Learn the secret origin of one of 80s animation’s biggest “WTF?” conundrums…
http://cdn2.themis-media.com/media/global/movies/player/flowplayer.commercial-3.2.5.swf
ALSO! I’ve got an article in this week’s issue, profiling Hollywood filmmaker turned “Homefront” story-developer John Milius.
Badass sez yes, though the source their quoting I can’t make heads nor tails of…
Originally part of the extended “Fantastic Four” family, “The Inhumans” were sort of a dry run at the big-idea cosmic stuff that’d later be such a big part of the Marvel cosmology. They’re a whole hidden race of superhumans of various powers and abilities, the result of alien experiments on early humans creating a seperate, super-evolved strain. In a lot of ways they also seem like any early stab at the X-Men – their King is a guy named Black Bolt who never speaks, because his voice is so loud that even a whisper can level a city. My favorite Inhuman is “Lockjaw,” a bulldog the size of a small car that can teleport. Really.
This sounds really fishy to me – The Inhumans have never been especially popular, and the pitch is really, really out-there (Badass has an anonymous quote implying that they’d be retooled into something a bit more traditionally-superheroic, which would be a bummer) but you never know. FWIW, their origin is tied to aliens called Kree, who’re the nemesis of suspected “Avengers”-heavies The Skrulls.
People who read the book… help me out here:
…is there ANYTHING going on in this that makes it anything other than “Titanic”-but-at-a-Circus? And, if not, am I correct in assuming that that business at the end of this trailer is “The Iceberg?”
Entertainment Weekly has the first full-body view of Hugo Weaving as The Red Skull. As is becoming redundant in the Marvel Studios films, he looks like he just walked off the page… save for the understandable decision to put “HYDRA” insignias where you’d traditionally expect a Swastika or SS logo to go. HYDRA is still a Nazi-affiliate in the movie, of course, but this gets around the thorny problem of selling action figures and Halloween costumes with specific Nazi symbols on them – plus, isn’t it illegal to even PUT a Swastika on something in a lot of Europe at this point?
ALSO: Latino Review sez they know who the villain(s) are in “The Avengers” – actual discussion of THAT after the jump, as it may be considered a SPOILER:
So… Latino Review claims to have confirmed the worst-kept secret in the Marvel Movieverse: The Avengers are up against The Skrulls… and that they’re there as hired guns for “Thor” heavy Loki. Amusingly, if true this makes the plot the most literal “mashing-up” of the traditional “Avengers” origin -where they initially teamed against Loki – and “The Ultimates” where they fought a (boring as hell) reimagining of The Skrulls.
Skrulls – like a lot of the early Marvel concepts – are basically “comic-ized” versions of 50s pulp-scifi tropes; they’re literally an alien race of bug-eyed Little Green Men shape-shifters. They’ll almost-assuredly get some form of makeover for the movie, but I’m hoping they fall a little more on the “Star Trek” side than the “ID4” side – it’d be a trip to have The Avengers swatting around a bunch of pointy-earned green guys in purple onesies; especially if you’ve still got Loki around to be the more serious “big bad.” (I wonder if they’ll opt to use “Ha! I’ve actually been a SKRULL all along!” to write any supporting characters out of the various franchises…)
ALSO: Devin says he knows the basic outline of “Dark Knight Rises.” If he’s right, it mostly gives a big “yes” to most fans’ Occam’s Razor speculations (i.e. what the most likely plot possible was) and doesn’t seem to give away any major twists – at least nothing you couldn’t have guessed at. Still, click with caution.
Title kinda says it all. I’ll be out and about at PAX East this year, so if you see me feel free to say hello 😉
Can’t say at this time exactly what days/times or in what capacity, but I’ll be around.
hat-tip: Chud
I was never all that fond of “Scream,” detested it’s sequels, loathed about 90% of the “modern-slasher” films it inspired and have absolutely no reason to believe that “Scream 4” will be worth anything close to a damn. In other words, I’m the LAST person whose supposed to get excited for a movie that’s basically trying to out-Scream “Scream.” However, when said film comes from Joseph “I Was Neo-Grindhouse Before It Was Cool” Kahn, director of the marvelously insane “Torque” (seriously, click that link – the ONLY good movie to come out of the post-Fast&Furious “gearhead-douchebag” genre) and looks quite literally like “Scream” + cojones? Alright, you’ve got my attention. Yes, even with That Guy in it.
(cross-posted from The Other Blog)
Everything at once maddening yet undeniable about Nintendo’s dual-existence as a corporate entity and Colonial Governor of a generation’s memories; summarized in a single image:
And… there you have it. Waaaay more than half of any fans “on the fence” about the 3DS just made up their mind. That’s another several-million systems presold, regardless of price or availability. Not because of a feature, or because of a full-lineup, or even because of a tangible game… but because they’ve vaguely intimated that we might at some point see Tanooki (re: Raccoon) Mario again after a 22 year absence.
THIS is why everyone else whose ever tried to sell a handheld console went bald early.
The next time I hear someone wonder aloud in false-bewilderment, “why does the rest of the civilized world think Americans are stupid?;” THIS will be my go-to answer…
(obligatory warning that remaining body of post may contain politics and/or opinions thereupon.)
A 9 week-old fetus is being called to testify as a witness before the Ohio State Legislature in support of the so-called “Heartbeat Bill,” which would outlaw any abortion in the state once a heartbeat is detectable.
To be clear: They aren’t speaking in symbolic terms – proponents of the bill, specifically a hardline anti-abortion outfit called “Faith2Action,” are going to bring a pregnant woman before the Legislature and project her live ultrasound onto a screen. This is a real thing, happening in 2011.
I’m honestly dumbstruck that this isn’t a prank of some kind… it’s like something a six year-old would think up as an Earth Day gesture: “Sirs, this my fwend mister squirrel. He wivs in th fowest, and he wants you to pwetty pwease not cut down his house to make the new highway.” The next time they hold hearings about a video-game ban, can I have the testimony of my Nintendog or Level-30 Snorlax read into evidence? Note the almost poetic perfection, incidentally, of the fact that they aren’t simply asking the pregnant woman to speak, eh?
Meanwhile, for the sake of contrast, here’s what “politics of abortion news” looks like in a grownup country, specifically The UK: The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has issued new guidelines for doctors, nurses and counselors of pregnant women considering termination – it is now official policy to inform said women that abortion is generally safer than continuing a pregnancy to term, and that the majority of women do not suffer any psychological harm.
For my international readers, please understand – even though the UK story can be accurately summarized as “doctor’s reminded to tell the truth,” the likelihood of any similar agency even considering using that same language is next to nil. That’s how far behind we are – truth, along with science and facts, are “controversial” in that they offend the sensibilities of those who choose to ignore them.
And people wonder why I’m a pessimist?
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