Wonder Woman Is Now Xena the Warrior Princess



Xena: Warrior Princess and Wonder Woman Outfit for Gal Gadot Comparison

Today, at Comi-Con 2014, Zack Snyder gave the public the first look at the new Wonder Woman costume for Gal Gadot in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. The surprise is that Zack Snyder apparently thought it would be cute to abandon Wonder Woman's classic red, white, blue, and gold outfit and dress her up like Lucy Lawless in Xena: Warrior Princess.

The similarities are so obvious that one must assume this is just a funny publicity stunt to rile up the fans. Certainly Zack Snyder cannot possibly be stupid enough to dress Wonder Woman up almost exactly like Xena. This has to be a joke, right? 

If the world makes any sense, in a few days, we will see a photo of Gal Gadot dressed in a proper Wonder Woman outfit.   Maybe it will be something more like this concept sketch.

Wonder Woman Outfit Concept Art by teagone

Bradley Cooper's Limitless Mandarin Chinese

Lobster Bib

Warning, spoilers below!

There is much debate and confusion over what Eddie Morra (played by Bradley Cooper) said in Mandarin to the Chinese waiter at the end of Limitless (2011). Apparently, Bradley Cooper's Mandarin is largely unintelligible to Mandarin speakers, but after studying many comments online, reviewing Chinese subtitles, and researching Mandarin vocabulary, it is becoming clear that Eddie Morra and the waiter were joking with each other using two plays on words.

The problem is--due to cultural differences--people who understand Mandarin probably do not understand the full intent of the humorous exchange, and people who might understand the full intent of the exchange do not understand Mandarin. Of course, the poor Mandarin pronunciations are compounding the misunderstandings dramatically. The result is that no one--seemingly in the entire world--is getting the joke.

Here is an approximation of what was most likely said at the end of Limitless. (Note to all the Mandarin speakers: This is not a verbatim translation, which would be awkward in English. This is an interpretation of Mandarin that native English speakers should be able to understand properly in context.)


Eddie Morra: "I will have noodles, two scallion pancakes, and lobster with no MSG (weijing)."

Chinese Waiter: "But a scarf (weijin) will protect your clothes."

Eddie Morra: "But it won't help with my dirty hands."


The first joke here is in the Mandarin pun. The Mandarin word for MSG (weijing) is similar to a Mandarin word for scarf (weijin), which could conceivably be used to describe a lobster bib. (Note: In America, people commonly wear bibs while eating lobsters to protect their clothes from all of the juices that shoot out when cracking open shellfish. Americans sometimes refuse to wear the lobster bibs, because the bibs look tacky.) When Morra asked to have lobster with no MSG, the waiter joked with him using a play on the words for MSG/scarf (weijing/weijin), explaining he should not refuse the scarf (lobster bib) because it will protect his clothes. Morra then joked the bib will do nothing for his dirty hands.

This was a witty response to the waiter, but it has a deeper meaning. "Dirty hands" is a very common expression in English that insinuates one has figuratively gotten one's hands dirty from doing dirty deeds in the past. The irony here is that Morra was about to enter politics, and he had to do some dirty deeds in the past to rise to his level of success. Yes, Morra can eat his expensive dinner and enjoy his wonderful life, but he will be doing so with dirty hands.  This joke revealed Morra was happy with his life but was not denying his considerable flaws and unfair advantages.

If that is truly what was said between the Chinese waiter and Morra, it was a good note on which to end Limitless. It is very unfortunate the director, Neil Burger, did not force Bradley Cooper to practice speaking Mandarin phonetically until he spoke the words clearly. If properly executed, that final exchange could have been an excellent moment in the movie and a clever conclusion to an interesting plot.

By the way, excuse the social commentary here, but Bradley Cooper is being ridiculed extensively for his mispronunciations of Manadrin words.  Is it not strange people feel perfectly comfortable attacking Bradley Cooper for botching Mandarin, but making fun of Jet Li's English mispronunciations is considered racist? That is a very odd double standard. 

Christopher Lee Connects Darth Vader, Frankenstein, and Death Race 2000 in Safari 3000

Christopher Lee As Count Lorenzo Borgia in Safari 3000

Levy-Gardner-Laven - 1982

Safari 3000 is an obscure 1982 action movie about a long-distance auto race through Africa. Undoubtedly, Safari 3000 was heavily influenced by Death Race 2000.

In Safari 3000, David Carradine (Frankenstein from Death Race 2000) plays the lead role of Eddie Mills. Christopher Lee portrays, his nemesis, Count Lorenzo Borgia. Borgia seems to be a hybrid of Darth Vader and Frankenstein from Death Race 2000. Lorenzo Borgia's heavy black helmet is very similar to Darth Vader's. Borgia's shinny black suit is a bit similar to Frankenstein's racing suit.

Given the timing of this film, about seven years after the release of Death Race 2000 and almost exactly two years after the release of Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, we must assume the director of Safari 3000, Harry Hurwitz, was making thinly veiled tributes to Darth Vader and Death Race 2000. Perhaps, Hurwitz was specifically using the look of Count Borgia to play on the glaring similarities between Darth Vader and Death Race 2000's Frankenstein.

Count Lorenzo Borgia is definitely one of Christopher Lee's lesser roles. This respected British actor has a prestigious film career spanning more than sixty years. Many younger movie-goers might know Christopher Lee from his performances as Count Dooku (a.k.a. Darth Tyranus) in the Star Wars saga. When Anakin Skywalker killed Count Dooku in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, he created a job opening for a new Sith apprentice. Anakin Skywalker soon filled this position and became Darth Vader.

Ironically, in 1957, Christopher Lee appeared in The Curse of Frankenstein. In this film, Peter Cushing (Grand Moff Tarkin from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope) portrayed Victor Frankenstein. Of course, Christopher Lee portrayed Frankenstein's Monster (a.k.a. Creature), one of many incarnations of the iconic horror character that would eventually inspire David Carradine's Frankenstein in Death Race 2000.

So there you have it. Christopher Lee, who portrayed Frankenstein's Monster, also portrayed Count Borgia who was a tribute to Darth Vader and Death Race 2000's Frankenstein. Decades later, Christopher Lee went on to portray another count who was Darth Vader's predecessor in the Star Wars saga--a character that died at the hands of the future Darth Vader.

You just can't make this stuff up. If you were trying to make this stuff up, however, you would just have to create a poetic scenario for revenge and have David Carradine as the actor portraying Emperor Palpatine (Darth Sidious), the one who finally brought about the death of Darth Vader. That, however, would probably be taking things too far. Besides, Ian McDiarmid was perfect in that role.

Have you seen Safari 3000? Did you notice other parallels to Star Wars or Death Race 2000?

Darth Vader, Frankenstein, Death Race 2000, and a Mid-1970s Scandal

Death Race 2000 Promotional Poster

New World Pictures - 1975

The most infamous villain in the history of film is Darth Vader. Perhaps no character is more recognizable in more places and in more circles than this sinister figure. When presented with an image of Darth Vader, people of almost any generation or background will immediately recognize the signature World War II era Stahlhelm-inspired helmet, the black mask, black gloves, heavy black boots, the long black cape, etc.

Since the 1970s, the image of Darth Vader has become simply iconic, but what if it turns out that Darth Vader's look is not entirely original? What if another movie character arrived on the scene just before the creation of the Darth Vader we know and served as a key source of inspiration for the greatest movie villain of all time?

Death Race 2000 Promotional Poster

New World Pictures - 1975

Not to be confused with Death Race (the 2008 remake), Death Race 2000, inspired by Ib Melchior's 1956 short story "The Racer," is a hopelessly cheesy 1970s cult classic film about a futuristic long-distance auto race where drivers earn points by running down pedestrians and killing each other. One of the significant characters in the film, "Machine-Gun" Joe Viterbo, is portrayed by Sylvester Stallone (who would eventually lose the role of Han Solo to Harrison Ford). The main character in this film is Frankenstein. Portrayed by David Carradine, this central character earned the nickname Frankenstein for supposedly being horribly disfigured in a series of terrible auto accidents throughout his many years of competitive racing. Of course, the nickname comes from Frankenstein's monster in the classic 1818 novel by Mary Shelley. (Note: The main character in Ib Melchior's "The Racer" is Willie Connors, and the story states almost nothing about his physical appearance.)

In Death Race 2000, Frankenstein is revered as the greatest, most ferocious, and ruthless champion of his sport. As the film's legend goes, over the years, Frankenstein was pieced together through a series of reconstructive surgeries and had become barely human--a sort of monster. (That is what the characters in the movie are told anyway.)

If you have seen Death Race 2000, you were probably struck by how similar Frankenstein is to Darth Vader. Not only is Frankenstein a lone, mysterious warrior who had been disfigured in battle, he is feared by all and renowned for his exceptional talent. He also wears a helmet that somewhat resembles a Stahlhelm, a black mask, black gloves, heavy black boots, and a long black cape. To top it all off, Frankenstein even has a prosthetic right hand.

Frankenstein is so incredibly similar to Darth Vader in so many ways, one would instinctively theorize the director or costume designer for Death Race 2000 just stole the Darth Vader character or copied his concept as an homage or parody. There is, however, one huge problem with that theory: Death Race 2000 came out on April 27, 1975. The original Star Wars (currently known as Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope) was released on May 25, 1977.

Since Death Race 2000, predates Star Wars by more than two years, one must ask an obvious question: How could the makers of Death Race 2000 have possibly stolen from Star Wars? Even though it is difficult to track down exact dates on the production of Death Race 2000, it is nearly certain that much or all of the film's principal photography was completed by the end of 1974.

In 1975, the same year Death Race 2000 came out, George Lucas hired Ralph McQuarrie to make the first conceptual paintings for what was--around that time--called The Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Starkiller, a project that was generating very little interest in Hollywood and had little chance of ever getting produced. Given the timeline, it would have been practically impossible for anyone working on Death Race 2000 to know anything about Darth Vader's look or back-story while Death Race 2000 was still in production. There is a remote chance a rogue insider could have possibly had some limited knowledge of Darth Vader in 1974, but the odds of that are extremely small.

A far more logical explanation is that someone involved in the pre-production of Star Wars, either saw Death Race 2000 in a theater when it was released in 1975 or had knowledge of the film while it was still in production. The similarities between Darth Vader and Frankenstein are just too numerous to ignore. Clearly one character inspired the other in some fashion. It is just a matter of who, how, and when.

Frankenstein from Death Race 2000

New World Pictures - 1975

What is your opinion? Was Darth Vader inspired by Frankenstein from Death Race 2000? Could someone involved with Death Race 2000 have obtained knowledge of Darth Vader in time to rip off the character and work the concept into the film? Does it seem peculiar that "Death Race" and "Death Star" are such similar terms, and does that parallel also hint at a creative connection between the two films? Given the iconic status of Darth Vader and the fact the Star Wars saga has become ingrained in human culture over the last few decades, these are questions that are worth at least exploring.

Funny Games Is Seriously Sick

Title

Funny Games (2007)

Directed by

Michael Haneke

Writing credits

Michael Haneke

Selected Cast

Naomi Watts ... Ann
Tim Roth ... George
Michael Pitt ... Paul
Brady Corbet ... Peter
Devon Gearhart ... Georgie
Boyd Gaines ... Fred
Siobhan Fallon ... Betsy (as Siobhan Fallon Hogan)
Robert LuPone ... Robert
Susanne C. Hanke ... Betsy's Sister-in-Law
Linda Moran ... Eve

Review

Funny Games (2007) is Michael Haneke’s remake of the 1997 Austrian film by the same name. The story covers the experience of a family who is held hostage in their vacation home by a pair of preppie sociopaths.

Funny Games is benefiting commercially from a bit of controversy. I watched the movie and quickly realized why the movie is generating controversy. In short, Funny Games is a sick movie. If you do not want spoilers, stop reading here. Otherwise, you are about to learn exactly why Funny Games is sick. (Spoilers in italics.)

The twisted preppie friends Paul (Michael Pitt) and Peter (Brady Corbet) take advantage of a nice, trusting family. Paul kills their golden retriever with a golf club and then takes the family hostage. They mentally and physically torture the family throughout the night. Eventually, Peter murders the family’s young (9 to 12 year old) son (Devon Gearhart) with a shotgun as part of a game. After more torture, they kill the father of the family (Tim Roth) with a knife and a shotgun as part of another game. With only the mother (Naomi Watts) left, Paul and Peter take her out on a sailboat and mercilessly drown her. In the final scene of the movie, we realize that Paul and Peter have found the next family they wish to torture and kill.

The plot of Funny Games just never went anywhere. The "games" are shallow, pointless, and uncreative. There is no big master plan or greater purpose. There is just no payoff, lesson, or enlightening experience in this movie. Funny Games could have redeemed itself by making some sort of an interesting and original point, but the movie did not cover any significant new ground (with the exception of a couple of rarely used cinematic devices, such as Paul directly speaking to the audience and some false foreshadowing).

Michael Haneke will probably defend himself by saying he made a commentary about violence, but that excuse is getting a little old, and he failed to establish any particular point of view with this movie. The result is a movie with gratuitous mental and physical torture where no unique or clever point ever presents itself. And, by the way, do not go into this movie expecting some big revelation or hidden twist. There are no big secrets in this movie. Once you figure out this is just about killing innocent people for fun, you pretty much have a full grasp of everything you are going to see.

If you like watching innocent animals, children, and adults get humiliated, tortured, and murdered for sport, you will love Funny Games. If you do not like that sort of thing, Funny Games will be a waste of your time and probably disgust you. Unless you are a sadistic person or budding serial killer, there is just nothing here for you.

Rating (1-10)

2

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