Saturday, May 27, 2006
Thursday, May 25, 2006
RIP Val Guest
From the LA Times:
"The Day the Earth Caught Fire" — a 1961 drama in which secret, simultaneous nuclear detonations by the United States and the Soviet Union knock Earth off its axis and send it hurtling toward the sun as the world's weather turns chaotic — earned Guest and co-writer Wolf Mankowitz best British screenplay awards from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. The doomsday drama was told through the characters of two Fleet Street reporters.
Guest later said President Kennedy asked for his own copy and screened it for 200 foreign correspondents in Washington.
Read the full LA Times article on Val Guest.
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Back to the Buffyverse
[via Cinematical]
Weinstein Company creates Dragon Dynasty imprint for Asian action films
The Weinstein Co. is launching Dragon Dynasty, an upscale DVD label that will become home to its burgeoning collection of Asian action titles.
Quentin Tarantino is working with the Weinsteins to develop the new brand.
Venture will be headed by Brian White, former label manager at Contender Entertainment's Hong Kong Legends division. Distribution in North America will use structures pioneered by TWC's Genius Products DVD brand. Some titles will have theatrical distribution via TWC.
This is only good news for Asian action fans in the U.S., who all too often get cheated out of theatrical presentations of some of the best foreign action films being made. I suspect it has something to do with the unwillingness of many action fans to read subtitles. It will be interesting to see whether they sub or dub some of these movies.Even better news: Dragon Dynasty will release vintage titles as well as new releases, including some Shaw Bros films and classic John Woo flicks.
Stomp! Shout! Scream! DVD release party this Friday in Atlanta
When: 8:00 PM, This Friday, May 26, 2006 (Memorial Day weekend)
Where: Atlanta Brewing Company, 1219 Williams Street, Atlanta, GA 30309
How much?: $10
What: Movie, Beer, Burlesque, Catfight!
Visit the Stomp! Shout! Scream! web site.
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
The Host - first reviews
Egregiously subverting its own genre while still delivering shocks at a pure genre level, and marbled with straight-faced character humor that constantly throws the viewer off balance, much-hyped big-budgeter about a huge mutant tadpole that emerges from Seoul's Han River is a bold gamble that looks headed to instant cult status.
I can't wait to get my hands on this movie.
Monday, May 22, 2006
Tringo - the next pharmatronic?
For a blast from the past, here's Wired's story on the original pharmatronic.
Thursday, May 18, 2006
It could be worse: PS3 price isn't the highest ever
Many props to the Curmudgeon Gamer (shouldn't that be Curmudgeonly Gamer?), who helps us to understand that not only was the 3Do priced higher at $700 when it came out, but if one accounts for 13 years of inflation, the console cost nearly $970 in today's dollars. The Neo-Geo? Almost $994. Remember the cheap little piece of junk called the Intellivision? 820 smackers.
Also, a fact I find fascinating and somehow reassuring: Nintendo's consoles keep getting relatively cheaper.
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Gum Blondes
Each Gum Blonde is 100% chewed bubblegum on a plywood backing. No paint or dye is used. The colour is inherent to the gum - the mixing of the colour takes place in the mouth during chewing using an endless variety of flavours made by an endless variety of companies.
[via Drawn]
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Apple introduces (non-Pro) Macbook
With displays that only come in 13" wide screen, I'll have to see how they compare to my current iBook before I decide between a Macbook and a Macbook Pro. The iBook on which I type this is less than a year old, though, so it'll be a while before I need to upgrade. Still: soooo pretty. . . .
Monday, May 15, 2006
Snakes on a Plane - Sam Jackson on Ellen
Random passenger: We're all gonna die.
Sam Jackson: Not me!
YouTube clip #1
YouTube clip #2
Labels: youtube
Saturday, May 13, 2006
Negadon premieres in New York
The ImaginAsian Theater in New York is holding screenings through the 18th - if you're in that neighborhood, be sure to check it out.
Thursday, May 11, 2006
New Yorker article on Nigerian scams
Small Press and Comics Expo
You're in Columbus? Go meet some of the people creating the best niche magazines and comics out there - like Robert Ullman (mildly NSFW) or Jay Geldhof. It's either that or Poseidon.
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Cool video - FedEx pilots dodging thunderstorms
[via digg]
Monday, May 08, 2006
The next thing from Penn & Teller - and Tivo
If Tivo keeps making smart moves like this (courting advertisers instead of alienating them), they may just survive the onslaught of competitors (mostly crappy Tivo substitutes offered on the cheap from cable companies) and become a major player in the TV market.
Friday, May 05, 2006
New Stomp Tokyo review - Shadow: Dead Riot
Shadow: Dead Riot
One would think that Fangoria editor Michael Gingold has seen enough crappy horror movies to know when he was contributing to the problem, but Shadow: Dead Riot stands as testament to the opposite. It's a good thing that a healthy fraction of the horror fan population seems to relish any movie with bare breasts, gore, and heavy metal tunes, because those are the only people who will give this picture's investors a return on their money.
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Film Threat reviews Stomp! Shout! Scream!
The visual design and the narrative of the film accumulate into a sweet can of camp, making “Stomp! Shout! Scream!” a ridiculously delightful cinematic experience.
Stomp! Shout! Scream! is now available on DVD.
Related articles:
Interview with Jay Edwards
Stomp! Shout! Scream! Atlanta premiere
Cult Movies Podcast #8
Cult Movies Podcast #23
Soderbergh blasts the studios at Tribeca
"The economic model of the film business is broken," said Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh during a panel discussion Monday night entitled "Downloading at a Theater Near You."
Soderbergh cited a litany of Hollywood problems: the obscene compensation of A-list talent (top stars routinely receive packages worth $25 million) and a revenue-sharing system that he described as unfair to theaters.
There's no denying that there's very little money to be made showing movies in theaters. (Especially if you're a theater.) Pictures rarely make back in theater revenues what they cost to produce and advertise. Where movie studios make their money is on DVD. History shows, however, that a film's performance on DVD is directly related to how well it did in theaters – and so H-wood, for lack of a better model, keeps the theater system going. Not that you could shut the theater system down overnight or that I would want theaters to go away, but at this point the economic model for movie houses is about anything but the movies themselves.
Some theater companies thrive by creating a theater destination and then leasing space to other businesses surrounding the theater; others (like the Alamo Drafthouse) survive by running themselves as restaurants that just happen to show movies. Most of the cineplexes are selling popcorn and soda as fast as they can while pimping out their audiences to pre-show advertisers. I suspect not much will change in the short term but the current "cattle call" business model of motion picture exhibition doesn't seem like one that will last much longer.
Star Lords
So glad you asked.
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
"Star Wars" theatrical versions coming to DVD
Digital Bits has the scoop over in their rumor mill.
Stomp Tokyo: Cult Movies Podcast Episodes 21 - 24
Episode 21: Care and feeding of a movie geek. On a recent visit to Florida, Scott and I sat down in the same room to record an episode. A novelty! We included our significant others, Christina and Amy, to find out what it's like to live with a geek and his Godzilla toys.
Episode 22: Doctor Who? Guest nerd Adam Clarke shows off a remarkable memory for all things Doctor Who and even discusses the twisted history of the Harlem Globetrotters in animation. Hey, we can't always control where these things go, people. Also: the latest from Studio Ghibli, "Pulgasari," and more in a monstrously long episode.
Episode 23: Stomp! Shout! Scream! Some More! Remember way back in Episode 8, when we interviewed Jay Edwards (producer & editor, Aqua Teen Hunger Force) about Stomp! Shout! Scream!, his feature film? Well I went back to Atlanta in December for the cast & crew screening of the film and got Jay to talk some more, this time with actress Mary Kraft in the room. If you've seen the movie you're in for a treat with lots of behind-the-scenes stories and whatnot. If you haven't seen the movie, check out stompshoutscream.com to nab your own copy, and then this episode will make a lot more sense.
Episode 24: Summer Movie Preview. Tim "Telstarman" Lehnerer is in the hot seat as we rattle off the cool movies coming up for the summer.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
For a customer, it's like "Where's Waldo"
Monday, May 01, 2006
Get a Mac
All six ads are hosted at Apple.com (duh).
Colbert hosts White House Correspondents' Dinner
"[Interviewing Jesse Jackson] is like boxing a glacier. Enjoy that metaphor by the way, because your grandkids will have no idea what a glacier is."
"Mayor Nagin, welcome to Washington D.C. - the chocolate city with a marshmallow center."
Watch Colbert's speech in Quicktime.
[via the BMMB and Crooksandliars]