Green Lantern Film Reviewed

I saw Green Lantern and posted a review at Negromancer.  The movie has its moments, and it is visually striking, but way too noisy.  The visual effects are mostly good, but some of them are surprisingly bad for a big budget flick from a major studio.

The script is bad, although, by the end, Green Lantern becomes the hero he is supposed to be in a rousing finale.  Mark Strong is utterly wasted as Sinestro.  Most of the characters are extraneous, and once again, the very talented Angela Bassett is way under-utilized.

So far, the box office looks good, perhaps coming in at $55 to $60 million for the weekend.  This may be enough to get the studio to greenlight a sequel - hopefully with at least new writers.

"Falling Skies" Comic Book Sells Out

FALLING SKIES GIVES A SOLD-OUT PERFORMANCE!

June 15, MILWAUKIE, OR—With the highly anticipated launch of the TNT television show Falling Skies, the Falling Skies prequel graphic novel has completely sold out!

Dark Horse Comics began working with TNT a little under a year ago, publishing a free webcomic prequel to the television series. In the heart of Boston, following the devastating events of an alien invasion, history professor Tom Mason and his sons meet up with the Second Mass, a militia group determined to wipe out the aliens. But with the militia’s supplies running low, Tom must locate an old friend to equip him and his team in order to ensure the survival of the human race.

Falling Skies is from DreamWorks Television and stars Noah Wyle. Watch for the TNT original series debuting on Sunday, June 19!

About Dark Horse Comics
Since 1986, Dark Horse Comics has proven to be a solid example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and establish a small, homegrown company as an industry giant. The company is known for the progressive and creator-friendly atmosphere it provides for writers and artists. In addition to publishing comics from top talent like Frank Miller, Mike Mignola, Neil Gaiman, Gerard Way, and comics legend Will Eisner, Dark Horse has developed such successful characters as the Mask, Timecop, and SpyBoy. Additionally, its highly successful line of comics and products based on popular properties includes Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Aliens, Conan, Emily the Strange, Tim Burton, Trigun, Serenity, and Domo. Today Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent comic-book publisher in the US and is recognized as one of the world’s leading publishers of licensed comics material.

"Green Lantern" Star Honors Military Dads

Warner Bros. and Ryan Reynolds Join Forces to Honor Military Dads

“Green Lantern” Star Flies by Miramar to Kick Off Father’s Day Weekend with Advance Screening

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ryan Reynolds, the star of Warner Bros. Pictures’ epic action adventure “Green Lantern,” made a special appearance at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar today to herald the opening of the new film and introduce an advance screening in the on-base Bob Hope Theater. In appreciation of our troops, he also announced that the Studio will be hosting Father’s Day weekend showings at 12 additional military bases around the country, in recognition of the “Joining Forces” campaign initiated by First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden (www.whitehouse.gov/joiningforces).

At today’s screening at Miramar, Reynolds announced that screenings will be held on Saturday, June 18, and Sunday, June 19, for the servicemen and women and military families who are currently stationed at Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard bases from coast to coast. Screenings will take place on either Saturday or Sunday at the following locations:

Army: Ft. Belvoir, Alexandria, Virginia; Ft. Campbell, Clarksville, Tennessee; and Ft. Huachuca, Sierra Vista, Arizona.

Air Force: F.E. Warren AFB, Cheyenne, Wyoming; Little Rock AFB, Jacksonville, Arkansas; and Seymour Johnson AFB, Goldboro, North Carolina.

Navy: NAS in Fallon, Nevada; NAF in El Centro, California; and NAS JRB in Fort Worth, Texas.

Marine Corps: MCAB in Yuma, Arizona; and MCAS in New River, North Carolina.

Coast Guard: USCG in Petaluma, California.

“Green Lantern” opens nationwide in 3D and 2D tomorrow, June 17, 2011.


About the Film:
In a universe as vast as it is mysterious, an elite, powerful force has existed for centuries. Protectors of peace and justice, they are called the Green Lantern Corps. Warriors sworn to keep intergalactic order, each Green Lantern wears a ring that grants him the ability to create anything his mind can imagine. But when a new enemy called Parallax threatens to destroy the balance of power in the Universe, their fate and the fate of Earth lie in the hands of their newest recruit, the first human ever selected: Hal Jordan.

Bringing the enduringly popular superhero to the big screen for the first time, “Green Lantern” was directed by Martin Campbell, from a screenplay by Greg Berlanti & Michael Green & Marc Guggenheim and Michael Goldenberg, screen story by Greg Berlanti & Michael Green & Marc Guggenheim, based upon characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics.

“Green Lantern” stars Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Mark Strong, Angela Bassett and Tim Robbins. The film was produced by Donald De Line and Greg Berlanti. Herbert W. Gains and Andrew Haas served as executive producers, with Lucienne Papon and Geoff Johns co-producing.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents, a De Line Pictures production, “Green Lantern.” The film is being distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

“Green Lantern” has been rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action.

http://www.greenlantern.com/

I Reads You Review: WORLD’S END (Yaoi)

Creator: Eiki Eiki (cartoonist); Douglas W. Dlin (translation)
Publishing Information: Juné Manga/DMP; B&W, paperback, 232pp, $12.95 U.S.
Ordering Numbers: ISBN 13: 978-1-56970-766-1; ISBN 10: 1-56970-766-9

Drama/Romance; Rated “YA” for “Teens 16+”

World’s End is the sequel to the yaoi manga, Dear Myself. Both books are the creation of mangaka Eiki Eiki (Train Train). Dear Myself focused on Hirofumi Mizui, a freelance writer, and his possessive boyfriend, Daigo Furubayashi, a businessman and college freshman.

If I understand the story correctly (and I may not because I’ve never read Dear Myself), there is a third character in this scenario, a character known as “Alien Hirofumi.” At one point in the story, Hirofumi loses his memory, and he essentially becomes someone different from the real Hirofumi – thus the term “alien.” It is “Alien Hirofumi” who falls in love with Daigo. This Hirofumi writes “Dear Myself” letters so that when he regains his memories and goes back to being the “real” Hirofumi, he’ll have written memories of his time with Daigo.

As World’s End, a continuation and conclusion of Dear Myself, opens, Hirofumi and Daigo have been living together for a year. However, Daigo has become frighteningly possessive of Hirofumi and starts imposing restrictions on when and where Hirofumi can go. Determined to be independent, Hirofumi insists that Daigo not accompany him to a high school reunion. There, Hirofumi meets an old female acquaintance, Nanae Maeda, who may have romantic feelings for Hirofumi. Meanwhile, his psychological scars lead Daigo to taking drastic action for fear of losing Hirofumi.

This volume also includes the short story, “The Last Spring,” a side story to Dear Myself, featuring the amnesiac Alien Hirofumi. Here, Hirofumi worries that regaining his memory will mean losing the part of him that loves Daigo, so he makes a promise involving cherry blossoms. The only new story in World’s End is the short story, “The Next Spring,” a follow-up to “The Last Spring.”

Eiki Eiki is one of my favorite Boys’ Love (BL) creators. I love her drawing style and the sensibilities of her graphical storytelling, even when I’m not impressed by the core story and characters. This is straight melodrama, but what makes it work is character motivation. The fact is that the characters are selfish and self-centered, even in romantic relationships. They are so focused on their own good feelings and fear of pain, and that gives this drama some edge, as well as potent conflict, both internal and external. A love story that involves stalking, deception, and false imprisonment is a spicier read than a straight love story.

This book also includes stories featuring two more young couples. In “Kiss on a Honeymoon,” Fumiya Yoshino and Ayane Kumagai are a gay couple who married before they graduated from high school. However, school obligations kept the duo from honeymooning. Now, they’re trying to make the class graduation trip to Hawaii double as a honeymoon, but classmate, Takagishi, is a full-on cock block. What to do?

In “Papa’s 18,” former street punk Chiharu Daisawa is now a 20-year-old college student, and he wants his mother, Kayoko Daisawa, to be happy. He approves of her engagement to get married until he discovers that her fiancée is an 18-year-old kid just out of high school. This kid has even taken the family name and goes by the name, Noboru Daisawa. What’s worse to Chiharu is that his new “dad” is a sleepwalker who likes to get in bed with his new “son.”

“Kiss on a Honeymoon” is just a trifle, a cute BL story that really plays out like a high school shojo manga romance. “Papa’s 18” is funny simply because its not-so-farfetched scenario plays out with raunchy, mini-set pieces. There are so many possibilities here for outrageous and scandalous comedy that “Papa’s 18” should be a full-length graphic novel.

At 232 pages, World’s End is packed with entertaining boys’ love manga. None of it is great. Some of it is quite good, and even the average stuff can be entertaining.

A-

20th Century Boys: Expo Hurray

I read Naoki Urasawa's 20th Century Boys, Vol. 15

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin (which has FREE smart phone apps).

"Beasts of Burden" Comic Book to Become Animated Film

EVAN DORKIN AND JILL THOMPSON’S BEASTS OF BURDEN TO BE DEVELOPED AS A FULL-LENGTH ANIMATED FEATURE FILM!

DARK HORSE, REELFX, AND STRANGE WEATHER TEAM UP ON A THEATRICAL RELEASE

JUNE 13, LOS ANGELES, CA—One of Dark Horse’s most critically acclaimed releases of 2010 is set for development as a full-length CG animated feature film. Dark Horse has partnered with Reelfx Entertainment to bring the pet detectives in Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson’s Beasts of Burden to life. Andrew Adamson and Aron Warner of Strange Weather Films will produce alongside Mike Richardson of Dark Horse Entertainment. Dark Horse Entertainment’s Keith Goldberg will executive produce, with Strange Weather’s Jeff Fierson coproducing. Reelfx’s head of feature development, Jared Mass, will oversee the project for the studio.

The animated feature will be an adaptation of Dark Horse’s breakout-hit graphic novel. Beasts of Burden follows the supernatural occurrences that sweep the community of Burden Hill, and a heroic gang of animals who bravely keep its residents safe from harm.

“Jill and Evan have created a unique group of heroes working hard to keep their world safe; they just happen to be dogs . . . and a cat,” said Dark Horse president Mike Richardson. “This has been one of my favorite titles since it first appeared, and we are eager to bring it to the big screen.”

Dark Horse Entertainment is represented by WME and Gotham Group, with legal representation by attorney Keith Fleer.


About Dark Horse Comics
Since 1986, Dark Horse Comics has proven to be a solid example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and establish a small, homegrown company as an industry giant. The company is known for the progressive and creator friendly atmosphere it provides for writers and artists. In addition to publishing comics from top talent like Frank Miller, Mike Mignola, Neil Gaiman, Gerard Way, Will Eisner, and bestselling prose author, Janet Evanovich, Dark Horse has developed such successful characters as The Mask, Timecop, and SpyBoy. Additionally, their highly successful line of comics and products based on popular properties includes Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Aliens, Conan, Mass Effect, Tim Burton, Serenity and Domo. Today, Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent comic-book publisher in the United States and is recognized as both an innovator in the cause of creator rights and the comics industry's leading publisher of licensed material.

About Reelfx Entertainment
Reelfx Entertainment has developed a “new studio model” that allows it to function as a streamlined provider of content for film, TV, publishing and digital media. It is a one-stop studio for the development and production of animated films and exciting effects-driven live action content. Reelfx Entertainment will produce “family franchise films” in the $35 million budget range. Drawing on its deep relationships within the entertainment industry, Reelfx Entertainment has attracted top creative talent (writers, directors, animation and effects artists) and supports them with seasoned executives and a proven proprietary animation and effects software (developed by Reel FX), which allows artists to work & collaborate more effectively and control rising costs often associated with CGI projects. In addition, Reelfx Entertainment will develop and secure the rights to franchise-worthy literary material.

At present, the studio has secured and is actively developing Rats of NIMH, A Wrinkle in Time and Dinosaur Bob, among others. The studio has already tapped some remarkable talent for its first project, Turkeys, which is currently in pre-production. The animated film is voiced by Owen Wilson and Woody Harrelson. Turkeys is directed by Ash Brannon (Toy Story 2), and written and produced by John J. Strauss (There’s Something About Mary) and David I. Stern (Open Season 2). Peter Farrelly will executive produce the project.

Reelfx Entertainment is led by a team of industry veterans including Academy Award® winning, former Industrial Light and Magic senior executive Ed Jones and Walden Media CEO Cary Granat.

New People to Auction Yoshitaka Amano Originals for Japan Benefit

MANGA/ANIME ARTIST YOSHITAKA AMANO DONATES THREE ARTWORKS FOR A SPECIAL ART EXHIBIT AND JAPANESE DISASTER BENEFIT AT NEW PEOPLE’s SUPERFROG GALLERY

Yoshitaka Amano: FOR JAPAN Showcases The Artist’s Vibrant Style And Presents A Very Special Live Auction Event To Raise Funds For Ongoing Japanese Recovery

San Francisco, CA, June 14, 2011 – NEW PEOPLE, the dynamic San Francisco entertainment destination bringing the latest examples of Japanese popular culture to North American shores, is proud to present Yoshitaka Amano: FOR JAPAN, a very special pop art exhibition and auction event to fund ongoing Japanese disaster recovery and reconstruction efforts.

Yoshitaka Amano: FOR JAPAN opens inside NEW PEOPLE’s SUPERFROG Gallery on Saturday, June 18th and runs through Saturday July 9th. A special auction event and closing party is scheduled for Saturday, July 9th – the final day of the exhibit – from 7:00pm to 9:00pm. Guests must RSVP here to attend. Additional details are available at: www.newpeopleworld.com/arts/yoshitaka-amano-for-japan.

Yoshitaka Amano has donated three striking new brush works on canvas to be auctioned for the tsunami and earthquake victims of Japan. Fully 100% of all proceeds will be received by the Northern Japan Earthquake Relief Fund by JCCCNC (http://www.jcccnc.org/). Yoshitaka Amano: FOR JAPAN will further exhibit a range of the acclaimed artist’s works that were originally created as a testament to his childhood love for American pop culture, comics, and automobiles. Reinterpreted with his signature manga and anime-influenced graphic style, these breathtaking and vibrant pieces are boldly coated in auto paint and metallic glitter.

Bidding will be open to on-site as well as text bidding beginning at 12:00pm (PST) on Saturday, July 9th. Bid amounts will be updated LIVE on NEW PEOPLE’s TWITTER page. The Final Bidding Event is scheduled to be held during the closing party beginning at 7:30pm.

All bidders must pre-register to participate. Bidders may register online here or also on-site at the SUPERFROG Gallery. Credit Card information will be attained via phone after registration, along with a Bidder Number that will be used for identification during the auction. The bidder with the highest final bid at the auction’s closing time will attain the painting after payment is verified. 100% of proceeds will be donated to the Northern Japan Earthquake Relief Fund.

“Japan still faces many challenges as it works to rebuild its infrastructure and house tens of thousands of people displaced by the earthquake and tsunami,” says Seiji Horibuchi, President and CEO of NEW PEOPE, Inc. “Yoshitaka Amano is an internationally acclaimed artist in the anime and pop art world and we’re honored to offer the SUPERFROG Gallery as the venue to unveil three of his latest works that will help with such a critical cause. This is a rare opportunity to acquire work by one of the most celebrated pop artists of the last 20 years and one not to be missed!”

Legendary artist Yoshitaka Amano is widely acclaimed for his work in animation and video games. He is also renowned for designing the characters for the hit video game, Final Fantasy, as well as for anime films including Vampire Hunter D, Guin Saga, Final Fantasy, and Front Mission.

The SUPERFROG Gallery is a bright and spacious 2,000 square foot exhibit space that is located on the 3rd floor of NEW PEOPLE’s striking contemporary building in the heart of San Francisco’s historic Japantown. SUPERFROG Gallery is a permanent outlet for established as well as emerging artists that draw inspiration from Japanese and Asian pop and modern culture.

NEW PEOPLE opened in 2009 and has become a unique must-see attraction of San Francisco’s cultural landscape. The 20,000 square foot contemporary venue features the latest examples of Japanese popular culture expressed though film, art, fashion, and a variety of specialty boutiques and ongoing monthly events. NEW PEOPLE is located at 1746 Post Street in the city’s Japantown.


About NEW PEOPLE, Inc.
Based in San Francisco, California, NEW PEOPLE, Inc. (http://www.newpeopleworld.com/) offers the latest films, art, fashion and retail brands from Japan through its unique entertainment destination as well as through licensing and distribution of selective Japanese films. NEW PEOPLE Entertainment (www.newpeopleent.com), a film division of NEW PEOPLE, Inc. strives to offer the most entertaining motion pictures straight from the "Kingdom of Pop" for audiences of all ages, especially the manga and anime generation, in North America. Some titles include DEATH NOTE, GANTZ, KAMIKAZE GIRLS, and THE TASTE OF TEA.