|
Lonely Garden Jawa Dreams of the Deserts of Tatooine
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 19, 2009 in Star Wars
I feel so bad for poor Garden Jawa being stuck in your backyard while his old buddies get to hang out on Tatooine cruising around in their humongous sandcrawler transports. Although you may want to think twice about placing the Jawa in your garden — it seems under those hoods they’re in fact rodent creatures, i.e. oversized rats! Although they’re damn cute: Read more… Phonogram: A Very Dark Singles Club
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 18, 2009 in Comic Books
The subject matter of Phonogram reminds me a great deal of the romance genre of comics from the 50s and 60s — except that it has a much harder realistic edge to it. Written by Kieron Gillen this plot of Phonogram 2: Singles Club #5 reminds me a great deal of The Smiths song How Soon is Now? as it opens with our hero visiting a night club and watching everyone else have a great time. And then when you add the Jamie McKelvie’s somber visual style of storytelling you get a very dark vision that you don’t see in most comic books: Read more… G-Man: Giarrusso Generates Giggles
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 18, 2009 in Comic Books
There’s a warm quality to both the writing a visual style of Chris Giarrusso’s work that reminds me of a humerous fanzine strip shared between good friends. Part of what makes G-Man: Cape Crisis #4 work so well is that while most comic books split the writing and art responsibilities, in the great tradition of New Yorker cartoons Giarrusso is wearing both hats — so the drawing acts as a natural extention to the writing. Also because the drawing style is rough and scratchy you get a silly look which reminds me of an American version of a chan-styled manga: Read more… The Simpsons Slurping C.C. Lemon
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 17, 2009 in Animation, Japanese TV
I think The Simpsons are even better with Japanese voice acting, they somehow even seem sillier than usual! This advert is for C.C. Lemon a Japanese beverage that’s distributed by Kirin (I admit that I had hoped that it was a beer commercial!). Superheroes vs. Dinosaurs: An Invincible Combination
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 17, 2009 in Comic Books
I never took superheroes seriously — there’s just something so silly to me about a grown man running around town in his pajamas fighting evil. But I think that’s why I like Invincible #68 so much. The entire issue is silly, and better yet you’ve got the superhero engaged some very highly animated combat with a dinosaur. Featuring a story by Robert Kirkman and some entertaining artwork by Ryan Ottley and Fco Plascencia this issue will be out on November 18th, 2009: Read more… Fall Out Toy Works: A Playful Read
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 16, 2009 in Comic Books
I admit that I overlooked the first issue of Fall Out Toy Works because it’s based on the lyrics of Fall Out Boy. And why do I hate Fall Out Boy? Because in my humble opinion the only band in the universe that should have the name Fall in is THE Fall — the amazing post-punk project of Mark E. Smith. Well now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, I hate to admit it but this looks like a great book! I’m not an emo fan but Sami Basri, Sunny Gho and Imaginary Friends Studios have done a great job with the artwork which is a treat to the eyes: Read more… Hello Kitty on the Fashion Runway
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 16, 2009 in Fandom
Shown above is the finale of the Hello Kitty Fashion Show held this weekend in Los Angles. This is a wrap up of a larger show which was designed to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the infamous cute cat that has no mouth. Vintage Japanese Commercials Starring Brad Pitt
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 15, 2009 in Japanese TV
This first ad for the Honda Integra is kind of cute, although the 503 Basic Jeans commercial below is even better as it features a singing Brad Pitt: Read more… Kick Ass: A Fanboy Friendly Film
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 15, 2009 in Cinema, Comic Books
This film takes fandom and cosplay to the next level: Based upon the comic book by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr. it tells the story of a teen who decides to become a real life superhero sans super powers. Methinks that bit of realism might actually make this film a bit of fun. Here are some posters from the film: Read more… A Mechagodzilla You Can Cuddle
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 15, 2009 in Cinema, Hobbies and Collections
Is he an evil mechanical doppelgänger or just misunderstood? Since 1974 poor Mechagodzilla (メカゴジラ) has always been played up as the nemesis of Godzilla — but I like to think of him as more of a beloved sparring partner. And now you can show your love for this mechanical maestro with your very own Godzilla MechaGodzilla Plush which features a soft surface instead of the usual space titanium. Bleach: The Third Musical!
The third Bleach musical will take start on January 15th, 2010 and tour three cities in Japan: Fukuoka, Osaka and Tokyo. What makes this show interesting is that it features some of the voice actors from the series. Tickets are 6600 yen and go on sale November 15th. Here’s the official flyer for the show: Read more… Gruber on How Hollywood Gambles
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 14, 2009 in Cinema
For those of us critics who wonder why Hollywood can be so superficial film producer Peter Guber has some riveting insights with this interview from the Web 2.0 Summit. He first talks about the disconnect between young movie goers and the folks who work at studios — and then the fact that each film represents a new business venture because the studio itself doesn’t have a brand (although back in the good old days it did). Read more… Exclusive: Yoda Loses His Head!
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 14, 2009 in Hobbies and Collections, Star Wars
As if living on a swamp planet wasn’t bad enough poor master Yoda must suffer the extra humiliation of having to sit by and watch as his body is used to backup excel spreadsheets and photos of the family cat. Of course for a mere $40 you can recreate this horrific scene with the Star Wars 4GB Flash Drives which are available through ThinkGeek. In addition to Yoda you can decapitate the likes of Darth Vader, Boba Fett and some poor Stermtrooper: Read more… Is Ninja Assassin’s Apartment Rent Controlled?
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 13, 2009 in Cinema
You know how you know that you’ve been living in New York City for too long? Well when you look at a trailer like this and the first thing you think is “damn that’s one HUGE ASS apartment!” And then your second thought is “I wonder if it’s rent controlled, rent stabilized or luxury?” The after taking in the real estate porn (seriously you can’t get an apartment with a living room that size unless you’re loaded) do you realize that Ninja Assassin is slated for release on November 25th. In this next scene Ninja Assassin’s landlord is taunting him about his ex: Read more… A Devo Inspired Anime Damsel
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 13, 2009 in Comic Books
This illustration by manga artist Hisashi Eguchi got my attention right away as the Christmas attired anime lady is sporting a vintage Devo cap. The drawing was created for a flyer promoting a Christmas concert in Japan which features the the musician Naoki Yamamoto (who is also works in the anime industry) and the hardcore band Surorana. Here is the illustration at full size (just click on the drawing): Read more… Lucky Star Net Idol Maestro
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 12, 2009 in Animation, Videogames
This is latest video promo for the Lucky Star Net Idol Meister game for the PSP. This music focused game will be released on December 23rd, with a follow up additional song in January 2010. My personal preference would be to see a second OVA coming out, but in my book there’s no such thing as a disappointing Lucky Star release of any kind. Here is pervious promo which gives you an idea of the game play of this title: Read more… Despicable Me: I Already Hate This Film & It Won’t Be Out Until 2010
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 12, 2009 in Animation
Here’s the latest trailer for Despicable Me and I’ve got to say that I’m even less impressed with the film now than when the previous trailer came out. This is the same crew that was behind Ice Age so they’re not as bad as Dreamworks, yet they’ll never be as good as Pixar. As usual we’ve got famous movie stars who are lame at voice acting and visual gags that are overplayed, and the end result doesn’t make me want to stand in line to buy a ticket. Why Can’t Hollywood Compete with Japanese Giant Robots?
Yes I know James Cameron will make a billion dollars with Avatar. But you know what Cameron will never know how to do? Create a damn high quality giant robot that kids will want to buy thirty years from now! Shown above is the reason why: The Avatar AMP Suit (shown above) looks like a left over prop from the film Aliens: Read more… An Interview with Donovan Leitch: The Historian of One Model Nation
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 11, 2009 in Comic Books
Introduction: The graphic novel One Model Nation will come out at the end of November and as fans of both comic books and music we throughly enjoyed this book which takes place in an alternate universe version of Berlin in 1977. We were lucky to get an interview with Donovan Leitch, the official historian of this tale who collaborated with writer Courtney Allbritton Taylor and artist Jim Rugg to bring this illustrated rock epic to life. Read more… Buck Rogers Accessories for Retro Styling Fanboys (or Fangurls)
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 11, 2009 in Comic Books, Hobbies and Collections
It’s amazing to think that Buck Rogers got started as a fictional character in an issue of Amazing Stories from over 90 years ago (August 1928 to be exact) — however Buck made his first huge mark as a comic strip series illustrated by John Flint Dille. Those old strips have a wonderfully quirky look to them, and the folks at Dark Horse have picked on this by introducing a line of swag which was designed by the folks at Retro-A-Go-Go. The collection goes on sale on February 24th, 2010 and includes a wide range of goodies including picture frames: Read more… Techies Shouldn’t Underestimate Rupert Murdoch
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 10, 2009 in Tech
Right now every techie in the universe has watched the above clip and drawn the conclusion that Rupert Murdoch “just doesn’t get it”. My thinking is that not only does Murdoch understand very well the business of the net, but he also has the money to back up his vision. The reason is that unlike most other newspapers the Wall Street Journal is one of those rare properties which is a must read publication in its field. In other words like Bloomberg he has one of the few sources of content which is so high in quality that people will be willing to pay for it. Read more… Avatar is Shaping Up
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 10, 2009 in Cinema
He’s not my favorite director but I think James Cameron’s true talent is the ability to combine a good story with bleeding edge special effects. When I watched the previous trailer for Avatar it looked like a bad videogame, but perhaps I was a bit too hasty to call my predictions for this film. Looking at this latest trailer I’m seeing more of the story which looks rock solid — so my bet is that Avatar is going to be the hit of the season. And as much as I’m not a fan of Cameron I also have to give him credit for the ability to pull off making a film of this scale without it being based on a comic book or a TV show from thirty years ago. Alhough the alien world animation still looks like a bad videogame to me… Are You Really Sure You Want to Legalize This?
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 10, 2009 in Cinema, Hobbies and Collections
The unintentionally ironic thing about the Cheech & Chong Action Figure Set is that it strikes me as being the most effective anti-drug statement I’ve ever seen: And of course that irony goes even deeper as pretty much all anti-drug advertising always seems to make drug use somehow cooler. Read more… Nola: Boom! Studios Ventures into Original Waters
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 9, 2009 in Comic Books
As a New Yorker I’d always assumed that 9/11 was the definitive defining moment of America in the 21st Century — but now I’m wondering if the flooding of New Orleans was maybe just as important if not more so. My thinking is that while for the most part NYC has picked up as a city and has gone that New Orleans is never coming back. Yes it may still be there in a small way, but it will never be a major city again. In terms of the psyche of America this is huge as that city was unique and pre-dated the United States itself. So it’s interesting to see this topic spread out from documentaries into the world of fiction. So Nola #1 caught my eye, and it’s worth taking a closer look at. Read more… |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Copyright © 2026 Fanboy.com All rights reserved. Theme by Laptop Geek.
