The Week In Geek

This week on Geek-tastic, we've learned the following:

 

• The new Harry Potter trailer looks awesome.


• Not all Super Nintendo quizes are easy.


• Japan's prime minister is a comic geek.


• The final frontier is full of hotties.


• Guillermo Del Toro is a huge geek.


• According to J.J. Abrams, Vulcans don't have pores.


• The GeekRoundTable Halloween podcasts are available.


• You should be reading Peanuts.


• Admiral Ackbar never falls for traps.

Geek Item Of The Week

 

Floating Hover Chair

 

Just look at the damn thing.  It's super elegantly cool.  Sure, it's probably extremely uncomfortable (what with it being solid plastic and all), but it hovers off the ground using giant magnets.  Hot damn!  And it was inspired by Star Wars:

 

Inventor Keith Dixon, of Sussex-based Hoverit Ltd, said he was inspired as a child by the anti-gravity Landspeeder vehicles in the "Star Wars" films.

 

"The sensation you feel as you lie back and close your eyes is totally different -- like floating on a cloud," said a Stuff Live spokesman. Its 6,000 pound ($9,620) price tag may bring visitors back down to earth with a bump, however.

 

So it costs over $9,000.  Who cares?  If I had the money, I'd totally buy one of these.  How many people do you know with a floating chair?  None, right?  Wouldn't you like to be the first in your friend group to own one of these bad boys?  I know I sure would.

The Top 10 Greatest Buffy Episodes Ever

In honor of this being Halloween, Geek-tastic would like to present to you it's very first original Top 10 list.  And on this day of ghost and goblins and vampires, what better thing to count down than the ten best episodes of the best monster fighting show of all time...Buffy The Vampire Slayer

 

To make this list, the episodes involved were ranked on a mixture of the episode's impact to the Buffy Universe at large, its creativeness and its straight forward entertainment value.

 

So, without further Ado, Geek-tastic is proud to present:

 

The Top 10 Greatest Buffy Episodes Ever

By Patrick Roach (with help from Wes Strawther, Matt Jeffery and Sarah Wales)

 

10.  Once More With Feeling (Season Six, Episode Seven)

 



 

The hills are alive with the sounds of music!  Ok, it's not really the hills.  It's just the town of Sunnydale.  The entire city seems to be breaking out in full blown song and dance numbers every few minutes.  People are singing about everything ranging from picking up their dry cleaning to spilling their innermost thoughts for everyone to hear.  And that's not the only problem.  Some people are dancing so much that they're bursting into flames.

 

Long before Joss Whedon created Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog, he created the Buffy Musical Episode.  Other shows have had musical episodes at some point in their series (like Scrubs or Xena: Warrior Princess), but Buffy's musical episode is by far the best of them all.  Mixing clever writing with catchy songs, the episode does a great job of fitting into the current storylines that were going on with the show when it aired.  Buffy was upset about being brought back from the dead, Willow and Tara were arguing over Willow's use of her powers, and Dawn was stealing stuff.  Each of those subjects got a song devoted to it.  People's normal thoughts are what were being sung about here, and that's what makes the episode great. 

 

Of course, it also helps that the show doesn't take itself too seriously, and there's enough cheesyness thrown in to make it highly entertaining.  There are good reasons this episode has become so popular that there's a touring group that does Rocky Horror Picture Show type performances of it in front of live audiences all around the US. 

 

9. Wild at Heart (Season 4, Episode 6)

 

 After cheating on Willow with another werewolf, Oz realizes that he needs to gain control of his wolf side.  In order to do this, he'll have to leave Sunnydale.  He and Willow share a long, heartfelt goodbye, and then he's gone.

 

Oz's leaving the show was a sad, life changing event for willow.  It was this break up that really helped to form who she would later become.  If Oz hadn't left, Willow wouldn't have started dating Tara, Tara wouldn't have been there to support and guide Willow as she started seriously studing witchcraft, and thus Willow would not have become the super mega witch she eventually became.  Also, Oz himself was a great character, so seeing him go was sad for the fans too.  Although I guess we shouldn't complain, as Seth Green would eventually go on to make Robot Chicken, which is one of the most awesome shows ever.

 

8.  Tabula Rasa (Season 6, Episode 8 )

 



It's not often that a show will decide to entirely make fun of itself and its characters, but Buffy did just that in Tabula Rasa.  Due to Willow messing up an Amnesia Spell, everyone on the show loses their memories as they are all hanging out at the Magic Box (the store that Anya and Giles run).  Waking up and not knowing who they are, or why they are there, the characters are forced to try to make some sense out of everything by deducing their relationships to everyone else in the room.  Hilarity ensues.

 

Buffy realizes she has super powers, Giles and Spike are convinced they are father and son.  Anya is convinced she's married to Giles.  All sorts of stuff like that happens.  This episode is so amusing because you get to see the regular characters reacting completely differently than how they usually would to events.  You get to see the characters as someone slightly different than who they regularly are.  It was a nice change, and the writing is absolutely hilarious throughout the episode.

 

7.  The Wish (Season 3, Episode 9)

 



Frustrated at Xander's betrayal by kissing Willow, and then embarrassed in front of her friends by Buffy, Cordelia makes a wish that Buffy had never come to Sunnydale.  Anya, a vengence demon who happens to be nearby, grants the wish and the whole city of Sunnydale changes.  The new Sunnydale is a ghost town.  Half of the school's been killed, Xander and Willow are vampires and Oz and Giles are fighting a losing battle against an evil tide of vampires.

 

This episode was great because it showed us exactly how big an impact Buffy's presence was on the town of Sunnydale.  Without her, the whole place would be a monster ridden hellhole.  Plus, getting to see all of the regular characters in different roles was really interesting.  Anyone who tells you that they didn't think that the evil vampire Willow was hot is lying to you.  And since the story involves an alternate timeline, anything that happens in it doesn't really affect the regular show, which means a lot of people die.  During the episode Cordelia is killed by Xander and willow, Xander kills Angel, Buffy kills Xander, Oz kills Willow and The Master kills Buffy.  It's a pretty bloody episode.  In the end Giles saves the day though and the world is brought back to normal. 

 

The most important thing to come out of this episode though, in my personal opinion, was the introduction of Anya.  She would eventually go on to become a regular part of the gang (and was my favorite character on the show, so I'm totally biased here).

 

6.  The Zeppo (Season 3, Episode 13)

 



After a nasty fight with a monster that shoves him aside like he's nothing, Cordelia ridicules Xander and explains to him he's the "zeppo" of his group of friends, otherwise known as the useless one.  Buffy and Faith are slayers, Oz is a werewolf, Giles is a watcher, but Xander is just a regular guy.  He has no super powers.  He's just a hanger on who pretends to be someone.

 

Shaken by this, Xander goes off on his own to find his own "thing".  He borrows a car from his uncle and winds up off on his own adventure while the rest of the gang are busy fighting some big bad demon that's come to town.  Inadvertantly, he finds himself involved with a bunch of guys who are going to blow up the school.  While Buffy and the gang fight the big bad demon in the school, Xander is below them fighting the guys who built the bomb.  He eventually wins and saves the lives of all of his friends above him.  The next day, he chooses not to tell them how they would have died without his help.

 

This episode really was a much needed Xander episode.  Being the only guy in the group without superpowers, Xander's feelings of uselessness were building for a while.  This episode gave him back his sense of self, his confidence that he was a contributing part of the team.  What made the Buffy show so great was it was truly an ensemble show.  In this whole episode, Buffy is only peripherally involved.  It's all about Xander.  Plus, about halfway through the episode, Xander saves Faith and they end up having sex.  So this is the episode in which Xander loses his virginity.  That's a pretty big moment right there too.

 

5.  Passion (Season Two, Episode 17)

 



 With Angelus back and on a terrorizing tear through Sunnydale, Buffy and the gang are freaking out and trying to find a way to stop him for good.  Jenny Calendar, the school's Computer Teacher and love interest for Giles, comes up with a spell that will return his soul to him.  She goes to the high school at night to get the stuff she'll need for the spell, but Angelus meets her there.  He toys with her for a bit before he finally kills her by breaking her neck.

 

The death of Jenny Calendar was the first death of a major character in the Buffy series.  Having joined the cast in the first season, Jenny had been a regular part of the Scooby Gang for a while when she was murdered.  Her death had a huge impact on Giles and affected him for seasons to come.  It also showed the rest of the gang that anyone could die at any time.  Jenny's death was also the final catalyst that made Buffy realize that she would have to kill Angel.

 

4.  The Body (Season Five, Episode 16)

 



 Even for anyone who has never ever seen an episode of Buffy before, this is still a tough episode of TV to watch.  At the very beginning of the episode Buffy walks into her home to find her mom dead.  Just watching Buffy's reaction as she starts to realize what's going on, followed by her frightened 911 call as she desperately tries to revive her mother are incredibly heart breaking.  And then throughout the episode we see how each and every major character on the show reacts to the news.  Xander gets angry and punches a wall, Willow is so distraught that even Tara can't comfort her, Anya is confused and sad and doesn't know how to react.

 

It's all so real, so incredibly down to earth.  This is how people react to death.  It's not neat or pretty or orderly.  It's chaotic and emotional and frightening.  It's in this episode that Buffy first steps up as her sister Dawn's guardian.  This show presented a large shift in the focus of the show.  No longer was Buffy the teenager who was saving the world.  She was an adult now.  She had a little sister to care for.  She now had to put others before herself.  This show was the beginning of what would become the major subtext of the rest of the series, Buffy growing into a mature adult.  Without her mother, Buffy was now forced into a position of responsibility, whether she wanted it or not.

 

3.  School Hard (Season 2, Episode 3)

 

The actual plot for this episode isn't really what gets this episode on the list.  For the most part, the plot revolves around Buffy having to take her mom to school for parent/teacher night.  Buffy's freaking out because the principal hates her and she's always in trouble and yadda yadda yadda.

 

None of that is important.  What is important is that this is the episode that introduces two characters that become pivotal to the Buffy universe...Spike and Drusilla.  Over the course of the next few seasons, as well as the seasons of Angel's show, Spike and Drusilla's past becomes very detailed, as does their relationships with the rest of the characters on the show.  Spike will eventually go from villain to hero, and Dru will get crazier and crazier. 

 

Also, at the end of the episode, Spike kills the Annointed one (the annoying little kid who was to take the place of the Master after he had been killed).  This action changed a lot of the focus of the show.  The whole first season was about The Master and the ceremonies needed to bring him back.  The second season was continuing that story to a degree even after he was dead.  But then, out of left field, Spike and Dru show up and kill the Annointed one.  Spike's line of dialogue as he kills the kid sums up the change in direction perfectly, "From now on we're gonna have a little less ritual, and a little more fun around here."  And that's exactly what happened.  Spike showing up shifted the entire show away from constant rituals to random chaos, and the shift was awesome.

 

 2.  Hush (Season 4, Episode 10)

 

 

 

Hands down the scariest episode of Buffy ever, this episode is also the only Buffy episode to ever be nominated for an Emmy.  A group of demons called The Gentlemen come to town.  Their powers cause the entire town of Sunnydale to lose their ability to speak, so almost the entire episode is done in a very eerie silence.  Add to that the fact that The Gentlemen themselves are very silent, very scary looking and they're in town to rip people's hearts out, and the episode is downright horrifying.

 

What makes this episode so great though is the oppressing silence.  Buffy is a show known for it's very creative dialogue.  Witty banter between the cast members is where this show regularly excelled.  To have an episode then where no one speaks for almost the full hour of the show goes totally against the Buffy mold.  And in spite of the silence, the episode is just as riveting (if not moreso) than any other episode.

 

It's how the characters adapt to not being able to speak that makes it amazing.  The show is pulled off so well that each character still manages to make their personalities come across to the audience, even without speaking.  The perfect example of this is during the classroom scene, in which Giles must explain to the Scooby gang who The Gentlemen are, and what they want.

 



 

1.  Suprise and Innocence

    (Season Two, Episodes 13 and 14)

 



 

I know what you're thinking.  You're saying to yourself, "You can't have two episodes count as one Great Episode!"  Well you're wrong.  I can and I do, so deal with it.  The episodes Suprise and Innocence are a two-part story, and they really have to be considered together.  Near the end of the first episode, Buffy and Angel finally give in to their love for each other and sleep together.  However, this has the unfortunate side effect of causing Angel to lose his soul.  He reverts to his demon form of Angelus and begins to terrorize the town, which forces Buffy to have to hunt down the man she loves and eventually kill him a few episodes later.

 

The huge impact this story had on the Buffy universe as a whole is astonishing.  Not only is this the first appearance of Angelus, these are also the episodes that gave us Angel's backstory.  Here is where it is revealed that he is the vampire with a soul.  We find out he was cursed by a gypsy and his soul was returned to him so that he could feel the pain and suffering he has caused others over hundreds of years.  His curse forces him to live with the guilt of his previous actions and he can never be allowed to feel even a single moment of pure happiness.  If he does ever become happy, he loses his soul and will revert back into his evil demon form.

 

Buffy doesn't know any of this when she sleeps with Angel.  His turning evil, and her subsequent hunting of him causes her more pain than anything else she had endured up to that point.  It emotionally destroyed her.  And the aftermath of the story is felt for the rest of the series.  Even after Angel Returns and and is good again, Buffy and Angel realize that they can never be together.  Their relationship makes him happy, and that's a very bad thing.  So he's forced to leave Sunnydale because he can't be near her anymore.  This created the entire Angel Spinoff, where his curse is a central theme on the show. 

 

No relationship Buffy ever has again is ever as powerful as her relationship with Angel Was.  Not Riley, not Spike, no one comes close.  They were soulmates.  They were star crossed lovers that could never be together.  Buffy never really gets over Angel, nore does he ever get over her.  This single story in some way, shape or form impacted every episode that came after it, and that is why it is number one on this list.

Mr. T Is A Super Badass

 

 

Just how badass is Mr. T?  I'll tell you how badass he is.  Mr. T is such a badass that he's not afraid to talk some serious smack straight to Superman's face.  And Superman actually looks afraid of Mr. T. 

 

Mr. T even has the balls to hit on Wonder Woman, right in front of Supes.  Damn is Mr. T ever hardcore!

The Real New Hope

 

Barack Obama may be using the word Hope as his presidential campaign tagline, but we geeks know who the real symbol of hope is.

 

For over 30 years now, this man has been the single greatest symbol for hope in the Galaxy.  Obama's got nothing on him.

 

(Via Hero Complex)

One Man + 64 Voices + Way Too Much Free Time = Thriller Awesomeness

 



 

Some dude who loves Michael Jackson's Thriller even more than I do has done something truly and geekily amazing.  He has recorded himself doing an acapella version of Thriller using 64 different voices that he himself has provided.

 

I don't know how long it took him to make this, but whatever time was spend was totally worth it.  The song, and the above video for it, are truly awesome.

Happy Halloween!!!

 

Let me take a moment here to wish you a very Happy Halloween!  Whether you're going trick-or treating this evening or are going to a wild costume party tonight to get completely blitzed, I hope you have a wonderful holiday.

 

Above is a picture of the pumpkins I carved last night.  Yes, I even carve geeky.  Extra points to who can tell me where the image on the left comes from, and who played the character being portrayed!

The Scariest Radio Broadcast Of All Time

 

Seventy years ago this evening, CBS radio aired something that frightened over a million people.  It was a piece of science fiction about the end of the world, and it was told over the radio so convincingly that people thought it was real.  The radio show I am speaking of is Orson Welles' presentation of War of The Worlds.

 

The original novel called War of The Worlds was written by H.G. Wells in 1898.  As I'm sure you know, the book is about an army of aliens from Mars who come to Earth for the sole purpose of invasion.  The story was fairly well known by 1938, but Orson Welles decided to adapt the book to modern times and told the story in a news broadcast format so that it would sound as if the listeners were actually hearing the events happen live.  The effect was astounding.  Local police stations were inundated with phone calls from concerned citizens who were convinced that the martian invasion was actually taking place in New Jersey, and others went into a full blown panic.

 

After the radio broadcast, the public was in an outcry against CBS for broadcasting the show.  The governtment conducted an investigation into the incident, and even Adolph Hitler described the broadcast as "evidence of the decadence and corrupt condition of democracy."

 

But really, who listens to Hitler?  That guy was a douche.

 

Now here we are, secenty years later, and if you actually take the time to listen to the broadcast, it still stands the test of time.  It's an amazing piece of writing, and a great piece of science fiction.

 

If you care to, you can download the original broadcast here:  WarOfTheWorlds

 

Also, the NPR show Radio Lab did an amazing piece on the original broadcast of War of the Worlds, it's impact on modern culture, and how scarily effective remakes of the radio show have been.  The story about the remake in South America is truly tragic.  You can listen to that show here.

The New Day The Earth Stood Still Trailer Looks Amazing

 

 

Above is the new 5 minute trailer for the remake of the sci-fi classic The Day The Earth Stood Still.  And damn if this film doesn't look friggin' sweet!

 

The fight scenes near the end of the trailer between Gort and the army look really cool.  I loved seeing him shoot planes out of the sky with his laser beam thing that shoots from his face, cyclops style.

 

I'll definitely be seeing this one when it comes out.

Soon, You Will Be Able To Rock Out With The Greatest Band Of All Time!

 



 

Oh hells yes!!!  Somehow, Harmonix and MTV have managed to make a deal with The Beatles to have their music added to the video game Rock Band!  And the game even comes with the full blessings of Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono, and Olivia Harrison (the widow of George Harrison).

 

The Beatles' extraordinary music and phenomenal legacy is set to rock across the universe in the form of a video game through an exclusive partnership between Apple Corps Ltd., Harmonix and MTV Games, a part of Viacom's MTV Networks.

 

This partnership marks the first time that Apple Corps, along with EMI Music, Harrisongs Ltd, and Sony/ATV Music Publishing, has agreed to present The Beatles music in an interactive video game format. Published by MTV Games and developed by Harmonix, the world's premier music video game company and creators of the best-selling Rock Band(R), the game will be an unprecedented, experiential progression through and celebration of the music and artistry of The Beatles. The game was creatively conceived with input from Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, along with Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison, and enjoys their full blessing. In addition, Giles Martin, co-producer of The Beatles innovative LOVE project, will provide his expertise and serve as Music Producer for this groundbreaking Beatles project.

 

The guys who make Guitar Hero have to be shitting themselves right about now.  This news makes their "Guitar Hero: Aerosmith" game look pretty fucking lame by comparison, wouldn't you say?  I don't mean to knock Aerosmith too hard there, but let's face facts; Stephen Tyler and Joe Perry are rank amateurs when compared to John Lennon and Paul McCartney.  It's just a basic truth of the universe.

 

Oooooooh man, I can't wait to play some Beatles songs now!  There's too many awesome songs to think about.  Sgt. Pepper's, Come Together, Revolution, Back In The USSR.

 

Goddamnit, I could go on for hours.  Why the hell isn't this game out already!?!?!

 

(Via ToplessRobot)

Preacher May Be Made Into A Movie

 

Variety is Reporting that Garth Ennis' comic series Preacher is getting set up to get turned into a movie.  I'm not sure how I feel about this.  Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love Preacher.  I'm just worried how a big screen adaptation would work.  I've always envisioned Preacher working out best as a TV series, but after HBO passed on the series (they called it "too controversial"), I'd given up hope on ever seeing an adaptation of the comics.

 

Now there's this movie that's in the works, and I'm having a real hard time imagining how they're going to work this story into a two hour movie.  The series was pretty long, there's a lot of ground to cover here.  And the plot is bound to piss off a lot of right wingers and fundamentalists.  One possible good sign, maybe, is that Sam Mendes is set to direct the film.  If you've seen his adaptation of Road To Perdition, then you know he's pretty good at adapting comics into great movies, but I'm still not sure if this would exactly be his style.  Preacher is realyl violent and bloody, and it definitely has a South Western feel.  Maybe Robert Rodriguez would be a better directing choice.

 

I'm really worried about how the story will be adapted though.  Here's how variety is summarizing the plot of the story:

 

Created by writer Garth Ennis and artist Steve Dillon, the graphic novel focuses on the preacher of a Texas town, who is struggling to get by and is driven only by his strong moral sense. When the city is decimated by an otherworldly force, he embarks on a journey across the country to take on the evil.

 

Actually, that's totally wrong.  Yes, Jesse Custer (the main character) is the Preacher of a texas town.  Yes, heis driven by a strong moral sense of right and wrong.  And yes, a supernatural force destroys the town he's in, leaving him the sole survivor.  But he definitely DOES NOT embark on a journey across the country to take on evil.  He embarks on a journey across the country to find God so that he can hold him accountable for all of the evil he allows to exist in this world.  His main goal is to kick God's ass for being a totally neglectful deity.  That's kind of the whole point of the story, he's a Preacher who is angry with God, so he goes to hunt him down.

 

If hollywood changes that to make the story less controversial, then this movie is going to suck worse than Batman and Robin.

David Tennant Is Leaving Dr. Who

 

This news makes me very sad.  David Tennant, the amazing actor who has played the 10th Dr. Who, has announced he will be leaving the series after the four special movies of the show air next year.

 

David Tennant announced that he will quit as the title character in the BBC's Doctor Who, after becoming one of the most popular Time Lords in the history of the BBC science fiction show, the BBC reported.

 

Tennant stepped into the Tardis in 2005 and will leave the role after four special episodes are broadcast next year.

 

Tennant made the announcement after winning the outstanding drama performance prize at the National Television Awards. "When Doctor Who returns in 2010 it won't be with me," he said.

 

This really bums me out.  I am a huge fan of David Tennant's version of the Doctor.  Admittedly, it took me a few episodes to warm up to him, but that's only because I like Christopher Eccleston's Ninth Doctor so much.

 

I know, I know.  Chances are I'll like the new Doctor is, whoever they will be (current rumor has it will be Terrance Howard), but I'm still sad that Tennant is leaving the show.  Not only was he a cool Doctor, but I liked his style more than the other Doctors as well.  He usually wore a full suit, blue or brown with pinstripes, and converse hi-tops.  It was such a great outfit.

Admiral Ackbar Knows A Trap When He Sees One

 

There's a good reason Ackbar made it all the way to the rank of Admiral in the Rebellion.  His ability to sense traps is uncanny.  Show him any movie and he'll be able to tell you when a trap is about to spring.  It really is amazing to watch the man in action.

 

Don't believe me?  Just watch for yourself.

 

I know this is a bit of an older video, but that doesn't make it any less awesome.  I was originally shown this by my friend Tim, and then I was reminded of it last night when my friend Matt sent me a picture of the Admiral Ackbar Mighty Mugg with the caption "It's a Trap!".

Halloween Wednesday Wes Rant!

So in honor of the eve of all saints day (big ups to my Catholics), I thought I could do a festive Halloween Wes style geezer rant. I thought about this one long and hard and nothing could come to me when, as Mr. Smead would say in Hook, I was struck by an apostrophe! Crawl out from under your rock if you've never seen this;

 



 

It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown. A freaking classic. A complete and total trip down memory lane of awesome nighttime cartoons on ABC for the holidays! The Garfield Halloween Cartoon?! Okay before I lose track of myself and start ranting about the amazing California Raisins Halloween Special.

 

As an adult you can receive an entirely new depth of the classic Peanuts characters in Charles M. Schulz's peanuts comics (Wikipedia page: HERE). Really these strips reflect the characters as being so much more mature and humorous. I think Charlie Brown and his friends get a bad rap for being a comic strip, I really do. I think its high time we gave that comic respect.

 



 

Honest to god, THAT comic right there is the FIRST EVER Peanuts strip.

 

Perfection.

A Heaping Helping Of Halloween Podcasts

 

The kindly geeks over at the GeekRoundTable have posted up their latest podcasts, and just in time for the holiday they are Halloween themed.  Once again I was asked ever so nicely to take part in their wonderful geeky podcast, and I was more than happy to do so.

 

The Halloween episode itself is a two-part episode.  Part one has everyone on the podcast list out their top five favorite horror movies of all time.

 

Part two of the podcast has some old-school movie reviews and a discussion of the first three Halloween films.

 

And lastly, there is a group review of the Spike TV Scream Awards that we all were able to attend.

 

If you're looking for some good ideas for some horror films to get you into the Halloween mood, then I highly suggest part one of the halloween episode.  It's got a great list of horror films.  Some are classics, some are more contemporary, but all of them are amazing.

Robert Downey Jr. To Be In At Least 3 More Marvel Films

 

Robert Downey Jr. seems to really enjoy working with Marvel Comics.  According to Variety, the star of Iron Man has signed on to be in a number of upcoming Marvel projects.

 

In addition to starring in "Iron Man 2," Downey has agreed to return as billionaire Tony Stark and his crime-fighting alter ego in"The Avengers" and a third "Iron Man" installment, guaranteeing the thesp a superhero-sized payday and his own ongoing franchise as part of a four-picture deal with the comicbook company.

 

Jon Favreau, who is set to helm the second "Iron Man" pic, will also exec produce "The Avengers," which is skedded for release on July 15, 2011. Pic will unite the Iron Man, Captain America, Thor and the Incredible Hulk characters.

 

This is all very good news to the fans out there.  I honestly cannot imagine a more perfect actor to play the role of Tony Stark.  He's just absolutely brilliant in the role.  Now let's just hope that Marvel does as good a job casting the roles of Captain America and Thor.

In The New Star Trek Movie, Vulcans Don't Have Pores

 

 

Empire Magazine has posted up this interesting side-by-side comparison shot of the original (and awesome) Captain James T. Kirk and Mr. Spock next to their counterparts in the new (and very shiny) J.J. Abrams Star Trek movie.

 

Looking at this picture, I can't help but see what I think is a glaring example of what is wrong with Hollywood today.  Actors no longer look like regular people.  Instead they look like hyper realized versions of people.  Wax sculptures of people maybe, but definitely not real people.

 

On the Left, William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy actually look real.  They look good too.  On the right though, Zachary Quinto has been airbrushed so much you can almost see your reflection in his super shiny cheeks.  And what's with the new Kirk's eyebrows?  Those are the thickest damn eyebrows I've ever seen.

 

The problem with Hollywood today is that they expect total perfection in its actors.  Everyone must look like supermodels.  There's no room for regular looking people there anymore.  In today's world, a young William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy would never have starred in a TV show.  They just aren't hot enough by modern standards.  This bugs me to no end.  I want to see regular looking people in my movies and TV shows.  I don't want to see underwear models with perfect skin in everything I watch.  It's annoying.

 

(Via ToplessRobot)

This Year's Treehouse Of Horror Intro

 

This is the intro for this year's Simpsons halloween special, Treehouse of Horror.  The intro is a spoof of the intro for the TV Show Mad Men.

 

I must say that I do like the black and white silhouette of Homer in a suit and tie.  It just looks really cool.

Guillermo Del Toro Is Just As Geeky As You And I

 

 

Hellboy II: The Golden Army, one of my favorite movies from last summer, comes out on DVD on November 11th.  In order to promote the DVD's, a couple of clips from the special features have been posted onto youtube. 

 

The one above really amused me.  In it, we see Hellboy's Director Guillermo Del Toro working with Seth McFarlane as he records the voice for his character Johann Strauss.  What makes this video so amusing is watching Guillermo totally geeking out as he watches McFarlane work.  You can totally see his nerdy joy pouring out of him as he looks on and laughs.  It's so great to see.

 

I love it when I get to see other people totally geek out.

New Watchmen Poster = Really Crappy Day For Comedian

 

Warner Brothers has released this new poster for their upcoming Watchmen movie (crossing fingers and hoping it actually gets released, damn you Fox).

 

I can't help but feel for the Comedian in this poster though.  Poor Edward Blake.  There he was, just chilling in his crappy apartment watching TV and having a drink when some douche barges in, kicks his ass and then throws him out the window.  Talk about having a crappy day.

 

And to top it off, he spilled some blood on his favorite button.  Man, that's gotta suck.

 

(Via Scifi)

Legend Of The Seeker

 

 

Legend of the Seeker is a new syndicated TV series that premieres on November 1st.  It's based on the Sword of Truth novels by Terry Goodkind.

 

For a Syndicated show, it doesn't look half bad.  It's definitely Lord of the Rings-ish.  But honestly, what fantasy property isn't going to be compared to those films in some way?

 

The production values look to be fairly high though, which is a good sign.  And any show featuring a female lead that can deliver an inside crescent kick like this one does in the above trailer has to be worth watching at least a few episodes of, right?

 

I've never read the books, so I have no idea if this is raping the plot of the novels or not, but as a random fantasy fan, I'll definitely have to give the show a gander when it airs.

The Galactically Hot Women of Star Trek

 

Flickr user Poletti has created an amazing set of photos called The Galactically Hot Women of Star Trek in which he has included a photo of every beautiful woman who ever appeared in an episode of the original series of Star Trek.

 

If that were Poletti's only set of photos, the man would already be considered a geek hero.  But that, as they say, is not all.  He's got a great number of cool geeky sets of photos to browse through.  Along with the hot women of Star Trek, you'll find sets called:

 

• Hammer House of Hotness (in which are included women who appeared in all of the old Hammer horror films from the 60's and 70's)


• The Ladies of U.F.O. (an old scifi series I don't recognize, but the ladies are cute)


• Orgy of the Dead (Absloutely NSFW.  You have been warned)


• Name That Nazi (can you name them all?)

 

His most recent work is currently uncompleted, but it should be pretty awesome when it's done.  It's called Battlestar Babe-lactica.

 

My hat goes off to you Mr. Poletti.  You are a true geek hero.  Hallowed be thy name!

 

(Via Hero Complex)

The 25 Cheesiest Syndicated TV Shows

 

Syndicated TV shows are, as a general rule, universally bad.  Small budgets, D list actors, bad writing, you name it and the shows usually have them all.  However, sometimes for one reason or another we can't help but like a syndicated TV show, no matter how cheesy it is.

 

EW currently has a list up of the 25 Cheesiest Syndicated TV shows, and I dare you to lie to me and tell me you've never watched at least one of the shows on the list.  I can think of four or five that I used to watch.  Hercules, Zena, Jack of All Trades, those were some damn fun shows.  Of course, it helped that they all had Bruce Campbell in them.  I was also even known to watch the occasional episode of Relic Hunter, but that's only because I think Tia Carrere is hot.  The show itself was total crap.

 

I really wish I had watched T. and T. though.  Mr. T rules.  How the hell did I miss that show?

New Geek DVD Day - 10/28/08

 

The Good:  Dead Space: Downfall

 

Why It's Good: This is a prequel to the video game Dead Space that just came out last week.  The movie is an animated feature which is a prequel to the events that take place in the game.  Reviews of the film have been fairly positive, making sure to note how brutually violent and bloody the horror story is (as if the severed arm on the cover wasn't enough warning for you).  Plus, the voice cast includes the lady who voices Asajj Ventress in the Star Wars: Clone Wars series (Nika Futterman) as well as Bruce Boxleitner (Tron) and Kelly Hu (X2, Scorpion King, Robot Chicken).

 



 

The Badass: Zombie Strippers (Unrated Special Edition)

 

Why It's Badass:  Zombies, the walking dead.  Devourers of human flesh that roam the earth mindlessly looking for new victims.  Strippers, women who get paid to take their clothes off and dance to bad music.  You'd think these two things have nothing in common and should never cross pathes in this world...and you'd be wrong.  Defying all logic, a film has been made that stars both zombies and strippers, and I would argue the world is a better place for it.  Don't believe me?  Just check out the trailer.  Starring Jenna Jameson and Robert Englund, this movie is fairly simple in it's plot.  A deadly virus gets out, it turns people into zombies, those zombies attack a strip club, all hell breaks loose.  Do you really need more to go on than that to make you want to see this movie?  I sure don't.

 



 

The Awesome:  Mystery Science Theater 3000 - 20th Anniversary Edition

 

Why It's Awesome:  If you've never seen an episode of MST3K before, you need to stop what you're doing right now.  Stop reading this site, go home sick from work, go to a rental store and pick up MST3K The Movie.  I'm not joking here.  You really do need to stop what you're doing and go watch this show.  If you've never seen MST ever, you're missing out on one of the greatest geek things of all time.  The show is about a man who is trapped on a space station and is forced to watch really crappy old movies.  His only companions are two witty robots.  Together, the three of them lampoon some of the worst films ever made, and out of this comic genius is born.

 

Celebrating the 20th anniversary of the show, this new box set comes with four of the most popular episodes from the series as well as 4 custom lobby cards and (coolest of all) a mini statue of the robot Crow.  It's a definite must have for fans of both sci-fi and comedy.  And at a price of only $50, it's totally worth it!

Hulkify Yourself

 

Ya know, the strangest thing happened to me today at work.  There I was, minding my own business when my cubicle suddenly got hit by a large burst of Gamma Radiation.  Now, whenever I start to get angry, I turn all big and green and muscley.  Normally that wouldn't usually be a problem really, but I totally ripped my pants and I can't afford to have to buy new pants every time I get a little ticked off.  I just don't have that kind of money.

 

Anyways, if you're interested in getting yourself turned into a big green scary Hulk, you can go here and upload a photo and watch yourself get morphed into a giant beast.

One Reason Japan Is Cooler Than The U.S.

 

 

It's Prime Minister reads comic books, and he's proud of it.

 

Speaking at a press conference yesterday, Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso (who is a total badass) lamented the fact that his busy schedule keeps him from doing one of his favorite hobbies...reading comic books.

 

"It's hard to read comic books as my time is now restricted," a smiling Aso told an audience of hundreds in his first street speech since taking office on September 24.

 

The conservative, often gruff lawmaker has eagerly sought to soften his image in recent years by casting himself as one of Japan's "otaku" -- nerds whose hobbies border on obsession.

 

Aso used the speech in Tokyo's Akihabara district to hail Japan's subculture, notably comic books, as a key export from the country.

 

"Japan's subculture of animation has been overwhelmingly accepted in the world," Aso said.

 

"Japan's culture is not only kabuki or no play," he said, referring to Japanese traditional drama. "Comic books, our subculture power, have been widely read in not only Asia but Europe, the United States, Latin America."

 

Do you honestly think that either John McCain or Barack Obama have ever sat down and read comic books on a regular basis?  I highly doubt it.  It's a shame though.  I'd totally be tempted to vote for a candidate that was openly geeky in their speechs like Mr. Aso is.  Why can't American politicians ever be cool (and by cool I mean totally nerdy)?

 

Al Gore was.  He even showed up in an episode of Futurama, voicing himself.  More politicians need to be like Al Gore.

 

(Via BoingBoing)

A Slightly Difficult Super Nintendo Quiz

 

Mentalfloss has posted up a suprisingly difficult Super Nintendo Quiz today.  I just took it thinking I'd pass with flying colors.  To my suprise I only got 7 out of 13. 

 

Can you do any better?  Leave your scores in the comments.

Make Your Own Muppet

 

Ok, so this is rad, but unfortunately a bit expensive.  FAO Schwartz has created something called the Muppets Whatnots.  Basically, it's a create your own Muppet workshop.  Think of it like Build-a-bear, but infinitely cooler.

 

Just choose the Muppet body you want, then select the Muppet body parts you want on it, give it some clothes and accessories, and voila...your very own muppet.

 

The bad news though is that your new Muppet will set you back $90, and that's not counting shipping.

 

Also, what the hell is wrong with Kermit's voice in the opening video?  Can't they get someone better to do his voice?  I miss Jim Henson. 

 

But at least the idea here is cool.  Designing your own Muppet is pretty damn cool, as far as ideas go.

Harry Potter And The New Trailer Footage

 

 

Here's the newly released trailer for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.  As with the last one, this new trailer looks damn cool.  I'm loving that the movies have gotten so much darker (just like the books did) as the series has gone on.

 

Some highlights from this trailer: we get to see Hermoine kiss Ron, Dumbledore does his best Gandalf impression, and Helena Bonham Carter shows up for about a tenth of a second.

 

Also, the end of the trailer is hilarious!

Just Another Muppet Monday - The Star Wars Episode (Part 2)

As promised last week, here is part two of the greatest episode of the Muppet Show ever...the Star Wars episode starring Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels and R2-D2.

 

In this part of the episode, we actually get to see Mark Hamill gargle Gershwin.  We also see Luke and the droids hijack the Swine Trek from Pigs In Space.

 

And at the very end of the clip, we see the introduction of one of the galaxy's most evil arch fiends...Derth Nader!

Geek Item Of The Week - 10/24/2008

 

The Ocarina of Time

 

When it comes to time-controlling musical instruments, you just don't get better than the Ocarina of Time.  And it does a lot more than just control time too.  Want to make it rain?  Just play a song.  Want to freeze zombies?  Just play a song. 

 

The Ocarina's uses are many and varied. Fully playable, and complete with a small Triforce symbol painted on it, the Ocarina of Time can now be yours to do with as you please.

Thrill The World

 

Holy crap! A group of people have organized an amazing event called Thrill The World in which they are organizing the world's largest synchronized dance routine. It takes place tomorrow in cities all around the world, and the song they will all be dancing to is Michael Jackson's Thriller.

 

The site has a detailed list of all the locations around the globe that will participating as well as what time each event takes place.  SInce this is a worldwide snychronized event, it will be taking place at different times depending on where you live.  There's even an event in Irvine, California (near where I live).

 

Don't know the dance?  Don't worry.  The site also has step by step videos that can teach you the dance in about two hours.

 

This sounds like a ton of fun.  I only wish I had heard about it sooner so I could have had more time to learn the dance.  As it is, I know what I'll be doing tonight.  I apologize in advance to my downstairs neighbors for all of the noises they'll be hearing while I dance in my tiny ass apartment tonight.

Captain Kirk - The Galaxy's Biggest Pimp

 

How awesome is the above photo?  I'm being totally serious here.  Captain Kirk is the biggest pimp the universe has ever known.  I'm sorry Han Solo, you're uber cool and all, but if princess Leia were to have ever met James T. Kirk, she would have jumped his bones faster than you can say "She'll make .5 past lightspeed".

 

The pic itself was part of an article on IO9.com about how JJ Abrams could make the new Star Trek movie more like Star wars (and thus be cooler and more successful).  The article itself is a good read, but the picture's awesomeness just blew me away.

This Is Why I Stopped Reading Comics

 

A few years back, after a lot of thinking, I made the decision to stop reading 99% of all of the monthly comics I was reading at the time (the only one I still read monthly is KODT).  My reasons for stopping were various.  Money was a minor factor, sure.  I didn't like that I was paying an average of $2.99 per book, and I'd usually read the book in about 5 minutes, so a $30 trip to the comic store would present me with about an hour's worth of reading.  The price per entertainment ratio just wasn't right to me.

 

However, that's not the main reason I stopped reading.  I stopped reading because the stories themselves were becoming totally shit.  I blame one man alone for making me leave comics behind.  His name is J. Michael Straczynski.  His run on Spider-man destroyed that book and all of the characters in it for me.  He brought back Norman Osbourne from the dead, thus destroying Spider-man's greatest storyline (the death of Gwen Stacey).  And then, just to add insult to injury, he alters history and tells us that Norman had raped Gwen and she had gone to europe to give birth to his child before coming back to New York to be thrown off a bridge. 

 

No, I'm sorry.  That didn't happen.  Fuck you J. Michael Straczynski!  You're a hack writer who can't create an idea of your own, so you're forced to steal and alter the works of others.  And to quote Simon Pegg from Spaced, "Babylon 5 is a big pile of shit!!!"

 

Sorry, I got off on a bit of a tangent there for a minute.  Anyways, it was shit like that which made me quit comics.  The stories just weren't very good.  Having stopped reading most comics though doesn't mean that I haven't been keeping up with what's going on in comics.  And every now and then I'll pick up a trade paperback here or there and read some new stuff. 

 

I will freely admit that there are some awesome stories out there to be read.  The Walking Dead is a personal favorite of mine.  Because of books like that, I sometimes have moments where I consider getting back into comics more regularly.  I think, "Maybe it's time to go back into my local store and start picking up some monthly titles again." 

 

But then I read about shit like this:

 

Can it be true? Reed Richards pulled over for recklessly driving the Fantasticar and charged with a DUI? That's what the TRUE BELIEVERS claim in their latest blog—and they've posted the arrest report, police cam footage and a degrading mug-shot to prove it!

 

You have got to be fucking kidding me!  Reed Richards?  The leader of the Fantastic 4?  One of the smartest men in the marvel universe?  Pulled over for a DUI?  I'm sorry, but that's just fucking stupid.  Who wants to read a story about Reed Richards getting a DUI?  Why the hell would Marvel waste time and money creating a comic like this when they could instead make a story where Reed, you know, fights villains and stuff?

 

This is exactly why I stopped reading comics.  It's dumb shit like this that is a waste of time and money.  I don't get why Marvel is trying to make these kinds of stories that tries to relate their characters to real world things.  So Reed now has a DUI.  In the next issue is he going to have to go to Rehab with Paris Hilton and Britney Spears?  And then what's next after this?  Is Peter Parker going to be arrested for taking paparrazi photos of celebrities?  Will Black Cat have a sex tape released on the internet?  Will the Xavier institue ban smoking on the campus, and we'll have to watch as Wolerine has to walk off campus grounds to go smoke a cigar?

 

Maybe it's just me.  Maybe I'm an old man and I don't like what comics have become because I'm stuck in my old ways, but back in the day comics used to be about good guys fighting bad guys.  The books used to involve epic battles that destroyed buildings.  People got thrown through mountains.  Nowadays we have to read about heroes having marital problems, or drinking problems or other things like that.

 

Thank you Marvel Comics, for reminding me why I quit reading comics in the first place.  I'll still continue to follow the industry, and I'll still continue to pick and choose the occasional book I pick up.  But it's going to be a long, long time before I ever think about going back to reading monthly comics again.

 

UPDATE:  Wow, and I thought things couldn't get dumber than that, but I was wrong.  It looks like an upcoming issue of Spider-man is going to kill Flash Thompson.  Apparently he's a soldier in Iraq and he gets killed in action.  Wow, talk about lame pandering and a desperate attention for press coverage.  Marvel gets worse by the day I tell ya.

The Star Wars Cantina

 

Star Wars Cantina Song @ Yahoo! Video

 

Now this is how you start off a Friday properly.  What's better than a parody version of Copacabana that's all about the Star Wars Cantina?  How about the Cantina song comes complete with a totally crappy 2D flash animation video?  Now we're talking.

 

The song itself is a rather old song.  It was written by Mark Jonathan Davis back in the mid 90's.  I have no idea who made the video for the song, but it just adds to the song's awesomeness.  My only issue with the video is that they misspelled Jabba's name.  He's referred to as "Java The Hutt".  Seriously?  Java?  Dude, if you're going to go to the geeky length of making a music video for a Star Wars parody song, at least make enough of an effort to make sure you're spelling the character's names right, ok?

 

(Via ToplessRobot)

How To Make Your Own Death Star Pumpkin

 

For those of you who have way more carving skills than I have, there's a very detailed set of instructions here on how you can make your very own Death Star pumpkin like the one above.  It looks like it's a pretty time consuming and detailed bit of work to do, but the end result is damned awesome. 

 

Oh if only I had the ability to make this.

Paying Respect To Our Geek Forefathers

 

The fine geek blog over at the LA Times called Hero Complex has been unearthing a treasure trove of classic images geeks everywhere would love.

 

Above is an image that was originally published in the LA Times on January 8th, 1968.  It shows a bunch of Cal Tech students in front of the Burbank studios of NBC.  They're there to protest the cancellation of a little show called Star Trek, maybe you've heard of it.

 

This is so awesome to see.  Rarely do we ever get such a clear imagery from the history of Geekdom.  These are the folks who helped keep Star Trek on the air for one more year.  And I'm willing to bet that some of these people are probably behind the organizing of the original Star Trek conventions.  We have a large debt we owe to these fellow geeks from an era gone by, so take a moment to thank them for their geekyness, and for paving the way for geeks like us to prosper in this age of successful comic book and sci-fi movies that we find ourselves in.

 

My favorite sign in the above picture, by the way, is the one on the far right that reads "It's totally illogical to cancel Star Trek."  Oh you Vulcan loving geeks.  In the last 40 years, it seems not much has changed.

 

The LA Times article also has a link to this really awesome pic of a super young Leonard Nimoy.  Wow, he's so young.  I've never seen him with such amazing skin before.

The Jedi Gym

 

 

Sorry for the lack of posts today, it's a bit of a slow geek news day.  In order to keep you entertained, I offer you this wonderful little video about the Jedi Gym.

 

It's a bit long (around 6 minutes) and it starts off a little slow.  But trust me, you want to stay with it because about 3 minutes and 50 seconds in, it becomes truly awesome.

 

Enjoy!

The Anatomical Workings Of Godzilla

 

Continuing on from my earlier post about the anatomical workings of a LEGO man, today we get to see the inner workings of Godzilla. 

 

This image is actually part of a flickr account that features the anatomical makeup of a number of other large classic Japanese monesters as well as some rather cool monster art. Is it just me, or does Godzilla's brain look smaller than I thought it would be?

 

(Via BoingBoing)

I Want To Be A Part Of This Classroom

I was totally suprised with how fun this was to watch.  It's a music video of Michael Jackson's Thriller that seems to have been put together by a large college class from France.  The entire class takes part in this video as the cameraman runs from room to room. 

 

I was amazed by how many people are involved in this.  The time it must have took to coordinate everyone's locations and who sings what parts must have taken forever.  It's pretty impressive, and it looks like the entire thing may have been done in a single take.  It's definitely worth watching.

 

Of course, it's not as good as the original video for Thriller, but then again no video could ever be that good.

I am Not Alone

 

I have a number of friends who are deep lovers of the show Heroes. And by deep I mean that they are convinced that Heroes is the best damn show on TV right now. However, I've watched Heroes and I can't disagree more. I don't think it's a horrible show per se, but I also don't think it's an exceptionally great show either.

 

It seem to be at best mediocre in my opinion.  Sure, it has it's cool characters (Hiro and Sylar), but it also has a ton of crap that is either boring, unnecessary or is blatant theft from other works (you cannot tell me the current storyline involving Mohinder is not a blatant ripoff of The Fly).  I used to think I was alone in my opinion of the show, but after reading an article in the new Entertainment Weekly, I realize that I am not alone in my beliefs.

 

The cover says it all.  Fallen Heroes, a series in crisis.  After a dismal second season and part way through a bland third season, Heroes finds itself losing viewers at an alarming rate.  What can the show do to regain it's former glory?  Well, the article offers up a few ideas, such as:

 

Kring [The show's creator] originally envisioned Heroes as a series that constantly refreshed itself by routinely phasing out characters, but he backed off after the show became a ratings hit — making the cast breakout stars — in season 1. Three seasons later, however, it's time to trim the fat by either killing some top-tier Heroes (hello, genuine life-and-death stakes!) or giving one or two a permanent happy ending. Then shore up the audience's emotional investment with the show's favorites by adding more single-character episodes like "Company Man", the season 1 classic that focused almost exclusively on H.R.G. (Jack Coleman).

 

I totally agree with this.  There are too many damned characters on Heroes.  You can't expect to keep every single character going with their own storyline all the time.  That's just too many people to follow all at once.  The show could definitely stand some character loss.  I suggest starting with Mohinder.  I can't stand that guy anyways, and he never really offers much to the show, so get rid of him.  Besides, we all know the show should be all about Hiro anyways.  He's the best damn character they have.  Make him the focus and maybe people will start watching again.

Lots Of Cool Facts About Disney's Haunted Mansion

 

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a die hard Disney geek.  I've been going to Disneyland since I was a baby, and I grew up constantly watching the Disney Channel (this was back in the 80's when all they showed were classic Disney specials from 50's and 60's).  Due to this, I'm an avid lover of all things "Classic Disney".  I'm also a huge Disney fact nerd.  There's not much I can think of that I love more than reading about and learning all sorts of random Disney facts and trivia.

 

One of my favorite attractions at Disneyland is the Haunted Mansion (it's tied for my favorite spot with Pirates of the Caribbean).  So I was delighted today to see this article over at MentalFloss that offered a bunch of cool facts about the Haunted Mansion.

 

Sure, most of them I already knew, but I figured I'd share anyways.  There's bound to be stuff in there that I bet you didn't know.  For example:

 

Recycling Organs. Not those type of organs – pipe organs. If you visit Disneyland in Anaheim, take a close look at the organ in the ballroom scene. It’s the original prop from the 1954 Disney Film 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. It used to belong to Captain Nemo, but now it’s entertaining ghosts who are permanently partying. It fit in so perfectly that an exact replica was made for the Mansion at Disneyworld and Tokyo Disneyland. This photo is from DoomBuggies as well - click the link to learn more about the organ and how it was altered to fit in with its new home.

 

I bet you didn't know that one, did you?  How cool is that though?  That's a prop from an awesome Disney film, and you never even knew it was there.

 

There's a bunch more to learn from reading the article.  And if you're dying for more info on the Haunted Mansion (dying, get it? Ok, I'm sorry, that was bad) then you definitely need to check out www.doombuggies.com.  You won't find a better, more detailed fan site about the Mansion anywhere else on the internet.

Superman Is Too Damn Powerful

  

 

I've said it before, and I'll say it again.  Sometimes, Superman is just too damn powerful.  Think about it.  The guy can fly, shoot lasers out his eyes, has superstrength, is pretty much indestructible and can move at something close to the speed of light. 

 

How is a villain supposed to compare to that?  Or even fellow heroes.  Yes, we all know Batman's cool and all, but he's just a regular guy.  And no matter how cool his toys and gadgets are, no matter how cool his training is, there's just no way he'll ever be able to be on the same level as a guy who can fly around the world in the time it takes him to blink.

 

The above video is a hilarious demonstration of that.  What if Superman showed up during the Dark Knight?  If you look at it honestly, Batman is only really facing regular humans.  They're nothing to Superman.  This video is pretty much accurate in my opinion as to what would have happened if Supes flew into Gotham while the Joker was running amok.

 

This is why Superman has no awesome villains.  He's too damned hard to write for.  He can do just about everything. 

 

(Via Topless Robot)

Wednesday Wes Rant

I'm not 100% health wise yet, so forgive me for another hastily thrown together Wednesday post from me. I promise a high quality rant next week. If not high quality at the very least something a little less obvious. In the wave of the late 90's early 00's there was a market for hastily produced super hero films. The shining example of which, for me at least, is Daredevil (not linked to Amazon on purpose, no one needs to buy this movie).

 



 

UGH. Just looking at that picture gives me an I-need-a-shower-someone-rubbed-a-glazed-donut-on-my-body-all-over feeling. Remember the scene in the park? Ben Afflek's terrible "I'm blind" face? ANY SCENE WITH COLIN FARRELL AT ALL?! Is your name Bullseye? I couldn't tell by the way you said your name more times than John McCain says maverick and the scar on your forehead. Just in case you missed it folks, he's Bullseye.

 

This is a clear case of don't judge a super hero by his poorly cast and hastily directed movie. Instead bop on down to your local comic book store or click your way over to Amazon and pick up this gem;

 



 

Daredevil: The Man Without Fear

 

Wonderfully illustrated by John Romita Jr (one of my favorite artists and all around nice guy) and written by Frank Miller in his prime. This is long before Miller descended into the giant hands and feet phase of art, and way way before everyone in his comics reffered to Batman as "the god damned Batman". This is two masters of the genre at their best. If Marvel had stuck with the tone and style of this comic, Daredevil could've gone on to be the blind Batman of their universe. Oh well. At least we still have Man Without Fear to read.

Lucasarts Finally Announces The New Star Wars MMO

 

Yesterday Lucasarts finally announced their next big Star Wars game, and to absolutely no one's suprise, it's a new Star Wars MMO called The Old Republic.  Rumors have been swirling for months now that Lucasarts and Bioware,the guys who made the original Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR), have been working hard on a new super secret project of some kind.

 

The inclusion of Bioware has led fanboys everywhere to pray and hope that a new game based on KOTOR was coming out, and it looks like their prayers have been answered.

 

In Star Wars: The Old Republic, players will explore an age thousands of years before the rise of Darth Vader when war between the Old Republic and the Sith Empire divides the galaxy. Players can choose to play as Jedi, Sith, or a variety of other classic Star Wars roles, defining their personal story and determining their path down the light or dark side of the Force. Along the way, players will befriend courageous companions who will fight at their side or possibly betray them, based on the players' actions. Players can also choose to team up with friends to battle enemies and overcome incredible challenges using dynamic Star Wars combat.

 

The KOTOR games were massively popular, so it makes sense for Lucasarts to try to capitalize on that.  This makes me wonder though what will happen to the existing Star Wars MMO, Star Wars Galaxies.  Galaxies was a big hit for a while, but it's lost a lot of its former glory due to bad game redesigns.  Is that game going to fall by the wayside now?

 

I also can't help but wonder, since you know just about every Star Wars geek out there is only going to want to play a Jedi or a Sith, what's the point of trying to play one of the other roles, like a pilot or a smuggler?  What's the point maxing out all your piloting skills when every stupid schmuck with a lightsaber is probably going to come along and force-choke you to death?

 

At the above like you can check out some more screenshots from the game, as well as some concept art.  Here's a pretty pic I liked:

 

New Watchmen Footage

 

 

As I mentioned in my earlier post about the Spike TV Scream Awards, Director Zack Snyder and company debuted a trailer with new footage during the show...and oh my god it's gorgeous.

 

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to see the footage as it was shown to the audience as I was pulled out to take part in the opening shot of this clip, which was filmed by the entrance to the ampitheater. 

 

In the opening seconds of this clip you'll see the lead singer of My Chemical Romance doing an intro for the cast of the Watchmen.  I'm pretty much immediately off camera to the left side of the shot holding up a sign that reads "Who Watches The Watchmen". 

 

After that, Zack and crew will come out and talk a little bit, then they show the footage, and believe me when I tell you that it is absolutely beautiful.

 

UPDATE:  Form a much bigger, prettier high res version of the trailer go here.  God damn, watching this footage just gave me goosebumps.

And You Thought Chess Was A Non-Violent Game

 

 

I love this.  It's a stop-motion clay-based game of Chess.  It starts off a little slow, but as pieces start disappearing from the board it gets good and violent in very creative ways.

 

Enjoy!

 

(Via MentalFloss)

New Geek DVD Day - 10/21/08

 

The Good:  Halloween (on Blu-ray)

 

Why It's Good:  It's that time of year.  What better way to celebrate the horror-themed holiday than with Rob Zombie's remake of the greatest teen slasher film of all time?  Michael Myers is a force of pure evil as he hunts down his poor little sister.  Sure, it's not as good as the original film, but it's a solid remake and it'll definitely get you into the Halloween spirit.  Just don't go killing any horny teenagers, ok? 

 



 

The Badass:  Family Guy - The Complete Collection

 

Why It's Badass:  Unfortunately, this is an Amazon.com exclusive so you won't be seeing it in stores.  But wow...this set is awesome.  Inside this box are 22 (yes I said 22) DVD's of Family Guy.  It has every episode of Family Guy ever, plus the Stewie Griffin Movie AND the Blue Harvest Star Wars Special.  There's over 2500 minutes of entertainment in this box.  All it's missing are the Family Guy episodes of South Park.

 



 

The Awesome:  The Incredible Hulk

 

Why It's Awesome:  Many are the ways this new Hulk film is superior to the Ang Lee version.  Ed Norton is Bruce Banner, the main villain isn't his father, there's no stupid fucking mutated giant poodles the Hulk has to fight.  All around, this is a much better film than the first.  This is the Hulk movie that should have been made originally.  Although I will admit one way in which the Ang Lee Hulk is superior to the new film; Jennifer Connelly was way hotter as Betty Ross than Liv Tyler is.  I'm sorry, but it's true.  I'm not saying Liv Tyler isn't hot.  She's smoking.  But come on, this is Jennifer Connelly we're talking about here.

Frank Miller Talks Spirit

 

IO9.com has a video up of Frank Miller talking about his introduction to The Spirit as a kid, his reasons for making the film and a little bit about the character himself.

 

What worries me though is when he says, "This movie's not a tribute to Will Eisner.  It's a tribute to the spirit."

 

Is that why your Spirit movie looks nothing like The Spirit comics?  Is that why you've decided to make a Sin City version of The Spirit?

The New Friday The 13th Trailer (Shaky Camera Version)

 

 

Tomorrow night during the Spike TV Scream Awards they will be playing the world premiere of the new trailer for the remake of the original Friday the 13th.  However, some daring young pirate out there was brave enough to record the trailer as it was played before the live audience of the event and has posted it on youtube.

 

Suprisingly, the quality of the video is pretty good despite the fact that it's just some dude recording from an audience.  I'm sure tomorrow the official and good quality trailer will be made available after the show airs, and when that happens I'll post the good version up.  But until then, this version should do well to hold you over.

George F'n Lucas

 

As promised earlier today, here's the really crappy picture of George Lucas that I took on my cell phone at the Spike TV Scream Awards on Saturday Night.  That's Samuel L. Jackson on stage with him.  George was there to accept the Comic Con Icon Award at the end of the show.

 

I admit that I give George Lucas a lot of shit for what he's done to the Star Wars franchise.  I complain very loudly and very frequently about what I see as his failings as a writer.  But at the same time let it never be said that I do not respect the man for what he has accomplished in his life.  He created the movies that I love more than any other in this world.  His impact on my childhood and my life can never really be estimated properly.  So despite what I think of his current works, I was still giddy as a school boy when he came out on stage.  I was in awe, I admit it.  I was about 10 feet away from George Lucas.  That's something that I never thought would happen, but I'm so glad it did.

 

Also, here's a really cool flaming Batman logo I was able to get a pic of.