More on Highlander: The Source

[yendi]

I made the mistake of going to the official web page.

Here's the bio of hack director and Uwe Boll wannabe Brett Leonard, with my comments in bold and brackets:

Brett Leonard pioneered the creation of digital visual effects in filmmaking with 1992's Lawnmower Man [Wow! "Pioneered?" So Lawnmower Man was made before Westworld, Tron, and The Abyss? That's awesome! And horseshit!], he also directed 1995's Virtuosity [which, once American Gangster comes out, will go down as the second-best teaming of Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington], and most recently completed Marvel's Man-Thing [It's true. At the end of the film, Man-Thing turns to the director and shouts, "you complete me," and we all have a Jerry McGuire moment. Actually, that would have made the film better than what Leonard actually produced]. He is heralded as a maverick in science fiction, fantasy and adventure by creating films with a strong visual presence [By whom? His mother? "Sucking" is not synonymous with being a maverick. Seriously. If he were a maverick with some underground vision, he'd be making films for edgy indie studios, or financing things off his credit cards when the mainstream studios (and don't dare suggest that anything made for Sci-Fi is less than mainstream) reject him.].

Director Brett Leonard commented "This is a tremendous opportunity for a storyteller of this genre to take part in the mythology of 20 years." [Yes, it's a great opportunity. Just like the Titanic was a great opportunity for a big ship to cross the ocean. It's what happened afterwards that's the issue here.] He continues that "HIGHLANDER is an amazing ongoing story that I can bring my visual style to... Everything I have done has led me to this kind of mythical fantasy." [In other words, "no one will pay me for another monster movie, crappy cyber-movie, or Sigfried and Roy documentary, so a stumbling franchise is my last, best hope.]


Only one of the two new writers gets a page (we assume that the other one retired from writing before turning in the bio), but it turns out that Kelvin Watkins edited the Georgetown literary magazine, which vastly lowers my opinion of the fine university that gave Patrick Ewing his degree in Fine Arts. He also decided to become a screenwriter instead of a novelist, because he " learned that novelists usually become famous and rich only after they die." I'd snark that screenwriters don't fare much better, but in a world in which Akiva Goldsman wins Oscars and makes millions, Watkins will probably strike it rich.

Comments

[feste-sylvain.livejournal.com]

I would like to believe that the other writer saw what was happening to the script once it left his hands, and washed his name of it.

I don't believe that writers have an "Alan Smithee" clause, unless they're Harlan Ellison/Cordwainer Bird.

so

[naturalfractual.livejournal.com]

SO what do you think about it? Really? :)

Actually, I had the 'opportunity' to see the second movie, which will go unnamed - a friend and I saw the first minute, put it on hold, went and got a huge bottle of wine and swigged two glasses, then watched - it was the only way to - giggle - through itas we killed the rest of the jug.

Sounds like that wouldn't even help with this last effort.

[jdotmi.livejournal.com]

You know, the more I read about this the angrier I get. The franchise was decent at one time. Who the hell decided it was okay to go all Highlander 2 on it AGAIN?

[beldar.livejournal.com]

Y'know, I liked Highlander best as the single original movie, and that narrative worked pefectly -- last few Immortals winds down to the last two (with some backstory supplied so we all know what's going on and empathize with characters), hero finishes rival, he gets Prize, The End, roll credits, play more Queen.

There never needed to be any more. Each sequel film (starting with the disastrous "Highlander II") only cheapened the franchise and chipped away from my enjoyment of the mythos.

[corwinok.livejournal.com]

Agreed

Highlander is no "ongoing story" fer chrissakes. It ENDED when Connor cut off the Kurgan's head.

[yendi]

I suspect that Ellison didn't so much have a clause as he did have Harlan Ellison's tenaciousness.

But yeah, I think there's also the factor that most new writers can't afford the gamble of having their name removed. Ellison, Russell, Matheson, and others who have had their names taken off films were already big-name writers when they did so. Sad as it sounds, H: TS will probably still serve these guys better than no credit at all.

Re: so

[yendi]

In fairness, I'm not sure anyone here phoned in their performance as much as Connery did in #2. But yeah, it was pretty damned bad.

[yendi]

This is worse, honestly.

[yendi]

I actually had high hopes for #3, which had offered the possibility of introducing a new villain without contradicting the events of the first one, but it was just plain lousy.

[yendi]

In fairness, the TV universe is essentially Earth 2, and the final two movies take place there, where Conner and the Kurgan were just two very powerful immortals who had a showdown.

[curt-holman.livejournal.com]

"He is heralded as a maverick in science fiction, fantasy and adventure by creating films with a strong visual presence"

?

Would that really make someone a "maverick?" Don't sci-fi and fantasy films nearly always have "strong visual presence" (whatever that means), given their emphasis on special effects and otherworldly art direction? A maverick would be someone who made sci-fi/fantasy with NO strong visual presence, like, I dunno, 'Primer.'

Plus, this also assumes that "maverick" = "good." Arguably Ed Wood was a maverick.

[kellirose1313.livejournal.com]

I liked Virtuosity, Lawnmower Man and even *gasp* Highlander II. The difference is I don't think they're good films. I think they're entertaining enough fodder to distract me from life on occassion.

[beldar.livejournal.com]

I watched that one at a convention video room at 3 a.m., so my brain was sufficiently inactive to halfway enjoy it. But it didn't need to be made, and I'm not picking up the DVD.

[ex-bookkeep.livejournal.com]

You keep seeking out the sucktastic in order to know more. Upon knowing more, you become angrier over the sucktasticness of the vile thing you loathe. You do realize you've become a player in your very own Lovecraftian drama: drawn ever closer to the horror even as you know it will eat your soul.

Step away, Yendi! Step away now lest we find you twitching in Boston Common murmuring "Age lines on an immortal..age lines on an immortal, Ia! Ia!"

[unquietsoul5.livejournal.com]

I recorded it but haven't watched it yet. I'm kind of scared to after your reviews.

I did see the original, and the English Theater release version of the original (which was longer), the other films and the entire tv series....even the second movie that should never had been made.

The tv series was decent for what it was, except that last season was definitely after it had jumped the shark. I liked the tv series use of only old rock stars as guests, finding it very amusing (since all rock stars are seeking immortality in their own way).

You seem to hate this tv movie with a vengeance.... along with it's "creative team", it's kind of scary to watch you go on about it. Should we worry that you might become a stalker and hunt them down?

YES

[naturalfractual.livejournal.com]

Hunt them down! Hunt them down!

[yendi]

No worries -- they're not worth the effort.

[yendi]

I figure that was because Methos really died the first time when he was fifty, and had been using concealer on the series.

[yendi]

I can actually watch H2 as a distraction, but not the other ones, I'm afraid.

[yendi]

*nod* Maverick just refers to the fact that he's against the establishment. Lots of crappy directors are mavericks (Uwe Boll is pretty clearly a maverick, for instance).

[coyotegoth.livejournal.com]

What- was Cimino too busy?