious and mature a show can be. It's still a show about superheroes in tights and yet it seems this one will play more real than many TV dramas.

The list of names in the voice cast alone makes it clear that they are not playing games with this movie, nor are they casting it aside as a "cartoon" and spending no time and effort on it. With well known screen actors voicing the main characters, they sound better than I could have ever hoped to see animation in english sound in my lifetime.

I was extremely impressed with Superman Doomsday and the level of writing that went into the characters and relationships in that tale. This time they have a much larger canvas to play with and because of the time period, they've opened the door to dealing with some serious issues which still need addressing today. These serious issues are not dealt with as one might expect of a cartoon. In this show, people die and there is blood.

While Beowulf, at the box office, may have done little to help advance the cause of more mature animation, Warner Brothers and D.C. seem to be showing that there is a market for it and that they are glad to make the content to serve that market. I hope this is yet another taste of greater things to come.

Tags: DVD, movies, Art

That strange visitor I speak of is none other than Superman, strange visitor from another planet. What I mean by hope is what I saw in the direct to DVD movie Superman Doomsday an animated film based on The Death of Superman story arc from the comic series many years ago. The hope that this movie brings to American animation is that is shows that there is potential for well done, more mature animated content, and that American creators can do it as well as any foreign studios. Being 2D, the grunt work of animation is, of course, done overseas, this time in Korea, but I'm talking here about good character development, dialogue and awesome voice acting.

The movie brings back memories of the theatrically released Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, which proved that more serious and dark animation for older audiences can find viewers that crave it. You will note in the credits some names associated with that film are also present on Superman Doomsday. This movie also shows that there are still areas where animation shines, able to present things that, even in our CG effects laden world, would be impossible or far too expensive to do in a live action film. This has more city destruction than Armageddon, bigger military battles than Transformers and more super action that Superman Returns. It would cost over half a billion to attempt such a feat in live action. This is a movie made for animation and it was made well.

Still, with all the amazing visuals and explosions, they find the time to give the characters real lives. It's nothing like those cartoons where the characters have no life or thought outside of their current mission. Characters drink, break down and cry, sever relationships, basically do real human things. The voice cast features Adam Baldwin, Ann Heche, James Marsters and Ray Wise among others, like anime notable John DiMaggio. The actors play the characters very real in some scenes and make them very believable.

I could go on about this, but needless to say I was very impressed. I can only hope this leads to more such productions, not just from Warner Animation, but other studios as well. I also hope it leads to such quality being put into animation of all genres in the future.

HAPPY NEW YEAR! I expect great things in 2008! How about you?

Tags: DVD, movies, Art

There's been so much said about the coming of HDTV and a future filled with massive home theatre systems, but the reality has been that smaller screens, and I mean much smaller screens, have outpaced the larger in both sales and acceptance. In Japan, where widescreen HDTV sets were the standard years ago, there are already 78 million mobile users and they are quickly consuming a lot of media content on their handsets. Some report that there are trains full of people who are watching live broadcasts on their phones.

Other parts of the world may not be so far ahead, but the trend seems the same everywhere. Smaller is catching on. People want more content, faster and they want t take it with them where they go.

The growth of this market is staggering. Apple's iPhone sold a reported 700,000 units in its three day launch weekend and with its new lower price is well on its way to 2,000,000 units in circulation. Business Week said of Apple, "...the iPhone has the potential for adding a totally new, $10 billion-a-year business within just a few years."

There are over a billion cell phones sold each year, and most modern units include screens capable of playing games, showing video, reading ebooks and, in Japan, even manga, a $20 million industry which seems to triple each year. Major companies are scrambling to create content for this brave new mobile world. TOKYOPOP, who published my own World of Hartz manga, is already the leader in the mobile manga market in America, and it is a market that is growing rapidly.

Video sharing sites like Youtube are already striking deals with major mobile content providers to make their content available on the smaller screens. Youtube viewing comes standard on every iPhone. This could quickly grow larger than TV, and some companies are paying major money for good content licenses.

Where's it all going to go? Your guess is as good as mine. Only time will tell. I do remember, though, when I got my hands on my first Sony PSP, I had tons of ideas for creating exclusive manga or anime content for that little device. I even built a site for it. Less than a year later, an underground PSP manga market exploded. Who knows how big it will get on the iPhone.

Tags: iPhone, Sony PSP, Manga, movies

I was watching the movie Jurassic Park yesterday, not realizing that it is now 15 years old, when it dawned on me. Movies have really changed in just that short time. I'm not talking about some odd motion that older movies were all better. I am talking just about the way they look. I also don't mean to imply that the CG suddenly looks dated. Special FX done right in any era, look good forever.

What I'm talking about here is just how used to these modern digital movies I have become. Even movies which are still shot on 35mm film stock are often immediately scanned into the computer and the rest of the work is done there. Even though they retain that film look, having originated on 35, they don't look like older movies. You know how a 60's movie looks different to us? Not talking FX, just the film itself, the color, the grain etc. Film stocks get better, processes improve, things change. I had no idea, though, that they change so quickly.

Jurassic Park really looks...I don't know the word... filmy. It's not grainy or dirty and scratched like an old film. it is still very clean, but it looks very different than our current films, even by the same director such as War of the Worlds. The color is different. It just looks more film like than the movie of today, even those that are still shot on 35mm.

Thinking of film, I also noticed, since ILM did the visual FX on Jurassic Park, that Lucas had changed the name of his company from LucasFilm LTD. to Lucas Digital LTD. Now, of course, I had always known that he changed the company name, but I never really thought about it until now. Film is no longer a part of his vocabulary. He doesn't used it anymore and doesn't see a need to. The name of his company had to be changed because film has no place in it. Seems simple, but for some reason it stuck me as profound. This is years before he actually made his first all digital movie too.

I wonder what the future holds for directors who have no desire to switch over. On the DVD Bug, William Friedkin talks about the end of film. He doesn't seem to have the problem with it that other younger directors have expressed. Seeing how different Jurassic Park looked from modern movies, though, I could almost understand the apprehension. Well.. almost.

I, of course, will never make anything on film. I have absolutely no reason to consider it. Even if I ever do a live action project, which isn't anywhere in my plans at the moment, it would still be shot digitally. It would probably be for the web and mobile markets before I ever consider any big screen too. That's just my view.

Tags: movies, digital

After getting the first episode online, I decided on a day, or so, of resting. Sure enough, in keeping with the idea of rest, someone from Warner Bros. handed me a DVD of the direct to video feature Rest Stop, starring Jaimie Alexander.

I knew I recognized her from something I had seen previously, but I could quite remember where. An imdb search revealed that I remembered her from Kyle XY a TV series I had seen on iTunes. Rest Stop is definitely a small movie, the kind I like actually, with very few characters and even fewer locations. Too many horror movies these days try to be too big with too much action.

I was not at all surprised to find it was written and directed by one of the writers and producers on the Warner Bros. series Supernatural. It could easily have been a part of that series. In fact, there was an episode in season 2 that was on the road in the same fashion. Being an unrated film, though, it is much more grisly that Supernatural, and that's saying a lot since that show can be pretty gruesome at times.

While resting, I am also slowly but surely visualizing the next episode. There's so much I want to do, but finally I feel that it is not beyond me anymore. There is a way to present it finally! There is a way to get that story told! And it is a way that works for the creator and not against.

Tags: movies, Hollywood, digital, DVD