Guardians of the Galaxy Trailer #2: Gunn-ing For The Semi-Silly, Going For The Gold…

Posted on May 19, 2014 by geelw

There’s no doubt that Marvel Studios is on a roll with their last few films, so good on them and the assorted directors for giving the fans more than what they though they were going to get. While my own mind changed on this one after some initial wariness, I think I still have a tiny bit of healthy “well, what happens if the trailer is better than the film?” skepticism in me that’s NECESSARY at this point so I can be surprised if (and when) it all falls into place. Granted, I’m old enough to remember the ORIGINAL Guardians of the Galaxy (and yeah, it would be really cool to see a nod to those guys and gals in the film) an the first incarnation of Star-Lord where he was more of a pompous ass with a sentient ship and a supremely serious origin story you need to look up one of these days if you’ve never seen it.

Anyway, how long can this streak continue? Who knows? One thing’s for sure, not every film upcoming will be a hit, but if Marvelcan generate enough good will with this film and the next Avengers movie, I’d say some fans won’t mind if there’s missed mark along the new path they’re traveling…

Guardians of the Galaxy Teaser #3: Tomorrow Is Another Day, Indeed…

Posted on May 18, 2014 by geelw

Okay, tomorrow. I don’t care about the live interview stuff at all, I just want to see the entire trailer and get it over with just so all this teasing is over and done with. And of course, THAT will last as long as it takes for Trailer #2 to get teased and revealed, right? Rinse & repeat for Trailer #3 and so forth and so on. By that time, I’ll be older and wiser and only be running the actual trailers just because I can’t stand that suspense. That, or the darn movie willbe OUT already and there will STILL be teasers for it on the way, ha!

Guardians of the Galaxy Teaser Trailer #2: Okay, We Get It (But We’ll Be Back Tomorrow Anyway!)…

Posted on May 17, 2014 by geelw

I find it hi-larious that some are complaining endlessly about these teaser trailers for actual trailers when the practice has been ongoing for a while. Yes, it gets annoying if you’re interested in seeing MORE about a movie and not under twenty seconds of flashy wonder. But hate the game, not the players, as this is Short Attention Span Theater 101. Even the jerkiest comment about how this is a stupid thing means that that person who commented WATCHED THAT TEASER. That’s an ass in a seat when the movie comes out to Marvel and Disney and whomever else is hoping this one busts a few blocks in November.

Now, if ONLY I had a damn movie theater to see this at NEARBY, I’d be happier. I like walking to the theater, not paying to sit on a subway with people coughing and wheezing and sneezing in my direction for almost an hour before stepping into a freezing maxi-plex with a bunch of folks who don’t appreciate the place yakking it up all through the movie to no end. Eh, as with most of the filsm I end up seeing, I may wait for a quiet weekday when crowds are minimal and I can actually hear the dialogue with out wanting to strangle the entire row in front or in back of me.

Guardians of the Galaxy Teaser Trailer: In Space, Everyone Can See You Tease…

Posted on May 16, 2014 by geelw

Well, I’ve changed my tune on this flick since I first heard it was being made, but yet… I worry a tiny bit about its future. I’m betting the fans will ABSOLUTELY eat it up and make it a box office champ for a bit, but I know the more curmudgeonly critics will not get this all that much. There will be whining about everything from the stunt casting, the snarky late 20th century jokes, maybe a knock on any visual effects they dislike, and yes, probably some complaints about James Gunn’s direction when stacked up to the other recent Marvel movies. Eh, whatever, I say.

Of course, I could be wrong (again!), but based on a few Godzilla reviews from folks who didn’t get that film, I’d say Guardians of the Galaxy is in for a rough ride in the mainstream newspapers and websites. Anyway, the real noise drops on Monday, so this teaser is just that. I hate these teasers for actual trailers, by the way… but it’s so common that there’s no way this practice will go away anytime soon because of all the interest each microsecond of new footage draws to movies that do this. Well, it seems to work, as I know I’ll be back here on Monday with another update on THAT trailer. Oh, and yes, that’s the new poster for the film. Nice, huh?

IDW Wants Some Of You To Go Broke: Silver Surfer, Manhunter, Lawnmower Man Artist Editions On The Way…

Posted on April 21, 2014 by geelw

Well, wow. According to the fine folks at Comic Book Resources, IDW’s pricey and VERY desirable Artist’s Edition series is getting at least three more amazing tomes this year in a limited print run form only a select few will be able to get their hands on. To the press release, Robin!:

At the Artist’s Edition panel, Special Projects Editor Scott Dunbier showed off some of the amazing art included in the Marvel Cover’s Artist’s Edition and announced that John Buscema’s Silver Surfer (in cooperation with Marvel Comics), and two more projects with Walter Simonson, Walter Simonson’s Manhunter & Other Stories (in cooperation with DC Entertainment), and Walter Simonson’s Lawnmower Man Artist’s Edition portfolio, collecting the entire Stephen King-penned story into a deluxe portfolio, will soon join the IDW Artist’s Edition catalog!

I’ve seen a few of the previous Artist’s Editions in person thanks to a friend who can afford to shell out for them and all I’ll say is they’re the closest thing to owning the original art you can get (at a far more reasonable price, of course). Expect superior quality reproduction from the originals, warts and all (hey, comic art SUED to be all hand-drawn and lettered!) and something you’ll not want to loan out or have the kids use as snack table reading after that finger painting session, that’s for darn sure.

Prices and release dates TBA. I’ll also see if I can dig up pics from that Lawnmower Man book, as it’s one of Walt Simonson’s quirkiest-looking stories in terms of the artist cutting loose and having a blast with his pens and brushes.

X-Men: Days of Future Past Poster Blitz

Posted on April 4, 2014 by geelw

I’m not sure how many “official” posters there are for this upcoming blockbuster, but Comic Book Movie has a nice set of nine new ones up today to check out, all of which are pretty darn cool. Add the ones at the Imp Awards gallery and that’s eighteen posters with who knows how many more to come before the film arrives here on May 23, 2014. I’m glad I don’t collect these things anymore, as I’d need a warehouse for each film that comes out I’m interested in or like already. Ah well… someone is doing the living vicariously stuff on that front for me out there, so no worries…

Random Art: Not Quite A Tree This Time, Man. Thing Is, It Was Once…

Posted on April 1, 2014 by geelw

The cool thing about drawing digitally is you can make mistakes and “fix” them without going through piles of paper. Anyway, this Man-Thing started out as another tree sketch, but I mucked it up a bit too much and was about to scrap it when I saw a hint of something, flipped the image, did some playing around, flipped it again and decided to keep hacking away until I got this as a result. Yeah, he sort of looks like he needs a tattoo on that arm of his and there should maybe be a low rider in the background bouncing up and down to some trippy beat, but hey – it was late and I couldn’t stop once my brain started moving my hand around. That happens a lot these days it seems, so I just go with the flow…

X-Men: Days of Future Past Trailer 2: It’s A Mutant Monday Today? Sure, Why Not?

Posted on March 24, 2014 by geelw

Since we’re now in summer blockbuster mode something like eleven months out of the year, I may as well post this big new trailer for the big new upcoming mutant-packed extravaganza. As a fan of the original story arc this comes from but not of all the movies, my feeling are mixed even though this does look quite thrilling. I’m probably jaded thanks to all these CG effects taking up so much screen time and real estate in films such as this that with few exceptions, these films start to all look alike. That said, somehow Marvel has yet to find how to make ALL its special effects packed films equally worthy of a trip to the theater as they’ve been hit and miss the last few years. Although it seems they’ll be getting plenty of opportunities to flood cinemas, TV, and any other device that can get a program up and running with caped and non-caped heroes galore 24 hours a day, so I guess that trend will continue for a while. Is this a good thing? Hmmmmm… for me, the jury’s out (way out). But remember kids… man cannot live by end of the world scenarios and last minute super rescues alone, as you’ll soon find out. Hell, the newspapers are chock full of REAL life doom and gloom as it is!

Hey, Spider-Man 2? Even Electro Doesn’t Spark My Interest…

Posted on February 24, 2014 by geelw

Uh… nope. I’m not feeling this new Spider-Man movie at all for a few reasons. The reboot was kind of lame and forced with way too many CG effects (par for the course for this franchise) and worse, separating it from the rest of the Marvel movie lineup has always been a terrible idea because as come comic fans know Spidey WAS an active Avenger for a brief time. Anyway, this new film has too many villains, too many connected bits (I think the Oscorp-created heroes is a terrible idea) and nope, I don’t like the casting here at all. That said, this one will rake in the dough as it were because the fans don’t seem to care thanks to them just wanting more of the same but bigger and louder.

That said, I’d really rather see a filmed version of that now dead Broadway musical Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark just because of all that behind the scenes turmoil that went into the live show and all its changes during and after its initial previews and premiere. I hope someone was smart enough to shoot that, as even as a flawed work, there’s something about a live show (or a filmed version of one) that’s a good deal more interesting and impressive than a film with a room full of computers powering the better parts of the action scenes…

Guardians of the Galaxy Trailer: Not Your Average Folks In Tights…

Posted on February 19, 2014 by geelw

I didn’t think I’d be interested in this one at all, but this trailer got me turned around and a bit more hopeful that this actually works. The cast is out there and full of interesting choices, there’s a lot of humor and despite the Marvel logo and immediate knee jerk response that this is yet another super hero flick, there are nice signs that this one may be more than it seems. Of course, you don’t get what you expect with a James Gunn film, so it’s also great that this trailer really doesn’t do anything in giving away any major plot points (which should make this a nice surprise to see in a theater). Fan reaction seems quite positive overall, but as usual the trolls are out holding up under bridges and waiting for the saps that always get caught up in their toll traps. I pay them no heed and no fee, folks. I just roll over their flat heads with the heavy cart, hobnailed wheels and all…