Babel Clash

I enjoyed Avatar, and I’m excited about what its success will mean for Science Fiction.  I’m optimistic that it will inspire other studios to support quality, big budget science fiction pics , and not just ones attached to familiar brands such as Star Wars and Star Trek.

The ability to create such an authentic and vivid alien landscape and draw the audience into it will create more demand than ever for new worlds.  I’m excited to see how Hollywood further integrates this new technology but also realistic enough to know that not every director will be capable of keeping pace with Cameron.

Patrick, do you consider your new novel, the Breach, to be cinematic?  Would it be a good fit for the big screen, and is that something that you envision?

Based on what little of the new Holmes movie that we’ve seen in the trailer, it appears as if the supernatural plays some part.  Now, that may all turn out to be smoke & mirrors, but it does look to involve the occult in some way.  So, what’s your preference on the good doctor and the supernatural?  Do you prefer a game committed to deductive reasoning and cold, hard logic. or does a healthy dose of mysticism pose a suitable challenge for the genius detective?

John, after reading and editing so many Holmes stories, will you approach the movie with a different set of expectations?

Also, to all, feel free to jump over to the Borders Ink Facebook page and weigh in on which big December film you’re more excited to watch:  Sherlock Holmes or Avatar.

Here’s the link: Sherlock Holmes vs. Avatar on Facebook

I’ve never been able to get excited about wolfmen. I don’t know what it is, You’ve got a guy. He turns into a big dog. He does it on a regular basis. Sure, it’s a problem. It just doesn’t grab me.

As for this particular incarnation of same, it’s looking pretty bog-standard. Which is to say that if I liked werewolves, I would like this. As it is the only thing that really speaks to me is the bit at 1:39, where Anthony Hopkins is all, “you’ve done terrible things,” and he’s kinda smiling, creepily, as if he’s glad Benicio del Toro has done terrible things …

As for Avatar, I’ve weighed in on this elsewhere at greater length, so I’ll just say two things here. One, the movie itself looks pretty not-great — big and sentimental, like a mega-budget FernGully remake with borderline-cliché exotic aliens. But two, it’s a tech demo for what will be a really unbelievably great movie that somebody else is going to make. It really moves the chains on what CGI can do. Seriously, you have to see it on the big screen, in 3D. It doesn’t look like anything else.

What do you think, are these trailers crush-worthy?  They were the big two trailers to launch last week, both for movies that should be blockbusters.

Avatar Trailer

Wolfman Trailer

Lev, congratulations on the bestseller!  I suspect that there are a lot of new fans crushing on your book!  It’s good stuff.