Tuesday, May 23, 2006

New Story at The Smackdown And Nicholas Cage as the "Ghost Rider" Makes An Inauspicious Teaser Debut

Hola, folks. Been working today on my entry for this month's Literary Smackdown; I posted up my story this afternoon. It's called "The Girl Who Won Big on the Yahtzee Slots" and you can read it and Hinesy's story, "Vegas By Day", here. Feel free to post your comments and criticisms on either or both stories -- that's what we like at the Smackdown. No holds-barred opinion-slinging. But, for those who intend to submit a story, time's running out on this month's challenge. Quickly, here are the stipulations: 1) has to be at least 400 words (which is uber-short), 2) has to be set in Las Vegas, 3) has to include the words "Circus Circus" and "slots", 4) has to be dialogue-heavy, and 5) has to feature the striking of a deal of some kind. The respect of your peers and a deck of awesome Monte Carlo Resort and Casino playing cards is at stake. So, please submit. We want to read your stories.

Also, the new Ghost Rider teaser is up. Take a gander here. I was never much into this character when I was back reading superhero comics. I've always loved the aesthetic of Ghost Rider (the flaming skull head is a pretty compelling image), but in terms of origin story and his powers and all of that, he always seemed to be in the second or third tier of comic book heroes. This movie seems similarly destined to be in the second or third tier of comic book adaptations, sitting alongside Daredevil and Punisher and Fantastic Four. Just from this teaser I can see two important things. 1) the CGI looks cheesier than I've seen in a long, long time, and 2) Nicholas Cage looks downright ridiculous with that Lloyd Christmas haircut. He's too old for this part. There are a few cool shots in this, but I think, at most, Ghost Rider might be dumb fun on the order of Fantastic Four, but I think it's just about impossible that this is going to be a straight-up good movie.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey bear trap, I wanted to make this back in pasadena remember? -zippahead

Anonymous said...

I remember that Peter. I really wish you had succeeded. Because then I could ask you "Does he really need to ride the motorcycle down a building?? I mean, I know he's a skeleton ghost and all with a flaming head, but a building? Really?" Instead, all I can do is ask these questions to the wind...

You should instead make a movie that's not unlike X-Men, only instead of having a group of regular people trying to rid the world of mutants, there will be a group of regular people trying to rid the world of these freaking comic book movies. I'll write it, and yes Heath, one of the characters will be gay.

blankfist said...

"deck of awesome Monte Carlo Resort and Casino playing cards"

Are they really awesome? I cannot imagine that they would be all that awesome. Maybe a touch appealling - but not awesome.

This Ghost Rider movie is going to be better than Daredevil, I bet, but still a hunk of garbage. Yeah, I don't so much mind the riding up buildings part or even the cheesy CGI - what bothers me is, YES, Cage is too effing old for this part, and as much as I like Elliot, you know as well as I do his only reason for being there is to be the wise old man that teaches the wary hero his place in the world. His name should be Sam Exposition. He's a cop out for good story writing.

And where can I find a link to this Aquaman movie trailer?!

Anonymous said...

I think speck is wrong. There is no aquaman movie being made except for a fake premiere for a scene on the hbo show entourage.

Anonymous said...

The Aquaman trailer is actually for a tv show that would have been on the WB. Now that UPN and the WB have merged the pilot will never see the light of day.

The show was called MERCY REEF and you can find the trailer on doubleviking.com. It was on there a few days ago.

Not only did the show have Ving Rhames as a mentor (from Atlantis yet!!!) but the kid playing AM was a guy named Justin that I met when he first moved out here. He was/is a regular at the billiards. Nice guy. Got on that Passions soap opera (ask crane. He's a house husband. He watches it.) within six months and he would have been aquaman. Nice, huh? He can't really "act" but he does have a weird Paul Walker esque comic timing.

That's not really a compliment is it?

I'm currently working on my spec for TW VS KK. So ridiculous it just might work.

BOC

Anonymous said...

Oh, yeah: I loved Ghost Rider as a kid and this movie sucks balls because it is impossible to pull off. In a comic you can get away with it, but in a movie you have to be able to look into their eyes and believe what they say. Flaming skull? How me look in eyes?

Cage is too old. Johnny Blaze wasn't a cowboy, he was from California. He had red hair (Blaze. Get it?) AND he wasn't all "normal by day and at night the rider takes over" He didn't go back and forth like that between the two identities. He mad a deal with the devil, became a demon, regretted it and his punishment was to ride out and act as judge, jury and executioner to evil doers all over the place.

He wasn't a hero. He was scary and if you ran into him. That was your ass.

Cage looks like he wants my ass....so he can put his dick in it.

I was angry when this movie was announced and seeing the trailer confirms it. I'm STILL waiting on a Punisher movie worth a damn.

Did you know THE SUBSTITUTE was a straight jacking from a PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL comic? I still own it somewhere.

Now, a WETWORKS movie would be sweet. Oh, yes. I want that.

BOC

blankfist said...

"Did you know THE SUBSTITUTE was a straight jacking from a PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL comic? I still own it somewhere."

You and I have talked about this in great lengths. That was a dope, dope comic. I remember once when Punisher (disguised as the substitute teacher) walked in on a couple of guys doing drugs in the janitor closet or some such, and the artist-censors conveniently cropped the illustration just so you couldn't see the joint in the students hand. You could, however, make out that he was holding his hand close to his face with index finger and thumb touching - and his eyes were half shut. Anyhow, are you sure it was part of the War Journal series, or the aptly titled "THE PUNISHER" comic drawn by our favorite Wilce Portacio?

I think it was "The Punisher" comic, not "War Journal". But, if you still have the comic, you might be the authority on this.

Anyhow, BOC, it was yours truly who taught you the "bitters on the limes" bar trick for quelling hicups. Just for the record, it was me. I know you dispute it, but I can recall the exact moment I learned it (about four or five years ago) in a Long Beach bar called the Reno Room. The bartender there used that trick on me when she saw I was hicupping uncontrollably. It was about that time that I was frequenting the your bar, and I got the hicups (again) and asked if you could put some limes in a tumbler and pour bitters on them. You looked at me as if I had just asked for you to crap on my head and call me princess.

Anyhow, I still owe you a Happy Meal - and that's not code for anything, either. I owe you a McDonalds Happy Meal. Period.