http://keithneilson.co.uk/writers-networks-and-the-fallout/ struck late last year affecting the entertainment diets of billions. Favourite TV series were cut short, some dissappeared never to be seen again, all because the studios didn’t want to pony up a little extra from the huge piles of moolah they make from them.

Joss Whedon (he of Buffy, Angel, Firelfly and Serenity fame) has decided to try and show the industry, and those that work in it, that there is another way and will this week be bringing you:

From the FAQ:

The idea was to make it on the fly, on the cheap – but to make it. To turn out a really thrilling, professionalish piece of entertainment specifically for the internet. To show how much could be done with very little. To show the world there is another way. To give the public (and in particular you guys) something for all your support and patience. And to make a lot of silly jokes. Actually, that sentence probably should have come first.

Looks like fun, and who knows it may start something.

The first comic book movie of the modern age could be said to be Tim Burton’s Batman (1989), I wasn’t allowed to go and see it at the cinema when it came out as I was 11 and it was the first film to be given a 12 rating. Batman was a masterpiece in my opinion, capturing the murkiest facets of The Dark Knight’s persona and portraying the madness which lies at the heart of the character as only Burton could. The series fell into disrepute after Batman Returns, becoming flashy, garish and cartoony. Joel Shumacher’s two followups (Batman Forever, and Batman and Robin) to Burton’s Batman films descended into the camp mediocrity reminiscent of the 60’s TV series; which Burton had managed to shrug off.

Things went quite quiet on the blockbuster front for a while, cult films based on comic books like The Crow and Tank Girl appealed to very niche audiences and never really made it at the box office. During the 90’s alot of movies based ostensibly on comic books (or ‘graphic novels’ as they were then being called, as if trying to deny their pulpy and kid friendly roots and wanting to sound more grown up.) were made. The Shadow, The Phantom, those dirisible Schumacher Batman movies, The Rocketeer and many more less notable adaptations. Suffice it to say they all bombed (or did well at the box office but were terrible films).

During this period CGI was still in its infancy, with the technology remaining expensive and requiring very highly skilled users to get the best out of it. As the hardware and software bacme cheaper and easier to use, the possibility of bringing the comics to life on screen more faithfully than ever before was seized upon by writers and directors alike. Previous to the dawn of the CGI age the writing and characterisation had taken back seats (with the possible exception of the Christopher Reeve Superman movies) because the effects necessary were expensive and time consuming. With the advent of decent and believable CGI, which is a helluva lot cheaper to produce than FX involving models and wires and stuntmen, the effects have been put in their proper place, i.e. that of scenery.

From this point on comic book movies hit the mainstream, with the Spiderman series and The X-Men being by far the most prominent. A new depth was introduced as those writers who grew up reading comics brought their favourite characters to life on screen. Granted there have been some turkeys as studios have sought to cash in on lucrative licenses (Electra and the first Fantastic 4 anyone?) but all in all comic book movies have been pretty faithful to the fans of the characters, and the studios are coming to realise that merchandising isn’t everything.

Iron Man is indicative of how movies based on comic books have grown up in recent years. Comic books (I hate the pretension in the title ‘Graphic Novel’) have long been concerned more with the personalities of the protagonists than with the awesome powers they possess. I think it was Stan Lee who said that a hero without flaws and weaknesses is less of a hero. Iron Man is certainly a flawed hero, Tony Stark is rich, amoral, and a drunk, all things which add depth to a character which is basically a guy in a tin suit. I think Iron Man may mark the coming of age of the comic book movie (Sin City not withstanding) and I’ll be forking out my reddies to go and see it at the cinema, which I haven’t done in a long time. Here’s a trailer to whet your appetite:

Hat tip to Loudmouthman for inspiring this post.

The 300 Spartans fought not for wealth, not for glory, and not because they were forced to, they did not fight for themselves but for all those who would be free. Free from oppression, slavery, fear and despair. Their sacrifice was enough to give Xerxes pause and to inspire the rest of Greece to take up arms and, a year later on the battlefield at Plataea, crush the Persian army once and for all. Ending the Greco-Persian wars and the Persian’s advance into Europe.

There were more than Just 300 Spartans at Thermopylae, they were accompanied by various allied forces from the rest of Greece, but they still numbered approximately only 4000. The actual number of Persian troops is diputed with estimates ranging from 200,000 to 2 million. The major difference between the two armies was that while the Greeks were free men, there by their own choice, the majority of the Persian army were conscripts and slaves. The Persians were not fighting for any higher reason than the fact that they were dead if they didn’t fight, whereas if they fought there was a chance they might survive.

There were many tactical and geographical reasons why the Greeks managed to survive for so long against what must have been a flood of Persian adversaries, but the main reason was because they were fighting for something they believed in, against an enemy which embodied its opposite. The fact remains that every last Greek died at Thermopylae. The 300 Spartans gave their lives in the name of something greater than themselves, they payed for Greek liberty with their blood. My question is this: If it came down to it today, how many lives would it take, how many would be freely given, to protect that most precious and fragile of things, our liberty?

Our leaders throw the word freedom around like it is something that only they can bestow upon us and everyone else on the planet. They force it upon nations far from our own at gun point and retract it from those who don’t want their brand of freedom. The word freedom has lost its potency. We are taught that only the state can give you freedom, only the state can protect that freedom, and in order to protect it they must dilute it and restrict it. This is not so. Freedom cannot be bestowed upon us from outside ourselves, if we are reliant upon others to guarantee our freedom then we are not free. We are beholden to those who, in their wisdom and compassion, ration out our freedom to us like treats to children who behave.

Would 300 be enough? 3000? 3 million? Enough to sway an election? Or are elections another method by which our freedom is restricted? Are there enough people in the so-called free world who care enough to stand up and say “No more. Our freedom is not yours to give. You have no right to tell us what to do. Maybe if you asked us nicely we would say yes, but we will no longer be coerced, bribed, tricked or forced into co-operation with you. You have no power over us.”  How many would it take before our leaders, who are there only at our sufferance, realised that their easy ride was over and that they would have to earn their place from now on.

Today more than ever we should remember the 300, what they stood for,  why they fought and why they died. Freedom is anything but free, more often than not it must be bought with the blood of heroes. I sincerely hope it doesn’t come to that but am ready to stand up if and when the day of our Thermopylae dawns.

[As you can probably tell I've just seen 300, the new film based on Frank Millers graphic novel re-telling of the Battle of Thermopylae. I can heartily reccomend it. A more stylish and visceral call to arms I have never seen]

Touted as ‘Donnie Darko for grownups’ this film really hits the mark and is in the same kind of family as Pi and Cube. Two techie geeks who work for big firms through the day spend their time tinkering in their garages. The current project, using magnetic fields to block gravity so as to reduce the wieght of an object, turns into something else entirely. Not a special effects extravaganza, this film is primarily about ideas. And what ideas they are. The pacing is excellent and kept me hooked for the entire 1hr 20min mindbender. I dreamed about it last night and that doesn’t happen often. It obviously got into my subconcious and started pulling strings. Really worth watching…
…more than once.