‘Wrath of the Titans’, the action-heavy sequel to ‘Clash of the Titans’ (2010), hit theaters March 30, 2012. The trailer boasted more monsters, more fighting, and more special effects and while it delivers on those areas, it fails in every other category that would qualify for a good film.

Spoiler alert!

‘Wrath of the Titans’ begins with a common mistake of most bad films: revealing a major character’s death off screen in the first five minutes. Roughly a decade has passed and the demi-god Io, who fell in love with Perseus (Sam Worthington) in the first film, has died after having a son named Helius (John Bell).

Perseus has retired from the hero business to raise his son as a fisherman. One night, his father Zeus (Liam Neeson) comes to his home to tell him that since mankind has stopped praying to the gods, they have all lost their powers and have begun dying off. In addition, Tartarus, the Underworld, is falling apart and so Zeus and Hades’ evil father Kronos will be able to break free from his prison and wreak havoc on the world.

Zeus wants Perseus to come with him and his half-brother, Ares (Edgar Ramirez), the God of War, to bargain with Hades (Ralph Fiennes) to help keep Kronos imprisoned. Perseus refuses on the grounds that he will not leave his son and so Zeus travels with his brother Poseidon (Danny Huston), God of the Seas, to Tartarus.

When they arrive, they are ambushed by Hades and Ares, who want to release Kronos to rule over the earth in exchange for keeping their immortality. Poseidon manages to escape and tells Perseus to find his son, Agenor (Toby Kebbell), who can lead them to Hephaestus (Bill Nighy) who can help them find their way into Tartarus to save Zeus.

The overcomplicated plot is the first flaw of the movie. In both this film and its predecessor, the audience is told that the gods run on prayer and worship. However, no one thinks to start praying to Zeus in order to increase his powers. Furthermore, the entire conflict is caused by Perseus’ refusal to come with Zeus, Ares, and Poseidon to bargain with Hades.

It made perfect sense for him to go, but he didn’t on the grounds that he didn’t want to leave his son. However, moments later Perseus leaves his son to go fishing and a Chimera attacks their village, almost killing the both of them. Furthermore, Zeus is a god. If Perseus had asked him to place his son somewhere safe while he went on the journey, the conflict could have been avoided.

There are plotholes the size of canyons in this film and they get bigger by the minute. The first film, while not good, at least had the decency to explain everything to avoid confusion. ‘Wrath’ does no such thing and it prevents any enjoyment of the movie.

The second biggest flaw of the movie is the lack of character establishment. There is little to no attempt to humanize, develop, or explore these characters. They are basically paper cutouts running around in a well-rendered environment with nothing interesting to say or do.

The worst offender is Andromeda (Rosamund Pike), whose entire presence is useless. First of all, she bears the same name of the princess from the first film whom Perseus rescued from the Kraken, but in the sequel she is blonde and played by a different actress. This is never referenced or explained in the film.

Is it the same character? Is the first princess considered non-canonical? Second of all, she goes on the journey to Tartarus with Perseus and Agenor, thus abandoning her post as Queen of the Grecian armies, and does absolutely nothing but get rescued by Perseus. Any feminists in the audience will immediately be angered by the lack of strong female characters in the film.

At least in the first film, Io was helpful and Medusa not only managed to be a legitimate threat, but she kills nearly all of the heroes on their quest. Andromeda’s character is pathetic and bears no relevance to the plot at all other than to add an x-chromosome to the cast and to moon over Perseus in a half-hearted attempt at a romance.

The third biggest flaw is the script. The characters have the absolute worst dialogue I’ve seen in a film this year so far. Most of the dialogue is either anachronistic, pointing out obvious things, or poor attempts at sarcasm.

The only person with amusing dialogue is the talented Mr. Bill Nighy, whose slightly insane character and hammy acting at least puts a smile on your face for the twenty minutes he appears in the film. Liam Neeson is at the very least trying to emote, but he has little to work with other than Ralph Fiennes.

However, the worst actor by far is Edgar Ramirez as Ares, the God of War. He looks like a homeless man who stumbled onto the set and was given the script.

Throughout the history of movies, video games, and literature, Ares is supposed to be an intimidating force of power but in this film, he is nothing more than a whiny adult child who is jealous of Perseus and spends every waking moment complaining about how he is the least favorite son. This is made worse by the fact that we are never shown these relationships, so there is no emotional weight between Zeus, Ares, and Perseus.

The only thing of merit in this mess of a film is the special effects, which are well done and create great environments for fight scenes. Everything else about ‘Wrath’ will inspire you to take out your own anger on the filmmakers for making such a poor recreation of Greek mythology. Save your money and sit this one out unless you want to really understand what wrath is all about.

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IMAX Corporation, Albert R. Broccoli’s EON Productions, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, and Sony Pictures Entertainment  announced that the long-awaited next chapter in the famed James Bond franchise, SKYFALL, will be released in IMAX theatres simultaneously with the film’s international release on Oct. 26, and its domestic release on Nov. 9, 2012. This is the first IMAX installment of the iconic Bond film franchise.

In SKYFALL, Bond’s loyalty to M is tested as her past comes back to haunt her.  As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost.

SKYFALL marks the return of Daniel Craig as Ian Fleming’s James Bond 007, as well as Judi Denchreprising her role as M. The film also stars franchise newcomers Ralph Fiennes, Javier Bardem and Naomie Harris. The film is directed by Sam Mendes from a screenplay written by Neal Purvis & Robert Wade and John Logan. Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli are producers.

“SKYFALL will be the cool, must-see event release of the fall, and releasing the film in IMAX only reinforces that,” said Rory Bruer, President, Worldwide Distribution for Sony Pictures Worldwide Marketing and Distribution.

“It is fitting that with SKYFALL marking the 50th Anniversary of the James Bond franchise, we celebrate in epic style and what could be more larger-than-life than IMAX joining the festivities,” said Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum, Co-Chairman and Chief Executive Officers of MGM.

“It is an honor and a privilege to be a part of this legendary franchise, whose iconic characters and electrifying action will only be amplified in the IMAX format,” said Greg Foster, Chairman and President, IMAX Filmed Entertainment. “We are excited to rejoin forces with our friends at Sony Pictures Entertainment and MGM and so pleased to work with Michael G. Wilson, Barbara Broccoli, and Sam Mendes to bring their vision to IMAX and Bond fans around the world.”

The IMAX release of SKYFALL will be digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience with proprietary IMAX DMR (Digital Re-mastering) technology. The crystal-clear images coupled with IMAX’s customized theatre geometry and powerful digital audio create a unique environment that will make audiences feel as if they are in the movie.

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Fanfiction, just as the name describes, is fiction that is written by a fan to satisfy imaginative curiosity and devotion. Anything that has a fan base has Fanfiction being written for it. The current strongest example of Fanfiction at this time would be Harry Potter. With more than 500,000+ stories based on the Harry Potter universe, it has become a thriving hub of fandom and fan expression.

Written in more than 36 languages and with some stories reaching a 500k word count, this is a powerful force not to be taken lightly. Writers of Fanfiction may change the story to suit their own interests, but one thing that remains unyielding is the respect for the original author or creator.

Often including an anonymous username, a standard disclaimer exists for each story and usually becomes an ode to the original creator. Fanfiction writers often pay homage to their favorite creators in lengthy paragraphs before a story begins. This not only sets the stage for the changes that a Fanfiction author makes, but also legally covers the new writer from infringement issues.

One aspect of Fanfiction writing that is vastly different from the regular publishing medium is that there are rarely editors at the beginning of a first chapter publishing. Often, first chapters are published with only the editing done by the writer. The Fanfiction is in its most raw form here, and even veteran Fanfiction writers need a beta. A beta reader helps catch mistakes in grammar, formatting, and spelling.

Successful writers and editors of Fanfiction are often also writers and editors of some kind in real life. Many Fanfiction authors grow to become published writers of original fiction. Thus, Fanfiction helps their development as writers. Conversely, there are also published authors that sometimes publish Fanfiction to experiment with different plots or even gauge fan responses.

The mind of a writer, regardless of traditional fiction or Fanfiction, is a curious mind, so it is not surprising to see either of the aforementioned actions developing. Yet, beyond the edits and the changes, the act of writing is very much like a conventional authorship. The path to writing a Fanfiction is the same and is actually often filled with just as much research as a traditional writer. The research a traditional author does is usually specific to their niche of writing.

Science fiction writers will research science, and military fiction writers will research the military. A Fanfiction writer, on the other hand, has another layer of research on top of that. Fanfiction itself builds on a world that is already formed, so research into the rules and history of that universe is also a key aspect to developing a good Fanfiction story.

In the case of Harry Potter Fanfiction, there are writers who know nearly as much about Harry Potter as J.K Rowling herself. It may be hard to believe, but every interview, every piece of literature and movie that is publicly visible is taken into account for the vast database that is compiled for Harry Potter research.

The same process is true for Fanfiction on virtually any other entertainment medium that the human race has invented. In some cases, there is even Fanfiction created by Fanfiction authors that spawn their own Fanfiction. A complex case of Fanfiction life that imitates Fanfiction art imitating original fictional writing.

Fanfiction on Harry Potter, specifically, has grown into its own subculture, with websites that come up with data on Harry Potter through scientific knowledge and educational guesses based purely on a world created by one person. That is the power of Fanfiction, to influence lives and to build on worlds that fans love so much they cannot help, but write more about it. The media is not blind to it, so there have been authors and actors interviewed about Fanfiction based on their characters, created or portrayed.

Only recently, Ralph Fiennes from the Harry Potter movies read a few lines of Fanfiction on a nationally broadcasted program during an interview on Bravo TV. Thus, as an extension for another aspect of writing, technology has now allowed us in the last decade to shape and change the way stories are spread between different cultures.

Other notable Fanfiction topics that have developed a large following are the Japanese Anime Naruto,  the Twilight literary series, Marvel’s X-Men, Star Wars, and Glee, just to name a few. Written in more languages than most major universities teach and with more growing acknowledgement, Fanfiction is sure to grow stronger, so long as there are worlds created by others to further expand and connect the imaginations of everyone.

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It’s that time of year again, when British actors, directors, screenwriters and producers come together for the British Independent Film Awards. Get ready for an amalgamation of glamor, grandeur and great talent at the 14th ceremony on Sunday 4 December at Old Billingsgate, London.

It has been announced that the ceremony will be hosted by Chris O’Dowd, Irish comedy actor and star of the hit of the summer, ‘Bridesmaids.’ First-time host O’Dowd commented: “It’s a ceremony which cherishes innovation, elegance and class so I’m humbled that they’ve chosen a host who so clearly lacks any of these things. Expect dancing girls.”

Created in 1988, the British ceremony celebrates and honors great talent within the British Film Industry, as well as promoting promising new talent set to contribute more to the future of the industry.

A Jury is also now in place for the ceremony, chaired by producer Andrew Eaton (The Killer Inside Me). Other members include actress Gemma Arterton (Clash of the Titans), casting director Lucy Bevan (An Education), art director Neil Lamont (Harry Potter), actor David Thewlis (Harry Potter) and editor Justine Wright (Touching the Void).

One of the most prestigious acting awards is the Richard Harris award, introduced in 2003 and dedicated to the late actor, known most famously for portraying Oliver Cromwell and Albus Dumbledore. Fellow Harry Potter star Ralph Fiennes has been announced as the latest to receive the award, marking an Outstanding Contribution to the British Film Industry.

Previous winners were Helena Bonham-Carter (2010), Daniel Day-Lewis (2009), David Thewlis (2008), Ray Winstone (2007), Jim Broadbent (2006), Tilda Swinton (2005), Bob Hosking (2004) and John Hurt (2003).

The nominations for other awards include:

Best British Independent Film
Senna
Shame
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Tyrannosaur
We Need to Talk About Kevin

Best Director
Ben Wheatley – Kill List
Steve McQueen – Shame
Tomas Alfredson – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Paddy Considine – Tyrannosaur
Lynne Ramsay – We Need to Talk About Kevin

Best Actress
Rebecca Hall – The Awakening
Mia Wasikowsa – Jane Eyre
MyAnna Buring – Kill List
Olivia Colman – Tyrannosaur
Tilda Swinton – We Need to Talk About Kevin

Best Actor
Brendan Gleeson – The Guard
Neil Maskell – Kill List
Michael Fassbender – Shame
Gary Oldman – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Peter Mullan – Tyrannosaur.

Best Foreign Independent Film
Animal Kingdom
Drive
Pina
A Separation
The Skin I Live In

The awards themselves are an impressive 1kg of Swarovski crystal called ‘Eternal Objects’ designed by Tokujin Yoshioka. For people living within the UK wanting to watch the event, it will be streamed live on Sunday 4 December on www.lovefilm.com

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