Hollywood is still raiding your game closet....
There's still talk of a Candyland movie, which I'm guessing was picked over "Hi-Ho Cherry-O," as the latter sounds more like an adult version of 'Snow White.' I'm terribly, terribly sorry for typing that last line, really. Anyway, I'd like to put in my vote for someone sending the writers (who worked on the second and third Chipmunks movie, if that's any reassurance) a copy of Run For Your Life, Candyman. After all, dismemberment only gets you an R rating if the resulting detachment doesn't bring forth a creamy nougat center. :)
Given that the upcoming "Battleship" movie is less about one navy sinking another and more about the U.S. Navy taking on alien spacecraft, I thought a few more boardgames could be the germ of a few feature films. I mean, if the studios have their hearts set on doing this kind of thing:
- The Inventors. I just liked this game most especially for the plastic dice-roller it came with. I almost want to make a version large enough for my d20s to fit in. Anyway, with the current trend in Steampunk, a movie about two wacky victorian-era inventors squaring off against each other could be a humorous outing, eh wot?
- The Dark Tower. Not only might you get ticket sales from people thinking they were about to see an adaptation of a Stephen King novel, people who have actually played the game will enjoy the fact that the movie will be about six hours shorter than the last time they played it through until someone won.
- Betrayal at the House on the Hill. I think the world is ready for another film with alternate endings, just like "Clue" had, right? And Tim Curry could play a role in there somewhere as well, just as a nostalgic callback.
- Snit's Revenge. Forget the Smurfs. A movie about little cute creatures that kill their oppressors by beating up their internal organs is not only fun, but educational. The lesson learned is that one shouldn't antagonize things that can fit through any orifice on your body.
- Mille Bornes. Think "Eurotrip" with four wacky college students having a race across France at the behest of the host for the automotive TV show "Peak Gearshift." He supplies them with puncture-proof tires, oil slicks, and all of the other card game elements.
- Trivial Pursuit. This one could get meta, with trivia about the movie itself being part of the script.
- Pretty Pretty Princess. Admittedly, I only know about this one from the endless commercials that used to play during my (animated) stories after school, but there's a take on this that could be amusing. The government is out to stop a small cadre of little girls who are vying for several mystic artifacts that would, indeed, make one of them the uncontested ruler of the universe, and that can't be allowed to happen, no matter how high the body count. Besides, nothing's creepier than little girls, right?
So there you go, Hollywood, a bevvy of new films. I do wonder how that "Viewmaster" film is coming along (one frame at a time, perhaps? Nyuk-nyuk), and I'm thinking it's only a matter of time before we get movies based on candy bars or breakfast cereals.
DC and Warner Bros. are looking to make a Justice League film in 2013 and re-invent Batman after 'The Dark Knight Rises'. I'd love a good JL film, though I'd almost rather they spent the money on putting out a slew of Justice League animated movies on DVD. As for Batman, reinventing him is no big deal, I think. I mean, it's almost expected that comic book (and other) franchises get restarted if they're still popular even after a previous series of films have ground to a halt. But with a property like Batman, I think they're missing out on doing something similar to the comics: Just make whatever story sounds good at the moment. I mean, if you look back on almost any superhero comic's continuity, it's going to be all over the map as to whether it's serious, stupid, funny, or even worth reading. Artists and writers come and go, but everyone knows the basics for most flagship characters. Marvel is trying to put out the continuity-oriented intertwined films, and they're doing a great job at it. So if DC isn't planning on doing the same, just decide what Bat-project appeals the most and do that one. If it references previous movies, great. If the actors worked well in a previous movie and want to come back, why not? Much like how the animated movies have different styles, voices, and parts of Batman's story, at this point, I'd rather the movies took a similar cue if they're going to go forward as (at most) trilogies. That, and let the writers have access to the rest of the DCU on occasion; it's weird that neither Superman nor Batman have ever mentioned each other in their films, given their comic book pasts. I know the rights are a mess, but still...
And speaking of Batman, via SuperPunch, here's two pages of contest winners in the Redesign the Batmobile contest. This second page is the international entries, which I think are much cooler-looking, m'self. And heck, seeing as how many Batmobiles there have been since the start of the comic, they could show up in the comic eventually.
Alert Reader Tania has run across a mysterious blue box in Farmville, of all places. I wouldn't mind an episode that ties that into a story along with this odd encounter out in the radioactive wastes of "Fallout."
Before we get to the Aperture Science below, there's some actual science that's made headlines recently. The first spacecraft to orbit Mercury has started sending back images. Then a potential power source from what might be 'the first practical' artificial leaf. And while zombies may not be real (yet) and may not be the products of science, a prototype for a machette slingshot does appear to function as advertised. :)
Now, Aperture CEO Cave Johnson would like to sell you on trust...
- Aperture Laboratories has a new investment opportunity for you: Loyal robots.
- We've previously seen the Doctor defeat Doctor Doom via a Disco Dance-Off (scroll down to 'D'), but their later contest over what looks like some cosmic cubes needed to be brought to your awareness.
- Normally, I'm not one to post vids of industrial accidents, but a description of this next clip made me smile: Something goes awry at the lightsaber factory.
- Continuing with Valve products for a moment, here's a (wishful thinking) trailer for a (nonexistent) video game that could fill several voids left by delayed franchises: Gnome Chompski. For those unfamiliar with the Gnome in question, he can be used to earn an achievement in the Half Life series.
- You may recall the nigh impossible running game, QWOP. There's a new form of night impossibility called GIRP. I'd say at least this one teaches typing skills, but I only learn where two or three letters are before having to start over.
- In a previous entry, I linked to tales of Rob Granito's "appropriation" of other artists' work and selling it as his own. He was (language warning) confronted at Megacon and is banned from any Wizard World conventions.
- I'll see your TARDIS key and raise you a TARDIS ring.
- The new 'My Little Pony' series continues to be a source of hilarity when combined with 'very serious' video games. Previously, it was mashed with Starcraft, now it's The Elder Scrolls turn (and it helps that MLP has dragons as characters).
- From Beyond casts you in the role of some giant cosmic being bent on destroying stuff by hurling things at the Earth. Aim carefully and try to smash as much puny human stuff as you can in a limited number of rounds.
- As if they're not scary enough in Minecraft, some madman has built a motion-activated Creeper.
- When I was in college, I remember overhearing discussions on the weekends (usually after several drinks) that seemed a lot like this.
- Speaking of college, here are a few ideas for rubber stamps some might find useful in grading freshman compositions.
- Here's a challenge if you want to replicate a celebrated Victorian outfit: a dress from 1888 decorated with a thousand beetle wings was recently restored and returned to display in Kent, England.
- A popular website has a motion activated sprinkler for sale. Be sure to look at the customer images; some get quite nerdy, indeed.
- And we wind up with a puzzle game that's at least as historically accurate as a Dan Brown novel: Fun Da Vinci. Arrange various shapes and devices to convey cannonballs into metal receptacles, just like Leonardo did during his days off.