?able Humor: Get Me Re(re)write!

Posted on March 23, 2014 by geelw

So, today I was bad, bad, bad. Well, just bad, but I think I tend to over-magnify stuff for excess emphasis. Anyway, I needed to go over some older posts and start the process of re-writing or re-rewriting them so some can be used as parts of a few upcoming blogathons I’m participating in. Some of the older posts are a wee bit on the short side and need a bit of expanding, so that’s what’s going on. Or WAS supposed to be going on.

Anyway, I was going over a few posts and then got distracted with a movie I’d wanted to see, so that was that for productivity for most of the afternoon. Yeah, it happens. NO, it wasn’t Star Crash, I was sidetracked by (Oh, hell nope!). That’s just to show my desire to stop time for long enough to do all the crap I need to do and feel HAPPY at the end of each day. Eh, I’ll figure this all out eventually. I still want a damn time machine, though.

As I update the older posts, I guess I’ll tweet them out (which means they’ll pop up on facebook as well). Keep an eye peeled…

Random Art: It’s Still Not Spring In My Skull Yet…

Posted on March 23, 2014 by geelw

But that’s a good thing, I guess. This one popped out of the brain with no idea where it wanted to head when I sat down to work on it and it probably needs some tinkering. I don’t like reworking stuff after it’s “done” so I don’t think I’ll touch this again. I’d rather whip out something fresh over tinkering on something and perhaps ruining it, but that’s never stopped other artists from doing just that with their old stuff. Eh, enough thinking – I need to get some sleep! Good Night, all…

Random Film of the Week(end): Zardoz

Posted on March 22, 2014 by geelw

(thanks, tubesoda!)

How amusing that I had a dream about Zardoz and TCM (Turner Classic Movies) just so happens to be showing it this evening (EDIT: Okay, at 2am Sunday). John Boorman’s wonderfully gorgeous and ~~somewhat~~, okay, EXTREMELY bizarre follow up to the 1972 smash Deliverance was and is a weird mix of science fiction, black comedy and violence that baffled many critics and moviegoers of the time and while it’s a more popular cult film today with a loyal following, still has a polarizing effect on a few fronts. If anything, the film’s oddball mix of impressive and cheap visual effects and some stunning cinematography go a long way in holding one’s interest as the plot zooms all over the landscape.

From the killer opening sequence with a floating stone head issuing marching orders (“The GUN is GOOD! The PENIS is EVIL!”) to some well-armed men (well, the stone head is the one arming them with PILES of firearms), to one of those well-armed men (Sean Connery!) sneaking aboard that head to do a bit of surprising disposal work (how do you kill a “god”? Here’s one way if you need a hint!), Zardoz continually surprises, even when it’s getting too meta for its own good. Then again, that seems to be what Boorman wanted to do with this film. This is one of those experimental flicks that does an excellent job of making you pay attention right from the start and slowly draws you deeper into its odd characters and world. Granted, your suspension of disbelief is being kidney punched the entire way through, but such is art and films such as this one… Continue reading →

Dark Horse Comics and Sideshow Collectibles Wish You A Happy Hellboy Day (And How)!

Posted on March 22, 2014 by geelw

Hey! It’s Hellboy Day at comics shops all over the place, kids! Well, now. Sideshow Collectibles and Dark Horse Comics are sure in a celebratory mood, it seems. That explains not only the new BUY ME NOW $20 hardcover collection, Hellboy: The First 20 Years and that awesome $50 77-issue Hellboy Digital Megabundle, but also this pretty killer $399 Mike Mignola Hellboy Premium Format Figure, now available for pre-order for August delivery. Check it out:

Nice, huh? That gap in time will YOU time to find a spot for this big guy, as he’s 23″ H (584.2mm) x 12″ W (304.8mm) x 13″ L (330.2mm) and weighs in at a whopping 15 pounds. Yeah, that’s “small” for Hellboy if he actually existed, but for your real-life place with that wobbly coffee table with the matchbook shoved under one leg for “stability”) or shelf of questionable weight load distribution? Yeah, I’d say it’s time for an actual display case or just some new shelves entirely. Although I’m far from the one you want offering advice as far as shelf solutions. I’m just waiting for the day when I’m buried alive under a former Jenga-like tower of games. I’ll survive, though. Unless I decide to PLAY my way out and forget to eat at some point…

Spring Cleaning: I Want(ed) My MTV. Good Thing I Didn’t Get It, I Suppose…

Posted on March 22, 2014 by geelw

A ha ha and ha. I’d forgotten all about my failed attempt to get my 15 minutes of fame way back then. I actually don’t recall exactly what the introduction I sent to MTV was, but I do remember it was partially illustrated, which probably got me this response. Not only did I forget my to put my phone number on that intro, I do believe I forgot to include the hand-drawn business card I’d made (which had my number on it). Oops. The handwriting below that was done well after the show had been cast when I was piling up all the rejection letters I’d ever gotten (most from assorted comic companies) at that point. think that was in 1996 or so, but it’s been a while since I poked through all that stuff. This popped up while going through and old portfolio, but I may dig up the rest one of these days and do a post on that.

Game of Thrones S4 Trailer #4: The “Devil” Is In The Details…

Posted on March 22, 2014 by geelw

Getting warmer in here, isn’t it? Not because it’s spring, mind you (hell, next week we’re supposed to get a little late surprise from winter’s dying grasp, it seems), but because it’s alllllmost time for Season 4 of Game of Thrones to kick off. I’m still avoiding spoilers, but man was I ticked off to hear that a bunch of fans got to see the season premiere this week (boo!) and blab all about how lucky they were. Gee thanks, HBO. Oh well. One day they’ll take notice of me and send me an invite (name of my blog aside that SCREAMS that I might not be interested, har har)…

Turner Classic Movies Finally Gets With The Program on YouTube

Posted on March 21, 2014 by geelw

Like many of you out there, I love Turner Classic Movies quite a lot, although the popular classic movie site isn’t without its issues. I’m still waiting to see more imports (where are Cul De Sac, {The Mad Adventures of} Rabbi Jacob, The Tall Blonde Man With One Black Shoe and other intriguing foreign films that deserve a wider American audience?) and a more stable Underground (I can be the host, as I have a LOAD of ideas to make it better and more accessible to new viewers to the weird and strange!), but overall I’m happy with most of what they do. That said, they’re finally using YouTube a lot more effectively, posting videos for current programming for the day during the week, which goes a long way towards making folks like me see what’s coming on during the day without having to check the cable guide or just turn the channel on when we crawl home and hope we’ll see something we haven’t yet. Yeah, the frequent rebroadcasts need to be worked on a bit, but for now, I have one LESS thing to gripe about…

Some Sleight of Hand on the Second Day of Spring…

Posted on March 21, 2014 by geelw

Oh sure, there’s loads of work to do and yep, yep – I need to snap to it like two days ago. But I’ve been busy with a few things like playing some betas of games upcoming (*cough!* The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing II *cough!*), and working on a few sets of interview questions for assorted people on assorted topics. Anyway, whee – it’s the second day of spring, but still a bit chilly out (not bad, but you still need a coat!). Anyway, here’s some art to ogle to keep you distracted. I’ll be back in a bit…

The Collectables Blasts Onto iOS Devices Today: Crytek’s Got You Good On A Few Fronts…

Posted on March 20, 2014 by geelw

I was certainly surprised that I’d like a mobile game as much as Crytek’s The Collectables (as I’m not a fan of touchy-tappy gaming at all) when I saw it a few months back, but thanks to the combination of fantastic visuals and easy to get into gameplay (Okay, and stuff blowing up every few seconds), I can say this one’s worth a try. There’s also an addictive card collecting element (thus the game’s title) and some more fun to be had here, but this isn’t a review and I’m keeping it short because I think you should take this for a spin and see what you think. So, yeah- go do just that, I say…

Cloudbuilt Now Available: Scaling New Heights Of Spectacular-ness (And Quickly, At That!)

Posted on March 20, 2014 by geelw

Yeah, yeah – it’s a rerun, but hey – this one’s worth the double vision. Coilworks’ awesome and super challenging Cloudbuilt is now LIVE on Steam and already there’s an update out that addresses some issues a few players have been having. While I’ll need to go play this this weekend at a friend’s place who has Windows 7 still running fine on his PC (all of mine here use XP and proudly, grrr!), my time with the demo (also at his place) revealed that the developer is onto something with this insane, fast-paced run/shoot/parkour hybrid that’s brilliant, tough as hell and extremely rewarding when you find that perfect line and start smashing records (and progress-killing enemies in your path). This NEEDS to be on a few consoles so more people can dive in and see what all the fuss is about.