I honestly haven’t had many reasons to pick up my 3DS in recent months. It’s not that it’s a terrible platform by any means, but Nintendo’s 3D handheld is currently suffering a bit of a dry spill. There isn’t much in the way of software, and while they’ve shown us plenty of exciting titles at recent trade shows, almost all of them have yet to be released. There have been a few good offerings so far, but most of those are just updates of classics like Star Fox 64 and Zelda: Ocarina of Time — experiences we’ve already had. So what do we have in the meantime? So far, its been Netflix and a handful of virtual console/DSi ware releases. Fortunately, you’ll finally have another reason to pick it up, and some of you can even dust off your Wii while you’re at it. Hulu Plus will be headed to both platforms by the end of the year, allowing you to stream hours of anime, television, and film such as Persona 4: The Animation and the critically acclaimed Criterion Collection for only $7.99 a month.
Anyone remember that mid-90s action flick, Face/Off? You know, the one where Travolta and Cage swap faces for whatever reason. I always thought it was kind of ironic that even though they’re supposed to have only swapped faces, it was pretty much their entire bodies — it’s not as if they have the same build. Any way, take that concept, throw in some Disney and you’ll have yourself a hilarious Tumblr account. Disney Face Swap is a collection of ‘shopped’ images featuring one or more characters from our favorite Disney classics. The curator not only posts his own swaps, but also accepts fan submissions, so its updated frequently. The images themselves range from hilarious to outright disturbing, but they’re all work safe and, I guarantee they’ll keep you entertained throughout the day.
I love the hand made quality of this Tardis Dr. Who Messenger Bag which I found on Etsy — while I like the new series it would go great with a vintage Tom Baker multi-colored scarf. Bag design by Rhonda Wojciak of Nani Originals.Read more…
Though he appears not to have managed to regenerate eyebrows in his latest incarnation, the storied Doctor, as played by Matt Smith, has proven more popular than ever in his most recent season on BBC. No Doctor lasts forever, though, and the date of Smith’s departure from the role has been the subject of much speculation. Smith appeared to indicate that he’d only have one more year of Doctor Who in a recent interview, saying that after “another year” as the Doctor, he’d like to come to LA and do some acting work there. Does it mean anything? I bet we’d know if we had some sort of superscientific time-travel device. Anyone know someone who has one? Read more…
Posted by Michael Pinto on Oct 23, 2011 in Animation
On October 23, 1941 the elephant who could use his ears to fly stepped onto the silver screen. Expectations were set low for the film as it was intended originally to be a short, and was done on a low budget to make up for the financial losses from Fantasia. Even though they weren’t trying to push the edge with Dumbo, the strong focus on storytelling and strong characters won over critics. What I love about this film is that Disney wasn’t trying to be realistic as with Snow White, so there’s a great deal of the silly cartoony look which harkened back to their shorts: Read more…
Posted by Michael Sacco on Oct 21, 2011 in Television
I could’ve sworn we already had one of these like six or seven years ago, but it looks like there’s a paranormal drama theme hitting network TV again. The last time, shows like Supernatural did well enough to continue, but others weren’t so lucky. This time, we’ve got shows like Grimm and Once Upon a Time and probably at least two others dealing with the whole supernatural thing. Honestly, I haven’t been following the buzz for either, but if you want to give the latter a shot, the Once Upon a Time pilot is currently available on IMDB to watch in its entirety for free. Hey, isn’t that the guy from Stargate Universe? How bad could it be? Wait, wait, don’t tell me. Read more…
Part of the joy of New York Comic Con is that it’s part party — but it’s also like running through a giant attic that’s filled with various bits of your childhood! I was really happy to come across this origional Mattel Eagle 1 Spaceship on display: the funny thing is that when I was a child it seemed so much larger. This wonderful Space:1999 display was the handy work of Geek box Display Cases who had a booth at the show — they’re based in Hillsborough, North Carolina and you can find their website here and their Facebook page here. Read more…
Here’s a odd bit of news. Several outlets have reported that Christopher Nolan may be planning to shoot footage of the Occupy Wallstreet protests for his latest film, The Dark Knight Rises. The cast and crew will be spending two weeks filming in the big apple this month, and have apparently been told its a possibility. Personally, I’m not sure how legit it is, but if Nolan were to actually go through with those plans, it would be pretty ironic. After all, many of those protesters are having trouble finding decent jobs, but as one journalist put it, they’ll suddenly find themselves employed as unpaid extras. I’m sure that thought didn’t even cross his mind, so I hope that if he does decide to film the scenes, the message won’t get lost. If anything, I hope it helps to further cause, even if its simply to document it. Sadly, that might be more publicity than anyone has bothered to give the protesters to date.
This will either be the most terrifying or magnificent thing you’ll see all day. It’s certainly no “Rocket Man,” but Shatner’s spoken-word cover of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” could be just as campy — at least, the music video certainly is. I’m not sure how I’d go about explaining the premise, but it starts with a couple who are spending their evening stargazing. Suddenly Shatner’s face materializes in the night sky and everyone seems a little confused as to why, but rather than freak out, they just sort of let him do his thing. There’s some talking carps, a choir of goats, and some other random happenings culminating in Shatner’s latest album, Seeking Major Tom, crash landing to Earth. It’s truly bizarre, to say the least. Any way, if you’re looking to pick up a copy, you can purchase it via Amazon. I should also note, the album’s available in CD, MP3 or vinyl.
As a retro anime fanboy my heart warmed up when I came across the table of Tara Tallan at the New York Comic Con — her webcomic Galaxion is very inspired by Star Blazers which happens to be one of my favorite shows in the universe. Unlike most science fiction stories this manga isn’t dark and gritty, if you love indie comics you can show Tara your support by buying the first two volumes of the series: Read more…
I’m impressed. Earlier this month, director Alex Albrecht threw together this live-action short entitled VOLTRON: The End, starring Psych‘s Timothy Omundson. I have no idea if this was meant as some sort of series or film pitch, or if it was just something he decided to do for fun, but it’s pretty awesome. The idea of a Voltron live-action film never really crossed my mind, but having seen this, I certainly wouldn’t object. I also want to know how he landed Omundson for the role of Lance. He’s not exactly a huge star, but he is a series regular on a popular show that’s currently airing. If I had to venture a guess, I’d say his involvement was either a favor, or Omundson is just a fan of the animated series. You’d almost have to be to want to film this, wouldn’t you? Either way, it’s pretty cool that he’d take the time to contribute to the short. Let’s hope something good materializes from it.
I love crossover art, especially when it combines two things I love, such as Doctor Who and video games — and in this case, Valve’s Portal 2. The piece was designed by an Australian outlet known as Lost Hero Creative. While the reference is pretty straight forward, the T.A.R.D.I.S. being a device capable of traveling through time via portals, the image actually reminds me of that recent two part special, Time, in which the blue box decided to materialize within itself. If you feel like sporting it, TeeFury has the design available for the next 24 hours. As usual, the shirt should only cost you $10 + shipping.
I’ve seen some cool things at conventions, but this is just wonderful! From the YouTube description: “My friend Marq proposed to his girlfriend at New York Comic Con 2011. He knew she was the one when she enjoyed Comic Con as much as he did. So he made an ellaborate plan to surprise her with a flash mob and propose to her as Ash holding a Pokeball, and inside of it is the ring!” And here’s the video: Read more…
It looks like it’s crossover universe time on Gurren Lagann! If you look at this second photo it seems pretty clear that Yoko Littner is smitten with the Time Lord (and vise versa): Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Oct 18, 2011 in Videogames
For those of you who’re still upset at Nintendo’s decision not to publish Xenoblade domestically, but happen to also own a PS3, here’s some welcome news. Namco Bandai has announced plans to publish the upcoming PS3 release of Level-5 ‘s Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch in both North America and Europe next year. As you can probably guess just by looking at it, the game is a collaboration between Level-5 and much-renown Studio Ghibli, responsible for such films as Kiki’s Delivery Service, Howl’s Moving Castle, Spirited Away, and more. While the project never included any contributions by director Hayao Miyazaki, the art itself is very reminiscent of the style found through-out the various films Ghibi has worked on, his included. That said, it’s quite striking visually and I’m sure Ghibli’s involvement will help bolster sales.
He’s made plenty of cameos throughout recent films, but we’ve never really seen Agent Coulson get his hands dirty. That’s about to change — the S.H.I.E.L.D. operative finally gets his chance to shine in this special one-shot, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor’s Hammer. Like the one-shot The Consultant — included on the Thor DVD/Blu-ray — tied together the events of The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man films, this clip is used to fill the gap between Iron Man 2 and Thor and is included on the upcoming Blu-ray and DVD release of Captain America: The First Avenger. We’re only posting a teaser, but if you want to see the clip in its entirety, you can click here, or wait until you pick up your copy of the film when it hits stores next week.
He may be the “Man of Steel” but it looks like his x-ray vision is looking at this lovely green haired lady — I just hope that Lois Lane doesn’t find out: Read more…
