This has to be a joke. It's just too depressing otherwise. According to an article that just came through Yahoo entertainment news, Ridley Scott is going to direct a movie based on the game "Monopoly". That's not the worst thing though. The article also indicates that there is a movie based on the game "Battleship" in development.

How in the world do you make a movie about "Battleship"? No wait, I see it now.

The grizzled admiral, played by Nick Nolte in crisp Navy whites, leans across the situation table in CIS and listens as static filled updates come over the radio. "There's been a nuclear detonation in sector B12". The camera zooms in as Nick slowly raises his head - his eyes displaying a mix of sadness and steely resolve - he stares into space as if facing his adversary and utters that iconic phrase, "You sunk my Battleship".

Genius! Green light the project! We'll make millions! Oy.

I am an unapologetic John Wayne fan. The fact is Wayne was a very good actor whose sheer presence could turn a ho-hum script into a gripping yarn.

I've always been a little pissed off that Wayne's legacy seems to have been reduced to that of a failed icon of pro-Vietnam involvement. If people actually listened to and watched Wayne's films they would see the characters he played were often far more progressive than he's ever given credit. Take a gander at the 'The Sons of Katy Elder' the next time it's on the tube if you don't believe me.

Along those lines I was happily surprised today when I stumbled across this article titled: The "Duke" and Democracy: On John Wayne. The article primarily deals with Rio Bravo, one of my favorite John Wayne and Howard Hawks films, and shows how Wayne embodied a lot of the best ideals of America.

Not sure how I missed this. It appears they're making a movie version of Cormac McCarthy's The Road. I'm not so much surprised at the happening as much as I'm surprised that I'm just finding it out. IMDB list the cast to include Charlize Theron, Viggo Mortensen and Robert Duvall. In the novel Charlize Theron's role of the wife is very minimal, so it will be interesting to see how they've written it.

From io9's 15 Great Movies You Didn't Know Were Science Fiction

Ghost Dog: The Way Of The Samurai. All of Jim Jarmusch's movies are full of quasi-aliens, but this one is actually a superhero narrative. He's a black samurai who works for the Mafia, and he communicates via carrier pigeon. He clings to the Bushido, the way of the Samurai, in the midst of a world of randomly murderous thugs, and seems to have almost superhuman fighting abilities. Plus he can communicate somehow with his friend who only speaks French. (Telepathy?)

I never thought of it that way.

If you're a fan of the original Star Wars or Star Trek I think you'll find this rant quite entertaining. Link

I just watched the trailer for Speed Racer. The 'full focus' film effect looks very impressive. I admit to a touch of nostalgia for the old cartoon but I hadn't had any desire to see the film version up until I saw the trailer. It's a very unique looking film.

I found the unsatisfactory Rankopedia list of the best sci-fi movies today and it made me think. Which sci-fi movies are the best?

So here it is, the Developingstorm.com list of the 40 best sci-fi films of all time.

1	2001 a space odyssey
2	Aliens
3	Blade Runner
4	Dune (1984)
5	Solaris (1972)
6	Star Wars
7	Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
8	The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
9	War of the Worlds (1953)
10	When Worlds Collide
11	The Fifth Element
12	The Thing (1982)
13	On the Beach
14	Contact
15	Serenity
16	Star Trek: The wrath of Khan
17	Terminator 2: Judgement Day
18	Repo Man
19	They Live
20	Planet of the Apes (1968)
21	Alien
22	The Matrix
23	Twelve Monkeys
24	Total Recall
25	Rollerball (1975)
26	Predator
27	A Clockwork Orange
28	Brazil
29	Colossus: The Forbin Project
30	Star Trek IV: The Journey Home
31	The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension
32	The Andromeda Strain
33	The Fly
34	The Terminator
35	Westworld
36	Solaris (2002)
37	Soylent Green
38	Robo Cop
39	Close Encounters of the Third Kind
40	The Day of the Dolphin

Weird title huh? I didn't come up with it unfortunately. It's from an article about good bad movies on A.V.Club one of the best sites covering movies and music I've found.

I didn't think I could be happier given that the Coen's adaptation of No Country for Old Men is nearing release (I know it's in limited release but it's not in a theater near me), especially given reviews like Roger Eberts, but now I find out Ridley Scott is looking to make Blood Meridian.

I never liked the TV shows 'I Love Lucy' or 'The Honeymooners'. I know they are considered comedy classic but I've always found their humor tiring. I hated how the characters always made stupid choices when there were obvious better choices available.

I mention those comedies of errors because tonight I watched a film that reminded me a lot of those old shows. This film wasn't a comedy however. It was a serious international film featuring a star studded cast. The film was Babel.

Babel is a film that intertwines stories taking place in three separate locations: Morocco, The US/Mexico border and Japan. The Moroccan and North American sections are tightly connected via characters while the Japanese section has only minor character links but is strongly linked via the films themes of communication difficulty and family separation.

Babel is an ambitious film, it's beautifully photographed and edited but unfortunately it's also unbearably tedious and filled with people making frustratingly dumb choices. There's a lot to admire about the film but in the end I can't recommend it for anyone but the most ardent film fan.