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Quote of the day: Why TOKYOPOP dropped the ball

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Anyway, Tokyopop did a lot of good stuff, and I’ll miss their OEL line especially. (I also enjoyed MixxZine back in the distant day.) But my original point is: they had more than 10 years to sell that one runaway hit property, to develop that one megahit property, and they failed. Once they stopped doing original content and started focusing on their licenses—Ghostbusters, Star Trek, whatever—I knew their ambitious plan was dead and they had to resort to doing spinoffs of other companies’ stuff rather than developing something new that could be a crossover hit. (Although I loved Jake Forbes’ Labyrinth manga.) Maybe it’s best if the whole OEL/global manga label fades away and we truly acknowledge that we are in a post-manga world, a world of countless influences, like Scott McCloud said, oh, a zillion years ago in the introduction to the first FLIGHT anthology. Still, manga has brought the world wonderful things. There’s no shame in loving it and imitating it and being proud of it, as long as you bring that original spark. Now the hype and glitz and glamor has died away, the manga party is over and the guests have left, and all that’s left is the diligent artists still drawing in the next room.

—Manga editor Jason Thompson gives a poignant eulogy to the now-dead in the water TOKYOPOP, the last major North American manga distributor

Trisha’s Take: Arthur review

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Arthur

Directed by Jason Winer
Starring Russell Brand, Helen Mirren, Greta Gerwig, Jennifer Garner
Rating: Rated PG-13 for alcohol use throughout, sexual content, language and some drug references

For someone who started her blogging career on a movie site, there are quite a few gaps in my mental movie database.

Take almost any movie from the early 1980s, for example. As a kid, we didn’t have a lot of extra money to spend on such things, and besides, would you really expect conservative parents to okay a movie night that didn’t include a Disney film? As a result, I never saw the original Arthur with British actor Dudley Moore and could go into the screening of the remake starring Russell Brand without any preconceptions. [Editor’s note: Massive spoilers, ahoy!]

The story, by now, is somewhat familiar: In order to keep the family’s considerable charitable trust from losing investors, man-child playboy Arthur Bach (Russell Brand) is told by his widowed mother that if he wants to continue to have access to the vast fortune left to him, he must marry nouveau riche heiress Susan Johnson (Jennifer Garner). Meanwhile, Bach meets an unlicensed tour operator from Queens named Naomi (Greta Gerwig) who ends up being able to see past his boorish behavior, and the two fall in love. Bach doesn’t want to give up the money because it’s all he has known and it fuels his every whim. He also doesn’t want to marry someone he doesn’t care about and who frankly scares the crap out of him with her domineering ways. What is an eligible young Manhattan scion to do?

Even without knowing anything about the original, or that they made a sequel to it where Moore’s character is married to Liza Minelli’s waitress from Queens, you know that any romantic comedy is going to end with Arthur hooked up with Naomi and not Susan. It’s how the film gets there is what I’m examining in this review.

Immediately after the lovely and whimsical closing credits finished rolling, I knew I liked most of what I’d seen. Brand was charming, there were some fantastic lines of dialogue that got some great laughs in the screening audience I saw it with, and Helen Mirren as Brand’s nanny Hobson stole almost every scene that she was in.

It’s when I got home and started to think about exactly what I was confused about during the last climactic scene in the church that the whole movie fell apart. Early in the movie, we first see Jennifer Garner’s Susan standing next to Vivienne Bach (Geraldine James) at the charity dinner that Arthur misses because he’s too busy getting arrested by the cops for driving the Batmobile (Tim Burton era) into the bronze bull located near Wall Street. That’s where they first hatch the scheme to have Arthur marry her because she would provide a stabilizing influence for him and with her at the helm of the next generation of the trust, the investors would return.

The next time we see Susan, she is striding out of Vivienne’s office wearing an impeccable business suit, and laying down some expository background information which reveals that she and Arthur dated once, and then after a few months of sex, he never called her again. Shortly afterwards, as Vivienne goes over the plan with Arthur, we see magazine covers showing what an awesome woman Susan is for her equestrian accomplishments and charitable work with Habitats for Humanity.

Is it any wonder, then, that I thought that Susan was an executive with the firm who bent the rules once and dated her boss’ son? And that one of the reasons why she agreed to the plan in the first place was so that she could take control of it in a way that she never would be able to on her own? And that control and the fact that it would be a marriage of convenience is something that Susan and Vivienne already discussed?

Therefore, at the end of the movie where when Arthur calls off the wedding, Susan goes on her tirade, and Vivienne stands up for his decision, I had no earthly idea why Vivienne would have heaped so much scorn on Susan for saying her piece or why she would have suddenly decided that it would be better for Arthur to marry for love and not to keep his money. Even during the earlier scene where Hobson goes to intercede on his behalf, we never get any indication that Vivienne is starting to understand her own son or that she has never thought Susan’s intentions were anything but romantic; as such, her sudden change of heart at the wedding makes no sense whatsoever.

Otherwise, this was the perfect movie for Russell Brand to add to his filmography. Knowing now about how they chose to take this movie, he was the only person I could think of who could do this role justice. Perhaps, it’s because he is a media bad boy and is such a larger than life figure that it would be impossible to see someone else in this role. If I were his manager, though, I’d worry about him being typecast, unless that’s all he wants out of his career… and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Greta Gerwig as Naomi is cute and serviceable, but the problems I have with how they handled her character overshadow too much her actual performance. The choice of Naomi’s day job is just a little too improbable for a New Yorker, and that’s what tumbled my suspension of disbelief regarding her character. Granted, the film explains that her father receives a pension and that’s what’s helping pay for the apartment they share in Queens, but even outside of New York City, most struggling children’s book authors I know of have a spouse with a day job or have a separate steady day job themselves. Also–and this is a huge publishing nitpick on my part–most children’s book publishers prefer to hire illustrators separately from writers; this is something Naomi would have known if she’d cared to do a bit of research. (Also, the fact that Susan knew that the Bach corporation acquired the publishing firm who bought Naomi’s book? Is more ammunition for the “Susan is a Bach executive” argument.)

Despite my misunderstanding of Susan’s actual motivation, I still think Jennifer Garner made an excellent antagonist, even if she was only one by default. You could tell that’s the role they intended for her to play when she made a most unwelcome crack at Hobson which seemingly came out of the blue. She has a long way to go before she gets to the level of Bette Davis scene-chomping, but she was definitely a force to reckon with during her scenes.

Equally as forceful and deserving of her top billing was Helen Mirren in the role that fellow compatriot John Gielgud had in the original as Arthur’s most trusted companion, and Hobson’s gender swap is the most interesting innovation that director Jason Winer and screenwriter Peter Baynham brought to the remake. By choosing to emphasize Hobson’s role as Arthur’s “true” mother and contrast her way of taking care of him to Vivienne’s, it brought an interesting spice to all of their interactions. However, you never felt that Mirren was putting on a man’s trousers to play this role; it was hers from beginning to end.

Ultimately, it’s a real darn shame that these actors and others who performed well–including Nick Nolte as Susan’s father, Luis Guzman as Arthur’s valet Bitterman, and John Hodgman’s cameo as a cashier in Dylan’s Candy Bar–were stuck in such a dismal remake. As my former editor once said, remakes can be done well if they bring something new to the adaptation. All this brought to the table was an expired can of spotted dick.

Arthur is out in wide release now, but honestly, you’re probably better off watching the original which is currently streaming on Netflix.

Trisha’s Take: D20 Burlesque’s A Night of Role Playing (Games) review

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D20 Burlesque’s A Night of Role Playing (Games)

Produced by Anja Keister
Hosted by Neil O’Fortune
Starring Anja Keister, B.B. Heart, Dangrrr Doll, Hazel Honeysuckle, Lily Stitches, and featuring Luna Chase
Raffle prizes sponsored by The Compleat Strategist
Friday, March 25 at 11:30 pm

[Editor’s note: Apologies in advance for the blurry photography, which may not be safe for work. -TL]

My introduction to burlesque began with my viewing of the 1993 Bette Midler TV musical production of Gypsy which featured Cynthia Gibb as the eponymous Gypsy Rose Lee. It was a musical I’d only ever heard about but had never seen, and Bob Mackie’s fanciful costuming of the three featured burlesque performers in the second half of the show along with Gypsy’s own beautiful tear-away gowns made me want to find out more.

However, the very first live burlesque show I ever witnessed was at the 2008 MangaNEXT convention where I first heard about not just the neo-burlesque movement, but also the idea that there was a geek version of it as well. The troupe called itself Cosplay Burlesque, and I’d later learn that some of the dancers there were also a part of another group called the White Elephant Burlesque Society.

The idea stayed with me for quite some time, and so when D20 producer Anja Kiester asked the members of a New York City-themed LiveJournal group I’m in if there would be interest in an RPG-themed show, I bought my tickets as soon as I got my next paycheck.

The show was to be held at the Parkside Lounge on the Lower East Side, a part of town in which I only find myself when Lyssa Spero calls for a midnight screening of a classic (or geeky) movie at the Landmark Sunshine. Since the curtain time was for 11:30 pm on a Friday night, I expected that the place would be packed, and indeed it was. We found the back room well enough, but since we arrived at 10:30 pm, we ended up crashing a street hockey’s season opening party.

But that was okay, because just before the league commissioner started in on his opening remarks, they brought on comedian Rob Gorden. His act was short and sweet, opening with an “on the fly” bit about being dropped from one team and scrambling to find another, but seamlessly segueing into his more polished bits on what it means to be a New Yorker and how fun (or not fun) it can be to ride the subway. (At this time, I would like to thank Chris Hardwick, Matt Mira, Jonah Ray and their Nerdist podcasts for making it easier for me to sound like I know what I’m talking about when I speak to a comedian after his or her set ends.)

Once their party was over, the room had to be cleared and the tables and chairs re-set, so my companion and I moved out into the small foyer where a line for the burlesque show had already formed. It was really very interesting to note that compared to the previous group of people who were mostly somewhat fit and wore trendy clothes, the group of people waiting for this show had more eye glasses and had significantly less women in it.

I can’t remember whether or not the show started on time, but I can tell you that the warm up act was a go-go/kitten dancer named Luna Chase who was dressed in a black and white bra, black panties, white thigh highs, tall black shoes, a pair of white feathery wings… and elf ears. I have no idea what kind of RPG character she was supposed to be, but I can tell you that on her character sheet, she forgot to buy a level in the Interpreting Music skill. She danced before the show started and also during the intermission for tips that you could pop into her thigh highs, and I gotta tell you that even though I did have one dollar in my wallet, I didn’t leave my chair once to tip.

Neil O’Fortune was the host and emcee for the evening, and he did a fantastic job. He was funny, his prepared speeches about the characters and performers were entertaining, and he was wonderfully engaging with the crowd. There were some times in which he said that he wasn’t familiar with the source material, and for him to admit that he wasn’t as geeky as the girls who had chosen to costume as those characters was pretty bold in a crowd of part-gaming geeks and part-burlesque geeks.

One interesting bit he did in the second half of the show was to read from what he called a “Pick a Plot” book (I’m assuming he didn’t say Choose Your Own Adventure because I hear those folks are awfully litigious) and have the three volunteers he chose from the audience decide what how the party was going to explore the dungeon. As he narrated the party’s eventual doom, he expounded on the great rules of role play gaming, pounding it in twice that as per Gary Gygax, if you choose the safe option, the GM has a right to punish you for that. It’s a bit that could only work for this specific audience and it killed. The last person standing got a copy of the re-released Dungeons and Dragons red box set, and I really wanted to be that person at that time.

As for the dancers, my favorite performances were by B.B. Heart and Anja Keister. The former only danced once, but what a dance! She came out dressed as the classic Max Schreck/Nosferatu from the 1922 German movie and moved to bite an audience member’s neck, but as the strains of “One” from A Chorus Line began, she was moved to dance and strip, first opening her coat to reveal a men’s dress shirt, suspenders, and slacks, and then underneath that, a glittering red bra, and no underwear, to…. Well, when she finally turned around for the final reveal, the design on the pastie she had covering her pelvis had to be seen to be believed.

Anja Keister danced twice, the first time as a gigantic d20 (really, a d18 because as she wrote in her recap of the evening, she had to remove two panels in order to be able to put it on) and the second as a 1920s adventurer caught in a Call of C’thulu campaign. In the latter, as the dance neared its climax, she appeared more and more crazed and unstable until she finally removed her waist cincher and bra to reveal that she was being guided by a mini-version of the Great Noodley One all along. What I loved about both Heart’s and Keister’s performances was that the dancers really emoted well throughout each piece, really understood their characters in each dance, and made every musical flourish count when it came to revealing more of themselves.

Kudos also go to Hazel Honeysuckle, who performed as Sheila the Thief from the old “Dungeons and Dragons” cartoon. Dancing to Cher’s “Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves,” as part of her act Luna Chase held up an oversized character sheet which detailed her stats, right down and including her reveal of a +5 mithril bikini. However, my favorite part of the dance was when she revealed her tasseled pasties and twirled them, because that’s a definite skill that not all dancers have.

My least favorite act was the last one because there was a lot of floor work between dancer Dangrrr Doll and Luna Chase, and because of my seated angle, I could barely see what was going on. Lord knows what the folks standing in the back of the room thought. Neil O’Fortune’s intro didn’t reveal who the character was, and it was entirely lost on me why this character would disembowel Chase and use her heart and entrails to make mini-cup cakes. There seemed to be too much prop work, not enough dancing and/or stripping, and while the cupcake reveal was cute, again, the motivation just wasn’t there. Later, as I was getting clarification for this article, Keister revealed that the character was supposed to be a barbarian, whereas I initially thought “vampire baker.” Oh well, I guess you can’t win them all.

As Anja Keister wrote in her blog on March 7, this show was the very first that she produced on her own, and I’d say that she struck gold with it. Nerdy burlesque (or “nerdlesque,” as she calls it) is a rare sight in the burlesque world and knowing that not only do they have a board gaming themed show going on next month on April 22, but they were able to book a gig in May as well is a testament to her dedication to seeing the art form thrive.

UPDATED: Thanks to Ping Stanton for a Flickr set of images, taken from a different angle!

Trisha’s Take: Potiche review

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Potiche (Trophy Wife)

Directed by François Ozon
Starring Catherine Deneuve, Gérard Depardieu, Fabrice Luchini, Judith Godrèche, and Jérémie Renier
Rating: Rated R for some sexuality

There’s a video which has been making its way around the Internet wherein Daniel Craig, the most recent 21st century James Bond, is dressed in drag and being grilled under harsh lights by Dame Judi Dench, in her M persona. This video appears courtesy of the group We Are Equals, which is a coalition of various charities devoted towards promoting equality between the sexes and genders.

As a 21st century woman myself, I always find it a little maddening to think that even with all of our society’s advances in technology and social standing, we are continuing to talk about women’s rights and why they still need to be a concern. Which made my viewing of Potiche on International Women’s Day a little more interesting than usual.

Based on a 1980 play by the same name from writers Pierre Barillet and Jean-Pierre Grédy, the story of Potiche (aka “Trophy Wife”) revolves around Suzanne Pujol (Catherine Denueve), the well-meaning grande dame of a factory town in France. It’s 1977 and her husband Robert (Fabrice Luchini) who took control of the company after Suzanne’s father died is battling against the umbrella factory’s union leaders who are goaded by the town’s leftist-leaning mayor, Maurice Babin (Gérard Depardieu). A strike and a violent confrontation with the protesters leaves Robert incapacitated and Suzanne in charge of the factory and the negotiations with the union leaders.

It’s a job for which Suzanne is ill-prepared as for the last 30 years, she has done nothing more strenuous than maintain her figure by jogging and maintain the household and raise their two children Joëlle (Judith Godrèche) and Laurent (Jérémie Renier). And yet, because this is a French comedy by one of its “New Wave” directors, by the time the credits roll, everything has been turned upside down in the most delightful way.

Several times, the film went into a different direction than I expected, especially during a climactic scene between Suzanne and her former lover Maurice, which takes place along the road where they first met. In a different story, the sentimentality would be dripping from the trees; in Ozon’s hands (as the original play ends well before this point), the turn is swift and humorous, yet filled with the usual poignancy you expect from French film.

All of the performances are fantastic, especially Deneuve as Suzanne who has to carry the film and make a modern audience sympathize with a character type which is currently only in fashion if your favorite TV show’s name begins with “The Real Housewives Of….” And as long as I’m handing them out, kudos also go to Godrèche for managing to make Joëlle, who takes after her heavy-handed father, into a more nuanced, sympathetic character and Karin Viard as Nadège, Robert’s private secretary and trophy mistress.

An extra congratulatory note goes to César-nominated costume designer Pascaline Chavanne for not only being able to properly evoke the late 1970s but for also reflecting Suzanne’s growth into her new role through her wardrobe and styling. Here’s hoping the “Mad Men” costumers are taking notes for their future seasons.

If there’s a complaint I have, it is that in order to accommodate Ozon’s additions to the story (which my companion and I estimated takes about 30 minutes of screen time), the entire depiction of Suzanne’s learning curve–her “sports training montage” if you will–is shoved aside and swept under the rug. But then again, this is a comedy with some dramatic moments, and as such, I’ll let it slide.

If you missed out on celebrating International Women’s Day yesterday, you can celebrate it again by catching Potiche at your nearest indie cinema on March 25. Go ahead, I’ll wait.

Live-blogging the Oscars 2011

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It’s time for the 83rd annual Academy Awards ceremony, and this year, we’re trying out a new plug-in which allegedly will make this whole process easy as pie. Co-hosting this live-blog will be our movie reviewer Lyssa, and you can holler at us here in the comments on on Twitter (I’m at @trishalynn, and Lyssa is at @CinemaGoddess).

All times are Eastern ’cause we’re in New York City, and I sincerely hope that James Franco and Anne Hathaway really bring the funny this year.

[liveblog]

And here are the winners of the Razzies

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In all the hubbub of the Academy Awards ceremony, we didn’t forget the other awesome awards which were given out last night. Yes, we’re talking about the 31st annual RAZZIE® awards, the winners of which were announced last night.

Big “winners” included The Last Airbender which took home the awards for Worst Picture, Worst Director and Worst Screenplay (M. Night Shymalan), Worst Supporting Actor (Jackson Rathbone), and Worst Eye-Gouging Mis-Use of 3-D.

Check out the entire list here.

Trisha’s Quote of the Day: When Top Gear goes too far

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Richard [Hammond] has his tongue so far down the back of Jeremy [Clarkson’s] trousers he could forge a career as the back end of a pantomime horse. His attempt to foster some Clarkson-like maverick status with his “edgy” humour is truly tragic. He reminds you of the squirt at school as he hangs round Clarkson the bully, as if to say, “I’m with him”. Meanwhile, James May stands at the back holding their coats as they beat up the boy with the stutter.

–Steve Coogan (1.50.9 on a hot track), taking the piss out of the Lads of Top Gear UK for their recent comments about a Mexican-made supercar.

Trisha’s Short Video of the Day: A Wrinkle in Time in 90 Seconds

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Back when I was in elementary school, the one book I had a love/hate relationship with was A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle. We read it in our GATE class because it was a Newbery Award winner and one of the first science fiction books aimed at children.

I thought the plot of the book was rather cool, but I wasn’t great at sticking to the same chapters as the rest of the class or turning in the vocabulary homework. As a result, the D- I got that semester was the lowest I ever received and I got into trouble with my parents.

If I’d made a video like this when I was a kid, I wonder if my teacher would have raised my grade?

Created by children’s book author James Kennedy (The Order of Odd-Fish), this hilarious video was made in order to promote the 90 Second Newbery contest which he is holding jointly with the New York Public Library.

The challenge is to take either an award winner or a Newbery Honor winner and to recap the story in 90 seconds. Submissions in link form are due on September 15, 2011 and even fanfic crossover videos could even be considered, according to Kennedy who added:

If the film is sufficiently ingenious, we might even bend the rules. Okay, I admit it: for years I’ve wanted to see the rodents of Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh (1972) fight their counterparts in The Tale of Despereaux (2004). Rat-fights make for gripping cinema!

I really can’t argue with the man on that point. So, round up your kids, the neighbor’s kids, your nieces and/or nephews, cousins… basically grab as many child actors as you can, and you too could have your video screened at the film festival this fall.

Trisha’s Short Film of the Day: “Idiot with a Tripod”

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Normally, I’d be posting this from either Manhattan or Brooklyn in New York City. However, thanks to this year’s December Snowpocalypse (or my other favorite, Snowmygod), I’m typing from my parent’s kitchen table where I will be mostly stationed for the next two days until my re-booked flight takes off on Thursday morning.

Call me crazy, but despite the awesomeness of being with my family, I really wish I were back on the East Coast experiencing the blizzard and its aftermath with the rest of my co-residents. Luckily, at least one New Yorker was inspired to make art from the storm:

According to movie critic Roger Ebert, filmmaker Jamie Stuart shot, edited, compiled, and uploaded the film in less than 48 hours and is an homage to a 1929 classic silent film called “Man With a Movie Camera” by Dziga Vertov (which you can view at Ebert’s site).

Whenever I see shorts like these, disseminated and distributed for everyone to see, I can’t help but think that we live in an awesome and amazing time for people who want to be creative because the tools and equipment is no longer such a daunting barrier to entry.

Trisha’s Take: Using the Force as a force of good

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Katie poses with her very own custom Star Wars drawing by Scott Zirkel (c) Carrie Goldman

When Carrie Goldman wrote about her daughter Katie who was teased when she brought her Star Wars-themed water bottle to school because “Star Wars is for boys, and not girls,” and the Internet and cast and crew members from “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” proved that was most definitely not the case, I kept a close eye on the story.

Even though I’m not specifically a Star Wars fan, I do know what it’s like to be bullied or teased for looking and sounding or just being different from the other kids I grew up with. When I was younger, I lived in a pretty suburban area in Orange County, California. From when I was in kindergarten to when I was in the sixth grade, I had quite a few strikes against me: a) I’m Asian, b) I was smart, and c) I had (and still do have) a bit of a speech impediment.

Even now, as a grown woman working in a somewhat posh office in downtown Manhattan, I often feel awkward because I don’t dress like the other women who work in the office, and almost all of my geeky pop culture references go completely over the heads of the other people I work with. To throw in some more pop culture references, in an office full of Joan Holloways, I am a Peggy Olsen.

Having said that, I think even adult geeks can take heart from Goldman’s most recent update about Katie:

As I tried to coax her into putting on the patch [to help control her amblyopia], I remembered that one of the comments to Katie in the Anti-Bullying article was from a man who called himself the One-Eyed Jedi, because he was born with only one eye. I told Katie about him, and she immediately stopped crying. She began asking me questions about him, and as her focus shifted from herself to him, she was able to calm down and put on her patch.

The next morning, when she protested wearing the patch, I told her about a woman who had written about how she had suffered from scoliosis as a child and needed to wear a brace. Again, Katie was able to move outside of her unhappiness and put on her patch.

and

Katie is learning how to reach out to help other children in the same way that she has been helped.  A mother named Emily called to tell me that her first grade son was recently teased for bringing My Little Pony for show and tell.  She said he was terribly upset by the incident, and when I told Katie about it, she called to leave a message for the child.

She said, “I am Katie.  I like Star Wars, and you like My Little Pony.  I know other boys who like to play with My Little Pony, and it’s great, and umm, May the Pony Be With You!” she finished proudly.

Today in Evanston, Illinois at Katie’s school, they will be holding a Proud To Be Me Day where they will be “encouraging all students to wear something that represents their special interests regardless of gender (i.e. a girl in a Star Wars shirt or a boy in a princess shirt).” And over 28,000 geeks on Facebook have pledged to wear their own Star Wars shirts today as well, to support the idea that it’s perfectly okay to be a geek.

But even better than that, Goldman asked in a different follow-up article that “each person who decides to wear a Star Wars item also make a donation of a single Star Wars/science fiction toy to a shelter or hospital on December 10th.  (And please specify that the toy can go to a girl OR a boy, not just a boy).” I personally believe a great way to honor that request would be to check out the children’s hospital wishlists over at Child’s Play or to see if there’s an organization like the New York City-based Winter Wishes in your area, and donate.

And no matter what flavor of geek you are, I think that’s something we can all get behind.

Geekly Speaking About… “Top Gear USA” Episode 2

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I still say the blue Aston Martin is prettier

My ongoing technical difficulties have persisted, but now that I’ve finally got a clue and later edited out the parts with the poor audio, I’m happy to say that the analysis and live commentary on “Blind Drift,” the second episode of Top Gear USA is ready for your listening pleasure.

You can check it out below or in the right sidebar:

Please join us next week on Sunday, December 5 at 10:00 pm Eastern, when Kara Dennison and I (and perhaps a special guest) will be concluding our three-episode test and hope to answer the question: “Is this show actually any good?”

COMING SOON: “Geekly Speaking About…” goes live!

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Due to my ongoing microphone problems, U.K. TV expert Kara Dennison and I are testing something new out tonight, courtesy of TalkShoe.com. Tonight, starting at/around 9:45 pm Eastern Standard Time (GMT – 5:00), we’ll be launching the “Geekly Speaking About…” live podcast series with our viewing and discussion of the second episode of “Top Gear U.S.A.” on the History Channel.

We’d love for you to join us, and to do so, all you have to do is sign up for an account, and after you’ve logged in and right around 9:45 pm Eastern tonight, click on the “Join In” button to hear the call and participate in the text chat room. The best part is that once we’ve finished recording the show and our afterthoughts, the show website will be automatically updated with a file you can download to listen to if you were unable to join us tonight.

If all goes well, we’ll be doing more live podcasts on a regular basis, and we look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Trisha’s (Long) Video of the Day: “Runaway” by Kanye West (NSFW, lyrics)

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I am not an ardent fan of hip hop by any stretch of the imagination, but I do appreciate it when something a hip hop artist does is neat, cool, or utterly mad.

I’d say that this maxi-music video from Kanye West, featuring “Runaway” and other tracks from his new album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy qualifies as being utterly, utterly mad.

The short film/long music video debuted on October 23 in a massive publicity campaign which spanned MTV, MTV2 and BET; luckily, it has also been uploaded to the Internets in a commercial-free version:

Vincent D’Onofrio’s directorial debut to be picked up for distribution?

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In addition to being able to hear “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” actor Vincent D’Onofrio speak about his experiences directing his first movie, a slasher/musical called Don’t Go Into the Woods, the audience members at the Center for Communication screening and Q&A of the film heard from D’Onofrio himself that he had a meeting with people from Tribeca Films to pick up the film for distribution. However, when contacted, a spokesperson from Tribeca Films declined to comment.

Shot on a budget of $100,000 in upstate New York, the Don’t Go Into the Woods centers around an indie rock band who while taking a break from their “daily distractions,” end up disappearing one by one and dying from gruesome deaths, singing all the while. D’Onofrio and his collaborators Sam Bisbee, (co-executive producer, co-screenwriter and composer) and Joe Vinciguerra (co-executive producer and co-screenwriter) answered questions at the Q&A session, which was moderated by Brad Balfour from the Huffington Post.

About the production process, D’Onofrio said that there isn’t a big difference between writing a love song and writing a song about death, and added that there wasn’t any CGI used in the production. Also in attendance was one of the actors, Cassandra Walker (Ashley), who said that while she heard the music before reading the script, the concept was a bit wild to her.

Finally, D’Onofrio proved that he was well-versed in horror film lore by expounding a bit on “refrigerator logic” and how it applies to his film:

Further details about a release date for Don’t Go Into the Woods will be added to this article as they become available.

Thanks to Lyssa Spero for contributing to this article.

Geekly Speaking About… “Top Gear USA” Episode 1

Posted on by admin 5 Comments on Geekly Speaking About… “Top Gear USA” Episode 1
From l to r: Adam Ferrara, Tanner Foust, and Rutledge Wood hope you'll enjoy the U.S. version of "Top Gear"

Thanks to some technical difficulties which were not present when we conducted our tech test about 1.5 hours before its premiere last night at 10:00 pm, we were unable to produce the audio for the live commentary between myself and Kara Dennison as we watched the first episode of the U.S. version of “Top Gear.”

Thankfully, there was nothing wrong with our fingers, and so just in the nick of time, we hied ourselves over to Google Chat to record our thoughts about the first episode of “Top Gear U.S.A.” on the History Channel:

10:05 PM Kara: Okay, here we go. Right … things I’m noticing to start.
TrishaLynn: And already I’ve got problems with this as well. You go first 🙂
10:07 PM Kara: One, their set is similar but smaller; two, they’re giving the same sort of talk as the original hosts do; three, they’re working on getting a similar level of cinematography going.
Kara: It looks like re: the ‘Challenges’ they’ve got the right idea.
TrishaLynn: The addition of the missile detection system system to this kind of challenge is a nice touch. And that Tanner Foust is cute, though.
Kara: I’m gonna say right now … I’m not coming in intending to hate this. Just skeptical. One thing I will say about the hosts is you can tell it’s gonna be a bit ’til they’re comfortable with each other. On the set, they looked like they were still working on how to talk to each other and the camera at the same time.
TrishaLynn: “We’re the only two dudes riding in a red convertible together right now” = That’s cute. I appreciate that they’re doing this in a live city.
Kara: Now, this sponsor message actually has to do with something I was talking with my family about over dinner. One of the reasons Jay Leno turned down the show.
TrishaLynn: Go forth and expound!
Kara: The Beeb gets its money via taxpayers; American TV via commercials. I think there’s a legitimate concern that this sort of thing could keep them from getting too critical of certain cars for fear of losing possible sponsors. That’s really gonna depend a lot on how ballsy the hosts and producers are. If they’re smart they’ll avoid running commercials from c…… oh, wait, the first ad out of the gate was for Mercedez-Benz.
10:15 PM TrishaLynn: What I love about original TG is that they do have the autonomy to say, “Screw you” if/when the auto manufacturers don’t comply.  Like in the drive from San Francisco, Calif.  to the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. Dodge didn’t want to provide a Challenger, so they just went out and bought one
10:16 PM Kara: For the record, there are other international Top Gears: Australia and Russia. So we aren’t the first. “We are going straight to hell, my friend.” “Just turn left here on Blasphemy Blvd.” Okay, that got a giggle.
TrishaLynn: I recall that there are other versions of Top Gear out there. And how are those guys doing on their shows? Still tops in their country? Do they have the same kind of sponsorship issues? And speeding in a cemetery? Not sure if even Jeremy Clarkson would do that.
Kara: Not sure about Russia, but the Australia one does have a fair following as I understand it. Not sure about their finances. Richard Hammond might do it, with that chasing him. Aaaand, there’s Ride of the Valkyries. Was wondering when they’d do that.
10:19 PM TrishaLynn: I recall reading somewhere that of the bloggers who got to see the first three eps, it appeared as if some of these were totally staged. Which would make sense with the cemetery run and the fact that we didn’t see any other car on the road while they did their thing.
Kara: I see a banner in the back, and that did look like the Stig. They say they’ll have their own masked racer. Hopefully they won’t call him the Stig.
A lot of people accuse the original of being staged, and I think they admitted to the caravan fire … the rest, I think people just sort of stand back and let them be at this point so there’s no need to stage them.
TrishaLynn: Yay for their “Stig” reveal…?
Kara: … Oops.
TrishaLynn: Heh. I do like how they show where he is on the track during these power laps.
Kara: That is nice, yes.
TrishaLynn: Their straight is nice. Nice bit of a drift round that last corner
Kara: Not bad.
10:23 PM TrishaLynn: So far, we like their improvement on how they broadcast the power laps.
Kara: Yes. That’s good from a technical standpoint. People who’ve been watching for a while (or have played Gran Turismo) know the TG track already, but I like having an overhead of the new track.
10:24 PM  TrishaLynn: And the improv’ed banter between the hosts could use work, but it’s good that they like each other. See, here’s my thing about TG UK and the BBC. The thing that works is that these guys were somewhat already known as presenters so seeing these guys talk about cars was good. I’m speaking of Clarkson, Hammond, and James May. Each of these guys are almost totally unknown.
Kara: Yeah. Though Hammond auditioned for TG.
10:26 PM TrishaLynn: Ah, see this is why I’m glad I have you as my TG historian 🙂
Kara: He’d been doing sparse work before then as a radio personality. Clarkson and May were both on the old format. Clarkson from 88-00, May in ’99
TrishaLynn: Hmm. Okay, I understand that. So do you think Leno would have been a better co-host?
10:27 PM Kara: I think it’s important for the hosts to have both a ‘presence’ and the geekery to go with it. Oh God. They’re using a Suzuki for the ‘Big Star, Small Car’ segment.
10:28 PM TrishaLynn: “You’re gonna wear a helmet”?  Heh….
10:29 PM Kara: These three look like they’re gonna be more of the ‘frat guy’ sort with each other. Will be interesting.
TrishaLynn: First guest is Buzz Aldrin. “You had a 51 Chevy?” “They weren’t that expensive in those days”. I like how they’re showing the pictures of the cars they owned.
10:31 PM Kara: Adam Ferrara is a far less aggressive interviewer than Clarkson, but that’s sort of like saying someone is less intimidating than Andre the Giant, so…
TrishaLynn: Ah… gearbox problems. So it’s not just a right-hand drive thing.
Kara: Absolutely not. Buzz Aldrin officially the fastest lap TG USA has had on their show.
10:33 PM TrishaLynn: Officially since he’s the first guest on their track. 🙂
Kara: So far, yes, I like the overhead of the track and the actual visual aids for the cars in the interview segment, like you said. I wonder if any of that will be taken into account for the UK show.
10:35 PM TrishaLynn: I don’t know. But it’s a good change.
10:36 PM Kara: I don’t think they’ll bother with the former, since most people watching know the hell out of their track. I’d sort of like the latter since, despite the fact that I enjoy looking at shiny cars, I cannot recall how most look offhand.
TrishaLynn: But back to Leno… who else do you think would be a good co-host for this show instead of these guys? Personally, I would like to have seen Adam Carolla and/or Jimmy Kimmel. Because of how awesome “The Man Show” was.
Kara: I think Adam Carolla was an early choice. Sadly, I am not as well-versed in what American sorts are car geeks. And I do think that’s important. Being one, or being willing to learn.
TrishaLynn: Nice fun cinematography here.
Kara: For those playing the home game, bullfighting with a Lamborghini.
10:38 PM TrishaLynn: Nice trivia bit there. Re: Names of Lamborghini cars versus bulls.
10:39 PM Kara: I know I got quiet, I’m just drooling over the pretty supercars.
Kara: “It’s like being aroused at gunpoint.”
TrishaLynn: Talk about being inappropriate… and ballsy
Kara: Their talk is a lot more straightforward, I think. In original TG, you get Clarkson coming in talking about cars being fueled by diced lions …
TrishaLynn: For a second there, I was thinking that the tone was entirely too fawning and not critical enough. But the metaphors are what make Clarkson’s car films so fun to watch!
Kara: Oh, they absolutely are. At the same time I’m glad they’re not trying to cast themselves in those three roles. Like, “Okay, you’ll be our Hammond” or some such.
TrishaLynn: Yes. I’m glad of that as well. But this means that Tanner Foust (who is a stunt driver) is also a bit of a pussy because he’s the one who wore a helmet when they took the Suzuki for a spin and the other guys did not.
10:43 PM Kara: I think of the three, Rutledge Wood seems to be most grounded (at least for now) in the spirit of the show.
10:44 PM TrishaLynn: Rutledge also feels like he’s the most “good ol’ boy”
Kara: The sensibility is very different. There’s this sort of ‘OH WOW CARS’ aspect to them.
10:45 PM TrishaLynn: Nice callback to the original metaphor.
Kara: At the 45 minute mark, my main impression: I feel equally informed but far less ‘drawn in.’
10:46 PM TrishaLynn: How much is that because … DRAG RACE!
Kara: The upcoming drag race might help. And here’s a preview for next episode…
TrishaLynn: Teaching a blind man to drift? AWESOME.
10:47 PM Kara: They certainly seem to be getting similar amounts of leeway to the original.
TrishaLynn: Meaning? Getting or giving?
Kara: If they can put a blind man behind the wheel, even in a controlled environment. And I’m talking safety-wise. So, okay, no one involved in production is particularly inhibited.
TrishaLynn: It’s safer for them to be critical of Lambos because they’re not sponsoring this episode.
10:49 PM Kara: True.
TrishaLynn: But yes, I do feel awesomely informed. And I think the problem we’re having is that because we are expecting or comparing the new show to the UK show, we’ve got problems with the beats. YEAH, DRAG RACE!
10:51 PM Kara: I’m gonna say, though, the people behind the UK show are why I started (and kept) watching.
TrishaLynn: I agree with you on that.
Kara: I DO like drag races, though.
TrishaLynn: Me, too. Wait… they’re not racing each other? I am less excited about this now.
Kara: This is individual times.
10:52 PM TrishaLynn: I like how Tanner can tell by the sound how he’s shifting. And I am totally forgetting the third guy’s name.
10:53 PM Kara: Adam? Or Rutledge?
TrishaLynn: Which goes to show how forgettable he is right now. Yes, Adam.
Kara: Given the fact that BBC America is running TG far closer to its initial airdate and releasing things (from series 10 onward) on DVD, I don’t think this is necessarily an attempt to oust/replace the original. Which I think is a lot of people’s major concern.
TrishaLynn: I agree with you on that.
Kara: And now we’re putting the comedian in the car. I trust the other two far more and am not entirely sure why he is here. “That shaking is near death.” But yeah … original TG is heavily pirated to the point that they actually worked it into their marketing this past series.
TrishaLynn: Did they?
Kara: “Back with episodes you’ve never seen before … Unless you’re a filthy Internet pirate!!!”
TrishaLynn: Heh!
Kara: I am a little unnerved by the fact that their Stig banner is animated. It keeps catching me unawares.
10:58 PM TrishaLynn: It is?
Kara: Yeah, he’ll move every once in a while.
TrishaLynn: I think I like their dynamic a bit. Chicane sounds too similar to Chicago. I love how the two regular guys (Rutledge and Adam) love busting on the professional driver. “It was so fast it changed colors!”
Kara: Yeah, they found their punching bag pretty quick. John Deere sports car. Ohhh dear. Or is that “Ohhhh, Deere.”
TrishaLynn: I would love to see that happen. Them turning a John Deere tractor into a super car or a racing car. That’s a great challenge idea.
11:01 PM TrishaLynn: Final thoughts?
Kara: Final thoughts … interesting guys (though Adam feels a little forgettable, I like Tanner and Rutledge), like some of the technical things they’ve done differently, I like that they’re starting out at least somewhat fearless, but there’s one thing that keeps nagging at me. Which is … why?
11:02 PM TrishaLynn: Why remake TG for the U.S.? Then you should also ask why did they do it for Australia and Russia.
Kara: I do.
TrishaLynn: Hah!
11:03 PM Kara: I understand that the auto industry is very different in different areas of the world.
TrishaLynn: In comments I’ve seen on other articles, people have said that they once thought the U.S. version of “The Office” would be terrible, and it actually wasn’t.
11:04 PM Kara: I can’t get behind the US or UK version of “The Office,” but I think that’s just because I can’t get behind office humor in the first place. I do know it’s done rather well, and even people leery of remakes like it.
TrishaLynn: “Sanford and Son” was also based on a British TV show.
11:05 PM Kara: Sadly, the good remakes are so few and far between. When they’re good, they’re amazing. When they’re bad …
TrishaLynn: And if we’re asking why does a franchise allow itself to be remade for a different country, I think the answer is so that it can be more easily understood in the target country. What I don’t think people who are proponents for localization understand is that what makes it popular in the foreign country is that it is different from what they’re used to.
Kara: TG has a very British sensibility to it. A lot of the things we remake over here thrive on that sensibility, and I think things like “The Office” weren’t so reliant at their core on that. And that’s how you can tell if something’s gonna fly or not.
TrishaLynn: I remember when I was working at a media database company and was working on Geneon’s DVD releases of eps from a Japanese car show. They were just subtitled, but reading the synopses of these shows were just so interesting to me. And I can imagine a show like that celebrating the Japanese car culture and just Japanese culture in its own way and if I could remember what those DVDs were called, I’d watch the shite out of them.
Kara: Sounds actually like something I need to start looking for, as well. The idea is interesting. When I was first sat down to watch TG, it wasn’t “Here’s a car show,” it was “Here’s three crazy middle-aged British guys doing a car show.” Nothing to say the TG producers can’t expand their media empire. I think it’s just going to attract a different demographic entirely.
TrishaLynn: I totally agree with you. Thinking about who this show is for, it’s not for the original TG fan.
Kara: Thing is, it’s really hard to tell who they think it’s for.
TrishaLynn: Explain?
Kara: I’m not sure I can because I’m still turning over all the elements in my brain … best I can describe it… On the surface it’s very much like the original. It’s going with the format Clarkson pitched to the BBC in 2002. They even shoot it the same. But it’s hard to tell if that’s meant to attract people who like the original, or if it’s just transposing a formula that works to a different audience.
TrishaLynn: Hmm. Interesting thought.
Kara: Like … have they put out this shiny thing for me or for someone else? BBC aren’t dumb. Usually.
TrishaLynn: And who knows, maybe once these guys get into a groove, we’ll like them more?
Kara: Maybe.
11:16 PM TrishaLynn: Because has the U.S. ever put out a show about cars that has lasted long? Maybe that’s what they’re trying to do?
Kara: Maybe. The original TG — by which I mean the original format going back to ’77 — stuck around for a good long while. I’m not sure we have an equivalent in U.S. car shows.
11:17 PM TrishaLynn: You know, for having such a car culture in so many parts of this country, we haven’t had any TV shows about cars. Which aren’t about the cars themselves. “Speed Racer” does not count. 1) Because it was orignally Japanese and 2) Because it’s about drivers.
Kara: I know someone who could put us right if we’re wrong, but sadly he is unavailable. I’m sure we’ll hear in the comments if there’s one we’re missing.
11:18 PM TrishaLynn: “M.A.S.K.” doesn’t count. “Transformers” doesn’t count.
Kara: Aw.
TrishaLynn: Well they transform into “not cars”! They don’t count.
11:19 PM Kara: TG in the UK actually has a competitor — “Fifth Gear” — so they’re still ahead.
TrishaLynn: (Although “M.A.S.K.” was a hella awesome show). We do have magazines about cars. So why hasn’t Car & Driver done their own show?
Kara: Excellent question.
TrishaLynn: And the Japanese show I mentioned was also done magazine format.
Kara: That was the original TG format. It was just one person doing car news and reviews. Well, initially one.
TrishaLynn: Because why mess with a format that works?
Kara: Well, back before ’02 it was much more straightforward.
TrishaLynn: So I’ve heard.
Kara: Very basic news, reviews, occasionally an outing to a car show.
TrishaLynn: I can see why that format won’t work anymore.
Kara: Clarkson’s the one who started stirring that up in ’88.Because he came in and … er … was himself … and the ratings went through the roof.
TrishaLynn: And the Japanese show was based on a magazine, that’s what I meant by its format. But it had crazy-awesome stuff like we see in Clarkson’s re-imagining.
Kara: Yeah, the spectacle.
11:22 PM TrishaLynn: Yes, the spectacle.
Kara: And how just straight-up ludicrous some of it is. And by “some,” I mean most.
11:23 PM Kara: So the questions become: Can we do that here? 2. If we can’t, should we bother, or should we just do our car show and let the boys on the home front keep blowing up caravans for themselves? I don’t think the existence of a US version really threatens the livelihood of the UK one in any way. Which sounds obvious, but I think that can be a knee-jerk reaction. Especially considering a lot of UK-to-US remakes really DO muck things up by way of international distribution.
TrishaLynn: I think the success of this show will eventually rely on several things happening: 1) That people will enjoy watching the three hosts have fun with cars. 2) That they will find their own “new thing” which will differentiate their TG from the original TG. 3) That they can and will have the balls to call an American car rubbish.
11:26 PM Kara: 3 is a big one.
TrishaLynn: 4) That Americans can accept that it’s okay to enjoy and love cars but to still be responsible about the environment at the same time.
11:27 PM Kara: I do note that there’s not been a marketing push to attract fans of the original.
11:30 PM Kara: And yeah … there are people out there who just plain aren’t Anglophiles. The opposite, in fact.
TrishaLynn: Those people are kinda weird. 🙂
Kara: Ha!
11:31 PM TrishaLynn: So in other words…. reserving judgment? Cautiously okay?
Kara: I’m trying very hard to.
TrishaLynn: Giving them a shot?
Kara: While reminding myself that I am not their target audience.
TrishaLynn: Noted.
Kara: I’m gonna do my three-episode rule here, I think.
TrishaLynn: Alright… back in a week then? And this time we’ll try to actually coordinate audio again?
11:32 PM Kara: That’d be pretty cool.

Tune in next week, and we hope to have the technical difficulties with an audio commentary ironed out by then.