Chris Noth Is Lex Luthor

Not that fanboys would necessarily be familiar with the actor’s portrayal of Mr. Big from Sex and the City (though that does sound like a Warren Ellis superhero name, doesn’t it?) but actor Chris Noth’s geek stakes are improved thanks to his voice acting of the good Lex Luthor from February 23’s animated DVD, Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths. Thanks to Warner Bros. below is the official interview with the man himself and a few new images of the heroic Luthor.

If Sex In the City fans were confused over their see-saw love affair with Chris Noth’s Mr. Big, comics fans will endure an equal amount of trepidation over Noth’s latest performance – as the voice of a “good” Lex Luthor – in Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, an all-new DC Universe Animated Original PG-13 Movie coming February 23, 2010 from Warner Premiere, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation.

In Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, a “good” Lex Luthor arrives from an alternate universe to recruit the Justice League to help save his Earth from the Crime Syndicate, a gang of villainous characters with virtually identical super powers to the Justice League. What ensues is the ultimate battle of good versus evil in a war that threatens both planets and, through a diabolical plan launched by Owlman, puts the balance of all existence in peril. Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths is an original story from award-winning animation/comics writer Dwayne McDuffie (Justice League). Bruce Timm (Superman Doomsday) is executive producer, and Lauren Montgomery (Wonder Woman, Green Lantern: First Flight) and Sam Liu (Superman/Batman: Public Enemies) are co-directors. The full-length animated film will be distributed by Warner Home Video as a Special Edition 2-disc version on DVD and Blu-Ray™ Hi-Def, as well as single disc DVD, and On Demand and Download.

Noth has had a lengthy television presence as both Mr. Big in Sex and the City and as Mike Logan in Law & Order and Law & Order: Criminal Intent. He can currently be seen starring opposite Julianna Margulies
in the CBS drama The Good Wife. Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths represents Noth’s inaugural dip into the animated pool. In Los Angeles to record his 100-plus lines as Lex Luthor, Noth took time during the marathon session to discuss his first animated role. Without further ado …


QUESTION: You’ve had an extensive career in a number of acting mediums – is this
really your first animation voiceover experience?

CHRIS NOTH: I think I did about three lines of Mike Logan on Family Guy. That was a quick little gig. The character (Stewie) on the show carries a picture of Mike Logan in his wallet, so I was very flattered by that.
But that was just a few lines – so Lex is pretty much my first real animated role.

QUESTION: In that case, can you describe what your first “actual” animation voiceover experience was like?

CHRIS NOTH: I felt I had an instinct for it, and it was a lot of fun. It’s an interesting technique and, like any medium, whether you’re doing radio or certain kinds of narrative voiceovers for stage or movies, it has
its own sort of rules and performance values. I think the choices had to be bold and succinct and clear. To me, it appears that super heroes have to be powerful, but it also has to be real. You have to make bold
choices and go all the way through with them. That’s true with a lot of acting anyway. But with animation, it seems to me there’s nothing coy about it. The acting has its own subtleties. So you have to find that balance. And as long as you go with that instinct, it’s a blast.

QUESTION: Did you take a different approach to this Lex Luthor – a good guy Lex – than you would’ve taken with a typically villainous Lex?

CHRIS NOTH: I was extremely excited to be playing the ultimate villain from my youth. I remember how Gene Hackman portayed Lex Luthor with such great delight in the films, and I thought I’d be getting that Lex. So I was surprised to see that in this script, Lex is actually on the right side of the law. It required a whole new thinking on my part on how to approach him. I mean, he’s a super hero who’s in this very complex, parallel universe.  He’s actually trying to save all of reality from being destroyed. So I just took that adjustment and said, “Wow, I need to get up to date on my super heroes.” I’m guess I’m a little bit retro. (he laughs)

QUESTION: Do you feel any special significance to be joining the canon of actors – Gene Hackman, Kevin Spacey, Michael Rosenbaum, Clancy Brown – to have brought Lex Luthor to life?

CHRIS NOTH: Initially when I heard about the role, I thought about that great tradition of actors associated with Lex. And I really feel honored to be a part of that group. But this is a complete departure from those
performances. This time, Lex is on the right side of the law. He’s worlds away from the old Lex.

QUESTION: You’ve done your share of Shakespeare. Can you characterize Lex within the context of some of the great literary or stage heroes/villains?

CHRIS NOTH: Not this Lex. I find super heroes to be more archetypes of values of courage and fortitude and things like that. It’s interesting to me that the new world of animation, compared to when I was growing up, is so much more diverse in its characters. There’s so many more of them, and it’s a much more complicated world. The old comic books that I grew up on had these characters that were in many ways Shakespearean.
They were very big with their evilness in the same vein as Richard III in Shakespeare. Those characters relished being bad, and that’s always fun to play.

QUESTION: How did you find working alone in a sound booth versus playing off other actors?

CHRIS NOTH: It presented a different challenge in the same way that a radio play is different from being on stage, and being on stage is different than being in the movies, and the movies are different than being on a TV series. They all have different values that are fun to explore and to take a crack at. So I found it challenging and interesting to jump into that world.

QUESTION: Did it get easier when Bruce Davison joined you at the microphone?

CHRIS NOTH: That was even more fun because I know Bruce and it’s always more fun to work off another person. Sandy Meisner, the great acting teacher, used to say that what you do doesn’t depend on you. It depends on the other fellow. In other words, they make you respond. So when Bruce came in, there was a new kind of energy that I sort of relished. I didn’t have that many scenes with him, but he was a lot of fun and I think he made a great President.

QUESTION: As you are new to animation voiceovers, you’re also new to the direction involved. How did you find Andrea Romano’s direction?

CHRIS NOTH: (Animation) is very quick, it’s to the point, and very on message, and you have to just go with it. Andrea was extremely helpful to me to get some of the tone and in knowing what you have to keep in mind with what’s happening to the character in the scene. Whether it’s an intimate scene or there’s a lot of action, she keeps you on point. So she’s a very good field marshal.

December 3, 2009
Categories: Interviews, Movies, New To Comics? . Tags: , . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Halo Legends Interview

There’s some great animated films coming out in February, such as Planet Hulk, Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths (oh yeah!) and now, Halo Legends which is released by Warner Home Video on DVD and Blu-Ray on February 16. Halo is a great universe deserving of this kind of interpretation, and will hopefully be better than the disappointing Batman: Gotham Knight film. Below is the press release and  interview with Frank O’Connor, one of the men behind this unique anime film.

The Halo universe expands into anime this spring via Halo Legends, a DVD anthology of episodic films based within the popular game’s mythology produced by 343 Industries, a unit within Microsoft Game
Studios. One of the key orchestrators of Halo’s morphing from interactive entertainment to on-screen magic is Frank O’Connor, the Halo franchise development director.

Warner Home Video will distribute Halo Legends as a Special Edition 2-disc version on DVD and Blu Ray™, as well as single disc DVD and available On Demand and Digital Download. The new street date is
February 16, 2010.

Born and raised in Edinburgh, Scotland, O’Connor is renowned throughout the gaming industry for his insightful expertise and innovative direction working with Halo. After a long career as a journalist for several gaming publications, O’Connor has parlayed a keen sense of the gaming industry – and a devout love for the games therein – into a career as a creator of content and story lines for the worldwide phenomenon that is Halo.

For Halo Legends, O’Connor worked directly with Japanese screenwriters on each of the seven stories – spread over eight episodic installments – that include all the elements familiar to Halo fans. Exploring the origin and historical events of the Halo universe and its intriguing characters. Halo Legends has been created in the same breakthrough format as The Animatrix and Batman Gotham Knight with each individual episode imagined by a cutting-edge, renowned Japanese anime director/animator.

Most of the individual episodes fall within Halo’s 26th Century mythology as the battle between humanity and aliens rages on in an attempt to protect Earth and mankind’s ever-dwindling collection of space colonies. The dramatic, action-packed stories feature characters and locales familiar to Halo fans, and episodes range in length between 10 and 17 minutes –  resulting in nearly two hours of animated
adventures. O’Connor took a few moments from his busy schedule to discuss the exciting production and offer a glimpse behind the scenes in the creation of Halo Legends.

QUESTION: Halo Legends not only shifts from interactive game to animated film, but also to a variety of anime styles. Was there any worry that going anime would make the production unrecognizable as a Halo brand?

FRANK O’CONNOR: The Halo brand is strong enough to survive and even thrive through interpretation. Halo iconography is recognizable in virtually any form. When you look at a Warthog that’s drawn by a Japanese artist or a Spartan that’s animated in a way you’ve never seen it before, it’s still intrinsically Halo. The brand really lends itself to comics and animation beautifully. It withstands all sorts of interpretation and is still recognizable Halo, rather than just diluting and becoming generic sci-fi.

The wonderful thing about a completely immersive world like Halo is that it’s not just the visuals that are instantly recognizable. There are so many elements involved in playing the game, including the audio, the music, the sound effects – it’s all part of the experience. When you’ve played these games for six or seven years, and you hear a Warthog engine, you instantly recognize it. So in an episode as distinctly different visually as “The Duel,” it may take a while before you actually see that energy sword and it’s apparent that this is Halo, but the sounds might bring you into this story much earlier as being from the Halo universe.

This is a world that people come to know with great, detailed intimacy. You might’ve watched Star Wars 20 times, but Halo fans have played the game hundreds and hundreds of times. Most of our mid-level players, say those at Level 33, have logged more than 2,000 games just on Halo 3. If you’re a Level 50 player, that number goes up geometrically.

QUESTION: How did you decide which stories to tell in Halo Legends?

FRANK O’CONNOR: There are really two driving forces behind our creative development. First, there were things we were curious about. We wanted to investigate what shaped the Elite civilization, their solidifying of the Covenant, and their place in it. The second, but equal part of the equation was that we wanted to provide backstory about what fans are curious about. Our story for “The Package” fits that neatly – fans want to see more about the Spartans, and they wanted to see them fighting in a group. Normally you see one Spartan in battle – the question came up, “What happens when you have that force multiplier?”

We came up with dozens of topics, but these were the hot button stories. For “The Babysitter,” we were interested in the rivalry between the ODSTs and the Spartans, so we wanted to put them together and see what happened. “The Duel” gave us the chance to delve into the pure civilization and the futile aspects of that society. We used “The Package” to present a story that not only featured the Master Chief but had multiple Spartans fighting together.

QUESTION: Can you give a quick breakdown of what fans can expect in the other Halo Legends stories?

FRANK O’CONNOR: “Prototype” is very Japanese in style as we worked with Bones and director Yasushi Muraki – both the studio and Muraki are huge in Japan right now. He has created an anime sub-genre called Muraki Circus, which features a lot of flying, mecha fighting, weapons, explosions, dog-fighting – and that fit perfectly with the creation of a Halo prototype weapon. Still, we really wanted to make it a human story, so we worked with Muraki to blend those two ideas. Ultimately, it’s the introduction of a prototype of Spartan equipment that’s never been employed, and played out in the very pure anime style of Muraki Circus.

The Halo universe is big and expansive, and “Origins” gave us the chance to take Halo newbies through that universe one step at a time. At the same time, for Halo fans, we wanted to go really deep and show
them things they’ve imagined but never seen before. Part I of “Origins” is the forerunner of civilization, and the advent of the flood threat that led to the creation of the Halos. “Origins Part 2” deals with the current Halo universe and everything from the advancement of human space travel to contemporary Halo fiction.

“Odd One Out” is just flat out fun. We worked with Toei Animation to create an episode that Halo fans and responsible parents could show their kids. It’s all fun, lots of parody and no gunfire, along the way poking fun at all the macho archetypes that inhabit the Halo universe.

You’re going to have to see “Homecoming” – it’s about Spartan origins, and it’s just too spoiler-filled to describe it. I will say this, though – it’s got the cutest poster of any of the stories, and that’s ironic because it’s a really dark story.


QUESTION: How did you balance giving the Japanese artists balance specific instructions vs. creative freedom?

FRANK O’CONNOR: We didn’t try to control their every pen stroke. There were some things that needed to be maintained – a Warthog has to look like a Warthog. But we gave them a lot of creative freedom. “Prototype” is an excellent example in that the actual prototype is an entirely brand new piece of Spartan equipment. I think the Japanese artists had a good time trying to create new inventions, and for the most part we embraced those creations. There were a few things we rejected or simply worked with the artists until we had them just right. We gave very loose descriptions, mostly emotional threads rather than pinpoint direction. But in many cases, we simply said, “Here’s some goalposts, but we want your interpretation.” In most cases, they exceeded our wildest expectations.

QUESTION: Why go with anime over animation?

FRANK O’CONNOR: The funny thing is that the question these days is “What is anime?” It has expanded in so many directions. But still, there’s a distinct way anime deals with the narrative in animation, exploring ideas and ambitious techniques that we don’t often do in western animation. That was one of the things that drew us to anime.

The other difference is that there aren’t that many outfits (in the U.S.)  that can produce shorts or an anthology of shorts in the way we saw this project playing out, and yet Japan has a very rich pool of
talent and studios that are perfectly suited to this type of production. And we were anxious to work with those talented artists and studios. We made a wish list of the studios and pretty much got everyone we wanted.

QUESTION: Were there any artists that wanted to work no Halo Legends as badly as you wanted to work with them?

FRANK O’CONNOR: Shinji Aramaki is sort of a central figure – he works well with everyone. There’s no ego there – he’s a nice collaborative force. We worked closely with Aramaki on “The Package,” and with Aramaki and Bones on “Prototype.” The great part is that he’s a huge Halo fan – he has completed the game on “Legendary” difficulty, which most people haven’t done – let alone a legendary Japanese director. He’d always wanted to work on a Halo project, so he was already well versed on the fiction and was excited about the opportunity.

QUESTION: How much of a learning curve was there for the anime studios in getting fully vested in the Halo universe?

FRANK O’CONNOR: Some of the studios had to learn Halo from scratch, so we educated them in the universe and they took that and ran with it – and they became genuine, passionate fans. I’ve spent a significant amount of time in Japan, going over the game, the artwork, the concept art. A lot of the artists were playing the game at the same time, so I played with them. We felt it was important that they were very understanding of the game. As we went along, every single overseas team had someone on their staff that became their resident Halo nerd, their internal expert.

QUESTION: Does Halo Legends have an overall theme that unites all seven stories?

FRANK O’CONNOR: These episodes don’t have a rigid super arc beyond the theme of artistic interpretation. The individual pieces are made up of a lot of very universal story themes. It’s the idea of a hero’s journey – every single episode features a heroic archetype. There are the more traditional Achilles and Ulysses types, the clever ones that succeed through craft and guile and wit. Sacrifice and heroism are general themes, but that’s germane to the game of Halo. There’s not much time for romance when you’re shooting at everything. Ultimately, the episodes are like the game in that you’re putting yourself in the shoes of a hero and his or her journey.

QUESTION: Halo is a very interactive experience. Why will fans embrace the opportunity to sit and watch rather than interact and play?

FRANK O’CONNOR: Halo Legends does the reverse. I think we have a lot of players that probably don’t fully understand the narrative of the fiction. A lot of people don’t stop and smell the roses while playing – mainly because it’s easy to miss the narrative when you’re surrounded by explosions and Banshees. This gives fans a chance to enjoy Halo in a completely different experience – to sit down on a couch and take in the story without worrying about being shot or how much health you have left. For anyone interested in a preview I suggest they log into to Halo Waypoint on Xbox LIVE to see preview episodes of Halo Legends running through early next year every Saturday.

December 2, 2009
Categories: Cartoons, Games, Movies, New To Comics?, News . Tags: , . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Iron Man 2 Poster

Thanks to some technical difficulties, I’ve been away from the net for 4 days. It’s been strangely liberating, but I’m glad to return to the geek homeworld, and to make up for my absence, here’s the brand new official poster for Iron Man 2, showing Tony Stark in his new armour, standing back to back with buddy Jim Rhodes AKA War Machine. Sweet. For a few more less exciting photos from the film go here.

December 1, 2009
Categories: Movies, New To Comics?, News . Tags: , . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: 2 Comments

Justice League: Crisis On Two Earths Trailer

Oh yeah, this is what I’m talking about! Whereas Marvel’s direct to DVD animated films have been fairly bland affairs treated with kid gloves, Warner Bros. are giving DC diehards film after film to get excited about. It’s a smart approach that they’ve employed with every recent film, such as Superman/Doomsday, Green Lantern: First Flight and Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, and it goes a little something like this; don’t bog down the story in exposition but just get straight to what the fans want. Apparently Public Enemies sold like gangbusters, and now Warner Bros. are considering a first for this series; a sequel.

This approach works splendidly, as it’s the fanboys and girls that lap this stuff up and expect the same kind of maturity and action they get from their comics. However, with great extras explaining just who these characters are and revealing a little DC history, newbies need not be overwhelmed, but hopefully intrigued by the DCU.

So, gushing aside, next year’s DVD feature is entitled Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths and features a good Lex Luthor from an alternate earth visiting “our” Justice League’s aid in wiping out their evil counterparts, the Crime Syndicate. Trailer below. I said Public Enemies was the best of these films, but I may just have to revise that statement early next year.

November 12, 2009
Categories: Cartoons, Movies, New To Comics?, News . Tags: , . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Kick-Ass Trailer

Kick-Ass, based on the guilt pleasure comic of the same name by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr. debuts on cinemas on April 16. It stars Aaron Johnson, Nicolas Cage and Superbad’s McLovin and is directed by Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake, Stardust).It’s all about the titular teen who, inspired by his love of superheroes, decides to become one himself, making fans, enemies and lots of costly mistakes along the way. Black humour, blood and a high-five to fanboys everywhere. Trailer below, though it doesn’t really give the film justice and plays it generally safe.

November 12, 2009
Categories: Movies, New To Comics? . Tags: , , . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: 2 Comments

G.I. Joe: Resolute DVD

As mentioned earlier in the week the excellent collection of animated short films written by comics writer Warren Ellis is now on DVD, on Region 1 at least. Us Region 4ers have to wait until early December, but it is worth the wait. Resolute is great and serves as a mature antidote to the live action film and presents all the techno stuff and violence that Ellis loves to create. Here’s the trailer, and below are a few storyboards to give you a taste of the action.

GIJoeEp1Pg40

GIJoeEp10Pg20

GIJoeEp10Pg57

 

November 4, 2009
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This Is It Review

This Is ItAfter watching this Michael Jackson memorial/documentary/concert film, you’ll know at least two things: the King of Pop deserves that title and his London shows would have been spectacular. However there’s no sadness haunting this almost 2 hour long flick. No “R.I.P Michael Jackson-1958-2009” or any such sentiment. There’s no mention of the controversy surrounding him, or any looks at old photographs of his childhood. In fact nothing is actually learned about the legendary entertainer himself. However we are presented a side of Jackson that we’ve never seen before. In This Is It he looks surprisingly …normal.

He laughs with the concert’s co-creator and director of this film, Kenny Ortega as well as his obviously grateful dancers and band. Jackson doesn’t talk a lot, but is very humble and thankful, and at 50 years old is still as good as ever in this film. He dances like no-one else (but I didn’t spot a Moonwalk) and gives his all throughout the rehearsals in California’s The Forum and Staples Center presented here, apart from the occasional vocal break to save his voice for the show itself. Mostly This Is It consists of Jackson and dancers performing infront of an empty arena and all the hits (Beat It, Earth Song, Billie Jean,etc) sound great.

The toe-tapping film is only in cinemas for 2 weeks, but it has the feel of a DVD extra with its behind the scenes approach. The DVD will be released early next year and for Jackson fans it’s a must have item. It’s not necessary to see it in the cinema unless you can’t wait until next year, but the extra bits made specifically for the concert, such as the 3-D Thriller piece, serve as a reminder of what an awesome show this would’ve been. Jackson truly was a legend and there won’t be another like him. This Is It serves as a tender acknowledgement of the man’s gifts. Simply, Jackson was born to do this and doesn’t want to do it alone. The staff around him are understandably slightly awed in his presence, but he offers only love, with “God bless you,” and “I love you,” being his favourite phrases. The man was a master at his craft and we should be glad that we have this final glimpse of him at work.

November 4, 2009
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Prince Of Persia Trailer

In cinemas on May 28 next year is another Jerry Bruckheimer blockbuster. Based on the awesomely acrobatic video games, the film stars a newly buff Jake Gyllenhaal and Gemma Arterton from Quantum of Solace, as well as Ben Kingsley and Alfred Molina. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is directed by Mike Newell (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire).

November 3, 2009
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G.I. Joe Resolute On DVD

GI Joe Resolute DVDAvailable tomorrow November 3 is the DVD and Blu-Ray collection of these excellent animated Joe adventures, penned by comics scribe Warren Ellis. More adult and violent and just plain cool than the embarrassing live action film, Resolute is a must-have for fans of the Joes as they should be.

These short episodes originally aired on the adult swim TV channel and here earlier in the year. The DVD contains about an hour of episodic adventures, plus exclusive missing footage, film maker interviews, Joe files, storyboards and a teaser for something called Now You Know.

 

November 2, 2009
Categories: Cartoons, Movies . Tags: . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Assassin’s Creed Short Film

The trailers look great, the game looks great, and now Ubisoft have raised the bar even higher and created a series of short films, and yes, they look great too! Since debuting 2 days ago Part 1 of Assassin’s Creed: Lineage has gained almost half a million views. The live action direction and the luscious cinematography make for a perfect entry into next month’s game. Future film directors won’t come from the well trodden path of music videos, but from next-gen games. Under the 14 minute film is how Ubisoft describe the series.

When the Duke of Milan is brutally murdered, the Assassin Giovanni Auditore is dispatched to investigate. The answers he uncovers implicate Italy’s most powerful families reaching all the way back to the Vatican itself. As Giovanni draws closer to the truth, he becomes hunted himself. He must expose the conspirators before he joins their ever growing list of victims.

Lineage is the prequel to the Assassin’s Creed II story, revealing the machinations of 15th century Italy through the actions of Ezio’s father, Giovanni.

Episode # 1: 1476, Florence. Giovanni Auditore, an assassin, attempts to thwart a conspiracy against one of Lorenzo de Medicis allies. The ensuing inquiry will take him to Milan where he tries to prevent the worst from happening.

October 28, 2009
Categories: Games, Movies . Tags: . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

The New A-Team

Arriving on screens in June is the latest ’80s re-make – The A-Team. I still remember the them song, and of course, “”I pity the fool,” will live on forever. This new incarnation stars Bradley Cooper as Lt. Templeton “Faceman” Peck, Quinton “Rammpage” Jackson (from UFC) as B.A Baracus, Sharlto Copley as Captain “Howling Mad” Murdock and Liam Neeson as Colonel John “Hannibal” Smith. Mmm..I have my doubts. It’s being directed as we speak by Joe Carnahan, who also created the excellent films Narc and Smokin’ Aces, so maybe he’ll save it. The story centres on the titular veterans from the Iraq war (moved forward from the Vietnam war in the original TV series) who become farmed for a crime and must prove their innocence to the U.S military.

The New A-Team

October 25, 2009
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Isolation Review

Isolation FilmThis film was made in 2005 and screened at the Fantastic Fest film festival a year later, winning best picture and best director. It deserves it. There are so many gems like this that get overlooked, and it’s also one of those films that you recommend to everyone you know – thus this review.

For some reason it was a new release at my local Blockbuster, but we do tend to get films later than everyone else in Australia. I like the odd horror film and this is nothing like any other recent entry in the genre. There’s no masked killer, no attractive girls running through the forest and no creatively vicious deaths.

Isolation is an Irish film written and directed by Billy O’Brien (who has criminally made nothing since for some reason). It really is an edge of your seat thriller with an indie film approach and the suspense of Hitchcock at his best. There’s not a huge cast, or lots of eerie music, and it’s arty look makes it immediately leave all standard slasher films in its wake.

Now, here’s the hard sell. Isolation is set in a remote farm where a genetically engineered cow gives birth to something rather nasty, and blood and terror ensues. It may seem like a laughable concept but it’s anything but. There’s definite nods to the classic Alien and even though it’s set in a somber and muddy place the farm looks textured and claustrophobic. I was genuinely surprised a few times and the make-up effects are subtly gross, but don’t worry there’s nothing resembling a cow on its hind legs squirting acid from its udders. It’s a slow burn with engaging characters in a desperate situation.

Just watch this film if you see it on the shelves. It’s a daring approach in a genre that too often tries anything but.

October 23, 2009
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Terminator Salvation: The Machinima Series Release

Terminator Salvation: The Machinima Series is available on November 3. The unique game/film mash-up features Moon Bloodgood from the film in her role as Blair Williams in a new story set in the world of Salvation. Press release and trailer below.

Terminator Salvation: The Machinima SeriesOn November 3rd Warner Home Video will release Terminator Salvation The Machinima Series. Using real-time 3-D graphics from video game graphic engines and featuring the voice of Moon Bloodgood, Terminator Salvation The Machinima Series follows resistance pilot Blair Williams in her search for a mysterious disturbance known as Ghost across a post-nuclear Los Angeles, 2 years before the events in Terminator Salvation. The 6 episodes of the series, previously available as digital downloads, are now available on DVD for the first time with 20 minutes of special features for $12.97 SRP.

TERMINATOR SALVATION THE MACHINIMA SERIES DVD ELEMENTS

SD Content:

All 6 episodes

The Making of Terminator Salvation The Machinima Series – Learn how game assets evolve into movies. Features interviews with developers, producers and Moon Bloodgood at work voicing Blair Williams

Character Profile: Blair Williams – Explore the character of resistance fighter Blair Williams in depth and learn why the creators used Machinima as the storytelling vehicle

SYNOPSIS: “My name is Blair Williams. I fight for the Resistance.” It is the year 2016, and Resistance fighter Blair Williams embarks on a deadly mission to search for a threat that is weakening humanity’s defense against the self-aware artificial intelligence called Skynet and its lethal Terminators. Moon Bloodgood reprises her Terminator Salvation role in this original machinima series, providing the voice of Williams as she takes on T-600s, MotoTerminators, Aerostats and Hunter Killers. Machinima delivers action and style in a big way, through its unique form of animation that is created using video-game engines and graphics.

October 17, 2009
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Superman/Batman: Public Enemies Review

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies DVDAwesome. Just awesome. The beauty of these DC animated films is that each one is so unique in what it reveals about the DC Universe. Superman/Batman: Public Enemies is a quintessential blockbuster. If Jerry Bruckheimer teamed up with Dan DiDio, this would be the result.

Of course, the pedigree of this film is much loved, as well it should be. The Superman/Batman comic series was launched by writer Jeph Loeb and artist Ed McGuiness in 2003 and is a favourite of mine, and may others. Those first 6 issues showed the great heights to which comics can attain, and highlighted the different centres between the 2 lead characters, thanks to Loeb’s specific inner monologues for both.

This film adaptation may only be just over an hour long, but it’s thankfully very similar to the plot of those 6 issues. After James Bond-like intro credits, it begins with a brief montage showing the current state of the U.S (ie, an economic disaster zone) which leads to Superman baddie Lex Luthor becoming President . This was an all too short plot device in the comics, but it did deliver gold, like in this story. Luthor uses his newfound power to frame Superman for the murder of Metallo and the paranoia from an oncoming kryptonite meteor to offer a $1 billion bounty for Superman and Batman, as enemies of the state.

Solomon GrundyFor those that fondly recall the initial series, you’ll be pleased as punch to know that all the good stuff has been pulled from the page to the screen. The kryptonite bullet, Luthor injecting himself with liquid kryptonite, the clash with Captain Marvel and Hawkman, Hiro the new Japanese Toyman and his giant robot. It’s all here. However, new fans will be lost. With all the supervillain and hero cameos, there are no expository speeches detailing their origins, powers or even names. A nice touch would’ve been a bonus feature with such info, but the curious can always read the TPB collecting the comic series, and go from there. There are also hints at Superman’s death and his romance with Lois, but again, these are for fanboys joy only. However, who can deny the joy of seeing so many cameos minute after minute? Mongul, Black Lightning, Gorilla Grodd, Nightshade, Power Girl (voiced by Smallville’s Alison Mack) and many more make any fanboy heart gleeful.

Public Enemies is a lavish film, filled with Ed McGuiness-styled looks and action packed direction by Sam Liu. Tim Daly, Kevin Conroy and Clancy Brown are back from their respective Superman: The Animated Series and Batman: TAS. It’s great to hear, and see these characters on-screen again, as Supes, Bats and Luthor.

Lex Luthor Power SuitThe 2 disc version comes with some great features that are a delight to any veteran DC reader like me.  Disc 1 has a look at the current dead-risng epic Blackest Night, with interviews with writer Geoff Johns and DC head honcho Dan DiDio. There are also looks at the four previous DC animated films (Batman: Gotham Knight, Wonder Woman, Justice League: The New Frontier and Green Lantern: First Flight) though these are not new. Trailers for Fringe, GL: First Flight and the stand-out Batman: Arkham Asylum game are there too.

Disc 2 has an interesting feature looking at the different mindsets of the two caped heroes, a casual Dinner  With DCU feature, in which casting director Andrea Romano, Batman voice actor Kevin Conroy, producer Bruce Timm and DC Exec. Gregory Noveck drink coffee and discuss their long running animated ventures. Also included is an exciting look at the next DC animated feature, Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, which looks to be even better than this one. Two episodes from Superman: TAS, hand-picked by Timm are thrown in for good measure. They are Knight Time and The Demon Reborn and each episode feature the two heroes teaming up, with The Demon also including a Ra’s Al Ghul cameo and the sometimes humorous Knight featuring Clark impersonating Batman, with a little help from Robin and a little trouble from The Penguin, Riddler and Bane.

Really, DC are proving they’re on to something with these films and each one feels like a grateful nod to DC fans. Hopefully they serve to entertain the DC-curious too. If any of Warner Bros. live action attempts comes even close to this, then the man on the street will proudly become more familiar with DC characters rather than Spider-Man and Wolverine.

October 17, 2009
Categories: Cartoons, Movies, Reviews . Tags: , , . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

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