Gravity TV Spot 6: “And Now I’m Mad About Space Junk”

Posted on September 30, 2013 by geelw

I actually had a crazy dream the other night that the end credits to Gravity were going to be Devo’s 1978 tune “Space Junk”, but we know that’s not going to happen (although it would be a pretty darn amusing joke… well, to me at least. Can you believe DEVO has been around for 40 years? Well, their first LP was release in 1978, but the group first got together in 1972/73! Of course, if you have to ask “Who’s DEVO?”, you need a proper conversion. No need to do anything, dears… it’s all been arranged. Just step outside during the next full moon and look up to the northwest. Things will happen and you’ll be converted. Um, take a good umbrella or even better, a hardhat and remember to not forget to close those peepers. It may sting a little…

Gravity TV Spots 4 & 5: Heavy Rotation and Airtime Thoughts…

Posted on September 28, 2013 by geelw

OK, I missed an update thanks to me not watching “normal” TV for a few days last week, but here you go. Everything I’m hearing about this is good, which is kind of rare in that there’s usually at least one or two detractors about any sci-fi film. On the other hand, this is supposed to be a “hard” Sf flick and the buzz on the realism is (so far) also positive. Granted, I can’t think of any time in the past when an event such as this happened, but I’ll let the science geeks have at it once they see the film and decide to pick it apart for things their bigger brains note as incorrect. Although… how would they know unless *gasp!*… they’re frequent space travelers themselves… or aliens.

And yes, that “*gasp!*” was placed in the wrong spot and I’m too tired from gasping (twice!) to move it.

The Monkey’s Paw Trailer: Wash Yourself of That Hand!

Posted on September 20, 2013 by geelw

Yeesh, how OLD is this story? Let’s see now, W.W. Jacobs wrote it in 1902, according to Wikipedia (and they’re NEVER wrong, right? Heh.) and it’s been mangled into other stories, films, TV shows and comics ever since. Warner Bros. and Chiller Films are bringing it back in this new flick that doesn’t look all that “scary” to me, but hey – you may be shaking in your shoes right about now. Not sure if this is in theaters in October or straight to video, as I’ve only found one poster link and it doesn’t have any rating info on it at all. Well, it’s not as if I’ll go see this… but YOU might want to. More details to follow at some point. I love a good mystery… but only to a point.

Gravity TV Spot 3: Getting Closer… But Still Far Away….

Posted on September 16, 2013 by geelw

I’m still debating with myself if this fantastic-looking flick is worth dropping $30 on to see in IMAX and 3D and I’m leaning towards a “not quite” simply because I’m a legendary cheapskate (who tips well at restaurants, mind you) that would rather spend that cash on a game or Blu-Ray/DVD I can watch endlessly. I guess I should use something else to help me decide other than that two-headed coin I got from a magic shop ages ago, but the loaded dice, “miracle” card deck and cracked Magic 8-Ball here (that’s keeps reading “Reply Hazy, Please Try Again” over and over) all aren’t helping me make up my mind. Hmmm… perhaps a windfall I can spend and not feel guilty about will be the big decider. Yeah, I’ll go walk around with a big bucket and see what the wide drops in it… back at some point with a financial report of sorts…

Gravity TV Spot 2: Science For Dummies (As A Tease, At Least)…

Posted on September 11, 2013 by geelw

If you aced that science class in school, you’re probably a little upset that right after the words NO SOUND appear in both the Gravity trailers and TV ads, there is indeed SOUND IN SPAAAAAAACE! there in the form of a big BOOM! and the noise of stuff rattling about. Welp, kids… that’s just wrong, but it’s been confirmed that there is indeed NO sound in the final film. Yes, the trailers and other ads are made for people who need that aural bump to get those thrills. That is all. Go see this – it looks phenomenal.

Gravity Main Trailer 2: Some More Weightlessly Worldy Matters…

Posted on September 5, 2013 by geelw

Amusingly enough it seems that the lonely guy/gal in a big dangerous place is turning into a sub-genre. There’s this flick from Alfonso Cuarón, that new Robert Redford flick with him on a boat at sea (I forget the title, but it’s obvious Oscar bait), and if you can stand it (well, he’s not alone, but it’s basically another big “one man” Oscar bait performance), Tom Hanks in Captain Phillips (a movie I still question the necessity of with a big, fat “Whyyyyy?”). Of all three, I’ll stick with Gravity because of Cuarón’s work on City of Men, a film that had me hooked in from that opening scene. I’m hoping this one doesn’t go the happy ending route or at least if it does, it’s an ending that’s satisfying and leaves some form of closure no matter what happens.

Gravity TV Spot 1: Up In The Air, Too…

Posted on August 28, 2013 by geelw

Of course, only those of you out there who saw that particular George Clooney flick from a few years back will get that title, but hey, I like to test you folks every now and then. Anyway, this does look really interesting and hell, it’s an effects film with actual, um… gravity when it comes to its plot. That and hell, a film where you have the paradox of an outer space setting (you can’t get any bigger than that) forcing you to pay attention to its two main characters for probably the entire running time AND you’ve got no choice but to sit and watch Clooney and Bullock try to stay together or else (insert romantic comedy and on screen chemistry jokes here) makes this at least worth seeing once on a big screen. Hey, imagine if this did well enough to get made into a crazy Broadway show like that dopey Spider-Man yanking the tourists in by the hotel load? Someone get Taymor on the line! All we need now are Mummenschanz and a bunch of sturdy harnesses…

Perspective: Two Words For Those Cranky Batman Fans: Michael Keaton.

Posted on August 23, 2013 by geelw

(thanks, Batman on Film!)

Hoo boy. Based on the internet collapsing in on itself yesterday and today, you’d think someone ran around kneecapping old ladies walking cute puppies or something across all 50 states and in too many countries around the world to count. It seems that this new age of short attention spanned, easily “outraged” fanboys and girls are forgetting their film history a few too many times, so let’s play Time Machine for a bit. Back in 1987 or ’88 when there was NO internet (well, not what we call the internet these days), I can distinctly recall Batman fans I knew flying far off the handle when the Batman movie was announced with a director they’d barely heard of and a guy playing Bruce Wayne/Batman who’d only been known for being a comedian with not so big a movie resume.

I remember reading the news and thinking one word: DISASTER…

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“Her” Trailer: Siri, Turn Me On! Er, Turn On! (ROM CHECK, SUCCESS!)

Posted on August 8, 2013 by geelw

Hmmmm… I’d planned to ignore this flick until I found out Spike Jonze was behind the wheel, so on the list of stuff to see it goes. It’s hard to not watch anything the man works on and not be impressed and moved – this one looks pretty timely on a few fronts (although JP looks like a cross between the late Ernie Kovacs and Breaking Bad’s Walter White here). Well, we’ll see what’s what soon enough… if anything, it’ll be visually amazing like the director’s other works (well, not counting his appearance in that Jackass movie from a few years back)…

Random Art: Killer Tree to Get A Makeover? Probably (It May Take a While, Though)…

Posted on July 31, 2013 by geelw

Eh, I’ll need to do this piece over one day and probably as a normal drawing rather than a digital one. I just had the thought as I was looking at it a day ago that I needed to find a copy of From Hell it Came out in the wild on DVD just so I have my stiff wooden tree suit muse thing down pat.

What, you’ve NEVER seen From Hell it Came? Shame, shame, shame! Hell, it’s an awesomely cheesy but surprisingly watchable classic “B” horror flick from 1957. Yeah, yeah, yeah- it’s filled with quasi-Polynesian or whatever random exotic island stereotypes the producers want to make you think exist somewhere in the world, a sort of atomic radiation and voodoo-doodoo created monster and plenty of laughs I’m betting were unintended. I grew up with this one and cut it a LOT of slack because even as a kid it never scared me… but I think it may have started a healthy tree fetish.

Or maybe I’m just nice to them so if one ever does come to life, it’s not going to wobble down the street after me first… “Not ME! Get the guy with the poodle! The guy with the POODLE! Gyaaaaaah!“