The live-action "Akira" movie: Will it be good?

Warner Bros. Studios is planning a live-action version of Akira, a 1988 Japanese animated film, which depicts a post-apocalyptic Tokyo.

I'm not going to describe it too much for two reasons. First of all, it's an amazing movie, and I don't want to spoil anything. It needs to be seen to be fully appreciated. Secondly, it's very difficult to describe this movie to someone who's never seen it before. It has a fair share of mindscrew moments.

What I will tell you is that Akira had quite an impact in the USA upon being released. Most people had never seen animation used to tell such a graphic story; one that was definitely not made for children. It also introduced America to Japanese animation, collectively known as "anime". It's a film that's influenced the works of many filmmakers, including Larry and Andy Wachowski, who are best known for directing The Matrix.

I'm interested to see how this movie is going to turn out, for a couple of reasons.

Back in 1988, animation was the only way such an epic story could be shown on the big screen. CGI was still in its infancy, and many works of fantasy and other forms of fiction were unfilmable. In a related story, the first film version of The Lord Of The Rings was an animated movie produced by Ralph Bakshi. When Peter Jackson's LOTR trilogy was released between 2001 and 2003, it won a combined seventeen academy awards, including Best Picture for The Return Of The King. I'm not saying something similar will happen with Akira, but lightning could strike twice.

One thing that puzzles me is the casting for the movie. Actors like James Franco and Morgan Freeman have reportedly been attached to various roles in this project, despite the fact that all of the characters in the original film are Asian. Perhaps the plot is being altered to have the film take place in the US. If they do have them play Japanese characters...I dunno. The thought of Morgan Freeman playing a Japanese man does make me snicker, however.

Regardless, I will still see the film when it's released. It's an excellent story, and I'm hoping whoever directs the movie handles it with care.

Mal fans, grab your torches and pitchforks...

I have a confession to make. One that will shock and disturb you all. One that could ruin my long and illustrious career as someone who writes for a blog that nobody has heard of. Here it is:

I have never watched Firefly before.

{Cue loud booing. Rotten tomatoes and other junk is tossed as I rip up my geek card in shame.}

Yep, I've said it. I was 11 years old when Joss Whedon's cult classic first aired on the Fox Network in 2002. I can't remember what I was watching around that time; it was before I went to high school, when I first channeled my inner nerd. Even after I had graduated from Junior High, and became interested in Doctor Who and Star Trek, the short-lived show, and its movie adaptation managed to slip under my radar.

A few of my friends are Browncoats*, and apart from them quoting some parts of the show, I don't know a lot about it. I've told myself from time to time "I've got to find some time to sit down and watch this program that everybody seems to love", but I haven't found the time or energy to do it yet.

Fortunately, there's a chance for redemption. The Science Channel has recently announced that they have picked up the rights to air Firefly, and will start re-airing it on March 6th. All fourteen episodes will be interspersed with scientific commentary from Dr. Michiu Kaku, a theoretical physicist.

I predict a Firefly marathon during my spring break.

(*Browncoats: Term used to refer to fans of Firefly. Used the same way "Trekkie" is applied to Star Trek fans.)

Man versus machine on "Jeopardy!"

IBM has produced a new super computer called "Watson". This computer has a state-of-the-art artificial intelligence program. IBM's programmers tested Watson this week by making him a contestant on the quiz show "Jeopardy".

Watson was pitted against two of Jeopardy's biggest winners, Brad Rutter and Ken Jennings. Rutter won two of Jeopardy's biggest paying tournaments, and has won over three million dollars during his combined appearances. Jennings gained national fame in 2004 for winning 74 consecutive games, and earning a total of about $2.5 million.

This unusual game of Jeopardy was held at IBM's headquarters where the super computer was held. Watson, who was too large to be placed behind his studio podium, was represented by an avatar, which was hooked up to the main computer. The avatar resembled Hal from 2001: A Space Odyssey, and spoke in a manner similar to Stephen Hawking.

Monday's show was the first part of a three day challenge. This show featured the first round of a game, interspersed with information about how Watson came to be. Watson dominated the the first half of the round, with a $5,200 lead, ahead of Rutter's $1,000 and Jenning's $200. Watson faltered in the second half, getting stumped on several pop culture questions. Watson and Rutter were tied at the end of the first round with $5,000, and Jennings had $2,000.

I predict that Watson will win in the end. After this contest is over, it'll be interesting to see what other purposes Watson is used for. Here's a show recap from J-Archive.com.

What's next, Tickle-Me Cthulhu?

I was going to write about "Stargate SG-1" today, but then I came upon this.

The regular readers of this blog (both of them) already know that I love Doctor Who. While I was checking Facebook this morning, I came across a video that my friend Jacob posted. It was an ad for the "Ride-In Dalek", an inflatable, life-sized model of the Doctor's arch-nemesis.

If you aren't familiar with the Doctor Who universe, allow me to explain what is so odd about these toys. The Daleks are a very hostile and xenophobic race, they believe that any form of life that isn't them should be destroyed. They've been known to give children nightmares, despite the fact that they look like over-sized salt shakers. And now they're being sold as play vehicles for children.

I'm not saying that these are inappropriate for children. It was just bizarre to watch the advert, and see smiling, happy children play inside a fictional killing-machine. It even comes with a voice box which plays some of the Dalek's catchphrases, including "We are the superior race" and "Halt, or you will be exterminated".

They sell in the UK for around £200 (about $322). Despite the fact that they're marketed towards kids, I wouldn't mind having one of these in my house. I wouldn't be able to ride it very often; I'd probably pop it after using it just once. It would, however, make an interesting conversation starter.

Here is the ad:

Tom and Crow would have a field day with this...

For the past several years, the Sci-Fi channel (stupidly renamed "SyFy" in 2009) has devoted it's Saturday night lineup to a series of movies, many of which they produced themselves. A vast majority of these films are B-movies; low-budget movies with horrid acting, tacky computer effects, and nonsensical plots. They're the kinds of movies you'd see on "Mystery Science Theater 3000". A lot of these movies fall under the category "so bad, it's good".

Most of these movies seem to involve giant or mutated animals, or concepts which were stolen from better, more profitable movies. Movies they've aired in the past include "Ice Spiders", "SS Doomtrooper", and their magnum opus, "Mega Shark Vs. Giant Octopus". In one of this movie's most notorious scenes, the title shark leaps out of the water and snatches a jumbo jet from the sky. No, really, it needs to be seen to be believed.

A lot of these movies are produced by a studio called "The Asylum". They're infamous for making cheap knock-offs of popular blockbusters, including "Snakes On A Train" and "Transmorphers". Not surprisingly,  20th Century Fox has a pending lawsuit against them. Apparently, The Asylum's movie "The Day The Earth Stopped" was too similar to their movie, "The Day The Earth Stood Still".

Their newest film, which sounds like a rip-off of one of their own movies, airs this Saturday on SyFy. It's called "Mega Python Vs. Gatoroid". In this gem, a team of scientists create a giant alligator in order to defeat a giant python created by a crazed animal rights activist. Both creatures go berserk and wreak havoc upon the state of Florida.

Maybe it's better than it sounds.

You can watch a scene from the movie here.

Coach Gary and the Daleks

I instantly fell in love with the BBC TV series Doctor Who when I first saw it a few years ago. Despite being introduced to the show in the new millennium, I saw the classic series (which ran from 1963-89) before seeing the modern series (which started in 2005). I like both of them for different reasons, but I have a slight preference towards the classic series. I could go into further detail, but that's not what I want to tell you about.

A few weeks ago, my younger brother, Jim, was at a team dinner for his high school swimming team, which I used to be a member of. Apparently, he mentioned to the team coach, Gary, that I was a die hard Whovian. At practice the next day, Coach Gary gave Jim a box. It was heavy, and had been formerly used to store bulk underwear. He asked Jim to give it to me.

I was reluctant to open the box at first. I knew my former coach had a twisted sense of humor, and was befuddled as to why he was giving me an old box of women's undergarments. Nevertheless, I opened it. Inside were about a hundred Doctor Who novels.

These books were mostly novelizations of classic DW television stories. A lot of them were based on episodes from the '60s which no longer existed. This was back in the day when it was cheaper to record over used tapes instead of buying new ones.

While the windfall was quite large, it wasn't a complete collection. There are still about 30 or 40 books still out there. Apparently the books are very hard to find outside of Britain, but can be found on eBay from time to time.

I just finished reading "Invasion Of The Dinosaurs", the 45th book in my new collection. This book is about exactly what you think it's about. Next up is "Death To The Daleks", featuring the Doctor's most infamous enemy (pictured above). I'll have to write more about them in a later post.

Greetings, earthlings!

Welcome to Chameleon Circuit!

This blog will consist of news, reviews, opinions, and other anecdotes about science and fantasy fiction. You can expect me to cover movies, TV programs, literature, comic books, video games, and all other media.

I'll be making at least two posts every week, so be sure to check back often!