Please update your bookmarks and the RSS feed to: www.medium.com/dans-media-digest/
HEROES
It’s summer hiatus in America TV land, but there are a number of interesting new shows that will be vying for attention when the new TV season begins in September. Amongst those making their debuts is Heroes, an epic superhero drama from NBC, that chronicles the lives of a group of people who discover they possess extraordinary abilities.
Heroes’ Pilot episode has an Indian professor discover that, during a total eclipse of the sun, people with super powers have begun to appear:
Early word suggests that this TV variant of X-Men is one to watch, with its large multi-ethnic cast and supernatural elements drawing comparisons to Lost.
The Pilot also effectively sets in motion an epic multi-year plot and it’s refreshing that the superheroes don’t treat their powers as a curse, more their personal salvation. About time someone realized having super powers is actually damn cool, and don't whinge about it!
Of course, great TV shows are notoriously axed very early in their lives if the ratings aren't there, and NBC isn't a network particularly well-known for its sci-fi shows in the US. But, here's hoping this tantalizing premise is a success and comes to the UK quickly!
"Warners is looking at Watchmen right now. I believe they are looking for a director at the moment. I negotiated the Watchmen film deal when the third issue of the maxi-series was coming out in 1985 or 1986. It's been through Fox, Universal, Paramount so far and now it's at Warners. God knows. I think it's an extraordinary difficult property to do right as a film. It is a creative property that is very specifically designed for the medium in which it is published. I think it's a real challenge to break out and do it. I think they had a very interesting script and certainly Paul Greengrass is a great director, so I had some hope for the Paramount one. I hope Warner will be able to put something great around it."
Nice summation from a corporate bod (for once). Watchmen is certainly a very epic and complicated property to adapt successfully into even a 3-hour movie. Terry Gilliam famously suggested it should be made as a big-budget TV mini-series instead.
I'm still hopeful that the success of United 93 will somehow result in British director Paul Greengrass returning to the project with renewed clout and respect... or possibly Darren Aronofsky will rejoin the team after the (likely) success of sci-fi pic The Fountain in a few months...
While the Academy Awards reign supreme at the top of the awards ceremony tree, perhaps the most entertaining movie awards ceremony is actually MTV's annual bash. The nominations and winners are a better reflection of what your average movie-goer enjoyed watching (i.e., effects-fuelled blockbusters, horrors and comedies).
The event this year is hosted by the delectable Jessica Alba, and is shown tomorrow on MTV at 8:00 p.m, but if you just can't wait until then... read no further, as the winners were...
Best Movie: Wedding Crashers
Seriously? Very overrated movie.
Best Performance: Jake Gyllenhaal,
Well, yeah, okay.
Best Comedic Performance: Steve Carell, The 40 Year Old Virgin
Very worthy winner, fantastic performance.
Best On-Screen Team: Vince Vaughn & Owen Wilson, Wedding Crashers
Groan.
Best Villain: Hayden Christensen, Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge Of The Sith
Well, the writing let the side down so Vader's birth wasn't really that brilliant.
Breakthrough Performance: Isla Fisher, Wedding Crashers
Interesting, I suppose...
Best Hero: Christian Bale, Batman Begins
Great choice.
Sexiest Performance: Jessica Alba,
Sexy? Well, yes, intermittently. But hardly the sexiest performance of last year!
Best Kiss: Jake Gyllenhaal & Heath Ledger,
Hardy-har-har.
Best Fight: Angelina Jolie vs. Brad Pitt, Mr & Mrs Smith
Really? Can anyone remember this fight?
Generation Award: Jim Carrey
His star's fading fast these days, but yeah...
Best Frightened Performance: Jennifer Carpenter, The Exorcism Of Emily Rose
Hmm, not a bad choice, really...
(c) 2006-2015 Dan Owen. All rights reserved. No content appearing on this site may be reproduced, reposted, or reused without written permission.
Copyright © 2012 Max Mag Theme. Designed by Templateism and customised for Dan's Media Digest by @AlanJWoodward