Ender's Game Movie blog 2

Trust me to post a blog the day before I listen to Orson Scott Cards post script on the audiobook. Orson speaks a lot on the various attempts Hollywood has made to film ender’s game. It seems that he has been under great pressure almost from the minute he wrote the novel to sell his story out, with most Hollywood industry execs going to some length to try to “improve” the story by making ender 16 so he can have a love interest. This kind of explains similar treatments of other works (I’m looking at you Percy Jackson,) and makes the fact we didn’t get a 16 year old Harry Potter a marvel. As Card says those that think the story can be changed and still work just proved to him to not understand the story. He includes some very interesting anecdotes about execs using questionable tactics, such as agreeing that ender will be played as 11 only to include in a sub paragraph in an unrelated clause of the contract that “casting will be at the studios discretion. This clause invalidates any other condition made in this contract.” And I have to wonder how many adaptations have been spoiled by these tricks being played.

It does seem to me that the film is in good hands having been in talks for a movie for damn near 25 years it seems that he isn’t going to let his story be ruined now. Some over interesting tit bits are that to make the screenplay work he effectively merged enders game and ender’s shadow. This way he could give the film the dynamic it needed. While it’s not necessarily his script that will be used it seemed that at the time of recording it was a good bet that the final screenplay would be his work with a better known screen writer’s name on it.

Ender's Game Movie

Having finally read Ender's Game last year (review here) I'm thrilled to find that a big screen adaptation of it is in full swing. With no less that Harrison Ford playing Colonel Hyrum Graff.

The movie is scheduled for release in March 2013. It will be directed by Gain Hood the helmer of X-Men Origins - Wolverine. Let's hope he doesn't have the same problem with leaks this time.

I'm very excited about this, but can't help but worry. Will they be able to do it Justice? Will the child actors be able to pull off the performances? Will the battle room be truly realised or will we get futuristic paint balling?

I'm going to stay positive until i hear otherwise.

In other Ender news I’m almost finished on the whole saga, I’ve just not got round to reviewing them yet. I'm about to start Ender's shadow which promises to be just as good. I also used my audible credit a few months back to purchase the audiobook of ender's game. All of which will be reviewed when other commitments have vanished.

Interesting Things Happening at Spree4.com

As seems to have become a bit of an new year tradition Spree4.com are going to be making some interesting additions to the site.

Along with what the developer has termed design 2.1 and a cornucopia of new products, comes an additional auction type. This auction type whose details are being kept under tight wraps at the moment will join the already popular price drop and minimum price auctions.

Insider info is that this new auction will be quite different to the laid back auctions that they currently run and will offer a bit more hectic fun for those who like their auctions a bit more lively.

My insider has indicated that the new features have entered the "final…final..we mean it this time really…this is the last one" testing phase, much to my sources relief.

So watch this blog for more details or keep an eye on the site itself.

How it Should Have Ended!

I have over the past week become a little bit obsessed with HowItShouldHaveEnded.com

If you haven't seen them, they are animated shorts of how movies should have ended.

My personal highlights are Iron Man, X-men first class and The dark night. Also any of the bookends with Superman and Batman having coffee are amazing.

Briton's Blame Poverty on Lazyness.

A worrying report from The National Centre for Social Research was reported today by the bbc. It highlights an issue that i have felt for some time is a problem we need to tackle.

That is the growing selfish attitude in the UK. The study shows that increased numbers of Brits think that the poor "Deserve to be poor" as they are lazy. It also shows while increased numbers of us believe the pay gap between the rich and the rest of us is excessive, the number who believe this wealth should be redistributed has fallen. Thanks to headline reports on benefit cheats/claimants public support for welfare is at an all time low. The only bright point of the report is generally increased satisfaction in public services up to the point the Tories got their knife out.

Thanks in great part to the influence of Rupert Murdoch. We now live in a society were the majority don't care about what we can build but what they can take. We hold those that gain the most through the least effort as pillars of society and those that add the most but gain the least as an unnecessary drain. For example while executive pay skyrockets, the majority support reduced pay (working conditions) for Nurses and Social workers. It’s a dark dark day for our great country.

iCalendar for Saints Super League fixtures 2012.

Again for those lucky saints fans heading to the brand spanking new Langtree Stadium.

Here for your usage free of any licence or other stupid legal double speak, is an iCal file for Saints fixtures in the 2012 Super League.

This iCalendar can be imported into pretty much any calendar software(even Lotus Notes.)

Drop the Bill

I’ve been making a concerted effort to keep politics off this blog recently. Its been hard I’ve taken to arguing with people on the yahoo comments pages. Not a healthy hobby for someone of my political beliefs as anyone who has waded into it will know, to quote Obi Wan “You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.” I have to make an exception for this though.

The NHS is under attack. The conservatives won votes by categorically promising that they would not touch the NHS. They have, to some people’s great surprise, not even pretended to honour this promise. They make thin insistence that the dismantling of the NHS and the shifting of public funding to private health firms is for the NHS’ own good. While an organisation named “NHS” may well exist after the changes, it will not be National, will have very little to do with health and most likely will not actually be providing service(s).

I would ask anyone reading this that thinks universal free at the point of use health care is a good idea to sign the petition. I would also ask those that don’t to look closely at their view point.

Thanks

The Kat.