Alan Rapp

Rescue Dawn

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Rescue Dawn
  • IMDb: link

Rescue Dawn

The first thing you notice about Rescue Dawn is how low-tech an enterprise director Werner Herzog has undertaken.  No big special effects, no prolonged large action sequences.  This is a character study, and a darn good one.  Here is a director with a camera in a jungle letting the actors tell the tale.  It’s a great substitute for the big popcorn flicks of the summer for those of you who could give two shits about robots transforming into cars or what kind of wacky weddings Hollywood stars get themselves into on film.

Rescue Dawn isn’t a fun movie, but it is a well made film with a collection of strong performances that provide stark drama in the jungles of southeast Asia.  Based of the true story of the only American POW to ever make it out of the Laotian jungle, it’s an experience to remember.  In 1997 director Werner Herzog captured Dieter Dengler’s life in his documentary Little Dieter Needs to Fly; now ten years later Herzog returns to give us a film based on his remarkable tale.

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Behind the Scenes

/ / Film News & Trailers

Today we look behind the scenes of the new documentary The Devil Came on Horseback which examines the genocide happening in Darfur.  To begin with here are the co-directors Annie Sundberg and Ricki Stern sitting down to discuss the film.  Larger version available in the Full Diagnosis along with Q&A from Sundberg and Brian Steilde, and Steidle presenting his photographs during an interview.  You can also watch the film’s trailer.

The Devil Came on Horseback
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Directors Annie Sundberg and Ricki Stern discuss the film.

 

Brian Steidle discusses his time in Darfur and shares the stories he has seen and the photographs he has taken.

 

Annie Sundberg and Brian Stidle from South by Southwest (SXSW) earlier this year.  The quality is not the best.

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus

/ / Comics
  • Title: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Omnibus #1
  • Comic Vine: link

“Into each generation a slayer is born…”

Buffy Omnibus

This new definitive comic collection of Buffy Summers’ adventures begins at, where else, the beginning.  In “Buffy: The Origin” Joss Whedon’s original screenplay is used as the template to tell the tale of how Buffy Summers became a vampire slayer.  Re-imagined as the Gellar Buffy, the story has a more serious tone than the over-the-top campiness of the film.

“Viva Las Buffy” follows Buffy and Pike’s trip to a Las Vegas casino which contains more than a few secrets (and vampires).  The plot involves a side-story of Angel along with the “first” appearance of Rupert Giles.  We also see the end of Buffy and Pike’s relationship.

The last of the three main stories,  “Slayer, Interrupted,” focuses on Buffy’s incarceration in a mental institution after Dawn finds Buffy’s diary about her slaying and shares it with her parents.  It’s a nice look back at events that were suggested in the Season Six episode “Normal Again” as Buffy contemplates the absurdity of her life.

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Comic-Con San Diego 2007

/ / Entertainment News 

It’s that time again comic nerds; that’s right Comic-Con 2007 is only one day away!  The guest list includes Ray Bradbury, Paul Dini, Ann Eisner, Warren Ellis, Gary Friedrich, Neil Gaiman, George A. Romero and many more celebs from comics, tv, and screen (check out the list).  Here’s a look at the schedule for the four day event. For more info check out the official site.  For all of us not able to make the trip the good folks at G4 will be providing coverage of the first two days of the event including interviews and behind the scenes access beginning July 26 at 7:00/6:00 pm.

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Comic Book Movie News

/ / Film News & Trailers

In case you haven’t heard, the WTF news item of the week was Seth Rogen has been given the opportunity to write and star in The Green Hornet which has long languished in various stages of development hell.  Although I don’t mind Rogen trying his hand at the script (many writers including Edward Neumeier and Kevin Smith have tried with, so far, no success) but I do wonder at casting him in the role of pretty boy action hero Britt Reid/The Green Hornet when both George Clooney and Jake Gyllenhaal have shown interest (Clooney seems like perfect casting to me).  Jet Li has long been loosely tied to the project for the role of Kato.  You’ll know more when we do!

The Green Hornet
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