Steve Jobs was the creator, co-founder, chairman and face of one of the largest companies in the world. Sadly, Jobs died in Oct. of 2011. The world still mourns for him.

Hollywood, of course, will be honoring profiting from his life and death in a biopic indie simply called Jobs.  Joshua Michael Stern (Swing Vote) will direct from a script written by Matt Whiteley.

A film documenting one our generations foremost technology pioneers was certainly not unexpected. The man that has just been cast to play Jobs however, well that just threw me for a loop.

Variety says  Two and a Half Men and former That ’70s Show star Ashton Kutcher will portray the late Apple co-founder.

Despite my desire for this to be an April Fools joke, it is not. Ashton got the job (pun intended). The film will follow Jobs’ life from “wayward hippie to co-founder of Apple, where he became one of the most revered creative entrepreneurs of our time.”

I’m not convinced Kutcher has the chops to pull it off. I will admit, however, they look very similar. That’s all, though.

Jobs shaped a lot of things within the tech, music, and film industries. You’d think Hollywood would honor his memory with a much more respectable actor. Oh well, that’s Hollywood for you.

Comment (1)

A documentary called Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American Superheroines will premiere at SXSW this year, and it’s all about girl power.  In response to the fact that our society places significantly much more focus on the male superhero, this documentary explores the rise and development of the female superheroine.  Powerful women in popular culture are more prominent than they were back in the day when Wonder Woman was pretty much it, and we can expect rates to keep increasing in the coming years.  The documentary uses Wonder Woman as the jumping point for powerful women in comics and other media.  It actually sounds pretty damn interesting, and I would definitely like to see this at some point.

Check out the trailer below!

Hit the jump for the official synopsis.

(more…)

No Comments

This documentary from filmmakers Kristy Guevara-Flanagan and Kelcey Edwards has already come to be thanks to a successful Kickstarter campaign, but now they need a little more help to bring the film to the South By Southwest Film Festival (SXSW) in Austin, Texas.

Originally titled, The History of the World According to Wonder Woman, the doc, “traces the fascinating evolution and legacy of Wonder Woman. From the birth of the comic book superheroine in the 1940s, to the blockbusters of today,WONDER WOMEN! looks at how popular representations of powerful women often reflect society’s anxieties about women’s liberation.” It features interviews with Lynda Carter (Wonder Woman) and Lindsay Wagner (The Bionic Woman) as well as activists Gloria Steinem and Shelby Knox.

But the real stars of documentary are kick ass ladies like Ripley, Sarah Conner, Buffy Summers, Xena the Warrior Princess and of course, Wonder Women. In this film these iconic characters get to shine and that’s a cause worth supporting.

Check out the trailer below, it really starts at about the 1:15 mark after a message from the filmmakers.

Their Kickstarter campaign has only 23 more days to go, and they’ve raised $8,452 of their $15,000 goal. These funds will be going to, “professionally sound mix and color grade the film and prepare a festival print,” in addition to getting the film to the festival. Even if you only pledge a dollar every bit helps. Of course, if you can pledge more you could receive some cool rewards.

So come on, spread the word, donate if you can, and let’s help get these sexy, ass kickin ladies to the big screen!

Source: DC Women Kicking Ass

No Comments

Make all the cracks you want about George Lucas being a crappy director and an even crappier writer (Episode III — The dialogue!! — Those lines, they burn!) you’ve gotta admit the guy’s a fantastic idea man. While Star Wars pulls from all sorts of resources for inspiration, from classic Greek mythology to samurai films, the universe Lucas defined is unique and engaging. Otherwise there’d be no Star Wars fandom like there is to day. Well, that and its incredible merchandising.

All those cool ideas he had about the Force and lightsabers and hyperdrives and sexy, Twi’lek slave dancers, they all create the fabric of why we’re still obsessed with the Star Wars universe (Even after a few terrible movies).

Below is a neat documentary, which you can watch IN FULL, where Lucas sits down with Bill Moyers to discuss the mythology of Star Wars. An interesting watch for any Star Wars nerd, which I’m probably correct in presuming, we all are here.

Bill Moyers joined George Lucas at Skywalker Ranch in northern California to talk about the ancient myths and personal values that have synthesized into Star Wars. The epic themes in Lucas’ cinematic stories are a springboard for a candid conversation about family, fatherhood, spiritual beliefs, and the importance of moral tales for every generation. Intercut with movie footage from the original trilogy as well as the prequel, The Mythology of Star Wars with George Lucas and Bill Moyers provides a revealing journey in the company of the filmmaker through some of the most famous scenes of the Star Wars saga.

Source: Geek Tyrant

Comments (2)

Patrick Meaney, left, with Warren Ellis and his 'Captured Ghosts' co-producer Jordan Rennert

Yesterday I happily posted my review of Patrick Meaney’s new documentary Warren Ellis: Captured Ghosts, a profile of the legendary comics writer and follow up to Meaney’s other awesome comic creator doc, Grant Morrison: Talking with Gods. Ahead of the film’s big Friday night screening at New York Comic Con ’11, Patrick was nice enough to take the time to answer some questions about the film, the future and what he’s working on next.

(more…)

No Comments

Watching Warren Ellis: Captured Ghosts is a bit like plugging some kind of ethereal feed into your brain stem that’s constantly spewing an angry coil of energy and creative bravado. Warren Ellis is a legendary comics writer, a futurist icon, a cyberpunk philosopher, Internet Jesus. These could easily be empty terms, buzz words, excuses. If you believe that now, you won’t after seeing this film. It hits you like a whiskey-soaked punch and keeps pushing you forward, face first, until you understand that comics as we know them now would not exist without this man. Warren Ellis is a man who sees the future, and Captured Ghosts is a film that peels back his endless layers of mystique and cigarette smoke-clouded persona until you understand why.

(more…)

No Comments

Holy Tribble shits! Can you believe it? Okay, you can, Star Trek has been a sci-fi classic my entire lifetime and I’m guessing all, if not most of your’s, too. How are you planning to celebrate? The obvious choice would be watching, ‘The Man Trap’ which was the first episode ever aired. Really great classic Trek involving a past lover of Dr. McCoy’s and a salt-sucking vampire-monster. It, along with all of classic Trek, are available for streaming on Netflix as well as CBS.com.

If classic Trek is a little too campy for you, check out Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Voyager, or Star Trek: Enterprise. Though, they tend to be a little campy too, and they can’t even excuse it with a measly 1960s budget. For the Trekkie tykes there’s Star Trek: The Animated Series and for your friends who really cannot stand Star Trek there’s the new J.J. Abrams movie. All are available on Netflix and some on CBS. So, you really don’t have much of an excuse to not Trek out today.

In conjunction with the big 4-5 anniversary the Science Channel has announced a new documentary, Trek Nation, airing on November 30th.

The film shadows Gene Roddenberry’s son, Rod, as he explores his family legacy and the crusade his father’s passion and curiosity for exploration. Through interviews with his most devoted fans, including George Lucas and J.J. Abrams, TREK NATION follows a son searching for the wisdom of his father.  TREK NATION demonstrates that Roddenberry’s work has not only inspired legions of fans across the globe, but also generated a movement which has influenced entertainment, politics, space travel, social morality and much more. TREK NATION profiles how the Star Trek franchise helped foster a timeless understanding of the human condition and captured man’s constant search for a better world.

I’m almost as big a fan of documentaries as I am Star Trek, so this news is all full of win. Below, watch a special, never before seen clip from the upcoming doc.

To keep up with Trek Nation check ‘em out on Facebook and follow ‘em on Twitter, @ScienceChannel.

And, if you feel especially Trekkie today, share your favorite Star Trek moment in the comments. Mine? The ending of Wrath of Khan, I cry every time.

No Comments

If you made it to the San Diego ComicCon this year, you might have had a chance to see a few peeks of Warren Ellis: Captured Ghosts, the forthcoming documentary directed by Patrick Meaney and co-produced by Respect Films and Sequart on the life and work of the legendary creator of Transmetropolitan, Planetary, Doktor Sleepless, Freakangels and Fell. While some of us here at NerdBastards (namely our Fearless Leader Luke, the bastard) made it to the con, we weren’t able to make that particular panel. Luckily, the director himself was kind enough to send me his SDCC clip reel.

(more…)

No Comments

Last month, the Space channel in Canada began airing Fanboy Confessional, a documentary series of nerdery where each episode focuses on one facet of the nerd life.

From the Space channel blog:

There’s a brand new show coming to Space celebrating everything that’s great about being a fan.. it’s called Fanboy Confessional. The show features a different “fandom” each week and follows around a few people devoted to that passion. There’s horror week, steampunk week, furry week and more!

Sounds pretty fuckin’ awesome (and definitely better than Dashboard Confessional). Check out the trailer below!

Being Canadian, I’m ashamed to say that I hadn’t heard of this series until now… but I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for it! Check this page out for more deets.

Source: Topless Robot

No Comments

If you’ve been to a convention, then you’ve seen different kinds of costumed crazed fans. These people can walk around in 30+ heat in costumes that wouldn’t permit anyone to be as chipper as they seem.

These people are called Cosplayers, the people that are slightly off from the norm, but in a world all their own and they- well 3 of them anyway- are the subject of director Josh Laner‘s My Other Me: A Film About Cosplayers.

Have you ever seen a documentary film about Cosplayers? Shit No! These people are the fans that are willing to dress up as the characters you see, play or read about, but are either too nervous or unwilling to try. You might laugh at a Cosplayer for what they choose to wear all day, or even be shocked by it, but you can’t deny the time they spend on a costume. They are the die hard of die hard fans, willing to look ridiculous around people just as ridiculous as themselves.

These people are dedicated and I mean that in the highest sense, just check out the trailer an see for yourself.

Special thanks to Laughing Squid.

“My Other Me: A Film About Cosplayers” will chronicle the lives of 3 distinctly different cosplayers as they prepare their costumes for the upcoming season of Anime and Fan Fest conventions.”

The film is currently still in production and you can contribute via its Indie Go Go page right here.

Via: /Film

No Comments