Archive for August, 2009

PONYO’S On A Boat!

So, it’s Monday morning…

…Summer’s almost over…

…Marvel’s being bought out by the House of Mouse.

It’s a rough day.

This should get you feeling better.  Take one part Lonely Island, one part Hayao Miyazaki, shake vigorously.

Ponyo’s on a boat, motherfuckers.

Original Post: YouTube – Ponyo on a Boat!.

Disney Buys Marvel For $4 Billion

You can almost hear the fanboys cry, but this might be a huge opportunity for Marvel Comics.

Right now there isn’t much more to the story than the headline, with Disney dropping FOUR BILLION DOLLARS to obtain Marvel, but where it goes from here is the interesting part.

Marvel has literally thousands of characters and ergo, thousands of potential properties.  Provided that Disney is smart enough to see how Warner Bros handles DC, letting the comic division of the company run somewhat autonomously, this could be great.

Looking at what Disney has access to, we could see new films via Touchstone Pictures/Walt Disney/Pixar, new TV shows via ABC, new cartoons on any number of their existing networks and riskier properties handled via their Miramax division.

There are dozens of questions to be answered and the extent of changes to Marvel will remain to be seen, but right now, I lay on the side of optimism.

Don’t make me regret that, Disney!

Original Post: Disney to Acquire Marvel Entertainment – MarketWatch.

Walking Dead Fans + OCD =

First a comic, soon to be a TV show, it’s hard to say that fans aren’t getting enough of The Walking Dead.

But a truly dedicated fan has made it so you can trace the footsteps of this group of zombie apocalypse survivors.

Using the power of Google Maps, ‘Jason’ has annotated a map that takes you though the first 64 issues of Robert Kirkman’s amazing series, notating where in the US every major plot twist occurred.

If you have a few hours to kill, check it out. Of course, be warned, thar be spoilers!

Original Post: THE WALKING DEAD MAP – Google Maps.

CLONE WARS Season 2 Premieres OCTOBER 2!

Say what you will about the Star Wars prequel trilogy, but I feel it gave us two of the greatest post-Original Trilogy bits of programming in both of the Clone Wars cartoons.

Starting with the shorts by Genndy Tartakovsky and continuing into the CG series, I’ve dug everything created for the Clone Wars universe thus far.

Luckily, Clone Wars got picked up for a second season, and it will premiere on Cartoon Network on October 2nd.  Hopefully, my cable company will have picked up Cartoon Network HD by then.

Here’s the press release with the official word.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Rise of the Bounty Hunters premieres Friday, October 2, at 8 p.m. (ET/PT)

Cartoon Network (CartoonNetwork.com), currently seen in more than 97 million U.S. homes and 166 countries around the world, is Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.’s ad-supported cable service now available in HD offering the best in original, acquired and classic entertainment for youth and families. Nightly from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. (ET/PT), Cartoon Network shares its channel space with Adult Swim, a late-night destination showcasing original and acquired animation for young adults 18-34.

Chris Nolan Teases Us With INCEPTION

This past Friday, the first teaser trailer for Inception was released, attached to prints of Inglorious Basterds.

The trailer has finally hit the web (embedded above), and honestly, I’m just as lost about the film as I was before.

Here’s what I’ve gathered…

-Stars Leonardo DiCaprio.

-Has trippy action sequences.

-The mind will be the scene of the crime.

As for figuring anything else out, GOOD LUCK! Even the website is just a weird tease at this point.

Any way you cut it though, Christopher Nolan is a director who I will trust blindly, so I will be there when it hits in Summer 2010.

Hopefully we’ll know more then, yes?

The $300 Million Question: WHAT IS AVATAR?

After 15 years of gestation and an estimated $300+ million budget, director James Cameron’s latest sci-fi opus Avatar was officially unveiled to the public with a screening of roughly 15 minutes of selected footage.  This free IMAX 3D screening, with tickets given away online, was not my first taste of the film, given the release of the teaser trailer this past Thursday, but I anxious to see what was in store.

For years, the film had been spoken in hushed tones amongst film fans.  Jim Cameron’s grand return to Sci-Fi filmmaking, using “hyperreal” CGI and 3D cameras so advanced, they had to spend millions of dollars to develop them!  But what was it really?  The teaser gave only the vaguest of clues, and unfortunately, the footage shown, while impressive, did not illuminate as to what we’ll be seeing in December.

Starting with a military debriefing on the dangerous alien planet Pandora, continuing to Marine Jake Sully’s integration into an alien body (the titular “avatar”), and then featuring some action packed sequences in Pandora, these scenes gave no overall sense of scope, and only a taste of what is to be.  But there is one thing this footage did: impressed.

The CGI is unlike anything I’ve seen before, and while mid-range shots look almost plasticine at times, the close ups and long distance shots truly look almost photo real.  But the real star was the environments.  The landscape of Pandora is 100% CG, and left me breathless with how real it felt, helped greatly by masterful use of the most recent 3D technology, adding depth and scale to the proceedings.

Overall, I feel the audience walked away just as I did. Audibly excited during an extended chase sequence, we were riveted! And with a final montage of the native Pandorian creatures battling an armored military force, it looks like the truly great sequences were being kept just out of reach. I cannot say we were any smarter as to how Avatar will play out on screen later this year, but we were in awe of what it might be. And it just might be a classic in the making.

It’s A Beautiful Day to Die: KFC’s Double Down Sandwich

Part of me wants to believe this is a cruel joke.  That, or the universe has decided to give Patton Oswalt new material, given that his new album My Weakness is Strong! releases on Tuesday.

Either way, this is PROOF that KFC is attempting to murder us all, after that wussy Kentucky Grilled Chicken cop-out.

That glorious “sandwich” above is called the KFC Double Down.  I put sandwich in quotes, as it doesn’t use bread, OH NO! TOO EASY!

If anything, it’s a bacon, cheese and Colonel’s Sauce sandwich, where instead of bread…it’s TWO FRIED CHICKEN FILETS. WHAT THE HELL.

Thus far, it only seems to be available in certain markets, but KFC is totally giving it the full marketing push, with commercials airing on local television (seen below).

KFC, you tried to kill me with the Famous Bowl, but by GOD, I will not let you kill me this way!

…but I do want to try one anyway.

Original Post: Epic: KFC Has A Bacon Sandwich That Uses Fried Chicken As “Bread”.

Great Jacket? Or GREATEST Jacket?

Thanks, Ross, for making my Friday.

I need one.  Immediately.

EDIT: Just found it on eBay, with an image of the equally awesome front!

Original Post: FFFFOUND! | THEM THANGS.

SUCKER PUNCH Gets A Little Mad, Man.

As far as I’m concerned, Zach Snyder is 3-for-3 when it comes to movies.

Loved the Dawn of the Dead remake, Loved 300, and was awed by the scope and risk in doing an adaptation of Watchmen (however flawed though it may be).  So, of course, I’m keeping an eye on his next project, Sucker Punch.

Already, he’s got a pretty solid cast.  Made up of pretty much all young female Hollywood, it’s the story of a girl who is placed into an asylum by her stepfather and is set to undergo a lobotomy.

She, along with her friends in the asylum, then enter an alternate reality to escape.  Sounds pretty wild, and knowing Snyder’s skill with mostly CG sets, this could be a feast for the eyes.  The official logo was revealed at San Diego Comic Con (shown above) and it’s an interesting piece of art, if nothing else.

Either way, I’ve just been sold a ticket, as Synder has lined up JON HAMM (!!!!) to join the cast, as a character named “High Roller”.

Aside from that, we have no details about the character, but I’ll be there, for sure.

Sucker Punch is set to hit theaters in 2011.

Original Post: Mad Men’s Jon Hamm joins up with Zack Snyder’s SUCKER PUNCH! — Ain’t It Cool News: The best in movie, TV, DVD, and comic book news..

Justin Hammer: ROCKIN’ THE BARKER MIC!

Above is the latest still from Iron Man 2.

Not that interesting, I’ll admit, but it’s a good look at Sam Rockwell (Frost/Nixon, Moon) as Justin Hammer.

The important part?

Dude is totally rocking the Bob Barker/Price Is Right mini mic.

SOLD.

Original Post: Unexciting New Photo of Sam Rockwell in Iron Man 2 | /Film.

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