Posts Tagged "writer"

Judge Rules on Matrix Copyright

Posted by on Apr 30, 2014

It is the world that has been pulled

over your eyes to blind you from the truth.

– Morpheus –
A judge has ruled that the Matrix film trilogy did not plagiarize the work of  Thomas Althouse.

MatrixAlthouse claimed he had submitted a screenplay “The Immortals” to Warner Bros in 1993, and the Matrix Trilogy produced by the studio had infringed his copyright by incorporating ideas from his screenplay into the Matrix films.

He listed 118 alleged similarities in the Matrix to his own work.

Judge R Gary Klausner stated that the areas referred to were “too general for copyright protection.. or are commonly used, unoriginal ideas.”

The Matrix, written and directed by the Wachowskis is a science fiction action film set in a dystopian future with a storyline in which computer hacker “Neo” (Keanu Reeves)  discovers the world experienced by most humans is a dream world of simulated reality – “the Matrix”, created by sentient machines in order to subdue the human race, while machines harness electrical energy and body heat from them as an energy source.

 Other humans who have been freed from the illusionary world are involved in a rebellion against machines  – a rebellion into which Neo finds himself drawn.

Althouse claimed that his screenplay, set in the year 2235, in which CIA agent attempts to stop  a cryogenically reanimated Adolf Hitler from destroying non-immortals, was the inspiration for the Matrix films.

Judge Klausner ruled:
 “the only similarity in plot [was] that both stories portray a protagonist attempting to prevent a dominant group from oppressing and annihilating a subservient group”.

“The basic premises of The Matrix Trilogy and The Immortals are so different that it would be unreasonable to find their plots substantially similar,”

“Examining the protectable details in the two works, no jury could reasonably conclude that The Immortals has substantially similar expressions of ideas to The Matrix Trilogy.”

 

Other projects by the Wachowskis (formerly the Wachowski Brothers) since the success of “The Matrix”,  have included writing and directing its two sequels -” The Matrix Reloaded” and “The Matrix Revolutions” (2003),  “V for Vendetta” (adapted from the Alan Moore comic), “Speed Racer” a live adaptation of the Japanese anime series and “Cloud Atlas” based on the David Mitchell novel and co-directed by Tom Tykwer.

 The next Wachowski film “Jupiter Ascending” and their television series “Sense8” are both due for release in 2014.

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Rocket Raccoon: Are Marvel Comics the Bad Guys?

Posted by on Feb 23, 2014

This week’s release of the first trailer for Marvel’s latest superhero franchise “Guardians of the Galaxy” appeared online and many predict the star of the series may prove to be Rocket Raccoon, voiced by Bradley Cooper.

Rocket Raccoon was originally created by one of Marvel’s best loved contributors, Bill Mantlo, in 1976. The character was inspired by the Beatle’s song “Rocky Raccoon”.  Rocket was one of the  animals on Planet Halfworld, an abandoned colony for the mentally ill in which animal companions for the patients had been genetically engineered to develop human IQs and the ability to walk on their hind legs.

Mantlo was a prolific writer while working at Marvel, in addition to creating his own cult favourites including Micronauts, ROM the Spaceknight and Rocket Raccoon, he contributed to the Spider Man, Iron Man and the Incredible Hulk series. 

Marvel’s most recent movie: Thor; The Dark World has made over $200 million in the US, and the studio could earn up to half a billion more when the Guardians is released in August this year but as Marvel owns the title, Rocket Raccoon’s original creator will not benefit from the anticipated success.

The injustice of a situation where the original creator receives no royalties or benefit when their creation becomes exceptionally successful is highlighted in this case as Mr Mantlo has been seriously disabled since a hit and run accident in 1992. His emergency treatment cost more than $1m, and as it dragged on, his health insurance provider became increasingly reluctant to provide the necessary cover. Finally, Mr Mantlo’s family was forced to sell his assets, including his precious collection of comics and memorabilia.

His family has struggled to pay his medical bills and he now lives in unsatisfactory long-term care at an assisted-living facility in New York. 

The owners of Marvel Entertainment certainly are no superheroes, having apparently not shown the slightest bit of support for an ex employee who made such considerable creative contribution to their company. Considering the fact that Disney bought out Marvel in 1999 for $4.24 billion one would imagine that at least a nominal donation would have been affordable at some stage. Apparently the Good Samaritan ethos of their superheroes has no place in their own business. Money has far more value to them than human life. Which makes them much more like the bad guys in the stories, than the good guys. (Micky might be hanging round with the wrong crowd as well)

Fans are using the latest promotional release to bring Mantlo’s predicament back into the spotlight.

Charlotte of Oz on Tumbler asks people to contribute at least the cost of their cinema ticket towards his health care and comic book writer Greg Pack gives details of how to donate directly

http://www.heroinitiative.org/

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Rolling Stones Headline at Glastonbury

Posted by on Jul 2, 2013

Glastonbury is a small town in the Mendip district in Somerset, UK:

home to Glastonbury Abbey, one of the most important abbeys in England.

It’s also a town which attracts thousands of people interested in New Age or Pagan beliefs largely because of the myths and legends related to Glastonbury Tor.

These include references to the Holy Grail, King Arthur and Joseph of Arimathea, with some Arthurian literature identifying it as the legendary Island of Avalon.

 

 

Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts 

Internationally Glastonbury is best known as home to the most famous music festival in the world – The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts which includes dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts as well as contemporary music.

Festival organiser Michael Eavis is a local farmer who was inspired after seeing the open air Led Zeppelin concert at Bath Festival of Blues and Progressive Music, 1970 to host an open air festival on the the farm. 14 people invested everything they had to build the stage (many told them the idea would never catch on). The first festival was in 1970 – and the rest as they say, is history.

Rolling Stones Live at Glastonbury 2013

The Rolling Stones  headlined the Pyramid Stage, playing  to a crowd of over 170,000 (not bad for a group that has been around for 50 years).

Their gig started around 9.45 pm at the end of a beautifully sunny day in Somerset with  the crowd waiting in electric anticipation for the most high profile act ever to perform at Glastonbury (having taken 43 years to get there) . 

The Stones played a twenty song set including a version of “Factory Girl” which with specially adapted lyrics became “Glastonbury Girl”

“It was one of the greatest rock and roll sets I’ve ever seen in my life and I think one of the greatest rock and roll sets Glastonbury has ever seen”. “They really just rocked it. The band seemed almost as impressed as the crowd. I guess the audience makes the gig as much as the band.” Telegraph music critic Neil McCormick

Rolling Stones Glastonbury Song List:


‘Jumpin’ Jack Flash’
‘It’s Only Rock ‘N Roll (But I Like It)’
‘Paint It, Black’
‘Gimme Shelter’
‘Glastonbury Girl’
‘Wild Horses’
‘Doom And Gloom’
‘Can’t You Hear Me Knocking’
‘Honky Tonk Women’
‘You Got The Silver’ ‘Happy’
‘Miss You’
‘Midnight Rambler’
‘2000 Light Years From Home’
‘Sympathy For The Devil’
‘Start Me Up’
‘Tumbling Dice’
‘Brown Sugar’
‘You Can’t Always Get What You Want’ ‘
(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’

What the Posters Say

An interesting article by musician and writer,  Anya Pearson looks at festivals as an annual yardstick of Britain’s musical talent. By taking the much publicised Festival Posters and editing out all acts represented on the posters that do not include at least one female musician, she turns them into a barometer of gender equality in 21st Century Britain. “As a female musician currently in two mixed-gender bands, I have always been painfully aware of my minority status in the music scene.” she says.

Glastonbury 2013 Poster showing music acts appearing at the festival

Glastonbury Festival 2013 Poster showing list of groups performing

 

Glastonbury 2013 Poster – showing only acts that include
at least one female musician (34%).

Glastonbury Festival 2013 Poster - showing only acts which include at least one female musician

 

Glastonbury was not the worst offender for failing to represent female musicians, probably thanks partly to co-organiser of the event, Emily Eavis, but its poster still only had 34% of the acts that included female musicians.

 

Bestival 2013 Poster showing music acts appearing at the festival

Bestival 2013 - Poster showing music acts appearing at the festival

 

Bestival 2013 Poster showing only acts that include
at least one female (21%)

Bestival 2013 - Poster showing only acts appearing at the festival that include at least one woman

 

Reading and Leeds 2013: Poster showing music acts appearing at the festivals

Reading and Leeds 2013 Poster showing acts appearing at the festivals

 

Reading and Leeds 2013: Poster showing only music acts appearing at
the festivals which include at least one female (17%)

Reading and Leeds 2013 Poster showing only music acts appearing at the festivals that include at least one female (17%)

Pearson concludes:
“Still, festivals alone are not to blame: promoters, managers and record labels all play their part. As a society we are less encouraging of girls who aspire to headline Glastonbury. I was lucky. My mother is a musician who started out in the 70s and always told me my XX chromosome was no barrier to making music.

That said, there are lots of brilliant female musicians out there – as Yoko Ono’s Meltdown at the Southbank Centre proved. Women aren’t passive consumers of popular culture – we just often lack a creative platform to showcase what we can do.”

http://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/ 

http://womensliberationmusicarchive.co.uk/ 

http://www.thegirlsare.com/ 

http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whatson/festivals-series/yoko-onos-meltdown/ 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jun/26/glastonbury-festival-few-women-artists

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Make Good Art: Neil Gaiman’s Commencement Address

Posted by on Feb 11, 2013

 When things get tough, this is what you should do:  Make good art.  

I’m serious.       Husband runs off with a politician — make good art.      

Leg crushed and then eaten by a mutated boa constrictor — make good art.      

 IRS on your trail — make good art.      Cat exploded — make good art.      

 Someone on the Internet thinks what you’re doing is stupid or evil or it’s all been done before    — make good art.

— Neil Gaiman —

 

Above: Neil Gaiman giving his commencement address at the University of the Arts Class of 2012

We’re moving into a New Galaxy in which we have the ability to discover the realm of the Legendary Beings – the RainbowZebra.

It is very appropriate that the people that have the privilege of opening the doors to the new realm are all those that keep the spirit of Creation alive within – and express it in their lives. The Artists, the Writers, the Musicians, the Storytellers, the Dancers, the Architects and all those that love the Creative Spirit.

One person who has kept this creative spirit alive more than most, is Neil Gaiman and in this video he shares some good advice for anyone interested in following the creative path.

Neil Gaiman started reading at four and always wanted to be a writer

His commencement address at the University of the Arts Class of 2012 is a classic. The author, who admits he never had a career path planned out, says he just had always made sure he was heading in the right direction to get to the “mountain” in the distance in his mind, that he wanted to “climb”.

Addressing the appreciative audience Gaiman says he just left school and started writing…and continued to write as a journalist, novelist, poet and graphic novelist most famous perhaps for his series of Graphic Novels: Sandman

If you wonder whether this strategy paid off for him, use the link to view a bibliography of his work, and scroll through the list of awards he has received, below.

 

 

http://www.neilgaimanbibliography.com/allmenu.html

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