The 168 Turnaround: Hey Harper, Spiderman Won’t Stand For This

THIS WEEK:  Jan 30 – Feb 5, 2011

SPIDERMAN: A few weeks ago, we got our first look at the new Spidey costume from Marc Webb’s Spiderman reboot—the image was dark, and Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) wasn’t wearing his mask.  But now comes photos of Spiderman in action…well, sort of.  At least he’s actually wearing his mask.  I’m not sure how I feel about Spidey’s new(ish) look:  I enjoy what they’ve done with his eyes, but cringe every time I look at his boots.  But who knows, maybe Parker has fallen arches and needs the supportive footwear.

GENIE NOMINATIONS: Are you getting tired of all the American movie awards (The Academy Awards, The Golden Globes, and so on)?  Lucky for you, The Genie Award nominations have been announced, so rest easy.  For many of us, The Genies (Canada’s Oscars) are a real aid in discovering the best that Canadian cinema has to offer.  This year, the two films to beat are Richard J. Lewis’ Barney’s Version and Denis Villeneuve’s Incendies (for the full list of nominations, click here).  I’m a big fan of Villeneuve’s 2009 film, Polytechnique and really look forward to checking out his new film, which has also been nominated this year for an Academy Award for Best Foreign-Language Film.

THE STAND: It’s been a great couple of weeks for novelist Stephen King.  Last week brought news of Javier Bardem being cast as Roland Deschain in the forthcoming The Dark Tower films and television series.  This week brings news that one of King’s most popular novels, The Stand, will also make its way to the silver screen.  According to The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. and CBS Films are teaming up to adapt the novel, though have not yet decided how best to do so (i.e. one film vs. several films).  The Stand is a post-apocalyptic story, taking place mostly after a super-virus wipes out most of the world’s population.  What I want to know is who they’ll cast to play Randall Flag, the novel’s antichrist-like antagonist, and will that actor reprise the role for the Dark Tower films?

WHAT IS STEPHEN HARPER READING: Beginning in 2007, Canadian novelist Yann Martel (Life of Pi, Beatrice and Virgil) began a project dubbed “What is Stephen Harper Reading,” wherein every two weeks he sent the Prime Minister a book and a letter explaining why that book was chosen.  Titles included George Orwell’s Animal Farm, J.M. Coetzee’s Waiting for the Barbarians, and Luigi Pirandello’s Six Characters in Search of an Author, among many others.  This week, Martel ended the project with the hundredth book, Wajdi Mouawad’s Scorched.  Why Harper never personally responded to Martel’s letters is anyone’s guess.  In any event, those looking for a unique and compelling reading list, look no further.

WIN OF THE WEEK: Creating A Hit: 8 Hour Challenge
I’m not going to lie—I like some AT40 music (I’m looking at you, Rihanna).  But, then again, these guys have a point, and that they do actually make a catchy song in less than eight hours…well, either they’re incredibly talented or most AT40 music is as paint-by-numbers simple as many of us have suspected.

FAIL OF THE WEEK: Free Running Fail
Like the parkour fail from a few weeks ago, this guy makes me laugh.  But, again, I get why he did it—I too have fantasies of being able to leap from one precipice to another.  Maybe it’s a guy thing.

The 168 Turnaround is a week-in-review column, a place for me to reflect on the week’s most interesting pop culture news items.  If it mattered to me or I think it might matter to you, then it will be here.  If I’ve overlooked an important news item, or if you have a comment or question, please leave a response below.  Thank you for reading.