Great Movies... that Predict the Future?

GATTACA is up on Hulu. Seems it's also on Crackle.



This is one of my favorite movies. I could watch it a thousand times and find something new.

I never understood why it didn't get more acclaim. Or even more of a cult following. It rings true on so many different levels, plus it is a great piece of science fiction. I don't see movies like this being made today, and something about that makes me very sad.

Movies about the strength of the human spirit always seem to resonate with me.

Anyway, I was surfing the web, checking out TIME's TOP 50 INVENTIONS of 2008, following some links from DR. HORRIBLE'S SING-A-LONG BLOG (which was listed as # 15). Why, it is considered an invention, I'm not really sure. Don't get me wrong. I like the show. A lot. But an invention?



So of course, that piqued my curiosity as to what else Time was considering an invention -- and wouldn't you know it? The #1, ~~the~~ Invention of the year is none other than...

The RETAIL DNA test!!!

a $399 saliva test that estimates your predisposition for more than 90 traits and conditions ranging from baldness to blindness.

visit videodetective.com for more info

There is a high degree of "cool" factor for me in all this. I love new technology. I love seeing how our future is divergent from those Disneyland dioramas from the 50s. And how, sometimes, it's the same. And I have this theory that artists tend to be able to tap into some collective unconscious -- that in a way, lets them predict the future. (I'm not saying Nostradamus style, just Art reflects the times, and good art because a voice, an image, an icon of the time).

This is like something straight out of GATTACA.

"Age of the sample?"
"I kissed him 5 minutes ago. Gave him a good one."

"Got yourself a 9.3. Quite the catch."
"Quite the catch."

However, what scares me is --

Movie mogul Harvey Weinstein says he is backing 23andMe not for its cinematic possibilities but because "I think it is a good investment. This is strictly medical and business-like." Google has chipped in almost half the $8.9 million in funding raised by the firm, which counts Warren Buffett, Rupert Murdoch and Ivanka Trump among its clients.

-- a 9 million dollar investment. From some of the most influential businessmen (and women) in the U.S. That seems like more than investing on a new fad.

I find Google's involvement particular bothersome. I don't mean to come off as some chaos conspiracy theorist nut, but Google does have their hands in a lot of different new media. Very wave of the future stuff.

Wojcicki and Avey see themselves not just as businesswomen but also as social entrepreneurs.

Scary.

With their customers' consent, they plan to amass everyone's genetic footprint in a giant database...

Scarier.

...that can be mined for clues to which mutations make us susceptible to specific diseases and which drugs people are more likely to respond to.

Oh. That's cool.

The real issue here, is this is an incredibly altruistic tact for something that has such potential to reshape society as we know it. -- And it's backed by corporate sponsorship.

Moral decency and the corporate pursuit of the almighty dollar seldom go hand in hand. I wouldn't expect this to be any different. There is a sizable investment that needs to be recouped.

What I find to be something straight out of science fiction is the potential societal benefit controlled by entities larger than our own government. Entities that simply rewrite the rules to fit their quarterly reports.

See Enron.

Only time will tell. But this stuff always gets the gears in the old noggin turning.

Megan Fox as WONDER WOMAN!

...if only it were true.

Are Things Changing?

Election Day came and went.

Strange how the more things change, the more things stay the same.

I am talking specifically about the passing of Prop 8.

Prop 8 takes away marriage rights of gay couples. That is ALL this bill was about. Fear and discrimination.

Prop 8, essentially overturns the a right that was given to gay couples a few months ago. Gays had the right to have their marriages recognized by the state of California for mere months...

Let that sink in. The California Supreme Court already ruled that gay couples not being able to enter into marriage was UNCONSTITUTIONAL.

And yet Prop 8 passed...

What appalls me, isn't that the bill passed. There are multiple appeals and suits filed with the California State Supreme Court arguing that Prop 8 is unconstitutional -- which it is.

What appalls is that a majority of Californians are bigots.

Definitely an eye opener for me. I didn't think Prop 8 even had a chance. I wasn't alive during the Civil Rights movement of the 60's. I always wondered how a large mass of people could not only let racism run rampant, but actually endorse it.

I had this belief that Californians were progressive. That the country followed suit with the example Californians set. I truly hope that isn't the case here.

I have never been more ashamed to be a Californian.

...and I say this as a conservative and as a Republican.

It doesn't matter if you are liberal or conservative -- taking away the rights of another human being isn't only unconstitutional, but it is unconscionable.

DB... Z?

Wow, uh, Piccolo... is, uh... white.

So that's a trailer for the new DRAGONBALL movie that's supposed to be coming out in April. I know, I'm opening myself up to a lot of ridicule here, but--

I am a fan of the Dragonball series. I love how innocent Goku was as a kid. How his naivete was what got him into trouble. How he was always unknowingly super-powerful and would work harder whenever he faced an obstacle. But mostly, that he just wanted to have fun.

That brings me to my point -- or question -- or something...

Where is the fun?

Is it just me, or do all Manga / Video Game movies / Comic book movies (before the year 2000) all have the exact same feel?

Do they need to be so serious?

Why is it marketed as an intense adult action movie, when it should be a fun Family film for all ages?

I ask this simply because it seems like the same problem over and over again with these types of movies. Someone with money liked the franchise it was based on, they bought the rights, and hired people who have no idea what the series is really about.

-- you know -- the good stuff, the characters, the journey, the emotional core of the story ...

...the things that are the reason these franchises have developed a following that lasts decades.

In the trailer, Goku says the line:

I'm not ready for this.

That's not a line Goku would EVER say. He's naive. He never knows what he is up against, charges in head first, and usually gets his butt handed to him a few times before he actually triumphs. That's actually a big part of the appeal of his character.

I'm not ready for this.

is not only something the character would never say, but it is also incredibly cliche.

Anyway -- to jump to the 2nd part of this rather twisty convoluted post --

The trailer looks like they completely missed what was fun and exciting about the series. In fact, it looks like they completely skipped this part of the Dragonball series and jumped right into DBZ.

If it is DBZ, where is Vegeta?

Seriously.

Vegeta is the BEST thing about DBZ. Once Goku becomes an adult, he loses that innocent charm he had as a child. Now he has to deal with real issues. With raising his own son Gohan. With his wife Chi-chi. With his nemesis that is still after him, Piccolo. But he's still that same lovable goof -- and that wears thin.

Which is where Vegeta, a new power hungry nemesis, plays such an important role.

Vegeta is an incredible character, especially considering the Dragonball universe. Goku is the hero. But let's face it, Goku has no direction. He just wanders into things. Vegeta on the other hand is driven!

To put it simply, Vegeta wants to be the best. He works his ass off to be the very best. But no matter what he does, he is always second to Goku. Now is when Goku simply stumbling into things becomes a piece of dramatic action. Goku's easy going, innocent, good nature coupled with his natural talent is infuriating to Vegeta. Everytime Vegeta thinks he's the top dog, Goku one up's him -- and most the time it's not even on purpose. That is great character conflict.

It's just who Goku is.

And it's just who Vegeta is. Forever doomed to be second best.

I think, to have Goku as an adult without Vegeta in the film, is to only tell 1/2 the story.

Preacher Resurrected

Good news indeed.

And who is attached to direct? None other than --

SAM MENDES.

PREACHER was originally set up to be an ongoing series at HBO. I still think this would have been the best choice for the Garth Ennis comic, as some of the plot turns really need the luxury of being able to build over a season or two.

That aside -- There isn't a better director on this planet to do this movie than Sam Mendes.

It seems everyone involved is interested in putting PREACHER on the big or small screen as it was intended to be. Dark, gritty, brutal -- and sometimes funny. Even HBO's dismissal of the project arose because of the dark nature of the content.

I think the biggest fear for fans is the potentially crappy PG-13 version if push came to shove over dropping the rating. With Sam Mendes on board, it's a safe bet, that we the fans are going to get the best big screen adaptation possible.

Extinction Agenda

Anyone else see the irony of Direct TV advertising on Hulu.com?

That'd be like dinosaurs inventing a magnet that attracted meteors.

(1/6) One Sixth Degree of Separation

So, uh... I had a really interesting weekend. Nothing screenwriting related. But I had a lot of fun and was star-struck many times over.

I was the boom-op on THE GUILD.

As you may have noticed, I am under the impression that internet shorts are on the verge of becoming very financially viable, particularly with the success of Joss Whedon's DR. HORRIBLE'S SING-A-LONG blog.

I also like being a part of shows that I am a fan of. I like to see how they work, meet the people, get a lay of the land.

Okay, so I didn't know how tight-knit of a group this community actually was/is.

Somewhere, I stepped into the twilight zone. It was like the opposite of six degrees of separation -- like, literally, somehow every person I met was directly related to another 6 people that had a show that I am a huge fan of.

When my buddy Sean Oakley (who is doing sound for The Guild, and how I got the boom-op gig) and I arrived to set (The Guild and Dr. Horrible star, Felicia Day's house) there was a woman out front that I thought was vaguely familiar. But I didn't put it together until the end of the day when they were talking about her show. It was Kim Evey. Otherwise known as, KIKO from GORGEOUS TINY CHICKEN MACHINE SHOW. She is the producer of THE GUILD. Rock on!

ASIDE: Check out this show. It is amazing. I can't do it justice, because in all honesty, I don't know how to describe it. It is insanity at its most brilliant.

I actually stuck my foot in my mouth trying to compliment Kim on her show. I said something along the lines of "I love the show. It's amazing. I really don't understand how it works."

What I was talking about was structurally. I meant; I don't understand where I would even begin to write a show like that. It's randomness, energy, style, and miscommunication is what makes the show so hilarious. From a structure standpoint, I wouldn't even know where to begin. And I actually think that is why I like it so much.

BACK TO SCENE

Secondly, the director of this weekend's shoot was Sean Becker. What I found out was, he also doubles as COWNICORN. I did not recognize him without the cow costume. At all. And even afterwards, it was just too silly trying to picture him in that cow costume.

So that was yesterday. Today, we shot at Kim's house. I was browsing her bookshelf, noting the similarity to books I had seen prior at Felicia's house, when I noticed two name-tags on a shelf. Kim Benson. And Greg Benson.

For those of you unfamiliar with the name -- Greg Benson directs THE RETARDED POLICEMAN. Of all the internet shows on the web, this has to have the catchiest theme song. Not to mention most un-PC premise. It's fucking great! If you haven't seen it, stop reading this blog -- Go! I mean it!

I knew Greg Benson had directed some of the season 1 episodes of THE GUILD. I knew he directed some episodes of GORGEOUS TINY CHICKEN MACHINE SHOW. But it took two little cards on a bookshelf for me to put the whole picture together. Greg and Kim are husband and wife.

Oooooohhhhhh!

The circle is complete.

Maybe you all knew this. But I didn't. I am a rather spontaneous person and I tend to stumble into things blindly. Dumb luck, you might call it.

SEAN: What's he look like?
ME: I don't know how to describe him.
SEAN: Was he on set yesterday?
ME: Nah, man, but that was him.
SEAN: I didn't see him.

Greg walks into the room.

ME: He kind of looks exactly like this guy.

Of course, Greg has no idea what Sean and I are talking about -- but he's a cool guy and he plays along.

GREG: Yeah. Who's that?
ME: Greg.
GREG: (adlibs something funny that my poor overloaded short term memory can't remember)
ME: I was just telling Sean that Greg looks exactly like this guy, right here.
GREG: (More funny improv).

And after a moment of awkwardness -- because I really ran out of material and am not that quick on the improv-fly (which unfortunately EVERYONE else on that set was) -- Greg extended his hand and introduced himself.

GREG: Greg.
ME: James. I'm a really big fan of The Retarded Policeman.

It was at this point, at which Greg's phone rang. It was a text from the Ponceman (star of The Retarded Policeman) that simply said: "Sexy Bitch."

That pretty much sums up my weekend.

Sexy bitch.