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Showing posts with label David Tennant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label David Tennant. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Your Morning Linc: Pacific Rim, Lucas Awarded National Medal of Arts, Power Rangers 20th, EW Interviews Moffat, Saving Mr. Banks

Hoo boy, it's hot out there! If you're looking to beat the heat, I suggest heading to a nice cold theater and seeing  Pacific Rim. My friends and I went to the "old man opening night" screening at 8:00 last Thursday (yeah, they do that now) and I really enjoyed it. The monsters, known as kaiju, were particularly impressive and creative. All credit goes to visual effects supervisor John Knoll, a visionary of our time.

Yep, my childhood just squealed a little bit.

The human element of the story was a little cliche, but an overall good job done by the cast, including potential Twelfth Doctor Idris Elba and a manic Charlie Day as a scientist. Pacific Rim also had a very mech anime vibe (like the Gundam series or Voltron) which I enjoyed. At the end of the day, it was a movie about giant robots fighting monsters, and you can't ask for anything better than that.

And now, on to today's Lincs!

1. George Lucas Honored With National Medal For the Arts
For those of you keeping score at home. That's humans: 3 medals, Chewbacca: 0
On July 10, George Lucas was honored by President Barack Obama with the National Medal for the Arts. The citation for the award reads:
"George Lucas for his contributions to American cinema. By combining the art of storytelling with boundless imagination and cutting-edge techniques, Mr. Lucas has transported us to new worlds and created some of the most beloved and iconic films of all time."

I sincerely congratulate The Maker on this incredible honor and thank him for all the moments that Star Wars, and his other films, have transported me to places beyond my imagination. Thanks, George. And May the Force Be With You.

2. Morphenomenal! Power Rangers Celebrates 20th With Morphing Sequence

The show about teenagers with attitude (and a giant floating head) turns 20 this year. Saban is celebrating with a huge anniversary episode and has also recently released a cool video of all the red rangers (and Tommy's White Ranger) from each season morphing into one another.



How many can you name? Which is your favorite season of Power Rangers?

3. EW Interviews Moffat On Doctor Who's 50th And The Search For Twelve

Doctor Who Eleventh Doctor
Soon.
Entertainment Weekly recently sat down with the Moff himself to discuss all things Who. They dished on everything from the Matt Smith's departure, the search for the Twelfth Doctor, the 50th anniversary special, Tennant and Smith's Doctors, and whether or not Matt Smith will wear a wig on his last outing as the Time Lord. Here are a few snippets, but click the link above for the full article:

EW: So how goes the search for the next Doctor?
SM: Well, it’s always just terrifying...If you’re a Doctor Who fan, as I have been all my life, you’ve been doing fantasy casting for this part for as long as you can remember. But when you’re suddenly faced with the reality that you are going to sit there and you are going to make that decision it does feel absolutely chilling. There’s a very big range of people who could play it and different ways you could go with it. We must get this right. One false move and the show’s over.”

EW: Is Matt going to have to wear a wig when he films the Christmas special? He seems to have had a very severe haircut for his role in Ryan Gosling’s How to Catch a Monster.
SM: We’re sprinkling fertilizer on his head as we speak. I don’t know. If you care to take a look at “The Angels Take Manhattan” there are a couple of scenes that Karen Gillan came back to do in the graveyard after she’d had her radical haircut and she is wearing what seems like a strategically draped otter on her head. [Laughs]
However, we effect it, the Doctor will turn up in his trademark coif. We can’t have Matt’s last stand in the TARDIS without his proper look. So, thank you, Ryan Gosling…

EW: What was it like having Matt and David together?
SM: They really loved each other and had a huge laugh together. And of course they’ve been through this experience that only the two of them can talk about, really, in the modern world. They are the two people that have played that part at a time when the series is this big. They spent the entire time just sitting together talking animatedly.

EW: Could you talk about how their Doctors relate to each other? Traditionally, there’s been a bit of edge when Doctors have met each other onscreen?
SM: Well, when you’re talking to yourself, there’s no filter! You don’t spare yourself! They’re quite a fun pairing, I would say. There’s a bit of the normal joshing of each other but they’re both such enthusiastic Doctors. While they might be sort of competing slightly, they’re both standing there saying, “Oh god, it’s so cool, there’s two of me!” So, it’s very different. I think the other one that worked brilliantly was Jon Pertwee and Patrick Troughton. They were incredibly funny together. This is very different from that but it’s a sublime double act.

Doctor Who 50th

EW: Are you aware that David Bradley (who plays William Hartnell in the movie An Adventure in Space and Time) is now a thousand times more famous in America than he was a couple of months ago thanks to his pivotal role on the recent season of Game of Thrones?
SM: Oh, brilliant. That’s excellent. I love David. He’s such a clever actor. And we’ve had him in the proper show as well. He’s in “Dinosaurs On a Spaceship.”

Only a few more months to go before we get all the answers we're looking for! And that, of course, means the fall of the Eleventh. I really can't wait to see all of this amazing Who history unfold!

4. Saving Mr. Banks Will Be Supercalifra....Ahh You Know The Rest

Not many people think about the work and effort it took to create one of the most iconic Disney films of all time. Indeed, it wasn't easy for old Walt to convince Mary Poppins writer P.L. Travers to even give up the rights to her creation. Saving Mr. Banks tells the story of how Disney convinced Mrs. Travers to do just that, and what he learned about the mysterious nanny in the process.


Saving Mr. Banks is out December 20th, 2013 and stars Emma Thompson as Mrs. Travers, Tom Hanks as the Man Behind the Mouse himself, as well as other notable celebs such as Colin Farrell, Paul Giamatti, Jason Schwartzman, Bradley Whitford, Annie Rose Buckley, Ruth Wilson, B.J. Novak, Rachel Griffiths, Kathy Baker, and others.

Of course, I hope they finally explain how Mary Poppins got here from Gallifrey:

Marry Poppins Time Lord
How else do you think she learned about the cartoon world?
'Til Next Time!

- Joe

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Your Morning Linc: Clone Wars: Resolutions, Star Wars Park A Go?, Muppets on Broadway, and Lost Doctor Who Episodes Found

Good morning everyone! The Missing Linc returns to its original format with yours truly at the helm, but I have to sincerely thank Joe Hogan for his incredible E3 coverage last week. If you haven't already, check out his really insightful and funny posts below this one. But, the Hogatron has one more surprise left for us, and it kicks off today's Morning Linc!

1. Clone Wars: Resolutions
Star Wars: The Clone Wars

When it was announced, just a few months ago, that The Clone Wars was going to be canceled, I think we were all a little shocked (there is a distinct dent in the floor where I fell off my chair). It seemed that we would never know the ultimate destinies of Ahsoka, Rex, Hondo, and many others. But, luckily for us, Joe was recently commissioned to resolve the fates of many of our beloved Clone Wars characters. Culling together some of the best unknown artists and writers (including a certain blogger), Clone Wars: Resolutions promises to answer many of your important questions, so stay tuned! You can check out more about this and other projects on his DeviantArt page.

It's also worth noting that, in its final season, The Clone Wars managed to garner two Daytime Emmy Awards. One, accepted by George Lucas, Dave Filoni,and Carey Silver, was for Outstanding Special Class Animated Program. The other, much to my Star-Whovian delight, was the Oustanding Performer in an Animated Program and went to David Tennant for his guest appearance as the lightsaber-constructing droid Huyang in the episodes "A Test of Strength" and "A Necessary Bond".

David Tennant Star Wars The Clone Wars
"Molto bene!"
And if that isn't enough Star Wars news to get your hyperdrives up and running, here's something you're not going to want to miss:

2. Star Wars Land at Disney World Coming Soon!

Star Wars Weekends
Jedi Gonna Hate
According to reports from the Theme Park Insider, we might be just that much closer to an official Star Wars Land at Disney Hollywood Studios (which I will still forever call "MGM"). 
"This appears to be a five-year project, putting completion in 2018, though Disney could choose to throw money at it and accelerate it by a year."
The park will reportedly either extend from Star Tours to the Indiana Jones stunt show or take over the space now occupied by Honey! I Shrunk the Kids and The Muppet 3-D theater. TheForce.Net is also reporting that Star Tours will be receiving yet another upgrade as well when the park expands, and we might even get to dine a Chalmun's famous cantina!. Although I really hope we don't see the end of the Muppets (even though the show has been running for almost 20 years), I cannot wait to finally see what I've only imagined since I was a kid. And that, I believe, is the magic of both Disney and Star Wars

And speaking of Muppets (and my love of being able to string together posts)...

3. The Muppets Might Take Manhattan Once More!
Muppets Broadway

According to Playbill.com, it looks like we might be seeing Green on the Great White Way. Disney Theatrical Production, after a reportedly productive concept meeting (which included over 85 Muppets and a performance of Kermit's "Rainbow Connection), might be sending Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie, Gonzo, and the rest of the gang to Broadway! 

The show would be directed by award-winning director Alex Timbers, who co-directed the phenomenal (and hilarious) Peter and the Starcatcher and also directed the insanely awesome Pee-Wee Herman Show on Broadway a few years ago. 

Of course, not everyone is excited about Muppets taking the stage....



Bring out the bear!

4. Lost Doctor Who Episodes Might Have Been Uncovered

When a show reaches its fiftieth year, you can expect there to be certain mythologies built around it. One in particular surrounds the fate of several early episodes, including the one that contains the very first regeneration. You see, back in the day, TV execs didn't feel the need to archive episodes, instead reusing the tape for other shows or just throwing it out entirely. Whole adventures of the First and Second Doctors have been lost to time, thrown into the vortex and cast away in the Medusa Cascade. Or so we thought...

Daleks
Lost forever, the famous "Espresso Machine of the Daleks" serial
According to Bleeding Cool News, the BBC has secured a large number of tapes from...and I quote..."an eccentric engineer who worked for broadcasters across Africa with a taste for science fiction and a habit of taking things for 'safe keeping'". One of the full serials recovered is reportedly 1967's Evil of the Daleks

Now, I'm a little dubious, but then again this wouldn't be the first time that things were saved by an eccentric madman....


Ahhhh that felt good. Been too long since I was able to tap at the keys and make Blog magic! And, of course, I missed all of you wonderful people. Keep your eyes posted to The Missing Linc for more on each of these stories!

'Til next time,

- Joe

Monday, May 20, 2013

Your Evening Linc: Star Wars: Rebels, Smith and Tennant Talk 50th, and Batman: Arkham Origins

Boy, what a weekend! I'm still reeling from the Doctor Who finale, and Game of Thrones is heating up! But let's take a look at what the internet has provided us in the past couple days:

1. Star Wars: Rebels Takes Us Into Unexplored Territory

The Dark Times are upon us, but luckily there is still hope. In a video posted by StarWars.com, Pablo Hidalgo interviews the Man with the Hat, Dave Filoni, on the successor to The Clone Wars. Entitled Star Wars: Rebels, the new animated series will be set between Episodes III and IV and is inspired by the concept art of the late, brilliant Ralph McQuarrie. The Empire has tightened its grip on the galaxy and the Jedi are all but extinct, but a small band of rebels dare to oppose the New Order.



No word yet on  a cast list or plot details, but we do know that some heavy hitters will be joining Filoni's team:
"Leading the development of the series is a creative team of exceptional talent. Screenwriter/producer Simon Kinberg (X-Men: First Class, Sherlock Holmes, Mr. & Mrs. Smith) is an executive producer on Star Wars Rebels and will write the premiere episode. He is joined by Dave Filoni as executive producer, who served as supervising director of the Emmy nominated Star Wars: The Clone Wars since 2008. Executive producer Greg Weisman brings with him a wealth of animation experience with credits such as Young Justice, The Spectacular Spider-Man and Gargoyles."
Clone Wars CG Supervisor and visual effects wizard Joel Aron is also on board. Star Wars: Rebels will air sometime in the Fall of 2014 on Disney XD. And ya know what, I'm excited. For almost two decades we've lived in the world of the prequel era. It's nice to travel back (by travelling forward) to the classic era, even though the series will take place well before that first set of Rebels launched their attack on the Empire's most fearsome superweapon. And seeing Davey Strands in front of a sketch of a TIE Fighter, one of my favorite ships, makes me want to alter time and speed up the production process. I think my excitement can be summed up thusly:



2. Matt Smith and David Tennant are Totally in a Doc-mance

As a thank you for not spoiling Saturday's unbelievable Doctor Who finale, Steven Moffat released a behind the scenes video from the 50th Anniversary Special featuring David Tennant and Matt Smith in their Doctorly garb. It's great to see that the two actors get along so well, and it seems that their characters will be quite chummy come November 23.



The Moff also issued this personal letter of thanks to the 210 fans who kept the leaked Blu-Rays of Series 7B, to the websites that closed their comments sections, and to the multitude of Whovians who chose to go along for the ride rather than be spoiled.

Oh, and where was Moffat and Matt Smith while I was freaking out over the finale? Oh, just about half an hour away at the Way Station, a Doctor Who themed bar in Brooklyn! The hell?! Why did no one tell me about this??



3. Batman: Arkham Origins May Make You Think You're Actually Batman

Capping off this video-heavy post (and cementing my HTML embedding skills in my muscle memory forever) is this incredible trailer for Batman: Arkham Origins. I'll just leave you to flip out on your own:



And that's all for tonight, folks. Til' next time!

- Joe