They Have Risen

A Twitter pal linked me to this video of the new “Beavis & Butthead” relaunch from MTV. Dunno where it came from in the first place, as I haven’t watched MTV in years, but I assume if it’s a “bad” leak they’ll take it down, so… whatever.

My impression? Wow… it’s as though they’d never left. The animation looks basically the same as it did on the last season (are they still using hand-drawn cels? The original show ended well before the dawn of Flash…) and the boys are still wearing their band-T’s, tormenting poor Stewart and – yes! – THE GREAT CORNHOLIO LIVES!!!

The big “new” hook, of course, is that the video-mocking interstitials have been replaced by mockery of MTV’s reality-centric present-day programming; and if these examples of “Jersey Shore” whacking are any indication it’s going to work out just fine. I like that they’ve preserved the gag that B&B somehow get exponentially sharper and quicker-witted when it’s TV time:

SNOOKI: “Hello? Ya, I’m a whore!?”
BUTTHEAD: “That’s how she answers the phone.”

Actually, y’know what’s even more genius about this? It plays PERFECTLY to the “real” target audience of this relaunch – now-grown Gen-Xers who’ll be returning to MTV for the first time in a decade and HATE everything on the network now. Kind of deviously brilliant, that.

Batman Who?

I’m generally obliged not to give details as to what I thought of movies I’ve seen before they’re officially released; but you may wish to take what you will from the following:


I am going to a midnight show of “Captain America.” It is not a critic’s showing or a free preview, it’s a regular showing that I am paying regular ticket-price to see.

I am doing this even though I have already seen “Captain America,” AND the “Avengers” teaser; for no reason other than I have an unignorable desire to see “Captain America” again.

I do not recall having done this for any other “big” movie released this summer.

Infer from this whatever you wish to infer, and make your near-future moviegoing plans accordingly.

"The Amazing Spider-Man" take two

I like how what was supposed to be a quick comment by moi on another blog – but got longer – about the “stop pre-judging!!!!!” response to negative reactions to the awful-looking “Spider-Man” trailer, so I’m reposting it here:

Oh ENOUGH with the “wait-and-see” comments – geez! It’s not like this is someone’s bootlegged out-of-context set footage, it’s the official trailer! This is what the studio felt was their BEST set of selling points right now. It looks like shit, you KNOW it looks not only like shit but “like shit” in EXACTLY the same way you imagined it would when this whole asinine project started up. OWN your negative reaction – after all, the near-universal insta-revulsion for “Green Lantern” after the FIRST costume shot turned out to be wholly-predictive.


For fuck’s sake, howzabout we save the “benefit of the doubt” for something “iffy-looking” that’s taking an actual risk or doing something new or original; not for what is easily the most cynically-mounted, passionless, made-SOLELY-to-retain-a-licensing-contract cinematic undertaking of the 21st Century so far. Even if it turns out halfway-decent, this is the LAST movie that deserve ANYONE bending over backwards to give it a “fair shake,” especially if we’re just trying to avoid looking like “fanboys” who’re mad that the costume is blue in the wrong places.”


Egh. Exhale…


Anyway…


So after all the hype about all the “awesome” practical-effects jumping and swinging scenes the stunt guys were doing, and how that was going to make it soooooooooo much better than Raimi’s because he used too much of the CGI Spidey… their big reveal-trailer “money shot” looks like gameplay footage from a Wii port of “Mirror’s Edge?”

"The Amazing Spider-Man" trailer…

…kinda blows. Watch it after the jump.

Before that, though, some good news: Jeff Wells – who’s sort of become the “leader” of the too-many-damn-superhero-movies backlash among the old guard critical press – saw “Captain America” and LOVED it. If you’re not aware of Wells, the idea that he’ll get out of  ANY movie and start tweeting wild enthusiasm is a rare event, but this is a HUGE shocker… and a good sign, as the last time he reacted this way to a genre film was “First Class.”

I’m well aware that, because I’m the guy for whom a minute or so of Peter Parker dancing WASN’T an apocalyptic event, everything I have to say about this is subject to outright dismissal; plus I have to head out to screen “Captain America” so I can’t do a full piece right now… but my first reaction is that this is a god-awful trailer.

Sony is betting the farm on this movie – this is the movie that’s going to keep Spider-Man “theirs” for the next cycle – and this is how they reintroduce him? A few shots of Andrew Garfield wandering around generic cityscapes and interiors, a goes-nowhere bit about Peter’s parents (supposedly a BIG part of the revamped backstory) and a stretch of CGI that wouldn’t pass muster as a Wii cutscene?

I get that they’re going for “what’s thi… oh! Spider-Man!,” but I can’t imagine an audience reacting excited to the reveal here – more like “what’s thi… Spider-Man, again? Already? Seriously?” Kinda interesting that he seems to have a biological-spineret after all, and I’m amused by the bit where it looks like he’s going to eat a fly; but all of the important stuff about this screams “This Fall on The CW,” not “huge blockbuster next year.”

Game OverThinker Episode 54 COMING SOON!

I have it on good authority that GAME OVERTHINKER: EPISODE 54 is coming this Thursday at 11pm EST exclusively on ScrewAttack.com. In this thrilling episode, you will…
LEARN! The OverThinker’s take on the subject YOU voted on!
MEET! A new member of TGO’s expanding supporting cast!
WITNESS! Fiery destrcution EXPLODING across your screen!
MARVEL! As The OverThinker does NOT engage in a pulse-pounding adventure!
THRILL! As our hero actively avoids looking down at his cue-cards!
BEHOLD! TGO’s brand-new abbreviated opening credits!
DISCOVER! The NAME of the mysterious Game Store Arsonist!

DKR Teaser (and about "Avengers")

Here’s the good-quality version of the “Dark Knight Rises” trailer, with your first tiny glimpses of Bane, flashbacks to “Begins” and Jim Gordon looking pretty beat up.

Incidentally, no – I’m not running the bootlegged “Avengers” thing yet, but I’ll say this: While I understand their thinking, Marvel Studios really needs to get off the guitar-riff/tagline/guitar-riff/tagline/guitar-riff/tagline/guitar-riff/KABOOM!/punchline formula for their trailers. It’s not a dealbreaker, but c’mon guys! You’re selling the first-ever superhero continuity-cross teamup movie! Low angles, slow-motion, orchestral swells, dramatic-nods, y’know? get your shit together…

So… the MAIN speculation based on what we see in this, to my mind, has to go like this:

1.) It’s Gordon who get’s “broken” by Bane instead of Batman.
2.) By now, Gordon is aware that Bruce Wayne is Batman, and keeping that a secret is why we don’t see whether not he’s in costume.
3.) The “arc” of the story involves Batman quitting for awhile.
4.) Heavily referencing “Begins” (whereas TDK ignored it almost-entirely) means The League of Shadows are back in some way, and that’s probably them chanting at the end. As such, I renew my earlier very-unlikely-but-not-unthinkable assertation that the COOLEST possible thing that could happen in this movie is for revivified Liam Neeson to show up and be the big heavy.

Weekend Catch-Up

I think I’ve mentioned this around a few times, but just in case: I’ll be hobnobbing with game designers and journalists as the IGDA Summit in Seattle on Monday and Tuesday – participating in at least two panels – so if you’re going too feel free to say hi.

In any case, here’s everything you might have missed this past week…

TINTIN has a full trailer!

I agree with JIMQUISITION!

BIG PICTURE: “Hollywood History 101 -Part I”

DARK KNIGHT RISES teaser poster!

Fede Alvarez to direct EVIL DEAD REMAKE for Sam Raimi!

Scary-ass preacher guys!

The Tea Party versus EVIL MANATEE CONSPIRACY!

Diablo Cody polishes the EVIL DEAD REMAKE script!

95-years-in-the-making JOHN CARTER has a trailer!

Entertainment Weekly gives AMAZING SPIDER-MAN a cover-story!

Some early DARK KNIGHT RISES teaser impressions…

A trailer for the “remakequel” of THE THING!

Scorsese makes a 3D KID’S MOVIE!

ESCAPE TO THE MOVIES: “Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows – Part II”