It’s been nearly two years since I first wrote about Star Wars Uncut, the full-length feature consisting entirely of 15 second homemade clips in an attempt to recreate Episode IV: A New Hope as it was meant to be told, complete with campy acting and low-budget special effects. Personally I found the film to be equally hilarious, and painful to watch, but the very concept remains brilliant. Recently, director Casey Pugh made a special directors cut available to stream online in its entirety. Funny, you’d think a film touting itself as being “uncut,” would, by definition, be the directors cut — I wonder how that works. You can watch it here, but for more information on the project, check out their official site here. Read more…
If you happen to be living in New Zealand, and want a chance to be an extra in Peter Jackson’s upcoming live-action adaptation of The Hobbit, then you’re in luck. The production recently placed an ad on Trademe.co.nz, looking for extras for a variety of roles. Large men, & women with “character faces,” and by that, I assume they mean “leathery,” or men & women under 5’4″ & 5′, respectively. I imagine they’ll be cast as hobbits. They’re also looking for people with slim builds between 5’5″ & 6’4″ to play elves. Finally, they’ll take any men with large biceps of any height. Again, it’s just work as an extra, but you have to admit that of all the films to be cast in, you could do worse. If its something you just have to do, keep in mind that you’ll have to be a resident of New Zealand, or obtain a valid work permit before they’ll even consider you for a part. For more info, check out the job listing here.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jan 25, 2012 in Comic Books
I’ve never been fond of collage work myself, mostly because I associate it with stalkers and psychopaths. That said, if I were going to make a collage, it’d have to be of something awesome — like my favorite comics. I imagine some of you can probably get past the whole stalker thing, but wouldn’t know where to find one of these awesome collages. Well, you’re in luck. Meet Mike Alcantara, an artist who spends his free time crafting these awesome comic-themed collages. His canvas pieces range in size from 12″ x 12″ to 24″ x 36″ and vary in price between $100 to $400 each. That said, they’re all one-of-a-kind. Currently he only has one piece, featuring Green Latern, valued at $250, but plans on crafting more pieces for sale in the near future. To purchase the piece or keep up with his future releases, be sure to check out Mike’s Etsy store, as he plans to keep it updated.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jan 25, 2012 in Videogames
Last Monday, GameStop surprised many of their European customers by closing their shops throughout Northern Ireland and Portugal. Reports state that employees were only given a days notice, and were subsequently required to sign non-disclosure agreements until the retailer made an official statement. It wasn’t long before a spokesperson commented on the closures, stating that the move was part of an existing plan “to exit the UK market from a brick and mortar perspective…” Read more…
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jan 24, 2012 in Animation
If you grew up with Star Blazers, Captain Harlock and Galaxy Express 999 the new Leiji Matsumoto series Ozma will bring a smile to your face! This new show will have a science fiction theme (of course!) and will start airing in Japan on March 16th this year. Below is a look at some of the character designs which remind me a great deal of Captain Harlock: Read more…
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jan 23, 2012 in Comic Books
What were fanboys and fangurls reading fifty years ago? Well here’s a selection of over fifty comic books from January 1962. The first thing that’s interested about this selection is the variety of genres — superheroes only represent a percentage of the titles that were on newsstands: In 1962 you could find comic books that took place in the old wild west, World War II, outer space and there were also romance comic books for the ladies and quite a few cartoony kid friendly titles as well. Read more…
Here’s a few more awesome game-related prints for your perusal: David Anthony Wood recently posted 3 prints featuring some cool NES-inspired work, but with a little more dimension added to them. I’m sure something like this has been done before, but David did it simply and well. Boiling it down to the most iconic elements – I can appreciate that. You can find them on his Society6 page for order if you’re interested. Read more…
While the real Doomerhammer would probably be a little too heavy to wield normally, you can still settle for the next best thing with ThinkGeek’s Foam Doomerhammer Replica, now on sale at their website. It’s made from polyurethane and PVC piping, which ThinkGeek claims makes it “strong, yet lightweight.” It’s also 22 inches long, so you’re sure to be the envy of everyone at your next LARP. You can pick it up for $149.99, here. Read more…
I’ve been fascinated by the digital vs. film argument that’s been going on for a bit now. 24 frames per second or 48? Texture and grain or crisp and clean? Have we been too accustomed to film to appreciate digital cinematography? I personally love the look of traditional film, but it’s a very nerdy subject to be sure, as many people hardly can tell the difference (or don’t care). Yet, I still am incredibly interested in the topic – and so are Chris Kenneally and Keanu Reeves who are creating a documentary about the different perspectives in the film industry relating to digital and film cinema. Click through for the trailer, featuring interviews with George Lucas, Christopher Nolan, James Cameron, Martin Scorsese and more. Read more…
The third Riddick film has had some hard times. Financial problems and, you know, not having a studio supporting you can definitely negatively affect things when you’re trying to make a movie. Vin Diesel is certainly persistent though, and working with writer and director David Twohy they’re struggling to get this film off the ground. We heard production would start up again, sometime back in November, but I still had my doubts. Now it looks like things really are happening, as Vin Diesel posted an image on Facebook of him in full costume. Read more…
Now this is a pretty great looking tie, and it’s gaming-related. How often do those cross? It’s not too overdone, but still geeky in the right ways. Maya Pixelskaya recently posted this fantastic Duck Hunt-themed tie on her web site as well as Ebay for sale. Sadly, this tie is one-of-a-kind so you’ll have to out-bid everyone else if you really want it. Only 2 days left to bid! That said, this tie looks good enough for mass-production, so let’s get that rolling – please? Read more…
Looking for a little action? A new trailer was released recently to promote a documentary from D & E Entertainment focusing on the life of Bruce Lee. It features many interviews with the man himself, as well as many people who knew him. It’s getting a limited release on February 9th and 15th only, in select theaters, so if you’re interested in catching it, I recommend checking the full listing of showings here. Click through for the trailer! Read more…
Last night marked the season 3 premiere of the animated FX series, and cult-favorite, Archer. For those of you who don’t watch, the series follows Sterling Archer, an over-the-top, self-absorbed spy who works for organization named ISIS, similar to MI-5, ran by his own mother. It often plays like a raunchy spoof of every Bond film ever made. Any way, it’s hilarious and definitely worth checking out. While you can find the first season readily available on Netflix, many viewers might want to play catch up. A lot can happen over the course of a season, so missing an one might leave you a bit dazed and confused. Fortunately, Amazon is having an amazing deal right now. You can get season one and two of Archer on Blu-ray for just $20 — that’s half off.
Volkswagon uploaded a teaser for their 2012 Game Day commercial entitled “The Bark Side.” The short features a group of adorable pups barking out John Williams’ “Imperial March,” with complete with some ATAT-cosplay at the end. The whole commercial is beyond adorable, and while I’m not sure what it has to do with selling cars, there’s no denying how awesome it is. In the span of a few short hours, the clip has attracted 50,000 views. To learn more, check out Volkswagon’s official game day invite page here. Read more…
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jan 18, 2012 in Videogames
On January 18, 1982 the cover of Time magazine proudly proclaimed “GRONK! FLASH! ZAP! Video Games are Blitzing the World”. The article went on to give an interesting picture of a new industry that was coming of age: Read more…
Since the late 70s Ryuichi Sakamoto has been a musical powerhouse of J-pop and numerous film soundtracks. He got his start playing the keyboards with the pioneering electronic music band Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO) from 1978 until the group broke up in 1983. After that he went solo and also produced records for quite a few other artists in addition to working on movie scores. One of his first soundtracks was for the 1983 film Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence. Of course as an anime fanboy my favorite from the 80s was the soundtrack to the 1987 film Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise. Read more…
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jan 17, 2012 in Animation
It’s hard to believe but twenty years ago The Real World debuted on MTV and slowly the cable channel which was beloved by a generation went from from showing creative music videos to bland reality television. But before that there was a golden age of a cable channel which dared to be a bit artsy and take some chances. Even though the channel started out with small budgets from the early days they always had animated bumper spots that were just as entertaining as the music videos which were showcased. Here are a small selection of those spots which made a generation tell tell their parents that “I Want My MTV”: Read more…
Talk about growth spurts. Close to 900 people crowded into a midtown Manhattan hotel ballroom at last weekend’s Bronycon II, vs. perhaps 1/3 that number at its September predecessor. The new venue – a long corridor and ballroom at NYC’s Hotel Pennsylvania (the fading epitome of 1940’s swank) – might’ve been bigger than the Chinatown loft where the September con was held, but was nonetheless instantly overcrowded. After one made their way past the undermanned registration desk, the next bottleneck to brave was a narrow doorway leading to the ballroom. (When you have dealer’s tables, an autograph line and random attendees all trying to occupy the same space at the time, traffic can’t help but gum up a bit.) Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jan 16, 2012 in Tech, Videogames
I love the concept of tablet gaming, I really do, but like many of you, I find the touch controls absolutely maddening at times. This is especially true for any game or app that requires the use of a directional pad. Thankfully, the chaps at Ten One Design could read my mind. Introducing the Fling Joystick and Fling mini — a simple analog nub that sticks to your tablet, or smartphone and holds in place via small translucent suction cups. Read more…
The BBC has never been known for breaking the bank when it comes to special effects, but is that such a bad thing? Take this awesome clip from the early days of Doctor Who, starring Jon Pertwee as The Third Doctor, for example. We were decades away from Jurassic Park and animatronics, but that couldn’t stop the BBC. They need dinosaurs, so they made it happen, and it was glorious — terrible, even hilarious, but glorious nonetheless. In fact, if this clip alone hasn’t convinced you to stomach classic Who‘s terrible acting (often on the part of his companions,) then I’m not sure what will. If, on the other hand, you can’t get enough of these killer special effects, and you wish to brave the acting, some of those classic episodes are still available via Netflix instant streaming.
I’ve always loved the design of Isaac Clarke’s suit from Dead Space. It has a strong, iconic look to it that you don’t see very often. Maybe it’s just because he slightly resembles a cranky old grandpa of the Daft Punk guys… In any case, Sideshow Collectibles agrees on the awesomeness of Isaac Clark and is releasing a 16″ high statue of him, ready to take on whatever alien menace he might encounter next. Read more…
You may remember me mentioning an awesome Skeletor/Darth Vader mask a while back. It was part of HalloweenCostumes.com’s Vader Helmet Art Contest, and guess what? Now you have a chance to own it, or one of many other fantastic Vader helmets that are going up for auction. 24 artists were selected to create a custom Darth Vader helmet, and on February 7th, they’ll go up for auction on HalloweenCostume’s site. All proceeds will be going to the Midwest Art Catalyst and The Miracle League of North Mankato. Click through for a gallery of some of the helmets! Read more…
