BBC Series trailer: Human Planet

This is a trailer for a BBC series called "Human Planet" which is sort of a nature series looking at the human animal.

Or is it an anthropological series shot like a mature documentary?

I don't know, but it sure is beautiful and breathtaking.

Captain America: The First Avenger

Ladies and gentlemen... The trailer:

SuckerPunch?

So the folks behind SuckerPunch have been releasing animated shorts as teasers and exposition for the fantasy scenes in the movie. I posted the WWI Steampunk Zombie one not long ago. Now we've got a knights and dragons clip:

That's not bad. Not bad at all.

Here's an excerpt from the movie itself:

I dunno... It's fulfilling my expectations, but... I can't put my finger on it, but somehow, seeing this has made me less excited about seeing the movie.

Mjolner!

You know you want the most accurate replica of Thor's Mighty Hammer Mjolner that you can find. And this, apparently, is it.

Googling "Clay Williams" (the artist) and "Eaglewood Sculpts" provides some social networking pages, but no official website. So I can't tell you how much 20 lbs. of oak, aluminum, and leather will cost you. But I'm sure it ain't super cheap to get a semi-custom Mjolner.

Elizabeth Taylor: Icon

What can you say when an icon dies?

Time Out for Art: Gary Gianni

Solomon Kane.

The fan film I posted not long ago inspired me to pick up my copy of the Solomon Kane stories illustrated by Gary Gianni and reread the Puritan swordsman's adventures.

I've heard some surprisingly good things about the recent Solomon Kane movie that was never released in the States. I'm looking to get a DVD and see it sometime soon. In the meantime, I'll revel in the original stories and Gianni's fantastic art.

History shows again and again...

How nature points out the folly of men.

Not surprisingly, internet searches for the term "Godzilla" spiked after the Japanese Triple Disaster. io9 has a wonderful essay on the topic here.

I know I made a few Godzilla jokes in the aftermath, and I wasn't alone. But I'm a firm believer that humor is best when there is some truth in it, and it is a useful tool for navigating some of life's more difficult moments. As the essay points out, there are solid, poignant reasons why people reached out for the familiar big lizard-guy to help cope with the tragedy.

I am sure that Japan will prove just as unstoppable and resilient as Godzilla.

SuckerPunch teaser

I have zero hope that Sucker Punch will be a good story. However, I am prepared to sit back, leave my disbelief at the door to the theater, and drink in the crazy quilt of visuals.

What's not to like? Pretty girls, automatic weapons, wire-fu, mecha, giant samurai, ork stormtroopers, helicopters, dragons... I'm sure I'll be happy so long as the explosions keep coming.

Film is a visual medium, and while I appreciate a great story with all the Aristotelean unities, sometimes a shattering dream- or nightmare-scape can fill the bill just as well.

Here is an animation "inspired" by the steampunk, nightmare version of World War I trench warfare in which dead soldiers are turned into Industrial Age techno-zombies.

You know... those guys have more than a passing resemblence to WH40K Death Korps of Krieg... Where's my epic WH40K live-action movie???

Fan-Made Films: The Return of Sir Richard Grenville

I'm not, generally speaking, a fan of Fan-Made Films. But I stumbled into this one and thought it was actually very good.

Lost City of Atlantis Believed Found Off Spain!

Sometimes I don't have to write the headlines. This one was written by MSNBC.com!

Sadly, despite the hype, I doubt these are the remains of Atlantis. Although my eyebrow did rise slightly at the mention of the concentric rings. But the world is rife with submerged areas of land, cities, castles, and ruins. That doesn't automatically make them Atlantis.

Captain Tightpants rides again!

I found this in my email inbox from a fan. I interpreted this as a desperate call to post it. Although I'm certain all true Browncoats have poured over this scene countless times already.

Conan the Barbarian Trailer

The good thing is that this trailer leaves many questions unanswered; which makes me want to see the movie.



The bad thing is... these are my unanswered questions:

1.) What's with all the smoke?

2.) Why does he sound like Batman?

3.) Where's my Anvil of Crom theme?

Nathan Fillion is Awesome!

Nathan Fillion is a cult classic in a leading man's body. He gives up an interview in tomorrow's Parade Magazine. Here are some excerpts I loved:

P: Let's hear a few more of your geek credentials.

NF: I have a trophy case that contains all of the action figures ever made of me. It also has items I've stolen from my movies, like three guns and holsters from Serenity. And a steampunk lightsaber that somebody made me.

P: I hear you have a man cave as well.

NF: Yes, it has a big ol' TV and one of those gadgets that let you press a button and watch in 3D with the glasses on. It's also got an Xbox, I'm a Halo: Reach guy. And artists I've met at sci-fi conventions have sent me some beautiful posters from stuff I've done. I'm better-looking in them than I really am, so those are good to have.

P: What are you reading now?

NF: A novel I've already read three times, World War Z, by Max Brooks. It's an oral history of a 10-year zombie infection 10 years after it happened. It's terrifying.

Isn't he awesome???