Movie News

Alien vs. Predator ruled the box office last weekend. Huh.

AICN has a scoop that Sam Raimi – hot off Spiderman 2 – and his homies are in negotiations for an Ash vs. Freddy vs. Jason film. (Hollywood Reporter confirms.) This vs thing is really getting out of hand… but how can I say no to more of that snarky demi-god of horror, Bruce Campbell? Not being impressed with the Spiderman franchise, some Evil Dead action would be a welcome respite from the inevitable Spiderman 3: Again With The Whining.

Tom Cruise will star in a new version of War of the Worlds.

Get a behind the scenes look at Serenity.

The future of science fiction

Popular Science wonders if technology is moving too fast for sci-fi.

If that’s the case, where is my floating car? Sci-fi has always assumed that changes happen faster than they do in life – it’s the small things that change fast. We have cell phones that make Spock’s communicator look bulky, but we still haven’t managed to get a man on Mars. And every new invention breeds new possibilities. Could something like Cory Doctorow’s Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, a novel referenced in the article, be written before the internet? Doubtful.

Fanboys Weep

The advance buzz on Aliens vs. Predator isn’t very good. Fox cancels their premiere. The Movie Blog speculates. A corporate plant shows up in comments. People are generally cranky. AICN, the bastion of good taste, is invoked.

Seriously, is anyone really going to be surprised that a movie with ‘vs.’ in the title probably sucks eggs?

Because real grown-ups don’t read Harry Potter?

Time has an article on Susanna Clarke’s Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, which they’re describing as ‘Harry Potter for grown-ups:”

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell is set in an alternative version of early 19th century England, one in which magic is real but on the wane, to the point that there are only two practicing sorcerers left in England. The pair are a pleasing study in contrasts: Mr. Norrell is exceptionally learned but shy and fussy. “He is,” a character remarks, “at one and the same time, the most remarkable man of the age and the most tedious.” Strange is charming, young, fashionable and romantic. Clarke could have called the book Sense and Sensibility if the title weren’t already taken.

In related new releases, be sure to keep an eye out for the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 2. The first volume was the basis for a less than faithful movie adaptation in 2003, but don’t let that scare you away. It’s good stuff!