New Idea

I was thinking while walking the dog recently and I got an idea.

A town called Salvation

I'm not sure as to where this idea could go but here is the right place to flesh this germ of an idea out. At first I wasn't sure at all about what to do and then I realised (with a lot of help from a good friend - Thanks Ash) that this could be the opposite to Dante's Inferno. Instead of descending into through the seven levels ascending through the seven heavens.

Yes its Christian in message but so is Alice Cooper and the Gilmour Girls. The fact that its a postive message about redemption, forgiveness, grace, justification, sanctification leading to salvation doesn't mean it cannot refelct reality and has to be all happy joy and bright. I want the kind of meta-reality we see in most action movies. I want guns and fight secenes, sex, drugs, just like the way Guy Ritchie or Brian DePalma would do it.

So guys (yes fellow script cleaners I'm talking to you) what are your thoughts?

Okay I'm finishing it here.

We left off with Flash and Prince Barin realising their growing Bromance, Princess Aura didn't seem to mind at all about that and Dale falls for Vultan (thats everyone shacked up). The groups join forces to oust Ming but they are too late. Unknown to them Klytus (Mings evil scientist) has already opened up Zarkovs mind and has discovered the secret to the portal technology. This gives Ming the tactical advantage enabling him to transport whole armies around Mongo. Ming's plans begin with enforcing a stranglehold on Mongo and then an invasion of Earth.

They hatch a plan, Vultan and Dale go to Mingo City acting that Vultan's people found her. Barin and Flash go disguised as Vultan's men to release the Strike team and find Zarkov. Of course it all goes horribly wrong. Ming sends an army to destroy Sky City smiling at Vultan as he watches the destruction. Ming places Vultan in protective custody, Vultan claims article 17 (a prince of Mongo cannot be taken captive without trial by combat).
So yeah its Vultan who uses Ming's Law not Barin in my version. Works better for me.
So this doesn't happen. Which is a pity cause Brian Blessed camps it up wonderfully.

Ming refuses Vultan's claim to combat, having him in a cage while his people suffer is so much more satifying. Vultan is dragged away his people are also placed in custody across Mongo. Dale is considered damaged goods "I can smell the bird on you." declares Ming.
Princess Aura interupts Flash and Barin's attempt to save Zarkov, cause Ming had laid a trap for them. They find Aura has already saved Zarkov and the strike team. Zarkov reveals that the portal technology must be destroyed at all costs. Aura also tells them that Dale and Vultan have been captured.

Flash, Zarkov and the strike team head for Klytus to destroy the portal generator. Aura and Barin go to release Vultan who only wishes to kill Ming, he flies off (not literally) to realease his men and to kill Ming, Vultan has a death wish. Barin only sees defeat and wants Aura to leave with him, Aura says she cannot leave till Ming is dead. Barin leaves saying he can't risk anymore defeats and leaves.

Flash Zarkov and the strike team (along with a few loyal to Princess Aura) get to the portal generator. Vultan and his group force themselves through the city, but, loose numbers quickly. Arua gets Dale who demands where Vultan is, Aura tells her of his suicide mission and the two try and stop Vultan. They are too late. Ming is already gloating over Vultan, his men dead or injured around him.
Zarkov and Flash fight their way in, where Klytus has the portal in operation. Klytus flips a switch and the portal opens onto Earth. He tries to tempt Flash and the strike team to leave Mongo for Earth. Flash and the strike team are divided a few decide to take Klyuts' offer. Zarkov pleads with them not to. The strike team go through the portal, Flash hesitates just long enough for Zarkov to grab his gun and fire at Klytus and the portal generator.
A blast rocks the City, and gives Dale an opening to save Vultan, enabling them both to slip through blast doors as they close on Ming securing the Throne Room.
"You swept down and saved me like a true woman of the sky." replies Vultan in gratitude.
Flash and Zarkov arrive to interrupt Vultan and Dale. Flash asks where did the blast come from. Dale asks wasn't it the portal blowing up. If it was us we wouldn't be alive replies Zarkov. They get to a viewing deck where Barin and his merry men are flodding into the city. Barin demands to know where Arua is.

In the throne room Ming is in a fit of rage. Screaming for Klytus to get him out of the now very secure throne room. No one can find Klytus, Barin has stormed the city and there is a fleet of ships from many nations assembling. My people are coming to save their King boasts Ming. Aura tells Ming this is not the case, that if he looks closley they are supporting Barin's troops. Ming can't beleive this, at least you have come to my aid daughter. No, I have cometo kill you. Ming goes for him pimp ring, Aura grabs a sword cuts off his hand and runs him through.

Much later the blast doors are opened revealing Aura on the throne, Mings body sprawled on the floor. Aura, bloody sword in hand proclaims Mongo free.

Last scene has Flash and Zarkov talking amoungst the celebrations. Dale and Vultan eyeing each other, Barin with Aura on the throne. What happens next asks Flash. Whatever it is I'm sure it will be out of this world. replies Zarkov.

Flash Gordon Episode 16 Parts 1, 2 and 3

Hey just enjoy it. This is so much fun and Aura looks like a hawt verion of Tela from He-Man

Dragonball eeew.

In most movie adaptations there are some things that are changed, but at least the spirit of the original is there. This is not the case with Dragonball Evolution. Everything was changed.

I've read the excuse that this was to bring in new fans, most likely kids but they take one of the things would bring in kids, the fact when Goku started out he was about 12 or 13.

Interviews with the director and stars Said something like “it would look too silly to have a kid beating up people."

Odd, since movies, like Harry Potter, and Spy Kids have at least made enough money to get sequels unlike DBE. Although I don't know how good they are since I've never seen them they seemed to get the demographic they wanted to.

DBE, Well it annoys DB/DBZ fans with all the changes, and bores kids since for long periods there’s nothing happening but Goku whining about how he's different or Just a lot of talking. Oh, and Goku has a thinly veiled sex fantasy about Chichi in class. Not sure who that was for.

So how much did the characters get changed? Goku went from naive jungle boy to whining emo who I guess was taken from the Peter Parker Archetype. Problem is Pete, actually lightens up when he puts on the Spider-Man mask, and starts with the scathing one liners on his foes. Goku on the other hand is constantly emo, and sometimes growls like Wolverine. Not intimidating when you look like this.

Bulma was turned from a boy crazy girlie girl into the Tomb Raider. Roshi was embarrassed that he was perverted, unlike the Anime, and Yamcha went from a some what competent fighter, to a fairly useless idiot. And he talked like Michelangelo from the 1980's Ninja Turtles cartoon.

Mai turning into Mystique really didn’t bother me since she was a fairly minor character, but Piccolo well I have no idea how he was done since he was only in the movie for about ten minutes, and he was the main villain. Chichi was pretty much just eye candy.

The changes wouldn't have been so bad I suppose if the movie was on some level entertaining so I wouldn't see it as a Dragonball movie but just a movie, well the fighting was too bad to be considered cheesy. I've seen better on Power Rangers.

Speaking of Power Rangers Piccolo’s monsters or creations looked like they were rejects from that show. And the special effects well they looked direct to DVD movie, Sci-Fi channel effects.

What really takes you out of it are the plot holes though. At the beginning of the movie they explain how Piccolo, and an ape like alien called Oozaru attack the planet Thousands of years ago Piccolo is sealed up in a magic jar, while Oozaru is banished.


In the present day Piccolo is just here, doesn't explain how he was freed, he's just there. He's after The Dragonballs for some vague reason that's never explained. And I don't think it's to take over the world since he seemed to be powerful enough to do that already. he blew up a village, and an ocean under his own power. Somehow he was able to sense where the Dragonballs are when everyone else needs devices to find them that are never explained.

Yamcha captured the main heroes at one point, Roshi takes this time to explain Piccolo’s story, again, after it was explained 30 minutes ago at the beginning of the movie. Then after what looks like hours since it's the daytime when they fall in the hole, and night at this point Roshi jumps out, and makes a deal with Yamcha, why couldn't have done that hours ago?

Oh and the biggest plot hole that takes me out of the whole movie with its "WTF" ness. They mad a point that Goku was on his 18th birthday, it was brought up a lot. But Piccolo reveals to Goku that he's the 1,000 year old Oozaru, but one of the scenes during the explanation shows Goku’s adopted picking him up as a baby from a spaceship 18 years ago.

Is he 18 or a thousand? Is he reincarnated from the first Oozaru? Is he the same species? Did Oozaru somehow de age himself? Who knows? That's never explained. The next plot hole was more just amusing than mind boggling.

Goku turns into Oozaru, which unlike the Anime isn't a King Kong sized ape, but is a cross between a werewolf, and the Incredible Hulk his clothes get torn like you'd expect from a little scrawny guy turning into a seven foot buff monster, but when he turns back into Goku his clothes are fine. They regenerated or something.
That was just funny.



What didn't help this movie is that it ripped off a lot of other movies or shows, I mentioned Spider-Man, But it also called the Kamehameha “air bending." Yes they stole a bit from Avatar, and the Oozaru seemed more like the Hulk and Naruto combined than the DBZ version. In fact the final fight with Piccolo was more Naruto like than Dragonball with all the hand gestures it took form the Kamehameha.

Now what did like about this movie? Well the women are hot.

But, hot women are in most movies and many of those have better plots. And really I can see hot women for free just by taking a walk in town.

Now how would I change the movie? Well first off a Dragonball movie can't be made with the small budget this movie had, but somewhat closer to the Anime with the crazy fantasy setting dinosaurs, freaky talking animals the planet looking like an alternate Earth instead of a vacant lot with one futuristic city.

Plus the characters would be a lot closer to what they were in the Anime I think instead of Piccolo though Goku should fight the Red Ribbon Army fighting tanks, planes, soldiers and eventually cyborgs would make for a better first movie I think.

Piccolo should have waited for a sequel.

As for DBE itself there's rumors of a sequel but nothing official from Fox, it mostly seems to be fanboy wishful thinking from the few s that actually liked it, and with as little as this movie made, I can't see producers actually spending all that much to make a sequel better.

Flash Gordon week The middle bit.

Now when we left off Dale ahd been taken by Vultan (blaming Prince Barin) Flash was with Barin and Aura, and Zarkov was with the strike team being tortured by Klytus (5 posts and Zarkov is still being tortured, wow!). The information everyone wants to know is how to open the portals, unfortunatly only Zarkov knows which puts Dale and Flash in trouble.
Aura uses a device similar to Mings Pimp ring to get the truth out of Flash. However they are attacked by Ming's forces who believe they have Dale. Aura gives herself up so Barin and Flash can escape.
On the run through the jungle Barin explains to Flash about Mongo's situation and how the portals would change everything. All Flash wants to do is get off Mongo and get home. Hawkmen spot Barin and Flash in the open, orders are given for them to be captured. Barin tries to tell Vultan that Ming has Zarkov and the only way they can get him is to work together.
Now in the flim this would lead to the fight scene between Barin and Flash. I'm not going to have that here.
Barin and Flash are detained and Vultan goes back to trying to get the truth from Dale. Dale tells Vultan the same as Flash and Barin. Vultan believes her cause she reminds him of his wife and releases Flash and Barin. You vouch for this man asks Vultan to Dale about Flash. Vultan places Flash in Dale's charge.
Why didn't he believe us? moans Flash. Barin explains that Dale is the commander of the strike team and Vultan would never listen to a soldier. We see the wonder that is sky city protected from Ming's forces sky city it protected by its shields safe from Ming's armies. Vultan is shown as a good ruler, fair and just. Dale's presence has a few giving her second looks. Why are they lookng at me like that asks Dale. Barin explains that Vultan's had a wife who died in battle. Vultan vowed he would not take a wife unless she could lead men in battle. Which you have done.

Okay enough soppy stuff. Yeah I want Dale and Vultan to get together. Stuff Flash.

Casting for Vultan and Prince Barin.

This Vultan is warrior and is rough but there's a softer side to him. That and Dale has to find him attractive too. So unfortunately John Rhys-Davies isn't going to cut it.

Jason Statham - Has the looks but I don't know.

Daniel Craig - He could do a great Vultan. I'd sign him up

Then you've got Barin.

Hugh Jackman could do it. I know even I want to slap him for the Wolverine movie but he's got the stuff to play Barin. He can do romatic lead.

How about this guy - Alessandro Nivola

So thats that. Following this the conclusion of Flash Gordon - The Remake.

Flush Flash!

Flash a-ah

Savior of the Universe

Flash!

He save everyone of us

Flash!

He's a miracle

Flash!

King of the impossible

Upbeat lyrics, full of hope, promise and daring do . . that’s what Flash Gordon is about. Instead of fun, cheesy camp played to the hilt by a motley band of actors making questionable choice, the SciFi channel has produced an ongoing series full of total crap!

When I heard last year they were going to be making a new Flash Gordon weekly series I said to myself, “Self, that just might be cool. Go set the DVR.” Ever compliant, I immediately leapt into action, picking up the remote and pressing a few buttons. A few days later I was watching the pilot of the new TV series. It sucked! It’s like it was all taking place in someone’s back yard and some leather dudes would pop in and look around menacingly. No Hawkmen. No Ming. No spaceships. Just lots and lots of crap.

I don’t actually remember much of the details of the show, having done my absolute best to block out the vapidness. My brain has precious few places enough to store information as it is without wasting the space on that turkey. I turned in over the next few weeks but saw no sign of improvement.

All this is a pity. I’d love to have a good weekly Flash Gordon series. He’s a cool character. American alpha male getting yanked from his everyday life to go on wild galactic adventures with all sorts of odd aliens and terrible, weirdo villains. It’s a great concept. I don’t want to see Flash making dinner for Dale Arden though, I want to see him flipping over a gaggle of flying monkies and saving the girl.

SciFi whines they don’t have any budget for that? All they can afford to do is set up a camcorder in the producer’s back yard and have some actors mill around? Crap, I say! Did that piece of cheese-tastic awesomeness of the 70’s have a budget? No! The Hawkmen’s wings didn’t move! They were tossed around on cables in front of a terrible green screen. The evil robot was just some old dude wearing a mask. The effects were horrible! And yet the movie was great.
Sam Jones was heroic taking out bad guys and shouting Dale’s name ever 10 minutes. Max Von Sydow was great letting his deep, rumbling voice drip with venom as he delivered his immortal line . . “I like to play with things a while before I destroy them.” That was basically the sum total of his menace, saying evil things. And it was great! We loved it! One of those crappy middle James Bond’s played the prince and he was great! And Ming’s daughter . . she was a totally hottie. When Ming had her disciplined and her top got ripped, we all thought we might get to see a little boobie. And it was great! She was a total sex kitten!

You don’t need a big budget to make an entertaining Flash Gordon! You need to have some fun though and at least try to create some exotic locales. Hopefully SyFy won’t pain us with a pitiful attempt at the other great sci-fi serial, Buck Rodgers. Let JJ Abraham do that.

Casting the villains

When last I wrote this grand dream that is Flash Gordon by Captain Koma, we had. Aura and Flash getting disturbed by heavy artilery by Prince Barin and his band of brothers. Dale was getting ho'ed up by the concubines and poor Zarkov was being tortured for 3 whole posts, ouch! Dale gets fed up with the concubines and decides to escape, in Mingo City a woman isn't expected to fight back. So she takes a few soldiers by surprise, but is subdued. But not before she gets to Mings throne room where Ming is entertaing Vultan of the Hawkmen.

So she (Dale) takes a few soldiers by surprise and she gets to Mings throneroom, where, Ming is entertaing Vultan of the Hawkmen.

Ming proceeds to use his pimping ring to take the aggression out of Dale, she stops in her tracks. Now submisive she meekly joins the guards back to the concubines. Vultan asks his Lieutenant if that was the warrior woman who came through the portal. The lieutant nods Vultan tells him "She's ours now." The guards escorting Dale are interupted by Hawkmen, who take Dale out of Mingo City leaving incriminating evidence blaming Prince Barin.

It seems everyone beleives that the entire strike team know how to open portals, which would make a huge change in Mongo's political landscape. Aura has taken Flash for her and Barin, and Vultan has taken Dale blaming Barin. But its Ming and Vultan who have Zarkov.

Casting of the Bad Guys.

Ming well theres a few to chose from.

Christopher Lee seems to be the go to guy when chosing a bad guy and Ming is supposed to be a real theatrical despot Lee does fit but is there any others. Alexander Siddig (yes Dr Bashir from Start Trek DS9) he could do it really he could. The only bad thing is that you'll get the whole arabs are evil crap.
Its a bad guy role who wouldn't kill to play Ming, apart from me that is. Then you can go for the ultimate evil the over actor David Caruso, he would be so bad at it. I'd pay to see that car crash, reallt I would. But let me throw you and even bigger curve ball Viggo Mortensen. Yep casting against type as a younger more active Ming Viggo would eat it up.


As for Klytus reall who cares as long as he's a mad crazy evill scientist. Hmm a manic crazy evil amoral torturer. Who can do that kind of evil crazy, honestly I can only think of a few who could do it. Sean William Scott crazy frustrated mainly sexually but still crazy. Bruce Willis he can bring crazy old school. Hugh Laurie just House with an English accent. But what about something so crazy you couldn't believe it what about Christian Bale now theres some mad stuff.

Cool casting huh!

The capture and ka-boom

Casting of the three human characters is done.

We have Zarkov (Jean Reno), Dale (Cote de Pablo) Flash (James Fanco). They are currently in the court of Ming the merciless, ruler of Mongo. Flash is the slave of Princess Aura, Zarkov is being tortuured by Klytus Mings evil scientist and Dale is being prepared for Ming. Well its a standard that Ming wants Dale as one of his concubines, so its gotta be in there. Hang on? I hear you say. Didn't you leave Zarkov and Dale at the hands of Klytus? Well yes I did but, we can't have torture porn, can we.

Didn't you leave Zarkov and Dale at the hands of Klytus? Well yes I did but, we can't have torture porn, can we.

Zarkov and the strike team are lead to the dungeons, the strike team are still kitted out in the standard SWAT military black. A few still have their helmets on including Dale, of course the helmet is removed in front of Ming. Here's how I see it happening.
Klytus does a sensor reading of all of them. He smiles and whispers to Ming. Ming orders Dales helmet to be removed. Ming coments disdainfully "What barbarians would send such beauty to war." So the strike team and Zarkov are tortured for information and Dale is sent to be beautied up by Mings concubines.

Meanwhile Princess Aura has decided to take Flash for a ride in her car. Unfortunately the ship is shot down by a missile while Aura is too busy trying to put the moves on Flash. Here we have Robin Hood and Merry Men whoops! I mean Prince Barin. The Prince has always had a thing for Princess Aura and he takes Flash to be just another rent boy. Flash takes offence at being treated in such a way and punches Barin for interupting the two (remember Fully Licensed Ass Hole) this of course leads to this scene.


Whoops wrong scene maybe this one.


Okay so we've got Barin and Flash fighting and Dale getting prettied up by Mings concubines (I've liked having to type concubines its a fin word). Its from here that things go a little differently from the movie version.

Now casting Ming, Klytus, Prince Barin, and Princess Aura. I'll do that later today.

Who do you think shold play whom?

Destination Mongo

Above is the map of the planet Mongo where Ming, Vultan and Prince Barin all reside.

Click it. It takes you to a real big version.

Mongo is also where Flash, Zarkov and the strike team get teleported to. Of course they get telported straight into the middle of Ming's delightfully named Mingo City. Of course Ming takes great delight in new-commers from another world. He looks after them at first displaying the charaismatic charms any despot has. After finding out that they are alone and that they are not in touch with their planet, even more that earth does not even have a central government. He decides to turn them into slaves. Of course the princess Aura wants a few for her own pleasure, the rest are sent for experimentation by the evil Klytus.

So yeah we don't have this-


But we do get this -


I think thats a decent switch. Flash wants to get out and save his team but realises he's going to need help. Of course Zarkov and the head of the team have a fun time being tortured by Klytus. Oh yeah I didn't mention who the leader of the strike team to aprehend Zarkov was. It's Dale Arden.
Yep like a lot of other writers I don't think we need more than one damsel in a dress and having Dale as the Strike Team leader makes for a heroine in the mold of Sarah Conner and Ripley. So we have a few casting options today.

We still have to decide who's going to be Flash. I ummed and ahhed about this for a real long time and did some searching on IMDB and I ended up going for Harry Osborn.
Yep James Franco, he'd bulk up for the role of course and I think he'd bring a level of humility to Flash and it'd be great cause then we don't have a muscle bound blonde mullet to deal with. He can do rage and anger and his almost James Dean looks will make the girls all go ga-ga. Okay where did that all come from. Sometimes I gross myself out.
Now the rest of the cast begins to flash out here. For Capt. Dale Arden we have a bevey of tough chicks to choose from.

Cote dePablo

Yep Ziva from NCIS, tough MOSSAD agent and not bad on the eyes either (again I can't beleive what I'm saying here) Somewhere in between Sarah Conner and Ripley, well she's it.

Kate Beckinsale

Yeah Underworld Gi-joe and all of that, loks great in lycra and rubber. She's got the graveley voice thingy goin on that make men go "fraiuen-laven". Yeah she'd do well but she's done it all before

Rhona Mitra
You want bad girl steamy dreamy fo-feeni, this is it. Definately the choice if you want to sex it all up. But then again maybe she'd be better as Aura?

Hillary Swank
Again another in the Ripley mould. She's not super model with the nose job type and she doesn't have a voice that makes you melt but she's beleiveable as a militatry officer and is tough enough. Remember she did the girl boxing movie.

Who am I leaning to? Well I like Cote De Pablo and think she has what it takes. But if you wanted someone with previous experience in a staring role in a big movie then I'd go either Hilay Swank or Kate Beckinsale.

Check this out Flash Gordon the comic

Flash boom ah-ahhhh!

Oh yeah! What a way to start out the second day of Flash Gordon week.

Now where did we leave off last time? Thats right Zarkov and his portals getting to Mongo and, of course we haven't even gotten to Flash himself yet. Zarkov is under surveilance by the FBI ummm! the FBI doesn't work for me right now. Its just that this is where Flash comes into the movie and I don't want him being a Football player or a runner. He needs to be closer to an Indiana Jones type hero, A guy with brains and enough brawn and guts to get the job done. He can't be some muscle bound moron with blue eyes and a blonde mullet. He's like a young Gibbs from NCIS tough, street smart, but still with enough brains to know when not to use his fists. I'd have him second in charge of the group who have Zarkov under surveilance. He's headstrong willing to follow his gut instead of his head. Flash is an acronym - Fully Licensed Ass Hole.

Flash is an acronym -
Fully Licensed Ass Hole.

So they get the call to bust Zarkov but Zarkov has traps placed (I'm leaning towards Jean Reno as Zarkov) Flash gets there first but gets caught in the trap. He gets himself out of the trap to find Zarkov has used a gas to subdue the rest. Zarkov goes back to his portal Flash shoots first and begins a chain reaction that transports everyone to Mongo.

Fun huh! okay casting time for F.L.A.S.H

I'd be stupid if I didn't mention a few regulars here.

Eric Bana - Yes I'm mentioning Aussies again but I have to.

Liev Schriber - Hey I always thought he had potential back when he was in Kate & Loepold.

Thomas Jane - He wont do The Punisher which he was made for but Flash?


The problem with all of this is that I'm a bit out of the loop when it comes to casting a young 20 something in this role. The previous choices are all okay, of course for me Liev Schriber comes out on top. I am not going to mention Shia LaBeouf cause he's not getting in this movie.

I am not going to mention Shia LaBeouf cause he's not getting in this movie.

A non-white guy would be great too. I think about Sean William Scott but he's not rough enough. Then you start thinking about Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson but he's not what I'm looking for as Flash at all. Josh Duhamel looks about right but can he keep it up without looking all wrong and Vegas all the time. Then again maybe Chris O'Donnel nah!

Help me I've fallen and I can't find my Flash?

Flash Gordon week begins

C'mon you all know we want this. The Canadians even had a go in 2007 with a TV series.


It got one series and that was all they did. Why? Cause it sucked! They didn't even use the Queen soundtrack, not even as a joke. They had Flash as a runner who's Dad was a scientist with Zarkov opening portals in space time. Now thats a good idea but there were some bad flaws that made the show Stargate lite. If your lighter than Stargate your not much of a show to begin with. Mind you they got the Mongo stuff right but its just that the whole dimensional portals not being noticed by the army or government when Flash finds out is just too unbelieveable.

"So Captain Koma how would you make Flash Gordon for the Naughties?" I hear you all ask.

Well first of all lets keep the whole dimensional gateway thing. Its similar to the 1980 movie and is a handy plot device when used well. So we have to have Zarkov and the portals, also I like mad scientists they have an alure all their own. Zarkov stays as the access point to Mongo, but he's a mad scientist whose being tracked by the FBI for providing nuclear weapons technology to Terrorist groups. What does Zarkov care for earth, He's too busy trying to reach for the stars so he can save everyone. Zarkov's plan is to get to another planet using the dimensional portal, he wants to save humanity. Who could play Zarkov?

Well there's a few to choose from.

David Tennant

Yeah its not a far stretch from Dr Who to Zarkov but he'd give it the energy and madness required. Also he's great with accents so he could churn out something eastern european enough.

Anthony LaPaglia

He can bring the nasty when he wants to. So what if he's on the TV these days he was good as Barry "The Balde" Muldano. I reckon he'd be great as Zarkov.

Jean Reno

He's French. Thats not so bad. People often mistrust the french and Reno can play a more sneaky Zarkov with menace.

David Wenham

He's another Australian along with LaPaglia but he's very good and he can do awkward mad scientist really well. Also he was in 300 which means he does bring some badass to the role.

But what about a woman playing Zarkov?

Here's my choice -

Victoria Abril

Yes most of you kow her from Pablo Almodovar's "Tie Me Up Tie Me Down" but she's got what it takes to be an Evil Scientist consumed with her plan to save humanity.

This is Flash Gordon week so there'll be more with the story and casting later on.

Thursday Thoughts

I have ideas and some of them will never happen.
Like for instance me being able to slap Hugh Jackman over the head ala Gibbs from NCIS.

Or meeting Mary-Louise Parker (sigh!)

But some ideas are so strong that they have to be shouted from the roof tops. This is just one of them.

Yep thats right I want to finally get to this TV gem and scrape the TV to movie bucket clean of what its got left. I can hear you scream Noooooooo! But please wait for my pitch.

Hogan's Heroes the movie won't be called Hogan's Heroes but STALAG 13 and it will be grim and gritty. Hogan is a womanising con-man full of himself, he doesn't care about anything but scamming the limeys and getting laid. Unfortunately he goes too far bedding the wife of a superior officer. Hogan has two options gaol or join a secret plot to undermine the German war effort inside Germany.

Colonel Whilhem Klink is a decorated Luftwaffe piolt who has been punished because of his families connection with Jewery. This has him shipped off not to the Russian front but to command a prisoner of war camp. Klink is of the Prussian nobility and considers the NAZI's as userpers.

Hogan and his team are dropped into Germany and meet up with the underground, they try a few jobs but are cosnstatly thwarted. Their hideout is radied and only a handfull escape. Hogan comes up with the plan that they should break into a POW camp.

Things start off badly as they are treated horribly by the camp guards, but they are able to support the underground from the realtive safety of the POW camp. Klink works it out but turns a blind eye because he can't stand the NAZI's.

Okay thats about as far as I've gotten in my thinking and thats usually as far as these thoughts go. But I want to expand on this and go further, doing some casting and a bit more plot development. So hang around this idea might sporut wings and fly. Of course you can all help too. Comment on your ideas.

Lets make this Happen

The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight.

When this movie hit the theaters, a lot of people were calling it the best “comic book movie” made and talked about how it transcended the genre. It wasn’t just a comic book movie, it was a really good movie that happened to have these comic characters in it.

Better late than never for me, but I did finally see it recently. That being said, it was a pretty good movie, it dealt with some interesting issues. It had big explosions and you could tell that director Christopher Nolan wasn’t just trying to make explosions and chase scenes, he wanted something more.

And yet…

There were things there that just didn’t quite work for me. While Nolan did strive for something more than a dumb summer movie, I feel some parts of the movie could have been done better.

First off, the Batsuit. I suppose much of the credit/blame for the rubber armor suit can go all the way back to Tim Burton’s movie, but it’s just a little too much. Yes, we’ve come a long way from seeing Adam West’s Batgut sticking through some thin blue tights and I don’t want to see Adam West’s Batgut sticking through those thin blue tights in a major movie like this, but there has to be something in between. The suit is too clunky and stiff and so limb movements become restricted and stiff as well. And where are these limb movements needed the most? Uh, in the action scenes, the fight sequences, the hanging off the truck sequences. On top of that, they lampshaded the fact that they improved the armor’s movement by having Bruce Wayne ask Lucius Fox to redesign the suit specifically so he can turn his neck. Yes, Batman is supposed to have the gadgets, I know that. He’s not supposed to be Iron Man though.

The Joker. Somehow, the consensus was that Heath Ledger’s Joker was the greatest thing since that last greatest thing. I will give him props for the blowing up the hospital sequence, from what I understand they needed to do it in one take, the explosions didn’t correspond with his button mashing on the remote detonator, and he ad-libbed the rest. It was brilliant, but the rest of him just didn’t seem right to me. The character itself seemed like Ledger was channeling French Stewart from 3rd Rock From the Sun. The Joker doesn’t need to be some cackling circus clown, but he is a clown. While giant sledge hammers and acid-squirting flowers aren’t necessary, the Joker seemed a little too calculating and brooding in all of his actions. Hey isn’t Batman supposed to be the calculating and brooding one in this dynamic?

Finally, the movie was just had too much going on. Bruce Wayne’s side trip to Asia, the Wayne employee who figured out Batman’s identity, the fact that Bruce Wayne had to save him as Bruce Wayne and not as Batman, the countless absurd, over the top, incredibly intricate schemes that the Joker, the improvisational agent of chaos implements, the switcheroo with Harvey Dent stepping forward as the Batman, all of the extra Batmen, and the long chase through Lower Wacker Drive, er I mean through the Gotham streets. So much extracurricular happenings occur that we don’t have time to develop the things that should be there. Rachael Dawes is there and both Dent and Wayne would do anything for her, I think, but there was no room to explore that, apparently. And Dent gets the rawest deal of the whole movie. (Just about) everyone knows he’s destined to become Two Face, you know it’s coming but he flips from bad to good too easily. Well, my face is half burned and the Joker here says that it’s not his fault. Guess it’s time for my heel turn. So he’s the bad guy, he captures Gordon’s family and we get a drawn out scene where he’s threatening Gordon’s son and then he plunges to his doom (come on Hollywood, stop endangering children. It’s too easy of a way to declare someone is officially evil).

Like I said earlier, The Dark Knight isn’t a bad movie; I just think they could have done better. It does hold up pretty well as you watch it and a lot of the action and intensity works, but there were just some things that make you go “Huh?”

Like say for instance, why did Batman take the heat for what Dent did at the end? If they wanted to protect Dent’s work, couldn’t they have blamed it all on the Joker?