DARKMATTERS - The Mind of Matt

You met me at a very strange time in my life...

Read my novel: Complete Darkness

TREAT yourself to the audiobook version: DARKNESS AUDIOBOOK
Listen to the PODCAST I co-host: Hosts in the Shell

Tuesday, June 07, 2005

Katie Holmes to be Wonder Woman??


"You want iconic outfits? This one will do!!"


Katie (see you on Monday sweetie) Holmes, with her long brunette locks, is apparently up for the part of a new Wonder Woman film... Producer Joel Silver is planning to bring the sexy superhero back for a new generation and Holmes on his list of possible hot pant fillers…

“I'd have to read it," Holmes told AAP in Los Angeles while promoting Batman Begins (which I’m seeing tonight).

Mmmmmmm - here's shot of Katie wearing a gold dress - she's certainly got the hair for Wonder Woman - and most of her other attributes seem to be present and correct too!


"Future Mrs Cruise? Bet Tom'll make her keep the costume if she does bag Wonder Woman role... as 'marital aid'"

Monday, June 06, 2005

The Crow: Wicked Prayer... will it suck?


"see my face... do I look happy about this going straight to DVD?"

The Crow: Wicked Prayer

So the 4th Crow movie will finally see the light of day but on the small screen rather than the cinema. It's been 10 years since the original (and best) Crow which blasted Alex Proyas onto the 'directors to watch' list and tragically put the very talented Brandon Lee in an early grave...
The story this time sees Edward Furlong slapping on the face make up and beating the crap out of the satanically misguided bad guys but apparently is more "spiritual" in nature. Some Native American mythos has been added to the ever growing mythology of this franchise... Am just hoping it won't suck too much!!
Here's how I rank the Crow movies so far (out of 5):


The Crow ('94)
Darkmatt Rating: ööööö



The Crow: City of Angels ('96)
Darkmatt Rating: ööö


The Crow: Salvation ('00)
Darkmatt Rating: ööö


and the TV series - The Crow: Stairway to Heaven ('98)
Darkmatt Rating: ö

Any Crow fans out there - let me know your thoughts...

Sin City - amazing - now bring on Lava Girl


"There's wrong, and then there's wrong, and then there's this..."


Sin City... what a film...

As a huge fan of Frank Miller's graphic novels (Dark knight and Ronin plus of course Sin City itself) I have been in a state of nirvana like bliss after having seen the film version of Sin City.

Robert Rodriguez nailed it, it was pretty much perfect and as I've also enjoyed his Spy Kids films (at least I can watch them with my kids) I can only hope that his form will hold for 'The Adventures of Shark Boy & Lava Girl in 3-D' - which looks like a super hero spin on the Spy Kids formula...

"She's a bit young to make any 'looking hot in that costume' jokes"

Friday, June 03, 2005

Film Review: Sin City


"Hell of a way to end a partnership. Hell of a way to start my retirement. "

Sin City (18)

Dir. Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller, with special guest director Quentin Tarantino

The dame looked good, she was hot and she knew how to turn it on… The guy following me wasn’t so pretty, it was going to get nasty and I knew only one of us would walk away alive… Welcome to SIN CITY, it’s a hell of a place to visit. To paraphrase Clive Owen’s Dwight “I guess it’s time to prove to your friends you’re worth a damn. Sometimes that means reviewing the coolest film on the planet. Sometimes it means killing a whole lotta people…” or something, I might have got that last part wrong!?

Sin City is not for the faint of heart, you won’t enjoy it if you object to cinematic violence, nudity, violence, sexist costumes, comic books or violence. But despite all that (and for some maybe because of all that): Sin City is the most awesome, disturbing, action packed head smack of a movie ever made. A turbo charged comic book ‘film noir’ spewing black fumes and leaking gallons of blood. Directed by Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller, with special guest director Quentin Tarantino, the highly stylised, gritty dark world of Sin City has set a new cinematic standard for nitrous-fuelled entertainment. The cast is absolutely ‘spot on’ with Mickey Rourke just excellent as the hard-boiled bruiser ‘Marv’ and Bruce Willis was born to play ‘last honest cop in Sin City’ Hartigan. Elijah Wood and Nick Stahl meanwhile conjure up two of the most despicable screen villains ever as cannibal Kevin and Roark Jr, if these guys don’t make you feel repulsed and dirty then you probably need professional help.

And what about the women of Sin City? Well, you simply will not find a better looking collection of females on the big screen this year. Jessica Alba is jaw droppingly sexy as Nancy Callahan but then again Jaime King (Goldie), Brittany Murphy (Shellie), Alexis Bledel (Becky) and Devon Aoki (as the deadly Miho), all burn shapely silhouettes into your mind’s eye. Phew, is it getting hot in here?

What else can I say? Sin City is a masterpiece of pulp fiction, and even those who frown on the over the top violence will admit that it is visual experience unlike any other. My friend Jo told me that Sin City left her ‘traumatised’ so don’t go expecting a sweet romantic comedy (the clue is in the name after all). But for those looking for an extreme dark adrenaline overload, a visit to Sin City is a must.


Darkmatt Rating: ööööö (The wages of Sin are... fun?)







"A handy guy to know if you're traumatised by Sin City"

Wednesday, June 01, 2005

Film Preview: Sin City - Meet The Locals

SIN CITY: Meet The Locals


Walk down the right back alley in Sin City and you can find anything… and any one of these low lives…The population of Sin City is made up of those who must live, whether by choice or through circumstance, on the darker side of urban existence. Some have utterly succumbed to corruption, filth and evil. Others are still trying to survive with some part of their souls intact.

I’m seeing the film tomorrow and the good folks over at BVI have sent the following info about who’s who in the film version of SIN CITY… enjoy…


MARV:

Marv was just born in the wrong century. He belongs on some ancient battlefield, swinging an axe into somebody's face. But here he is, here and now. And whoever killed the woman of his dreams is going to pay. In blood.
– Frank Miller

At the center of the first story in SIN CITY is Marv, a hulking, down-on-his-luck bruiser. Marv gets lucky one night with a beautiful woman who shows him tenderness. By dawn, she is dead -- and Marv is determined to find her killer no matter the cost.


GOLDIE:

Damn it, Goldie. Who were you and who wanted you dead?
-- Marv

Marv’s one-night stand and one true love, Goldie, is played by Jaime King


KEVIN:

He was a tortured soul, tormented by guilt.
-- Cardinal Roark on Kevin

As Marv seeks vengeance for Goldie’s death, he faces down a nightmare of a villain: the chillingly placid, cannibalistic Kevin. In a complete change of pace, Elijah Wood of “The Lord of The Rings” and Frodo Baggins fame takes on the darkest of criminal roles.


DWIGHT:
You’ve got to prove to your friends you’re worth a damn. Sometimes it means dying. Sometimes it means killing a whole lotta people.
-- Dwight


At the heart of another SIN CITY tale is Dwight (Clive Owen), hard-nosed ex-photo-journalist and the one man the working girls of Sin City’s Old Town can trust. He’s tried to change his life. But when Old Town’s ladies come up against The Mob, and a cop winds up dead, Dwight is drawn right back into the fray to protect his friends.


GAIL:

She's the boss. Beautiful. Merciless. Any of the Old Town girls are hair-trigger ready to die - or to kill - for her. And they wind up doing both. Plenty of both.
-- Frank Miller

As Dwight’s story unfolds, he must team up with the heavenly and fierce Gail, the leader of Sin City’s prostitutes, who once saved Dwight’s life and helped him gain a new identity. Gail, a vision in thigh-high, leather-strapped stilettos and an Uzi, is played by Rosario Dawson.


SHELLIE:

I ain’t playing hard to get. I’m impossible to get.
-- Shellie

One of Frank Miller’s favorite characters in SIN CITY is local waitress Shellie, who traverses all three stories in the film, but is key to Dwight’s tale. When Shellie’s attention to Dwight triggers Jackie Boy’s anger, a rampage results. To play Shellie, Miller and Rodriguez cast Brittany Murphy.

JACKIE BOY:

I may be dead, but you are screwed!
-- Jackie Boy

Jackie Boy, the once noble, now corrupted cop who stirs up a whole lot of trouble in Sin City’s Old Town, is played by Academy Award winner Benicio Del Toro.

MIHO:
You can scream now if you want.
- - Marv

Another of Frank Miller’s favorite characters is Miho, the silent yet deadliest of the Old Town girls, played by Devon Aoki (“2 Fast 2 Furious). A kind of urban, female samurai, Aoki cuts up the screen with the same swords Uma Thurman used in Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill” films.

MANUTE:

Nobody knows where he came from, and nobody ever will.He serves his masters ruthlessly. Efficiently. Brutally. Mercilessly. Pray you never meet him. The moment you do will likely be your last.
- - Frank Miller

A man so immense his punch is like a freight train, Manute is at once enigmatic and lethal. He is played by Michael Clarke Duncan, who garnered an Academy Award nomination as the gentle giant in “The Green Mile” and who previously starred as The Kingpin in “Daredevil,” also based on Frank Miller’s comic.


HARTIGAN:
Honor bound. A knight in blood-caked, grimy armor. Cop John Hartigan will sacrifice everything – his marriage, his job, his honor, his freedom, his dignity – all for the sake of a skinny little 11 year old girl
- - Frank Miller

If there is one pure hero in Sin City, John Hartigan is it. The last honest cop in town, he’s finally about to retire. But he has a final mission: to save the 11 year-old Nancy Callahan from the clutches of the deranged Senator’s son, Roark Jr. To play Hartigan, Robert Rodriguez immediately thought of Bruce Willis.

NANCY:

Imagine you find your way the sleaziest saloon on the planet. The place stinks, with all the usual stinks. There's a stage. The lights come up. You expect the worst. Then out dances an Angel. Perfect. Graceful. Beautiful. A dream come true. Nancy. Nancy Callahan. She amazes.
- Frank Miller

Now known as the sweetheart of Sin City, Nancy Callahan is seen in two incarnations. First, she is an 11 year-old girl in the direst danger. Then, she is an alluring 19 year-old exotic dancer who shines a light in the dark of the city portrayed by Jessica Alba.


That YELLOW BASTARD:

The little snot. He ought to be dead. But here he is. Back in action. And he smells awful...
- Frank Miller

At the heart of John Hartigan’s story lies his nemesis, Roark Jr. (AKA “That Yellow Bastard”), a demented sociopath who is later physically transformed into a creature as ugly, yellow and downright odorous as his personality. Playing Roark Jr. and Yellow Bastard, under a veil of makeup, is Nick Stahl.
So now you've met some of the main players... buckle up for the ride of your life... SIN CITY opens in the UK this Friday 03 June 2005...

Tuesday, May 31, 2005

Mr and Mrs Smith... Looking very good!!


"Brad Pitt + Angelina Jolie in a Doug Liman film = tasty!!"


I have a feeling that Mr and Mrs Smith is going to be great fun. The trailer is excellent, Brad and Angelina look like they have real chemistry and I love Doug Liman's films to date (especially Swingers and Go).

See the trailer for yourself by clicking here: Mr and Mrs Smith

Sunday, May 29, 2005

Film Review: House of Wax


"Good looking... forever!?"

House of Wax (15)
Dir. Jaume Collet-Serra


Reviewed by Matt Adcock


Imagine for a moment regaining consciousness and finding that something is very wrong; you can’t seem to move anything except your eyes. You’re sitting in a big room filled with lots of other people but none of them are moving either – could it be that they, like you, are entombed in a coating of wax awaiting a slow death?
Not necessarily, it could be that you’re actually in a cinema and you’ve just dropped off during the first 45 minutes of House of Wax, which is absolutely bog standard ‘teens about to become psycho fodder’ build up.


Yes in this update / loose remake of the 1953 Vincent Price ‘shocker classic’ some things have changed (we get a much dumber and prettier cast – embodied by Paris ‘One Night In…’ Hilton) but some remain – namely there are still some psychotic nuts who like to take people and cover them in wax…

Is it any good? Well, that completely depends on what you’re looking for. If you’re seeking attractive young people meeting incredibly gruesome deaths for no reason other than stumbling into the wrong town, then House of Wax might well be your cup of tea. If however you’re not into sadistic violence or just looking for a film with a decent plot then you should move a long as there is nothing but grisly ‘killing by numbers’ on offer here. And I’m not kidding about the grisliness – Director Jaume Serra goes all out to depict some of the most gut wrenching death and torture scenes ever in a 15 rated film. You’ll never look at a tube of superglue, a pair of pliers or a waxwork sculpture in the same way again!

To be fair Elisha ‘Girl Next Door’ Cuthbert does try her best and Miss Hilton manages to raise some interest by shedding most of her clothes before dying. But as my esteemed co-critic Matt Landsman noted: “House of Wax was just Texas Chainsaw Massacre with more wax” and he’s got a point.

The killers in House of Wax are unlikely to become horror icons – in fact you could almost imagine them in court claiming that they were just ‘over enthusiastic model makers’ and thanks to the very average U.S. box office for Wax, I don’t imagine we’ll have to suffer a sequel. For an altogether better cinematic experience, may I suggest Sin City which is the very definition of ‘cool’ – more on that next week…

Darkmatt Rating: öö (the sicker you are, the more stars you'll probably give it!)


Reviews of other films and stuff you might want to read indexed here

Saturday, May 28, 2005

Batman Begins: 10 Minute Trailer Online


"Get ready..."
Batman Begins is looking more and more excellent - and Warner Bros must be confident in their new 'darker' vision of the DC Comic 'Dark Knight' because they have made an extended trailer which clocks in at 10 mins!!
Check it out here: Batman Begins

Friday, May 27, 2005

SONY want to mess with your brain!!

"I'm scared Dave and pretty soon - you will be too!!!"

SONY Patent Emotions...

Sony Entertainment is, even while you read this, trying to obtain a patent for a device which will activate specific emotions in the brain. The device will adjust neurons in the brain so people can play games or watch movies whilst having their emotions - fear, adrenaline etc manipulated in order to “maximize” the experience.

Imagine movies and computer games in which you get to smell, taste and perhaps even feel things... That's the tantalising prospect raised by this patent. The technique suggested is (you'll be gald to hear) entirely non-invasive. It describes a device that fires pulses of ultrasound at the head to modify firing patterns in targeted parts of the brain, creating "sensory experiences" ranging from moving images to tastes and sounds. This could give blind or deaf people the chance to see or hear too - or so they claim...

No - I don't want to even think about how this technology might used to enhance the enjoyment of watching certain films cough *One Night In Paris* cough... Do you think they are looking for testers??

Darkmatters: H O M E

Thursday, May 26, 2005

Matt Adcock Meets Fred Alan Wolf


"Dr Quantum versus traditional thought?"

Matt Adcock Meets Fred Alan Wolf, Ph.D

What the Bleep Do We Know!? is a documentary film that opened across the UK this week to very mixed reactions. It asks the audience to consider fundamental questions like: What am I doing here? What are thoughts made of? What is reality? It approaches these questions from the arena of Quantum Physics. And because - to quote Stephen Hawkings: “To confine our attention to terrestrial matters would be to limit the human spirit,” I decided to interview one of the main ‘experts’ from the film, Quantum Physicist Fred Alan Wolf.

Fred Alan Wolf is a physicist, writer, and lecturer who earned his Ph.D. in theoretical physics at UCLA in 1963. His work in quantum physics and consciousness is well known through his popular and scientific writing. He is the author of eleven books including ‘Taking the Quantum Leap’.


What The Bleep!? has just become the 3rd largest grossing documentary film ever, why do you think it is proving so popular?


“What seems to have occurred is a recycling of something which began in the 1960s, when a new kind of spirituality began to emerge. People got fed up with the old way of thinking. The audience for What the Bleep!? consists of some of those folks, who are now in their 50s and 60s, and also a lot of young people, who see something very promising in this movie, that are fed up with the old religious ways and teachings, and they see something new here. The idea that quantum physicists are saying these things is for this new audience startling. We always thought that physicists never talked about such things as this, that spirituality and god were out of the equation. That combination of things hit a marketplace that had probably been there but has largely been ignored. I think there is this is a great silent majority interested in spiritual issues.”


Spiritual issues such as: ‘is there a God?’

“It seems to me, depending on how you want to define god (which is by nature indefinable) that there is god – there is no question about it in my mind. I can answer this question in the affirmative because the mind plays such a roll in the way the development of the universe proceeds. If there was no god / no mind consciousness then the question of god would be moot – who would want to know? What difference would it make if there is or isn’t… But if there is a god, then he has to play a role in the universe.”

What are your thoughts on religion?

“Organised religions are bound to occur, it is part of nature to want to organise itself and it’s part of consciousness to define structures. So both the positive and negative of all organisations must manifest. Religion does us a great disservice when it professes to be ‘the answer’ rather than ‘an answer with truth’.”


What would you say is ‘ultimate reality’?

“Everything is relative and human perception is always subject to error or ‘misperception’. Our thinking is never perfect and so it is only the foolish that entertain the idea that they have it ‘right’ and everyone else have it ‘wrong’…”


How did you become involved in What the Bleep!?


“The film-makers William Arntz, Betsy Chasse and Mark Vicente, came to me because they’d read my books and they later asked me if I would be in the movie. At that time they didn’t know they were going to be using actors like Marlee Matlin and Armin Shimerman. That was a side-thought. At the beginning they were going to be doing a documentary about quantum physics. Their ingenuity and imagination put this film together. To me it’s one of the most ingenious films made in the last century. It became a movie, which is a feeling experience for the audience, and that’s what all movies should be.”


What are you working on next?


“I have a number of projects that I’ve put on the back burner, because I’m so busy doing public appearances for What the Bleep? I’ve created a character called Dr Quantum, and I have a new set of audio CDs called ‘Dr Quantum presents a user’s guide to your universe’, and a set in the autumn called ‘Dr Quantum presents a little book of big ideas’. “


Would you say that ‘The Force’ of Star Wars fame is really quantum physics in action?

“To me ‘The Force’ is the quantum fuel of possibilities, the great field that bathes us - the mind of god is another metaphor for it… It’s what Jesus Christ referred to as ‘my Father’s house of many mansions’.“


You mentioned Jesus there – who do you think he was?

“My thoughts are that there probably have been and will continue to be a lot of ‘Jesus types’ arising. The thing is that Christianity has a political interest in maintaining a single one ‘who died for our sins’ – but I believe there are other ways of thinking that we must be open to. I believe that every human being knows something of spiritual value without being told, we can sense it and to be told that there is only one individual who has that quality and that the rest of us don’t is a disservice to the amazing journey we are on called humanity. It’s not so much that I object to Christianity but I think it needs to expand itself.”


Finally, if you were about to die, what would be your last thought?

“Well, the way I see it is that the ‘I’ never dies. Consciousness will always be present and I don’t think that will ever ‘fade away’. I see my job as continual, to repeat again and again to help free people who are chained by their thinking process.”

Thank you for your time

My review of What The Bleep Do We Know!?

Wednesday, May 25, 2005

Slave Girl Leia: Ultimate Star Wars Male Fantasy

sexy slave girl leia
"classy"



sex slave girl leia
"worth turning to the dark side for?"

sexy slave star wars girl leia
"that is a very good look!!"
sexy slave girl leia
"Jabba sure knows how to pick his women"

sexy slave girl leia
"she wants you teach you a Jedi mind trick"

sexy slave girl leia
"is that a lightsaber in your pocket Darth?"

Slave Girl Leia - these three words have been burnt into the psyche of the male population ever since 1983 when millions of unsuspecting 12 year olds like myself suddenly realised that even in a galaxy far, far away, women looked good in metal bikinis!!

And so as Star Wars mania slowly subsides over the next few weeks – I think it’s only right that we take a few moments in solemn contemplation and thanksgiving for Slave Girl Leia – and we can only wonder what might have been if Natalie Portman had turned up for Padme duty in her table dancing ‘Closer’ outfit by mistake!?

Above is a small gallery of Leia appreciation – if you have a better Leia photo, please feel free to leave a link in the comment section below…


May the Force be with us all.
Other screen females worthy of your attention:
Darkmatters: H O M E

A New Musical POWER: British Sea Power!!


"Matt's 'repeat play' of the week"

British Sea Power - will blow you away!!

The last song that 'got me' like this was Dakota by those Stereophonics but Please Stand Up by British Sea Power is just another monster blast of pleasure. If you haven't heard it, click the title of this post which will take you to indigoflow which is cool site and they have links to samples etc.
Yeah - I know this is a movie appreciation based blog but sometimes you just gotta tell people about what's pressing your buttons (and it sure wasn't TAXI - the U.S. version which I watched last night - man it was so poor I can't even bring myself to write a review of it).
Peace out.

Tuesday, May 24, 2005

She's Into Star Wars


"chicks dig Star Wars too"

Riding on the massive Star Wars hype machine that is gobbling up money from fans across the globe comes a new song that smacks of – “cheap cash in”. But if you click this link from theflyguy.blogspot.com


you might be as surprised as I was to find out that it rocks!!


Yes, some dude called ‘King’, a former backing performer and collaborator with groups like Outkast and No Doubt, is embarking upon a solo career "with a mission to take hip-hop, rock and pop to the next level." His style is woven together with threads of spacey hip-hop, straight pop, alternative rock, and spoken word, he had a big part in Outkast’s multi-platinum album “Speakerboxx/Love Below.”

If you like this track – then there will be an EP out later this year, in the mean time you can probably find She’s into Star Wars on Itunes, Rhapsody, and Napster…

Monday, May 23, 2005

I'll be your Batman: Katie Holmes


"Miss Holmes... step this way..."

As the Summer gears up for the onslaught of big movies - in the wake of the record breaking SITH juggernaut... I’ve been alerted that the Batman Begins cast will be doing press work and that *fingers crossed* Katie Holmes will be making herself available to film reviewers / interviewers…
It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it!!

Sunday, May 22, 2005

Film Review: ONG-BAK


"OK, you can have your Ong Bak!!"

ONG-BAK(18)
Dir. Prachya Pinkaew

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

Ok, so you’re a highly trained monk who has studied the ancient way of the Muay Thai Warrior. Your body is a honed killing machine and your mind exercises a great sense of single purpose. So, what exactly would it take to make you flip out and risk your life fighting hundreds of tooled up criminals, several hard as nails prize fighters and some drug enhanced super warriors?
A. Someone looked at you funny and maybe spilt your pint?
B. Your family were brutally murdered?
C. Somebody nicked off with the head of your villages statue?
Basically, it doesn’t matter – Ong-Bak is a film that exists for one reason alone: stunning, crunching fight scenes!!

Hero Ting (Phanom Yeerum or Tony Jaa as he’s being marketed in the West) is the monk in question who takes the task of finding the thieves who steal the head of his villages Buddha. Actually ‘finding and beating the living daylights out of them’ is a more accurate description. If you’re in the mood for to see the best martial arts fights since Bruce Lee strutted his stuff, then Ong-Bak should be the film you seek. Jaa is a sensation, he doesn’t use stunt doubles, computer enhanced effects or even ‘Crouching Tiger’ style wires to make him look good in a fight, he’s the real deal. I’ve never seen a bloke look quite so dangerous, he oozes ‘ability to beat you to a pulp without breaking a sweat’ vibes that guys like Van Damme or Steven Seagal could only ever dream of. In fact, if Ong-Bak doesn’t make you want to find the nearest low life and deliver a ‘Monkey Climbing Heavy Tree’ double knee / elbow smash to the head then I’d ask for your ‘Ong’ back…

The director (Prachya Pinkaew) keeps the tempo up with some genuinely funny chase scenes, a little light love interest and a sidekick comic called ‘Dirty Balls’. He also cheekily courts a collaboration with a more well known director by having messages like “Luc Besson we are waiting for you” and "Hi Spielberg, let's do it together" blatantly written on walls which the action passes.

Ong-Bak is a powerful calling card, alerting the world to the presence of an amazing talent and it would be a crime if Tony Jaa didn’t move up to become Hollywood’s first choice kung fu ass kicker. Now I must go and meditate before practicing my ‘Strangling the Great Elephant’ moves – you can never be too careful!!

Darkmatt Rating: ööö (beating never looked as good as this)

Saturday, May 21, 2005

Master Yoda's Blog!!


"read my blog you must..."

As new comes in that 'Revenge of the Sith' has shattered the single day record on Thursday with $50,013,859, eclipsing 'Shrek 2' and 'Spider-Man 2' ... I came across another Star Wars novelty blog (much in the same vein as Lord Vader's which I love).

Yoda it is that also writes a blog and really funny it is!! Read it for your self here:
Yoda Blog

Click here to read Darth Vader's Blog!!

Thursday, May 19, 2005

Matt Adcock Meets George Lucas


"kill that cheeky film reviewer!!"
Matt Adcock Meets George Lucas

In a galaxy far, far away, well London, the room grows still, a palpable sense of anticipation is almost causing electric Force power to crackle off the walls, I hold my breath and then… in walks George Lucas, the Jedi Master himself. Star Wars has made more than $12.4 billion from box office takings and merchandise, sold over 130 million videos and been responsible for bringing sci fi to the masses like no other film saga. Now the final prequel ‘Revenge of the Sith’ is playing to packed cinemas the world over – I ask him how much pressure did he feel trying to deliver a final Star Wars film that would meet expectations?

Lucas: “Ultimately I had to just try and to make the movie that I started out to make. Fortunately the whole thing was written, the story was done and the style was decided before the first Star Wars film was successful. Of course Star Wars was always designed to be the tragedy of Darth Vader.”
Vader is certainly a firm favourite in my household (I didn’t call my son ‘Luke’ for nothing) but which character from the 6 films in the Saga is most like you?

Lucas: “I would say probably Luke. That's where it started and he's a poor farm boy like I was, who went off to fight in the Galactic wars!”

And which episode was your favourite to make?

Lucas: “These films are like my children, so don’t ask me which one I like the best. But the first one is always the toughest one because you don't know what's going on, you're confused, it's up to this poor little baby to teach you how to be a parent, and you have to learn as you go. Everything is a drama, you worry about every little thing and it drives you nuts… Especially when they turn into teenagers! But by the time you get to the last one, it's really a piece of cake, because you've been through it so many times. So the last one is the one that gets spoilt because it’s going away… and the last one was definitely the easiest to make.”

Now Episode III is the done, the Saga is over, do you have a sense of loss?

Lucas: “No, it's more like having your kids go off to college. You know, they still come back when they need money and they'll be there for holidays. And we are doing two TV series’, an animated series about the Clone Wars, which has all the characters in it, but obviously there's not much character arc. And another one will be a live action series featuring minor characters from the saga. So Star Wars is still going to be around. I'm going to go off and do my thing. It will have a life it’s own – through the comic books, novels and games that are out there. I just reserved the theatrical arena for this saga."

What about your next film projects?
Lucas: “Well 'Red Tails' is a story about African-American fighter pilots during World War II. They were the only fighter unit during World War II that never lost a bomber because they were escort fighters. So they were like, the best It's a really exciting story which I've been working on that for about 15 years and now I'm going to focus on it, along with the next Indiana Jones.”
Red Tails certainly sounds like one to watch and it’s excellent to hear Indy is on his way back. But for now the only thing you should be worried about seeing is Revenge of the Sith because Lucas has saved the best for last, remember the Force will be with you, always…

Wednesday, May 18, 2005

Book Review: THE ALGEBRAIST Iain M Banks


"Superb Sci Fi 'ness"

THE ALGEBRAIST
Iain M Banks

Reviewed by Matt Adcock


Welcome to 4034 AD.
Reluctant hero 'Fassin Taak', a Slow Seer at the Court of the Nasqueron Dwellers, is about to have a very bad day... Seconded to a military-religious order he’s barely heard of, he has to go on an almost hopeless quest amongst the Dwellers in search of a secret hidden for half a billion years.

Banks is on top form here, and even as the story takes a while to get going, you can sense that it will kick off seriously by the end and fans of all things Sci Fi will not be disappointed!! You get intrigue, friendship, betrayal and AI / alien ponderings all set against an exciting war scenario and one of the best villains ever to grace the pages of a novel – a guy who keeps the head of his arch enemy alive, able to feel pain and auto heal – then uses it as a stress relief punchbag!! He has ‘altered’ his body including his knob so that he can do very unwholesome things with it… and you don’t even want to know about this bloke’s negotiation techniques…

There’s an interesting new concept of religion proposed too – basically that we’re all just playing a ‘Tron’ like game and in order to escape from it, enough people must realise what’s going on so that the balance of the game is upset and the ‘owners’ will pull the plug – setting everyone free.

So – my advice is to persevere through the extensive build up, the complex, turbulent, flamboyant and spectacular narrative, even if it is hard work at times because when the dogs of war slip their leashes – there is much fun to be had!!
Iain M. Banks has created another space opera on a truly epic scale...

Darkmatt Rating: öööö (heavy duty sci fi excellence)

Try some Darkmatters - the novel:
Darkmatters Cleric Artwork
A Brief History Of Darkmatter
Cleric Shows Up
Fear Of Death
Film Scene - gun battle
Test Subject #30022
Cleric Gets Mugged

Tuesday, May 17, 2005

PS3 The PlayStation 3: Xbox 360 Killer!!

"The Future is HERE"
I'm not kidding... This is it... Sony has unveiled prototypes of their new Playstation 3 console at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles. And it's a beauty!! Wait, what's that I hear?
It's the sound of Bill Gates and every Xbox fan on the planet screaming in fear, rage and humiliation!!
The PS3 is so much more than games console, but significantly it's also so much more than the Xbox 360 (on pure stats alone it's twice as powerful) - the PS3's Cell processor - jointly developed by IBM, Sony Group and Toshiba can produce two teraflops of computing power...

What else?
BlueTooth support for up to seven wireless controllers and the new BD-ROM (Blu-ray Disc ROM).
Launch games like Tekken 6, Metal Gear Solid 4 and a new Grand Turismo.... yes please!!
I know which next-gen console I'll be buying... PS3 - the only choice!!

Monday, May 16, 2005

Star Wars Episode III Spoiler Free Review


"Matt's journey to the Dark Side of the Force is complete..."

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (12a)

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

Powerful, is the lure of the dark side…


And so here it is, the final prequel, the culmination of the epic Star Wars saga, so many hopes are resting on this one, so many fears that it might be duff… Can Lucas save the series with a glorious final part of the jigsaw or will it all end in tears and fan-boy recriminations?I have to quickly declare an interest here – I am a Star Wars fan, I confess that I did name my firstborn son Luke with the express intention of being able to put on my best Darth Vader voice and tell him “Luke, I am your father”, so at least you’ll have some idea of how much I love the original trilogy…

Revenge of the Sith picks up the story with the war between the Separatists and the Republic still raging and Chancellor Palpatine having been kidnapped by new kick-ass baddie General Grievous (a robot / alien fusion that hunts Jedi for sport, wheezes like an asthmatic in a pollen storm, fights with four lightsabers and stalks about in a most excellently ‘evil’ way). So Jedi Knights Obi Wan and Anakin Skywalker are sent to save the Chancellor and they get more than they bargained for when they run into an old enemy... From then on we get to see the seduction of Anakin by the dark side of the Force, the destruction of the Jedi and the greatest lightsaber duel of all time – I tell you, cinema just doesn’t get much better than this!!

Lucas has delivered a megaton hit of movie wonder, that completes the saga in grand style and more than makes up for any disappointment the first two prequels generated.Episode III is certainly the darkest yet, and it may be just a little too grim for very young children but having seen it, I’ll be taking my son Luke who’s 8 and if you’re a concerned parent – I’d urge you to trust your feelings.
Of course there are things that some won’t like – much of the acting is still plank wooden or wildly over the top to go along with the stupid dialogue…
But I’ve a feeling that this time even the Vader haters out there will have to get down on bended knee and acknowledge that Revenge of the Sith is potentially the most marvellous, entertaining and all round satisfying film to hit the screens this year…

The Force is very definitely back and it rules!!

LINK eM IF YOU GOT eM:

Matt's Full Review: Revenge Of Sith

My Immediate Reaction and photo with Stormtroopers

Was Jesus A Jedi?

Link to other Star Wars Darkmatters posts inc. Darth Vader's Blog!!