I'm about to take off for a week-long vacation, but I'll leave you with this: James McTeigue, whose V for Vendetta was wonderful, angry and brave, has signed on to direct a sci-fi thriller that sounds a bit like a second X-Files sequel -- which may be why I think it sounds so cool. Revelations, from a script by John Salvati (the forthcoming Andrew Niccol/Al Pacino Dali biopic), will involve a female journalist who investigates a series of bizarre murders and discovers that the dead were all being treated by the head of an organization that studies alien abductions.

V for Vendetta, as well as McTeigue's follow-up Ninja Assassin, due next year, were produced by the Wachowski Brothers. In fact, V was known more as a Wachowski Brothers film than a McTeigue film -- sort of the way Judd Apatow stole all the credit for Superbad from Greg Mottola. It doesn't sound like the Wachowskis will have a hand in this one, which might let the talented McTeigue spread his wings a bit. V showed fantastic promise; smart filmmakers who strive to make great genre films are hard to come by.

What we need is another good alien invasion TV show. Shame that no one wanted to watch the last one...

So there's a little mystery starting to brew on the net surrounding the Wachowskis' action flick, Ninja Assassin. Over at kungfurodeo.com, there are reports that a new casting call for the flick is proof that the brothers are actually making a live-action version of the classic anime, Ninja Scroll. For those fans of Scroll out there, maybe you can tell me if the characters on the casting sheet over at Freebase Media look a little familiar.

The story of Ninja Scroll is set in feudal Japan. A ninja-for-hire is forced into fighting an old nemesis that has set his sights on toppling the Japanese government. Complicating matters is a group of super-demons under the bad guys control. So far, not much is known about the plot of Ninja Assassin, but all we do know is that Korean pop star Rain has scored a part in the James McTeigue (V for Vendetta) directed flick.

Well, we probably all should have seen this coming when you consider that Alan Moore seems to hate the movies Hollywood makes from his works just as much as Hollywood loves to make them. In an interview with Wizard Universe, the comic book legend spoke about his current involvement (or lack thereof) in Zack Snyder's big-screen version of Moore's Watchmen. According to Moore, he has officially (read, legally) washed his hands of the whole thing. Moore says, "I got a piece of paper a couple of months ago saying, "I, the undersigned, hereby give you permission to take my name off of the film and to send my money to Dave Gibbons." So I sent that back to them all signed and sealed, which means that now I don't have to rant and spew about the film. I'm just simply not interested in it". Watchmen is one of the most respected comic books out there, so you can imagine there is a lot riding on Snyder getting it right. There has already been plenty of discussion about casting choices, but so far, most fans seem to be cautiously optimistic about the whole thing.

In the past, Moore has battled with filmmakers over other film versions of his books like V for Vendetta and the famously crappy The League of Extraordinary Gentleman. But it would seem that Moore has learned something this time around, and instead of kicking up a fuss, he just walked away from the whole project. As for Moore's original Watchmen collaborator, Dave Gibbons, he seems a lot more positive about the whole thing. On the official production blog for the film, Gibbons waxed poetically after viewing the sets, saying, "Finally, tired but happy, arms around my new buddies, costumed and otherwise, it's my turn to smile for the camera. A month later, I'm smiling still". Well at least someone sounds happy about the whole thing. So while this is the last we are going to hear from Moore on the subject, that doesn't mean there won't be plenty more Watchmen updates to come before the film hits theaters on March 6th, 2009.

Everyone up to speed on The Golden Compass rhubarb? Claims are that the new film adaptation tends to soft-shoe some of the pretty clearly anti-fundamentalist religion elements in Philip Pullman's source novel. Here's Ryan Stewart's Cinematical item on Nicole Kidman going public with the "watering down" last August. Now, on MTV's movie blog, director Chris Weitz reaches for a time-tested defense: "Philip Pullman likes to quote James M. Cain on this issue. Once, when somebody asked him if he was worried what a movie adaptation would do to his book, he said, `What do you mean? The book is right over there, on the shelf.'"

Now, let me digress for a second. The only time I ever met Allen Ginsberg (wonderfully played by David Cross in I'm Not There, BTW), I wasted my thirty seconds in his presence listening to the same comment regarding Cronenberg's Naked Lunch. When a sage like Ginsberg says this bit about the unruined book you listen. But here's other claimants: In the blog Sergio Leone and the Infield Fly Rule, a correspondent is complaining about V for Vendetta, a film disowned by the source writer Alan Moore: "I keep meeting people who love this movie and my only solace in my bitterness after seeing what they did to Moore's brilliant work is a quote from the author himself:

"Interviewer: 'How do you feel about Hollywood ruining your work?'
Moore: 'What are you talking about, they didn't ruin my work, it is right up there on the shelf.'"

Here, a person worried about the then-upcoming film of Lord of the Rings cites Stephen King as the one who knows where his unruined books are, right on the shelf; here, it is Larry Niven calming the fears of those who feel his book Ringworld will be ruined as a film. Just for good measure, from the Portland, Oregon blog "Book Pusher," is a list of five good books that are waiting to be ruined, and the best way to ruin them. Can you wait for the The Farrelly Brother's wild comedy Me Talk Pretty Some Day with Adrien Brody as David Sedaris (does the hero have to be gay)?
My point is: let's don't hear this time-worn excuse anymore. Here's one from Evelyn Waugh instead: "Each book purchased for motion pictures has some individual quality, good or bad, that has made it remarkable. It is the work of a great array of highly paid and incompatible writers to distinguish this quality, separate it, and obliterate it."

He reportedly had a lot of help on V for Vendetta. Then he helped out as an 'additional director' on The Invasion. So when are we going to see if James McTeigue can direct a film solo? Possibly as early as next year, actually. The former first assistant director (The Matrix trilogy; Attack of the Clones) has just been hired to make Bangkok 8, a mystery thriller set in Thailand. Based on the first of a series of novels by John Burdett, Bangkok 8 follows the story of a Thai police detective investigating the murder of his partner and a U.S. marine, both of whom died by snake bite. The trail of the murderers takes the Buddhist detective, who is named Sonchai Jitpleecheep, into the seedy underground of the jade, drug and sex trades of Bangkok.

The movie should appeal to anyone familiar with Bangkok, as Burdett, who lives in Thailand, fills his books with plenty of commentary and insight about the city and its corruptions. But despite the fact that it sounds like too much of foreign film to attract the sort of fans McTeigue is used to, the movie will presumably have enough action elements to sell to a wide audience. One thing the novel has going for it, as far as multiplex interests are concerned, is an American love interest, described by Amazon.com as a "sexually frustrated FBI agent." Also, Sonchai apparently has conversations with the ghost of his dead partner. Millennium Films hopes to turn Burdett's series into a franchise of films, so McTeigue will definitely need to deliver something better than V for Vendetta. And since this time he will be without the assistance and guidance of the Wachowski Brothers, who are probably too busy making Speed Racer, I wish McTeigue a lot of luck.

My love of cinema originally came about through my love of production design, particularly for science fiction and fantasy films. As I grew up, one of my dream careers was art director, and some my early heroes were Dante Ferretti and Bo Welch. Naturally, then, a lot of my favorite filmmakers have been those who display creative art direction in their movies. Terry Gilliam has always been at the top of my list.

Other fans of Gilliam will agree with me that no other living director is more deserving of recognition by the Art Directors Guild. In fact, I'm surprised that he wasn't the first choice to receive the guild's Outstanding Contribution to Cinematic Imagery Award when it was originally given in 1998 (to Norman Jewison instead). Other filmmakers that I expect to see honored in the future include Tim Burton, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro.

Gilliam will receive the award at the Art Director's Guild Awards on February 17, when the guild also names the winners of its prizes for excellence in production design for 2006. Like other guild awards, the ADG's honors recognize distinct categories for its field. Nominated films are separated into three groups: period piece; contemporary; and fantasy (you may remember these are the same categories for the Costume Designer Guild Awards).

I'm all for these guild awards, with their specific categories and distinct recognitions, but I'm not sure I understand the Costume Designer Guild's honor for "Distinguished Actor." If the reasoning is that the recipient of this award is someone who looks good in costumes, or makes costume designers look good, then Helen Mirren makes sense as this year's winner. But this reason doesn't explain why the guild is also giving Sandra Bullock an award. Suddenly, the logic falls apart -- especially for anyone who has seen Miss Congeniality 2.

The costume designers don't need to give actors any more praise. And Mirren certainly doesn't need any more trophies this year. To me, the guild's recognition of the different genres of costume design is interesting and appealing enough without some unnecessary star-kissing.

The categories for the Costume Designer Guild Awards separately acknowledge achievements for modern costume, period costume and fantasy costume. The lumping of these genres together into the Best Costume Design Oscar doesn't give credit to the differences between them, and it often ignores the difficulty of modern costuming, which many people assume is as easy as the everyday act of getting dressed in the morning.

If you're like me and love movies but don't relish the thought of going out to the theater all that much, then you most likely have some sort of home theater setup. And if you're also like me, you probably have a High Def TV so you can maximize your viewing experience by watching as many of your favorite movies and TV programs in High Def as possible.

At the moment, as you probably already know, there are two competing types of High Def DVDs -- HD-DVD and Blu-ray. For me, HD-DVD is the way to go so far because every Blu-ray to HD-DVD comparison I've seen has shown me HD-DVD is, in many ways, superior. So, I use HD-DVD at home in my personal home theater setup. If you don't have some sort of HD-DVD or Blu-ray player, you can also download content from sources such as Microsoft's XBox Live Service. But how can you maximize the High Def viewing experience and make sure you're getting the best possible picture quality?

Well, an article over at Jake Ludington's site is a great place to start. In the article, the author enlists expert advice from video professionals and compares HD-DVD programming downloaded from the XBox Live service to HD-DVDs rented from places like Netflix. The article goes into great depth and the conclusions are well thought-out and very interesting -- especially if you're considering the purchase of an XBox 360 with attached HD-DVD player or other HD-DVD purchases this holiday season. So, check it out -- you might learn something ...

Very little surprises me when it comes to the world of cinema. It isn't that I'm a particularly well-connected fellow, or even particularly aware of the industry outside of my little geek bubble; it is simply that I more or less expect everything to be possible when it comes to this industry. When you realize nothing is off-limits and everything is in-play, it is hard to be caught off guard, right? But every now and then something pokes through my defenses and makes me mutter a serious "what the...?" So bemused was I by this information, I immediately shared it with the only geek friend of mine who was online at the moment, simply to take in his reaction, and it was exactly the same as my own. Ready for this?

Warner Bros. is apparently considering a sequel to V For Vendetta. Weird, right? Without any of the principle cast/crew, they're talking direct-to-DVD. Somehow or another, the studio thinks the world wants a sequel to a movie which features the title character's prominent death scene as a major final plot point. Maybe we can follow the adventures of Evey as she heads off to the next stage in life, or perhaps the plot's events inspired a new man to take up the mask! Or maybe we can have a prequel! Everyone loves prequels, right? Seriously, how on earth is Warners going to spin this one to pull out a fresh plot?

Geek news I stumbled across while cursing the inept Pittsburgh Pirates management for passing up on Jim Leyland this past off-season:

• Remember that enormous blue Optimus Prime head? There are new pictures of it. It is still large and blue ... and that's really about all. But if you're interested, you can have another look. After all, what would a day be without some news from the Transformers camp?
• Check out KryptonSite for a nifty look at "the many faces of Jimmy Olsen." You can see all the actors who have portrayed Superman's pal on film over the years.
• Remember, remember, the 31st of October ... Specs on V For Vendetta HD, hitting shelves the end of this month!
• Sci Fi Wire: Presenting Ed Speleer, savior of cinema!
• IGN Filmforce gives you a look at the other Chris Nolan/Christian Bale/Michael Caine team up flick, The Prestige. If any of you out there are not excited for this movie, I simply do not understand your existence.
  
• Hellboy animated movie? Yes, please! Check out Comics Continuum for a passel of stills from the production. I love Hellboy in any and all media, and this looks to be no exception.
  

Well, this is weird. For the bulk of my 30+ years on this planet, there's been no such thing as a "televised horror awards" presentation, and now, not 15 minutes removed from geeking out over the newly-announced Fangoria Chainsaw Awards nominations -- I come across the Spike TV Scream Awards nominations! Cool!

Now, with all due respect to Spike TV and their cool new concept, I gotta say the Fango Chainsaw noms are just a little bit cooler. But hey, there's no law that says the horror freaks can't hang their hat on TWO new awards presentations. Frankly I think we could use a few more enthusiastic celebrations of juicy genre filmmaking.

Anyway, the Screams seem to run a lot like the Chainsaws do: Check out all the categories and nominees (after the jump) and then head on over to SpikeTV.com and cast your own votes! This is particularly amusing for the horror nuts -- because we're nothing if not passionately opinionated on which horror flicks rock and which ones suck the proverbial egg. Spike TV broadcasts their Scream Awards on the evening of October 10th.

Recent Theatricals

The Shaggy Dog (Disney) -- Tim Allen must be stopped. Seriously. (filmmaker commentary, deleted scenes, bark-along bone-us track for dogs and I'm not joking)

V for Vendetta (Warner Bros.) -- Natalie Portman goes all dystopian on us. Very cool flick. (2-disc SE includes four featurettes and a music video)

Catalog Picks

A Fish Called Wanda Special Edition (MGM) -- So get this: It's got 25 minutes of deleted scenes, a John Cleese audio commentary, an all-new retrospective piece ... and MGM canceled the release! Are you freakin' KIDDING ME? Argh.

My Summer Story (MGM) -- The kinda sorta but not really semi-sequel to A Christmas Story that you never heard of. (no extras)

Richard Pryor: Live in Concert (Sony) -- For my money, the guy's best concert. Sunset Strip comes close, but this is the king at his peak. (no extras)

Direct-to-Video

The Black Hole (Echo Bridge) -- Judd Nelson and Kristy Swanson battle an electrical monster who fell out of a man-made black hole. Don't ask. (featurette)

I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer (Sony) -- And I'll always hate these movies, so stop making 'em. (filmmaker commentary, featurette)

Severed: Forest of the Dead (Universal) -- I don't know anything about this one, but the title makes me chuckle. (no extras)

 

Last column (and, uh, yeah -- it's been a while), I teased you with the promise of a column about V for Vendetta, the opening weekend sucess of which seemed unlikely for a host of reasons. The film, after all, has faced a host of obstacles on its 20 year journey from B & W British comic strip to Warner Brothers' most prominent Spring widget: the Wachowski-brother-speared adaptation was abandoned by comic co-creator Alan Moore (who, to be fair, has a general policy of distancing himself from filmatizations of his work); after the London bombings last summer, WB was forced to abandon both its original release date (November 5, the 400th anniversary of Guy Fawlkes' aborted bombing of the British Houses of Parliament) and its original marketing campaign ("Remember, remember, the 5th of November..."). But most interesting of all was the outsized fervor the film instigated, months and months before its release, amongst conservative film critics.

Add it all up, and and Vendetta's $26 million opening seemed sufficient for study. But two things happened the following week: 1) I finally got around to seeing the film, and 2) Vendetta's numbers dropped a precipitous 52% in its second weekend, with the holdover title easily falling victim to Inside Man's $30 million opening onslaught despite an advantage of 500 screens. The weekend-to-weekend drop isn't exactly a mark of failure -- at virtually exactly this time last year, another comic adaptation, Sin City, opened just under $30 million, dropped 50% a week for about six weeks, and was eventualy considered one of the year's biggest hits -- unless we're playing this as a zero-sum game, On those terms, V for Vendetta could safely be considered a massive failure: the most pretensiously political film to come from a studio in some time, it's managed to fail to either rally the Left or vidicate the Right. On the ideological spectrum, there's no winner here -- which means everybody loses. But just the very fact of Vendetta's failure to inspire much more than a shrug from most parties points to the possibility that the culture wars might be far less potent than certain pundits – not to mention publicists – would have you believe.

• Even though it played on only half as many screens as Steve Martin's latest, it's still disturbing to read that V for Vendetta was beaten to the top of the international box office by the dreadful The Pink Panther. Now showing in countries including Germany, Hong Kong, and Australia, the comedy made a total of $12.3 million for the weekend to only $8.5 million for Vendetta, which nevertheless dominated the charts in the Asian markets in which it opened.
  

• If anyone needed a sign that relations between North and South Korea are thawing, this is it: a South Korean film about a Northern spy is expected to be shot in Pyongyang, the capitol of the North. The movie, tentatively titled Yun Isang, The Wounded Dragon, will be shot in both Pyongyang and Germany, which is where Yun, a well-known composer, both spied and ended up living after he was released from prison.
  

• Hong Kong's Media Asia announced its slate for the next year this weekend, and among the eight-to-ten projects in the works are a pair from Infernal Affairs directors Andrew Lau (the director, not the actor) and Alan Mak. The first, Behind the Sin, stars Tony Leung #1, and is about "a cop and...a private detective - who investigate the murder of the cop's father-in-law." The second, meanwhile, is an untitled period piece set in 1940s Hong Kong which "revolves around a trader from mainland China who moves to Hong Kong, attempts to set up a business and inevitably gets mixed up with local gangsters."

"They make us feel indebted
For saving us from hell
And then they put us through it
It's time the bastards fell!"

-- "Suspect Device," Stiff Little Fingers, 1979

"The revolution will not be televised."

-- Gil-Scott Heron

The more things stay the same, the more they change. Or vice-versa. Originally written and published in 1981, the comic book V for Vendetta was created by Englishmen Alan Moore (writer) and David Lloyd (artist) in response to political events in their home nation. They created a dark fantasia about life under fascism in a near-future England, and a masked man who sprung from the shadows to smash the iron grip of power. Over two decades later, V for Vendetta comes to the big screen with a script adaptation by Andy and Larry Wachowski, with big stars and big money all apparent in the final product. And once again, Hollywood moves at the speed of lead; a rousing response to Thatcherism is exactly what the world needs now.

Time turns all artifacts of rebellion into fetish objects: Ronald Reagan is immortalized as a collectible plate. Che Guevara's known mostly as a T-shirt. Billy Bragg's early on-the-cheap LP's of protest songs have been re-mastered for a CD box set with bonus DVDs. And turning any work of art into a movie inevitably takes time. The question of whether the world of 2006 resembles that of 1981 politically is a matter of personal opinion; the question of whether filmmaking has changed in the past 25 years is not. Moore's original vision (which I read when it was first published in serial form, riveted with adolescent angst) is so old it takes place in a future that is now our past. (It's also worth nothing that Moore has asked for his name to be removed from the film as part of a dispute with DC Comics - which, like Cinematical, is nestled under the corporate umbrella of Time Warner, along with Warner Brothers Films.)

The story is still essentially the same; after political chaos and mass destruction, England's risen from the ashes of ruin to be reborn as a orderly, healthy, efficiently-run dictatorship, complete with secret police and propaganda broadcasts.  A young woman, Evey Hammond (Natalie Portman) is out past curfew and set upon by the feared 'Fingermen' – secret police that can call anything you do a crime and whose every action is, by definition, legal. The cops are stopped by a single man – a cape-wearing phantasm wearing a Guy Fawkes mask, an unceasing, unsettling smile beaming out as he dispatches any who oppose him. (The film shows and explains how Fawkes attempted to destroy the House of Parliament in 1605 in a prologue, so American audiences won't be left wondering why the dude kicking ass is wearing what looks like, as near as they can tell, a Hamburglar mask.)