Sunday, December 21, 2008

RETRO CLIP: THE HULK

This is a quick look at the classic Hulk cartoon from 1966's Marvel Super Heroes series. Here is the first episode: The Origin of the Hulk.

Friday, December 19, 2008

Zombie returns to Halloween

Well, it's official. Rob Zombie is returning to do the sequel he swore he'd never make. Zombie has announced recently that he will, in fact, be helming the sequel to last year's re-imagining of Halloween. Filming will begin in March for a Halloween 2009 release. Returning will be Taylor Mane as the man himself Michael Myers, and the Laurie Strode character, but whether Scout Taylor-Compton will reprise the role or not is still in question. Zombie, who I just met last week, said that at least one character will be played by a different actor and that it would be an 'acceptable change' for fans. Could he be going a few years into the future for the follow-up story featuring a more mature Laurie as opposed to the original sequel that picked up the same night as the first film? There are also some changes currently being made to the mask. Hopefully not as drastic as the changes the mask went through in the original series (some of the masks just got on my nerves), maybe they just needed to add the bullet holes from the first film for some continuity. Whatever the case, you can expect plenty of Rob Zombie regulars to grace the screen, as usual, but for Zombie fans this recent change of events has many people asking, "Are we EVER going to get a Tyranasaurus Rex film?" If you don't know what that is, don't worry, apparently you're going to have some extra time to find out, now. The sequel is currently being titled "H2" as to not be confused with Halloween 2, because having an H2 and an H20 is much less confusing to people who don't know any better.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

"9"

I first saw this video when it debuted at The Animation Show 3 back in 2006 in San Diego and I was blown away by the subtle complexities of this ten and half minute CGI short. Within seconds you are immediately drawn in to the story. Without a single spoken word every emotion is conveyed perfectly and with almost no back story you feel more empathy and concern for this character than some ninety minutes films are capable of. And as good as it is here, it was so much more encapsulating on the big screen. When I found out that The Animation Show series (started by Don Hertzfeldt and Mike Judge) was coming to DVD I was anxious to get a chance to enjoy a number of these films again. The first two in the series were released together and a little later the third, but no "9". After some investigation I found out that "9" is a theater exclusive short and was purposefully left off of the TAS3 DVD. Well, that just bites it. I did find out recently, however, that creator Shane Acker has a deal with Focus Features to make "9" into a full-length movie. This time around it will contain dialogue, which kind of changes the whole film. The project will feature the voice talents of Elijah Wood (9), Jennifer Connelly (7), John C. Reilly (5), Crispin Glover (6), Christopher Plummer (1), and Martin Landau (2). "9" is scheduled for theatrical release on 9/09/09. Pretty cool, huh?


Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Help the animated homeless.

This is what happens when characters are made for an animation that never sees fruition. This holiday season give the gift of loving animated films and shorts. Together we can make a difference. Or at least have some fun trying.

Monday, December 15, 2008

WOLVERINE TRAILER...FINALLY

As I had mentioned before, the Wolverine trailer debuted in theaters with The Day the Earth Stood Still, which probably contributed to at least 35% to the films $31 million opening weekend. Starting today MySpace.com has exclusively released the trailer online for all to enjoy. So, here it is -The first official trailer for X-Men Origins: Wolverine and the reason The Day the Earth Stood Still will probably be number five next week.
X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE HD

Saturday, December 13, 2008

HULK VS. finally has release date

The direct to DVD/Blu-Ray double feature Hulk VS. (Wolverine/Thor) is hitting shelves on January 27, 2009. The animated feature will tell two different stories, both primers for upcoming Marvel projects. The big news is that the new footage of Hulk VS Wolverine features appearances by Logan's Weapon X pals to give you a little taste before X-Men Origins: Wolverine hits theaters. Making the scene will be Sabretooth (of course), Lady Deathstrike, Omega Red, and THAT'S RIGHT, BABY!!! -Deadpool!!! Although he's played by Ryan Reynolds in the live-action movie, for this DVD he is portrayed by voice actor Nolan North, who coincidentally enough voices Cyclops in the Wolverine and the X-Men cartoon, as well as Pyro, but he doesn't stop there; Nolan has also provided the voices for Ghost Rider and Hawkeye (Marvel Ultimate Alliance), Giant-Man/Hank Pym (Ultimate Avengers 1&2), and Raphael in the TMNT movie. Not a bad way to earn some fanboy cred. But, whatever...DEADPOOL, baby! Whoo!

WATCHMEN: COMICON EXCLUSIVE

So, apparently the powers that be have been gracious enough to release the exclusive Comicon footage of the upcoming Watchmen movie on the internet. It's only a few minutes worth, but I'm sure Watchmen fans went crazy for it when they got this first glimpse of the long-awaited film. One thing this clip has over the trailers is a little bit more of Billy Crudup pre-Dr. Manhattan.

Now if only they would release an official version of the Wolverine Comicon footage...

Friday, December 12, 2008

Bettie Page dies at 85

Bettie Page, the world's most famous, or should I say infamous pinup queen, largely responsible for ushering in the sexual revolution of the 1960s, passed away yesterday at the age of 85. Page, whose later life was marked by depression, violent mood swings and several years in a state mental institution, died at a Los Angeles hospital where she had been on life support since she had a heart attack on Dec. 2. A cultural phenomenon, Page was most recognized for the 20,000 or so 4-by-5-inch black-and-white glossy photographs taken by amateur shutterbugs from 1949 to 1957. In 2005, HBO Films released The Notorious Bettie Page, a look into the crazy life of this troubled icon. It's a great film for any Bettie Page fan. -When looking for a photo for this post I noticed that there aren't a lot family-friendly Bettie Page photos out there. Odd, huh?

Thursday, December 11, 2008

DRAGONBALL EVOLUTION TRAILER

The trailer to the upcoming film, Dragonball: Evolution has just been released in all it's cheesiness. The film is scheduled to hits theaters in the U.S. April 8, 2009.

Heath Ledger gets Golden Globe nod

It was announced yesterday that Heath Ledger has been nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of the Joker in The Dark Knight. This will unfortunately be the only nomination for the critically-acclaimed movie at this year's Golden Globes. Whether or not The Dark Knight and Heath himself have garnered enough Oscar buzz has yet to be seen, but I think it's safe to say that another Best Supporting Actor nomination is more than likely in the wings. The hit comedy Tropic Thunder actually has two nominations for BSA themselves, Robert Downey Jr. in his amazing performance as Sgt. Lincoln Osiris and Tom Cruise in his amusing performance as Les Grossman sporting the bald cap and fat suit (Really? Golden Globe-worthy?! Are you serious?). Oddly enough, James Franco is also nominated for his role as a stoner in Pineapple Express as opposed to his dramatic performance in Milk. Even if they more than likely won't win, it's nice to see comedies getting some well-deserved respect. You know what they say, "As an actor it's easier to make someone cry than it is to make someone laugh." I believe that Ledger should win the Golden Globe hands downs, but then again stranger things have happened. The Golden Globes are scheduled for January 11, 2009, just eleven days before the Oscar nominations are announced.

Monday, December 8, 2008

VAST FOOD NATION wraps first arc

Wrapping up the first Vast Food Nation story arc, here are episodes 5 & 6. (Rated PG-13)
[EPISODE 5: FLAME-BROILED HEAT]

[EPISODE 6: THE GREAT EXPOSITION EXPOSITION]

Friday, December 5, 2008

PUNISHER MOVIE

For a character that started out as a one-shot villain in a Spider-Man comic, The Punisher has acquired quite a following and a never-say-die attitude. Today marks the release of the third attempt to start a Punisher series. The first one in 1989 starred Dolph Lundgren, back in the Roger Corman days of making comic book films (not this one in particular, but 'Cormanesque' is a good barometer of the times). There are a lot of fans who feel that this is the most faithful adaptation to comic version. In 2004, Marvel tried again with Thomas Jane in the Frank Castle role. This one didn't have the whole 'punish the wicked' feel as much as a man who's hurting and taking revenge on the man who killed his family, but then, it is an origin story and you have to star somewhere. Of course, this Castle didn't have much time to get into his own, before the series was rebooted again this year with Punisher: War Zone. No, this is not a sequel to the 2004 film, like most people think. It is another reboot (a la The Incredible Hulk). Hardcore fans felt the 2004 version was too soft and didn't have enough 'punishing', so they upped the violence. WAY up. The new Punisher film is so violent and graphic that it has been categorized by many as a slasher flick. Most fans were hoping for the feel of the first film with the quality of the second, but once again filmmakers missed the mark. Many people have been disappointed by the new film and claim that the only people who will enjoy it are people who just watch films for explosions and gratuitous violence. The acting has no real range and the story is almost non-existent. But people will still have to go and see for themselves, and some will hate it and some will love it. That's just how it goes. The only really positive change is the addition of an actual comic book villain, Jigsaw; although to me, it just looks like SNL's Will Forte in make-up fighting a Jigsaw played by Johnny Knoxville.
[THE PUNISHER (1989)]

[THE PUNISHER (2004)]

[PUNISHER: WAR ZONE (2008)]

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

More VAST FOOD NATION

In case you haven't caught them yet, here are episodes 2, 3, and 4 of Aniboom's hilarious Vast Food Nation. Just be warned in case you prefer your toons a little more wholesome -the content of Vast Food Nation is definitely PG-13.
[EPISODE 2: THE FUN IN FUNERAL]


[EPISODE 3: KIDNAPTORIOUS]



[EPISODE 4: NOW FOR A BEEF INTERMISSION]

Batman: Dead End

With the release of The Dark Knight DVD lurking around the corner, I thought it only fitting to show people the fan film Batman: Dead End. Created by independent filmmaker Sandy Collora, the short film premiered at the 2003 San Diego Comicon and is heralded as one of the ten most pivotal moments in fan film history. Bringing an uber-realism to the Dark Knight, Sandy proved that Batman doesn't need smoke and mirrors to be intimidating. It's rumored that this was the inspiration to reboot the Batman franchise, bringing with it a more serious feel and more conceivable storylines. Oh, and for those who are surprised by the guest appearances at the end, don't be. These also happen to be characters that Batman has faced in the comic world.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

THE SPIRIT

From the mind of Will Eisner, creator of the graphic novel and inspiration to multiple generations of comic creators, comes the The Spirit. Introduced in 1940 (just two years after Superman) as a way for newspapers to compete with the rising popularity superhero comic books, Eisner's Spirit has been revered for decades in the literary community, albeit under most people's radars. The Spirit has never really left the scene and is currently going strong in his own DC Comic's title. In fact, The Spirit was actually made into a TV movie back in 1987 starring Sam J. Jones (Flash Gordan), but met with lackluster response.
Will Eisner passed away in 2005 and his good friend, visionary storyteller and comic legend in his own right, Frank Miller was approached at Eisner's funeral to create a Spirit film. Miller initially refused, but immediately changed his mind knowing that the studio would just hire someone else to reinterpret his friend's work. A lot people call foul on the similarities between The Spirit film and Miller's own Sin City, but I say you just can't get enough of a good black and white, film noir, femme fatale-filled crime drama. That style just happens to be best way to stay true to the sequential art feel of the source material. They could make a hundred films with that same pulp feel and I'd come back for every one. They just don't make them like that anymore.

[LATEST TRAILER FOR THE SPIRIT]


[THE SPIRIT (FEMME FATALE TRAILER)]


[THE SPIRIT (FEATURETTE 1)]


THE SPIRIT (FEATURETTE 2)]

WOLVERINE trailer announced

The lack of any real footage or trailers (minus the inferior quality Comicon exclusive preview that's been floating around the web) for the upcoming Wolverine movie has had fans frothing at the mouth for any glimpse of what's in store for everyone's favorite adamantium-clawed mutant. Well, you now relax (Frankie say to!). 20th Century Fox recently announced that the long-awaited trailer to May 1st's X-Men Origins: Wolverine will debut on December 12th preceding the remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still. Finally, the public has a reason to go a Keanu Reeves movie!
On a separate note, Hugh Jackman publicly stately recently that he is already looking toward a sequel set in Japan, but that if fan response is poor when the movie comes out that he will gladly walk away from the character permanently with no regrets.

Sunday, November 30, 2008

FUTURAMA: INTO THE WILD GREEN YONDER

Here is the trailer to the fourth (and possibly the last) Futurama direct-to-DVD movie, Into the Wild Green Yonder. This installment hits stores April 2009 and depending on it's sales could make or break the fate of Futurama. So, everybody go out and buy their copies when it comes out; no bootlegging this time.

TOY STORY 2 / DARK KNIGHT HYBRID

Someone has taken the audio from The Dark Knight trailer and re-synced it to scenes from Toy Story 2 to make a Toy Story preview like you never seen it before. Enjoy:

Saturday, November 29, 2008

A first look at Gambit

Empire magazine recently released the first photo of Taylor Kitsch (Friday Night Lights) as Gambit in the upcoming Wolverine movie. Set years before the X-men series of films, it will tell the story of Wolverine in his early years with the Weapon X program. For those of you curious about the relationship between Wolverine and Sabretooth, wonder no more. The Weapon X program is when a young Logan is teamed up with Victor Creed (Sabretooth) for the first time. Another character that fans have been frothing at the mouth for is everyone's favorite 'Merc With a Mouth', Deadpool. This Weapon X alum makes his debut in the film courtesy of Ryan Reynolds. If all goes as planned, expect a Deadpool solo film in the works soon after. X-men Origins: Wolverine hits theaters May 1, 2009. In case you haven't seen it yet, I have included the bootleg of the Comicon exclusive preview. The quality is not the best, but this is the best version that you're going to find on the web. (Stupid Con exclusives...)

WATCHMEN: THE MOVIE

"Who watches the Watchmen?"; Between 1986 and 1987 that was the most famous question in comicdom and it was usually accompanied with a iconic bloody smiley-face button. Originally based on characters from already defunct Charlton Comics (now owned by DC), Who Killed the Peacemaker was an idea conceived by masterscribe Alan Moore (V for Vendetta, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, From Hell) and pitched to DC Comics. The story (as it is now) begins with the death of Edward Blake. When masked vigilante (and the coolest dude in the story) Rorschach discovers that Blake is actually former teammate and government operative The Comedian, he develops a conspiracy theory that someone is targeting heroes for extinction. Rorschach begins warning the rest of his former team and as elements begin to prove Rorschach's theories may not be so far-fetched it brings others out of retirement and things get progressively worse. Editor Dick Giordano loved the concept, but eventually decided that maybe this wasn't the best use of the newly acquired characters. Giordano saw more potential for the Charlton characters and felt that placing them in this dystopian storyline would ruin any future plans for the lot, so he agreed to publish the story only on the concession that Moore create an original cast. Fearing that unfamiliar characters would cause a disconnect with the audience, he basically used the same characters and shifted them two degrees to the left. Blue Beetle, Nightshade, The Question, Captain Atom, The Peacemaker, and Thuderbolt would now be Nite Owl, Silk Spectre, Rorschach, Dr. Manhattan, The Comedian, and Ozymandias. Watchmen became a 12-issue phenomenon, selling over a million copies of the the collected graphic novel alone and is still considered by many as the greatest story in comic history (it's not bad). Since then Moore has severed his ties with DC (more than once) and signed over the movie rights for Watchmen to 20th Century Fox, stating that he wanted no involvement in the movie version of the property. Since the first failed attempt to bring this story to the big screen in 1986, over the years Watchmen has built up a reputation as the greatest comic book movie that will never be, after several misstarts had cause fans to lose all hope. Director Terry Gilliam began production on the film twice himself and finally conceded that Watchmen would be unfilmable, stating that, "Reducing [the story] to a two or two and a half hour film seemed to me to take away the essence of what Watchmen is about". Now the property of Warner Brothers, Watchmen finally makes it's way to theaters March 6, 2009 under the direction of Zack Snyder (300) and fanboys that have clamored for over two decades for the release of this of this film can begin filling the internet with criticisms and derisive statements, preaching to the world all of it's flaws. I'm afraid it's inevitable, that's just...what...they...do. So, "Who Watches the Watchmen?" I guess we'll find out this Spring. Until then, here's the latest amazing trailer for the upcoming film:

[SCREAM AWARDS EXCLUSIVE TRAILER]

[ORIGINAL WATCHMEN TRAILER]

Friday, November 28, 2008

Terry the Bi, Bi-Polar Polar Bear

Mukpuddy has recently unveiled their latest project, Terry the Bi, Bi-Polar Polar Bear. You know, I think I might actually be related to the inspiration for this slightly unpredictable character.

Monday, November 24, 2008

VENTURE BROTHERS on DVD

If you're a fan of The Venture Brothers on Adult Swim or have ever wanted to get into it, now is a great time to buy it on DVD, apparently. Circuit City has the first and second seasons on DVD for $12.99 each this week. The real kicker though is that on the their website you can get BOTH seasons together for the exact...same...price. That's right, both seasons for $12.99! Now, I don't know if this is some kind technical error or not, but I say strike while the iron's hot. Shipping is only $1.99, so it won't add too much to the total. Now that's a deal at twice the price.

[A VENTURE BROS. STAR WARS MONTAGE]

SUBURBAN MYTHS

Wonky Films has recently released a series of amusing shorts on the fledgling 4MATIONS.TV entitled Suburban Myths. Are they true? Are they not? I'm going to say a definite maybe.

[EPISODE 1: GET STUFFED]


[EPISODE 2: MR. SUICIDE]


[EPISODE 3: CAR JACK]

BLACK DYNAMITE [RED BAND TRAILER]

I love cheesy 70's films. When Grindhouse Double Feature came out I was there opening night and loving every minute of it (though I do wish that Deathproof had played before Terror Planet). I feel sorry for anyone who didn't experience Grindhouse in the theaters, because that was an amazing trip into a different time that can't be reproduced by watching it at home. I'm also a big fan of Blaxploitation films of the same era. Super Fly, Shaft, Blacula rocks, even Uptown Saturday Night (back when Bill Cosby was funny). In the same spirit of Grindhouse, comes Black Dynamite, a movie that looks like it stepped right out of 1975. I've watched the trailer a few times and I can't tell the difference except that I know the actors are not that old. The movie stars Michael Jai White (Spawn), with Arsenio Hall, Tommy Davidson, and Salli Richardson doing her best Pam Grier. I don't know how this movie has stayed under my radar, but now that I've found it I can't wait for it to come out. Unfortunately, there is currently no planned release date so I guess I'll just keep watching the trailer. I've heard that Black Dynamite is even taking it's funky self to Sundance. SOLID...

[WARNING: 'RED BAND' MEANS THAT THE TRAILER IS UNCENSORED]

Shatner reacts to Star Trek trailer

Someone on the web came up with this brilliant clip depicting William Shatner's initial reaction to the new Star Trek movie trailer. I would wager a guess that it wasn't too far off the mark. Come on, Bill. You've had your turn.

Megan Fox Is(n't) Wonder Woman?

Okay, so Megan Fox is not actually announced to play Wonder Woman in the upcoming movie. As a matter of fact, producer Leonard Goldbery has already said that he would prefer an unknown in the role. Megan's name has come up multiple times as far as who should play the Amazonian princess (not from me) and apparently the folks over at WonderWho feel pretty strongly about it themselves going so far as creating this mock-poster and dedicating a website to the idea.

Splendid in MIRROR, MIRROR

Everyone's favorite well-intentioned squirrel from Happy Tree Friends has a brand-new adventure. This time Splendid battles his arch-nemesis Splendont (get it?) in an episode entitled Mirror, Mirror.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Stewie Reports from a Vineyard

This video is for my buddy Mike. A sadistic guy who loves to watch videos of people getting hurt, especially the original version of this Family Guy parody.