Sgt. Angle Reporting For Duty!

I am currently in preparation mode to enter the state of Texas and venture through the SXSW Festival of Film this coming weekend, but in the meantime I’ll try to entertain you with some recent movie new as it relates to comic book stories and adaptations.

First on my list is Y: The Last Man. Last we heard a thing about the adaptation, Shia Labeouf was being considered for the role of Yorick, with DJ Caruso directing the adaptation. Now that Caruso is taking on the Preacher adaptation scripted by John August, will this open the door for another A-List director to take over Y: The Last Man? Who knows. In the meantime, you can head over to scriptshadow where Carson Reeves has reviewed Brian K. Vaughan’s screenplay version of his story with…mixed results. The story has been truncated for the big screen, chopping out characters and scenes that are already classics in their own rights. Judge for yourselves.…

My thing about Y: The Last Man is that the smaller factions of people Yorick meets along his journey are almost better than the overall concept itself. Much like The Walking Dead, the story takes place in an alternate future that we can’t even imagine. We should explore this “future” and the ramifications as a better reflection on our current selves. Can women survive without men? Why are men so important, or unimportant, in the overall scheme and plan for the human race? Is science taking us too far? Answer these questions for yourselves, and then ask why we should only have one movie that asks and answers complicated questions.

The Marvel Universe is expanding throughout the galaxy on the big screen, according to this article at Badassdigest.com. The Inhumans is the next big foray into the Marvelverse, and will be shot and released well after The Avengers in 2012. Will this relate directly to the world already created for us, or will it be an offshoot so distant as to not crossover into the Universe already before us?

My worry with this film is that Marvel may be aiming way too high too soon to expand its’ universe on the big screen. There’s a danger in shooting expensive movies over and over very quickly. They’ll become repetitious, or full of scenes that don’t make sense (Iron Man 2) and will fall victim to the almighty dollar. I can’t stand how many times a studio or company will tell us that they care so much about storytelling, then blow it all to try and make a bigger movie for a few extra bucks. Don’t insult the audience with the false claims that you care about the storytelling so much only to screw us in the end. Literally.

Our own Ben Glibert thinks says that “if they use the Skrulls in the Avengers movie, this could tie in nicely. But it’s pretty isolated property on its own. There was a Paul Jenkins / Jae Lee story from 2001 that was pretty solid. Hopefully they stick to that, or even some of the old Kirby work. It could be really good or terrible, depending on the writer and director.”

Below is a fan-made Thor poster, but fun nonetheless:

Andrew Garfield of The Amazing Spiderman knows how to raise his hands to the ceiling.

Channing Tatum has sold a pitch to Sony Pictures that is a “dark re-imagining” of the origin of Peter Pan. Word on the street is that it poses that Pan and Captain Hook are … brothers…I’m all for reimaginings of origins of famous characters, but you have to be careful how dark you take it. Peter Pan is not a dark story, and if we start to reinvent the wheel of this classic character, you may end up hurting and confusing the vision. Then again, Disney was able to take the tale of a thief in the Dark Ages and make it exhilarating for kids (Robin Hood with foxes!).

In other movie news that’s fallen by the wayside recently, the lovely Emma Watson has announced that she’ll be starring in the adaptation (finally) of Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower. This is a stirring portrayal of a naive teen “outsider” attempting to navigate friendship and love in high school. Chbosky wrote the book 12 years ago, well before he created the somewhat hit TV series Jericho. Summit Entertainment (Twilight) is producing.

That’s all the news that I feel is fit to print this week. Next time I’ll try to entertain you with stories of SXSW, as long as I am awake to tell the tales…

You are dismissed!

Sgt. Angle

Well folks, a new Peter Pan show has hit the stage (I think this is about the 4th Peter Pan Stage Show I have heard of) and it looks nothing short of amazing.

Thanks to “theaterinla.com” for the scoop! Here’s what they had to say:

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The tale of Peter Pan has been adapted many times including the Walt Disney animated film and a Broadway musical. However, it was not until this 2009 production, presented by threesixty entertainment, that a production was performed in London’s Kensington Gardens, where Barrie was first inspired to create him and where the original statue of Peter Pan has stood since 1912. This 21st century Peter Pan mixes history and magic in equal measure to present a Peter Pan story for adults and children alike.

In Costa Mesa, tickets to see Peter Pan start are $30 to $70. Premium ticket packages are also available, and include admission to the performance, drink voucher, souvenir brochure, Peter Pan audio book and Peter Pan memorabilia. Tickets go sale to the general public on Sunday, July 18. They will be available at OCPAC.org, at the Center’s Box Office at 600 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa or by calling 714–556-2787.

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This looks spectacular, nothing short of amazing.

What do you guys think? Will you buy a ticket today?

–Admiral Eo

Sgt. Angle reporting for duty! (Look, this post may contain spoilers, so don’t say this isn’t a warning.) We still have time before the Halloween rush, so I’ll wait to give you the down low on the upcoming horror film season.

Where the Wild Things Are. #1 at the U.S.B.O. this past weekend, piling in an estimated $32.5 million bills for director Spike Jonze and Warner Bros. The success of Jonze’s five-year odyssey reminds us that you don’t have to treat a kid like a kid in order to win the kid’s dollars. You don’t have to Disney-ficate all over the genre in order to suck the soul of the young and innocent. How else can a kid cease to be a kid, and realize that it’s time to act like an adult, if you don’t treat him like one? Then again, why can’t we all stay kids forever, like this guy:

Dropped out at a very, very early age.

This year has given us a number of so-called “kids’ movies” that are more geared to sophisticated adults, teenagers with brains, and kids with loving parents who are willing to TEACH their young’ns about the seriousness that life offers, and that you can always turn those frowns upside-down. UP showed us that the cinematic experience can do so much with so little, as the first ten minutes should make you cry. If you did not well up in the first ten of “Up”, then you have no business calling yourself human. you basically have no soul. Go join Sam Worthington as an Avatar, you blue freak.

Just because you’ve been labeled a family film, or a kids’ movie, does not mean you have to have cute little backwards letters in your credits. You don’t have to douse eggs with syrup and hot sauce just to show you know how to have fun. You also can ignore the fact that dogs poop and grown-ups are goofy when they’re serious. Because you know what? When you get serious, you’re pretty goofy, too. But that’s because you don’t know what you are just yet, so it’s okay.

Here’s one lesson to remember, kid movies: You don’t have to have a daddy with issues who needs to learn how to care for his child. In today’s world, Mommy’s have problems, too. Why is it that we’re always watching the dad who needs to make more time for his kids, or the dad has to find a way to get a second job and pay alimony by working as a security guard at a museum? And how can Dick Van Dyke fight at night and then not feel sore in the A.M.?? WHY ARE OLD PEOPLE FUNNY?

Because they’re old.

But you know, kids are funny, too. Because kids always go for the simple solution. I’m not trying to be negative, or ageist, but kids say and do the darndest things just to prove themselves. And then, the sh*t hits the fan and they almost get chomped by sharks. Guess what, kids, the lesson of the day is DON’T GO SWIMMING. Or maybe you should dive in, because there are mermaids out there. Usually.

And hey, teen movies, you’re even worse. Because you’re basically disguised as teens, but you’re really over the age of 18. You’re unlawfully invading teenage kids’ personal space by protecting yourself with that little PG-13 rating (unless you’ve Disney-fied the MPAA to get your PG rating). Twilight, while being a less-than-satisfying crucifixion and butchering of the English language read in book format, is an accurate tribute of what NOT to teach your kids about love at a time when hormones are raging louder than an L.A. wildfire, and “love” is just a new word of the week.

So, in summation, go do yourself a favor and see Where the Wild Things Are. It won’t necessarily change your life, but it will force a perspective on it. If you’re an adult, you’ll look back on being a child, what you loved about it, what you hated, and the forts you used to build. If you’re a kid, and you’ve somehow been reading this post for the past few minutes, maybe you’ll think about the next time Mom tells you to get off the kitchen counter.

She demands it because she loves ya. She yells at you because she’d rather do that then eat you up. And if you can be a wild thing once in a while, from now on, no matter how old you are or what you look like or how grumpy you are if you wake up early because of a dog barking outside your window at six A.M., then go ahead. Be a wild thing.

Because this is where you are. You are –

“Yo, Sgt. Angle. I’mma let you finish. But first I have to say that Spike Jonze directed one of the best short films of all time. Starring me, Kanye West. Blow yo’ mind at the nine minute mark.” We Were Once a Fairytale.

At ease.

Sgt. Angle

Kanyus Interruptus

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Kanyus Interruptus.