Tuesday, March 25, 2014

The Mighty Hercules!!

It's no big secret that I am a fan of just about every incarnation of Hercules. Steve Reeves, Reg Park, Kevin Sorbo, Jason and the Argonauts, the Disney animated film, and, of course, Marvel Comics' own Prince of Power. Heck, I even liked The Three Stooges Meet Hercules. But, as of this moment, they all pale in comparison to the upcoming Hercules, starring Dwayne Johnson.

I have long been a fan of "the Rock." From his wrestling days, to his first few attempts to break into Hollywood, to some of the best action movies around, regardless of the quality of the film itself, I have consistently liked him. If I were to make a list of the top "new school" action heroes, he would be #1 right now.

So, when it was announced that he would be playing Hercules in a film based on a rather highly-acclaimed graphic novel, I was in like Flynn. I didn't even care that Brett Ratner was directing (honestly, I think he's a decent director, given a good script).

Take a look at the trailer, and tell me what you think. Are you as excited for July as I am right now?


I need to start working out more.

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Four Marvel heroes who need on-screen appearances

I am a long-time fan of Marvel comics. I will choose Captain America over Superman any day of the week and twice again on Sunday. Thanos kicks Darkseid’s ass every time. Not that I don’t like DC characters, movies, and TV shows. But I’m a Marvel guy to the core.

So, with all of the MCU movies past, present and future, as well as some really well done DTV animated films and TV cartoons, this is truly the Marvel Age of Film, IMHO. And here are four characters from the Marvel Universe that have no current plans for film adaptations (that I know of), but I think need to be seen somewhere.

Hercules
Given a choice, I prefer Hercules over Thor any day. The charismatic, battle-loving, tragic hero of Greek mythology (sorta), the Prince of Power himself, Hercules needs to be seen on screen. Ideally, I’d love to see him in his own film. I’d even settle for an animated, DTV film. But, if they could just have him guest star in a good TV series, or co-star in a film, that would be cool. I’m looking at the whole “Hulk vs….” idea as a great way to introduce him. Hulk vs. Hercules. Imagine the action!

Union Jack
Technically, the original Union Jack has already been seen on screen. The British soldier in Captain America – The First Avenger is none other than James Montgomery Falsworth, the first Union Jack. I think the perfect way to introduce the character would be in Captain America 3, where the current Union Jack helps Cap out, and Cap learns from Nick Fury the history of the persona, dating back to his old war-buddy. The character would be perfect for the gritty, low-powered, espionage direction Captain America is going in the MCU.

Moon Knight
Although he is loosely based on Batman (Marvel and DC have been doing this for decades), Marc Spector, aka Steven Grant, aka Jake Lockley, aka The Fist of Khonshu, aka Moon Knight has an original enough origin and background that he could make a good street-level vigilante, without being too derivative. They could also introduce some more supernatural elements, as MK’s first appearance was in Werewolf By Night. I’m hoping he makes an appearance in one of the “Marvel Knights” shows coming from NetFlix. Otherwise, an animated short similar to what DC did would be very cool.

Shang Chi
Created in the 70’s in order to capitalize on the Bruce Lee craze, Shang Chi, the Master of Kung Fu, is actually a pretty nuanced character, with a lot of potential. And with the number of Hollywood/Hong Kong collaborations these days, you could really go all over the place with him. Realistically, though, I am hoping he does make an appearance in the Iron Fist NetFlix series.



So, do you have a favorite Marvel character that you think needs some screen time?

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Practically speed-reading!

In my last update, I had just finished the first book in my pile (after a false start with a book that I ultimately decided to abandon for now). That was just over a week ago, and last night I finished book number two in my pile.

This one was The Executioner #67, Beirut Payback. Written in 1984, it's set in the height of the Cold War, with the city of Beirut as a violent backdrop. Mack Bolan has severed ties with the government, officially, and is on the top of every intelligence and law-enforcement agency's hit list. So, what does he do? Heads into the most volatile city in the world on a mission of justice and revenge.

My wife once read a Mack Bolan book, and described it as being "like reading an action movie." And this one was just that. Filled with over-the-top gun fights, explosions, and hand-to-hand combat, some of the descriptions were a bit melodramatic and excessively detailed. Mack is once again the super soldier who never misses with his faithful sidearms. In a couple of instances, the guns seemed to fire magic bullets, even. The dialogue was occasionally corny, the characters a bit more like caricatures, and the continuity of the passing of time a bit of a stretch.

Despite all of this, I had a blast. And it was all I could do to stick to my pile, and not just grab another Executioner last night.

My next book is the one I decided to replace the Amber book with. Keeping with the fantasy theme, I chose Conan - The Road of Kings, by Karl Edward Wagner. KEW has been a staple among sword & sorcery fans, and this is largely considered the best Conan pastiche ever written. It tells the tale of how Conan gained the throne of Aquilonia, which was a story that Howard himself never got around to writing. I'm looking forward to it.

In school news, had a bit of a panic last week. On Tuesday I suddenly realized I had a 5-7 page essay due this past weekend. Then, on Thursday, I realized that my professor decided to cut a day out of my work time on it, by making it due Saturday (every other class has weekly assignments due on Sunday). So, I spent most of Friday cranking out a 5 and half page essay. We were going to be out of town on Saturday, so I needed to turn it in early. The quality of the essay is questionable, but it got done and turned in. I need to keep more on top of these assignments. I'm just getting so burned out on school these days, it's hard to even want to do anything.

I have already failed to meet my first writing goal for my sci-fan book. The outline isn't done yet, and I should be well into writing prose by now. I may go ahead and start cranking on the prose of the first few chapters, and see if that inspires me to finish the plot and outline. I'm kind of at an impasse now, and not sure how the story should progress to get to my ending. We'll see how that goes.