The newly released action thriller Red, starring Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman and Helen Mirren as "Retired Extremely Dangerous" CIA agents, may sound like the kind of thing that was thrown together in Hollywood over lunch, but the story was actually dreamt up by a writer in a quiet English town and first appeared in the pages of a comic book.
But how could that be? There aren't any capes, knee-high boots or red underpants in the trailer. Not even a sanctimonious voiceover stating that "with great power must come great responsibility". And yet the movie is an adaptation of the Essex-based author Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner's mini-series, first published in 2003.
The story of a former black-ops agent (Willis) who puts his old team back together when his quiet life in retirement is threatened by assassins, Red is just the latest in a growing list of unlikely adaptations of comic books (or graphic novels as Hollywood marketing teams would have us call them). Although big-screen outings for Batman, Iron Man and the like still rake in hundreds of millions of dollars at the global box office, studios have discovered that some of the medium's more obscure titles can also be trusted to attract audiences.
Road to Perdition (2002)
Sam Mendes' Depression-era gangster movie, starring Tom Hanks as a hitman with a murdered wife and son, was based on the series On the Road to Perdition, by Max Allan Collins. While many comic book adaptations are criticised for not living up to the original story, Road to Perdition was a critical and commercial hit. It was nominated for six Academy Awards, eclipsing the success of the book.
Men in Black (1997)
The sci-fi blockbuster, about a secret organisation that keeps the presence of aliens on earth under wraps, was based on a six-issue series published in 1990 by the little known Aircel Comics. Starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, the action comedy (set for its third outing in 2012) took a lighter approach than the Lowell Cunningham-penned comics, which saw agents using any means necessary, including murder, to accomplish their missions.
300 (2006)
Comics are usually more concerned with the future than the past, so many were surprised in 1998 when one of the medium's biggest names, Frank Miller, came-out with a swords and sandals epic. The stylish retelling of the Battle of Thermopylae, in which 300 Spartans are said to have resisted tens of thousands of Persians, was just macho and dumb enough to gain the attention of Hollywood.
Tamara Drewe (2010)
Stephen Frears's adaptation of Posy Simmonds's country comic book (originally serialised in The Guardian newspaper in 2005) was a huge hit with critics earlier this year - but then, films about the lives of wealthy English folk, driven by ego and lust, invariably are. The comedy sees the former ugly duckling (Gemma Arterton) returning home from London after a life-changing nose-job and capturing the attention of many of the small village's middle-aged men.
Gainsbourg (2010)
You might think that real life would be the basis for this biopic of the legendary French pop star and lothario - and it is, but only indirectly. Before the director Joann Sfar made his acclaimed movie about Serge Gainsbourg, he wrote the story as a comic. The movie adaptation retains the surreal, cartoonish-style of the book, including a scene in which the musician is chased by a monster with several limbs and has his head turned into a cabbage.
Oldboy (2003)
Most people think of the brutal revenge story Oldboy as quintessentially Korean, but Park Chan-wook's movie was based on a successful Japanese manga comic by Garon Tsuchiya, which ran from 1996-98. The film deviates from the original story dramatically, but both feature a young man who has been locked up for over a decade for no reason he can understand wreaking havoc on his captors.
A History of Violence (2005)
A little known graphic novel, written by John Wagner and published in 1997, provided the basis for David Cronenberg's most critically acclaimed movie in almost two decades. The thriller sees Viggo Mortensen playing a small-town café owner whose secret past as a mob heavy is exposed when he kills a pair of robbers. The comic's Italia-American mobsters became Irish in the film to avoid associations with The Sopranos at the height of the television show's popularity.
Red is on general release in the UAE from today.
Gran Gala del Calcio 2019 winners
Best Player: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)
Best Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta)
Best Referee: Gianluca Rocchi
Best Goal: Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria vs Napoli)
Best Team: Atalanta
Best XI: Samir Handanovic (Inter); Aleksandar Kolarov (Roma), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli), Joao Cancelo (Juventus*); Miralem Pjanic (Juventus), Josip Ilicic (Atalanta), Nicolo Barella (Cagliari*); Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria), Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Duvan Zapata (Atalanta)
Serie B Best Young Player: Sandro Tonali (Brescia)
Best Women’s Goal: Thaisa (Milan vs Juventus)
Best Women’s Player: Manuela Giugliano (Milan)
Best Women’s XI: Laura Giuliani (Milan); Alia Guagni (Fiorentina), Sara Gama (Juventus), Cecilia Salvai (Juventus), Elisa Bartoli (Roma); Aurora Galli (Juventus), Manuela Giugliano (Roma), Valentina Cernoia (Juventus); Valentina Giacinti (Milan), Ilaria Mauro (Fiorentina), Barbara Bonansea (Juventus)
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Real Sociedad v Leganes (midnight)
Saturday
Alaves v Real Valladolid (4pm)
Valencia v Granada (7pm)
Eibar v Real Madrid (9.30pm)
Barcelona v Celta Vigo (midnight)
Sunday
Real Mallorca v Villarreal (3pm)
Athletic Bilbao v Levante (5pm)
Atletico Madrid v Espanyol (7pm)
Getafe v Osasuna (9.30pm)
Real Betis v Sevilla (midnight)
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Scoreline
Australia 2-1 Thailand
Australia: Juric 69', Leckie 86'
Thailand: Pokklaw 82'
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
Dubai Rugby Sevens, December 5 -7
World Sevens Series Pools
A – Fiji, France, Argentina, Japan
B – United States, Australia, Scotland, Ireland
C – New Zealand, Samoa, Canada, Wales
D – South Africa, England, Spain, Kenya
SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday (All UAE kick-off times)
Cagliari v AC Milan (6pm)
Lazio v Napoli (9pm)
Inter Milan v Atalanta (11.45pm)
Sunday
Udinese v Sassuolo (3.30pm)
Sampdoria v Brescia (6pm)
Fiorentina v SPAL (6pm)
Torino v Bologna (6pm)
Verona v Genoa (9pm)
Roma V Juventus (11.45pm)
Parma v Lecce (11.45pm)
Chinese Grand Prix schedule (in UAE time)
Friday: First practice - 6am; Second practice - 10am
Saturday: Final practice - 7am; Qualifying - 10am
Sunday: Chinese Grand Prix - 10.10am
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Abu Dhabi GP schedule
Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm
Saturday: Final practice - 2pm; Qualifying - 5pm
Sunday: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps) - 5.10pm
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Florida: The critical Sunshine State
Though mostly conservative, Florida is usually always “close” in presidential elections. In most elections, the candidate that wins the Sunshine State almost always wins the election, as evidenced in 2016 when Trump took Florida, a state which has not had a democratic governor since 1991.
Joe Biden’s campaign has spent $100 million there to turn things around, understandable given the state’s crucial 29 electoral votes.
In 2016, Mr Trump’s democratic rival Hillary Clinton paid frequent visits to Florida though analysts concluded that she failed to appeal towards middle-class voters, whom Barack Obama won over in the previous election.
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