Check out what's happening, this week in geek!
Joseph Gordon-Levitt to Produce and Star in a Fraggle Rock movie - Wow. As a big Jim Henson fan, I'm amazed this is happening. The company has announced a revival of the classic childrens' show, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Given the nature of the show as a puppet program, how Gordon-Levitt will star is tenuous. My best guess is that he will play the owner of the dog Sprocket, who was a different actor and character in each localization- a perfect chance for the adaptation to take liberty.
A Ninja Turtle has Died in Combat.- If this were any other comic, this would be non-news. Marvel and DC have proven that comic book deaths in their titles mean nothing in the long run. But Ninja Turtles has a history in the comics of treating death seriously- Splinter remained dead for roughly 13 years. For the sake of not spoiling I will not identify who has died, I simply note he will be missed.
'Pixels' Teaser Trailer- Regardless of personal opinion on Adam Sandler's comedy, I'd be remiss not to point out this teaser for 'Pixels'. The film's premise is deliciously nerdy- aliens recover a 'time capsule' sent into space containing examples of Earth entertainment, specifically, arcade games. The aliens misinterpret- and create real live video game characters to conquer Earth. This is an amazing concept that looks to be a very fun film.
The Monster Book of Monsters - A surprise announcement from Sideshow Collectibles this week- a prop-replica of the Monster Book of Monsters from Harry Potter! A very unique choice and one I'm certain will sell well with fans.
This blog is a haven. A little corner of the internet for us. A place where I intend to report on, and celebrate, geek culture. Video games, anime, comic books, action figures- even tokusatsu. Don't be ashamed. Stand proud for your fandoms. For all those little things you love. And let your geek flag fly!
Monday, March 23, 2015
Friday, March 13, 2015
It Figures: Trekkin Turtles
Sometimes, two great things taste great together. This is the principle behind most brands of crossover. And today on It Figures, we look at one of the most absurd to come into being.
The products of the minds at Playmates Toys, the Trekkin' Turtles have a clear thought process behind their insanity. Namely, that the Ninja Turtles were selling like hotcakes, and so were their Star Trek action figures. The clear answer that Playmates saw, was to create a toy that combined the two into a single product. And thus, the Trekkin' Turtles came to be.
Strange as the juxtaposition was, it was what ended up rendering the resulting designs so interesting. The Turtles are detailed thoroughly, with the Starfleet uniforms bulging and wrinkling from the contours of their shells and carapaces. Each also is more than simply dressed in the attire- they are made to represent each of the four leads of Star Trek, based vaguely around their personalities. The leader, Leonardo is decked as Captain Kirk, complete with a Shatner style mop of hair. Donatello, the brains of the team is the equally brainy Spock, complete with one hand in a Vulcan salute of sorts- humorously, he is unable to properly give it with three fingers, but the visual idea comes across. Hotheaded and bellicose, Raphael fits perfectly as Doctor McCoy, with only Michaelangelo seeming slightly miscast as Scotty. The figures came equipped with standard phaser, tricorder, and communicator- the only instances of mold-reuse from the Star Trek or TMNT lines- as well as new, uniquely designed futuristic takes on their signature ninja weapons. Strange as the combination was, it sold- and is one of the more expensive subsets of the classic line to collect, second only to the Universal Monsters Turtles that were their contemporaries!
The products of the minds at Playmates Toys, the Trekkin' Turtles have a clear thought process behind their insanity. Namely, that the Ninja Turtles were selling like hotcakes, and so were their Star Trek action figures. The clear answer that Playmates saw, was to create a toy that combined the two into a single product. And thus, the Trekkin' Turtles came to be.
Strange as the juxtaposition was, it was what ended up rendering the resulting designs so interesting. The Turtles are detailed thoroughly, with the Starfleet uniforms bulging and wrinkling from the contours of their shells and carapaces. Each also is more than simply dressed in the attire- they are made to represent each of the four leads of Star Trek, based vaguely around their personalities. The leader, Leonardo is decked as Captain Kirk, complete with a Shatner style mop of hair. Donatello, the brains of the team is the equally brainy Spock, complete with one hand in a Vulcan salute of sorts- humorously, he is unable to properly give it with three fingers, but the visual idea comes across. Hotheaded and bellicose, Raphael fits perfectly as Doctor McCoy, with only Michaelangelo seeming slightly miscast as Scotty. The figures came equipped with standard phaser, tricorder, and communicator- the only instances of mold-reuse from the Star Trek or TMNT lines- as well as new, uniquely designed futuristic takes on their signature ninja weapons. Strange as the combination was, it sold- and is one of the more expensive subsets of the classic line to collect, second only to the Universal Monsters Turtles that were their contemporaries!
This Week in Geek: Early March
Less than timely, but let's have a look at the biggest happenings of the nerd world, this week, in geek!
Title of the new Star Wars spinoff revealed!
The first Star Wars spinoff film has finally been announced, with an official title of Rogue One! This has created a good bit of fandom buzz, as 'Rogue One' was the callsign of Wedge Antilles, a minor character from the original trilogy who was part of a popular video game spin-off in the 90's.
New Wonder Woman costume revealed!
DC reveals the latest of Wonder Woman's costumes. She seems to be in a cycle as of late- DC tries to move away from the classic one-piece look with a more 'modern' design, fans react in disgust, and DC moves back to the one piece. When DC will realize the one-piece just works is not evident.
Tim Burton to direct a live-action Dumbo
I take this as very clear proof Disney's live-action studios operate largely on throwing darts at a wall filled with things they own and pulling directors from a hat. It's the only thing that could possibly explain the idea of Dumbo in live-action, much less from Tim Burton.
First look at TV's Supergirl
So, the first picture is out of Melissa Benoist as Supergirl for the upcoming TV series. All I can really say is, well, that's Supergirl. And that is not a bad thing- in fact, it's great. It means they've kept enough of the costume that it's pure, iconic Supergirl look. Yes, it's mildly desaturated, but that might be lighting messing with the image- it's happened before. So the hopes reach higher for the Maid of Might. Here's hoping we're not let down.
Lostalgia: Super 8
 |
| My makeshift setup for my Dualux, showing a frame from 'Cinderella's Fairy Godmother', an extract from Disney's 'Cinderella'. |
I use the general 8 millimeter as technically, there are two formats. Standard 8 millimeter film, and the latecomer Super 8. The format came to prominence first as a format for the recording of home movies. However, soon enough the idea was hit of producing films on the format, and as such, 8 millimeter became the first format of home video. The projectors often varied in reel capacity and sound capability, and as such, most features were cost prohibitive from reel numbers or size. This resulted in some rather creative solutions on part of the studios. The most common is the 'digest' film. The 'digest' film attempts to offer the overall flavor and plot of a film in a highly abridged format, often without the aid of sound either. Most often available in 200 foot or 400 foot reels, the digest usually runs 10 to twenty minutes. Often a company would release separate digests in each size, each focusing on different parts of a film. For example, the Godzilla film 'Ghidrah, the Three Headed Monster' had two silent digests- one 200 foot digest focused on the first fight of the film, and one 400 foot focused on the ending. Similarly, Star Wars had a 200 foot digest that focused on the climactic Death Star trench sequence while a 400 foot digest told the entire story. The other popular way to publish a film was the extract format. The extract format would take a single scene that in itself would be sold as a short subject on Super 8. Comedy and animation often used this format with its animated features, often releasing even cheaper 50 foot reels of single scene gags and the like.
What brought me to the format personally, was an old Sankyo Dualux 2000H, mint in box, we found cleaning out my grandparents' house. Faced with the prospect of having one, I couldn't resist buying a few films to see what it was like. The abridgments themselves are also often interesting to see- though admittedly many have popped up all over the internet, such as this Youtube posting of Castle Films' 8 minute abridging of Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman. The film experience does add to the character of watching a Super 8 film- the audible whir of the spindle motor and the manual threading and focus. It adds a kind of investment that might seem small but keeps you focused on the film, perhaps moreso than modern, easier means. Super 8 is far from dead either- a die-hard fanbase keeps hobby prints around, even of modern films! So if you can get the equipment without dropping much on it, Super 8 is a very fun bit of novelty lostalgia to experience.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)