x-men

Did anyone like X-Men Origins: Wolverine? I ask not because I'm being a cynical jerk who hates everything, but because I'm genuinely curious. I've yet to meet anyone who enjoyed that offensively soulless, corporate exercise of a motion picture. I hate a lot of things, but I'll take the migraine-inducing, socially irresponsible auteurism on display in something like Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen over the creatively bankrupt further adventures of a character who wore out his welcome about two thirds of the way through X-Men: The Last Stand.

Despite one the biggest second week box office drops ever, X-Men Origins: Wolverine made enough dough to warrant another outing with Hugh Jackman's hairy and anti-social mutant. The Hollywood Reporter's Showbiz 411 Blog is reporting that the script is finished and filming will commence in January of next year.

With Benicio Del Toro ready to debut as Lawrence Talbot in Joe Johnston's The Wolfman tomorrow, it's time to pay tribute to transformations. When Lon Chaney Jr. played The Wolf Man in 1941, the physical transformation was effected through make-up and dissolves. But the idea wasn't just that Lawrence Talbot was changed physically, but that his interior life changed as well. All the make-up and special effects in the world can't hide a character who doesn't grow (or devolve) from the experience.

Science fiction opens up the possibilities considerably, expanding the idea of cross-species commingling. Here are my top ten sci-fi transformations, listed (almost) in alphabetical order.

1. Sam Worthington in Avatar
Jake Sully is a broken man in more ways than one, rendered paraplegic during his military service and broken of spirit as a result. He doesn't take much convincing to accept a mission that may earn him an operation to regain the use of his limbs. Little does he know that it's his increasingly intimate dealings with the Na'vi that will transform him body and soul. He may appear to be nine feet tall and blue, he may wag a new tail, but deep inside, it is his very essence that is changing.

2. William Hurt in Altered States
Eddie Jessup is a brilliant scientist, far more interested in expanding his mind and consciousness than worrying about his physical being. Yet the hours he spends floating in a sensory-deprivation tank -- not to mention the drugs -- begin to have an effect upon his body as well, drilling down far deeper than even the brilliant Jessup could ever have anticipated. The result is one of the more bizarre apparitions to appear on screen.

Did you see Push? Yeah, I didn't either. I mean, I would've liked to. The trailers were pretty nifty, but it was a February dump and, to be perfectly honest, I'm not sure if that's the kind of movie I want to spend two hours with. Why are you looking at me like that? I'm sure good movies come out in February. I'm not making a blanket statement. You didn't see it either! Stop judging me. I tend to be more into summer or winter movies, myself. We all have our tastes!

Ahem.

Looks like Push will be getting a second chance at life, this time on television. Mr. David Hayter will be penning the pilot and it will act as an extension of the film, building on the universe established there. As I chose not to engage in a relationship with this particular motion picture, I had to steal a quote from Devin over at CHUD, where I first saw this news: "In the world of Push there's a hierarchy to the super powers - telekinetics are movers, oracles are watchers, mind controllers are pushers - and there's the Division, who is trying to make all of these psychics into weapons."

Hayter is no stranger to superhero adventure. His filmography includes the first two X-Men films and Watchmen, not to mention, that man is the voice of Solid friggin' Snake. Television feels like the perfect medium for superheroes, a place where adventures can be played out long term and vary on an episode by episode basis. As much as I love my big budget film versions, a TV series can lend characters a true mythology. What are comic books themselves but episodes of a drawn TV series?

I'll be keeping my eyes on this one. Best case scenario: a movie no one saw will become a series worth your time. Worst case scenario: it'll still be better than Heroes.

According the British Mirror newspaper, the confusion between roles and reality is about to get blurrier for one actor because Captain Picard is about to be knighted.

Scifiwire posted that Patrick Stewart will be knighted by Elizabeth II, Queen of England, as the actor is on the New Year's Honour's list according to anonymous sources. The official list has not been announced at this time.

Stewart's career boasts over 100 appearances in film and television, and is best known as Captain Jean-Luc Picard on Star Trek: The Next Generation, and as Charles Xavier in the X-Men franchise. That doesn't include his impressive track record on the stage; Stewart became a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1966, the same year he first appeared on television.

According to the report, the Queen is a fan of the 69 year old actor. I wonder if it's for his Claudius (Hamlet) or his Jean-Luc.

So whether you mistake him for Captain Picard, or his extensive work as an actor, calling him "sir" is quite appropriate.

A few days ago, I made my feelings on Bryan Singer returning to the X-Men franchise perfectly clear. I will try not to repeat myself, but I offer no promises. Instead, I offer additional information concerning the plot of the upcoming prequel, straight from Singer's mouth to Variety's laptops:

"This is the formative years of Xavier and Magneto, and the formation of the school and where there relationship took a wrong turn," Singer said. "There is a romantic element, and some of the mutants from 'X-Men' will figure into the plot, though I don't want to say which ones. There will be a lot of new mutants and a great villain."

Okay, so this will be a movie concerning how Professor X and Magneto were driven apart. We'll also surely see tween versions of Cyclops, Jean Grey and Storm gallivanting about. Ten bucks says that Wolverine pops in to wish 'em luck in a cameo that will not make any sense concerning the continuity of the-

Ah, forget it. X-Men Origins: Wolverine already flipped continuity the bird and threw it off a nuclear reactor along with Deadpool's severed head.

The article goes on to compare the concept to JJ Abrams' Star Trek and quotes Singer saying: "I put myself in the fan's position, and I think this story is something I would want to see, and so will they."

I want to believe you, Bryan. I really do. But no. I do not want to see X-Men Babies.

X-Men Origins: First Class will get rolling after Singer finishes Jack the Giant Killer. Then he'll tackle Battlestar Galactica (WHY?!) and Excalibur.

I think Bryan Singer is a first-class talent. When he's at his best, he'll pump out a great film like The Usual Suspects or X2, and when he's at his worst, he still manages to make an interesting failure like Superman Returns. I like him. I like his movies. I want to look forward to future Bryan Singer motion pictures.

Bryan Singer...please don't make X-Men Origins: First Class.

CHUD has all of the info tied up into a nice little package, including video from yesterday's Avatar premiere where Singer let this slip (although it looks like the news may have initially hit the internet via Twitter). Singer's name has been floating around next to this one for awhile now, but considering the borderline violent way Fox reacted to his wanting to direct Superman before a third X-Men film (which culminated in that whole Brett Ratner fiasco), it always felt, well, wrong. Now we have confirmation from the man himself.

Let me repeat myself: Bryan Singer...please don't make X-Men Origins: First Class.

Looking for something good and geeky to watch? Here are this week's notable DVD and Blu-ray releases:

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (DVD & Blu-ray)
For those who thought Transformers 2 needed more ninja kid-on-ninja kid violence comes The Rise of Cobra, a perfectly forgettable but fun piece of pop productainment. The two-disc version features docs on the film's visual effects plus a digital copy for your computer.

G.I. Joe: Resolute (DVD)
Simply put, Resolute kicks the ass of all other G.I. Joe outings, including the big screen version. The DVD collects all 11 gloriously violent episodes of the Adult Swim series written by comic scribe Warren Ellis. Remember parents, this one's aimed at adults. All the grisly scenes of cartoon blood, murder and mayhem might be too much for the kiddos.

More of this week's DVD releases after the jump.

When I closed my eyes and pictured the greatest villain costumes in sci-fi movies, I was surprised how often hair -- and headpieces -- come into play. That makes sense for those of us who are not costume purists because we're thinking of the character as a whole, and in movies we're very often looking at close-ups of villains. We want to get up close and personal, to study the sneer, to examine the evil eyes, to absorb the dismissive scowl, to observe the raised eyebrows.

Isn't it the whole package that sells a character as a villain? The actor makes all the difference in the world, no matter if he's buried under a ton of makeup or becomes nearly unrecognizable, but the costume plays an important role. In honor of all those who will sally forth this weekend in costumes that are good, bad, and ugly, we salute the designers of the top ten (plus a couple of bonus selections) greatest villain costumes in sci-fi movies, and the actors who wear them.

The Emperor Ming (Flash Gordon)

It takes a truly evil villain to pull off this particular outfit. Arrayed in varying shades of deep red and gold, Ming (the always game Max von Sydow) threatens to steal the show when those eyebrows are raised. Somehow Ming looks both sartorially forward-thinking -- what is that raised cowl doing back there except to frame his bald head -- and ridiculously, gloriously silly.

Yes, it's a long way from the far reaches of outer space to Bora Bora, but you just know that if you managed to get away with your girlfriend for a few days of rest and relaxation, something's going to screw it up. That's what happens to four romantic pairs in Couples Retreat, which was filmed in Bora Bora and opens tomorrow. In the movie, the couples think they'll be able to enjoy of fun and sun in Bora Bora, but instead are forced to undergo couples counseling.

None of the therapists quite rises up to the level of "villain" -- though Jean Reno comes close -- but, as a science fiction fan, I thought it would fun to imagine the sci-fi villains you'd least like to see on an island retreat. It would be impossible to get romantic with these guys around.

1. Jabba the Hut

Talk about a buzz kill! You don't want to head down to the dining room and see this monstrosity sitting next to your table. First, he's make you lose your appetite. Which is a good thing, since he'd eat all the food on the island anyway. Of course, your girlfriend would probably already be wearing a bikini like Princess Leia's in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, but she wouldn't take kindly to enforced slavery. And he'd force you to compete in a real-life battle to the death, which is no way to enjoy your holiday. The only plus: he'd probably eat all the insects in your vicinity.

The movies have been very, very bad to Scott Summers, better known as Cyclops, the leader of Marvel's X-Men. Last time we saw poor Mr. Summers on screen, he was played by young actor Tim Pocock and plagued by headaches and a lousy character arc in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Now, Pocock is saying he plans to reprise the role in the upcoming X-Men: First Class movie, which will likely feature the X-Men as young students taught by a heavily CGI'd Patrick Stewart.

"Currently shooting Australian TV series till February 2010...then X-men first class," Pocock posted on Twitter recently. Wolverine Producer Laura Schuler-Donner told IESB that a new Fox X-Men movie would be heading into production in 2010, presumably for a 2011 release. If Pocock is to be believed, then Schuler-Donner was probably talking about the long-rumored X-Men: First Class, scripted by Josh Schwartz (The O.C., Gossip Girl).

This is fine. I'd much rather see a film based on some classic X-Men stories than producer David Goyer's rumored X-Men Origins: Magneto flick. Wolverine set up the First Class movie nicely with the subplot about the young mutants being held captive and later saved by Prof. X. But there are a lot of ways this thing could go horribly, horribly wrong. (I think I'll shoot myself if I hear anyone close to the film calling it "X-Men for the Twilight generation.")