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5 posts tagged nerd's eye view
Let’s leave doomsday where it belongs … onscreen! Our Chief Nerd has picked his favorite post-apocalyptic films (from Wall-E to 12 Monkeys). See the full list here.
Nerd’s Eye View: Apocalypse Wow, or the Onscreen Appeal of Mayan-Style Destruction
Our alleged impending doom this week has has inspired Hollywonk contributor Jeffrey Seasholtz, aka Uncle Shappy, aka the “nerd of spoken word”. Here’s the latest edition from his Longbox of Opinions, including a Top-10 List of Apocalypse Flicks (not predicted in any way by the Mayans):
I’ll admit it. If a movie promises a world-ending event, a zombie infestation or just a general “post-apocalypse” setting, I will probably watch it. For some reason or another, we movie nerds love looking into the future and seeing the Statue of Liberty all rusted out and half covered in the dusty remains of civilization.
In this column, I hope to share a few theories about why we heart the late, great post-apocalyptic planet Earth and why I can’t wait for 12-21-12!
Nerd’s Eye View: Rules of the Reboot
The current round of reboots has inspired Hollywonk contributor Jeffrey Seasholtz, aka Uncle Shappy, aka the “nerd of spoken word”. Here’s the latest edition from his Longbox of Opinions:
Greetings, Geek Cinema Enthusiasts!
This week I’d like to opine on the reboot trend in Hollywood these days. When most nerds hear that one of their favorite old films are getting the “modern treatment” most get on the the internet and list their grievances with the proposed project the minute the news hits the streets before a director or cast is announced, while others remain optimistic that the re-birth of Classic Nerd franchise might revive the public’s interest in something they hold dear and lead to more of what they crave, such as action figures, comic book tie-ins and T-shirts.
With the recent reboot of Total Recall not exactly getting a lot of love from fans or critics, it’s a fine opportunity to get into the sticky subject of SHAPPY’S RULES OF THE REBOOT!
RULE #1 STOP WASTING GOOD VILLAINS!
This is something that has bugging me since the Joker fell off the Gotham Cathedral in Tim Burton’s first Batman movie. Why kill off Batman’s most awesome foe in the first movie? I get it, these are fictional characters, but wouldn’t it have been cooler to keep the idea that the Joker might return in a future Burton-helmed Batman sequel? Isn’t it obvious that Burton had more fun with the Joker than Batman in that film?
This applies to a lot of superhero films where the director feels the need to kill off villains for “dramatic impact”. They killed Green Goblin in the first Spider-Man but that kinda makes more sense if you are familiar with the Spidey universe. But, why bother putting a Gwen Stacy character in Spider-Man 3 when you already used the Spidey vs. Goblin on the bridge scenario (in which Gwen plummets to her death) in the first film? Why didn’t this summer’s Spider Man re-boot bring the Green Goblin into the mix? It is a re-boot after all! I guess the logic was to bring another classic Spidey villain to get fans into seats, but why not do the Gwen Stacy story right from the get-go? I heard that recently Marvel got the rights back for Galactus and Silver Surfer from Fox so they might keep the rights to make another Fantastic Four sequel. Praise Kirby that went down because I can’t think of a bigger waste of a villain than turning Galactus in a cosmic dust-cloud!
RULE #2: STOP “MODERNIZING” THE HERO’S COSTUME!
With the exception of Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy can you even stand to look at any of the ’90s Bat-Suits? And why does Superman need a costume upgrade? Part of the reason Chris Reeves’ Superman stands the test of time is because he’s wearing blue tights and not some b.s., shiny polymer. The more you “modernize” a classic superhero costume, the more you are making that costume tied to the year or decade that movie is released. The Green Lantern costume already looks like a Schumacher nightmare! Stick with the tights, I say!
With the recent reboot of Total Recall not exactly getting a lot of love from fans or critics, it’s a fine opportunity to get into the sticky subject of SHAPPY’S RULES OF THE REBOOT!
Nerd’s Eye View: Time for Big-Screen Fireworks
The July Fourth holiday has inspired Hollywonk contributor Jeffrey Seasholtz, aka Uncle Shappy, aka the “nerd of spoken word.” (Perhaps you also saw him in Fanboys?). Here’s the latest edition from his Longbox of Opinions:
Every year around this time I dust off my Independence Day DVD and let its jingoistic cheese pour over me like I’m a plate of nachos. And when President Bill Pullman rallies the troops with his “This is our INDEPENDENCE DAY!” speech, it never fails to stir my sense of patriotism to its nerdy American core. (Plus, any movie where Jeff Goldblum saves the planet with a magic laptop can’t be all that bad!)
Independence Day (1996) is an obvious choice for 4th of July viewing, but there are other great films American nerds can watch this holiday and still get that feeling of American pride. So let’s kick the tires and light the fires, big daddy!
Superman II (1980)
When General Zod and his cronies come to planet Houston, they immediately start defacing our beloved American institutions. What balls it takes to blast the faces of our best Presidents off of Mount Rushmore and replace them with your own! When the terrible trio starts smashing up the White House and make President E.G. Marshall kneel before Zod, it really gets my American blood boiling! Eventually, Superman gets his sh&t together after giving up his powers to boink Lois Lane and throws these intergalactic thugs into Marlboro trucks and neon Coca-Cola signs in Times Square. When Superman replaces the American flag to the top of the White House and apologizes to the President, well sir, my eyes swell with tears of American joy!
Red Dawn (1984)
The Brat Pack with automatic weapons! Even when I saw this this in theaters as a teen, I thought to myself “There is NO WAY this is ever going to happen in my lifetime!”. But thank the Lord above that John Milius did. It’s no surprise that Milius had written all of the Dirty Harry movies because Red Dawn is all about American vengeance. This was Patrick Swayze’s first big starring role and I can’t think of a better leader for a group of teenage rebels defending our borders from Cubans and Commies. This movie practically punches you the face with it’s patriotism. Man, I wonder what people in other countries thought of this movie? I guess we’ll get a chance to find out when the re-make comes out next year and watch Thor (Chris Helmsworth) defend our borders from North Korea! WOLVERIIIIIINES!
