Ultraman is a generational thing in North America, if you were born between 1965 and 1975, most likely you will know who he is. Any generation after that will fall wayside of the pop culture hero. If you live in Japan, that is a whole different story. Ultraman is the icon that began the Japanese pop culture export. Most of the recent Japanese cartoon success owes a bit to Ultraman. This unique series that borrows heavily from Godzilla and every other giant monster guy dressed in a rubber suit creating havoc on toy model cities that recant the destruction of Hiroshima on many levels. Symbolic and yet etched on the culture that if Japan. Now you can bask in the sun with the complete series on DVD this October by BCI Eclipse.

 

When the world is threatened by alien invaders and giant prehistoric monsters, there is only one agency equipped to handle the situation, The Science Patrol, an ultra-sophisticated police force equipped with high-tech weaponry and spacecrafts. Led by Captain Muramatsu, the team defends the planet from the unknown. Unbeknownst to the team, one of their members, Hayata, has the ability to transform into the giant superhero from Nebula M7B, Ultraman, when all their weaponry can’t stop their foes.

From teenage doctor Doogie Howser to Doctor Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, Neil Patrick Harris is making house calls once again with the latest offering by Joss Whedon.

The Hulk would definitely fail any anger management control class. The second attempt to bring the Hulk to the big screen is a success with the emphasis on a more humane Bruce Banner that tips homage to the original TV series. The only reminiscent inkling of the first big screen first movie are cameo appearances by Stan Lee and original TV Hulk Lou Ferrigno. Edward Norton who plays Bruce Banner makes him a more compassionate character and Tim Roth his nemesis in the film is a well rounded villain. The movie is a more back to basics to the original premise of the comic books. Marvel seems to be hitting a double barrelled hit with their second in-house movie. Their control of their characters is something of wonder because most publishers will just hand out their rights to  properties to make a fast buck and Marvel is guilty of that in the past where Hollywood really gave us dogs with some Marvel characters. Captain America , Spider-man, the Fantastic Four, Doctor Strange, and Thor at one time were real turkeys of movies in early incarnations. Marvel seems to be a big player now in Hollywood after two movies, this is great news for all. These characters will finally see the light of day as they were supposed to be.

With the biggest summer of comic book related movies to hit the big screen. What can be concluded with the cache of four color related movies. One, it is about time. Two, people can’t read anymore and comics is the best way to get a visual of your movie and within an hour (being generous) you can read a comic and you have a perfect idea what a movie will look like. Who needs to read a book? Comics is the way to go. Now the comic industry is getting wiser and making comics that will translate better into movies. From Indy to major publishers this is the pinnacle for the industry to get character recognition that will generate more revue for the publisher. It would be conclusive that the publishers want a bigger piece of the pie with the rights to the property. So what is a movie studio to do? Go out and get rights of characters that are either close to public domain or where most of the work is already in public domain.

 

Classic case are both Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon that were acquired by movie studios for big treatments and re-visioning the characters. Nu Image/Millennium Films got the rights to Buck Rogers and Sony Pictures won the bidding rights to Flash Gordon. Here are two characters that ruled the early part of the 20th Century in newspapers and serial movies. They got outdone by real science that made their pulp rooted stories seem childish at best. These pillars of illustrated sci-fi grandpas will once grace the screens with new stories. They never seem to get it right with these two. I think the best thing for them is if they could get them both in the same movie and battle it out for the sci-fi retirement home in the sky.

With the advent of gaming and lackluster interest in reading, illiteracy is on the rise. Who better to come to the rescue but Letterman and Easy Ready from the Electric Company. Turn up those generators cause the "The Electric Company" is coming back this January on PBS to help the young tykes to be better readers. Will Spidey be back once again to the series? Not much is known, but this is good news if the series is made in the same vein as the original series that ran from 1971-1977 which featured Morgan Freeman and was syndicated till 1985.

After many false starts, The Prisoner, looks to have legs once again to make it as a new re-versioned series. Now for every time that announcement came out would equal the attempts Number Six tried to escape the village. Christopher Eccleston is rumored once again to play Number Six. For those unaware Christopher Eccleston was the first "new era" Dr. Who who left the popular series because he did not want to be typecast in the role. The Prisoner is a cult series that finds new fans year after year. This is one show that should not be tampered with, campy at times with "the rovers" and other outlandish Number Two characters. If you are not a fan, this is one series that will fall on the wayside of Hollywood’s adaptation of "The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy." The Prisoner was a show that worked on many levels and personal perception that also typecast Patrick McGoohan for life. Now in his eighties, the actor has tried to disassociate from the show. He has become in sense a prisoner of his own fame. Read more>>