Flixens: Movies, DVDs, TV, comic books and pop culture for women. The boys shouldn't have all the fun.

The 3-disc Deluxe, Extended Edition of Peter Jackson's King Kong hits the DVD streets tomorrow, featuring a commentary  track with director Peter Jackson and co-writer Philippa Boyens, 13 minutes of additional, completed footage, 38 minutes of deleted scenes, the 8-part documentary "Re-Creating the Eighth Wonder: The Making of King Kong", "A Night in Vaudeville" featurette, pre-viz animatics, electronic versions of the 1996 and 2005 versions of the script, bloopers, design galleries, and more (including a cool Kong statue depending on which version you buy).

You may remember my original review of the film, which I enjoyed, despite its flaws.  I'll be the first to admit, it's very hard for me to be completely objective about a Kong film.  Remember, I'm the kind of girl who can sit at home and watch a double-feature of King Kong vs. Godzilla and King Kong Escapes in all their man-in-suit glory and actually enjoy them.

But I'm curious to know how many of you are planning on buying the new double-dip.  Jackson's film was overly long, by most accounts, so do we really need 13 more minutes of additional footage (plus over a half-hour of deleted scenes)?

Put me in the "Yes" column, I guess.  I've been dying to see the "raft" sequence ever since it was cut out of the original release, only to find its way back onto the new DVD.  Plus, as complete as the Production Diaries were, they weren't nearly as complete as the behind-the-scenes features on the Lord of the Rings extended editions.  THIS is the edition I've been waiting for.

I can't help it.  I am weak.

Hi everyone, Nina here, along with the Movie MILF talking to Tad Stones, co-director of the upcoming animated Hellboy: The Sword of Storms, premiering October 28, 9:30 ET/PT on the Cartoon Network.  If you haven't already checked out the online production diaries, you should.  Flixens had an opportunity to talk with Tad and ask him a few questions about the movie, his career, and his marriage.

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Nina Kincaid: Working on "Hellboy Animated", did you have any constraints related to the existing Del Toro feature film, or its planned sequel? Or does the animated version take place in a separate "universe," so to speak?  How involved was Guillermo in the animated project?

Tad Stones: In reverse order, Guillermo got Revolution to focus on doing an animated version.  It was not something they'd normally be pursuing.  He also gave me the name of our composer, Christopher Drake.  But Chris got the job due to the spec score he did on an animatic sequence.  I'm glad he was so good or Guillermo and I would've gotten into a big fight.  Other than that, our production coincided with "Pan's Labyrinth" so Guillermo wasn't even in the country.  Any spare time he had during that was spent writing the first draft of "Hellboy 2"

I think every medium Hellboy visits gets its own universe.  The only real Hellboy is the one that Mike writes.  We try to be as close to the comics as we can but there are differences.  Professor Broom is still alive in our stories and the details of some of the major events in Hellboy's life are different.

The only constraints the live action films place on us are in the choosing of the subject matter.  Mike knows I would love to do something with the world of faerie but that's the subject matter of HB2.

NK: I remember watching the original "Darkwing Duck" pilot when I was younger, which you wrote and produced, but thought that the quality of the writing dipped in the actual series, which had a number of writers. How involved would you be with an animated "Hellboy" series if there was one?

TS: It is the nature of an animated series that the writing - and everything else really - gets rushed.  I thought the writing was generally strong in the series but the execution, both within the studio and overseas, went up and down.

I wouldn't say "no" to a series but I actively campaign against it.  This is a complete turnaround from where we started - when Mike and I were coming up with half hour ideas.  A half hour equals just 22 minutes on TV sans commercials.  What I learned in the movies is how much time it takes to really play with suspense and horror.  With short episodes you're just hitting plot.  In addition to suspense, there's also more personality in the movies, especially with Liz and Abe.  A series also brings with it network notes.

Movie MILF: Will there be a series of animated Hellboy movies?

TS: I'm hoping to have a long series of movies.

MM: In the production diaries, you talk about "Hellboy" creator Mike Mignola's involvement in the project primarily as a writer. Why have someone else (Sean "Cheeks" Galloway) be the lead character designer?

TS: That was Mike's choice.  In the DVD extras Mike says he had the perfect amount of involvement: be in on the fun part of breaking the story, giving input on the script (being the final say in most instances) then just seeing a few designs.  He lets us do the work of actually making the movie.

If Mike was part of the production team  he'd go nuts from stress and his comic output would be zero.  More importantly, Mike didn't want the show to look like his stuff.  His Hellboy is the one you find under the covers that he draws.  He can't watch when people try to ape his style.

NK: The production schedule seemed maddening. One year from concept to broadcast... Yet you seem comfortable in the arena of TV and Direct-to-DVD animation. Do you find that you work better creatively under pressure?

TS: NO!!!!!!!!!!!  It's just the necessity of schedule and budgets.  Although my wife would deny it, I have an organized brain ... At least when it comes to animation production and resist concentrating too much on just what's in front of me.  I have to keep the whole schedule in mind.  But the ration of time to passion has never been worse than on this project.  Doing one movie in the time we did these two would be just about right.

MM: Before "Animated Hellboy", which project of yours are you most proud of?  How has "Animated Hellboy" surpassed it?

TS: "Darkwing Duck", the "Buzz Lightyear" movie, parts of "Milo's Return" (which is just a pale shadow of "Hellboy").  All I can say is that I somehow feel my career is just starting.  "Hellboy" lets me write on a whole different level and push the boundaries of American animation.

NK: I was very interested in reading in the production diaries about the logistics of doing animation that is to be finished overseas.  Can you talk a little bit about the differences between the modern animation process and what it was like when you started in the business, and the adaptations you've had to make?

TS: Whew... Basically, it's like doing animation by remote control.  We set up key shots and designs rather than plan each scene.  "The Simpsons", which is being worked on one hallway over from me, do character layouts - pretty much every important animation pose is drawn by animators here.  On "Hellboy" we just send storyboards and exposure sheet and hope for the best.

NK: How did the "Hellboy Animated" budget compare to other similar projects?

TS: I can only speak to those that I worked on.  It was about half my last DVD of "Brer Rabbit" that I did for Universal.  I never had one of the Disney DVD big budgets.  Mine were always a little higher than a series budget, cost per foot of film.

MM: I'm curious to know about the whole "voice issue" regarding Abe Sapien.  First off, how does Doug Jones' voice compare to David Hyde Pierce's from the feature film?  Why was there a decision to go with Doug's voice after many fans felt that David nailed it? Did the sequel to the feature film factor into it?

TS: Realize that David always thought the performance was Doug's.  He just gave Guillermo the sound he wanted and a few performance tweaks.  That's why you saw Doug on the red carpet instead of David.  It was very generous of David to do that.

When we offered the part to David, Abe only had a cameo and most of it was "Look out, Liz!" lines.  The part wasn't challenging, he didn't need the money, and he still felt Doug created the character.

Doug created a performance that the other actors played off of.  It's not a guy yanking on a gorilla suit for an Abbot and Costello movie.  I will say Doug is closer to the character than David was but that's me.  Doug has a lower pitch and a less fragile sensibility.

MM: How much of the actor's "performance" came across in the animated work?  Was any of it based on their action and movement from the feature film or was this completely stylized based on Mignola's art?  I guess this goes back to Nina's question about constraints.

TS: Some storyboards were drawn before the track was recorded so any connection was more luck or came from the acting inherent in the writing.  Both actor and artist are pulling from the same script.  We didn't study the film for any movement.  Ron Perlman's Hellboy is a compromise due to the fact that Ron is a human.  Anyway, short answer?  No physical performance connection just the poses inspired by the voices of the actors.

NK: Were you under any restrictions considering that the movie would premiere on the Cartoon Network? Or did you simply just make the movie and assume that they would edit as necessary for broadcast?

TS: The latter.  Our DVD folks would love it if Cartoon Network felt the need to edit.  They'd plaster "Complete and uncut!" all over the package.

MM: Will the DVD version differ from the broadcast version?

TS: Only if they edit.  Well, I'll amend that.  The premiere will be letterboxed.  The other showing will be the pan and scan compromise.

MM: It's refreshing to see the production diaries.  Marvel, for example, was very secretive about showing anything from their first animated Ultimate Avengers DVD, and I found the final result disappointing, from an animated standpoint when compared to the source material.  I'm curious to know then why did you make the choice to even do the online blog?  Were you looking for early fan buy-in?

TS: I would've done more.  Film Roman had the crew of "Wow, wow, Wubsy!" produce a blog but since their fans are toddlers, they don't get much traffic. They offered me the same.  I asked, "Are we trying to keep a secret or are we doing things the modern, Peter Jackson way?"  They wanted to be open then backtracked and wanted to make sure the timing of announcements was just right.  I felt gagged until Comic-con and by then I no longer had a crew.  The fan street cred was never a factor.

NK: Wouldn't Mignola's blessing be enough for the fans?

TS: Yes and no.  There's no upside to a creator badmouthing a project when translated into another medium.  So unless he's Alan Moore, an artist/writer tends to make nice with the press.  Usually, you get the real feelings after a project is done.  But Mike seems very happy with how we're doing things.

NK: My favorite character from "Hellboy" is, of course, Kate Corrigan. I'm glad to she that she'll have a part in the animated film. Did you have a favorite going into the project?  Did that change after finishing the production?

TS: I've always liked Kate.  In the comics she's obviously the one closest to Hellboy, the one he confides his secrets to.  She's also based on Christine Mignola in some ways.  It's the whole world that Mike created that was my "favorite" although Hellboy is fun to write.

MM: Was there a conscious decision to appeal to a more female audience with the addition of Kate's character, as well as to "toughen" up Liz compared to how she was portrayed in the feature film?

TS: No.  We used Kate instead of Liz because we wanted normal agents to contrast with all the weird creatures of Japanese folklore.  When we had to write additional material, it made sense to give the time to Liz and Abe.  We still kept them away from Japan.  Liz is much tougher and more cynical in the comics than in Guillermo's first "Hellboy".

NK: With the premiere airing on the Cartoon Network before the DVD hits retail shelves, are you worried about how DVD sales might be affected by digital piracy?

TS: Yes, Bit Torrent is a big concern of mine since torrentors are exactly the audience who would enjoy "Hellboy" and might buy it.  If the sales aren't of a certain level, there won't be anymore Hellboys.  Real fans will buy it for the picture quality and sound.

MM: Along those lines, the deal is already done for the two animated films. Is the decision for more based primarily on the DVD sales or the broadcast ratings?  Would you WANT to do more?

TS: Ratings help DVD sales.  I want to do a lot more!

NK: What would be your DREAM project, if you could start it tomorrow?

TS: "Hellboy Animated 3"

MM: Finally, you mentioned your wife earlier... so... you're married?  Darn.

TS: Yes, I'm married.  Three kids, one of whom is married.  The youngest, now out of high school, was the basis for Gosalyn Mallard, Darkwing’s daughter.   A dog and a pond with too many koi.

NN: Thank you Tad!  We can't wait to see the finished products!

TS: Thank you, for your questions and interest!

Gojira, The Original Japanese Masterpiece, will be coming to DVD on September 5th.  The double-disc edition will feature two versions of the first Godzilla movie... the original Japanese version, and the reworked American version with Raymond Burr.

For many, this is exciting news, for they have never seen Gojira in its original form.  I was lucky enough to actually see this on the big screen recently, and it was an amazing experience.

The theater was packed for a double-feature of Gojira and then Son of Godzilla.  So many people, who grew up on the Godzilla films of the 70s but never saw the original, were ready to be treated.  Many had brought their children who would be getting their first sight of Godzilla as well.

In hindsight, that probably wasn't such a good idea... or at least, they should have shown the films in reverse order.  Show the goofy Son of Godzilla for the kiddies, let them go home and then show Godzilla.  Because let me tell you... if you haven't seen the original before, it's actually kind of scary.

The original 1954 non-Burr version spawned from (and alludes to) an actual incident where a Japanese fishing boat was contaminated by an American nuclear test.  The film opens with that scenario, and it's horrifying and shocking.  Unlike so many of the later Godzilla films, the first was filmed in a completely serious manner, and the harsh, black and white cinematography only reinforces the stark and somber mood of the film..

Filmed only 9 years after Japan's defeat in World War II, and only a few months after the fishing boat accident, the movie still stands the test of time as an allegory for the nuclear bomb, or perhaps the growing rise of America as a nuclear power.  Godzilla is represented as an unstoppable force, laying waste to anything in its path.

The scope of the film is initially quite small in scale, focusing on the local fishing village on Oto Island, where fishing has been poor and the villagers blame it on "Godzilla," an ancient god of the sea.  An elder mentions that in the old days, the villagers used to sacrifice girls to Godzilla to avoid his wrath.  That night, the villagers perform an exorcism ceremony, hoping to rid themselves of Godzilla's effects on their fishing.  Later that night, a terrible storm wreaks havoc on the village, and Godzilla arises from the sea to destroy the village.  In this scene, we don't actually see Godzilla yet.  He is implied through villager reactions and screams.  Their screams, along with the sound of the storm and Godzilla's roar, is truly a terrifying moment.

It was at this point where you could see parents in the audience, who were waiting to see a guy in a big goofy rubber suit, nervously looking around, wondering, "gee, this is pretty scary.  Should we take the kids home?"

Later, a team of scientists is sent to the island to inspect the damage, where they find huge footprints.  In a very quiet scene, a geiger counter clicks off a wild number of hits, indicating the high degree of radioactivity surrounding Godzilla's path.  Again, when you think of the time that this film was made, the sound of the Geiger counter, combined with the reaction of the scientists and villagers, gave me goosebumps.

Strangely enough, Godzilla is not the main focus of the film.  He is more a catalyst that causes scientists and the military to try to come up with a way to defeat him.  The ultimate decision comes in the form of an "Oxygen Destroyer," which is implied to be even more devastating than a nuclear bomb.  The scientist who invented it at first refuses to use it, saying that its power is far too great, and will only be abused by later men.  Once he agrees to use it, he destroys all of his research so that it can never be built again.  Thrown into the mix is an interesting love triangle angle that focuses the film more on the personal relationships of the characters, and the human element, rather than on the monstrous elements of destruction.

This leads us to the final scene, where the two men in the love triangle descend to the bottom of the ocean to release the Oxygen Destroyer next to a sleeping Godzilla (which itself was a really cool effect, just seeing him lying there).  As the weapon is activated, the inventor cuts his oxygen hose, thus dying along with his invention and Godzilla, with no chance of it ever being used again.  Love, honor, and sacrifice.  End scene.

Interestingly enough, Godzilla vs. Destroyah uses plot points and characters (and even flashbacks) from this film to explain the creation of the Destroyah monster, which also proves to be a match for Godzilla at the end of that film.

Director Ishiro Honda crafted this pacifist, reactionary tale of post-nuclear Japan.  It's not the Godzilla you remember from your youth, I'm sure.  I was amazed at how well this film stood the test of time, and just how somber the mood was in the theater afterwards.  It is absolutely a joyless film with nothing hopeful in it whatsoever, which is just heartbreaking when you think about the time it was made.

The American version, in contrast, is a subtley different film, with the original's anti-war message skillfully excised in favor of an angle with Raymond Burr at the center of the "story of the century."

Both films were successful, but it's possibly due to the success of the American version that the Godzilla series morphed into what it became in the 70s.  The name change alone, from simply "Gojira" to "Godzilla: King of the Monsters!" is evidence of that.

But.... now you will be able to compare both and decide for yourself.

 

This ought to make Jenny very happy...

The Hollywood Reporter is saying that Sony Pictures Television will be bringing a new Spider-Man series directly to DVD, featuring 13 half-hour animated episodes some time next year, probably timed just right to coincide with Spider-Man 3's release.

This is all part of Sony's scheme to reach the consumer in new ways, although perhaps they were also a little influenced by the success of Marvel's direct-to-DVD Ultimate Avengers (which I reviewed for you here), which sold well enough to warrant a sequel.

There's no word on who will be doing the animation, other than the fact that Culver Studios, newly created for the venture, will be producing the show.  They also mention that the budget will be similar to the money spent of the last Spider-Man animated series produced for MTV.

 

If you want to watch the entire run of your favorite shows on DVD, get your wallets ready, reports Yahoo Movie News.

Shows like Friends, The West Wing, M*A*S*H, and Homicide are coming to DVD in "Entire Series" boxed sets that include every episode of each show, plus bonus materials.  Some are simply repackaged from the "complete season" sets while others contain new material for the series run on DVD.

But, depending on how much you love the show, be prepared to pay handsomely for the privilege of watching all of your favorite moments, commercial free.  Some shows will retail for upwards of $300.

Personally, I'd like to take a moment to remind everyone that you will probably be able to borrow these for free at your local library.  I know I try to get most of these in and on our shelves here, but the library I work in is in a relatively active community, and library support is not a problem.  I know that some libraries don't even have DVD sections yet, depending on where you live, but I thought I'd throw it out there.

I think that the prices are high enough that they cross that psychological divide between the part of a person's brain that says "wow, I can own the first season for $24.95!" vs. "$300 for the entire show? Hello BitTorrents!"

 

X-Men: The Last Stand kicked off the summer movie season to become the (so far) 2nd biggest movie of the summer, bringing in $233 million at the box office.  You can read my review here, Zahra's here, and Leather Lass' here.  But can the mutants perform as well when it kicks off the 4th quarter DVD buying season?

Fox Home Entertainment announced that the third film in the X-Men franchise will be coming to DVD on October 3, 2006 in two different special editions... the special edition and the "X"-tra special edition, perhaps?  Wah-wah-waaaah...

"It's a big enough title that we believe it will perform from street date all the way through Christmas, and we've got a campaign behind it to ensure that it does," said 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment senior vp marketing communications Steve Feldstein.  Jeez... he makes it sound like he's hired thugs to rough up the kids or something.

The DVD will feature 3 different alternate endings, all with commentary by director Brett Ratner, 10 deleted scenes, audio commentary by The Rat, the writers, and the producers, and two Easter Eggs, one of the Beast reciting Shakespeare, and the other of the Blackbird landing in Washington.

But the big deal is the Collector's Edition, which will feature a 100-page commemorative booklet, including an all-new story written by Stan "The Man" Lee, his first original Marvel comic in 5 years.

And of course, the money-grubbers will also be wrapping up all 3 X-films in a nice trilogy pack.  Get your wallets ready.

Lionsgate films and internet entertainment portal Habbo have issued a press release regarding the release of the Ultimate Avengers 2 DVD:

This July, through a partnership with HABBO, one of the world's largest and hottest on-line destinations for teenagers, Lionsgate, the leading independent filmed entertainment studio, will premiere the first 10 minutes of its highly-anticipated Marvel™ animated feature, Ultimate Avengers 2, on the popular website, Habbo.com. This event marks the first time the online community will be able to view 10 full minutes of a never-before-seen film prior to its release. A virtual red-carpet premiere event will be held at the Habbo Theaterdome on July 26th at 4:00pm PST, where a host of "special guests" will be in attendance, including the human personas of Captain America™ (Steve Rogers), Iron Man™ (Tony Stark), The Hulk™ (Bruce Banner) and Black Panther™ (T'Challa). This will be a "black tie" affair – and all Habbos in attendance will be required to dress in black.

During the premiere event, registered users of the site, called "Habbos" will be able to attend by logging in to the virtual community and entering the Habbo Theaterdome to view the film footage and also respond within the community immediately – even while the footage is still playing. After the premiere showing is completed, Habbos will be treated to an interactive Q&A session with the Marvel Heroes from the movie who attended the premiere. Once the premiere event concludes, all other Habbos will be able to view the footage on Habbo.com for two weeks leading up to the August 8th DVD release of Ultimate Avengers 2.

"This partnership with Habbo on Ultimate Avengers 2 opens up exciting, new ways to reach a big audience and do it in a breakthrough way that strengthens the involvement of the consumer" said Michael Rathauser, Vice President of Marketing, Lionsgate. "The Habbo world provides a unique opportunity to not only stream our content for viewing online, but to do it in a community environment that encourages instant reaction to the footage and which generates the potential for significant word-of-mouth. With Habbo's enthusiastic, highly involved user base, the buzz about the movie will just continue to build leading up to the DVD release."

"By partnering with Lionsgate, we are making it possible for our users, aka 'Habbos,' and Marvel fans to interact with one another and extend their Avengers experience through an online event like no other. The Habbo teen community undoubtedly already feels a strong connection to the Avengers characters, such as the HULK, Captain America, Thor, and Iron man, but at the same time, Habbo provides a great forum to attract a new audience as well. This will be the first real time interaction and feedback session of its kind in an online environment, instantly giving the users a sense of ownership," said Janne Kouri, Regional Director, North America.

Ultimate Avengers 2 is the second film in a multi-picture deal between Lionsgate and Marvel Studios and is the sequel to Ultimate Avengers: The Movie. Available on DVD on August 8th for the suggested retail price of $19.98, the film is set in Wakanda, deep in the heart of Africa, and features non-stop animated action that stays true to its comic book roots. Additionally, it boasts highly-entertaining bonus features including a gag reel, a featurette, DVD-ROM game and more.