Harlan Ellison Rant: Hollywood Studios
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 19, 2007 in Cinema, Television
This is a great rant about how Hollywood studios never want to pay writers.
Found via Dvorak.
Wear a Wookie Backpack
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 19, 2007 in Star Wars
Like Han Solo you can now have Chewie to cover your back:
“Strap the Chewbacca Plush Backpack to your back and he’ll be carrying your books in style. His arms wrap around you to let you know he’s secure – even his legs will secure around your abdomen, for some extra cuddly fun. Who needs real friends when you have a Chewie on your back? And there are two extra features the Chewbacca Backpack has to offer. First, his bandoleer bag can hold some smaller accessories such as cables, business cards, or Ewok jerky. And second, there can be no bigger thrill than asking someone if they want to pet your Wookiee. Trust us – it’ll get you smiles every time.”
Steam Trek: A Steampunk Star Trek Parody
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 18, 2007 in Star Trek
This is charming Star Trek parody inspired by George Melies, check out the entire film here.
Found via linkfilter.net.
Lost in Space: Laser Pistol
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 18, 2007 in Hobbies and Collections
At long last it’s a Lost in Space collectible that isn’t Robby the Robot or the Jupiter II! Shown above is 1:1 scale model of a laser pistol made by Sci-Fi Metropolis in collaboration with master propsmith Richard Coyle. Although the laser pisol will set you back $600, so it’s targeted at aimed at only the most serious Lost in Space fanboys.
Found via Neatorama.
The Masks: War To Peace
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 17, 2007 in Animation
I’m very much an Apple fanboy at heart, but I have to say that I’ve been very impressed with the high quality of the visual marketing for Zune by Microsoft. Shown above is The Masks: War To Peace a short animated film by PandaPanther and music by the Black Angels.
Found via Urban Retro Lifestyle.
Michael Flemming: R is for R5-D4
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 17, 2007 in Star Wars
The above illustration by Michael Flemming reminds me of fanboy take on a Cassandre poster. The illustration is part of a series titled the Star Wars ABC set (which we’ve covered before). It’s funny to me R5-D4 always looked like R2-D2 with a lampshade on his head!
LEGO Batman: Videogame Trailer
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 16, 2007 in Videogames
Shown above is teaser video of the new LEGO Batman game from Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and TT Games.
Happy: A Film by Michael Lewicki
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 16, 2007 in Animation
I got a kick out of Happy, an animated film which was created by Michael Lewicki as part of a course on character animation at the Vancouver Film School. I tracked down Michael on Facebook and asked him what inspired him to make his film:
“There really was no inspiration for the film other than just getting a job. I went to VFS to make a film for a demo tape to work as an animator and then it just blew up on YouTube. When thinking of the idea I wanted to keep it clean and simple with classic jokes…like the ones I grew up with (Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show, Ren and Stimpy, Spongebob, etc…) I just wanted to make something that everyone can enjoy no matter what age.”
Stick Around: Andy Kaufman in the Year 2055
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 16, 2007 in Television
Andy Kaufman played the character of Andy the Robot in the pilot episode of Stick Around, a Sleeper inspired comedy show set in the year 2055. Pretty much everything i read about Stick Around claims that it never aired, but the odd thing is that the theme song sounds very familar to me so I’m wondering if the show did air or if the theme song was somehow re-used. The funny thing about the pilot is that there are so many references to the 70s to things like inflation.
Found via Peter Bernard.
Killing Girl #4
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 15, 2007 in Comic Books
At long last! For weeks I’d keep looking at lackluster comic book previews, but nothing was catching my eye, but I’m happy to report that Killing Girl #4 by Image Comics has cracked my boredom streak. In this latest issue the plot seems to involve Sara and her family, in the panel shown above Sara is dealing with both her Mom AND mob hitmen.
The artwork is wonderfully fluid, as is also the storytelling and sense of humor. I love Killing Girl because different than the typical superhero stuff you still see all over the place, yet it’s action packed and entertaining. Shown below is a good example of this, in which Sara needs to talk her Mom into giving her the cellphone:
Remix This: Anime Gets Hijacked
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 15, 2007 in Animation
There’s a great article by Patrick Macias on Anime Music Videos (AMVs) but for me the best part is seeing Jim Kaposztas getting some long overdue credit! I know I sound ancient but I remember watching Jim’s video at a monthly meeting of the New York City branch of the Cartoon/Fantasy Organization in the early 80s:
Remix this: anime gets hijacked
Fans defy copyright by ripping footage then ‘synching’ it to music
Not the Daily Show
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 15, 2007 in Television
I tend to avoid covering the mainstream media on this blog, but the above video by the writers of the Daily Show caught my attention and I’d like to share it as the writers do a good (yet enteraining) job of making their point. Being a fanboy at heart my thinking is that what separates compelling entertainment from the mundane is the storytelling, and that starts with the script. Everything flows from that script, and you can throw money at the screen but without the story you have nothing. And so to me taking care of your talent is just smart business.
Found via RumorsDaily.
The Brain Eaters
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 15, 2007 in Horror
Crawling, Slimy Things Terror-Bent on Destroying the World! This classic 1958 horror flick is fanboy-notable as it’s somewhat based on the novel the Puppet Masters by Robert Heinlein. Although the producers never quite asked Mr. Heinlein for his permission, so he sued them and the case was settled out of court. Years later the Puppet Masters would go on to be made as a bad film in it’s own right in 1994 (which thankfully Heinlein didn’t live to see).
Star Wars 30th Anniversary Collection
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 14, 2007 in Star Wars
Shown above is an amazing collection from a Star Wars fanboy (Rob Jan) from 30 years ago in 1977, you need to to see the image at both the full size and with the special rollover notes.
Found via Nerdcore.
R2-D2: Soy Sauce vs. The Force
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 14, 2007 in Star Wars
Make sure to use low sodium soy sauce in your R2 unit as the extra salt will cause rust:
STAR WARS R2-D2 Soy Sauce Bottle
Found via tokyomango.com.
Nick’s Nippon Notebook: Shopping Spree in Osaka
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 14, 2007 in Fandom
Editor’s Notes: Here are some unedited notes from my friend Nicholas D. Kent from his recent trip to Japan:
I was at Yodobashi Camera again. Their Osaka store is 9 stories and fills the complete full size city block. They pipe different versions of the stores jingle non-stop on the store sound system in different arrangements with announcements in various languages, even German as to the great values and selections found at their store. Sometimes the song has Japanese lyrics sometimes it’s instrumental, but it’s the “Battle Hymn of the Republic” (this commercial dates back to 1984):
So I keep wondering if anyone from the ever South goes there then gets disgusted and storms out, because it is pretty non-stop.
Rian Hughes Hits NYC
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 13, 2007 in Comic Books
If you’re lucky enough to be in New York City this Thursday here’s your chance to get to meet illustrator, designer and typographer Rian Hughes who has had quite an impact on the British comics industry (check out his portfolio here):
Veer Presents: Rian Hughes Design, Tea and Biscuits
Thursday, November 15, 2007 | 6:30-9:30 PM | Admission $15
ADC Gallery, 106 West 29th Street, NYC
“Join us for an evening of genteel design discussion and civilized refreshment with British illustrator, graphic designer, comics artist and typographer Rian Hughes. For over 20 years, Rian Hughes has been fusing visual design with pop aesthetics. His distinctive panel art revolutionized the British comic industry, and his modernist graphic design and illustration style have been widely copied. Since 1996, Rian has released an astoundingly diverse range of display and text typefaces under the Device Fonts moniker.”
‘American Otaking’ Steve Pearl Passes Away
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 13, 2007 in Fandom
Before the web there were a few folks on the early internet and dial-up bulletin board services (BBSs) who pioneered spreading the word on anime, and quite a few of those folks owe their introduction to Steve Pearl who just passed away. Steve was the author of the FAQ (frequently asked questions) for the usenet group rec.arts.anime.misc. For those of you who don’t remember usenet it contained tons of email lists. The better ones would maintain a FAQ, in a way these sometimes large documents were Wikipedia before Wikipedia. And over the years Steve’s FAQ became the definitive pocket guide to anime during the 90s when quite a few folks were become anime fanboys and fangurls. My heart goes out to his family and friends:
Land of the Lost: Sleestak Vinyl Figure
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 13, 2007 in Hobbies and Collections
If you grew up with Land of the Lost
Nissan PIVO 2 Concept Car
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 12, 2007 in Science
As a fanboy I love the futuristic look of the industrial design of the PIVO 2 Concept Car by Nissan. The design of this three seat electric-powered commuter car features a robotic agent and the ability to rotate 360 degrees:
Lego Fan Film: Star Wars vs. Star Trek
This may be the best fan film since Hardware Wars!
Parody Preview: Spider-Man/Red Sonja #4
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 12, 2007 in Comic Books
Shown above is an “improved detail” from an eye catching cover for Spider-Man/Red Sonja #4 by Michael Turner. For me it’s not so much the ongoing struggle of good verses evil, but rather the more mundane battle of alcoholism verses halitosis.
Here’s the description of the real storyline from this issue:
“Continuing the time-tossed team-up between the web-slinger and the She-Devil with a Sword! Okay, if Spider-Man and Red Sonja aren’t enough for you, what about Hyborean versions of the Scorpion, the Lizard and Hobgoblin? Still not enough? Then howzabout Kulan Gath and Venom…combined? Yeah, we thought that would do it.”
C-3PO Vinyl Collectible Toy
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 11, 2007 in Star Wars
I’m a big fan of urban toys and Star Wars, so I was impressed with the look of the V.C.D. Star Wars C-3PO Sofubi Toy shown above. The toy is produced by Medicom Toy in Japan, which currently sports models of Boba Fett, Yoda, and Darth vader in their Star Wars line.
Found via GeekAlerts.
My Parody Preview of Ultimates 3
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 11, 2007 in Comic Books
I’m a picky eater when it comes to featuring cover art and the like here at fanboy.com. Every month I look through all the covers and interiors from Marvel, DC, and friends in an attempt to find something of joy to share with you. But alas the last few weeks I haven’t seen one darn cover that makes me say “that’s sweeeeeeet!”
So when I came across the above artwork by Joe Madureira and Christian Lichtner my first thoughts were “that’s nice on a technical level, but it has so many clichés going on!” But then I realized “don’t blame the artist, some where a writer had to come up with the description of buxom blond battles black monster!” So I decided to improve the scene by adding some text to flip the context so you’re rooting for the monster (unless you hate Greenpeace). By the way did you notice that the monster has time to brush his teeth? Oral hygiene is important in the Marvel universe…