The Royal Heffernans


Quite possibly the best family ever

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Ender's Game: The Movie!!!


My all-time favorite sci-fi book is Ender's Game. Many would quickly agree, as it was recently ranked #3 all-time for sci-fi/fantasy by NPR in a reader's poll. I have probably read it 10 times, and I even listened to an audiobook performance in my car the past year while commuting to work one week.

Since it was published in 1985, Orson Scott Card has kept tight control over the rights to the book, and has squashed many, many, many, many, many attempts to adapt the film to the big screen. I have followed these developments occasionally, as blog's and websites are devoted to the book and "Enderverse". It seems that OSC has a vision of the film that requires CHILD actors of a multinational pedigree. Previous adaptations have tried to make Ender a teen with angst and relationships - to sell to the public. Thank God OSC has resisted.

So it was with great joy that I read today that Ender's Game has been greenlit for production by Summit Entertainment! The official release date is March 15, 2013. Asa Butterfield has been officially signed to play Ender, and they are going for a heavy hitter as Col. Graff, with Harrison Ford mentioned prominently. I have to say that pics of Asa look pretty close to what I have envisioned Ender to look like, even if he is closer in age (14) to Ender at the end of the book.

I don't think this movie could have ever been made without Harry Potter. That group of child actors pulled off what OSC is looking for in Ender's Game. I have also heard an interview by OSC in which he says the breakthrough in the movie script was his later release of Ender's Shadow. Combining the two narratives from different perspectives allows for a more audience friendly movie. I hope they don't screw this one up. I will be watching closely to see how it comes along. Obviously, CGI will be required, but let's hope they keep it realistic.

ps: If you haven't already... GO READ THE BOOK!!!

Thursday, November 10, 2011

I Needed This


After a troubling week with news out of Happy Valley, this is just the thing I needed to restore my faith in humanity.


Penn State Scandal


Here is a record of my reactions as the Penn State scandal unfolded...

  1. Shock (as in, "Holy shit, this is horrible")
  2. Disgust
  3. Nausea
  4. Anger
  5. Shock (as in, "Holy shit, I can't believe how poorly Penn State is handling this")
  6. Selfish relief (as in, "Thank god it wasn't Notre Dame and involving a priest")
  7. Annoyance (when Paterno announced his retirement after the season ended, telling the BoT not to worry about little old him. Fuck you, JoPa)
  8. Appeasement - they did the right thing in firing Spanier and Paterno, effective immediately
  9. Embarassment - at some people's reaction to how Paterno was fired v. their reaction to the details found in the grand jury document
  10. Relief (as in, "Thank god this horror show is over")
  11. Curiosity (as in, "What the hell is going to happen at the game Saturday")
At the end of the day, here's my take on things - Adults in positions of power witnessed firsthand or knew of children being sexually abused by other adults in positions of power and not only did not intervene or do anything to help, they tried to cover it up and allowed it to continue. The action taken is the bare minimum to punish those involved. Sending every one of them to jail for life and closing the entire fucking university would be justified in my mind.

UPDATE: Upon further reflection maybe closing the whole university would be a bit extreme. Now, shutting down the football program? That seems more fair...

Wednesday, November 09, 2011

Derp de Derp


Awesome.

I'm glad there's someone else out there that sees how completely irrational the vast majority of the Notre Dame fan base has become. Just checking my watch here... yep, 2011, not 1941.