Monday, January 31, 2011

SUPER GRANDMA: The Amazing Beauty of Photographer Sacha Goldberger's Mamika



When photographer Sacha Goldberger was made aware of the biting loneliness that his 91-year old grandmother, Frederika was experiencing, he did something so incredibly awesome that he will certainly be the recipient of pounds of hard candy for the rest of his life.

He made her into a superhero.

And, lucky for us, he captured it all on digital film so that the rest of the world could fall completely in love with her too.

And how could you not with shots like this:

The Cape: Scales

On paper, the world of The Cape looks no different than any other superhero universe, and by comparison, it's a bit underwhelming.

The enmity between the Cape and Chess, and the way it not only envelops, but also establishes other aspects of the world, is really just a pastiche of Batman, Zorro, Daredevil, and pretty much every other masked outlaw hero (except Spider-Man, whose world has always been part adventure fiction, part teen dramedy).

Comics have mastered this, but television still has yet to really do it well. Most superhero shows for TV are based on established characters, and parts of their worlds have to be watered down for budgetary reasons and to keep the shows engaging to casual fans who may not care for the more fantastic, larger than life aspects of genre fiction.

PONDER THIS PEOPLE: What If The Following Picture Was True?

OMG!

Once again I have to hand it to demi-god and Marvel employee, Agent M for posting this pic and, if I want to be completely honest, for creating a vortex of thought that exploded in my head causing temporary paralyses.

I mean, think about it. What if David Hasselhoff was born with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis instead of Gary Coleman and spent a lifetime trying not to look like an eight-year-old child?

Would he have still ended up like this?

CONTEST! SUPERMAN XXX: A PORN PARODY Arrives and We're Giving Copies Away!


This week, Vivid's Superman XXX: A Porn Parody will be released.  It follows Batman XXX: A Porn Parody, the #1 best-selling movie of 2010, but this time the company spoof's the iconic Man of Steel.

In an original screenplay by Braun and Marc Star, a doomed airliner hurtles toward certain catastrophe until a mild mannered Clark Kent quietly pushes past the mayhem in the cabin to the back of plane.  Once there, he tears off his business suit and becomes Superman XXX.  He manages to hold the plane aloft and safely escort it back to the ground.

The film is a spoof of Richard Donner's original feature film incorporating humorous sex scene.  It stars Ryan Driller as Superman/Clark Kent, James Deen as Jimmy Olson, Andy San Dimas as Lois Lane and Dale DaBone as Jor-El. The cast of villains includes Alexis Texas as Miss Teshmacher, Zoe Voss as Ursa, Eric Masterson as Lex Luther, Ben English as Zod and Dick Chibbles as Non.  Other roles include Lexi Belle as a flight attendant, Kristina Rose as a receptionist, Alec Knight as the co-pilot and Even Stone as captain.

Writer/director Axel Braun is a bit of a superhero himself, fluent in five languages, a member of MENSA, a film-school graduate, and the bearer of a Ph.D. in Psychology.   Over the span of his 20-year career, he has won awards all over the world for Directing, Producing, Screenwriting, and Editing.

"This movie was a total blast to make," said Braun.  "I treat my characters with the love they deserve and try make sure that we have the magic combination of sizzling sex and superheroes for our true fans," he noted.

And thanks to the fine folks at Vivid we're giving away 10 copies!

The 17th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards RANT

Hello Friends!

I hope that you've recovered from the Ricky Gervais debacle of The Golden Globes!

I think that he did an EXCELLENT job, and I will refresh your memory later on.

Tonight is all about the SAG awards.

It's always exactly 2 hours long, and kinda boring because it's a sit down dinner with not much booze. Hopefully someone will shake it up.

Well, the time now is 7:00 and I gotta turn on E!

Euhemerus and the Myth of Ancient Astronauts

Euhemerus was an ancient Greek mythographer who upended the idea of myth and religion with his ideas about the Gods.

His simple, elegant idea was that myths as we know them are true stories of actual people, changed and exaggerated over time.

The Gods, he said, such as Zeus and Apollo, were merely ancient kings, who were praised and admired by the people to the extent that they eventually became deified.

We call the process of demythologizing ancient myths euhemerism.

Though it is difficult to know how great an influence Euhemerus was in his own time, the arrival of Christianity brought his views into sharp focus. Early Christian apologists were keen to portray the pagan Gods as merely men who were overly venerated by the gullible and misguided. They used Euhemerus' ideas as a wedge to drive their own agenda.

We're still getting upset about sex on TV?

The big brouhaha in the TV world last week had to do with MTV’s new show Skins. I haven’t watched the show, apparently not many people do watch it, but the depiction of teen sexuality has enough people up in arms that I seem unable to escape daily updates about the “controversy.”

I guess I naively believed that our culture was so saturated with sex that we were finally past getting upset about sex on TV.

Sunday, January 30, 2011

MERLIN: THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON (dvd review)

BBC Home Video / Released January 18, 2011/ Not Rated

The Pitch
Merlin is back with even more magic, adventure and romance as the young wizard struggles to protect Prince Arthur in the perilous world of Camelot. While battling deadly assassins, mystical monsters and the most powerful sorcerers Camelot has ever seen, Merlin must work harder than ever to conceal his unique abilities, as King Uther redoubles his war against magic. And Merlin isn’t the only one whose destiny calls—Lady Morgana , Uther’s ward, discovers dangerous secrets she dare not reveal; Lancelot returns, changing everything for both Gwen and Arthur; and King Uther fall in love, little knowing that the charming Lady Catrina is secretly a hideous troll. And as Arthur continues on his path from arrogant prince to the noble and just King Arthur of legend, we see the return of the one prophesised to kill him—the mysterious druid boy, Mordred. Featuring exciting new villains, white-knuckle stunt sequences, and spectacular CGI monsters, Merlin Season Two is more thrilling than ever.

HENRY CAVILL Is The New SUPERMAN


After months of speculation, rumor and dream casting (Jon Hamm?), Warner Bros. have officially announced actor Henry Cavill as the new Superman in the upcoming film.

Cavill, who is best known for his roles in Stardust and the Showtime series, The Tudors, comes to the project after a series of previous almosts and was, according to Empire Magazine in 2005, "...the most unlucky man in Hollywood" having lost several iconic roles as Superman for Superman Returns, Batman for Batman Begins, James Bond for Casino Royale and was author Stephanie Meyer's first choice for Edward Cullen in her Twilight adaptation (although he was deemed to old for the role by the time it was shot).

It looks like Mr. Cavill's luck has changed.

Full press release after the jump.

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Looney Tunes Super Stars Tweety & Sylvester/
Looney Tunes Super Stars Foghorn Leghorn & Friends (dvd review)


Warner Home Video / Released November 30, 2010 / Not Rated

The Pitch
Looney Tunes Super Stars Foghorn Leghorn & Friends
Foghorn Leghorn, the overgrown, adult rooster with the strong Virginia accent and a penchant for mischief, is featured as the Super Star is these Looney Tunes cartoon shorts. Watch the diminutive Henery Hawk's attempts to catch and eat Foghorn, Foghorns gags on his canine nemesis Barnyard Dawg and finally the overgrown rooster?s efforts to woo the widowed hen Miss Prissy in this collection of cartoon shorts. Additionally Foghorn is joined on the disc by some other Looney Friends such as Elmer Fudd and Two Crows. This second installment of the Looney Tunes Super Star series, prominently stars Foghorn Leghorn & some of his Looney Tunes friends' Fans have been asking for more of Foghorn Leghorn so I Say I Say I Say Son here it is!

Looney Tunes Super Stars Tweety & Sylvester
When Friz Freleng directed 1947's "Tweetie Pie," he may not have known he was making history. This, the first pairing of Sylvester the sputtering cat and Tweetie (later Tweety) the wide-eyed canary, won an Academy Award and united a duo that would appear in more than 40 Warner Brothers cartoon shorts by 1962. Sylvester and Tweety earned their studio another Academy Award for 1957's "Birds Anonymous" and several other Oscar nominations through the years. Generations of Americans have grown up watching Sylvester's classic, ever-thwarted attempts to catch Tweety. With two of the most famous voices in cartoons, both supplied by Mel Blanc, Sylvester's sloppy "sufferin succotash" and Tweety's baby-voiced "I tawt I taw a puddy tat," Sylvester and Tweety are two of the most quickly identified characters in cartoons. This second installment of the Looney Tunes Super Star series, prominently stars one of the Looney Tunes franchise's most popular characters, Tweety!

Friday, January 28, 2011

Imagine a World Where Ape Evolved From Man...

Monkeys are pretty funny.

Except of course when they go batshit and eat off your face.

It's simple.

Funny monkey.

Not funny monkey.

Now, after the jump, experience the monkey that terrifies me.

WOMAN BLAMES P DIDDY FOR THE COLLAPSE OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTER...And Justifiably Sues Him For 900 Billion Dollars.


Occasionally there comes a time when the phrase "Frivolous Lawsuit" doesn't seem to capture the intensity of what some people try to do litigiously and one can only hope that the lawsuit that Valerie Joyce Wilson Turks is bringing against Sean "P Diddy/Puffy" Combs not only ends up in front of a judge, it also lands on television.

Because nothing on the planet would be quite as awesome as watching it through the crazed, pant-suited eyes of Nancy Grace.

Here's the breakdown:

Coming Attractions: Hollywood’s Greatest Movie Trailers

A good movie trailer can be as entertaining on its own as the film it’s designed to promote.

Typically, trailers are just extended “highlights” of the best moments from a given movie, and leave the audience feeling like they’ve already seen everything that was worth seeing from that particular film.  Everyone is familiar with the clichés of movies trailer, especially the over-used “In a world where…” lead-in, that seems to have found its way into trailers for movies of all genres and styles in recent years.

This week, I thought it would be fun to turn the spotlight on five of the most memorable movie trailers of all time.

These are trailers that are entertaining in their own right, and rather than just highlighting a few select moments from the movie they were designed to promote, really invite the audience into the world of the film, and pique their interest and curiosity in seeing more.

I've Got Art - CYCLOPS by Arthur "Art" Adams

I was at a comic book convention in Boston when I commissioned this piece from Arthur Adams.

It was January of 1987, I was sixteen years old, and at the time it was the largest convention I had ever attended; my previous experiences being small, dimly lit, one room shows at the Hilton in downtown Providence.

The show in Boston was two full days, two whole rooms, and all of the lights appeared to be fully functional! I guess the show was technically three rooms because Adams sat in the lobby outside the main show rooms; they had positioned him at a table between the two doors leading in.


I was attending the show with my grandfather, Charles Hoyt, the person most responsible for my love of sci-fi and fantasy books.

His personal reading library was a treasure trove of the best writers in those fields, and when I was a child I pored over each and every one of them. However, his only comic book influence on me was Heavy Metal magazine, a series he still receives in the mail to this day; he gave me his complete collection back in 1993, and as I write this the latest issue sits on a chair nearby.

CAGMRC?: Eeeebony and Aaarchie!

The Archies/Josie & The Pussycats
Written by Dan Parent
Art by Bill Galvan
Archie Comics
$9.95
Softcover



Written by Dan Parent with Bill Galvan on art duties, Archie/Josie and The Pussycats shamelessly attempts to pull you in with a cover that promises multicultural controversy. Unfortunately, the potential for social commentary is foolishly side stepped in favor of clumsy rom-com near misses and quick resolutions.

MARK YOUR SKIN IN GEEKERY! Sailor Jerry-Style Tattoos That Will Make You Look Far More Interesting Than You Are


As a suburbanite wife and pet mom, I've been contemplating a change in my look that will better represent me as a human being and geek Goddess (as well as a way to scare my new neighbors...Hee-Hee).

So, over the next few months I will be saving up for a nice sleeve tattoo that celebrates all that is my love affair with pop culture and my various geekcentric passions while still looking ravishing in a low-cut spray painted t-shirt.

And I have to admit that I am leaning in the direction of artist Scott Derby's Sailor Jerry influenced designs which capture some of the more iconic Nerdoms in the universe.



I mean who wouldn't want a Sloth Loves Chunk Tat covering their arm?

Derby even included a Baby Ruth for Christ's sake!

It's all in the details baby.

More awesome tat pics after the break.

The House of Revelation

Miami's Art Basel is a huge public event where you can lose yourself in the visions of the talented and hopeful.

Struck by the strong colours and bold themes of Bravelion and his 'House of Revelation' collection, I asked him to talk about comics, totem poles - and why he really likes things go that go bang...

Why ‘Bravelion’?

My name is Brave Lion in Swahili. It honours each aspects of my Cherokee, African and British Lineage.

You call your studio the ‘House of Revelation’ - is the revelation yours, or your viewers?



Things I Would've Liked to Accomplish Had I Not Taken That Final Hit of "X" That Destroyed My Desire to Become Something Better Than This

You'll have to excuse me for this week's depressive post.

Unfortunately I live in the Northeast and have been stuck in the house for days because of the NEVER-ENDING Snowpocalypse and, as such, have been busy spending all my down time wondering what the hell happened to me.

So let's begin this journey of self-pity together shall we?

In the beginning:

I entered the nineties in my sixteenth year all fresh and innocent and ended the decade in my mid-twenties bitter and with a ceaseless craving for high-grade weed. This "lost" decade as it were has become, as I make my way through my thirties, a period of reflection upon which I am determined to discover the origin of my incredible apathy and/or laziness.

Before the decade squandered my soul, I had plans for a career as a writer/adventurer. A sort of quasi-anthropologist-slash-chronicler in the vein of Tim Cahill or Wade Davis.

I would travel the world writing biographical, yet humorous, essays and books about my experiences. I would eschew the suburban lifestyle and all of its trappings for a one-room abode in some cosmopolitan city (Manhattan, Buenos Aires, or Paris) which I would use only as a stopping point between assignments and adventures. I would have lovers, eat exotic foods, drink wine, and be the envy of every cubicle dweller who read my work.

Unfortunately, in the nineties, I discovered the wonders of hallucinogenics and the hypnotic pulsating BPMs of raves. This, coupled by low paying retail work and a new interest in writing poetry, constructed an alternative dream life that has all but evaporated my adventure streak and, instead, built a life of laying on the floor of my living room watching television and yelling at Dr. Phil.

From the moment that I was introduced to gel acid, X, pot, and the 'o so delicious mushroom bag, my life became freelance work and erotica stories.

The all-night dance-a-thons which mixed Herbal Ecstasy and copious amounts of Whiskey Sours ended a decade later with essays on the virtues of the Jizz mopper at porn stores and my irritable bowl problems. Instead of spending my twenties traipsing the world with a backpack and a notebook, I spent it as a used book buyer in Texas living off of cheese samples at the grocery store and writing chapbooks of self-published poetry of which I sold three copies and were about my "milky moonlit thighs"...dear God.

My thirties, it seems, has evolved into something much, much, worse.

I am boring.

Having given up on drugs, adventures, and illicit sex with dangerously dark foreigners, I have instead embraced the act of staring at squirrels, writing novellas that are never published, and creating paper goods to sell at craft fairs where I am constantly criticized by blue haired Mennonites who hate my secular sense of humor.

Instead of writing about the ritual circumcisions of young tribal boys in Africa, I watch television, read comic books, go into minute detail on the brilliance of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly, spend horrific amounts of time on Facebook, and wear sweatpants out in public because I am no longer interested in presenting myself in the best light.

Instead of running with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain I am running to the grocery store for hummus because I have decided to eat that and trail mix for dinner.

Instead of drifting down the Nile River underneath the moon, I am drifting to sleep after re-reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone for the tenth time because tackling the catalog of John Grisham seems too taxing...well you get the drift.

So, was it the drugs that destroyed me or was it inevitable that I became this lump?

After careful evaluation and the countless conversations with friends who I met in the mythical Nineties it has become painfully obvious...I was to always become a lump. And, apparently, it was the drugs that made me more interesting. So here I am, Thirty-six, and a boring lump with very little in the way of a career and/or talent, staring at the precipice of my Forties without hope that I can "turn this thing around." So I will do the only thing one can do when presented with such facts...return to drugs.

Yes, I will be scarfing down bag fulls of pills, licking toads, eating peyote buttons, and loosening the constraints of consciousness through pharmaceuticals all in an attempt to regain my teenage sensibilities when I thought I had all the time in the world.

I will finish out my thirties writing in a drug-induced stupor and thinking I am brilliant even though I am only typing the number 4 for 600 pages. I will pretend that I am twenty-two again and act accordingly. I will drop acid, stare at a wall for twelve hours, and think that the word "warble" is the password to get into the garden of Eden. I will listen to Phish and Dave Matthews and become all faux-hippy. It will be great.

I will hit the do-over button and start over again.

I don't see how it can go wrong.

Of course, I might just go take a nap instead...the day is mine.

"That's What She Said" DAVID BRENT Meets MICHAEL SCOTT

At last, two universes of socially inappropriate office managers collided when Ricky Gervais' David Brent encountered Steve Carrell's Michael Scott on The Office.

Gervais, creator of the original BBC series The Office, inspired the NBC hit centered around a paper company in Scranton, PA.  With series star Carrell departing this season, Gervais filmed the top secret cameo without the prior knowledge of the network.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Beat Stress IN THE NOT TOO DISTANT FUTURE (MST3K Style)!

Finally, a solution to beating life's daily anxiety!

The Official Mystery Science Theater 3000 Limited Edition Stress Ball is coming!

That's right!  What better way to deal with cranky robot friends or awful films than with this highly coveted collectible stress buster!

How much would you pay?

$1000 dollars? $500 dollars?  How about the suggested retail price of $59.97?

But wait, there's more!  You also get the MST3K: Volume XX DVD Set and a $5.00 coupon toward two new individual out of print MST3K releases!  Details after the jump!

JASON PRIESTLEY AND LUKE PERRY JOIN UP FOR A WESTERN...I Guess the 90210 Royalties Finally Ran Out.



Look, in the 90s I would videotape Beverly Hills 90210 because I had a huge crush on Brandon and I loved to mock David and his rap career, so I'm not even going to apologize for covering this Hallmark Channel movie in which Dylan stars as a man who is (and I'm quoting the tag line here): Good Man. Warm Heart. Sweet Justice.

How can your horrible heart not want to immediately set the Tivo this Saturday (Jan. 29th) at 8:00pm Eastern after reading that?

You know it's going to be the worse thing imaginable and the only thing better than making fun of it is inviting over all your 30-something friends and getting royally tanked on Mad Dog 20/20 and Doritos.

I know, who knew you guys would make a crappy western?

And if the tag line didn't do it for you, here's the synopses:

John Goodnight has a crystal clear memory of the day that his family fell victim to ruthless outlaws. He and the wife of Circuit Judge Aldous Shaw were the only survivors of the attack; she would become his foster mother. Goodnight cannot forget the corrupt man who destroyed his family and he lives for a second chance encounter with the outlaw.

After Goodnight has a rocky start as a solicitor, the Governor swears him in as the Western Territories next Circuit Judge. Goodnight travels the West seeking protection for the innocent, until one fateful day, when his journey takes him to a place that is all too familiar.

hahahahahaha!

And it's directed by Jason Priestley.

So there you have it people, a gift handed down to you by the Nostalgia Gods. I don't know what you had planned, but nothing is gonna be so awfully-good as this.

GEEK UP YOUR OFFSPRING! A Little Tardis for Junior



Writer Jennifer de Guzman and her husband Brian Belew are worth envying. First of all they are far more attractive then they need to be, second they understand the importance of gifting the child they gave life to a world filled with Dr. Who.

(Which really should be right up there after feeding, changing, and providing shelter, if you ask me. Of course, I will probably be raising my devil spawn on a healthy diet of Red Dwarf, but i digress).

This year for their son's birthday, Papa Belew designed a toddler-sized Tardis just so the little tyke could start practicing up to be like the 50th Doctor in a few years (awesome) and, judging from the pics, Little Mateo is already to take charge.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

BEING HUMAN Returns to BBC America


Although the premise of "a werewolf, a vampire and a ghost share a flat" sounds like a crappy set up for an even crappier joke, Being Human is anything but, quickly becoming one of my favorite shows of recent memory.

And although the recent SyFy adaptation with the same name is entertaining, it can't compare to the brilliance of the original.  Being Human returns for it's third season in a few weeks, which gives you more than enough time to pick up the British traditional "far too short" first two seasons.

This is a series to savor and another brutal reminder how good the television medium can be.

Press release after the jump.


WATCH THIS! Disney/Pixar's 1965 Live Action UP! Trailer


I'm constantly amazed by the genius that is Ivan Guerrero (aka whoiseyevan).

His premakes, using existing footage to recreate film trailers in different eras are consistently impressive and his latest, a live-action recreation of the trailer for Up! is no exception.





After the jump read the Ivan's own commentary about the project as well and check out the frame by frame comparison trailer to the original Up.

WTF? No, Seriously, WTF?


In a previous post, I mentioned that I recently took a job at a used bookstore to help fund my lack of adult responsibility (beer, comics, and special edition video game bundles are expensive) and as such, I occasionally find something that is interesting enough to make my soul sing.

But this?



WTF IS THIS?

OH LOBO, HOW I'VE MISSED YOU SO...But This Stuffie Will Have to Do.


In the 90s I was one of those stupid trendoids who raised Lobo out of obscurity and made him popular despite being a character who wasn't all that appealing.

Maybe it was because he just seemed like an asshole and I was a girl, and girls like assholes.

I don't know.

But like all of my 90s relationships, it died and I was left with a vague feeling that I had forgotten something important (like my keys...or my virginity), then I spotted this stuffed Lobo doll by Kittyzilla and it all came back.

I miss Lobo.

Zeitgeist: Moving Forward - FREE DOWNLOAD!

"Social change cannot come above the intellect. It comes about by people suffering. And the more people are related to that, the more they lose respect for an existing government. They will seek another direction. 

If there are too many people who seek a new direction, then the existing government calls upon the army and police to manage society. That is called fascism." 
- Jacque Fresco

The Zeitgeist Movement, founded by director Peter Joseph, is a series of feature length documentaries which present the case for a needed transition out of the current socioeconomic monetary paradigm which governs the entire world society.

The subject matter of the first Zeitgeist film tackled Organized Religion (as opium for the masses) and exposed the War on Terrorism as a means to strip away the Bill of Rights (via 9/11 and other instances).

The second film, Zeitgeist Addendum, took on the Federal Reserve (a non-government institution that just happens to print and own all U.S. currency), Federal Income Tax (for which no law exists demanding that you pay tax on your labor), and the World Bank (which more often than not bankrupts the countries to which it lends).

Zeitgeist: Moving Forward is the third feature in the series.

It debunks the ages old myth of addiction as a eugenic certainty, reveals that pharmaceutical companies routinely suppress real cures in favor of prolonged treatments, and suggests a resource-based economy rather than a profit based competition.

The film is posted in it's entirety (2:41:25) after the jump.

FEEL LIKE A DRUNKEN PORN STAR. Introducing the Ron Jeremy Limited Edition Rum. It is Smooth, Tasty and With Just a Hint of an Incurable STD.


As a fully-formed booze hound that enjoys tossing back the golden elixir of life, I must admit that I am both horrified, yet slightly aroused, by the possibility of drinking rum inspired by the hairy, unappealing visage of Mr. Ron Jeremy.



That said, the description of this limited edition rum ($TBA) seems a bit pretentious considering we are talking about a man who sticks his wee-wee in the gaping maw of various plastic women for cash:

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Do You Like Your Comics Pierced, Tattooed and Slightly Sleazy? IDW Announces SUICIDE GIRLS Comic Book!

"Eighteen-, nineteen-, twenty-year-old girls, I only want to talk to them. Community college girls. High school seniors. Emancipated minors.

It's the same with these suicide girls calling me up. Most of them are so young."


Chuck Palahniuk, Survivor

In perhaps the boldest combination since chocolate and peanut butter, IDW Comics has announced an upcoming comic book mini-series based around the   SuicideGirls community.

For those sleeping under a rock for the past decade, SuicideGirls is "a community that celebrates ALTERNATIVE BEAUTY and alternative culture from all over the world.

Since 2001, tens of thousands of models have submitted MILLIONS OF PHOTOS to this website hoping to become SuicideGirls."

And now cross that with the rabid comics community? Three words: Peanut Butter Cup.

Cover and press release after the jump.

My Thoughts on The Oscar Nominations


By now, most cinegeeks and moviegoers in general are discussing today's Academy Award nominations.

Overall, not only were there very few surprises, there were a few disappointments of the glaring omissions.

Also, as one of the few persons on the planet that find the majority of Pixar's output to be calculatingly emotionally manipulative, I continue to be irked when an animated feature can be in competition for "Best Picture".

And while we're at it, isn't it long overdue to establish a "Best Comedy/Musical" feature category?  It would be nice to recognize films like Easy A, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, Solitary Man or I Love You, Phillip Morris?

So what did they miss?

A Very Superficial Geek


I recently wrote an essay called “Geek Love" for the “Coupling” column of the Boston Globe Magazine.

The essay discussed the fate of geek/non-geek couples and how these relationships might have any hope of survival.

The essay begins this way:
In a famous scene in the 1982 movie Diner, Eddie (played by Steve Guttenberg) makes his wife-to-be pass a football trivia quiz before he’ll agree to marry her. Me, I’m a fantasy and gaming geek, not a sports freak. I may not know how many yards Tom Brady has passed for this season, or the Red Sox bullpen’s average ERA last season, but I can name all nine members of the Fellowship in The Lord of the Rings, and I can tell you that the Millennium Falcon made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs.
Then, within a few hours of my essay’s magical appearance on the Internet, I received this letter from a reader:
Ethan Gilsdorf seems to be a very superficial geek. "the Millennium Falcon made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs.” Any real geek would know that a parsec is a unit of distance, not time.
A number of red alert horns went off in my head.

When Good Ideas Go Bad - Remembering the Onslaught

A hero suddenly turned heel is one of the oldest tropes of fiction.

Sometimes it is done well (as in the crisis of emotions that led Colossus to the Acolytes).

Other times, it seems made up on the spot (Wait, Hawk was Monarch all along? But he just...I just saw...Oh, screw it, my head hurts...).

Still other times, it just really pisses people off (Sack up and stop crying people, Emerald Twilight happened, but ya' got your Hal Jordan back!).

 You guys will NOT believe the deal I got on these puppies on QVC!
When it is done right, when the big reveal comes and we see one of our beloved heroes turning on his allies, it resonates within you and makes for a story to talk about for years.

Did you just see that?

83rd Annual Academy Awards Nominations

This morning at 8:30 AM EST/ 5:30 AM PST the nominations for the 83rd Annual Academy Awards will be announced.



The complete list of nominations after the jump.

Monday, January 24, 2011

The Dramatic Readings of VERNON WELLS

Aussie thespian Vernon Wells exploded onto American movie screens as the Lord Humungus' lieutenant, Wez, in the 1981 film The Road Warrior, forever cementing his name in pop culture.

Wez was such a definitive character that Wells recreated an alternate version of him (as "Lord General) in John Hughes' 1985's cult comedy Weird Science.

Wells also showed up again in 1985's Commando, playing the mercenary Bennett opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger.  Wells has described the character as "Freddie Mercury on steroids."

And now? 

Wells continues to steadily act, appearing in several films a year and occassionally on stage reprising his most famous roles.

Don't believe me?

The Cape: Pilot/Tarot/Kozmo

I don't like to watch television with my mother very much.

If it's a show she usually follows, she'll narrate the proceedings, telling me everything she thinks I should know about the characters and storylines up to that point. Consequently, General Hospital hasn't been as much fun in years.

Whereas if it's a show with which she's unfamiliar, she'll ask me who everyone is, what their motivations are and what's going to happen next. I've learned to simply stay quiet and let everything unfold for her.

The worst, however, is when she finds something so utterly predictable, she'll guess what happens. When she's right (which she often is), she'll excitedly say, "I wrote this too!"

I suppose I am my mother's son, because at points during The Cape, I said the same thing.