Movie review: Whiteout
The icy wasteland of Antarctica practically becomes a character in “Whiteout,” the mystery thriller based on the graphic novel by Greg Rucka and Steve Lieber.
The “Whiteout” of the title refers to a potentially deadly snowstorm that prevents visibility and can strand even an experienced resident of Antarctica.
Kate Beckinsale (“Underworld”) stars as U.S. Marshal Carrie Stetko, who is nearing the end of her two-year term as the law-enforcement officer of this inhospitable land.
But when a body is found between the U.S. base of Amundsen-Scott and the Russian Vostok base, Carrie is drawn into a mystery. She must race the clock to solve the crime before months of darkness descend upon the South Pole.
Examination of the body by the base’s doctor, Dr. John Fury (Tom Skerritt), reveals it to be that of a geologist named Weiss, who had been studying meteorites in a remote area.
His injuries lead Carrie to believe his death was a murder.
After getting a message from one of Weiss’ colleagues, Carrie makes her way to the Vostok base, along with a pilot, Delfy (played by Columbus Short).
Like the terrain, Carrie’s demeanor can become icy. Even after two years, she hasn’t resolved in her mind the events that brought her to Antarctica. She’s also not quick to trust, questioning the appearance of United Nations investigator Robert Pryce (Gabriel Macht) at the Vostok base.
Despite mysterious attacks, Carrie crisscrosses the dangerous land looking for clues that will lead her to the killer.
Where the movie is at its most successful is bringing home the raw danger of the frigid cold.
Unfortunately, the mystery doesn’t completely hang together, and the villains aren’t given a chance to attain much depth.
Movie Review
“Whiteout”|
R/ 1:46/ 2 stars
Starring: Kate Beckinsale, Gabriel Macht, Columbus Short, Alex O’Loughlin, Shawn Doyle.
(Violence, grisly images, brief strong language and some nudity.)
— Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman
Whiteout writer Greg Rucka joins Oklahoma native Sterling Gates in Hunt for Reactron
LOS ANGELES — A U.S. Marshal investigating a murder at the bottom of the world is the premise of “Whiteout,” the graphic novel by Greg Rucka and Steve Lieber, which was adapted into a motion picture starring Kate Beckinsale.
The comic-book limited series “Whiteout” from Oni Press was a big success in late 1990s. The sequel, “Whiteout: Melt,” nabbed the Eisner Award for best limited series.
At the press conference for the film “Whiteout,” Rucka said it’s an honor to see his creation make the jump to the silver screen, as a lot of comic books and graphic novels never make that jump.
“I’m still in awed shock that it made it this far, honestly,” Rucka said. “Steve Lieber and I created a comic to tell the story we wanted to tell. … All you can really be is incredibly flattered that this idea that you created in one format, because that was the format that you were working in, is something that somebody wants to take the time and the effort to translate.”
This month, Rucka’s moving from the icy wasteland of “Whiteout” to the heated action of “The Hunt for Reactron.”
The four-part crossover between “Action Comics” and “Supergirl” follows the “Codename: Patriot” storyline and features Supergirl, Nightwing and Flamebird on the hunt for Reactron, the villain who killed Supergirl’s father, Zor-El.
Supergirl and Flamebird, best friends in childhood, have been at odds since Zor-El’s death. But both want 
the man who killed Zor-El brought to justice. This Nightwing isn’t Dick Grayson, but is Chris Kent, Superman’s adopted son.
Rucka is co-writing the crossover with “Supergirl” writer Sterling Gates, a University of Oklahoma graduate.
“Sterling is fantastic, he’s a great collaborator,” Rucka said at the “Whiteout” film junket. “I’m loving writing with Sterling. He and I are doing two issues of ‘Action’ (and) two issues of ‘Supergirl’ together.”
The crossover begins in Wednesday’s “Action Comics” 881 and continues in “Supergirl” 45, on sale Sept. 23. The story concludes in October’s issues of “Action Comics” and “Supergirl.”
- By Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman
Kate Beckinsale keeps her cool in sub-zero temperatures filming Whiteout
LOS ANGELES — The freezing weather of Manitoba, Canada, doubled as the South Pole for the Kate Beckinsale film “Whiteout,” in theaters today.
At news conferences in Los Angeles, where it was ironically warmer than usual, Beckinsale said the weather gave the cast and crew something to bond over.
Whiteout clips online
I’m in Los Angeles covering the press conferences for the “Whiteout” film starring Kate Beckinsale. Several clips have hit the Web showing an early look at this frosty thriller. See all seven clips at CinemaBlend. “Whiteout” is based on the graphic novel by Greg Rucka and Steve Lieber.
Trailer for Whiteout film starring Kate Beckinsale
Check out the trailer to Whiteout, directed by Dominic Sena and set for release on Sept. 11, 2009. The film stars Kate Beckinsale and is based on the Greg Rucka-Steve Lieber graphic novel from Oni Press.
Rashida Jones comes to Oni for new project
SAN DIEGO — Oni Press announced a new miniseries to be co-written by Rashida Jones (The Office, Parks and Recreation). Frenemy of the State, co-written by Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir, will follow an heiress who is working for the CIA. Jones co-created the series and will co-write with Nunzio DeFilippis (Past Lies), and Christina Weir (Past Lies).
Other Oni notes:
* Greg Rucka’s long-awaited “Stumptown” is scheduled to premiere in October.
* Polly & the Pirates will return, still written by Ted Naifeh, but with new artist Robbi Rodriguez (Stephen Colbert’s Tek Jansen, Maintenance)
* Jamie S. Rich is creating a new graphic novel, called “Spell Checkers,” described as “Mean Girls with Magic.”
* The “Damned” creative team of Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt will create a supernatural Western called “6th Gun.”
* A new historical fiction graphic novel called “Petrograd” will explore the death of Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin.
Scott Pilgrim video blog
Blog One - Introduction - Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World from Scott Pilgrim The Movie on Vimeo.
Video blog from Edgar Wright on the training the actors are doing on “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.” Wright points out this film has three things that are difficult to do by themselves — music, action, and comedy — and “Scott Pilgrim” attempts them all.
- Matt Price
Retro Thursday: Andi Watson
I think Andi Watson is one of the great, underrated comic-book creators of the past decade. For a while there, it was if he was writing comics just for me: the screwball-inspired newspaper comedy “Slow News Day,” the superhero relationship drama “Love Fights,” and “Little Star,” possibly the best graphic novel ever written about parenting. All of those were written and drawn by Watson, who moved from a manga-influenced style in his first comics, “Samurai Jam” and “Skeleton Key,” to a more European-influenced design in “Geisha,” which came out from Oni Press.
You can see a recent project of Watson’s, “Great Uncle George’s Will,” at Tor.com.
I talked to Andi in 2001, as he was working on “Slow News Day” and “Breakfast After Noon,” an Eisner-nominated tale of unemployment.
Comics Q&A: Scott Pilgrim
Michael Cera stars in the upcoming film adaptation of the graphic novel ” Scott Pilgrim.” Matt Price and Kyle Roberts discuss the graphic novel series and film.
Oni Press plans comic-book initiative
Oni Press booth at Comic-Con International.
Over at Newsarama, get a full rundown of the Oni Press panel at Comic-Con International. Oni is one of my favorite publishers, on a personal note, and I’m excited about their lineup. From the article:
(Oni’s James Lucas) Jones also said Oni is working on a “new floppy comics initiative” that will debut next spring with several color monthly series. Those series include Stumptown, the Greg Rucka-written private investigator series that was announced in San Diego last year; Resurrection, which ends its black and white run with issue #6 and starts up again next year in color; and a new title called Bad Medicine by Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir. Jones said the initiative would include a few other books they weren’t ready to announce.
A few comics that aren’t out yet from Oni are already in the process of becoming movies: “Billy Smoke,” written by B. Clay Moore, and the fantasy-comedy “The Return of King Doug.”
– Matt Price
