Okay people, listen up. This really worries me. I was on board for a Sandman movie when it was first announced. But since reading recent comments from producer/actor Josh Gordon-Levitt I'll admit I'm scared. How can you do justice to Neil Gaiman's Sandman comics in a 2 1/2 hour movie BETTER than a 10 episode arc on say HBO? Saying that makes no sense. If this guy f-'s up Sandman I will be very upset. In a Reddit AMA producer/actor Josh Gordon-Levitt tries to explain why a Sandman movie is better than a TV show.
"I think a big screen adaptation is a better idea and here's why. If you
did the episodic version, I think it could very well end up as a
not-as-good-version of what is already brilliant in the comics.
But by reworking the material into a big movie, Gaiman's
brilliant characters and ideas get to take shape in a way they never
have before. Also, I think Sandman deserves to look absolutely
mind-blowingly awesome, just on a visual level, and as cinematic as some
tv shows are becoming these days, they still can't compete with big
movies visually, just because they can't afford to."
My problem with this logic is - has this guy watched Game of Thrones or The Walking Dead? One based on novels the other on comics? Seriously. Both of those series show how to give the epic scope that an adaptation of Sandman needs. Unless you plan on turning each graphic novel into a movie, there's no way this is going to work. It looks like this is all set to move forward. I just hope he proves me wrong because it would be a shame to ruin what is such an amazing story from Neil Gaiman.
I was going to do a review of last nights Game of Thrones but found myself enjoying others responses to the episode. So I put together some of my favorites.
These are some tweets that I feel say it all about the season 5 finale of Game of Thrones.
[SPOILERS If you haven't watched it yet and you don't want to be spoiled don't read any further]
The winner (IMO) is at the bottom!
You know it is an episode of #GameofThrones when two people jumping from the top of a wall is the most hopeful scene
Wow, lots of mixed reviews about season five of Game of Thrones so far. Fans and critics a like have been calling this season "boring", "not living up to the first three seasons", "...like a regular tv show" (Facebook) but the outrage at the events in last nights episode, "The Dance of Dragons" is palpable. Forbes calling it "The worst [decision] they’ve made in the entire show’s run." MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD
I'm going to begin with stating that Stannis has never been a favorite of mine. I've never liked him. However, if asked before last night if I thought he could kill his daughter I would have said no way. But that doesn't mean that I'm incapable of believing the events in "The Dane of Dragons." He travels with a powerful witch and has used magic before doing whatever it took, including sacrificing people, to win. People are talking about how it's an "infuriating way to ruin Stannis as a character..." (Forbes) I never saw him as some good guy who deserved to be king. I think Stannis is an example of how power and the need to win at all cost can take over drowning out all compassion and reason. According to the showrunners in "Inside the Episode" it was George R.R. Martin himself who told them how Shireen will die. Exactly how she dies in the books is yet to be seen. (I haven't read any of the books. I came to Game of Thrones through the show.) Showrunner Dan Weiss told EW what he believes about the fans reactions and the question, "How could you do that?" He points out how Stannis and Melisandre have been sacrificing people all along.
"It’s like a two-tiered system," he said. "If a superhero knocks over
a building and there are 5,000 people in the building that we can
presume are now dead, does it matter? Because they’re not people we
know. But if one dog we like gets run over by a car, it’s the worst
thing we’ve ever seen.
"I totally understand where that visceral
reaction comes from. I have that same reaction. There’s also something
shitty about that. So instead of saying, ‘How could you do this to
somebody you know and care about?’ maybe when it’s happening to somebody
we don’t know so well, maybe then it should hit us all a bit harder."
On the subject of the show getting boring, maybe it's my generation, who grew up on slower paced shows and movies, but I have never found Game of Thrones boring. There are episodes that are slower paced, but really this show is about the drama. Sometimes drama takes time. I find the same complaints in The Walking Dead fandom. One of the reasons I watch The Walking Dead is for the "boring" human drama scenes. Game of Thrones plays out in a similar fashion. You can watch "Game of Thrones Season 5: Inside the Episode #9" here:
