No Martians Need Apply...

I had to find out from the Boston Sunday Globe's travel section that the whole martian angle has been dropped from Steven Spielberg's upcoming War of the Worlds adaptation.
I for one, am outraged...its like trying to do a Cole Porter musical without all those songs cluttering up the show.
Well, I suppose its to be expected, when a middlebrow yap like Steve teams up with a grinning spaz like Tom Cruise diresome things must be expected.
My idea for a War of the Worlds re-make involves using the original 1899 suburban London setting. Get Anthony Hopkins to play the lead (Who better to indulge that "route of humanity" emotion?,a Spice Girl to play his wife and viola' a Merchant Ivory science fiction movie!
Beats the hell out of Tom Cruise and his e-meter mentality.

Vortigern & Rowena Found...

William Henry Ireland's Infamous Shakespeare Forgery is now available on-line.
Ireland of course, claimed he had found a "lost" Shakespeare play and he almost fooled all England with the imposture until the damn thing was actually performed & exposed as utter hack work.
Still and all that, it is one of Channel Zero's lesser projects to revival and perform this play some far off day.

Upcoming Channel Zero Event:

Well its not quite the comeback we've been working on, but it is a start.
Channel Zero is hosting a private screening at Movies on a Menu, 148 Mass Avenue, Thursday, July 28th 2005.
We will be showing our own special "Evening with Orson Welles" compilation which includes an unsold television pilot direct by the great auteur, some trailers from his movies and one or two ghost stories starring the man himself!
Space is limited so contact Eddie Shaw at Movies on a Menu to secure your spot early.

We will follow up with details on this show in the weeks to come, hope to see you all there!

"Batman Begins"

a solid effort all around from Director Chris Nolan and star Christian Bales. Structurally it resembles the 1989 Tim Burton film but loaded up with way more back story (The Caped Crusader appears nigh on a hour into the film) and a more physically appropriate lead. The film feels different from its four predecessors owing to the lack of hardcore Burtonian goth-chic...but don't worry its a real Batman film all around and a cautious improvement on the Keaton films.

Picks of the Week:

Lots of good stuff this weekend, so much so I can't quite figure out how I'm gonna fit it all in.
First off, Batman Begins is at the Tri-Town Drive in on a double bill with The Longest Yard. Alas the Batman is the second feature but the latest Adam Sandler atrocity is pretty much the price of doing business on the local Drive In circuit.
Its too much trouble to try and avoid the miserable little no-talent.

Tri-Town Drive-In, Lunenberg
3 Youngs Road, off West Main Street
978-345-5062

The Mendon Drive In though, has paired up Batman Begins with Star Wars, Revenge of the Sith...and with Bats running first I'm saying this is the prime drive in destination this weekend. Now if only the weather holds.

If the weather doesn't hold, then for ghod's sake get to the Brattle Theatre for their sumptuous and comprehensive Harold Lloyd retrospective. Old Harold was once a prime candiate for revival by Channel Zero, but we are never jealous whenever one of the repertory machers makes a big play for one of our favorites.

Kevlar Kevin Karries the Day!

And beats some sense into Mike Tyson as well!
There has to be no feeling quite like it, winning big when everyone wrote you off as the bum of the month.
Such is the Monday Morning faced by Massachusetts Own Kevin McBride the fabled "Clones Colossus" who endured head butting and other nasty tricks on his way to laying the maximum smackdown on the bumptious pugilist formerly known as Mike Tyson.
Like his hero Sonny Liston, Mike went out on the stool preferring to call it quits rather than endure any more of McBride's technique-less but effective Irish haymakers.
Poor Mike...addled of wits, he needed about ten more of these bottle feeder bouts to recoup his 40 million dollar losses to the IRS and others. Now what is he gonna do? I have a sad suspicion the former champ is on the phone with Vince McMahon trying to land a gig with the WWE. If McMahon is smart he'll pass on the offer, Mike is too crazy for the carefully scripted world of pro-wrestling. One good ear-biting and the locker room will rise up on him as one man.

Ah...but McBride there is sweet vindication...what must it feel like?

Sportsnerd 2005

Kevin McBride the "Clones Colossus" will make a valiant if unlikely attempt to write fini to the checkered career of that aging velociraptor Mike Tyson at the MCI Arena in Washington DC this Saturday.
I like Kevin, he is my landsman after all....but I doubt he can prevail against even an aging and increasing crazy Iron Mike.
McBride has never been able to step up in class for all his slab-footed integrity, alas that is no substitute for technique.
I saw McBride box Craig Tomlinson at Wonderland in 2002, McBride won but it was like watching a very slow moving train wreck...you kept wondering why Tomlinson didn't get out of the way of those oh so deliberate hammer blows delivered with judicial slowness & solemnity.
Well what the hell, I give McBride credit for ambition...just don't say you weren't warned if the Mighty Mike Tyson National Freakshow doesn't carry the day yet again.

Superman Returns...Rumors etc

Ain't It Cool News keeps th' pot boiling in repect of the upcoming Superman Movie Starring Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth & Keven Spacey.
Mind the usual Ain't It Cool News harsh language and take the whole thing with a healthful grain of salt.