HarrisonFord

There are many reasons I wish I had a deeper knowledge of comics, though honestly the most prevalent reason is I hate having to rely on Wikipedia to learn what one is about whenever one pops up into the film world. Most of the time it's not a big deal as the Internet will provide all the info I need to at least understand what a comic's premise is, but the Internet has failed me in regards to the graphic novel Cowboys & Aliens. A mere two sentences on the plot at Wikipedia has repeatedly left me in the lurch whenever Jon Favreau's forthcoming adaptation of Scott Mitchell Rosenberg's series has come up in the past.

Now, thanks to Joblo, we have a far more detailed synopsis for the Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Sam Rockwell and Olivia Wilde-starring film:

"1873. Arizona Territory. A stranger (Craig) with no memory of his past stumbles into the hard desert town of Absolution. The only hint to his history is a mysterious shackle that encircles one wrist. What he discovers is that the people of Absolution don't welcome strangers, and nobody makes a move on its streets unless ordered to do so by the iron-fisted Colonel Dolarhyde (Ford). It's a town that lives in fear.

There's nothing like a good rumor to start off your day. Even if it never pans out, it can be fun for five minutes to imagine the possibilities. Take this rumor from Latino Review regarding Harrison Ford joining Daniel Craig for Jon Favreau's Cowboys & Aliens. They make it quite clear that they've been unable to confirm the news in any kind of an official capacity, but all of their internal signs are pointing toward Ford playing some kind of role in the Iron Man director's adaptation of the comic series about aliens who attempt to enslave humanity in the 1800s only to find a very reticent local population of cowboys (and Indians, though they're not in the title) who then fight back.

I really hope this comes to pass. I haven't read the comic, so I have no idea where Ford would fit in, I just want to see the man back on the big screen in a big blockbuster. I want to plunk down money for a summer matinee where Ford isn't complaining about how old he's getting or trying to cure cancer or hitting on women who are younger than him. I want to see Harrison Ford do once again what Harrison Ford used to do best; dominate a franchise. And I think re-teaming with someone like Favreau, who, despite tackling a few CGI-heavy films, has shown a great affinity for practical effects over green screen extravaganzas could coax the old Indy, the old Han Solo, and the old Deckard back out of hiding.

Han Solo as a experimental research scientist? In Extraordinary Measures, which opens wide tomorrow, Harrison Ford plays Dr. Robert Stonehill, a medical researcher seeking a cure for a life-threatening muscular disease. Though the film is inspired by the true story of John Crowley (played by Brendan Fraser) and his family, Stonehill is a composite of several doctors. As portrayed by Ford, the good doctor is strong-willed, hard-working, and ultimately heroic. Han Solo's cheeky bravado occasionally shines through in Ford's defiant countenance, though the sullen, oft-irritated facade of Rick Deckard (Blade Runner) is more often on view in Dr. Stonehill's bearing.

Not all experiments have happy endings, of course, and not all research scientists are heroic, especially in science fiction movies. When researchers on the cutting edge of science make mistakes, the results can be catastrophic. Here are the top ten sci-fi experiments gone wrong -- the movie edition.

1. The Fly (1986)
Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum) has made incredible strides toward a working teleportation system, which could be the invention of the century. But it's not until after he meets Veronica Quaife (Geena Davis) that he dares to experiment with a living creature: first a baboon, then himself. If only he had noticed the tiny winged insect in one of the experimental pods ... David Cronenberg's version of the Vincent Price-starring shocker is a character-driven thriller that feels like it's teleported into your nervous system. "Be afraid. Be very afraid."

Because right before Thanksgiving it'll do you good to take in a trailer mash-up that makes it look like our beloved Han Solo was a dirty filthy drug smuggler who sounds an awful lot like Al Pacino with a thick accent (to be fair there's a little Indiana Jones mixed in there, too). In all seriousness, though, this mash-up at least comes with a little style and substance. Most of them are simply re-dubbed over the original trailers, but this one -- oh no -- this one is a little loco ... just the way we like it.

Yeah ... there's nothing else to say except that Han Solo is a pimp. Carry on after the jump to see what I'm talking about.

Apparently the boys are hammering out the details for a fifth installment of the Indiana Jones franchise. Harrison Ford says that if the script is good he'll come back. But does that mean anything? He put on the fedora for Indiana Jones and the Space Invaders and that took the franchise in a direction it didn't need to go.

What's next? Indiana Jones and the Flying Saucer of Anal Probing? Indy and Mutt are abducted by aliens and brought on board their spaceship filled with ... snakes! The Jones boys must escape the clutches of the aliens by swinging from Indy's whip into an escape pod and make their way back to Earth with the alien's plans for planetary destruction so they can give them to Randy Quaid, who'll fly his plane right into the aliens' ship and blow 'em all up while Will Smith sheds a tear.

Damn, and I thought they couldn't top the fourth one. If Indiana Jones is going to come back, he needs to return to his mystical roots and leave the aliens for someone else to play with. ET II: Extra-Terrestrial Boogaloo maybe. What would you do in the new movie?