Shatner in an Esperanto Horror Film

In 1965 William Shatner starred in a horror movie called Incubus. It’s the only movie to be filmed completely in Esperanto. It’s bizarre and now being released back onto home video for you Star Trek fanboys. Here’s the trailer:

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Hello Kitty goes Goth Lolita

I love Japanese package design! Not just the high end items, but the silly stuff as well. This is a recent purchase from the m2m market on the lower east side here in Manhattan. Seen here is “Kabaya” Hello Kitty Stawberry Pretzel (click to see full size), although from a casual glance the product looks like a Pocky knock off. I sampled the contents, and let’s just say that the packaging is the selling point of the product!

Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue

This tv special has the worst of everything I hated about animation in the 80s: You’ve got the Smurfs, Alf, Garfield, and Alvin and the Chipmunks all getting together to * yawn * fight the war on drugs:

Here’s a great description of the anti-drug tv special from 1990:

“Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue is an animated drug prevention television special starring many of the popular cartoon characters from American Saturday morning television, among them Winnie-the-Pooh, Bugs Bunny, ALF, the Muppet Babies, and several others. Financed by McDonald’s, the special was originally simulcast on April 21, 1990 on all three major American television networks: ABC, NBC, and CBS, along with most independent and smaller networks. McDonald’s also distributed a VHS home video edition of the special, which began with an introduction from President George H. W. Bush, and First Lady Barbara Bush.

The plot chronicles the story of a teenage boy named Michael who is using marijuana. His concerned sister Corey worries about him, and her cries cause many of her toys, which depict several popular cartoon “all-stars”, to come to life. The various cartoon characters proceed to take Michael on a fantasy journey that teaches him the health risks and other downsides a life of drug use can bring. The special was able to get so many characters from various franchises because the licensors gave producers royalty-free access due to the public service aspect of the special.”

Found via Linkfilter.net.

The Times Trashes the Robinsons

It’s funny I can just look at the character designs (they’re so vanilla) from the Robinsons and get a bad taste about this film. But I think Disney will turn things around yet, just not with this picture:

A Nerdy Orphan Plows Ahead With a Lot of Familiar Novelties

“Meet the Robinsons is surely one of the worst theatrically released animated features issued under the Disney label in quite some time.

Lewis, the bespectacled orphan who is this film’s hero, is a budding inventor whose obsessive nerdiness turns off potential adoptive parents. One of his less successful creations is a peanut-butter-and-jelly-sandwich machine that sprays brown and purple goo in every direction except onto the waiting bread.

And so it is with “Meet the Robinsons.” With increasing desperation, the filmmakers (Stephen Anderson directed and shares screenwriting credit with a half-dozen other writers) and their Disney and Pixar supervisors hurl fun at the screen, digging deep into their bag of used novelties.”

Grand Theft Mario

And here’s another Grand Theft Auto inspired spoof

Swiped from dvorak.org.

Star Wars Stamps

Great news for Star Wars fanboys, the US Postal service will be coming out with Star Wars stamps (seen above, click to enlarge). Here’s a bit of the official press release:

Two Legendary Forces Unite to Honor 30th Anniversary of Star Wars

“Luke Skywalker, Yoda, Darth Vader and, of course, R2-D2 are among the unforgettable Star Wars characters debuting on 15 new 41-cent postage stamps unveiled today at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles, where the first Star Wars movie opened nearly 30 years ago.

The commemorative stamps feature images from all six movies in the Star Wars saga: Luke Skywalker; Han Solo and Chewbacca; Princess Leia Organa with R2-D2; C-3PO; Yoda; Queen Padmé Amidala; Obi-Wan Kenobi as seen in Episodes IV through VI; Anakin Skywalker battling Obi-Wan Kenobi; Darth Vader; Emperor Palpatine; Darth Maul; Imperial Stormtroopers; Boba Fett; the Millennium Falcon; and an X-wing fighter. The stamps will be released at a first-day-of-issue ceremony on Friday, May 25, at Star Wars Celebration IV, the biggest Star Wars event in the galaxy, at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

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Jun Natsukawa Pachinko Machine Commercial

Meow! Jun Natsukawa (Kanji: 夏川純, Hiragana: なつかわ じゅん Natsukawa Jun – born September 19, 1980) is a Japanese gravure idol from Hiroshima, Japan. Above is a commercial for Kyoraku, which is a company that seems to have something to do with all sorts of interesting pachinko machines (including a series of Ultraman themed pachinko machines!).

Found via japansugoi.com.

28 Weeks Later Trailer

I’m not quite sure how they’re going to top the first film, although I’m not sure if that’s the point:

Tokyo International Anime Fair 2007

There’s a great photo gallery from the Tokyo International Anime Fair 2007 at kilian-nakamura.com that’s worth checking out (if you’re not luky enough to be in Tokyo right now). And here’s a short video clip of some of the fun featuring characters from Keroro Gunso:

New Transformers Posters

I think I like the Optimus Prime one best!

Found via aintitcool.com.

Lego Batman: The Videogame

This is something cool for fans of the Dark Lego Knight to look ahead to in 2008:

‘Lego’ flies with Batman

“The hottest word in the videogame world is, apparently, “Lego.” Following the huge success of “Lego Star Wars” and its sequel, Warner Bros. has signed a licensing deal with Lego to produce a “Lego Batman” game. In a significant, and likely costly, pact, Warner also nabbed TT Games, developer of the two “Lego Star Wars” games, to make “Lego Batman.” Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment will fully finance and publish the game itself, as well as handle all distribution in North America.

“Lego Star Wars” titles, both of which sold several million units in the U.S. alone, were family-friendly games featuring characters and settings from the “Star Wars” universe made out of the famous toy bricks. “Lego Batman” will follow a similar template, and Warner will release it in 2008 on multiple consoles.”

Tolkien Jr completes Lord of Rings

The last, unfinished ‘Lord of the Rings” book by J.R.R. Tolkien is being completed by his son, I wonder if a film deal can be far behind:

Tolkien Jr completes Lord of Rings

“he first new Tolkien novel for 30 years is to be published next month. In a move eagerly anticipated by millions of fans across the world, The Children of Húrin will be released worldwide on 17 April, 89 years after the author started the work and four years after the final cinematic instalment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, one of biggest box office successes in history.

The book, whose contents are being jealously guarded by publisher HarperCollins – is described as “an epic story of adventure, tragedy, fellowship and heroism.”

It is likely to be a publishing sensation, particularly as it is illustrated by veteran Middle Earth artist Alan Lee, who won an Oscar for art direction on Peter Jackson’s third film The Return of The King. Lee provided 25 pencil sketches and eight paintings for the first edition of the book, one of which is reproduced here for the first time in a national newspaper.

Tolkien experts are already tipping The Children of Húrin – which features significant battle scenes and at least one major twist – for big budget Hollywood treatment. Takings from the Lord of the Rings trilogy box office takings to date total some £1.5bn.

Chris Crawshaw, chairman of the Tolkien Society, said: “It would probably make a very good movie, if anyone can secure the film rights.

“Tolkien saw his work as one long history of Middle Earth: from the beginning of creation to the end of the Third Age. The Children of Húrin is an early chapter in that bigger story.”

The author’s son Christopher, using his late father’s voluminous notes, has painstakingly completed the book, left unfinished by the author when he died in 1971. The work has taken the best part of three decades, and will signify the first “new” Tolkien book since The Silmarillion was published posthumously in 1977.”

A Star Trek/Monty Python Mashup

I hadn’t realized just how much dancing and sword play was taking place in Star Trek!

If 300 Were Rated PG

Tonight we dine in heck! And on a related note 300 continues to do well at the box office:

Spartans conquer world box office
‘300’ brings in $48 million overseas

The Spartans have conquered the world, as “300” completely dominated the international box office over the weekend, with $48 million from 5,000 playdates in 33 markets.

Ratatouille: The New Pixar Film

Make sure you check out the trailer for the new Pixar film Ratatouille, the quality of the animation (and story of course) looks pretty darn good!

Chorlton and the Wheelies

Chorlton and the Wheelies was an animated stopmotion series that ran from 1976 until 1979. The series was created by Cosgrove Hall films for the ITV station Thames Television, and named after the location of the studio, Chorlton-cum-Hardy in Manchester, England.

This strange show takes place in Wheelie World, which is inhabited principally by the “wheelies”, a race of anthropomorphic creatures who locomote by means of wheels. They have three wheels each: two large ones at the front, and a smaller centred one at the back. The wheels are replaceable, and suitable wheels grow on vegetation found in Wheelie World.

This is from the episode “Happiness is Dragon Shaped” from 1976:

Techno Tuesday

If you both a tech and comix fanboy you should check out Techno Tuesday, a weekly web comic created by New Jersery based cartoonist and illustrator Andy Rementer.

Found via Drawn.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End

Avast yee fanboy, we got Pirate pics on on the blog deck. Oh you already seen Pirates one and duo? Well laddy Pirates Three has all that and then some, we got a danty pirate lady and a kung fu dude too! If you want ninjas and giant gilla monsters you’ll have ta wait until the forth installation in the series…

Gatchaman Goes CG

It looks like Imagi (a studio based in Hong Kong) will be producing a computer animated version of Gatchaman (known as Battle of the Planets in the United States). The film is expected to come out in 2008 and will be directed by Kevin Munroe. Above is concept art from the Imagi website.

The studio is also planning an Astro Boy feature in 2009:

Batman Poster by Andy Kubert

If you admired the cover of Batman #655 which featured a cover by Andy Kubert (seen above), well you’re in luck as DC Comics is putting it out as a poster later this year.

Found via Toy News International.

Ron Turner Cover Collection

Here’s a gret collection of cover art by British pulp artist Ron Turner who illustrated science fiction magazine covers and comic books in the 1950s:

Ron Turner Cover Collection

Found via Drawn!.

The Faces of Frank Webb

There’s a great post at Michael Sporn’s Splog on the book “How to Make Faces” by Frank Webb. Webb is a classic American cartoonist who was behind comic strips like ‘Kartoon Kollege’ and ‘Raising Kane’ during the 1940s.

Shazam! Jeff Smith Illustrates Captain Marvel

Above is the Shazam! poster from DC Comics illustrated by Jeff Smith. The poster will be on sale in late November this year, making it a perfect fanboy Christmas gift.

Found via Toy News International.

Marvel Theme Park

The good news is that there’s going to be a Marvel Theme Park! But alas us fanboys are going to need a Passport as it’s going to be in Dubai and won’t open until 2011:

Marvel Theme Park Coming to Dubai

“United Arab Emirate-based Al Ahli Group and Marvel Entertainment, Inc. announced today a partnership that will bring Marvel’s full library of Super Heroes — including Spider-Man, Iron Man, The X-Men, Incredible Hulk, The Fantastic Four and Silver Surfer — to Dubai for a major new theme park destination being developed by AAG. The development is in line with the vision set by HH Shk. Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, through his innovative entertainment and hospitality driven expansion projects for Dubai and the UAE.

The Al Ahli Group, under the leadership of Chairman Nasser Ali Khammas and driven by the idea and dedication of CEO Mohamed Khammas, is poised to bring the region’s first and only global theme park destination directly to the heart of the Emirates. AAG and Marvel are also in initial stages of discussions about additional projects throughout the greater Pan Arabia region.

AAG has been in discussions for more than two years with the owners of the world’s top intellectual properties in the entertainment arena and is extremely proud of its new long-term partnership with the world renowned Marvel brand. The Project will open in 2011 with a direct investment of over $1 billion USD. The creative team, which consists of some of the most spectacular creative minds from around the globe, will be based in Hollywood, Orlando and Dubai throughout the four year development process. New technology and unparalleled visitor experiences will be the hallmark of the theme park, creating a new standard for theme parks around the world.”