“There’s a hole-in-the-wall eatery near our office building that sells four fried dumplings for a dollar. They’re greasy, glistening with oil, and piping hot. We know they’re not healthy or good for you but a buck doesn’t go far anywhere else… except there. Four dumplings is basically a relatively filling lunch for a wretched dollar.
When Bandai started preorders for the Miniature Mania Gyoza no Shogun straps on Tuesday night, we thought of that fried-dumpling-hole-in-the-wall. In Japan, gyoza are fried dumplings and the photo to the left shows six of them on a platter. Instead of wolfing it down however, you’re supposed to attach it to your phone. In addition to the gyoza strap, Bandai’s Miniature Mania set of food-themed straps include a plate of fried chicken and a beef dish. ”
Please Note: As a vegetarian I don’t approve of either the fried chicken or beef cell phone straps, and if you do order this item please inform everyone that the gyoza is in fact vegetarian — or faux vegetarian as the case may be…
“For 80 years the original version of Fritz Lang’s “Metropolis” has been considered lost. The ZEITmagazin shows details from the missing scenes of the 1927 masterpiece for the first time in its Thursday edition, and reports exclusively on how the film was tracked down in the archive of the Museo del Cine (Cinema Museum) in Buenos Aires. Through this new discovery, key scenes from the silent film become more intelligible, minor characters now have leading parts.”
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jul 3, 2008 in Comic Books
I love the design of this new poster for The Dark Knight, it’s great to see a major Hollywood studio take an illustrational approach for a change instead of the same old pretty photos. Click on the image to see it at full size.
With Fujiya it’s never about the chocolate itself but the packaging! What i like about this product (click on the image to see it at full size) is that not only do you get the four chocolate pencils but there’s also a nice little small button you can wear as a keepsake to show your Peko or Poko loyalty. There are twelve potential button designs that you might get, shown above is Peko-chan enjoying her watermelon while hanging out at the beach with her doggie.
“I lay no claim to advancing scientific data other than advancing flying knowledge. I can only say that I do it because I want to.” — Amelia Earhart
Amelia is a real hero to me, I see her as a true pioneer in every sense of the word. We tend to forget today that once upon a time that aviation was once the stuff of cutting edge technology. But back in the 30s aircraft were very futuristic, so much so that in the 1936 film Things to Come H. G. Wells has a band of united airmen saving the world from the next dark age. Amelia Earhart was very much the face of not just aviation but the notion of progress itself. She wasn’t only exploring the frontiers of flight, but of equal rights for women as well. I think today, 71 years after she disappeared that we can still learn a great deal from her.
“Inspired by “The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories” by Tim Burton. The Toxic Boy PVC Set includes three painted 4 inch PVC figures: Roy, the Toxic Boy, Mummy Boy, and Jimmy, the Hideous Penguin Boy.”
“These awesome vinyl restickable wall-stickers. Featuring Mario and his friends and enemies through his evolution from 15 pixel high sprite to fully 3d-rendered hyperbeing. Do a faithful recreation of your favorite levels, or create your own, using your own space as a template.”
“Some Martian dirt has the same basic chemistry as garden soil, a new analysis from the Phoenix lander suggests. The find widens the range of organisms that might be able to live on Mars. Although the analysis is not yet complete, the lander has already found trace levels of nutrients like magnesium, sodium, potassium and chloride. Although these ingredients were known to exist in Martian soil, until now no one was sure whether they would be soluble in water and thus potentially available for life.”
Super Technology iDance Wall-ETech toys date the fastest, but they also best reflect the era that they were produced in — which makes them cool to show off in the years to come.
Wall-E PosterBecause posters are a well know inexpensive interior decoration technique for fanboys.
Wall-E TattoosShow your co-workers how hardcore you are about Pixar.
Fanboys of live action Japanese TV from the 60s will dig this limited edition Ultraman USB Drive which is produced by buffalo.jp. Each Ultraman will store 2 gigs and only 3,000 of these little guys will be produced,
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jun 29, 2008 in Animation
This advert on the side of a bus shows how Pixar knows how to get all the details just right, I love the concept of this giant version of the character holding onto the door while moving through NYC traffic. Just click on the image to see it as full size.
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jun 28, 2008 in Animation
Calling all Miyazaki fanboys and fangurls: this is the first trailer for the upcoming film Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea and it’s looking pretty cute! This video below shows off quite a bit of pre-production art:
…and I know you can’t get enough of that catchy theme song:
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jun 27, 2008 in Comic Books
The above cover for the Madame Mirage collection immediately evoked the essence of a 70s movie poster for me, although I have to admit that the featured characters are sporting film noir and goth attire. But the sultry spirit reminds me a bit of a James Bond girl which might be giving me that early disco vibe. The cover artwork is by Kenneth Rocafort, and this trade paperback will be published by Image Comics. Here’s the description:
“From the magical mind of Paul Dini (Countdown, Detective Comics) comes a new, original femme fatale story that combines elements of film noir, tech, and superhero comics. Superbly drawn by rising star Kenneth Rocafort (Hunter-Killer), this volume collects Season 1 of this amazing story, a cover gallery, and insightful behind-the-scenes material, plus an all-new cover by Rocafort!”
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jun 27, 2008 in Animation
It seems there’s a boom in Czech animation going on right now: Above is a clip of Alois Nebel which is based on a graphic novel set in World War II. Variety has a great article on the what’s going on there:
“Whether weird, provocative or simply a national calling card, animation Czech-style is undergoing a renaissance, with at least 10 features slated to bow throughout the next year. “Czech filmmakers were always ready to take off in terms of creativity and stories, but were held back by a lack of sufficient funding,” says the center’s Jana Cernikova. But with the Czech Film Fund now granting $18.5 million in support, four times the level from just two years ago, filmmakers are finally free to delve into more expensive genres such as animation.”
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jun 27, 2008 in Comic Books
I get a real kick out of seeing the work of Jim Mahfood — above is a detail from the cover of Kick Drum Comix #1 which will be published by Image Comics this September. It’s part one of a two part series:
“Kick Drum Comix is an over the top full color two-issue miniseries from fan-favorite Jim Mahfood! All-new material here, including the exciting stories “Coltrane’s Reed” and “Death of the Popmaster.” Great stories, beautiful artwork, all in a full color package! ”
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jun 26, 2008 in Comic Books
Anthony Lister is Brooklyn based painter who was born in Australia — many of his subjects are superheroes. The above painting is wonderwoman1 and below is fat bat man. His work reminds me of a deconstructed Richard Linder who became well known for his pop art during the 60s.
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jun 26, 2008 in Dr. Who
It’s funny how all fanboys think alike! In the 70s before I had a VCR I recorded tons of audio tapes of TV show (anything that was science fiction from Twilight Zone episodes to Space:1999). Well it seems some Dr. Who fanboys in England are now using their audio tapes to bring back to life the early lost episodes of the series:
Regenerate! Fans revive 60s Doctor Who An army of enthusiasts is recreating lost instalments of the Doctor’s adventures with hand-drawn and computer animations
“The BBC lists 108 episodes of Doctor Who from the 1960s as officially “missing” from its archive. That’s because the original videotapes were either erased or destroyed by the BBC in the 1970s, to make shelf space for newer programming. A catastrophe for fans. But Doctor Who – as fans of the show will know – is luckier than most.
The programme has always had a very loyal, and often talented, fanbase. It was its dedicated fans who in the 1960s weren’t hiding behind the sofa, but holding microphones up to their televisions week after week, that meant that all of the missing 108 instalments still exist as audio recordings; and it has been today’s fans who have, over the past few years, been working on bringing these “lost” recordings back to life through animation.”
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jun 26, 2008 in Comic Books
Tite Kubo will celebrate his 31st birthday today, and I have to say that I’m very happy to admit to being a Bleach fanboy: I first heard about Bleach when the Anime Pulse Podcast first started out: They were hardcore fanboys when it came to the show. But the first thing that struck me was that it seemed like too much of a soap opera to invest the time in. Man was I wrong!
I managed to hold out held out until they started showing translated episodes on Adult Swim and I was hooked right away. At first it seemed that the show had pretty much everything I’m not crazy about in anime: I’m a science fiction fan at heart so fantasy driven stories with Samurai outfits just aren’t my thing.
But I got hooked into the clever world that Tite Kubo had constructed. At its heart Bleach is one of the most elaborately constructed soap operas that I’ve ever been hooked on. My friends will yammer on about Battlestar Galactica, but Bleach seems to be keeping me si fi free these days. As crazy as work becomes to me I always manage to DVR the show and find that golden half hour during the week to escape the world of the living and hangout with the soul reapers. Thank you Tite Kubo…
