Posts Tagged ‘joss whedon’

Spoiler: There isn't much.

I'm not sure if I'm ready to stick Joss Whedon's Marvel's The Avengers at the top of my favorite based-on-a-comic-book movies or even at the #1 superhero movie spot (although it's damn near). It would have to share space with the first Superman movie (largely on Reeves' perfect nailing of Supes, and nostalgia), the second Spider-Man movie (great themes, the first perfect superhero movie fight scene, my love for Spidey), the second X-Men movie (better script, better acting, Nightcrawler), the first Iron Man movie (almost flawless) and Batman Begins (first version of Batman that villains might actually fear).

But it was far and away the most fun I've had in a movie theater in a very, very long time.

So why pick on it? Well, my love for Whedon is well-known. Many excellent reviews and essays have already been written — check FilmCriticHulk, and theonetrueb!X's look at sentiment as a theme — and I'm sure PopMatters is already gearing up for a collection. But I'm known for my amateur script-doctoring, so my self-appointed, unrequested task is to analyze this movie and see how it could have been improved, in my own unfair and uninformed way.

MAJOR SPOILERS ahead, probably, for those ten or twenty unfortunate people who were in a coma over the weekend and therefore did not see the movie. Doctors are, even now, feverishly working on ways to pipe The Avengers directly into their brains.

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The latest in my "Dehoard Me" project was just posted. It's the hard-to-find Firefly trading cards binder, from the late, lamented Inkworks.

It's in great condition, still shiny and crisp and clean, and it contains the basic 72-card "Firefly: The Complete Collection" set as well as the one-sheet promo ad flyer for the series, four promo cards (P-i, P-2, P-4, and P-UK), and even the box the cards came in (folded).

The binder was tough to find even before the company went out of business and it's near impossible now. Don't miss out!

Marilou Goodwin! Her name was randomly chosen from the people who commented. Congratulations Marilou, and thanks to everyone who stopped by!

If you haven't yet picked up Titan Books'  "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, the Book" do so faster than immediately. Check it out at Amazon at a nicely discounted price, or look for it wherever you prefer to buy your books.

And if you didn't see it, go read the new York Times article on Joss and his future plans for more Horribleness (spoiler alert: he has some).

Or read this Wall Street Journal article on how "Dr. Horrible" changed the game for web shows.

Or check out this interview with co-writer and groupie Maurissa Tancharoen, or this one with co-writer and Western messenger boy Jed Whedon, or even this inspired and really disturbing Dr. Horrible and My Little Pony mashup.

Dr. Horrible is everywhere! Is it too late to make him the villain in the Avengers movie?

Titan Books has released a bit of info and the cover of their 3rd Firefly Companion book, "Firefly: Still Flying." They're keeping some stuff a secret for now, but we know it'll be the same format as the previous two.

In Still Flying, we’ll be uncovering even more secrets from the series, stuffing the book full of unseen material, including new photos, props, behind-the-scenes secrets and much more besides.

The first two were excellent resources (reviews here and here), as all Titan tie-in books tend to be, with plenty of new interviews, insider tidbits, and full-color photos even hard-core fans haven't seen. I'm hopeful this will be a worthy addition.

Titan's on a roll this year. In addition to this they're also working on the official movie novelization and official Visual Companion for Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard's upcoming movie "Cabin in the Woods." And the collection of Kevin Smith SModcasts, "Shootin' the Sh*t With Kevin Smith." And the movie book for Mark Millar's "Kick-Ass."

Good news! I can tell you about most of the upcoming Dollhouse DVD set!

Bad news: reviewers only get the first 3 discs with the aired episodes, but not the final disc with the extra goodies. So I can't tell you about the unaired episode 13 "Epitaph One," or the original unaired pilot, or the features, or the deleted scenes. FOX wants to keep those under wraps until the release date and I can understand that even as I secretly hoped their shipping department would mistakenly send me the wrong disc. But I did get to listen to the commentaries from creator Joss Whedon and star Eliza Dushku, and those were well worth it.

The show

The Dollhouse is an illegal underground company spoken of in whispers, where you can hire an attractive young person for literally any purpose you can imagine. These people, known as "actives," have had their memories completely removed so that they can have new memories and new personalities imprinted in them to order. Actives can temporarily become perfect lovers, thieves, assassins, companions, detectives, whatever the very well-heeled clients want, and afterward their new identities are stripped away again so they're ready for the next engagement. Only, one of them is starting to remember…

Dollhouse stars Eliza Dushku as Caroline/Echo; Harry Lennix as Boyd Langton, Echo's handler; Fran Kranz as Topher Brink, the amoral genius behind the Dollhouse tech; Olivia Williams as Adelle DeWitt, the boss of the place;  Reed Diamond as her creepy chief of security Laurence Dominic; Enver Gjokaj as Victor; Dichen Lachman as Sierra; and Tahmoh Penikett as FBI agent Paul Ballard. Regular guest stars included Amy Acker as staff physician Dr. Claire Saunders and Miracle Laurie as Mellie. The series had an uneven start, with the first episodes being mostly standalones that simply showcased what actives from the Dollhouse are hired to do with only a passing nod to any ongoing story arcs or show mythology.

The commentaries

Now, there are three types of DVD commentaries. There's the one where the people talking get caught up in the show and forgot to comment on anything, but I've rarely seen that on a Whedonverse DVD. Talkative bunch, they are. Then there's the type where the commentators are just having a blast, reminiscing and cracking each other up and offering funny little behind the scenes moments. That's what Joss and Eliza do in their commentary on the aired pilot episode, "Ghost."

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Tomorrow is Joss' birthday, and there's lots of ways to celebrate! Many of us will be gathering at various Can't Stop the Serenity events around the world (check here for the list and schedule), some of us will be holding quiet ceremonies in front of our home Joss shrines, and some of us can boost the economy in his name. Which is now easier, because TFAW.com is holding a Joss' Birthday Sale!

This means you'll save 30% off cool stuff like Buffy Season 8, Serenity apparel, Angel variants, and even Joss' runs on Astonishing X-Men and Runaways. This is the perfect time for you to proclaim your allegiance to all things Whedon and complete your collection. Feels more like your birthday, doesn't it?

Our Happy Birthday Joss Whedon Sale starts now and ends at 11:59 p.m. on June 23, 2009, so make sure to visit our Joss Whedon Theme Page now to take advantage of some excellent deals. But be quick–your fellow Whedon fans are already there!

Last year I was fortunate enough to grab ten minutes of phone time with the man himself, to talk about all things Horrible.

Click here to read (or listen!) to the interview.

You have a knack for attracting obsessive fans. What do you think they see in your work?

An obsessive fan…

This is an obsessive fan asking that.

Yes, I am one, too. That’s what I am, that’s what I grew up as. The things I love, I love very hard. And that’s the kind of… and it’s usually genre stuff, which also attracts that type. You know, the world of imagination; when people enter any world that’s not our own they’re working in a different way than if it’s just a straight drama, no matter how great. It could be the “West Wing,” it’s great but there’s a different level when you add an element of fantasy. Particularly when you add song. It allows people to lose themselves, and [in an exaggerated arch voice] “find themselves.”

Yes, I am a new-age calendar. But I’m not wrong.

Let's start our wish list now! We know we'll get all three acts of the show, commentary, and a separate, musical commentary. Most likely we'll get a Making-Of feature, something on the music, and bloopers. What else would you like to see, to make this the most incredible Horrible DVD ever? Here's my suggestions:

- An extra Dr. Horrible story, filmed for the DVD

- Promos from the characters; Captain Hammer talking to schools, Penny talking about the homeless shelter, Dr. Horrible doing something court-appointed ("Kids! Don't do evil!")

- A karaoke version

- A fan commentary, with notable fans giving their reactions (your assistant has my e-mail, Mr. Whedon)

- Features on the people involved, fan reaction, media reaction

- Video of the Comic-Con panel

- A RiffTrax commentary, already bundled in

- A feature showing the making of the Making Of feature

- A small comic book (a la the Serenity comic that came bundled with the Best Buy version of the Serenity Special Edition DVD) of “Captain Hammer: Be Like Me”

- The original storyboards, possibly in napkin form

- A feature on the already-existing mad science apartment that was used

- The entire run of "Apartment 4B" by Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen, including the 1st episode

- A feature on the special effects, done with all the gravitas and detail as anything about Gollum on the LoTR DVDs. "Here we had to sync up Nathan leaping off a chair into frame just as the van careened by, so it really looked like he was jumping off the van. Timing was critical for it to really feel right, so we were there, oh god, almost 7 minutes before we were finally happy with it, but that's the kind of dedication we put into it. Then we had a Snickers."

And most importantly:

- Previews of the sequel

What do you want to see?

According to TV Week, anyway.

"I'm deeply psyched to be able to offer 'Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog' on iTunes," Mr. Whedon said. "It's a way to reach way more potential viewers than I can personally call and harass into watching it. The idea that people can carry our little opus around on their iPods and iPhones is thrilling."

I was fortunate enough to do a phone interview with Joss Whedon for my newspaper last Friday on his new Internet musical miniseries "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog."

Click here to hear it!

This is Chris Bridges with the Daytona Beach News-Journal, and I’m talking with Joss Whedon, creator of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Angel,” the show “Firefly,” the movie “Serenity,” the upcoming FOX show “Dollhouse,” and now an original online musical mini-series, “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog.” Thank you for talking to me.

Thanks for having me.

Go ahead and give me the elevator pitch for “Dr. Horrible.”

There’s an elevator pitch?

I hope so.

I’ve never heard that phrase. Basically it’s your typical Internet musical about a super villain who’s trying to make his bones in the super villain community and get some respect, and maybe even work up the nerve to talk to the girl at the Laundromat.

So, like every other Internet serial musical.

Yeah, you know, I mean it’s a tired genre but I thought I could wring a few bucks out of it before it dies.

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