Posted by Guest Author on Mar 15, 2009 in Animation
Editor’s Note: In this column animation critic Joe Strike gives us our first review of Monsters vs. Aliens.
A few weeks back Jeffrey K came to town to hype his latest, first-in-3D animated feature Monsters vs. Aliens. Did you know (Jeffrey does) 3D is the third revolution in motion pictures, right after the introduction of sound, then color? Neither did I; in fact the film seemed more like the old paddleball in your face routine – which is literally how it begins. OK, I enjoy a meta-gag as much as the next guy, but after JK talked up what they were gonna do with the technology, I expected more than visual quotes. (And yes, the 3D was very cool-looking all the way through.) Read more…
Posted by Michael Pinto on Mar 14, 2009 in Comic Books
I think it’s safe to assume that by now most fanboys are going to their second showings of Watchmen or waiting on the DVD at this point. The one thing I’m noticing is that as time goes on I start to notice more and more plot holes and mistakes in the film. So without further ado here’s my laundry list (warning: this list will contain some plot spoilers, so if you still haven’t seen the film please don’t read ahead): Read more…
Posted by Michael Pinto on Mar 13, 2009 in Science
With all of the excitement today about space junk threatening the International Space Station it dawned on me just how easy it is to forgot how untypical life is on a space station. Shown above is a spacewalk from this week which didn’t even make the news, yet it’s an amazing under taking. What you’re seeing here is the crew if the International Space Station conducting a four hour plus spacewalk which included an experiment and photography of the Russian segment of the station. They’re doing this in advance of the next Discovery mission which will deliver a new set of solar panels which will make the station easier to spot from the ground. Read more…
Posted by Michael Pinto on Mar 12, 2009 in Star Trek
Having watched the original series since my early childhood one of my early disappointments in life was the 1979 film Star Trek: The Motion Picture: You have to understand for me this was like Beatles getting back together again, but then producing a bad disco album. So it’s not surprising that I’ve blocked most of my memories associated with that “film” out of mind. But one thing that that the Paramount marketing dept. got right was the merchandising, and in this case I had forgotten that fast food giant McDonald’s had created a series of Star Trek themed Happy Meals to coincide with the film. Shown above and below are commercials that promoted fast food for Star Fleet officers in training. Read more…
It’s funny the one thing that always hit me about the character designs in Full Metal Alchemist is just how cute they seem to be, but this set of Full Metal Alchemist Choco Minto pushes it to the next level. These figurines are part of a merchandising push that ties in with the debut of the latest series which stays true to the storylines established in the original manga. Here’s a trailer for the upcoming series: Read more…
Posted by Michael Pinto on Mar 10, 2009 in Star Trek
While wandering around Kenmare and Mott in Manhattan I spotted this stenciled Spock street art which features him in his Wrath of Khan outfit sporting a Marilyn Monroe hairstyle. Clearly a homage to Warhol (as shown by the near by tomato soup spray can below) the artist is Mr. Brainwash.
The above advert is for the upcoming April issue of Comptiq magazine. The magazine got started in the 80s as a computer magazine, but over time shifted to computers and in 2003 became mixed media. Over the years Comptiq has featured a quite a few serialized manga from Gunbuster to my favorite Lucky Star. Of course what caught my eye in this ad is the very prominently statuette of Konata which looks very cool.
You can now pre-order the Star Trek Original Series Lunch Box — but frankly the design of this schlocked out trinket misses the point in my book. For starters the side of the lunchbox misses the spirit of the entire show, the typography and graphic symbols have nothing to do with the late 60s. But the biggest missing part is that a lunchbox from that era wasn’t always photographic — in fact for a science fiction show you’d expect to see an illustration. And this I present to you the real deal, an authentic Star Trek lunchbox from the 60s: Read more…
Posted by Michael Pinto on Mar 8, 2009 in Comic Books
From the moment I read Watchmen all of those years ago I always wanted to see it as a film — and I guess the lesson here is is that you should be careful what you wish for because you may just get it. After seeing the film I was left with a vey flat empty feeling, yes on a superficial level the director got almost every frame right but there was something lacking: the soul of the comic book. Read more…
A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away there were these cute little mice! I know this sounds like we’re kitbashing Star Wars with the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy but these adorable sci fi rodents are the precious creations of the House of Mouse and can be found on Etsy on their very own page. There are 14 mice in the entire collection so far and they run between $35 and $40, but bet of all if your favorite character is missing they’re open to doing custom orders. Shown above is Princess Leia mouse and below is Darth Vader mouse. Read more…
Having watched the original series since my early childhood one of my early disappointments in life was the 1979 film Star Trek: The Motion Picture: You have to understand for me this was like Beatles getting back together again, but then producing a bad disco album. So it’s not surprising that I’ve blocked most of my memories associated with that “film” out of mind. But one thing that that the Paramount marketing dept. got right was the merchandising, and in this case I had forgotten that fast food giant McDonald’s had created a series of Star Trek themed Happy Meals to coincide with the film. Shown above and below are commercials that promoted fast food for Star Fleet officers in training. 
The above advert is for the upcoming April issue of 
