We the People of the United States…are some weird dudes. A clever but clearly tongue-in-cheek petition to build a Star Wars -style Death Star isn’t the only petition that’s been started on the Obama administration’s much-debated We The People website. That’s the place where ordinary citizens can log in and lobby for change. When a petition registered on the site gets 25,000 signatures, the administration issues an official response to it, which, you might guess, means that there are quite a few wackadoo proposals on the site. In addition to the Death Star proposal, which needs more than 21,000 signatures before its Dec. 14 deadline, there is also a petition started by “Sean M” of San Francisco that seeks to establish a “new legal system of motorcycle riding ‘Judges’ who serve as police, judge, jury, and executioner all in one.” If you saw Dredd 3D or are a fan of Judge Dredd comics, you’ll get the reference. If you’re like me, you’ll also start thinking of Karl Urban riding in formation with leather-clad Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia and Ruth Bader Ginsburg who also know how to scowl effectively. And for you gamer fans, nathan p of Columbus, Ohio has petitioned the administration to build a statue of Halo hero Master Chief on the White House lawn, noting: “He deserves more praise for what he has done.” Compared to those last two petitions, the Death Star proposal at least has some satirical bite, nothing that its construction will “spur job creation…and strengthen our national defense.” It could also boost Disney’s stock. It will be interesting to see if any of these petitions makes their 25,000-signature deadlines, which all fall at the end of next week. As of this posting, the Master Chief statute proposal is in the lead with more than 4,700 signatures, and Halo fans are a passionate breed. This could get interesting. Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
The Dark Knight Rises finally arrives this weekend, and curiously, amid the hype attending Christopher Nolan and his top-flight cast , two other performers have been strongly covered in the media: The behemoth tank that is The Tumbler , and the exciting off-shoot vehicle known as The Batpod. Considering the latter is one of the most arresting two-wheelers ever featured on-screen, we celebrate its revival by highlighting nine other curiosities Hollywood has offered up in the motorcycle category. Captain America Chopper – Easy Rider At first it might seem a pedestrian selection, but upon release in 1969 this was in fact a striking departure for motorcycle design. Following World War II, returning veterans kicked off a wave of automotive redesign with self-created modifications; garage-built hot rods rose in popularity, and similar to that were the emergence of “bobbers,” motorcycles mechanically altered by their owners. This involved taking a showroom motorcycle and trimming away parts deemed superfluous, such as fenders and foot boards, in an effort to make a streamlined and lighter bike. By the 1960s bobbing gave way to more extreme experimentation. Owners began making changes to the basic structure of the motorcycle itself, cutting and welding the frames into new shapes in a practice called “chopping.” This produced wholesale alterations to the appearance, and Easy Rider opened America’s eyes to the new practice. Features such as the lowered rider position, extended forks, and raised sissy-bar seat backs were stark visions at the time, and soon the term “chopper” entered the national lexicon to describe the lengthened cruising style motorcycle. Light Cycles – Tron , Tron Legacy It’s one thing to design a new look to motorcycles artistically, but to have that creation become iconic makes a real statement. Initially conceived for the video visual realm in the original movie, the light cycles quickly became one of the most popular components of the cult classic. These concept vehicles even became a linchpin component to the related video game. When Disney announced plans to remake their property years ago, much of the anticipation surrounded what the new light cycles would look like,and the studio made the digital vehicles a center point in their marketing. Where previously the design involved the characters morphing into a pixilated cycle, the new version had the rider stretched forward across and becoming incorporated into the cycle, remaining visible on camera. Even as both films had a number of detractors, the light cycles from each have maintained high levels of appreciation. Kaneda’s Street Bike – Akira What is probably the most popular anime out of Japan is one that instantly calls to mind a lone visual; any mention of the title automatically provokes the image of this highly-stylized motorcycle. Conceived with a futuristic combination of street-bike esthetics and over-sized touring-bike comfort, this vehicle provokes envy while challenging engineering. There have been many attempts over the years to replicate the physics of this hand-drawn creation into a reality (Kanye West even commissioned one to be built for a music video), but the results of those builds to date have underwhelmed. Fans still hold out hope that the proposed, yet oft-delayed, live-action version of the film will someday bring about a fully realized physical version of the famed bike. The Lawmaster – Judge Dredd When Sylvester Stallone donned the famous helmet of the violent jurist (and angered many by removing said helmet), he also had to carry forward other elements from the British comic. The opulent uniform was both true to form and ridiculous in execution (the codpiece was a nice touch); conversely, his famous ride paled in comparison to the comic origins. This is due to the motorcycle having rather cartoonish features in print, so when Stallone rode into frame for his introduction, the famed Lawmaster came off as almost a disappointment, and thus an afterthought. At the recent Comic-Con, footage of the reboot generated positive responses. Hopefully the producers worked on this detail. The Bonnevile Bike – The World’s Fastest Indian Some may have questioned Anthony Hopkins trying to pass himself as a Native American, but the Indian in the title actually refers to the make of motorcycle featured in the film. This is the true story of a New Zealand motorcycle racer named Burt Munro, who, in the 1960s, set a series of land-speed records on a bike of his own creation. Rather than state-of-the-art engineering, Munro modified his cycle entirely in his own garage simply with the tools at his disposal. More stunning was his doing so using a nearly 50-year old motorcycle. He cracked the 200mph threshold on his archaic ride, and even more amazingly, one of his speed records is still in place today. The Demon Chopper – Ghost Rider As a child stunt rider Johnny Blaze sells his soul to the Devil; later in life he is enlisted by Old Scratch to serve as a bounty hunter. In paying off his debt, Blaze changes into The Ghost Rider, and as he does the motorcycle transforms as well — into a rather daft looking set piece. As Johnny is full ablaze he lays his hands on the gas tank of his cherished bike (probably not the wisest move), and we watch as his ride morphs into a garish piece of machinery with a massive skull perched between the handlebars, long forks made of chain link, and an aforementioned gas tank webbed with bony fingers. The end result truly appears less a menacing conveyance from Hades than it does a goofy prop you’d likely see on stage during a GWAR concert. The V-Rex – Fast & Furious The fourth iteration of this car-intensive series features Paul Walker perched in the saddle of this wildly conceived motorcycle. The futuristic appearance also features a unique design function. The front wheel is not held by a traditional fork assembly but instead has a swing-arm mount, the sort normally seen as a rear-wheel set up. It is dampened by a solitary large shock absorber positioned beneath the twin halogen headlamps. This gives a vaguely robotic appearance, one which was actually pitched to Michael Bay as a possible component for the second Transformers . (He ultimately dismissed featuring a robotic motorcycle gang in that franchise.) Rather than a piece of fancy from a Hollywood design garage, this vehicle is actually a production model by Travertson, a Florida manufacturer. Moto Terminators – Terminator: Salvation One of the components included in the attempt at rejuvenation of this franchise was a collection of automaton two-wheeled terminators, outfitted with heavy ordnance and shown as distinctively riderless. The automatic gun turrets featured an articulated mounting that served as counter-balancing when the motorcycle leaned into turns. Sporting artificial intelligence and rocket launchers, the end result was a motorcycle gang on the roads more intimidating than the Hell’s Angels. The Turbine Bike – Priest Last summer’s Priest was soon forgotten by those few who watched it, and yet there has been one enduring memory: The title character’s motorcycle. The story is an odd one, set in both in a dystopian future and an alternate universe, involving a centuries-long battle between humans and vampires. Paul Bettany plays a warrior priest who breaks from the church to wage a battle, yadda-yadda. The one takeaway for most viewers was the striking bike Bettany uses to run down a train carrying vampires, a curiosity featuring an impressive turbine engine, mounted where one might normally expect the gas tank to be found. BONUS: Tricked-Out Scooter – Quadrophenia In this 1979 film adaptation of the classic Who album, disillusioned youths play out a dramatic existence in London, and mini-motor-bikes feature prominently. Some may find it a stretch to conjure a fully appointed Lambretta scooter serving as a metaphor, but the appearance of the multi-mirrored ride is enough to bring about a grin. [Clip language NSFW] Brad Slager has written about movies and entertainment for Film Threat, Mediaite, and is a columnist at CHUD.com . His less insightful impressions on entertainment can be found on Twitter .
‘Tonally, these films couldn’t be more different,’ Urban tells MTV News at Comic-Con about 1994’s ‘Judge Dredd’ vs. his upcoming movie. By Kevin P. Sullivan Karl Urban Photo: Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images
“I hope you like your films dark and gritty,” Dredd 3D star Karl Urban declared as he introduced the debut screening of the sci-fi reboot Wednesday night before Comic-Con , emphasizing what Lionsgate’s hard-R action pic is not — namely, the second coming of Sylvester Stallone’s campy 1995 take on the comic book enforcer. “I want to apologize to anyone who’s a fan of Lycra and gold codpieces,” he added with a smile. “You’re just going to have to wait for two hours.” Urban stars as Judge Dredd, a steadfast one-man “judge, jury and executioner” in a futuristic America rendered decrepit by atomic war. Tasked with assessing a rookie Judge (Olivia Thirlby) in the field, Dredd and his green partner find themselves trapped in a tenement building on lockdown, caught in the sights of a crime lord named Ma-Ma (a fantastically brutal Lena Headey) with an army of eager thugs on their trail. Dredd establishes itself quickly, banishing the memory of the oft-maligned Stallone version by running with a graver tone, ultraviolent action, and its slum-set plot rather than focus on the man beneath the helmet. (Which never comes off, though Urban’s grimace is much more expressive than you’d think.) The cinematography, by Oscar-winner Anthony Dod Mantle ( Slumdog Millionaire , 28 Days Later ), is often superb, particularly in slowed-down sequences evoking the in-film POV of drug users on “Slo-mo,” an illicit narcotic that slows down time for its user — a clever write-in to justify shooting cool slowed-down sequences, but stunning nonetheless. Much of Dredd revolves around action — the Judges’ multi-use combat weapons are neat sci-fi gadgets, and Urban and Thirlby creep around with military precision in their SWAT-esque uniforms, bullets sending balletic sprays of red across the screen. It’s a bloody affair with its share of gory kills, but the weight of the loss of life is always palpable; a forlorn sense of humanity hangs in the air, from the moral conflict Thirlby’s Anderson wrestles with in the “executioner” part of her job description to the far-away gaze in Headey’s eyes as she orders her own men murdered, and torturously so, just to send a message. Which brings us to two of Dredd ’s biggest strengths: Its female characters. Given that the film’s eponymous hero is a dependably stoic chap whose reputation is so faultless it seems to annoy the other Judges – RoboCop without the Robo, with a set of moral codes as deeply-set as his jawline – Urban does a lot despite acting with just half of his face. But the real depth and complexities lie in Thirlby’s idealistic rookie and Headey’s big boss, two women at opposite ends of the moral spectrum. Anderson finds strength in embracing her own innate sense of empathy over the brutal righteousness of the department, though she proves herself more than capable in physical and mental combat. And Ma-Ma slinks around her penthouse control room, having slashed her way to the top with calculating ruthlessness, wearing the perpetual haunted snarl of a survivor. As such, it’s disappointing to see how much Dredd simply bottoms out at the end. Writer Alex Garland and director Pete Travis fail to seize the opportunity to tie it all together with meaning — something, anything — to elevate Dredd beyond mere fun, better-than-you-expect shoot ’em up entertainment. The pieces work surprisingly well; so why let the cumulative potential slip through your fingers? Some subtle character developments wrap up the proceedings, which conclude with a coda so abrupt the movie practically, clumsily, begs for a chance to finish its thoughts in a sequel. The first trailer doesn’t do Dredd justice — but even then, you can’t help thinking that Dredd , amazingly enough, could have been much more. Dredd 3D hits theaters Sept. 21. Read more from Comic-Con 2012. Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
“Somewhere in this block are two judges,” a crime lord declares over loudspeakers in a concrete, locked-down tenement. “I want them dead.” Is this the American remake of Gareth Evans ‘ fantastic silat action pic The Raid ? Nope. It’s the first trailer for Dredd ! As in, the second cinematic coming of Judge Dredd, the futuristic crime fighting officer made famous by Sylvester Stallone , here replaced by a serious-faced, robotic Karl Urban, whose lower jaw we’re going to be seeing a lot of in the September reboot. Pete Travis ( Vantage Point ) directs (after some editing room drama ) the slick-looking Dredd — shot in 3-D — which promises a dirty future ridden with crime, the population under the control of Lena Headey’s drug-pushing villainess. The fictional narcotic “Slo-mo” makes characters feel as if time is moving at a slow crawl, giving Travis the occasion to give things that gorgeous speed-manipulated floating feeling, which should help distract from the glaring familiarity of the film’s set-up. Which brings me to the aforementioned issue; if I hadn’t seen (and loved) The Raid , which exploited the basic premise of a few lone law officers fighting their way through a slum building to get to its big boss with great aplomb, the trailer’s plot reveal would feel a lot fresher. Now I’m just wondering if any of the fights will come close to matching the inventiveness of Evans’ bone-crunching Indonesian picture. And with Urban set to never take off that Dredd mask in the film — and delivering lines like “I’m the law” with no trace of Sly’s charisma — this feels like a precursor to the RoboCop reboot , only with less emotion. And then there’s the Dredd -ness of it all. Olivia Thirlby in that Dredd -ful hairdo will have to work hard to measure up to Diane Lane’s feisty sidekick in 1995’s Judge Dredd , silly as that movie was, even as this Dredd — based more on the comics than its predecessor — is clearly taking a more solemn approach. The most promising element here is Headey and her scarred-but-hot lady crime lord — now there’s something you don’t see often. Verdict: More of a curiosity than a must-see. Dredd hits theaters September 21. [via Machinima ]
Happy Tuesday! Also in today’s edition of The Broadsheet: Mickey Rourke and Kellan Lutz get disposable (again)… An Iranian actress faces 90 lashes for a foreign screen performance… Judge Dredd director on damage control… and more.
Also in this morning’s Hollywood Ink: Jonathan Rhys-Meyers finds his next period piece… Robert Schwentke (Schwentke! Schwentke!) circles another project… and your long awaited Alyssa Milano update. (Apparently Hollywood took Labor Day weekend very seriously this year.)
