Saturday, December 3, 2011

Most memorable presents: Diablo, summer of 1997

I ended up with Diablo through sneaky, downright underhanded means. I employed the lack-of-choice method.

MUM: So what are we getting you for Christmas this year?
SUZANNE: Oh. There's there game! It's called Diablo! It's a computer game and Sabrina's got it and I've played it and it's awesome!
MUM: What's it about?
SUZANNE: You fight demons and stuff underneath a cathedral.
MUM: ....Right. So what else do you want for Christmas?
SUZANNE: Just that.
MUM: mmmHmmm.


(cont. after the break...)

Daft Charleston and more music clips

Original b-boys


Amazing!

I have a few more music vids after the jump

Lego Star Wars Advent Calendar Spectacular: Day 3

Behold the door to Day 3, for it is a mighty door. A door to christmas! Can you handle what is behind door number 3?

DAH DAH DAAAAAAAAH

(Follow the jump)

Friday, December 2, 2011

Trailer: Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie!

I've not seen beyond the first season of Tim and Eric, but I should - IMMEDIATELY - because I forget how hilariously obtuse and wonderful it is. If you've never seen it, then it's almost impossible to describe - watching a single segment won't really explain it to you, it's more of an accumulative feeling of pure Dadaist joy. So, luckily Hollywood has given them the princely sum of one billion dollars to make a movie. That's an awful lot of money, but if you were going to trust someone with it then it may as well be these two:


Join me after the jump where I have the trailer for you:

All I Want For Christmas Is Steve Jobs to Come Back, But NOT as a Freakin' Zombie!


If you've followed my personal blog, blogzilly, for any length of time, you pretty much know the full story behind a charitable foundation that sprang forth from an iPad contest gone disastrously wrong over the Spring and Summer earlier this year.

That organization, which came to be known as Mission: iPossible!, went on to complete its Mission One project at a pace I think everyone, myself included, was stunned by.

In some unreal number like 76 days or some such, the Special Needs Community pooled its collective resources, came together and raised slightly more than $11,000.00 to purchase and ship 20 iPads to 20 kids with communication-related disabilities.

Well, we're at it again. Wanna find out more? Then JUMP!


Skyrim bonus post - Robbaz, King of Sweden

I got lost inside a Skyrim dungeon. I went to the internet for help and clicked on what I thought would be a helpful youtube walkthrough. Instead I encountered Robbaz, King of Sweden, and it made me dumber. But man was it worth it. NSFW for glowing viking balls.

The Skyrim Diaries: Eighty hours and counting

WAIT WAIT. Firstly I need to clarify that the Skyrim posts you've read thus far have been by Luke, who has been largely focusing on marrying a wench, killing elves and filling a house with cheese. I am not he. I have been playing this game, in earnest, for more than eighty hours now, and whilst I've only just managed to finish that central quest (YEEAAH) I still have what probably amounts to an additional 100+ hours of sidequests, quest chains, draconic Words of Power to find, cities to become the Thane of, battles to fight in, dragons to kick back into the well of eternity. Life is good.


So I thought I'd drop by to share my thoughts thus far on the game which ultimately I don't think anyone has a bad word to say about (I will try). Skyrim has redefined Epic, and the gaming world is almightily happy.

Additional thoughts after the jump...

Lego Star Wars Advent Calendar Spectacular: Day 2

Ok, it's go time. Today we dive into the second day of the Lego Star Wars Advent Calendar Spectacular. What is behind this crazy door?


Make the Jump!

Thank Gif It's Friday

Most Memorable Presents: VHS MEGA-HAUL!

In the very early 1990's my Grandmother bought myself and my two brothers a TON of VHS tapes for Christmas. At the time, some of these movies weren't that easy to come across, but my Grandmother worked at the Pennsauken Mart... which was almost like an indoor flea market made up of full-time shops. Kind of like the dirt mall in Mallrats.

The Mart was the best. You could get pizza, soft pretzels, swords, guitars, belt buckles, action figures, magazines, lottery tickets, airbrushed artwork, lingerie, toy robots and pretty much everything else that is awesome. There was also a huge video store that had very movie ever (and then more movies).
My Grandmother tripled our whole VHS collection on that Christmas day. It's safe to say that this gift defined most of my youth.

Click through the jump to see the AWESOME movies we received!

John Carter Mars trailers

Here's some of the latest trailers for the Andrew Stanton directed film of "John Carter Mars"



this is the teaser that adds a little more story



I like the extra work in the casting, costume design, makeup, cinematography, lighting and grading to get John Carters nipples looking just right. That's the Pixar magic right there

Thursday, December 1, 2011

HOLY SHIT CATS

This movie speaks to me


by TomSka

Lego Star Wars Advent Calendar Spectacular: Day 1

Its time for that fantastic time of year where we count down to the greatest holiday ever! In years past, we have done so with epic adventures and advent calendars, but what about this year? WORRY NO MORE GENTLE FRIEND! I present to you the Lego Star Wars Advent Calendar Spectacular!!!




Join us after the jump as I try to figure out how to open this.

Mall Santa's Beard Gets Caught While Repelling Down From Above

I feel bad for everyone involved EXCEPT TWO PEOPLE

1. The person who thought this was a good idea.
2. Santa's Little Helper who doesn't really help.

Also, the person on the microphone (She should be called MicGyver from now on) deserves some props for holding it all together. I would hire her for any event in case of disaster.

December Deal: Doctor Whoville T- Shirt!

...speaking of Christmas, check out the shirt on TeeFury today!


I still have yet to see a single episode of Doctor Who (it's so overwhelming to even start), but I know a few people who would LOVE this. It'll make a cheap gift at just $10 plus shipping. Be quick though, it's only available for 24 hours and the clock is ticking!

Doctor Whoville by Ian Leino at TeeFury.com

A letter to Momo

It's been 11 years but we finally have a new film by the director of "Jin-Roh" Hiroyuki Okiura


This is what is going on since this trailer is unsubbed or dubbed:

"Momo is a shy and imaginative 13-year-old girl who is suffering because of her father's recent death and the resultant extreme changes in her life. From the big city of Tokyo, Momo's family moves to her mother's childhood home, a remote island named Shio. Momo does not adapt well to her new surroundings. Her father left her an unfinished letter containing only two words, "Dear Momo". As she tries to make sense of these two words and guess what her father was trying to tell her, some strange incidents occur on the island, which is otherwise tranquil. People's orchards are ransacked by an unknown person, and some of their prized belongings start to go missing. Momo also starts to hear strange sounds coming from the attic in her house


Momo's mother refuses to believe Momo about the strange sounds from the attic, so Momo herself embarks on an adventure to discover the source of these disturbances. During her investigations, Momo meets up with Kawa, Mame and leader Iwa, a group of imps, each of which have a different personality. In addition, Momo discovers that the mysterious two-word letter from her father is connected to all the strange occurrences, and to her arrival at Shio"


Most Memorable Presents: Rad Cap.

Welcome Fruitless Pursuit's huge holiday coverage! We are all hyped up, sugar-craving, trigger happy consumers and we are hoping to cram as much festive tomfoolery into December as your sensitive stomachs can take. December is the greatest month of the year!

I'm going to get the (shiny decorative) ball rolling with our new regular feature where contributors reminisce on some of their most memorable (for good or bad) Christmas presents. What truly surprised you? What horrified or disappointed you? What was right, or wrong, or still sticks in your mind?

For me, it was the heady year of 1995. I was 19 - a young man trying to forge my identity in the world - and for the first time becoming really interested in music and starting to develop my own unique tastes. Cassettes were long dead, but MP3's were still a mystery. If you wanted music on the go, then a discman was probably the preferred method of delivery. Unless...

My grandparents sent me a "Rad Cap". It was like a big old trucker cap, but it had an AM/FM radio sewn onto the side with a tuning dial and a volume knob. It had tiny built-in headphones but - before you go thinking it was too discrete - it had an extendable antenna that slid out of the top, making the wearer look like a 1950's moon man.

But this is where it gets better.... If it wasn't already rad enough, it was light grey and had a bold pink graffiti style logo on the front that said: "Rad Cap", so really there was never any doubt about how audaciously radical it was. Everyone knew it just by looking at it, and for a young single man finding his way in the world, what an incredibly powerful statement.

All images of said cap appear to have been suppressed (possibly for fear of inciting a rad-riot). So here's my artist's impression:


Of course, I never wore it, but I did keep it for many, many years (and was recently distressed to discover that I could no longer find it). I've always loved my grandparents very dearly, and they weren't afraid to be quirky, and they always tried (and usually succeeded - I can't think of any other gift that I didn't love). But I will never forget that Rad Cap, which really did shock and intimidate me as an awkward young man, but managed to weirdly fascinate me as well. As my grandmother said, "Now you can have music wherever you go."

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

An animated tribute to Drive

There is some scene spoilers and stylised violence in this damm pretty animated tribute to one of my favourite movies of 2011 "Drive"


The film was made by Tom Haugomat & Bruno Mangyoku

Make sure you checka out their blogs! Oh and I have a few more of their films after the jump

Risk Legacy - Unboxing and First Game Session (Lots of Images!)

I picked up Risk Legacy on Black Friday and patiently waited until Saturday night to open it and play our first session. If you don't know anything about Risk Legacy, it's a new Risk game where you modify the board, cities, armies, and more as you play the game. The modifications are permanent and after 15 games you have your own Risk game that was created by you and your group. A very cool concept that's really original. (See my previous post for first impressions from other players)

The whole experience of Risk Legacy starts as soon as you open the box.


Click through the jump for my unboxing photos and a recap of our first session. There are some minor spoilers ahead, but just a few to give you a feel for the unique style of the game.

My Skyrim Diary: I Will Fill My House With Cheeses!

It's been weeks since I shared my first Skyrim Diary where I regaled you with epic tales of bloodthirsty, horn-helmed adventure! And much has happened to my heavy eye-linered, alt rock, Nordic wench since then! Yes, I've become a werewolf, led the Companions, became a homeowner, joined the Thieves Guild, battle witches, pwned pirates, murdered dragons, and inadvertently managed to lose many very expensive horses.

But those are all run-of-the-mill experiences! Anybody can experience those, and I'll wager that many of you reading have already done just that! So what of the unique experiences - the adventures that were enjoyed by my character, and my character alone? Skyrim is a vast, open world and it was time for me to carve out my niche and find my own destiny! And then it hit me...

I will fill my home with an inordinate amount of cheese!


To read about my rapidly blossoming cheese empire, join me after the jump!

Movember Day 30: Ambrose Burnside

Sadly we've come to the end of our glorious month of mo's, but I'm going to send Movember out with a bang by featuring a literal pioneer of facial hair cultivation.


This guy is Ambrose Everett Burnside, who according to Wikipedia was an American soldier, railroad executive, inventor, industrialist, and politician from Rhode Island. But we don't care about those things! We care about his triumphant face-forest! This guy grew such badass facial hair that they had to come up with a new name for the badassery. Burnside was the guy that SIDEBURNS were named after. What a total dude.

We hope you enjoyed Movember just as much as we did, and though many moustaches will be meeting their death at the hands of a razor tomorrow, they will live on in our memories forever. Or until next year, at least.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Super Mario 3D Land - Two Sentence Review


After 15 years, I still can't get the hang of 3D (non-sidescrolling) Mario games. That being said, this game looks and plays beautifully.

Polysics - Domo Arigato Mr Roboto


 Man this robot is a jerk.

Handmade Portraits: The Sword Maker


Korehira Watanabe is one of the last remaining Japanese swordsmiths. He has spent 40 years honing his craft in an attempt to recreate Koto, a type of sword that dates back to the Heian and Kamakura periods (794-1333 AD). No documents remain to provide context for Watanabe’s quest, but he believes he has come close to creating a replica of this mythical samurai sword.

Laserman Electronica 2011


Finally we are one step closer to that future the 80s promised us.

Another Quick, Spoiler-Free Two Sentence Review of The Muppets


Every part was great, but those parts as a whole were only alright. I was entertained, and its definitely the best one post-Henson by far.

Free Justice League Comic Book in Lucky Charms Cereal... Reviewed By A Four Year Old!

While my one year old twins are fighting over the marshmallows in our fresh new box of Lucky Charms, my four year old daughter went right for the free comic book and Batman face mask.



While she's really into pop culture (Star Wars, Muppets), I don't think I've ever read her a superhero comic. At 22 pages, this was surprisingly lengthy, especially considering a digital comic of that size costs more than the entire box of cereal. I bumbled a bit through the dialogue, (like when Green Lantern was being referred to as "GL") and I even confused myself when there were a bunch of heavy plot-resolving action scenes all squeezed into the last few panels, but she stuck with it until the very end.

So... what did she think?

What's Out? 30th of Movember 2011



It's a rainy final day of Movember here and I am running on very little sleep. Let's see if it is worth trekking over to the comic shop today, shall we?

Movember Day 29: Salvador Dali

I am completely and ridiculously surprised that this truly amazing mo has taken so long to emerge this month. Who could forget such an obviously insane peice of facewear? Not I.


Putting aside my complete dislike of Surrealism and most people involved with it, I can't help but be impressed by the mo. Simple. Stupid. Unfeasibly difficult to maintain. An appropriate perch for small monkeys. How could this possibly go wrong??

Monday, November 28, 2011

Movember: John Waters and the Pencil-Thin Moustache

Although small in size, the pencil-thin John Waters moustache packs a big punch. It has it's own Facebook profile, it's own Jimmy Buffet song, and it's even being copied by modern day mega-star, Justin Bieber.



If you want to look like Justin Bieber, here are some tips from Mr. Waters himself:
I shave it with a Bic razor or whatever kind of razor from the top every day. Use cuticle, nail cuticles to cut it on the bottom. And then if it’s a little gray or you miss a place you just sketch it in with Maybelline Velvet Black, which is my favorite. And I tried the expensive kind, the smear-proof kind, the waterproof kind, but they just don’t do it like Maybelline. And it has to be sharpened every time. And those little sharpeners break all the time, but I keep buying them and I have them in every place I live, in my car.  

Kickstart the Week: D-Day Dice Board Game by Rik Falch

As a board game enthusiast / amateur designer and an ex-Kickstarter-er (1 success - 1 failure) as well as a fan and supporter of the crowd-sourcing model...  I couldn't pass up mentioning this project. Why is that? Because it's the highest grossing board game project yet, and it still has 10 days left! It's currently at $87,605. The original goal amount was $13,000. What is so special about this project? My thoughts are that it's very well designed, it's very well established, and people love war games. Check out the video below to see it for yourself.



Click through the jump for more details.

Comics Face: Complaints of the Horrible.

Comics Face Archive (some NSFW)



Under the Man-croscope: Street Sharks!


The Man-croscope - a devastating mechanism that coldly scrutinizes that which you held dear as a child, and mocks it with the unsatisfied eyes of an unfulfilled adult! Where will the Man-croscope turn its gaze this week?

I am going to brazenly buck Man-croscope tradition this week. Normally I would focus on something from the eighties that I had some form of personal experience with as a child, but instead this one goes out to our younger readers. I'm going to turn the Man-croscope on the heady year of 1994, when I'd already graduated from high school, but you were still a shiftless, filthy child looking for chunky plastic effigies to chew on. Let's talk about something that I completely missed and fail to understand. Oh yes, let's talk about... Street Sharks!


Join me after the jump to dissect the most hideous bad taste abominations ever known to man or beast!

Clone Wars Recap S4 E11: Kidnapped!

Now that giant Muppet Jedi bastard Krell has been dispatched, it's time to embark on a brand new adventure - this time starring rockstar dude-bros Anakin and Obi Wan! Wait... whaaa!? After such a long hiatus, do we even remember who these guys are? Obi What Ken-What-Now?


A tribe of Togruta colonists are missing and the truth behind their disappearance has potential to drive Anakin Skywalker totally darkside wacky! Let's get to the bottom of this tomfoolery after the jump!

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Ulysees 31 live action version

I didn't know there was a live action version of Ulysees 31!!!

 

Man I loved that cartoon

Bad Dads “An Art Show Tribute To Wes Anderson”

This exhibit just closed last night (way to be on top of the news), but now everything is available for sale! Some of the bigger one of a kind pieces are already gone, but the prints are all still available, as well as some of the unique art. If I had $750, I would be placing an order right now on a Royal Tenenbaums painting set to go with my prop telephone from the film. (Disney had an awesome eBay auction as soon as the movie was released and I bought the yellow phone from Royal's makeshift hospital room for $200.)

Casey Weldon “Murray Time” 

As expected, the exhibit was very Life Aquatic heavy, with a good amount of Fantastic Mr. Fox and Royal Tenenbaums. There were a few Rushmore and Darjeeling Limited pieces, and only one representing Bottle Rocket. Although it isn't his most visually appealing film, it's the one that started it all and was missed greatly.

Steven Foundling "For Esteban!" 

For the whole collection visit Spoke-Art's website at http://store.spoke-art.com/category/bad-dads-a-wes-anderson-tribute-original-works. For a small taste of it, click through the jump.