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First of all, I want people to know I am not such a cynical person, I am light hearted by nature. I do enjoy some of the finer things in life, Mostly music, Movies, Video Games, Reading, Archaeology, Paranormal Investigations, and so much more.

With that said, I thought I would post a bit of movie news that is exciting to me, and that I am anxious to see myself.

So the introduction to Lances first ever…

Movie Blog

I am a huge, and I mean HUGE science fiction fan. Star Wars, and Star Trek lead along with some other films as being among my favourite films of all times (With the exception of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace… Really George?) Among the films that have always been in my favourites are the following:

Star Wars Saga

Star Trek

The Last Star Fighter

Tron

The Chronicles Of Riddick

Space Balls

The Black Hole

The Crow

I am pleased as a new father to announce a little news about some of the franchises I have also listed above.

Some of the biggest news was an announcement a while back, that George Lucas has shown interest, and is Green Lighting a new Live action Star Wars television series, which he is helping pen, that has unfortunately a tentative release time of 2015… Now if the Aztecs were right, we don’t have that kind of time…

It takes place between episodes three and four, when Luke Skywalker was growing up as a teenager, but it has nothing to do with Luke. Basically, it is like ‘The Godfather’; it’s the Empire slowly building up its power base around the galaxy, what happens in Coruscant, which is the major capital, and it’s [about] a group of underground bosses who live there and control drugs, prostitution.

Really? Is this an important aspect of the Star Wars empire? Star Wars was built around a hero and a protagonist. Any new show should feature something along the same lines. Do I really want to watch a show about gangsters in space? If so, maybe someone could create a show called “Godfather In Space”. They could have it written by the guy who wrote Babylon 5, then no one would watch it, and we could get it over and done with…

I don’t know. Why must we be subjected to another crazy attempt in revamping the Star Wars series? But you know what? Truth be told, I will watch it, and most likely love it, for what it is, an extension of the Star Wars universe, that brings us closer to the politics, and strugles being faced by the populace of a “Galaxy far away…”

Also on the agenda is a new Star Trek film. Again being directed by no longer the new guy, J. J. Abrams (Cloverfield, Mission Impossible: III, Super 8), and penned by Damon Lindelof, who many don’t recognize the name. However soon many of you will…

Damon was responsible for writing around 35 of the episodes of the popular television series “Lost”, which oddly enough also had J. J. Abrams as one of its many directors.

For those who don’t know, Star Trek, 2009, was an amazing action film set in the Star Trek universe. It features the characters from the original series, Captain Kirk, Spock and crew, in an alternate time line for the crew. Events in the film happen in a crucial junction in the Star Trek history, and the film then follows an alternate time line allowing for slight divergence from the Star Trek stories that we know from the series…

Vin Diesel recently posted on his website a video of himself and director David Twohy (Pitch Black, The Chronicles Of Riddick, A Perfect Getaway) going over a proposed sequel to the popular Riddick franchise.

Here is what the synopsis is looking like so far, as reported again by movieweb.com:

Betrayed by his own kind and left for dead on a desolate planet, Riddick(Diesel) fights for survival against alien predators and becomes more powerful and dangerous than ever before. Soon bounty hunters from throughout the galaxy descend on Riddick only to find themselves pawns in his greater scheme for revenge. With his enemies right where he wants them, Riddickunleashes a vicious attack of vengeance before returning to his home planet of Furya to save it from destruction.

Both Diesel, and Twohy want to take the Riddick character back to the darker feeling of the original “Pitch Black” and put him again in a position alone against great odds. It should be a rollercoaster ride through the person of Riddick, which I don’t feel was explored enough in “The Chronicles Of Riddick” including his back story, and the history on the planet they kept referring to in both films, and the video Game which was the prequel to the first film…

Also in the reported works are the following:

The Crow

After the tragic death of Brandon Lee during the final day of filming of the original The Crow, the series has taken a drastic down fall, three sequels featured prominent actors and actresses the likes of:

All of which have failed miserably, to the point that numbers 3 and 4 went straight to DVD, and never had any screen time…

They are attempting to keep the series alive by bringing the original hero, Eric Draven’s story to a larger budget, and closer tied to the comic books.

Tron (Untitled 3rd film)

Following the massively successful limited theater release of Tron: Legacy in December 2010, Disney studios has officially green lit the next instalment. The writersAdam Horowitz, Edward Kitsis, who wrote Legacy, have hinted at the fact that they are attempting to write a trilogy out of the new sequels. This means, as always 1982’s Tron will stand alone, and Legacy will be the first in a trilogy, in the further liberation of the computer world known as “The Grid”. The characters are as of yet unknown, but if the end of Legacy is any clue (No Pun intended) Sam Flynn, Quorra, and Tron will definitely be back, and true fans of the series will not allow Kevin Flynn to just die out with his alter ego in the computer universe Clu…

So here is hoping it keeps the Tron universe as an amazing Digital Fairy tale, and not dilute it too much with mainstream stories and plot lines, which have thinned many other film sequels in the past… (See the Star Wars Prequels, mainly Episode 1)

Not so much as having directed every sequel in the series or its spin-off series, however having the creative vision to create an iconic villain that ranks among the top of every single chart on the planet… The Xenomorph, also known as The Alien…

Having watched a studio seemingly whore out his creation after the second instalment, it seems Ridley has decided to resume the helm of the series by creating a pseudo-prequel entitled Prometheus.

The Prequel will take place in the same story universe as the Alien films, however is rumored to give the origin of the “Space Jokey” seen in both the First film, and the Directors cut of Aliens. He is reporting that it will feature, such as the original film, a single alien in the film, but not the one seen in the Alien films…

It’s set in 2085, about 30 years before Ellen Ripley. It’s fundamentally about going out to find ‘Who the hell was that Space Jockey?’ The guy who was sitting in the chair in the alien vehicle. This is an explanation of who the space jockeys were. [The film] is about the discussion of terraforming, taking planets and planetoids and balls of earth and trying to terraform, seed them with the possibilities of future life.

I am a huge Alien fan, and still believe that the first two mark major points in the genre’s that they are prominent in.

Alien = Horror

Aliens = Action

The isolation and darkness of the original film was something that I will remember my entire life, and is the basis for many of my stories. The psychology of the crew attempting to survive something so unknown, and unseen throughout the film will always make Alien one of my all time favourite horror films.

Aliens on the other hand, written and directed by one of my all time favourite directors, James Cameron, is an exploration into the action film scene that had up to that point never been seen. His idea of having more than a single main character as the hero, and placing it in a science fiction universe was unseen. Up to this point Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stalone were the largest action heroes, and the sole heroes in their films. All films were based in some point on the revenge of some bad deed, (With the exception of Terminator, which was also a Cameron film.)

I have high hopes on this film, as I love almost every film Ridley has made to this point, Alien, Blade Runner, Legend, Gladiator, GI Jane, Black Hawk Down, Kingdom Of Heaven, Robin Hood (2010). The Scott vision in motion pictures is unfounded, and unsurpassed… And given the ability of modern technology in film, and his vision for horror as well as story telling, Prometheus should be a blockbuster film prior to its theatrical release!!!

The Black Hole

In 1979, Disney decided they wanted to take a chance in a film that explored new territory, yet retold a classic story Disney had turned into a popular film in the 60’s. 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea…

Here is what Movieweb.com wrote about the working sequel:

Joseph Kosinski and Sean Bailey, the director and producer of Disney’s upcoming Tron Legacy, and screenwriter Travis Beacham are teaming up for a reinvention of the 1979 sci-fi film The Black Hole.In the original, the explorer craft U.S.S. Palomino is returning to Earth after a fruitless 18-month search for extra-terrestrial life when the crew comes upon a supposedly lost ship, the magnificent U.S.S. Cygnus, hovering near a black hole. The ship is controlled by Dr. Hans Reinhardt and his monstrous robot companion, Maximillian. But the initial wonderment and awe the Palomino crew feel for the ship and its resistance to the power of the black hole turn to horror as they uncover Reinhardt’s plans, which involve turning his former crew into robots and flying through the hole. As they try to escape, a meteorite shower damages the ship, and the survivors hang on as they are plunged into the most powerful force in the universe, heading toward the blinding light that holds whatever eternity awaits them.

The details of the update are being kept secret, though the take does involve grounding the story in the science of a black hole, much more so than in the original. The 1979 film was a loose retelling of Disney’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea!

To me, the team up of Kosinski and Bailey are working on films that are advancing the typical Disney fare, Tron Legacy, its sequel(s) and now a rewriting of The Black Hole. Now as a self proclaimed nerd, and founder of the new facebook group N.E.R.D. Nerds Experiencing Recent Denial the thought of the unfathomable power of a black hole is a draw that cannot be denied… (Pun intended)

I loved the original film as a child, and find it still an amazing film, but maybe too dumbed down for a younger audience. Keep it aimed for an adult audience as Disneys Tron franchise, and it will be a success. A film with grounds in real science, with science fiction bringing in troves of nerds and scientists, along with the average joe…

This is just some of the films I am excited about. I wanted to give you a chance to experience information, and maybe a little of the excitement I am feeling toward them. Maybe you will share my enthusiasm toward them, maybe not. This is what makes us individuals, and special.

If you have any questions about films you may have heard rumours about, and would like some information, then feel free to write me with details, and I will feature it in the next Lances Movie Blog posting.