100 From 2001 Is A Pretty Prime Number!

Posted on April 10, 2014 by geelw

EDIT: Duh, I forgot to put the link in. See below for that link. Heh, sorry!

A friend sent me a link to “something wonderful” the other day and after taking the ultimate trip through this amazing imgur gallery of stills and behind the scenes production shots from the filming of one of my favorite films, Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, I’m reporting back and sharing the link for all to discover on their own time. I’ve seen a handful of these here and there over the years, but the entire gallery all at once is amazing and quite educational on a few fronts.

As with any film, I knew there were bits shot and discarded, but I’m now wondering about that lovely futuristic (well, for 1966-67) automobile among other things. Was that a mere production still or was/were there a scene or scenes shot on earth? Anyway, the placement of the images seems to follow the film’s plot, but if you’ve never seen 2001 before, fear not. Not knowing a thing about it means you’ll be scratching your head until you DO finally see it. Which is a good thing, of course…

Still… let me slightly not “ruin” things with this trailer (thanks, the cultbox!):

Trust me, you didn’t EVEN have anything spoiled there, as this film demands you pay attention. A few times, at that.

Orphan Black Season 2 Trailers: I’m Still Not Spoiled, But Thanks For Trying, BBC America!

Posted on April 4, 2014 by geelw

As with other teasers and such about this show, I’m NOT looking at these two trailers at all because I don’t want a single thing ruined for me when things kick off on April 19. Yeah, yeah – I know a little tease is part of one’s entertainment life, but I’m one of those folks that can do without it because it makes the experience fresher when I go in not knowing a darn thing except for where last season ended and where this one will pick up. That said, I’d actually LOVE to see a fake trailer put out for a show that totally fools everyone, sort of like how the end of episode teasers for original episodes of Arrested Development threw stuff at you that wasn’t even close to what took place in the next episode. Of course, I caught on to that really quickly (in a “Hey, what happened to… Oh, ha and ha, ha manner), so maybe it’s NOT a good idea after all.

Heh. One can only imagine the confusion, followed by the internet “outrage” and petitions popping up all over from the modern fan who doesn’t seem to have a functional sense of humor about their favorite show…

Alien Isolation Update: The Sounds Of Nostalgia Recreated For Your Screaming Pleasure…

Posted on April 4, 2014 by geelw

What’s looking like the best Alien game to date is getting even better thanks to the development team’s focus on getting every element right as rain. Jerry Goldsmith‘s score to Alien was and in not only one of his best works, it’s one of the best genre soundtracks ever created (even though the original film drops a chunk of it in favor of cues from Goldsmith’s score to Freud and some classical tracks). I could write an entire post on the score alone, but I’ll wax poetic on it at some point in the future, as I’m kind of otherwise occupied with a living pile of work shuffling around the room here and making a nuisance of itself. Anyway, as you can see and hear here, Alien Isolation will get an additional layer of creepy thanks to the sound design and as a huge fan of the original film, I couldn’t be happier.

Alien Isolation lands on PC and PS3/PS4, Xbox 360/Xbox One on October 7, 2014. back with more once Sega hits the inbox with an update…

Alien Isolation Gets October 7, 2014 Release Date

Posted on March 29, 2014 by geelw

Wow, I need to pay more attention (Part XVIX), as I didn’t know that Alien Isolation was being made for the PS3 and Xbox 360 as well as PC, PS4 and Xbox One. Well, now… that changes things up considerably as I can live with the game on the PS3 as long as it’s got a solid frame rate and has the same content as the new-gen versions. Sure, I like fancy graphics and all, but my PS3 still gets a load of usage and I’m not about to knock Sega or The Creative Assembly for thinking smart and realizing from the outset that casting a wider net on this game means MORE people will play it if it gets great scores and they still don’t have a new system in their homes. Granted, as a system SELLER, it’ll work quite well indeed for those looking for a reason to snap up that nice new console or upgrade their gaming rig. On the other hand, those who can’t buy into the newer systems yet will appreciate not being let out of what could be the best Alien game to date. As usual, we shall see… but as I’ve said previously, I trust the CA to do this one up right (and then some)…

TCM Wants To Feed You With Classic Horror & Sci-Fi This Weekend…

Posted on March 28, 2014 by geelw

Ha! Someone at Turner Classic Movies has a wicked sense of humor, that’s for sure. Granted, I’d still LOVE the job of hosting that Underground feature one of these days (I have a ton of ideas on how to make it sing and soar), but unil then, I’ll deal with the channel doling out its library in its current form. Anyway, FRIDAY night and into early Saturday morning (East Coast time), it’s Soylent Green followed by Night of the Living Dead (a film I really, REALLY need to do a RFotW on, even though it’s been reviewed about a million times or more already). Yeah, I’ve seen both of these many times already, but both are movies that have a way of luring me back in for just one more peek almost any time I find them playing. I bet you’re the same way too, right?

Yeah, I thought so…

Transcendence: Johnny on the Spot Or The Yawnmower Man? We Shall See…

Posted on March 25, 2014 by geelw

You know, when I saw this trailer to Transcendence I actually laughed out loud because it reminded me of all those “cyberpunk” themed TV shows and films from the 90’s that for the most part didn’t so anything right other than be expensive and really weird unintentional sci-fi comedies. Sure, I know these movies have their followings and fans who groove on the cornball digital effects and “futuristic” scenarios (some by popular authors!), but come on, now. They just haven’t held up all that well even if you DO like them so much you gloss over their obvious flaws. Anyway, this flick seems to be going for a mix of The Lawnmower Man and War Games with a few other bits wired in for good measure and yeah, a “bald” Johnny Depp with wires sticking out of his head makes for a funky future Frankenstein’s monster for sure. Will it be a hit, a miss or a camp classic cable flick? We shall see, people… we shall see…

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

Posted on March 23, 2014 by geelw

(thanks, frankpilarski!)

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 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 →

The X-Files is BACK (…As A Board Game This July)!

Posted on March 19, 2014 by geelw

I think I only fooled two people with half that headline, but that’s fine by me. Anyway, this July, IDW Games will be getting fans of the show a new BIG box board game based on the first three (and some would say the best) seasons thanks to Pandasaurus Games, designer Kevin Wilson (Arkham Horror, Descent, Civilization) and comic book artist menton3 (Memory Collectors, The X-Files: Season 10).

That box art is sure mighty pretty (and pretty simple) and if the game INSIDE the box is like that art, it’ll keep anyone with even a passing interest in the show back in deep where they should be. Of course, chain smoking as you play like that Cigarette Smoking Man isn’t required, but if you DO get that far into character, make sure you ask your tabletop buddies if it’s OK. No one likes to get kicked out their friend’s place (or even their own home) even if they bought the game with them.

Godzilla Toy Reveal: MTV Makes Itself Relevant Again!

Posted on March 17, 2014 by geelw

Image: MTV

“Raaaar! Hi Kids!” is what this new Godzilla seems to be saying with a grin on his mug. Thanks to the fine folks at MTV News, here’s a long and loving first look at the 2014 version of this classic beastie from the upcoming film by director Gareth Edwards.

The figure (coming to you from Jakks Pacific) stands a whooping 23 inches tall and with the added tail length, measures a very respectable 43 inches long. Yikes, there goes the neighborhood indeed in terms of finding a shelf at home to put this hefty plastic monster on. Other than his weird feet and manly-muscly arms, I like the new look of the big guy a lot.

Image: MTV

It’s also got twelve points of articulation including a mouth that opens and closes (important when pretending to chow down on citizens and scenery) and a tail that swings back and forth (also important for keeping away helicopter-sized bugs and other flying things). This massive monster might seem too scary for the wee ones (it’s made for ages 3+, parents), but we all know that boys (and girls) just ADORE dinosaurs of any size, correct?

Besides, it still can’t top the KING of inappropriate movie licensed toys geared for the wrong age group, Kenner’s 18″ ALIEN figure from 1979. I had one of those babies, boxed and all, but it got swiped by my younger brother and wrecked/tossed out eventually while I was away and I’ve been kicking myself since for not buying a few when Gimbels was closing them out at a song. Ah well… you can’t change the past, people… but you CAN get started on the room-sized diorama you’re going to fit this new HUGE Godzilla in. Good luck on that project!