‘Metal Men’ movie in the works?

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Here’s one for the true geeks: How’d you like to see a “Metal Men” movie?

If you don’t remember the Metal Men, they were among the out-the-ordinary heroes of DC Comics in the Silver Age. In the 1960s, besides stalwarts like Superman and Batman, DC featured offbeat comics about oddball characters like the Doom Patrol and the Metal Men.

What was so odd about the Metal Men?

They were robots, named after elements like Gold, Iron, Mercury and Platinum, and had been created by a DC comics scientist, Will Magnus (from the Magnus: Robot Fighter comics).

Each of the Metal Men had not only the physical characteristics of their namesake metal but also, in weird ways, emotional characteristics. So Iron was not only heavy and durable but a pugnacious tough guy. Tin was skinny and pliable. Gold was sturdy and flexible.

Platinum was the only “female” member of the group. Not only was she called “Tina” but she had a crush on Magnus.

The comics helped some of us prepare for future chemistry lessons. Maybe more than our textbooks did.

News broke today on the Interwebs that “Men in Black” director Barry Sonnenfeld, who previously been rumored to be planning a 1960s-era DC Comics movie, was working on a “Metal Men” flick.

Considering that DC and Warner Bros have been struggling to get a “Superman” movie off the ground and hope to succeed with next year’s “Man of Steel,” and remembering the debacle that last year’s “Green Lantern” turned out to be, “Metal Men” might seem to be an odd choice. The characters aren’t first- or second-tier heroes. Maybe not even third tier.

But Sonnenfeld, if the rumors are true, must be pursuing the movie as something of a labor of love. So who knows? “Metal Men” might beat the Justice League onto the big screen and it might be far and away better than some of DC’s misfires.

 

RIP Victor Spinetti

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A moment of silence is in order for Victor Spinetti, a wonderful character actor who died Tuesday in London at age 82.

Spinetti was in a couple dozen movies and won a Tony Award for his stage work, but the longtime British character actor was best known for his work in three movies featuring The Beatles.

He played the TV director driven to distraction by the boys from Liverpool in “A Hard Day’s Night.”

And he was the crazed scientist in “Help!”

Spinetti also appeared in “Magical Mystery Tour.”

He was partnered with fellow Brit Roy Kinnear in the Beatles films and also, in the 1980s, a music video for the Genesis spin-off band Mike and the Mechanics song “All I Need is a Miracle.”

Spinetti’s obits recall his recounting why he so often appeared in Beatles films. Spinetti said that George Harrison told him that if didn’t appear in their films, his “mum” wouldn’t go see them.

 

 

Unsung actors: RIP Richard Lynch

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Richard Lynch is another of those Hollywood actors whose name you might not recognize. But once you see his face, you think, “Yeah! I know that guy!”

With Lynch, who died this week at his home in Palm Springs, California, there was another reason he was so memorable.

Some of the obits for Lynch, who was 76, note his scarred face. Some attribute it to injuries he suffered in an accident in the 1960s.

Whatever the cause of Lynch’s unusual looks, he used those, his Draco Malfoy-blond hair and his distinctive voice – a mixture of distinctive and gravelly – to make an impression on a generation of movie and TV fans.

For me, Lynch was best known for playing a vampire reborn in modern-day in the 1979 TV thriller “Vampire.” I didn’t know until I read his obits that the TV movie, which was made on the cheap but had an impressive cast and some nice visuals, was a pilot for a TV series. It would have been cool to see Lynch menacing the show’s heroes each week.

Lynch was also familiar to geeks for his role as the villain in the low-budget sword-and-sorcery flick “The Sword and the Sorcerer,” released in 1982.

He had an impressive TV resume that included guest appearances on shows ranging from “The Streets of San Francisco” to “The Bionic Woman” to “Starsky and Hutch” to “Galactica 1980” to “The Fall Guy.”

More recently he starred in a lot of low-budget horror films and appeared in the Rob Zombie “Halloween” remake.

Richard Lynch might not get included in the “In Memoriam” video shown at next year’s Academy Awards. But he’s the kind of memorable character actor that the movie and TV industry is built on.

New ‘Dark Knight Rises’ trailer piles on the thrills

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I’ve watched today’s new trailer for “The Dark Knight Rises” a few times now and I’m still trying to catch everything.

Lots of fleeting shots of Batman, Bruce Wayne, Catwoman (less of her than in earlier trailers, though) and especially Tom Hardy’s Bane.

And, interestingly enough, lots of shots of Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s mild-mannered police officer, including an interesting exchange with a boy at the beginning of the trailer.

I tells ya, somethin’ is up with JGL’s character. I threw out my half-baked theory a while back that the Gotham City cop becomes Batman in the movie — or at least fills in, Azrael-style, while Christian Bale’s Batman recuperates.

The movie comes out July 20, which seems like an absurdly long time from now.

‘Longmire’ the TV show vs the Longmire books

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I’m a fan of Craig Johnson’s Wyoming-set mysteries about Sheriff Walt Longmire and the offbeat citizens of his county, so I’m more than willing to give A&E’s “Longmire” series, based on the character, a try.

Robert Taylor is really growing on me as Longmire and Katee Sackhoff is ideally cast as Longmire’s deputy, Vic Morelli. Although the show was filmed in New Mexico, the stark, beautiful scenery works for me.

There are some important differences between “Longmire” and the Longmire books, however. Realizing they’re two different animals, I’m overlooking the variances for now.

But just for the record, here’s the most obvious divergences from Johnson’s books:

Cady, Longmire’s daughter. Cassidy Freeman is well-cast as Cady, the young lawyer who plays a central role in some of the novels. But the producers of the TV show made a choice by having Cady a resident of Wyoming rather than Philadelphia as she is in the books. That would appear to eliminate the Philly subplots (more on that next). It’s easier to have a long-distance character in novels than on a TV show, when viewers might wonder, “Why are there so many scenes in which two people talk on the phone?”

Philly: There’s a strong Wyoming/Philadelphia undertone to the books. Cady has a Philly law practice. Vic is from Philly. After the book in which Cady is injured and Walt and Henry Standing Bear go to Philly to find out what happened, Cady meets and falls in love with Vic’s brother, Philly cop Michael Morelli. I’m going to miss the Philly element of the TV series.

Natives: Several of the books, especially the newest, “As the Crow Flies,” have major plots and characters that revolve around the Cheyenne, Crow and other Native American nations represented in Wyoming and Montana. The most recent episode had Walt in a sweat lodge ceremony, an element of the latest book. I’d like to see a much greater representation of indigenous peoples in the books as well as …

The mystical. Almost from the beginning, the Longmire books have featured an undercurrent of the mystical as filtered through Native legends and beliefs. The mystical elements, including spirit guides of sorts who help Walt through tough spots, add a touch most other crime novels don’t have. I wish the series had more of this.

Which brings us to Henry Standing Bear. Lou Diamond Phillips is a very cool actor and he brings a familiar face to “Longmire.” But I’m not sold on him as the in-the-flesh representation of Henry Standing Bear, Walt’s lifelong Cheyenne friend and local bar owner.

I’ve noticed at least one, maybe two, moments in the series in which Walt seemed to doubt Henry, even wondering if he was up to something. That’s a different and not entirely welcome spin on the rock-solid relationship between the characters from the  books. And Phillips isn’t really physically right for role since Henry is such a huge figure. But Phillips is a nice presence and I’m willing to wait to see if he’ll establish himself in the part.

“Longmire” is a pretty good, if unsurprising, TV cop show so far. Here’s hoping it will grow to become even more.

 

The Great Newspaper Comics Challenge Part 17

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Here’s our regular look at what’s funny in today’s newspaper comics pages. Because nobody wants to hear Charlie Brown scream “AAUGH!” again.

“Classic Peanuts” has one for anyone old enough to remember the kind of skates you strapped onto the bottom of your street shoes. Sally Brown straps them on and then watches as Linus, Snoopy and others whiz by on skateboards. “I feel old-fashioned!” Sally says. I think mild chagrin music would be appropriate here.

Wait, it’s Father’s Day! “Zits” starts things off with the teen son emphasizing that he bought a present for his dad with his own money. “It’s not the gift, it’s the context that counts,” he says.

Ants Go Marching One By One in “Garfield,” and they’re all carrying birthday candles. Garfield thinks he’s hallucinating. Good stuff.

From the “tell me about it” department: In “The Wizard of Id,” a serf kid tells his teacher that his dad helped with his homework. The kid goes home and tells Dad that the teacher said he should be in a remedial class.

Funny “Curtis.” Curtis brings his dad a pizza for Father’s Day and slowly works his way up to asking, “Dad, is mom the only woman you’ve ever loved?” “Think I’ll finish my slice in my bedroom,” Dad says from outside the final panel. It’s the slow build that makes this work.

In “Blondie,” the family gives Dagwood a black velvet painting of Giada DeLaurentiis, Emeril Lagasse and other chefs playing poker. Brought to you by Food Network.

“Beetle Bailey’s” life flashes before his eyes, and this time it’s not because Sarge is beating him to a bloody pulp. I always appreciate the “Beetle” strips that show Beetle in that cool cat college hat he used to wear.

Okay, “Dennis the Menace” made me laugh. Dad tells Dennis that the best Father’s Day present he can give is for Dennis to obey his mother, keep his room clean, mind his manners and stay out of Mr. Wilson’s hair. “Sorry Dad, you’re too late,” Dennis says. “I already got you a tie.”

You just know we couldn’t wrap up Father’s Day without a visit to “The Family Circus.” The kids and pets give Dad ties and other traditional gifts and ask which he liked best. Dad pictures hugging all the kids. But what about the pets, Barfy and Sam and Kittycat? WHAT ABOUT THEM?

 

Watch and worry: World War Z, Robopocalypse and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

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There’s a special feeling of dread among some of us when our favorite books get adapted into movies.

How many times have we been disappointed when books we loved were turned into mediocre movies? Sure the books are still there, untouched — with the exception of maybe a new cover for marketing purposes — and ready to read again and again. But a stinker of a movie adaptation puts a cloud over the original book, at least in my mind. Can’t help it.

So it’s with varying mixtures of excitement and dread — I’m looking at  you, Brad Pitt — that I’m anticipating these three movie adaptations of some recent favorite books.

“Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” comes out Friday (June 22) and I don’t have any real reason to worry that the movie, directed by Timur Bekmambetov and written by Seth Grahame-Smith, the author of the novel, will be anything but good.

But I’m a little worried about the public and critical reaction to the movie.

“Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” is a terrific book, a serious-minded fantasy that postulates the 16th president as a vampire-slaying action hero from an early age. The book details how Lincoln, spurred on by the death of his mother at the hands of a vampire, dedicates his life to slaying them. He has help on his quest from a mysterious mentor and soon discovers that vampires are closely allied to Confederate forces and slavery is feeding the vampire plague (literally).

But like “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “AL:VH” has a facetious-sounding title that is as likely to inspire snickers as interest. I’m hoping for the best that the movie plays it as straight as the book.

Further into the future comes the movie adaptation of “Robopocalypse,” Daniel H. Wilson’s 2011 science fiction novel about the rise of artificial intelligence and the threat it poses to humanity.

Wilson’s book takes readers from the early days of AI self-awareness to the final battle, on the tundra of the frozen north, that saves humanity. It’s a fantastic story – in every sense of the word — but Wilson makes it all seem perfectly believable.

Director Steven Spielberg is supposedly in line to film “Robopocalypse” for release some time in the next couple of years.

“Robopocalypse” has the kind of plot and reader-friendly narrator that Max Brooks’ novel “World War Z” does not.

While “World War Z” is one of my favorite recent science fiction/horror novels, it only takes one reading to understand that it might be hard to film. It is an episodic story that rarely repeats characters and flashes from place to place on the globe, telling the story of how the planet is overrun by zombies and how humans fight back.

“World War Z” is a clever and exciting read and, considering the popularity of zombie fiction right now (especially “The Walking Dead”), is probably a natural for a big-screen adaptation.

But early on in the making of the movie, directed by Marc Forster and starring Brad Pitt, warning signs started going off.

First of all, the episodic nature of the book left no room for a character like the one Pitt plays. If the book was faithfully adapted, no character would have more than a few minutes on screen, as his or her story unfolded.

Then suggestions of the movie’s plot — a race against time around the world to stop a zombie apocalypse — made it clear that the movie’s story had little to do with the book.

Now the movie has been pushed back from a December 2012 release to summer 2013, writer Damon Lindloff (“Lost”) has been brought in to rewrite portions of the script with an eye toward re-filming portions of the movie, the bulk of which has already been shot.

Of course, this means that the budget is ballooning.

I’m hopeful that the makers of “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” will get it right. We’ll know soon, anyway. We won’t know until 2013 how badly “World War Z” is screwed up (because I’m increasingly certain that it will be). And we’ll see how Spielberg does with “Robopocalypse.”

Not a professional photographer: Shapes and angles

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I like taking pictures, with my iPhone and my digital camera, although I don’t have really expensive equipment or much formal training.

I love taking pictures of lonely spots, places only sparsely populated at the time I’m there, and among my favorite pictures in those moments are those that emphasize angles and shapes, either architectural or natural or created by light and shadow.

One of my favorite photo opportunities came during a 2009 tour of the former BorgWarner automotive plant here in Muncie, Indiana. The plant had closed just a few months before and equipment, tools and other bits and pieces of the plant’s history were being sold off.

The photo above is one of my favorites, of the cavernous interior of the million-square-foot plant.

Above is a selection of fans that, for decades, cooled workers in the stifling factory.

Another work-related assignment led me to take pictures in the soon-to-be-renovated Canopic Apartments in downtown Muncie. I was really intrigued by the light well at the center of the apartment building.

Nature-made shapes can be cool. (Heh.)

Then there’s the modern-style stained glass windows at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Louisville.

Lastly, two photos I took today with my iPhone.

They’re of the bell tower at Ball State University here in Muncie.

‘Dallas’ returns in fine form

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JR Ewing is back and he’s sportin’ some damn fine eyebrows.

More importantly, below those tangled white brows is a gleam in Larry Hagman’s eye. In tonight’s premiere of the “Dallas” continuation on TNT, Hagman returned as Texas bidnessman JR Ewing. He began the episode in a nursing home — faking out family members — cast off his walker and ended the two-hour premiere by finding out his son, John Ross, is double-crossing his own efforts to double-cross brother Bobby (Patrick Duffy), in his efforts to seize control of Southfork Ranch, the family stronghold.

The show was really pretty fun. Some quick impressions:

Hagman and Duffy were, as before, the focus of the show.

Linda Gray had some good scenes as Sue Ellen, but unless the character starts hitting the bottle again, she’s gonna need some beefier plot lines.

I didn’t mind the younger generation of Ewings — JR’s son John Ross, Bobby’s son Christopher, Christopher’s new wife Rebecca and Elena, the maid’s daughter who is the object of affection of both cousins — nearly as much as I might have.

John Ross’ wispy little beard-substitute really should go.

We need more Ewing family members. We had cameos from Ray (Steve Kanaly) and Lucy (Charlene Tilton) tonight, but we need bigger roles for them and others, including “Knots Landing” brother Gary and his wife, Val.

Cliff Barnes got name-dropped, but hasn’t shown up. Yet.

Christopher’s new wife, Rebecca, has a brother, Tommy, who just happened to drift into town before the wedding. Of course, Tommy is up to no good. Good soap stuff here.

We really need video/pictures of the cast in the credits. If you’re gonna continue the series and even have a minor variation on them, we need to see the cast in the credits.

The new “Dallas” is fun stuff. I’ll watch again next week.

Merle’s back on ‘The Walking Dead’ — let’s give him a big hand!

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Say, that guy in the truck looks awfully familiar.

A couple of websites, including The Walking Dead News, posted this photo today of actor Michael Rooker as Merle from the set of the third season of “The Walking Dead.”

(Ah, the interwebs. We love you.)

Last time we saw Rooker as Merle he was preparing to chop off his own hand to escape walkers after being left stranded by the good guys on an Atlanta rooftop in the first season of “The Walking Dead.” That’s if you don’t count his appearance in his brother Daryl’s fever dream in the second season.

Fans of the show have been waiting for Merle’s return ever since, so today’s photo is good news for the upcoming third season, which begins in October.

A couple of other notes from the photo:

Merle’s got a new toy. Check out the spot where Merle’s hand used to be. It’s a sword, or a hook, or a machete. Something pointy, anyway. Good for killing zombies. Or whatever.

Is that the Governor’s truck? A couple of websites theorized that Merle is working for the Governor (David Morrisey), the Big Bad for the upcoming season.

Same truck?

We’ll see sooner or later.