Forces of Geek: we like pop culture: 11/1/10

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

BURN NOTICE Prequel Film With BRUCE CAMPBELL Has a Director!

Cult legend Bruce Campbell's previously announced Burn Notice prequel film has finally announced a director.

And fans of the series are already quite familiar with his work.

The Japanese fascination with things both steel and steam – military ships and old school railway locomotives – possibly stems back to their initial shock and awe when Commodore Matthew Perry waltzed up to Yokosuka, not far from Tokyo, in 1853 with a combination of both (a fleet of black-hulled steam frigates) to force open the country to the West.

Many elderly gents in Japan also have a penchant for historic battleships, in particular two of them that regularly pop up in conversations when we talk about the country’s own military past.

Remember Uchu Senkan Yamato, anyone?

Most Americans, Australians and Europeans probably won't since the anime TV series was first screened under the lacklustre ulterior title of Star Blazers outside Japan from around 1979.

In the Western version there was deviously reduced violence, toned-down dialogue, and the complete deletion of the partaking of sake. Alcoholism and sexual innuendo were whitewashed, clipped out on the editing room floor, and/or erased from the English dub.

Anti-Matter is a new web-series, set in a major metropolitan comic store, that despite taking place now, has a great Seventies vibe to it. Here's the official description:

In the tradition of “Cheers”, “The Office” and “Friends”, comes Anti-Matter, a workplace and family of friends comedy which takes a playful life in the comic shop!

Set in a comic book store, Anti-Matter features the zany often hilarious hijinks that happen with the staff and the idiosyncratic regulars of a NY comic book shop who treat the store more like a clubhouse than a place of business.

Through the exploits of the staff and regulars Anti-Matter serves as a hilarious gateway for audiences to laugh as a surprising number of life’s events occur in the shop.

Check out the first three episodes after the jump and the official site HERE.

Academy Award winning actor, Nicolas Cage reunites with his National Treasure series collaborators director Jon Turteltaub and producer Jerry Bruckheimer for Disney's The Sorcerer's Apprentice, inspired by the iconic sequence in the animated film, Fantastia. In the film, Cage plays Master sorcerer Balthazar Blake who recruits an apprentice in to assist him in defending New York City from his arch-nemesis, Maxim Horvath.

To celebrate the film, Disney's The Sorcerer's Apprentice which arrives on dvd/Blu-ray today, Mr. Cage took some time out to discuss the film.

I AM LEGEND will soon infiltrate phones and digital notepads everywhere. The blockbuster hit starring Will Smith comes to iTunes for the first time ever with Bonus Content including behind the scenes footage and interviews with the star himself.

Somehow immune to an unstoppable, incurable virus, military virologist Robert Neville (Smith) is now the last human survivor in New York City and maybe the world. But he is not alone. Mutant victims of the plague lurk in the shadows... watching Neville's every move... waiting for him to make a fatal mistake. Perhaps mankind's last, best hope, Neville is driven by only one remaining mission: to find an antidote using his own immune blood. But he knows he is outnumbered... and quickly running out of time.

To purchases the film with extras (including an alternate ending and three featurettes) click HERE or check after the jump for a preview clip and contest details!

ACCUSATION: Craptacular demise.

DEFENSE: He'll be back.

Here's the deal. I finally sat down to watch, for the first time ever, the last major theatrical release from director John Carpenter, Ghosts of Mars, with every intention that I can find something defendable in it. After all, it couldn't possibly be worse than his remake of Village of the Damned. I made it approximately 23 minutes into the film before turning it off, and about 5 minutes into the film before I started searching for every online review I could find that might find any possibly good about it. There's not much.

The Set-Up: One Cat, Two Birds...

It Seems like an easy battle, but wait, what's this? Another cat? Is it friend or foe?

Will the birds be eaten? Will the cats unite together to bring down the winged nemesis?

Or, will one cat turn on the other for an ultimate smack down?

Only the soundtrack music knows for sure!

Video after the break

Now, while I may be posting this "Table Tennis Trainer" as an interesting way to bone up on your ping pong skills, the underlining subtext of this post is strictly being used as a way to point out what an awesome weapon this little device could be when pointing it at, say, your brother's head.

Simply place this unit near said sibling and turn it on. You can adjust the speed of the expelling balls so that it can spit them out of it's projectile hole in increments of 12 to 70 per minute (personally, I would go with 70 since you only get one chance to really take them by surprise so make it count) and intuitively feel the satisfying thump as small balls bounce off the noggin of the person with whom you share DNA with.

And of course, this machine will help you with your ping pong training as well blah, blah, blah.

Car 54, Where Are You?, one of the few classic sitcoms not yet released, is finally coming to dvd on February 22, 2011.

The series starred Fred Gwynne (aka Herman Munster) as Officer Francis Muldoon and Joe E. Ross (The Phil Silvers Show) as Officer Gunther Toody.

After the jump, check out the full press release and cover art as well as a clip from the fourth episode where Toody and Muldoon accidentally pull over a citizen for running a stop sign, then realize if they give him a ticket they will have to appear in court and miss their chance to go sword fishing.

While normally I shun Steampunk (due to the fact that every single participant that I have ever met have been assholes who think that brass goggles and upcycled Ren-faire clothing makes them cool) I do have to give it up to the dude who decided to build himself a record player powered by steam.

And of course the fact that he demonstrated his creation by playing God Save the Queen by the Sex Pistols doesn't hurt either.

Now, is there an actual need for this? Absolutely not (just like there is no need for a Sookie to exist on the same planet as me) but it is still rather cool and for once I didn't feel like mocking the hard work of another human being who is a lot more talented than I.

So congrats Steampunk Dude, I applaud your mad brass skillz.

Video after the break.

Holiday Heroes

The holidays are a time when many people try to get into the spirit by trying to help the less fortunate.

It is a time when it feels good to try to help others. “Helping others” is what many real life superheroes are trying to do in their own special way.

One strategy some of them opt for is to use their costumes (which they often refer to as “gimmicks”) as a way to draw attention to charitable causes they are fundraising for.

My favorite Superman comic of all time is being adapted to animation and I'm hoping that it's as faithful as possible to the source material.

The fact that Grant Morrison is participating in the commentary is a good sign.

In just two short years, Mekenna Melvin has worked with such powerhouse actors as Tim Roth, Michael Imperioli, Alfre Woodard, and Alex O'Loughlin before getting the job playing the long lost daughter of NSA agent John Casey (Adam Baldwin) on NBC's Chuck. Mekenna has made eight appearances on the series so far and her character has also become an even more integral part of the mythology, becoming the girlfriend of Joshua Gomez's character Morgan Grimes.

Mekenna took some time to chat with FOG! about Chuck and her upcoming projects.

There are certain things I have now accepted as being inevitable.

Death. Taxes.

That sudden "uh-oh" feeling after some bad Tex-Mex.

And, of course, multiple forms of media attempting to cash in on a supposedly hot commodity and over-saturating the market as a result.

I am talking about the resurgence of vampires in contemporary culture, thanks in no small part to the drivel that is called Twilight by some, but The Evil That Shall Never Be Spoken Of by those of us without a Hot Top Members' Discount Card.

Except for a few instances, the X-Men comics I have known and loved for so long have managed to remain pretty much vamp-free. But that changed a few months back with the launching of yet another X-Title, again simple titled X-Men, by Victor Gischler and Paco Medina.

And, really, I cannot be the only one who gets Funky Cold Medina stuck in his head whenever he sees this guy's artwork.

Welcome to our very first Holiday Gift Guide!

Below you'll find recommendations of some fantastic gift items divided into categories that belong under the tree, Menorah or Kwanzaa bush of any geek that will bring a smile to their faces. We've worked hard to avoid recommending the same items that are found across the net this season, and hope that you find some unique and geektastic gifts among our selections!

Viva la geek!

Best,

Stefan Blitz, editor-in-chief

Elizabeth Weitz, managing editor

Director Irvin Kershner has passed away after a long illness.

Kershner is one of the many directors that got their first break by directing a film for Roger Corman, 1958's Stakeout on Dope Street.

Kershner was also a respected teacher and was asked to direct a film by former student George Lucas, which he turned down several times before accepting at the insistence of his agent.

That film was The Empire Strikes Back.

POLICE SQUAD IN COLOR!

In Memoriam to the late Leslie Nielsen, check out the beloved, cult series, Police Squad!, where he first played his beloved character, Lt. Frank Drebin.

The man that made Police Squad, Airplane, Naked Gun and over 100 other movies worth watching has passed away due to complications from pneumonia.

According to reports, Nielsen jumped this mortal coil surrounded by family and friends.

He was 84.

After the break are a few of his memorable performances:

It's Thanksgiving Again...

Last year's overview of the things for which I'm thankful seemed to go well enough, so I wanted to do it again.

I have to be honest, 2010 had a lot to be thankful for.

Some of the richest rewards were in television.

Just as I did last year, I have to give thanks to the crew of Doctor Who, although this time, it's showrunner Steven Moffat and star Matt Smith who have earned my gratitude.

Thanksgiving, With a Little Amy Sedaris

If you've been an avid ready of my personal blog since 2007 (those 10 people know who they are) you might remember my obsession with Amy Sedaris's first book, "I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence."

She's sort of the less anal Martha Stewart, complete with greasy recipe cards and advice for everything, including how to entertain potheads and a warning about hard questions not to ask on a blind date, such as, "Do you tip a cobbler? Does the sun make noise? and Will we see each other again?"

It’s 3:00 am and I am up and not particularly enthused to be so.

I can’t sleep. My body is electrified. For there are sales out there in the darkness, sales that include $7.99 Blu-rays and $1.98 DVDs.

Things I don’t really need, not really, but they are priced so low that the option to merely sleep and let them pass me by actually make my stomach hurt.

And so I go. To stand outside in temperatures that are barely above freezing.

All to snap up a copy of The Blind Side (that I would never, ever buy) if it weren’t for the fact that it costs under $2.

Spend Thanksgiving With FRIENDS

Kick back and watch all ten of the Thanksgiving themed episodes of Friends and enjoy the holiday!

THREE-YEAR-OLD FINGERPAINT ARTIST Is Already Much More Talented Than You Will Ever Be

The following video is old (2006) but who cares because it shows a then three-year-old creating a TMNT painting with the talent of a painting God.

I mean, the kid can fucking create depth with ridiculous cheap paint...what kid that age even understands the concept of shading (let alone that there is more than one shade of green)? I can barely wrap my mind around the color Chartreuse without my brain exploding.

And yes, there are comments about the video being fake because you "CAN ONLY SEE A HAND PAINTING, NOT THE WHOLE KID!" but the sight of a chubby little hand painting is close enough to the truth for me (frankly because I am too lazy to actually do any research to de-bunk this video).

So, if you would like to show your young offspring how badly they suck as artists, I suggest having them watch this a couple of times so that their self-esteem suffers.

It's only fair, if your dreams of being an artist died, why shouldn't theirs.

C.B.G.B. O.M.F.U.G. (Softcover)
Written by Jesse Blaze, Kieron Gillen, Sam Humphries, Ana Matronic, Mr. Sheldon, Kim Krizan, Robert Steven Williams, Sue DeConnick, and R. Eric Lieb
Art by David Crossland, Chuck BB, Toby Cypress, Mr. Sheldon, Dan Duncan, Rob G, and Marc Ellerby
Boom Studios
$14.99

The Hipster Douchebag scene has annoyed me the moment I spotted a twenty-something sporting a terrycloth headband ironically.

In fact, every time I see someone dripping with affected apathy, I want to go over to that person and knee them forcibly in the crotch over and over again until blood pours out from their battered orifice.

But I don't. Mainly because I don't want to go to jail or pay for crotch damages.

Luckily, though, I can dream of inflicting physical pain on these dweeb-holes and, if the following video is any indication, I am not alone in this particular desire.

So, if you are like me and have a burning need to donkey punch the hell out of a Hipster, please consider this my gift to you:

Alice in Wonderland is already a weird, psychedelic story containing a smoking caterpillar, a manipulating cat that floats around in the air, an insane hat maker, and many more examples of an author who enjoys the pipe a bit too much.

So what more could you do to the story to make it even more off-putting?

How about syncing the Disney version to Three 6 Mafia's Smokin' On Da Dro so cleverly, that you would think that the animators had drawn these characters specifically to sing the song.

But I'm pretty sure that they never meant for Alice to be a Ho.

Video after the break

"We used to build civilizations. Now we build shopping malls."

– Bill Bryson

I've heard for a very long time from people with far better educations than myself that it is always a buyer's market.

As someone who bought property at the apex of the housing market (speculating that Chicago would be home to the 2018 Olympics), I strongly disagree. But every once in a while, it actually is a buyer's market. In the last four months as formerly upper-middle-class consumers found themselves unemployed and facing foreclosure, I amassed an impressive list of newly available masterpieces of modern, contemporary art –specifically lowbrow and pop-surrealist works of great significance from blue chip names like Shepard Fairey and Robert Williams, at prices that most of us might actually be able to afford.

Howdy, Partner.

I’ve been noticing an interesting trend of late. At a time when the movie-going public couldn’t be any more infatuated with zombies and angst-ridden vampires, a more surprising genre seems to be making a revival comeback.

If I’m not mistaken, Hollywood is attempting to revive the Western.

Mr. Hollywood (aka Steven Spielberg, duh) is at the heart of it, credited as executive producer on two upcoming Westerns, TRUE GRIT and COWBOYS & ALIENS.

TRUE GRIT is a new film adaptation of the classic novel, written and directed by the impossibly talented Coen brothers who recently established their Western credentials with my favorite movie of the past decade, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN.

Meanwhile, for a less traditional take on Westerns, look no farther than Jon Favreau’s upcoming COWBOYS & ALIENS which hopes to finally overcome the curse that seems to plague most Western/scifi hybrids like Will Smith’s WILD WILD WEST (which I’ll be the first to admit is a guilty pleasure of mine). Hopefully, what is essentially a team up between Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford’s back in hat, with revolver) and James Bond (Daniel Craig’s alien bracelet is basically a bad ass Q-gadget), is as hard to screw up as it sounds.

In preparation for the impending cattle stampede, I’ve taken the liberty of picking four recent Westerns and judged them for you accordingly. Because you know how much I enjoy judging films.

Dystopia, Mon Amour

Who would have guessed that an idea of John Stuart Mill's would one day become a basis for contemporary entertainment across the media spectrum?

The concept of dystopia has been around now for over 150 years, arising with the intensification of the Industrial Revolution and the ascendance of the postcolonial nation-state to become a contingent genre of literature, then film, and finally video and computer games.

Starting as a critical jeremiad, dystopian stories have now become the background for everything from powerful SF novels to escapist media to, yep, children's books. I want to know how it happened; how did a critical sociological/literary construction evolve into an entertainment zeitgeist? At what point did dystopias stop becoming cautionary tales and philosophical debates and become a setting for a first-person shooter game? And why is such desolation so popular and diverting?

What began in the 19th-century as dire warnings of social entropy amidst technological excess became treatises on the excesses of ideology and authoritarianism in the first half of the 20th century. Dystopian works pointed out that the future could be a horrific landscape of technological monstrosities and powerful political and social forces that maximized inequality and engendered suffering for most people. They decried progress that increased the gulf between haves and have-nots and elaborate systems of government and economics that ceded too much power to elites who invariably became tyrants or manipulators and micromanagers of the citizenry. Dystopias both commented on current trends and predicted dire consequences for the future.

This is the inside story of Street Art - a brutal and revealing account of what happens when fame, money and vandalism collide. Exit Through the Gift Shop follows an eccentric shop-keeper turned amateur film-maker as he attempts to capture many of the world's most infamous vandals on camera, only to have a British stencil artist named Banksy turn the camcorder back on its owner with wildly unexpected results.

One of the most provocative films about art ever made, Exit Through the Gift Shop is a fascinating study of low-level criminality, comradeship and incompetence. By turns shocking, hilarious and absurd, this is an enthralling modern-day fairytale... with bolt cutters.

To celebrate the DVD release, we're giving away a prize pack which includes an Exit Through the Gift Shop DVD and a Limited Edition “Exit Through the Gift Shop” Theatrical Poster

To enter, please send an email with your name and address and the subject header "BANKSY" to geekcontest @ gmail dot com and answer the following question:

In 1996, Banksy collaborated with Danger Mouse and doctored 500 copies of this socialite's debut album Paris in 48 record shops across the UK?

U.S. residents only. You must be 18 years old. Only one entry per person per day and a winner will be chosen at random.

Contest ends at 11:59 PM EST on December 19, 2010.

Exit Through the Gift Shop available now on iTunes and VOD!

Become a fan on Facebook.

SAVAGE DRAGON...Expect The Unexpected!

Image Comics has a secret... and that secret is the cover and contents of SAVAGE DRAGON #166

For those funnybook illiterate, Savage Dragon is the long running comic created by and written by AND illustrated by Erik Larsen.

Tomorrow sees the release of the one hundred and sixty sixth issue by Mr. Larsen! An impressive feat accomplished only (I believe) by cartoonist Dave Sim on Cerebus which lasted for three hundred issues.

I've been a die-hard fan of Savage Dragon since the beginning and although the series has had it's highs and lows, Larsen has not been afraid to significantly change the status quo. A rarity in super-hero comics.

Will tomorrow see the death of Dragon and see his son, Malcolm take over?

Meet you at the store...

FOG! HQ is busy putting together our first holiday gift guide and our friends at BBC America wanted us to make sure that one of our lucky readers had a chance to check out some of their best offerings.

To make sure there's a bright yuletide full of excellent dvds, we're giving away a prize pack that will include DVD copies of Being Human, Top Gear, Doctor Who, and a UK inspired light switch cover.

Will Friedle took a futuristic Dark Knight in altogether new directions as the voice of Terry McGinnis in Warner Bros. Animation’s breakthrough 1999 series Batman Beyond.

The popular voiceover actor took time last week to speak about his days as the new Caped Crusader in preparation for the today's release of Batman Beyond: The Complete Series, a nine-disc limited edition DVD set that presents nearly 20 hours of animated action spread over 52 episodes, as well as including all-new bonus featurettes and a 24-page, 8”x 12” collectible booklet.

Batman Beyond: The Complete Series centers on Terry McGinnis, an ordinary teenager ... until his father is mysteriously murdered. Suspecting foul play at his father's company, Wayne/Powers Corporation, Terry meets Bruce Wayne and learns of a secret identity hidden for decades. Now too old to don the cape and cowl as Batman, Wayne refuses to help – so Terry does what any brash young kid would do: steal the Bat-suit and take matters into his own hands! Vowing to avenge his father's death, Terry dons the high-tech suit tricked out with jetpacks, a supersensitive microphone and even camouflage capabilities in search of his father's assassin.

The all-star production team was headed by executive producer Jean MacCurdy and producers Bruce Timm, Alan Burnett, Glen Murakami and Paul Dini. Writers on the series included Burnett and Dini, as well as Stan Berkowitz, Bob Goodman, Rich Fogel, Hilary Bader and John McCann.

Friedle made his mark in live-action television and film from the time he turned 10, starring in hit series like Boy Meets World and Don’t Just Sit There. He gradually shifted his attention to voiceover work, taking the lead in Batman Beyond and co-starring in Disney’s Kim Possible to name but a few. Today, he primarily stays behind the microphone, voicing such notable roles as Doyle on The Secret Saturdays and Blue Beetle on Batman: The Brave and the Bold.

Ever since the internet propelled once forgotten Betty White onto the Saturday Night Live stage, dozens of others including Adam West, Stan Lee, Zachary Levi, Timm Gunn, and George Takei have been subject to petitions and grassroot campaigns to get them to host the once-funny show.

Now, one of the most beloved thespians of public television has thrown his name into the ring.

Year after year, cable TV becomes more and and more expensive, frustrating, and ludicrous.

Just when it seems there is change on the horizon, the status quo hardens, and not much changes.

Every year we're promised new killer technologies, new options, and while some arrive, in diluted, or crippled form, the cable TV monopoly keeps winning the war.

Produced by the sketch comedy team, Rat Pageant, this entertaining short film reveals what happens when you make Bruce Banner's biological son angry.

While I personally have never felt a need to drop effervescent tablets into a glass of milk and turn it into Bacon-Cream, I'm sure connoisseurs of the pork fat have often dreamed of such a thing as they lay in their beds at night all sweaty and lathered in grease.

What Bacon Lovers Dream Of

Dear Hollywood,

Thanks once again for shitting on my soul. So now you are going to take what was a campy fun film (that, even though it wasn't particularly great, did introduce the character that would reside in my heart once Joss Whedon was able to resurrect it) and try to "hip it up".

I don't care if producer Charles Roven (who will be known from now on as Ass-Monkey) does claim, "...while this is not your high school Buffy, she'll be just as witty, tough, and sexy as we all remember her to be."

Bite me Ass-Monkey! If Joss Whedon isn't involved, then it isn't really Buffy.

And, by the way, why are you remaking it in the first place? Did you run out of my childhood 80's movie memories to molest? Or, did you simply want to hurt me?

Well, fine, do it you bastard. But I curse you with Gilliam-itis. May all your productions from this moment on be filled with natural disasters, production issues, and the deaths of your lead actors.

I truly hate you so very much,

Elizabeth

PS. If you really want to understand how influential Buffy was/is to Pop Culture, watch this episode of the American version of Who's Line Is It Anyway and when Colin yells out "I'm Buffy!" listen to the applause and yelps of the audience...this means that they liked Buffy the way she was fuck-face.

One day, the gods of all ART great and marvelous, finally will decide to roll out their lengthy gilded achievement banner listing cartoonists, illustrators and caricaturists. This banner will have been imprinted (in a Ben-Day dots process) with all the names of those who have been creatively talented beyond the skills of mere mortal men and women.

Without a doubt, near the top of this list of illustrious souls, residing among the gloriously renown names of Jack Kirby, Harvey Kurtzman, Basil Wolverton, Jim Sterenko, Wally Wood, Steve Ditko, Charles Addams, Edward Gorey and Robert Crumb among others, will be the name...

Drew Friedman.

For, as R. Crumb so eloquently has written, "I wish I had this guy's talent."

V: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON (dvd review)

Warner Bros. Home Video // Released November 2, 2010 // Unrated

The Pitch
They arriVe. Earth’s first alien encounter begins when huge motherships appear over 29 major cities. The visitors – the Vs – are human-like beings who know our languages and bring awesome gifts of healing and technology. People everywhere welcome them as saviors. But a fledgling resistance is on the rise, determined to reveal the shocking truth. Among the underground cadre: an FBI Counter Terrorism Agent who uncovers a terror cell no one ever expected…and finds that her teenage son is drawn to the beauty and promise of the Vs. Get in the know with the amazing first season of the series that combines sci-fi thrills with the uncertainties of the post-9/11 world. Here. Now. AdVenture begins.

The biggest travel day of the year is right around the corner, and with it, comes the possibility that your nether regions will be getting probed by poorly-trained people in latex gloves.

Not that, that isn't how you spend most of your weekends anyway.

But instead of feeling violated, turn that emotional pain upside-down and pretend that you are on a date (albeit a bad one) by giving in to the experience 100% and making the moment special by getting into like this girl...(the last few minutes are bland because you can't see anything due to the camera angle so just watch the first three or so):

Tomorrow, modern drama Tales From Beyond The Pale debuts it's newest episode, Johnny Boy, written and directed by JT Petty.

It's Terror on the Baby Monitor!

This episode stars Shea Wigham (Boardwalk Empire, Splinter) and Amy Seimetz (A Horrible Way to Die).

After the jump check out the exclusive first look at the poster and why you most likely know JT Petty from his other work!

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Monday, November 22, 2010