Friends, sorry for the delayed blog postings — like many people, I've been busy with work, holiday preparations, and most recently, winter weather. On Saturday, 13 December 2008, Janice and I went into Boston for the Christmas for Horses held by the Animal Rescue League. While it was chilly by Quincy Market/Faneuil Hall, we didn't mind helping with crowd control as mounted police participated in the annual awareness-raising event. We later enjoyed lunch, checked out Macy's window decorations, and finished our holiday shopping.
On Sunday, after the usual animal shelter/City of Heroes sessions, we had Thomas K.Y. over for a roast pork dinner. We spent much of this past weekend shoveling out from the first snowstorms of the season. I still haven't yet gotten out to screen James Bond adaptation Quantum of Solace, Delgo, or Tale of Desperaux, but since they've gotten mixed reviews, there's no rush. I may catch Frank Miller's controversial take on Will Eisner's classic The Spirit after Christmas.
Speaking of movies, by now, you may have seen the latest trailers for Watchmen and Star Trek. I think the adaptation of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' seminal graphic novel looks extremely faithful to the source material, despite rumors of changes to the story's ending. As with any translation of a book to movies, some plot lines will have to be cut or reduced.
As I've mentioned before, I'm cautiously optimistic about the cinematic reboot of Gene Roddenberry's space opera. While I'm not sure it will revive or continue the franchise as well as the Star Wars: Clone Wars cartoons have for George Lucas, I would like to see more heroic, upbeat science fiction.
I finally saw No Country for Old Men on cable television, and I thought the Coen brothers' leisurely paced but grim modern Western was well done. I'm cautiously optimistic about M. Night Shyamalan's adaptation of Nickelodeon's fantasy Avatar: the Last Airbender, which has now been cast (with Caucasians rather than a mix of people, raising some protests).
In related comic book news, DC Comics and Marvel Comics are dealing with a new status quo after their "Final Crisis" and "Secret Invasion" crossover "events," respectively: Batman and Captain America have been (temporarily) replaced, Superman and Iron Man are no longer team leaders, and metahumans aren't sure whom to trust as supervillains organize.
It looks like the animated Wolverine and the X-Men may use bits of continuity from Days of Future Past, X-Men: Evolution, and the live-action movies. Live-action adaptations can be hit or miss, but the Wolverine: Origins preview looks pretty good.
Still to come: Holiday wrapup, genre television and gaming reviews, and more!
Gene's Worlds 