Tag Archive: Tomb Raider
borg's Best of 2018–Kick-Ass Genre Heroines
Filed under: Backstage Pass, Fantasy Realms, Movies, Sci-Fi Café, Superheroes, TV — Leave a comment
It's time for borg′s annual look at the Best Kick-Ass Genre Heroines in film and television. This year we selected 25 characters that rose to the top. Again the studios gave us more to cheer about than ever. We're highlighting the very best from a slate of fantastic heroines, with characteristics to learn from and cheer on. Determined, decisive, loyal, brave, smart, fierce, strong (and, okay, sometimes evil), you'll find no one here timid or weepy, but all rely on their individual skills to beat the odds and overcome any obstacle that comes their way. Over the years we have expanded the list to include any tough, savvy, gritty character played by a woman, so villains are welcome here, too. Some may be frazzled, put-upon, war-weary, or human, but all have fought, some against difficult circumstances, others against personal demons (literally, figuratively, or both), and some against gun and laser fire. And they all showed what a tough, kick-ass character is about.
In 2018 these characters broke new ground, and unlike last year's great list, this year's selections would not have worked as well had the characters been swapped for males. We had a former MI-5 agent, bounty hunters, assassins, doctors, defenders, advanced superhumans, superheroines, warriors, witches, and even a few cyborgs–with a roster evenly split between television and movie characters.
Better yet, here's something we haven't said before. Several of our selections this year were played by women over 50.
These are the Best Kick-Ass Genre Heroines of 2018:
Enfys Nest (Solo: A Star Wars Story). For the first half of Solo: A Star Wars Story, Enfys Nest was the leader of a band of pirates, a character as cool and ruthless as anyone Han Solo ever faced. But once she took off her mask, it became clear how important she was, how significant her mission was–even more so than Han Solo's own pursuit of mere wealth. She foreshadowed what Han would later find with Leia, an early glimpse at a rogue and scoundrel who actually had some good in him. When they joined forces, it made their characters even better. And she became one of the best warriors in the Star Wars universe since the original trilogy. (Disney/Lucasfilm)
Okoye (Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War). Is there any woman warrior as powerful and impressive in a fantasy movie this year as Danai Gurira's Okoye? We can't think of any. A smart commander, a brave soldier, a loyal ally. Stalwart, devoted, steadfast, strong physically, intimidating and wise, with a keen unwavering ferocity, she represented the best of Wakanda, and fought bravely to defend the world at the last stand against Thanos. (Disney/Marvel)
Higgins (Magnum PI). Few television characters are as beloved as Jonathan Higgins in the original Magnum, p.i. So it was going to be risky having any actor step into the role John Hillerman made famous. So when the show honored the original character and late actor with such a finely tuned, updated character and actor, we took notice. Perdita Weeks's Juliet Higgins is everything Robin Masters was–the character we all thought Higgins was in secret. We don't know whether we'll learn the truth this time around and what that truth will be, but as an ex-British secret service agent, she's a James Bond for Thomas Magnum to partner with–literally running alongside the show's star and fighting and shooting her way as an equal. And the result? Every episode of the first season was full of great action and fun. (CBS)
Tags: 20th Century Fox, Alexa Davalos, Alisa Jones, Altered Carbon, Amazon Studios, Amblin Entertainment, AMC, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Aquaman, Art3mis, Avengers: Infinity War, badass women of 2018, Baldwin, BBC America, best female character 2018, Black Panther, CBS, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Counterpart, CW Network, Danai Gurira, Deadpool 2, Doctor Who, Domino, Emilia Clarke, Enfys Nest, Erin Kellyman, Evangeline Lilly, Gemma Chan, Global Road Entertainment, Hailee Steinfeld, Halloween 2018, Hannah John-Kamen, Hannah John-Kamen movies, History Channel, Hotel Artemis, Humans AMC, iZombie, Jamie Lee Curtis, Janet McTeer, Jodie Foster, Jodie Foster movies, Jodie Whittaker, Jodie Whittaker 13th Doctor, Juliana Crain, Juliet Higgins, Kiernan Shipka, Kristin Ortega, Lagertha, Lara Croft, Laurie Strode, Lionsgate, Liv Moore, Liz Dudley, Lodge 49, Lucasfilm, Magnum PI, Martha Higareda, Marvel's Ghost, Marvel's Hellcat, Marvel's Jessica Jones, Mera, Metro Goldwyn Mayer, Mia, Michelle Gomez, Miramax, Ms Wardwell, Netflix, Nice, Okoye, Olivia Cooke, Perdita Weeks, Qi-ra, Rachael Taylor, Ready Player One, Rose McIver, Sabrina Spellman, Sara Serraiocco, Sofia Boutella, Solo: A Star wars Story, Sony Pictures Animation, Sonya Cassidy, Spider-Gwen, Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse, Spider-Woman, Starz, The Man in the High Castle, The Wasp, Tomb Raider, Trish Walker, Universal Pictures, Vikings TV series, Vikings TV series History Channel, Warner Brothers, Zazie Beetz
Advance review–Meet a new Lara Croft in reboot of Tomb Raider franchise
Filed under: Fantasy Realms, Movies — Leave a comment
Review by C.J. Bunce
For a new generation, the new adventure-thriller Tomb Raider may be an entry point into the adventure genre. If you like the concepts in Tomb Raider, you're likely to love adventure classics like that other "raider," Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, The Mummy, and Disney's National Treasure series. Tomb Raider borrows much from these movies, even key sequences that serve as the high points of the film. The film itself? It's all about that upper-body strength and holding on for dear life. (How many action films feature the hero holding on to the edge of a precipice with one hand anyway?) It's good, not great, but a fun enough popcorn flick for a late winter release, particularly to see someone the size of Alicia Vikander racing through all the required harrowing action scenes. She leaps, fights, sprints, and dodges pitfalls, and gets kicked, punched, and bruised in a part typically reserved for the likes of Dwayne Johnson.
In the role last explored by Angelina Jolie, Academy Award-winning actress Alicia Vikander (The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Ex Machina, Jason Bourne) becomes video game heroine Lara Croft, only this version of the story is more rooted in the real world, with less heroine posing and no cocky catch phrases–and more sweat. The new Tomb Raider definitely fits alongside past video game adaptations, better than the prior films in the franchise, and nudging out more recent video game adaptations Warcraft and Assassin's Creed. Unfortunately it comes on the heels of the immensely entertaining Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, which opted for humor instead of drama. This isn't a comedy, but would have benefited from some more levity along the way.
For an adventure about secrets and riddles, it doesn't present much for the audience to sleuth out, as was done so well in the entertaining National Treasure movies. But to its credit it has some good special effects and exceptional chase sequences that are best viewed on the big screen. And this Lara Croft is always being chased or running from something. A bicycle race early on and a foot chase across boats docked off the coast of Hong Kong are filmed like a riveting James Bond opener. And an escape through raging rapids at the edge of a waterfall is perfectly executed and full-on exciting (in a good theater your acrophobia and claustrophobia may even kick in). The overall plot is a bit thin–Lara receives a key left by her father as she is about to sign an affidavit acknowledging his death and her inheritance, and she pursues clues to his secret work that leave her stranded on a secluded, legendary island housing an ancient tomb. This is about a fantasy video game character, so if you can push aside reality you may have a really good time.
Tags: action adventure genre, Alicia Vikander, Alicia Vikander movies, Daniel Wu, Dominic West, Hannah John-Kamen, Hannah John-Kamen movies, King Kong, Kristin Scott Thomas, National Treasure, Nick Frost, Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Mummy, Tomb Raider, Tomb Raider movie review, video game movies, Walton Goggins
Mattel reveals 17 new Barbie dolls based on role models for International Women's Day
Filed under: Con Culture, Retro Fix, Superheroes — Leave a comment
To celebrate International Women's Day tomorrow, Mattel previewed two new waves of Barbie dolls intended to inspire and educate kids. Hinted at as forthcoming in the recent Netflix series The Toys That Made Us, the dolls celebrate three real-life heroines of the past in its entirely new "Inspiring Women" line, and 14 new women of the present have been designed as additions to Mattel's "Shero" line. The dolls aim to follow the vision behind the original toys' creator, Ruth Handler, who once said, "My whole philosophy of Barbie was that, through the doll, the little girl could be anything she wanted to be. Barbie always represented the fact that a woman has choices."
The women reflected in the new dolls include heroines of the past: aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart, artist Frida Kahlo, and NASA mathematician and physicist Katherine Johnson. The 14 new heroines of the present include conservationist and animal rights activist Bindi Irwin, journalist and Seven Summits mountain climber Martyna Wojciechowska, designers Leyla Piedayesh and Vicky Martin Berrocal, athletes Chloe Kim, Çağla Kubat, Nicola Adams, Lorena Ochoa, Hui Ruoqi, and Sara Gama, Chef Héllène Darroze, movie director Patty Jenkins, ballerina Yuan Yuan Tan, and actor Xiaotong Guan. The new line of Shero dolls adds to the line-up that began in 2015 and already includes actors Emmy Rossum and Kristin Chenoweth, journalist Eva Chen, ballerina Misty Copeland, singer Trisha Yearwood, movie director Ava Duvernay, gymnastics Olympian Gabby Douglas and fencing Olympian Ibtihaj Muhammed, and model Ashley Graham. Only Douglas, Muhammed, and Graham were made available in wide release, making this new release of 14 figures the first truly expansive Barbie line inspired by real people.
Twelve of the 14 new figures include Vicky Martin Berrocal, Xiaotong Guan, Bindi Irwin, Sara Gama, Chloe Kim, Martyna Wojciechowska, Nicola Adams, Yuan Yuan Tan, Patty Jenkins, Hélène Darroze, Hui Ruoqi, and Leyla Piedayesh. Not shown: Çağla Kubat and Lorena Ochoa.
The dolls feature a broad array of clothing, accessories, hairstyles, size, skintone, and head sculpt detail. The international selection of new dolls features representatives from Australia, China, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Poland, Spain, Turkey, and the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Tags: A Wrinkle in Time, A Wrinkle in Time Barbie dolls, Amelia Earhart, Ashley Graham, Ava Duvernay, Çağla Kubat, Barbie dolls, Barbie Shero, Bindi Irwin, Chloe Kim, Emmy Rossum, Eva Chen, Frida Kahlo, Gabby Douglas, Héllène Darroze, Hui Ruoqi, Ibtihaj Muhammed, International Women's Day 2018, Justice League, Justice League Mera Barbie, Katherine Johnson, Kristin Chenoweth, Lara Croft Barbie, Leyla Piedayesh, Lorena Ochoa, Martyna Wojciechowska, Mattel, Mattel Shero toy line, Misty Copeland, Nicola Adams Obe, Patty Jenkins, Ruth Handler, Sara Gama, The Toys That Made Us, Tomb Raider, Tomb Raider Lara Croft Barbie, Vicky Martin Berrocal, Xiaotong Guan, Yuan Yuan Tan
First look–Alicia Vikander brings video game to life in new Tomb Raider trailer
Norwegian film director Roar Uthaug (Escape, The Wave) and writer Geneva Robertson-Dworet (ROM, M.A.S.K., Sherlock Holmes 3, Captain Marvel, Dungeons & Dragons, Gotham City Sirens) are returning to the core of the character designed and created by Toby Gard to become one of the world's best-selling franchises in the new trailer released today for the reboot of the Lara Croft franchise. Even more than the last trailer for the film, clips from today's preview mirror some of the same kind of cliffhanger scenes found in each of the original trilogy of Indiana Jones movies–the same kind of adventure that made the original video game a success.
If you have any doubts that Vikander looks the part, just check out the comparison video discussed here earlier, which shows just how closely Vikander matches the Lara in the video game Rise of the Tomb Raider. Lara Croft has been around since 1996, in various versions of game play, based on at least eight different real-life models, and even voiced by the likes of Ashes to Ashes star Keeley Hawes and Good Will Hunting and The Riches star Minnie Driver.
Check out today's new trailer for Tomb Raider:
Tags: Alicia Vikander, Alicia Vikander movies, Colleen Atwood, Dominic West, Gary Freeman, Geneva Robertson-Dworet, George Richmond, Hannah John-Kamen, Keeley Hawes, Kristin Scott Thomas, Minnie Driver, Nick Frost, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Roar Uthaug, Stuart Baird, Timothy A. Wonsik, Tom Holkenborg aka Junkie XL, Tomb Raider, Tomb Raider official poster, Tomb Raider preview, Tomb Raider trailer, Walton Goggins
All the movies you'll want to see in 2018
Filed under: Backstage Pass, Fantasy Realms, Movies, Retro Fix, Sci-Fi Café, Superheroes — 3 Comments
It's that time of year again, time to take a look forward at what movies should be on your radar for 2018. Are you going to see them all? Heck no. These are the genre films we think borg.com readers will want to know about to make their own checklists for the coming year. We pulled 55 of the hundreds of films that have been finalized or are in varying stages of final production for next year's movie calendar.
What looks that it may top the list of most fanboys and fangirls? How about Ready Player One in March? Solo: A Star Wars Story and Avengers: Infinity War in May? Sequels to Deadpool and The Incredibles in June? X-Men: Dark Phoenix in November? But don't over look other films that look promising, like Winchester in February, Tomb Raider in March, and The Predator and The Equalizer sequels in August.
So grab your calendar and start making your plans for next year–here is the list of the movies you'll want to see in 2018:
The Commuter – January 12 — Liam Neeson's next action thriller finds him on a train with an offer he can't refuse. Co-starring Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson.
Proud Mary – January 12 — A hitwoman played by Teraji P. Henson (Hidden Figures, Empire) has her life go sideways when a mob hit goes bad. With Neal McDonough and Danny Glover.
Ophelia – January 22 — Daisy Ridley stars as Ophelia in a twist on Shakepseare's Hamlet told from her perspective. Co-starring Naomi Watts and Tom Felton.
Please Stand By – January 26 — Dakota Fanning, Toni Collette, and Alice Eve star in a story about a young woman with autism who sets her sights on winning a Star Trek writing competition.
Winchester – February 2 — Inspired by true events, the story of the heir to the Winchester firearms fortune finds herself haunted by the deaths of all killed by the weapons, leaving her to try to avoid them in an incredible mansion. Starring Helen Mirren and Jason Clarke.
Cloverfield 3 (yet to be titled) – February 2 — A crew of astronauts fight for survival on a space station. Starring Elizabeth Debicki, Daniel Brühl, and David Oyelowo.
Peter Rabbit – February 9 — Fox Studios brings a great cast of voice talent to their adaptation of the classic Beatrix Potter story. With Daisy Ridley, Margot Robbie, Elizabeth Debicki, Rose Byrne, and Domhnall Gleeson.
Monster Family – February 9 — A family is turned into monsters in this animated romp. Starring the voices of Jason Isaacs, Emily Watson, Nick Frost, and Catherine Tate.
Black Panther – February 16 — Ryan Coogler directs Marvel Comics' king cat superhero Black Panther in his own standalone movie. Starring Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, with a reunion of The Hobbit's Martin Freeman and Andy Serkis.
Tags: 2018 movie checklist, 2018 movies, 7 Days in Entebbe, A Quiet Place, A Wrinkle in Time, Alita: Battle Angel, Annihilation, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Aquaman, Avengers: Infinity War, Barbie movie, biggest movies of 2018, Black Panther, Bohemian Rhapsody movie, Bumblebee, Cloverfield 3, Deadpool 2, Death Wish, Duck Duck Goose, Early Man, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindlewald, First Man, Game Night, Gringo, Halloween 2018, Holmes and Watson, Isle of Dogs, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, Mary Poppins Returns, Mission: Impossible 6, Monster Family, Mortal Engines, Ocean's 8, Ophelia movie, Pacific Rim: Uprising, Peter Rabbit, Please Stand By, Proud Mary, Rampage, Ready Player One, Red Sparrow, Robin Hood 2018, Sherlock Gnomes, Sicario 2: Soldado, Small Town Crime, Smallfoot, Solo: A Star wars Story, The Commuter, The Equalizer 2, The Incredibles 2, The Jungle Book 2018, The Meg, The New Mutants, The Predator, Tomb Raider, Venom, Winchester, X-Men: Dark Phoenix
First look–Alicia Vikander takes Lara Croft into Indiana Jones territory in first trailer for Tomb Raider
All you need to do to tell Alicia Vikander can not only act but has star power is watch her as the dramatic yet humorous secret agent in 2015's The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Or you could watch her portray a reality without a soul as a borg in 2014's critically acclaimed sci-fi film Ex Machina. Or how about her Oscar-winning performance awarded last year for her work in The Danish Girl? She's in theaters right now opposite Christoph Waltz in Tulip Fever and it seems more than fitting that the critically acclaimed dramatic actress is stepping into what could be a lucrative, major action hero role for her, taking over for Angelina Jolie in the reboot of Tomb Raider.
This week started with the first official look at Vikander as video game franchise character Lara Croft in the first teaser poster for the film. With the first trailer for the movie now available it's clear that Norwegian film director Roar Uthaug (Escape, The Wave) and writer Geneva Robertson-Dworet (ROM, M.A.S.K., Sherlock Holmes 3, Captain Marvel, Dungeons & Dragons, Gotham City Sirens) are returning to the core of the character designed and created by Toby Gard to become one of the world's best-selling franchises. Gard said he left the company he created Lara Croft for because he was opposed to the idea and marketing of Lara's sex appeal, with ever-increasing breast size in the game sequels after he left. The sex appeal is still there but the film in the first trailer looks to be all about the adventure, exploring environments, solving riddles, and navigating traps with villains on her tail. Clips from the trailer mirror some of the same kind of cliffhanger scenes found in each of the original trilogy of Indiana Jones movies–the same kind of adventure that made the original video game a success. If you have any doubts that Vikander looks the part, just check out the comparison video after the clip below, which shows just how closely Vikander matches the Lara in the video game Rise of the Tomb Raider.
Lara Croft has been around since 1996, in various versions of game play, based on at least eight different real-life models, and even voiced by the likes of Ashes to Ashes star Keeley Hawes and Good Will Hunting and The Riches star Minnie Driver. The new film co-stars Walton Goggins, who always plays that half-cocked villain you are pleased to see get crushed under the hero's toes, popping up in films like Predators, Cowboys and Aliens, Django Unchained, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, and The Hateful Eight. A big surprise–one of our favorite genre actors, Nick Frost (Attack the Block, Doctor Who, Shaun of the Dead, The World's End), is in the film, plus Hannah-John Kamen (Killjoys, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Ready Player One, Ant-Man and the Wasp), Dominic West (The Hour, John Carter, The Wire), and Kristin Scott Thomas (Mission: Impossible, The Golden Compass, The English Patient).
So check out the first trailer for Tomb Raider:
Previews of four new series from Dark Horse coming in February
Filed under: Comics & Books, Fantasy Realms, Sci-Fi Café — Leave a comment
Dark Horse Comics has been keeping busy this year, forging ahead in some interesting new properties. We've got several pages of five new series for you to preview, from new arrivals coming to stores in February, courtesy of the Oregon-based publisher. These include some big, classic franchises: Conan, Terminator, and Tomb Raider, with a new story, too: The White Suits.
Click on the below images to enlarge.
First up is a preview of Terminator: Enemy of My Enemy Issue #1, written by Dan Jolley (Bloodhound) with art by Jamal Igle (Supergirl), a story that takes place a year after the first film in the series:
Tags: Dan Jolley, Frank Barbiere, Gail Simone, Jamal Igle, Juan Gedeon, King Conan: The Conqueror, King Conan: The Conqueror preview, Lara Croft, Nicolás Daniel Selma, Reservoir Dogs, Terminator, Terminator: Enemy of My Enemy, Terminator: Enemy of My Enemy preview, The White Suits, The White Suits preview, Timothy Truman, Toby Cypress, Tomás Giorello, Tomb Raider, Tomb Raider preview
Missing Comic-Con this year? Get your panel fix at Nerd HQ
Filed under: Backstage Pass, Con Culture — 2 Comments
Nerd HQ is back for its second year in the San Diego Gaslight District, right across from the Convention Center during Comic-Con. The star of the now-cancelled series Chuck, Zachary Levi, is back selling Nerd swag, promoting video games, and offering fans a second chance to see some favorite TV and movie celebrities. Nerd HQ is a nice break for convention goers and a welcome opportunity for local Californians who couldn't get Comic-Con tickets.
Last year we attended the panel featuring Scott Bakula, star of Quantum Leap, Men of a Certain Age and Enterprise, discussed here at borg.com last July. At start time the panel still had available seats and they showed us in for free. The discussion was interactive and cozy in a way you can't really get with the larger Comic-Con venue. And you really can interact. Levi praised E.C Bunce and my Chuck "Buy More" and "Nerd Herd" outfits and even poked fun at her prosthetic alien head later during a panel. This year the panels will be broadcast live at break.com/nerdhq, so even if you don't pay the $20 per panel charge, you can still get your panel fix like you were there in person, no matter where you'll be that weekend.
The details about some of the panels don't appear to be totally locked in yet, but NerdHQ says this will be the basic schedule:
***Thursday, July 12, 2012***
9:30 a.m. Expendables 2
Features Terry Crews, Dolph Lundgren and Randy Couture talking about the follow-up to the 2010 action film The Expendables.
11 a.m. Psych
Actors from the USA Network detective comedy series will be making an appearance to talk about its upcoming seventh season. No specific actors appear to be confirmed yet.
12 p.m. Chuck
Expect Zach Levi and a few other actors talking about the wind-up of the series.
2:30 p.m. Robot Chicken
Seth Green (Buffy the Vampire Slayer's character Oz, will be discussing his series airing on Cartoon Network.
***Friday, July 13, 2012***
10 a.m. Stan Lee
The big guy himself. 'nuff said.
12 p.m. Man with the Iron Fists
No stars locked in yet for a discussion of this new Quentin Tarentino flick.
3 p.m. The Rise of the Guardians
Director Guillermo Del Torro is expected to bring some actors discussing the coming computer-animated action-adventure comedy film about Santa Claus, the Easter bunny, the tooth fairy and others battling the boogey man and Jack Frost.
4:30 p.m. Nathan Fillion
The Castle and Firefly star returns to Nerd HQ for his second appearance.
5:30 p.m. Assassin's Creed 3
No specifics released yet for this new video game.
***Saturday, July 14, 2012***
10 a.m. NTSF: SD SUV
Paul Scheer's National Terrorism Strike Force: San Diego: Sport Utility Vehicle show airs on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim.
12 p.m. Tomb Raider
No specifics yet. A trailer? A video game preview?
That's all that's been released so far. Proceeds from the panels go to Project Smile.
C.J. Bunce
borg.com
Tags: Assassin's Creed 3, Castle, Comic-Con, Elizabeth C. Bunce, Expendables 2, Firefly, Man with the Iron Fists, Nathan Fillion, Nerd HQ, NTSF: SD SUV, Psych, Rise of the Guardians, Robot Chicken, Scott Bakula, Scott Bakula panel at Nerd HQ, Stan Lee, The Nerd Machine, Tomb Raider, Zachary Levi
Spotlight on film adaptations: It's all been done before… or has it?
Filed under: Comics & Books, Movies — Leave a comment
It's like the Canadian band Barenaked Ladies said in their hit song: It's all been done before.
But of course it hasn't.
We sometimes tell ourselves that when we run out of ideas. But just as much as there are always going to be millions more stories for writers to tell, there are stories out there already created that are waiting to reach a new audience. Stories we love, but stories that we'd really love to see transformed into another medium– onto the TV or silver screen. These are the film adaptations. And they are a key part of movies of any genre. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences even has their own Oscar for adapted screenplay that often coincides with the Best Picture winner.
What are your favorite stories? Have they all been made into movies? Do you wish that any of them would be turned into a movie? Do you wish most of them hadn't been made into movies? What stories would you like to see that have not yet been adapted to film?
You can adapt anything into a movie if you're creative enough. The biggest source for adaptations are books. The result? Some are good (Jaws, Godfather, To Kill a Mockingbird, Jurassic Park) and some bad (like every live action film based on Dr. Seuss/Theodor Geisel, who must be turning in his grave at what happened to his franchise after his death), or even hopelessly bad (like The da Vinci Code, which should probably not have merited a novel in the first place). A painting by Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer inspired a novel and then a film adaptation—The Girl with a Pearl Earring. The movie Ever After takes a fairy tale and merges it with a painting of Leonardo da Vinci's Head of Woman to create both a retelling and an alternate history of sorts, placing Leonardo himself in the middle of the fairy tale.
The Phantom of the Opera was turned from a theatrical musical into a movie (and even the reverse happens, as Sunset Boulevard went from film to musical). The video games Tron, Doom, Resident Evil, and Tomb Raider all have been adapted into movies (how about Pitfall?). Even the Parker Brothers games Clue and the Milton Bradley game Battleship have been adapted into film (wouldn't it be great to try again with the characters in Clue?).
Wait long enough and even classic TV gets made into movies, like The Dukes of Hazzard, The Addams Family, The Brady Bunch, and the new Johnny Depp adaptation of Dark Shadows. Last week the BBC reported that Bob Dylan's album Blood on the Tracks is currently being made into a movie (and the album itself was even inspired by the short stories of Anton Chekhov), and the story of the song Amazing Grace (with Ioan Gruffudd and Benedict Cumberbatch) hit theaters only a few years ago. Then there are adaptations of a writer's angle on some famous or infamous figure in real life, like Schindler's List—the biopic or historical adaptation is everywhere–but usually starts with the novel. And even newspaper articles can end up as the original source for an award winning film, like All the President's Men. Certainly last but not least, comic books and graphic novels are the current rage, with movies adapted from Road to Perdition to Cowboys & Aliens to the soon to be released Avengers.
Source material for film adaptations is virtually unlimited.
We've asked our four borg.com writers not what the best adaptations are, but instead what are their picks for what should be the next adaptation from Hollywood. What are the top 5-10 books, comic books, video games, or characters, etc. you'd like to see adapted into a movie—that haven't been adapted yet? We'll start with Art Schmidt's take on would-be adaptations tomorrow.
Tags: Addams Family, All the President's Men, Avengers, Battleship, Brady Bunch, Clue, Cowboys and Aliens, Dark Shadows, Doom, Dukes of Hazzard, Ever After, film adaptations, Girl with the Pearl Earring, Jaws, Jurassic Park, Leonardo da Vinci, Phantom of the Opera, Resident Evil, Road to Perdition, Schindler's List, Spotlight, Spotlight on film adaptations, Sunset Boulevard, Tomb Raider, Tron
Anatomy of science fiction--The space suit, part 2
Anatomy of science fiction--The space suit