Ablogalypse Now

The Ring 2: Samara Strikes Back

I just saw the trailer for The Ring 2 and feel shame for having lost touch with what was going on with it. For some reason I thought it wasn't being released until summer.

Maybe I should start focusing less on the festering Cesspool of Bush-era Suckitude currently dragging this once-great nation into the shitter, and more on the things that make me happy...like dogs, baseball, ice-cold Micheladas, and Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Horror movies.

Although sequels quite often turn out to be crap, this one actually has a few things going for it. For starters, original "Ringu" director Hideo Nakata is on board in his American debut, Naomi Watts and David Dorfman are reprising their roles from the first film, and makeup/effects artist extraordinaire Rick Baker has also applied his considerable talents to the making of the film.

Although I'll probably go see Ring 2,  I have to say I'm growing a bit weary of the "vengeful ghost" theme we've seen in the mini-wave of Japanese horror flicks that have been released since the first film.

Stuff That's Cool

Taking a blood pressure-saving break from Stuff that Sucks for a moment, I thought I'd mention a few things that belong in the Stuff That's Cool column.

The first is Breakfast With Hunter - yeah I know it's something I already posted about but I can't wait to lay my hands on a copy of this DVD. It really looks like the real deal and not some cobbled-together assortment of crap spliced together by a no-talent-having opportunistic hack.

Next on the list is Lewis Black, definitely one of the funniest guys in the business whose new "Rules of Enragement" tour as performed in the HBO special "Black on Broadway" is one of the most hilarious bits of its kind I've seen in quite awhile. One of his best moments is when he wonders what type of drugs people are on when they swooningly refer to George Dubya as a great and inspiring leader.

Finally, this year's Webby Awards have just been announced and the summer movie scene is getting ready to kick into high gear here in the next couple of weeks.

I'm not a big Vic Diesel fan but I thought his portrayal of Riddick in the sci-fi action flick Pitch Black (2000) was one of the cooler characters to emerge from the genre in recent years. I just saw the new trailer for The Chronicles of Riddick and it actually looks pretty impressive.

I have to admit that in light of the recent events at Abu Ghraib I was a little unsettled by the voice-over on the trailer gravely say, "Sometimes Evil must be confronted not by Good, but by another form of Evil." For some reason I found myself thinking of John Rambo meets Snake Plissken.

Although I know that it will likely be dissected at great length in the media similarly to what we saw happen with The Lord of the Rings and The Matrix, I don't want to think about the possible implications of the film as a metaphor or justification or rationalization for anything.

Tiberius Rocks!!!

I just stumbled across this funny bit of Trekkie flotsam via Blankbaby....

Miscellania....

--Women offered for sale on eBay

--Justice Department seeks to broaden eavesdropping powers

--Kid Rock to induct Bob Seger into Rock Hall of Fame

--Theron to star in live-action version of Aeon Flux

--George Carlin sounds off on the whole indecency circus

Ring Sequel to get New Director

Taking a break from the political for a a moment, I just pulled this bit of cool news off the SciFi Wire. Variety recently reported that Hideo Nakata, director of the hit Japanese horror flick Ringu, is in talks to direct The Ring 2, the sequel to the U.S. version of his original film.

King Sinks Titanic

And another clip from SCI FI Wire:

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King became the second film (after Titanic) to break the $1 billion worldwide box-office mark, the Reuters news service reported. New Line Cinema, which distributed the movie, also reported that King reached the mark in record time.

Blade 3 Ahead of Schedule

In a recent interview with SCI FI Wire, David Goyer, writer and director of the upcoming film Blade: Trinity (and writer of the new Batman film), talks about the film's plot and the possibility of a spinoff at some point in the future.

Carpenter's Thing 2 In The Works?

The following news comes from Cinescape:

According to a report on Counting Down, director John Carpenter has a script ready for THE THING 2. Carpenter reportedly told the magazine SFX the news, which was then forwarded by a reader to the website. The reason for Carpenter's interest in making a sequel to his 1982 film apparently stems from the success of THE THING video game released two years ago.

Robin Williams Makes 'The Final Cut"

Imagine a future where people will carry a chip that will record their entire lives. Imagine further still a man whose job it is to edit these digital life stories into a PG-rated movie to be shown upon an individual's death.

In the latest in a string of roles that explore the darker terrain of the human psyche, Robin Williams stars as Alan Hackman, a "cutter" who deals with the bits and pieces of individual lives in the upcoming sci-fi thriller "The Final Cut".

Hackman's normally detached state is shaken when he views a life story that reveals a memory of the past that conflicts with his own.

The film premiered yesterday at the Berlin International Film Festival with no word yet regarding when it will open in the U.S.

Doctor X Speaks

In a recent interview with a Florida newspaper, famed X-Men and Star Trek: The Next Generation star Patrick Stewart said that he expects the third chapter in the X-Men franchise to hit theaters in 2004. While that is definitely good news for X-Men fans, on the flip side Stewart also said that he feels that the ailing Star Trek: TNG has drawn its last breath.