Inside the helmet
I've got my issue of Vanity Fair featuring the Star Wars photoshoot. Those who don't want to bother with the $5 can get a taste of the pictures contained on VF's portfolio online. I, however, intend to get the full size of the cover framed. It's just the way that I do things.

Annie Leibowitz's interesting photographs surround a short article by Jim Windolf regarding Episode III. I didn't figure to get some amazing insight into the fate of Anakin, but Lucas expounded in a couple of fascinating paragraphs. For starters, he directly addresses the much speculated reason why Anakin goes over to the dark side:

"When you get down to where we are right now in the story," Lucas says, "you basically get somebody who's going to make a pact with the Devil, and it's going to be a pact with the Devil that says, 'I want the power to save somebody from death. I want to be able to stop them from going to the river Styx, and I need to go to a god for that, but the gods won't do it, so I'm going to go down to Hades and get the Dark Lord to allow me to have this power that will allow me to save the very person I want to hang on to.' You know, it's Faust. So Anakin wants that power, and that is basically a bad thing. If you're going to sell your soul to save somebody you love, that's not a good thing. That's, as we say in the film, unnatural. You have to accept the natural course of life. Of all things. Death is obviously the biggest of them all. Not only death for yourself but death for the things you care about."

This is some amazing detail on how a Jedi is turned, something we have still never seen in the films. Lucas doesn't stop talking until he's addressed another of fandom's 'holy grails' of speculation: the impact losing much of his body had on Vader's power:

"Anakin, as Skywalker, as a human being, was going to be extremely powerful," [Lucas] says. "But he ended up losing his arms and a leg and became partly a robot. So a lot of his ability to use the Force, a lot of his powers, are curbed at this point, because, as a living form, there's not that much of him left. So his ability to be twice as good as the Emperor disappeared, and now he's maybe 20 percent less than the Emperor."

Even more telling is this last part where he fills in the holes and, incidentally, once Episode III is over will have changed how we view the original trilogy forever.

"So that isn't what the Emperor had in mind. He wanted this really super guy, but that got derailed by Obi-Wan. So he finds that, with Luke, he can get a more primo version if he can turn Luke to the Dark Side. You'll see, as this goes on, Luke is faced with the same issues and practically the same scenes that Anakin is faced with. Anakin says yes and Luke says no.


"You learn that Darth Vader isn't this monster," Lucas says. "He's a pathetic individual who made a pact with the Devil and lost. And he's trapped. He's a sad, pathetic character, not an evil big monster. I mean, he's a monster in that he's turned to the Dark Side and he's serving a bad master and he's into power and he's lost lot of his humanity. In that way, he's a monster, but beneath that, as Luke says in Return of the Jedi, early on, 'I know there's still good in you. There's good in you, I can sense it.' Only through the love of his children and the compassion of his children, who believe in him, even though he's a monster, does he redeem himself."

That's quite the turn from my first memory of Darth Vader, as a child watching him enter the Tantive IV on the big screen, scaring the bejeezus out of me. But that was a time when I view things as simple black and white, but now I'm much more interested in this expanded, detailed vision of the series as a complex, timeless masterpiece. Now go out and do my bidding.

The Power of Education
A little girl who goes to school saves lives. The story touched me and reminded me why we learn. I think this is one of those kinds of stories that should be told as an example of why kids should stay in school, pay attention, and revel in the information that is being brought to them.

In other terms, when God closes a door, he opens a window. In real terms, shit happens, but it help to enlighten what it important, and what needs be done.

On a personal note, I feel some empathy for these poor souls who got taken by this earthquake. But, it has been many years since I have considered this planet to be anything other than a force of nature and we are just tiny inhabitants who can get struck down at any given time, regardless of reason or fairness or deservedness. I'm in awe of the good fortune I've been given over the years.

Magneto & X
Following the trend of spin-off movies (first starting with the planned Wolverine series I mentioned), it looks like Magneto may be given his shot:

Sheldon's screenplay will show Magneto seeking revenge for the murder of his family in a Nazi concentration camp, watching him discover the extent of his powers, and the start of his friendship with Professor X (played by Patrick Stewart in the X-MEN films.) Xavier was an allied soldier that helped liberate the prisoners in the concentration camps during World War II. After the conclusion of the war Xavier and Magneto meet and become friends, united by their mutant powers that they hide from the public's eye. Eventually their two different perspectives on the rise of the mutants begins crumbling their friendship, turning them into rivals.

Sounds like a decent pitch, but with all movies, the writing will be key. Certainly are enough mutants in the Marvel Universe to warrant a tide of spin-offs; I'm sure that Gambit could warrant his own series without even a mention in X3, whenever the hell that comes out.

'Roid Rage
In case you haven't been watching sports news, or news in general, over the past few days, here's a quick recap of the recent steroid revelations:

Jose Canseco: admitted steroid user, MVP
Ken Caminiti: admitted steroid user, MVP
Jason Giambi: admitted steroid user, MVP
Gary Sheffield: unknowing steroid user, so he says, MVP runner-up, batting champion
Barry Bonds: unknowing steroid user, so he says, 7-time MVP

The fact that what we know comes from information leaked from grand jury testimony is disturbing in itself about the integrity of our legal system. The concept of sealed testimony in the courts, an essential tool for compelling witnesses to tell the truth, has now been embarrassingly set back by some loose-mouthed person. I won't be surprised if we start hearing witnesses or lawyers balk at testifying in front of future grand juries, using this as a precedent.

And they will all have a valid point. Perhaps instead of pleading the fifth, a new colloquial phrase of 'pleading the Barry' will creep into the national lexicon. Better still, when people ask if you can keep a secret, a commonly wry response may become, "A Barry Bonds secret, or a secret?" Or after hearing some private information, we can respond with sarcasm, "I'll keep it Barry secret," just to add a playful hint of the mischief to a promise.

It's tough that the legal system has to take it on the chin for this. However, we all knew that the legal system had its flaws, just as we all knew that Bonds was taking some kind of illegal substance to enhance his performance.

No one can deny that Barry Bonds has hall-of-fame caliber statistics over his career. But, never in his prime years of his 20's did he come close to the achievements of the past few in his late 30's and 40's. He has seemingly thwarted the effects of time, and speculation naturally followed as to how he was able to do this. If he had merely kept hitting the ball as he had for the first 15 years of his career, there wouldn't be as much question as to his methods. But his power and hitting over the last few years has been nigh unbelievable. Especially for a guy who is now in his 40's. Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post lays it down more succinctly:

The jaw-dropping irony of Bonds is not that he used steroids to improve himself or slow athletic aging, but that the particular cocktail Anderson handed him actually worked too well. While other cheaters merely prospered, he rose to the skies like a god. He became so great so suddenly and stayed so young so long that his lie became larger and easier to read than the 25 on his back.

In other words, there is good, and then, as I'm fond of saying, "maybe too good." Using my vast (vast) knowledge of literature, one could analogize that Bonds, like Icarus, flew with his wax wings too high and paid the price. But for every Icarus, there is a Daedalus; in this case, that would be his best friend and substance provider Greg Anderson. If Anderson provided substances to Barry and didn't tell him what they were, as his best friend, that is bad enough, but as Michael Wilbon points out, it doesn't make sense considering the habits of the man:

I don't cover much baseball anymore, but I have had a couple of extended social interactions with Bonds. I've spent enough time with him over the last couple of years to know that he's too narcissistic, too smart, too hands-on and too curious to put something into his body without knowing what it is. His body is his temple. Bonds can tell you how many grams of fat are in a 10-ounce filet mignon and how many teaspoons of sugar are in one 16-ounce serving of Coca-Cola, so while he might have thought "the cream" was some kind of miracle salve to help fight arthritis, I'm struggling to believe he wouldn't know every single thing about "the clear" before he put it into his mouth. The only way Bonds didn't know is that he didn't want to know, that he wanted some kind of plausible deniability if it was found out he took the stuff. The notion that he flat-out didn't know what he was doing just strains credulity.

The ramifications of this for baseball are being felt around the league as we speak. A potential trade of Sammy Sosa, the Chicago Cubs slugger, has been killed thanks to steroid speculation about this star. Sammy's numbers, like Giambi's and McGwire's before him, are suspected of having been enhanced by the drugs, and owners aren't going to wait for another leak to confirm. Wilbon goes on to suggest that asterisks be put on Bonds and McGwire's achievements, a characteristic that I forsee being a part of Sosa's home-run numbers in the not-to-distant future.

So, where does that leave us? Well, I think that Maris' record of 61 in '61 still stands as the modern-day mark to beat, and Ruth's 60 in '27 as the 152 game mark. That only two people in the history of baseball achieved 60 home runs (Hank Aaron never did it) in 80 years and then three players crushed the record in the last 8 should have been indication enough that the wax in these players was soaring them inhumanly high.

Of course, my twisted brain functioning as it always has, immediately thought of an appropriate comedy sketch to encapsulate the controversy. If Saturday Night Live or South Park doesn't do something with a certain film, I'll be sorely disappointed. My own brief interpretation:

INTERIOR: BASEMENT - WELL
Barry Bonds sits in the pit of a stone well, reading his player statistics. Subtitles read, "2001". A bottle on a string appears above him, dangling in front of him.

Barry: What's this?

Voice: (offscreen) It rubs the lotion on its skin.

Above Barry, holding the string, is his buddy, Greg Anderson.

Barry: What's in it?

Greg: It rubs the lotion on its skin.

Barry: Why?

Greg: It rubs the lotion on its skin, or it doesn't get more 'dingers'.

Barry pauses, thinking

Barry: So it helps with arthritis?

Greg pauses.

Greg: Sure.

Barry: (applying liberally to his body) Great!!!

I wish I had more time for character development, but what's the point. Truth is stranger than fiction.

He went on to have quite a career
I'd be hard-pressed to say that cooking with monkey isn't the cutest thing I've ever seen. Hard-pressed like a vice. I got such a kick out of these.

Friday Eerie Stuff
Here's a great clip that you need sound on your computer to appreciate. Part of description as thus:

Supposedly this is a car commercial that never aired. I'm thinking that it is more probably a very good student project using Computer Graphics. About 2 seconds into the "commercial" notice something moving along the side of the car, like a ghostly white mist that looks humanish.

New DVD notes
This was a big week for DVD releases, but none bigger than Spider-Man 2, one of the most satisfying comic book movies ever, rivaled only by X2. The package boasts over 10 hours (sheesh) of bonus features, most of which I predict I'll never get around to watching. However, I'm always interested in blooper reels, and the one provided was the highlight of my evening. I was in tears watching the repeated attempts of Alfred Molina (Doc Octopus) to drink a sip of whiskey held by one of his mechanical arms.

In contrast to Spider-Man 2's success was the mediocre Daredevil from early 2003. I remember feeling, upon leaving the viewing, that I'd seen a portion of a film, that there was much more to be seen than what I was given. Had I not seen the director's cut of Riddick, I might be able to shrug off the newly, 30-minute expanded Daredevil director's cut that was just released as filler. But I can't so easily do that anymore.

UPDATE: Damn Amazon.com! And damn Kate Beckinsale! I wanted to get just Daredevil DC but there she was taunting me for an extra 16 bucks. Oh well. There are worse fates.

Mr. & Mrs. Jones
Clearly having superior pulchritude to yours truly, the team of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie will be playing husband/wife assassins who don't know each others' occupations, in next summer's Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Although borrowing a title from a 40's film and a plot from a Nicholson one, I didn't click to the interesting trailer until I learned that Doug Liman (most recently of Bourne Identity fame) was directing. Now I have something to look foward to this summer. Of course, that is a joke, as both Revenge of the Sith and Batman will be out.

X-Men Movie News
Via Cinescape, we finally get some news on the next X-Men movie and, yes, the Wolverine series. Series, you say? They are already plotting the sequel? You bet. In an interview with X-Men producer Lauren Shuler, she spilt the beans:

But when she spoke about the newly announced WOLVERINE film (that 25TH HOUR writer David Benoiff is scripting), Donner gave away far more information that hasn't been revealed before. "The plan is to do more of an origin story for Wolverine," explained Donner to CHUD. "If that's successful, my deepest desire - I'm not reflecting Fox but you never know - my deepest desire is after the origin story, which David has worked out beautifully, it's really good - if that works, the second one could be the Mariko, ninja story."

Donner is referring to the 1980s Wolverine mini-series written and drawn by Frank Miller which expanded upon Logan's ties to Japan, the samurai code and his marriage to Mariko Yashida, the daughter of a Japanese noble. The producer explained that she had already given star Hugh Jackman the comics which explained Wolverine's journeys in Japan and his role in the ninja conflict. "That whole Mariko love story is phenomenal because he gets down to his basest self and it's so cool," Donner elaborates. "But I think you have to do the origin first to educate the broader audience, and once you've done that and they know his history and what really happened to Logan then you can move on. You can go on to Mariko and her father and that stuff."

The graphic novel is one of the great comic stories ever. But, what of X3? Shuler can't help but confirm plot details there, too:

Among the tidbits learned from Donner is that the door is still open for Joss Whedon to possibly direct X3; and that the storyline for the third X-MEN film will include the legendary Dark Phoenix story arc from the UNCANNY X-MEN comic book series ("with new storylines and characters," added Donner.)

Most of us familiar with the comics recognized the hints at the end of X2, but it's good to know they are going to treat the story. The storyline is from X-Men comics issues 129-137 (
purchase them as a set here), and contains a who's-who of character appearances. The battle at the end would be quite something to see filmed. In any event, required reading for you neophytes.

Shoe-in and maybe with a shoehorn
A few comments on the playoff status of the NFL teams I pull for based on this week's games, some obvious and maybe some wishful thinking. For only the third time in league history, the Eagles clinched a division title in 11 games with a convincing defeat of thw second-place Giants yesterday afternoon. Although this would normally be something to get excited about for us Philly fans, this simple fact is that until we play the NFC Championship game, it is business-as-usual.

As I've said to many a fan by Week 3, we are just waiting to get back there and have another crack at it. Although I will stop short of saying that a Super Bowl win will be the only way to validate the season, it would be more satisfying than getting the NFC Championship game monkey off our backs. However, I feel that if we do get over that hurdle, then we are going to win the big game, loosely based on what the Red Sox did after they beat the Yankees. Even though the Super Bowl represents a bigger challenge, if the Eagles win the Championship game (for the first time in over 20 years), then a great burden of expectation will be lifted, and we can then soar on the flapping wings of T.O.

(Also would like to take this opportunity to thank the Redskins for making this title even easier than the last three. Also, I should note that after 11 games, Joe Gibbs has yet to get as many victories as Joe Paterno.)

But, against who? The Patriots? The Steelers? The Colts? This year, the AFC is a much tougher conference record-wise, and there are many teams in the hunt for a playoff spot. Maybe it's sentimentality, maybe it's the drugs, maybe it's just rooting for the underdog, or maybe it's just stealing Jaquandor's thunder, but after the Bills crushed Seattle at home this week for yet another sound victory, I think they have a chance. Yes, they are 5-6 right now, but let me list some factors which have compelled me to spout like a madman:

• They have the weakest remaining schedule in the AFC; the total number of wins of their next four opponents is 10.
• The offense is finally playing up to their defense, with McGahee running wild and Bledsoe not wetting the bed.
• In order for the Bills to get a wild card, they will need some help (read: choking) from the teams with better records; this weekend went a long way towards that with the Jags and Broncos both losing to go 7-4, only two games ahead of Buffalo.

Of course, the final game of the season is against the Steelers (in Buffalo), and I think that the Bills might just be playing for their playoff lives in that game.

The Raping of Riddick
One of the surprise sci-fi/horror hits of 2000, Pitch Black, launched the career of Vin Diesel, who plays convicted felon/killer Richard B. Riddick in the film with charismatic chutspa. So powerful was his performance, and so lucrative the bank from the film, a sequel was ordered and David Twohy was allowed to continue his vision.

The result was 2004's The Chronicles of Riddick. My impression from the trailer was that the film was going to be quite a ride, so I dutifully bought my ticket for this summer's showing. The film, if nothing else, is a visual masterpiece, full of amazing sets, CGI effects, costuming, lighting, you name it. On that level, it is a science-fiction fan's wet dream. I remember thinking, "damn, how much did this movie cost?" while marveling at the numerous effects.

Chronicles had more than just effects, though. Its villains, the Necromongers, are trying to convert the universe to their religion, which requires undergoing a painful tranformation (and basically turning onself into some sort of undead creature). In one scene, a defiant subject who refuses to give up his faith has his 'soul' ripped out by the major bad guy. This was both particularly chilling and fascinating to me. These people defiant in their own faith, are now suddenly confronted with the choice of conversion or having your soul destroyed. There will be no afterlife, in other words. I haven't seen that kind of persuasion in a film before, but that's just one of the extra little things about Chronicles that makes it more than your average film.

Diesel is once again commanding and riveting as Riddick, and with supporting roles from Judy Dench and Thandie Newton, there's no shortage of interesting characters. Unfortunately, none of these characters were developed that much, and the plot was, well, confusing. I found it difficult to figure out the motivations for characters, and the whole film seemed, well, incomplete. A little more here and there, and you could have had a great film. Instead, I left the theater, knowing I'd seen a good film, but having this disturbing sense that something had been left out. Why else would Twohy spend all this money, time, and effort to produce a hollow film that he envisioned?

Tuesday, I bought the director's cut DVD of Chronicles the day it was released. Despite my reservations of the theatrical release, I still enjoyed the film, and thought that perhaps Twohy would add some extra stuff in the film that made it better. Boy, was I wrong, that little '15 minutes' of extra footage entirely changed the movie. Plot lines that were vague were explained, characters were fleshed out more, and action sequences were actually enhanced. I watched the film with both new excitement and disgust, for while I was thrilled at the new depth of this great film, my anger towards the studios grew. There is no other way to put it than the title of this blog. This film was raped by the studios. I encourage everyone to rent the director's cut of this film, even if you were put off by the theatrical release, EVEN if you aren't a Diesel fan. (Here's a professional review to give you an idea what you are in for from Walter Chaw.)

As a footnote, I've been a moderate fan of Pitch Black, but after this experience, I've ordered the
Pitch Black director's cut to see if I'm missing another great movie left on the cutting-room floor.

Star Wars Trailer TONIGHT
It has been confirmed that the new Episode III trailer will be on Access Hollywood tonight. Set your VCRs or TiVos or just watch.

Some images have already been leaked; you can see a few here. They are amazing. An allegedly shot (you'll see why it's alleged) of Darth Sidious is disturbingly fearsome, while the shot of Anakin, Palpatine, and Dooku looks to parallel Luke's decision at the end of ROTJ. Only this time we know it won't go well for Anakin.

I'm titillated.

UPDATE: Can't wait for the trailer? See the promo clip here (via Force.net).

AFTERMATH: If you missed it, or wonder what were some of the things you saw, here's a shot-by-shot description from TF.N, again. If you missed it, the teaser will be shown again today on E! News Live. And if all else fails, and you swear allegiance to Baal, I taped it.