The Dark Tower

It's official.  Javier Bardem has officially signed on as Roland Deschain in the Ron Howard adaptations of Stephen King's Dark Tower series.  I haven't yet read all of the books (I stopped after book 4 because of fears the series would never be finished) but I think this is fantastic news.

If you haven't heard, Howard's plans for the series are rather ambitious, mixing a trilogy of films along with television mini-series.  It's something that could be completely amazing or fail spectacularly, but I have to admire Howard and producer Brian Grazer for their moxie.  Personally, I'm hoping it's a wild success, and the casting of Bardem ensures a commitment to quality.

But not surprisingly, the internet isn't happy about this.  After reading the comments on Imdb, (I know, glutton for punishment) I was absolutely shocked to hear many people crying about Javier's accent.  Really?  This is an Academy Award winning actor signed on for a part he should absolutely kill, and people are fretting about his accent?  Do people expect him to sound like he's in a Spanish language film?  He's an actor, lets allow him to act.  Besides, the Dark Tower series is fictional.  Where does it say he has to sound American?

I hope he sounds like he usually does because I actually like his voice.  To hell with the complaints.

Any thoughts?

image originally found on Movieweb.com

500

For the first time in a long while, I'm at a loss of what to talk about.  I'm in the homestretch of Daniel Woodrell's The Bayou Trilogy (hell of a book) and just starting the comic book 5 Days to Die.  I haven't been able to sit down and watch a movie for a few days and I just got back from Boston at 3am last night (went to see The Kills; great band), so my energy is approaching E on the meter.

Then I notice today would be my 500th post since starting this blog January 1st, 2010.

So I'm just going to celebrate that fact and little else today while I recuperate.

Criminal Element

My thanks to David Cranmer for pointing this out on his own blog.  I thought I should share as well.

http://www.criminalelement.com/

Happy 71st Birthday Al Pacino

He might not have made a decent film in the past ten years or so, but for my money Mr. Pacino was THE actor of the 70's and early 80's.  And yes, I'm putting him over DeNiro, Gene Hackman, Robert Duval, and Jack Nicholson.

Here are a few of my favorites.

Covers of the Week

It the final day to highlight the fantastic pieces over at Reelizer.com, so we might as well go out with a Showcase!  Here are an assortment of posters for the Orson Welles/Joseph Cotten/Carol Reed/Graham Greene classic The Third Man.

Brandon Scaefer

Jordan Gray

Scott Hill

Richard Perez

Timo Meyer

The Blackwater Fever

I just recently discovered this band.  They are amazing.  How can anyone not love blues this sinister?  Another band to add to a crime flick soundtrack.

Dylan Dog

You have one week to read this

before you see this.



If you've never read any of the Dylan Dog Casefiles, you owe it to yourself to do so.

Nightmares can't hurt you. There's no such thing as the walking dead. Monsters are all in your imagination. We tell ourselves these things to make us feel safe at night, to give us strength against the unknown.

But there are things in the dark that can hurt us. Just ask Dylan Dog.

An ex-cop who now battles against evil as a "nightmare investigator," Dylan Dog is unlike any private eye you've ever met. If creatures from beyond the unknown are after you, and if you can hire him, he just might save your life.
  

And I am very excited about this movie.  Brandon Routh is a terribly under-appreciated actor who deserves more roles.  His Superman was spot on and he nearly stole Scott Pilgrim in the ten minutes he had of screen time.  And with Dylan Dog that gives him three comic book films, moving him into the pantheon of geek heroes alongside Chris Evans and Ryan Reynolds.