Blade III: Trinity-or why I shouldn't write screenplays

Blade III doesn't have the best rep, although most of it is rather well deserved. That being said, if Marvel/New Line for whatever reasons decided to give me the task of writing the screenplay, and if there were no problems, here is what I have.

Beware the Batman: Fall

Beware the Batman "Fall", Cartoon Network, 3 August 2014

And we're back.

We open with a black haired Alfred being captured by Ra's al Ghul (Lance Reddick). Alfred's not alone, as it seems his partner was the one who led him to being captured.

Yamishiro (the partner) isn't a hundred percent to blame though, as it was either Alfred or his family. Ra's isn't finished turning the screw however, as he gives him the Soultaker sword. "For your life to begin, his must end."

Alfred escapes in a sandstorm, which segues into a tea pot boiling. Nice effect.

Upcoming projects

Hi ho everybody

There will be some more Beware the Batman updates in the next week, plus June is going be a month long tribute to the works of Robert E. Howard and a celebration of H.P Lovecraft's 125th birthday. Shorter version: Expect some reviews on Conan and misc.

That's about it for the summer. We'll have to wait and see what the fall brings.

Pirates of Dark Water

Sometimes a show comes along and changes everything. A show that reaches millions of people and produces a fanbase that continues on well after the show is cancelled.

This isn't one of those shows.

The Pirates of Dark Water was a Hanna-Barbara show that barely ran two seasons. The first five episodes ran on FOX, the next eight on ABC, then the rest in syndication. The year wait between season also didn't help matters.

So, what was the show about? The planet Mer is suffering from Dark Water, a semi-sentient oily mass from the planet's core that corrupts and devours everything it touches. Only the thirteen Treasures of Rule can halt the blight, but all thirteen are scattered across the globe.

Ren (George Newburn), prince of the ruined Octopon, is tasked with gathering the treasures by his dying father. Along the way he recruits the pirate Ioz (Hector Elizondo), ecomancer Tula (Jodi Benson), and the monkey-bird Niddler (Roddy McDowell, later replaced by Frank Welker). Complicating the quest is the pirate lord Bloth (Brock Peters), who desires the treasures for himself.

The episodes were decently written. The animation, especially in the opening episodes, was breath taking at the time. There was a rather decent sense of continuity, with past exploits being mentioned, even in passing.  The characters remain fairly unchanging(Ren's often too trusting, Ioz's greed, etc.), but the writers build with the characteristics and let the adventure flow from that. Serious topics, such as death, weren't glossed over either. The problem (scheduling aside) with the series, was also the characters. You had the Chosen One, the rouge, the Quest, etc. All cliches by this point, although the performances manage to elevate the show past that. 

 The entire series was released onto a MOD-DVR, so you can enjoy the entire series.

Double Dragon: Or, Why I Probably Won't be Writing Screeplays for a Living

Had some fun doing the whole redoing something terrible, so I thought; as the pollen slowly clogs everything and drives me blind, why not do it again?

I'm sure most of you out there remember Double Dragon. Two guys beating up a city to rescue the girl, along with variations on that theme propelled that series to a movie in 1994. A movie that you might have missed if you were otherwise occupied for the week it was in theaters.

So, how then would I fix this? Read on and  remember the sign of the dragon.