Wednesday, April 07, 2010

Movie News: Welcome Back, Xander.

Immortals



Hot on the heels of Percy Jackson and Clash of the Times comes a third Greek mythology film called Immortals. It'll star Henry Cavill (The Tudors) as Theseus, who joins the Greek gods to fight the Titans. Kellan Lutz (Twilight) will play Poseidon, John Hurt is Zeus, Mickey Rourke will be King Hyperion, and Isabel Lucas (Transformers 2, Daybreakers) plays Athena. It'll be directed by Tarsem Singh (The Cell) who plans to shoot it "in Renaissance painting style." [/Film]

Three Musketeers director



There are a couple of Three Musketeers movies in the works. One by Paul WS Anderson (Resident Evil) and one by the guy who produced Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes. The second of those has a director now: Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity, Mr. and Mrs. Smith). [/Film]

National Treasure 3 writers



I suppose that one day I could tired of these, but not yet. In fact, they're about the only Nicholas Cage movies I trust anymore. This third one's being written by the guys who wrote the Prince of Persia film. [/Film]

Xander Cage, Black Widow, Alfred Hitchcock, Resident Evil, Buck Rogers, Godzilla, and the real Runaways after the break.

Tuesday, April 06, 2010

Kooks in the Congo: Congo Maisie and Road to Zanzibar

Congo Maisie (1940)

When I sat down to watch Congo Maisie all I knew was that it was a movie about a Brooklyn chorus girl (Ann Sothern) who gets stranded in the jungle. I expected some hijinks and not much else, so I was taken by surprise by the plot that was actually kind of thoughtful and complicated.

What I didn’t know was that it was the first of a long line of sequels to 1939’s Maisie. Other installments (ten films in all) have her joining the Gold Rush, entering the world of boxing, building airplanes for the war, graduating business school, and becoming a spy. I can see why it was a successful series. Sothern’s undeniably charming in the role.

In Congo Maisie she’s in Africa trying to get to a gig, but she stows away on the wrong boat and ends up heading upriver deep into the jungle. The only other passenger on the ship is a grumpy, selfish businessman named Michael Shane who’s heading back to his rubber plantation after a brief stay in civilization. There’s a bit of a mystery around Shane. The riverboat captain keeps calling him “Doc,” which ticks Shane off. When the boat breaks down and has to put the passengers ashore until repairs are made, we find out why.

The deal with Shane (and also Crosby and Hope) after the break.

Movie News: Blackbeard's daughter and Frankenstein's hottie

Blackbeard's Daughter



Penelope Cruz's role in Pirates of the Caribbean 4 has been announced as Blackbeard's daughter. Since she's also a potential love interest for Captain Jack Sparrow and this man is her dad, this should be a blast. [MTV]

A Film with Me in It



I love the premise of this comedy about an unlucky man whose friends and acquaintances keep dying from unbelievable accidents that clearly look like he murdered them. Check out the trailer and see if you don't too.

Don McKay



I'm not sure what it is about the trailer for Don McKay that makes me so interested. I like Thomas Haden Church, but he carries the same, stunned facial expression throughout the entire trailer. I also like Elisabeth Shue, but that's largely out of nostalgia for Adventures in Babysitting. Maybe I'm just in the mood for a steamy thriller about a woman manipulating her former lover into murdering someone in the deep South.

Frankenstein, Captain America, and more Johnny Depp (as a spy this time) after the break.

Quote of the Week: Boys Don't Read



Teachers have said to me, it’s not that boys don’t read; it’s that they don’t read what we think they should be reading.
--Francoise Mouly on the myth that boys don't like to read. [Robot 6]

Monday, April 05, 2010

Awesome List: Obama and Nerds

I realize now that I should've just put those two videos in the Awesome List too. Apparently I'm having a hard time getting back into the swing of things.

Barack Obama Looking at Awesome Things



Bearsharktopus-Man [Robot 6]

This Settles It



I gave up trying to differentiate between Geeks and Nerds a long time ago (much less insisting that I'm one or the other), but if I had to settle on some definitions, I'd lean towards the ones presented in this Venn Diagram. [/Film]

How to Make a BioShock Statue Out of a Tree

At least, this is how Jason Voorhees does it.

OK Go vs Rube Goldberg

Today's going to be kind of an Odds and Ends day. This has made most of the rounds already, but if you haven't already seen it, here's OK Go's Rube Goldberg Device video for "This Too Shall Pass."



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Art Show: Cutethroat

This is a smaller Art Show today as I clear out my folder.

Sea of Blood



By Jesper Ejsing. [Illustrateurs]

Pirate Chick



By Sabrina Miramon.

Crocodiles Bite



By Christopher Bennett.

Zatanna



By Shaye Dowe.

Thunder God



By Mike Deodato. [Giant-Size Marvel]

Sunday, April 04, 2010

Art Show: The Unbelievable Secret of the Sasquatch!

Aquaman



By Nick Kilislian.

Sea Monster Approaches Beach Boys c.1969 to Get Pet Sounds Signed



By John Allison. [Robot 6]

Sasquatch, a four-armed ape, and John Berkey after the break.


Saturday, April 03, 2010

Art Show: It's not the real thing. It's just a fantasy.

On the Rope



By Travis Hanson.

King Neptune



By Eric Kincaid. [Illustrateurs; who also has a very nice mermaid picture by Kincaid]

The Black Arrow



By NC Wyeth. [Golden Age Comic Book Stories]

Conan



By Jean Pierre Targete. [Illustrateurs]

Dragon



By Berni Wrightson. [Golden Age Comic Book Stories]

Beast Rider



By Travis Hanson.

The Sword of Ardenois



By Etienne Willem. [Illustrateurs]

John Carter of Mars



By Tom Fowler. [ComicTwart]

Captain Peanut Butter



By Jeremy Vanhoozer.

Canadian Space Girl



By Lucio Alberto Ruiz-Diaz.

Sue said to tell you "Raaar." (That's Dinosaur for "Hello.")



We had a great time in Chicago, but it's nice to be home and getting into routine again. Or what passes for routine lately, anyway. I'm still getting pictures uploaded to Flickr and organized, but you can head on over and see what's there so far if you want. Dinosaurs were visited, pizza and hot dogs were eaten, Rock Band was played, and cephalopods recoiled in terror from the presence of mortal enemies. It was a very successful trip.

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