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Wednesday, November 23, 2011

New Picture: White Apes of Barsoom!


Entertainment Weekly has a fresh interview with director Andrew Stanton and the latest photos from the John Carter of Mars flick. Then theres this little tidbit from the article [SPOILERS, if you've not read the books], in which Stanton explains that the Tharks chain down Carter to keep him from low-grav jumping his way to freedom in a gladitorial arena. Stanton explains Carter's dilemma, but he leaks a little info about the beast itself (emphasis mine):
AS: There’s a subtle sense of anticipation for what these things might be like. Then Michael Kutsche — who did a lot of the designs on [the Johnny Depp movie] Alice in Wonderland – came up with this design on his own, for just their scale. He made them nocturnal, almost like moles — they stopped using their eyes, and just had a heightened sense of smell. We just love that. We needed a scene where Carter was going have to get out of his execution sentence in order to move the story forward, and we thought what better than having to go up against this formidable creature?
...and later...
EW: I’m sure John Carter is thinking right now, “This is a really interesting problem.”
AS: [Chuckles.] Right. And you’ve got these apes that can’t see, but they can smell really well. So it gives you a slight chance to not be killed immediately.
It's been a while since I read the books, but I don't recall the apes being blind.

Am I wrong? What do you think about the way this is playing out?

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

TONIGHT: You can't hide from the Intergalactic Nemesis!


This evening I'll be at the Heights Theater in Minneapolis to see Intergalactic Nemesis, a LIVE radio show-like performance mashed-up with pulp comic imagery. From their website:
The Intergalactic Nemesis is a one-of-a-kind theatrical experience that mashes up radio drama with comic-books. Three actors voice dozens of characters; one Foley artist creates hundreds of sound effects; one keyboardist performs a score of thousands (yes, thousands!) of notes; while on a two-story high screen we project more than 1,250 individual, full-color, hand-drawn, hi-res, blow-your-mind comic book images to tell the story visually. LIVE.

Inspired by Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars, and the pulp serials of the 1930s, The Intergalactic Nemesis is a spectacle unlike any other and it’s for the kid in everyone.
If you're local and can make it (show starts at 7pm) it looks like quite a lot of fun. Pack your ray gun and come!

Check the tour schedule to see if the Nemesis is coming to obliterate your hometown.