Saturday, April 23, 2005

Stupid Hero Hype

I got a notice from the DMV a few days ago. No, trust me; this is good news. My license renewal is coming up. No, it's still good news. Because I have no moving violations, all I have to do is mail them back a $25 check and a postcard. See? That's good. Of course, if I want to use a picture that doesn't make me look 17 years old (I'm about to turn 21), I might have to actually get out and do something. The DMV notice came with a voter registration form. This means I get to scare my parents once again by refusing to register Democrat. Ph33r my non-party affiliation! Ph33r it...!!!!11five Makes it kind of hard (read: impossible) to vote in Primaries when you don't have a party, though. Has anybody seen the new picture of Brandon Routh in his Superman costume from the upcoming Superman Returns movies? (CLICK ME, SEYMORE!) When I first saw it, I couldn't help but think there was something slightly off about it. Something about the costume just doesn't seem right. Then it hit me; The 'S' symbol looks like crap! Ignoring the fact that they decided to glue a plastic plate on his chest, it's just too damn small. Superman's 'S' usually takes up enough space on his costume to stop his shirt from looking stupid and overbearingly blue. I'm not exactly Queer Eye for the Superhero, but come on. Meanwhile, Nicolas Cage (CLICK IT LIKE IT'S HOT) is looking mighty cadaverous as Johnny Blaze/Ghost Rider, which isn't so bad, considering Nick Cage always looks like he's half-dead. While I'm on a role talking about comic book movies, I might as well talk about the fact that Wesley Snipes is suing the movie studio and producers of Blade Trinity for $5million for putting him in a bad movie. I'm entirely serious. But why simply rant when I can do...? Taken from Variety... Actor Wesley Snipes has sued New Line Cinema, writer-director David Goyer and Toby Emmerich, executive producer of "Blade: Trinity," in a wide-ranging federal lawsuit seeking more than $5 million in damages. I'd like to join in on that Lawsuit, and add Mr. Snipes himself to the list, as well as an extra $9.00 for theatre tickets. In a suit filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, Snipes alleges that in violation of his contract, the director, screenplay and supporting cast of "Blade: Trinity" were forced on him. He also claims he's still owed a portion of his fee and that he was harassed and defamed because of his race. New Line declined to comment. If his contract states that he had a say in the director, story, and cast, then he may have a valid argument. That is, unless he failed say anything before filming. Then he's an idiot. Goyer penned all three "Blade" scripts. According to the complaint, however, Snipes had concerns about him directing the third film in the trilogy and was not informed until six weeks before filming began that Goyer would direct. Similarly, he was not given an opportunity to object to the "juvenile level of humor" in the screenplay and the change in focus from the Blade character to two sidekicks. He didn't have the opportunity? The director was also the screenwriter! He could've consulted it with him and the Producer during the whomping month and a half before filming, or even while filming. Producers change parts of the script during filming all the time, and directors always take liberties with the script (especially when the director is also the writer). And wasn't Snipes himself a producer? Snipes claims the real purpose of "Blade III" was to set the stage for spinoffs featuring other cast members. "This is the only big name movie I've starred in for the past 2 years. I want it to center around me more. I know it's the third installment, I've clearly been established as a major player, and that I'm still getting paid the most, but do you really need to set up a spin-off movie?" Snipes blames Goyer for the critical response to the film, citing reviews describing Goyer as a "disastrous choice" and calling the film a "bloody mess." Film, released last December, has grossed $52 million at the domestic box office. Snipes and his strange substitute for emoting 'rage' while acting-- they take none of the blame. In money terms, Snipes alleges that he is still owed over $3 million on his fee. Fair enough. I heard that they short-changed him from being even richer. Furthermore, Snipes claims that because he was employed by a Swiss loan-out company and the movie was filmed in Canada, he should have been exempt from tax liability. But New Line withheld income taxes and failed to cooperate in obtaining a tax indemnity from the Canadian government. Snipes has had well-publicized tax problems in the past. Have you seen the kind of taxes they pay in Canada? No wonder they have free health care. Snipes also claims that in contrast to the first two "Blade" films, in which efforts were made to select a multiracial cast and crew, defendants intentionally hired only white people, leading to feelings of isolation and exclusion by Snipes. "My contract specifically states that there be one person blacker than me on the set at all times!" Sadly, the one person on Earth blacker than Snipes could not be reached for comment... or we just couldn't find him. It was dark outside.* *Okay, I made up that last quote. He also claims that Goyer made racially motivated statements about Snipes being unprofessional and difficult to work with, and that Goyer refused to discipline a crew member who wore a racially discriminatory T-shirt on the set. You know, if Goyer really is such a racist, why didn't Snipes sue him when they worked together in ZigZag? Or bring it to the Producer's attention beforehand? What's that? Snipes was a Producer? Much Love

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