Mark Wooden's Blog, page 42
March 21, 2014
MegaCon 2014 is here! And so are the stars!
Orlando's premiere geek fest MegaCon starts today. Here you'll see not only comic book stuff but a touch of Hollywood with stars like Karl Urban, James Marsters and John Barrowman.
I'll be going with my "Shadowdance" bookmarks and t-shirts. I'm also carrying a pile of cash to pick up those trade paperback sales. Below the fold I'll tell you more about the con and who you're gonna see there.
March 19, 2014
Backlash against Michael B. Jordan as Human Torch not necessarily racist (2)
The casting of Michael B. Jordan as Johnny Storm, a.k.a. the Human Torch of the Fantastic Four, has resulted in the latest geek outcry. The Torch is a white male in the comic books; Jordan is black.
Geek outrage at casting is nothing new; look at the hubbub over Ben Affleck as Batman or Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. But is this latest casting simply geek outrage or does it boil over into racism?
March 18, 2014
Disney mocks Lando on "Dancing with the Stars"
Last night’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration included a new episode of “Dancing With the Stars.”
It featured Lando Calrissian, Mr. Colt .45, them man who taught black youth in the seventies their swagger, Billy Dee Williams.
He was dancing to a disco version of the “Star Wars” theme, complete with stormtroopers, R2-D2 and ewoks.
Don’t believe me? I’ll give you a link to the clip after I explain just how wrong all that is.
March 17, 2014
Urban fantasy writer returns to the blog
Been gone a while, but that’s because I’ve been quite the busy boy.
“By Virtue Fall,” the first novel of the “Shadowdance” urban fantasy novel is out there. More on that in a bit.
There’s also been lots of changes in the pop culture landscape. I’ll touch on those too.
And let me also explain my new blog style, which should make it easier for me to keep this thing going.
December 26, 2013
"Beautiful Creatures" rises above usual YA tropes
“Beautiful Creatures” hit theaters last February with little fanfare and even less audience and critical approval. The movie is another in a long line of Young Adult books transformed for the screen, Hollywood’s continuing grasp for “Harry Potter” and “Twilight” money.
One could easily dismiss “Beautiful Creatures” as the umpteenth riff on the “Twilight” love triangle. You know it well be now: girl meets supernatural creature, falls in love, another supernatural creature falls in love with her, but the two creatures hate each other and fight over the girl.
Well, that’s in this movie, but with a few twists that make things interesting, if not totally original.
December 24, 2013
"A Christmas Story" plays for 24 hours
It's that time of year again! TBS is running "A Christmas Story" for 24-hours.
Celebrate the holidays with Ralphie's pursuit of a Red Ryder BB gun -- among other hijinks.
Fun fact: director Bob Clark traded on his success with "Porky's" to get "A Christmas Story" made. He'd been working on it for ten years with writer Jean Shepard.
More Ralphie as "A Christmas Story" has two sequels
Watching “A Christmas Story” on a Jack Bauer-like rotation has become a Christmas tradition. Did you know that the movie has not one but two sequels?
Anyone over the age of thirty is familiar with the story of little Ralphie and his quest for a Red Ryder BB gun, the Old Man’s earning a lamp that’s the shape of a woman’s leg, and the myriad other situations the Parker family gets into.
The story was based on Jean Shepherd’s book, “In God we Trust, All Others Pay Cash.”
The two sequels are also based on the same novel, but pick up with different stories. Shepherd served as screenwriter on all three movies, so there’s at least some continuity.
December 17, 2013
Thomas Jane returns as the Punisher in "Dirty Laundry"
Thomas Jane, formerly the Punisher in a shitty Punisher movie, hit San Diego Comic-Con in 2012 with a Punisher short fan film that, well, actually works.
It's old news, but worth repeating when someone gets things right.
December 16, 2013
Hollywood - not Washington - responsible for PG-13 ultraviolence
“Pediatrics,” the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, is publishing a study, “Gun Violence Trends in Movies.”
They found there are more acts of gun violence in PG-13 movies than R-rated movies.
“Forbes” columnist and film scholar Scott Mendelson points out that when Washington threatened Hollywood with a law that would fine them for marketing R-rated material to a PG-13 audience, Hollywood nipped and tucked their R-rated adult content to fit the PG-13 audience.
Hence, more gun violence in movies marketed towards children.
And somehow Mendelson thinks this is all Washington’s fault.
December 13, 2013
Snyder chooses a new Wonder Woman
When Ben Affleck got named as Batman, the fanboy universe exploded with controversy. Now it’s time for the next round of controversy, this one a touch more important.
Director Zack Snyder has announced his choice to play Princess Diana, also known as Wonder Woman.
Cue the fanboy apocalypse. But this time, I think it’s a bit more justified.
