Movie Preview: Prince of Persia Sands of Time

Well after being rumored and discussed by gamers for years, Prince of Persia has finally made the conversion to the big screen - no gaming system required. Yes another in the growing line of video game to movie conversions is coming for the 2010 movie season.

What we can tell from the trailer immediately is that much of the violence and gore that the game is known for will not be in the movie. That's because this is a Disney film and will likely be targeted to the pg-13 rating target market. So that takes away from the story - if in fact the movie will follow the well executed script of the video game at all.

Beyond that revelation the big question is if this will be done well. Will it be some kiddie action flick pr something that adults and 20-something fans can really get into. Pirates of the Caribbean proved that a conversion film could do both. But there is no shortage of films that squander the source materials following and rich content. (think of Silent Hill, or more recently Resident Evil: Extinction)

The visuals of the film look big. Very expansive and rich in detail. There is no fear of CGI in this film. And some of the scenes look like the use of CGI plays out well. Though overuse of CGI tends to give me a feeling that a film is more cartoony than anything else.

We can also see that some of the gameplay elements of Prince of Persia is in the movie. The question with that is if these elements are just incidental items that work best in a trailer, or if they are integral to the movie itself. Generally in a conversion movie the answeer is more the former than latter.

Perhaps the one thing that really bugs me is none of the above. It's the star Jake Gyllnehaal. He is matched up with Ben Kingsley who is a far superior actor (Bloodrayne excepted) and thus may not fare well in scenes with the 2 together. Add to that the fact that I don't see Gyllenhaal as a Persian. He does not seem to have those qualities to me. Which makes sense since he is of Swedish decent. It may not be a big thing to some fans, but its a bit of a distraction seeing a Swede in Arabia as the main hero to me.

But if geography, and the expectation of seeing native populations in their homelands, is not something you ever pay attention to then the film should move along well. My guess is that the film's plot will be about as engaging as Conan the Barbarian was. Not a great film, but good enough to watch without much complaint. Nor will you be bothered with remembering much of what the film was about 5 minutes after watching it.

None of this will stop the film from making at least $250 million worldwide. Much of that (maybe 35%) will come in the first weekend as fans of the video game, Gyllenhaal, action fans, and those interested in Gemma Arterton (probably best known for her role as Strawberry Fields in Quantum of Solace and soon to be seen again in the Clash of the Titans revisioning). After that weekend, I think the hype will be over and the buzz will reveal that this is an ok film but not much more.

So there you go. One of the first films of the 2010 summer blockbuster season.

Don't mess with Disney

There are a few things that just can't be done. Or at least not without stirring up the ire of one of the largest and most powerful media companies in the world.

The Walt Disney Company is known for a couple of things. Family animated films is perhaps one of the best know items. And as an example the characters Mickey Mouse, Bambi, and Snow White may be one of the oldest and most widely known of their family films.

But over the years there have been literally hundreds of.. less than family oriented takes on these characters. In fact Snow White has been the subject of more porn revisions than any other topic or subject ever. In fact, as I recall, no film in the world has had more revisionist remakes than Snow White.

Which is likely the insiration for this ad



It's not the Snow White you grew up with.

This version is the child of an ad agency promoting a new beer in Australia. The concept is "Anything but sweet". And the ad is obviously just that. It definitely reflects more on the porn revisions than Disney.

How this sells beer, I'm not quite sure. Condoms sure. Maybe even cigarettes. But beer? I suppose you have to be Australian to get it. (Though I'm surprised none of the characters are in blackface - or is that a line even Australians won't cross much like South Africa in the past)

Obviously Disney isn't happy. The ad is currently pulled from the internet, and next to impossible to find. Though Disney hasn't said anything publicly, there is little doubt they are involved with the sudden disappearance.

I will say this for the ad makers - The Foundry - Ho White and the Serven Dwarves is effective. It caught my attention as well as Disney. It may not sell beer, but it sure will drive attention.

I wonder what will be next?

Hollywood movie star reacts to Philadelphia racism

When it comes to a news story about entertainers doing a good thing and kids, I just can't stay away. It's these kinds of things we all need to hear more about.

In this case the news starts off in a negative. In Philadelphia, a city known for its negative overreactions of its police force, there was the added negative news that 65 kids were turned away from a private swim club.

The story goes like this. Valley Swim Club is private, but declares they are open membership. Creative Steps Day Camp paid nearly $2000 to allow 65 kids (that happen to be Black and Hispanic) to be able to use the pool to swim. The day camp made one visit, which seems to have caused a ruckus. Not because the kids were rude or badly behaved, but because of race.

"I heard this lady, she was like, 'Uh, what are all these black kids doing here?' She's like, 'I'm scared they might do something to my child,'" said camper Dymire Baylor."

It seems that not only were comments like this stated, but the parents (who it seems were all White) pulled out all of their kids from the pool once the kids of color got in the pool. Which is insulting in far too many ways.

It got worse though. Valley Swim Club then rejected the day care. The very next day the membership was revoked, with an offer to refund the money paid offered. But this was not about money, but a chance for kids to swim.

Valley Swim Club stated

"There was concern that a lot of kids would change the complexion … and the atmosphere of the club," John Duesler, President of The Valley Swim Club

In just that statement I think the case was clear. Valley Swim Club is open to everyone, as long as they have the right skin color. It's a page right out of Jim Crow and segregation. I'm sure Philadelphia was proud.

But the story was not over. Because after this hit the news on July 9th, people around the nation started to hear what happened. One of those people had the ability to do something about it. That was Tyler Perry.

Perry found this to bne an outrage. That no child deserves such treatment, especially over their race. He said

"It broke my heart and I wanted to do something. I want them to know that for every act of evil that a few people will throw at you, there are millions more who will do something kind for them. Show them they are just as good as anyone else that they can do or be anything they want to be no matter what anyone says."

Then he went a step further. Since the kids couldn't go to Valley Swim Club, Tyler Perry is going to send them to Disney. He has paid for all 65 kids to go to Disney and a Disney Water Park for 3 days.

I applaud Perry and what he has done. I hope that the people of Philadelphia abandon the Valley Swim Club, and write to John Duesler about this. People like him need to be reminded that this is not the 1950's, that even then such actions were never acceptable, and that all of America is better because of the various people that make up this great nation.

Tyler Perry has helped the 65 kids of the Creative Steps Day Camp, and all of us that hear this story, realize that the small minds of a few cannot prevent them from attaining great things in their life. It's a message that I am more than happy to spread.

**You can reach John Duesler and Valley Swim Club at:

22 Tomlinson Rd
Huntingdon Vly, PA 19006
(215) 947-0700

Movie Preview: Pelham 123 and G-Force

The year starts off with an interesting take of a couple of films. On one hand we have a film that is a remake, and on the other we have a film that sounds like it's a conversion of a classic cartoon. Let's start with the remake.

The Taking of Pelham 123 is a film from 1974. It was well acted, with the leads being Robert Shaw (some may recall him best from The Sting) and Walter Matthau (maybe best know for the film version of the Odd Couple). It dealt with a subject that was foreign in America in 1974, but today is a constant thought in the backs of minds of New York City subway riders everyday. It's not often that a film could hit a subject so well decades before it becomes a national focal point.

Suffice to say that they story is about a hijacking, of a NYC subway car. Sounds odd? Perhaps too incredible? Not really, and even more of a question in these post 9/11 days.



The question you face in the film are:

Can they really do this
Can they get away with it
What can the various departments of New York City do about this

These questions were real in 1974, and today are even more pressing. So the task for Denzel Washington and John Travolta are daunting. They need to make this feel real, scary even, yet not so much as to cause people to give up on the subway. They both have to live up to the performances of the original film, while new scenes of explosions and car chases inevitably will be thrown in for modern audiences. Maybe even overcome some CGI too.

I believe that Travolta will be the bad guy. The character is kind of a mix of roles he took in Broken Arrow and Face/Off. For Denzel as the good guy we will probably get a mix of his characters from Training Day, Inside Man, and perhaps a bit of Virtuosity.

Done on location, I think this remake only has to fear one thing. The tendency of Hollywood writers and studios to revision a great film and lose the meaning and intensity of the original.

On the other spectrum of the films we will see later in the year is G-Force. This is not a conversion of the Japanese cartoon Battle of the Planets. If it were I definitely would want to see that. Instead we have a CGI film from Disney. Prepare to get more depressed.



Yes this is another cute animals film. Guinea Pigs (a mole and a fly) are our heroes in this film. It seems that an animated hamster, cat, dog, and pigeons demanded a one-up by Disney. While these kinds of films can be cute, occasionally, Disney feels the need to grab the kids with cute animals as opposed to a storyline.

I for one am getting bored with all these films with cute animals that can talk and do stunts. I have never really been a big fan of CGI. And I think this is just a cheap tactic as opposed to really original films that might be done. Then again, the film is not targeting single male intellectuals in their 40's.

I'm sure it will bring in a slew of kids, make tons of money, and guarantee a sequel - with even more furry critters than the first. And I don't doubt that this will be a decent choice for parents that don't want their kids exposed to the violence of Terminator:Salvation or the glorification of drugs, violence, and degrading of women this is Notorious. But for the adults out there, don't expect this film to be the Incredibles. You will likely be the least entertained in your family.

Greatest animated films ever - Yahoo's bogus list

Recently I saw a list of the top animated films ever. This was a list compiled by Yahoo in part to promote the new film Kung Fu Panda. Supposedly the list was voted on by Yahoo visitors and compiled. I think the list is a crock.

I really have to wonder what films were in the original choices to be voted on because there are a few massive omissions. Let me give you the names in the Yahoo list.

Bambi, The Jungle Book, Sleeping Beauty, Over the Hedge, The Simpson’s Movie, Ice Age 2, and the original Ice Age, Snow White, Howl’s Moving Castle, Mulan, Peter Pan, Horton Hears a Who, Lady and the Tramp, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Princess Mononoke, Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, Enchanted, Shrek 2, Cars, Monster's Inc, Spirited Away, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, Toy Story, Ratatouille, Shrek, The Incredibles, The Lion King and Finding Nemo.

That list is in order from lowest rated to highest. Or so Yahoo says. I think the list is just advertising for Disney and a few other advertisers for Yahoo. Oh and a few other films thrown in to make the list look honest.

Where is Ghost in the Shell? Or Akira? I mean seriously Akira is not on the list. That’s just stupid.

And to rate Ratatouille, The Little Mermaid, Cars, Mulan, and Over the Hedge in any list of greatest animated films is inane. Where is Fantasia, Dumbo, Charlottes’s Web (the original), Space Battleship Yamoto, Galaxy Express 999, The Lion The Witch & the Wardrobe, Heavy Metal, Secret of NIHM, Vampire Hunter D, Lilo & Stitch, and that’s just of the films I’ve seen.

I find the Yahoo list bogus not because of what is in it (though there is a lot of substandard recent garbage that is likely included just to pump up DVD sales) but because of the number of classic and acclaimed animated films that are left out.

At least Yahoo could have been honest and said ‘here is the list of movies out advertisers think were the greatest ever – if you never saw an animated film before or if you don’t mind increasing their profits with films in DVD libraries.’ But if you want a real greatest list you need to check out the films I mentioned that were omitted by Yahoo. I think you’ll agree with my list, without question.

Comment on article by Victoria Tang at The Daily Californian Part 2 - 7.26.2007.4

Continued from Comment on article by Victoria Tang at The Daily Californian Part 1...


Ms. Tang also implies that the fact that there was an uproar against the show, based on it’s title alone, was a matter of PC. That all the bloggers involved were seeking to restrict the things being said about African Americans. Perhaps that was true of some bloggers, but speaking for myself that is not true. This was about the dissemination of context to the world. Context of the program, and therefore the quality of the program was the issue not words.

Virtually any program can be put on television, or in a blog. I may not agree, but I respect the right neo-nazi’s have to speak what they wish. I support statements, that do not evoke harm or inflict undue pain, being made by anyone. BET had every right to make a show called Hot Ghetto Mess, and given the context and quality of the program I’d have not even noticed. But when looked at in a total view, which it appears Ms. Tang has not done, what the program suggested did in fact seem to inflict harm and evoke pain.

I submit to Ms. Tang that if a program was announced to appear on say ABC Disney that was titled ‘Hitler Rules’ it would catch attention. IF ABC had on it’s website a desrition of the program that stated it would feature KKK rallies, neo-nazi marches, church burnings and equated this to a plane crash you can’t stop watching. Lastly if the logo of the company was an image of a burning cross inscribed in a no symbol. It is well within the First Amendment to state these things. And without context I would imagine many would be outraged.

If Disney, which owns ABC, then refused to comment on the show other than to say it’s not what the outraged public was stating would you be satisfied? If television critics requested a preview of the program and were denied, would you be concerned that perhaps this was not a positive program?

If such a program description and image evokes emotion from you or other readers, is that PC? Is demanding an explaination and/or the removal of the program infringing on the First Amendmant? Or is it a statement of the thoughts of people using their First Amendment rights to ensure that no harm or pain is inflicted on the nation and world.

The fact that the program showed video clips of people being arrested for these actions, or derided, or the resulting pain inflicted on people by these actions does not change the lack of context made prior. The fact that questions asked of the public about Aschwitz, the Holocoust, slavery, ethnic cleansings, genocide, prejudice, and other events – then providing facts on each – would not change the implied meaning that was lent to the program prior.

PC is a useless and dangerous trend, I believe, and I think Ms. Tang does as well. But there are too many people that seek to claim serious questions are merely stifling of the First Amendment. There is a difference between moral outrage and civic duty vs mere discomfort of terminology used.

This is not

“targeting the hip hop industry seems to be a favorite pastime of political correctness junkies”

To say that

“But the content of the series isn’t going to change”

is too simplistic a comment, and highly likely incorrect, as I stated above.

I believe that Ms. Tang only caught the last bit of what the anger of most bloggers on this issue was about. I suggest that she go back to the beginning of this issue and see what it really was about. Regardless of what was finally presented to the public, the outrage and protest of bloggers was necessary and hardly PC. To claim otherwise is minimizing and disrespectful of the actual issue.

This is what I think, what do you think?