Comic-Con Reel Looks At Star Wars: The Force Awakens Behind-the-Scenes


StarWarsVII

Nothing more to say than Star Wars: The Force Awakens is just 5 months away. It’s a wait made to seem even longer after witnessing the behind-the-scenes reel shown during this week’s San Diego Comic-Con.

May the Force be with you.

4 Shots From 4 Films: Omar Sharif Edition


Today the film world received news that legendary actor Omar Sharif passed away at the age of 83. The acclaimed Egyptian actor would make quite an entrance with his very first English-language film: David Lean’s epic Lawrence of Arabia.

Omar Sharif would go on to star in such film as Dr. Zhivago, MacKenna’s Gold, Funny Girl and Behold a Pale Horse to name a few. He might be recognized by the younger generation in such films as The 13th Warrior and Hidalgo. He would be the vision of the noble romantic whether it was as a warrior, a poet or a leader. He would bring a bearing on-screen that exuded steadfast nobility yet still with a streak of roguish charm.

With each passing year we lose more and more of our classic performers. Now Omar Sharif joins the others who have gone before him but will always live on in our memories of him up on the screen.

4 SHOTS FROM 4 FILMS

Lawrence of Arabia (dir. by David Lean)

Lawrence of Arabia (dir. by David Lean)

Dr. Zhivago (dir. by David Lean)

Dr. Zhivago (dir. by David Lean)

MacKenna'sGold

MacKenna’s Gold (dir. by J. Lee Thompson)

Hidalgo (dir. by Joe Johnston)

Hidalgo (dir. by Joe Johnston)

Fear The Walking Dead Season 1 Trailer


FearTWD

“When civilization ends…it ends fast.”

It was just a matter of time before AMC decided to mine their massive hit of a show, The Walking Dead, with spin-off to maximize it’s dominance over the tv landscape. We’ve been getting teasers leading up to San Diego Comic-Con where AMC released the first official trailer for this spin-off series titled Fear The Walking Dead.

This spin-off series will pull back time from the original series and have it set in the very beginning of the zombie outbreak which leads to the fall of civilization by the time Rick awakes from his weeks-long coma. It will also have it’s location as far and different from the backwoods and backroads of Georgia to Virginia where The Walking Dead is set. Instead this new series will have sunny Los Angeles as the setting. What better location than one of the most densely populated areas in the United States to show the first days and weeks of The Walking Dead timeline.

Unlike some who seem to be getting tired of the zombie craze of the past decade or so, I and a few others here at Through the Shattered Lens still enjoy this zombie apocalypse renaissance. Maybe it’s the inner doomsday preppers in some of us here in TSL that makes these types of shows and stories appealing.

Will Fear The Walking Dead succeed just as much as it’s older sibling? We shall find out when it premieres this August 23rd.

The Walking Dead Season 6 Trailer


TheWalkingDeadS6

“Do you have any idea who you’re talking to?” — Rick Grimes

AMC has unveiled it’s official trailer for the 6th season of TV’s most popular show (so popular that it even beats Sunday Night Football on occasion) during it’s San Diego Comic-Con panel at Hall H.

Last we left the Grimes crew saw Rick Grimes get the go-ahead from Alexandria Safe-Zone leader Deanna Monroe to shoot wife-batterer and neck-slashing Pete in his face. It would’ve been quite a satisfying event if not for Rick’s first BFF, Morgan Jones, suddenly appearing out of the shadows to see him do the deed. This is the same Morgan who went from crazy clear to zen clear who thought all life that wasn’t undead was precious.

So, now season 6 is almost upon us fellow fans of the show and it looks like Rick is turning out to be Alexandria’s shogun with Deanna as the figurehead leader.

Will Rick’s Shane-like attitude to leading this expanded group of survivors be a blessing or be the downfall of another safe-haven for the Grimes Gang? There’s still the Wolves out there who now knows where they are. There’s also the looming shadow of the comic book’s Negan and his Saviors possibly making their appearance which could mean just one thing: WAR.

So, grab those ribs and thick-cut steaks and take a big bite and enjoy the trailer.

Film Review: The Greatest (1977, dir by Tom Gries and Monte Hellman)


the_greatest_1977_portrait_w858The Greatest opens with 18 year-old Cassius Clay (played by Chip McAllister as a teenager and, as an adult, by Muhammad Ali himself) winning the light heavyweight gold medal at the 1960 Rome Olympics.  Returning home to Kentucky, Clay discovers that not even a gold medal can protect him from racism.  Angered after a restaurant refuses to serve him and his friend, Clay throws his gold medal into the Ohio River.  Under the training of Angelo Dundee (Ernest Borgnine), Clay turns pro and defeats Sonny Liston (Roger E. Mosley) for the heavyweight championship.  Inspired by Malcolm X (James Earl Jones), Clay also joins the Nation of Islam and changes his name to Muhammad Ali.  As heavyweight champion, Ali battles not only his opponents in the ring but racism outside of it.  The Greatest follows Ali as he loses his title for refusing to be drafted and concludes with the famous Rumble in the Jungle, where Ali won the title back from George Foreman.

Sadly, Muhammad Ali has never been the subject of a truly great feature film.  Even Michael Mann’s Ali failed to really capture the mystique that made Ali into such an iconic figure.  The Greatest is interesting because Ali plays himself.  Unfortunately, The Greatest proves that Ali may have been a great showman but he was not a natural actor.  You only have to watch the scene where Ali tries to hold his own with Robert Duvall to see just how stiff an actor Muhammad Ali really was.  Ali’s best scenes are the ones where he is trash talking his opponents or training.  The film opens with Ali jogging while George Benson sings The Greatest Love Of All, a scene that is made all the more poignant when you compare the athletic and confident Muhammad Ali of 1977 with the frail, Parkinson’s stricken Ali of today.

29Muhammad-Ali-1Instead of recreating any of Ali’s legendary fights, The Greatest instead uses actual footage of the matches.  The real life footage is the best part of the film.  After all these years, Ali’s fights against Sonny Liston, Joe Frazier, Ken Norton, and George Foreman remain exciting to watch.  Otherwise, The Greatest is too episodic and low budget to do justice to Muhammad Ali’s story.

If you want to see a truly great film about Ali and his legacy, watch the 1996 documentary When We Were Kings, 2009’s Facing Ali or 2013’s The Trials of Muhammad Ali.  Ali is such an iconic figure that it may be impossible for any feature film to properly do justice to his life and legacy.  These three documentaries come close.

(Director Tom Gries died during the filming of The Greatest.  The movie was completed by Monte Hellman.)

Film Review: Super Christian (1980, dir. John Schmidt)


Super Christian played by John Schmidt

Super Christian played by John Schmidt

I’ll admit it, I saw the title and thought this had to be hilariously bad. I mean it’s called Super Christian for crying out loud. But you know what, it wasn’t bad. It’s goofy and it’s low budget, but for a Christian movie, it has it’s heart in the right place. It’s not like God’s Not Dead.

Here’s the gist. It’s about a guy who during the week is a bit of douchebag. Let’s not mince words, he’s a total jerk. However, on Sunday, this happens.

Super Christian

Super Christian

Super Christian

Super Christian

During this spectacle a man takes notice and pays Clark Kant a visit. Yes, that is his name in the movie. He sits him down and explains that he knows what he is doing. He once did it himself. Then, the grand reveal. He was once The Lone Christian!

The Lone Christian

The Lone Christian

He tells him that he used to show up on Sunday to be the ideal Christian, but wasn’t a good guy the rest of the time. Clark gives up the secret identity nonsense and decides to just be a decent person all the time. Of course he still attends church, but the message applies to anyone who only acts like a great person when it’s convenient. It’s only 27 minutes which is perfect for getting the short point across to the audience. I liked it.

Apparently, Schmidt still makes movies. I wonder if he’s stayed above films like God’s Not Dead. Now I just need to find Super Christian 2. Yes, there is a sequel.

4 Shots From 4 Films: Douce, War and Peace, Rocker, Under The Bridges


Since it’s likely that many of my posts will be about films that come from the bottom, or near to it, of the barrel. I thought I would occasionally direct you to four films worth checking out simply through showing you a screenshot. Some may be difficult to find, but that’s part of the fun.

Douce (1943, dir. Claude Autant-Lara)

Douce (1943, dir. Claude Autant-Lara)

War and Peace (1966, dir. Sergey Bondarchuk)

War and Peace (1966, dir. Sergey Bondarchuk)

Rocker (1972, dir. Klaus Lemke)

Rocker (1972, dir. Klaus Lemke)

Under The Bridges (1946, dir. Helmut Käutner)

Under The Bridges (1946, dir. Helmut Käutner)

Fantastic Four: 2015


This idea was inspired by Astro City and its real time aging component.  The premise is what if Marvel Heroes aged in real time.  The focus is on the third generation of the Fantastic Four, the teenage descendants of various heroes.

MEET THE TEAM:

Reed Richard‘s successor is Bianca Von Doom.  She is the daughter of Valeria Richards and Bentley-23 (son/clone of the Wizard).  She inherited her mother’s fondness of the Latvarian Monarch and legally changed her last name to Von Doom.  Bianca is a brilliant inventor like her parents and her grandparents.  Her hubris unfortunately led to the disfigurement of her twin brother, Bentley.  Her most notable Invention is R.E.I.D (Remote Exploration Intelligence Droid).  It is a swarm of microscopic H.E.R.B.I.E’s composed of Unstable Molecules that functions as a utility fog.  It can transform any device Bianca needs.

Visual reference for R.E.I.D swarm component (H.E.R.B.I.E by by Jamal Igle)

Wizard_Last_Man_Standing_Herbie_vs._H.E.R.B.I.E.

Ben Grimm‘s successor is Bentley Richards.  He is the twin brother of Bianca Von Doom.  He inherited his father’s and uncle’s love for adventure/daredevil attitude.  Bentley is frequently the test subject for his sister’s experiments.  His natural body was consumed during the testing of an Exploratory Thing Suit.  Fortunately, his parents, with assistance from Alyssa Moy, restored a semblance of his natural form through the integration of a life model decoy.  On the surface, his current form is a life model decoy replica of his original body.  Internally, it is a next generation Thing Suit with the offensive capabilities of Mindless One and quantum-enhancements of Cosmic Man’s molecular structure. Its structure is enhanced by cosmic earth, water, and wind.  The force beam is augmented by cosmic fire.

Visual Reference for Bentley’s mechanical nature (Livewires by Adam Warren)

livewires1

Sue Richard‘s successor is Walter Bruce Hayes.  He is the son of Molly Hayes and Skaar.  He is the baby of the group, he is idealistic just like his mother was at his age.  His mother’s mutant gene and his father’s hybrid irradiated genes resulted in his Gamma-enhanced personal telekinetic field.  Walter manipulates it into simulating superhuman strength, accelerated speed, invulnerability, and instantaneous healing.  His field strength is linked to his emotional state like others of Banner ancestry.  Like his mother, his eyes glow and his body is surrounded by an aura when his powers are activated.

Visual Reference for Walter’s powers (Molly Hayes by Jo Chen)

RUNAWAYS_15_Jo_Chen

Johnny Storm‘s successor is Henrietta Pym.  She is the granddaughter of Peter Parker and Henry Pym.  Her posthuman biology led to a severe birth defect that led to her heart being replaced with a synthezoid prosthesis.  She has a normal childhood until she hit puberty.  Some time after her thirteenth birthday, the heart triggered her dormant posthuman genes.  Henrietta transformed her into an ionic being similar to Wonder Man.  This ionic form grants her evolved extrasensory perceptiom that enables her to control bugs and use their senses to extend her perception.  She also gained superhuman strength, enhanced agility, hyper flexibility, bioelectric sting generation, wall crawling, and density manipulation.

Visual reference for Henrietta’s powers (Astra Furst by Alex Ross)

Astro_City_Astra_Spc1_sm