Monday, October 31, 2011
Daily poster: Halloween.
Halloween.
What more can be said about the daddy of slasher films? It is perfection.
Poster courtesy of Wrong Side of the Art.
What more can be said about the daddy of slasher films? It is perfection.
Poster courtesy of Wrong Side of the Art.
I love this photograph.
I'm not sure why the photo was taken, perhaps to fool the public or simply for a laugh. I believe it was first published on the back of the Halloween soundtrack LP. I had the record as a kid and this picture always confused the hell out of me. It sits, innocuously, within a collage of other stills from the film, silently waiting to confuse the ten year olds of the world.
I'm not sure why the photo was taken, perhaps to fool the public or simply for a laugh. I believe it was first published on the back of the Halloween soundtrack LP. I had the record as a kid and this picture always confused the hell out of me. It sits, innocuously, within a collage of other stills from the film, silently waiting to confuse the ten year olds of the world.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Laughing church.
A friend of a friend goes to a "laughing church." I'm not exactly sure what a laughing church is, but this is exactly how I imagine it.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Daily poster: Race with the Devil.
Race with the Devil.
Peter Fonda and Warren Oates are out riding their motorcycles around the countryside. Their wives, Hot Lips from MASH and Lara Parker are taking care of the dog and the RV.
The guys witness a Satanic ritual. A girl is sacrificed to the Dark Lord and the cult sees Fonda and Oates watching. The chase is on.
Race with the Devil is a suspense (not quite horror) chase film. The pacing is fantastic. The acting is sturdy. Warren Oates is one of my favorite actors of all time and it's kind of cool to see him do something this light feeling. His character's intentions and motivations are right there on the screen. Not a typical role for Oates but even his silent glances mean something. His yawning in a background shot while in the police cruiser says something.
The action in Race with the Devil actually peaks with a Road Warrior like car chase/battle, no kidding. There is a car roll and a dolly-in-music crescendo on Peter Fonda that nearly matches a shot in The Road Warror.
The film is a lot of fun. I read somewhere that Kevin Smith said that Race with the Devil was a big influence on his film Red State. Maybe I will have to see that film.
Poster courtesy of Wrong Side of the Art.
If the film peaks your interest. Don't watch the trailer, watch the film with fresh eyeballs.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
Daily poster: Pumpkinhead.
Pumpkinhead.
What an insane poster for Pumpkinhead. Makes it look like some alien invasion, slasher film.
One thing I loved about Pumpkinhead is how he didn't kill his victims quickly and methodically. He bludgeoned them to death with big 'ol Yeti slaps.
Poster courtesy of Wrong Side of the Art.
What an insane poster for Pumpkinhead. Makes it look like some alien invasion, slasher film.
One thing I loved about Pumpkinhead is how he didn't kill his victims quickly and methodically. He bludgeoned them to death with big 'ol Yeti slaps.
Poster courtesy of Wrong Side of the Art.
Zombie in a Penguin Suit.
One of the best zombie movies in years. I'll qualify that by saying that I have not seen The Dead yet.
Killing Joke puppet show.
A stick puppet version of Batman: The Killing Joke, by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland.
The backdrop is super cool.
My wife is in Mexico, so you are on your own in translating the project's description.
Really cool.
(thanks Sean.)
M Proyecto de Teatro de Sombras
Adaptacion de la novela gráfica "La Broma Mortal" de Alan Moore y Brian Bolland.
- Oscar Andrés Rodriguez
- Juan Miguel Zamarripa
- Jesus Antonio Rodriguez
- Hugo Jesus Ayala
En este relato de locura y perseverancia humana, el Guasón, buscando probar que cualquier hombre puede ser empujado hasta el limite y perder la cordura, pretende volver loco al Comisionado Gordon. Batman deberá probar su propia cordura en el intento de detener a este demente, en un enfrentamiento que definirá sus destinos.Si es diferente a como lo recuerdan, ¡es por que aveces lo recuerdo de una forma y a veces de otra! ;D
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Super President's secret identity.
Are you kidding me? I had never heard of Super President until last night. This is insane.
From Wikipedia:
"Super President was an American animated cartoon that aired Saturday mornings on NBC from September 16, 1967 to December 28, 1968. The series was produced by the DePatie-Freleng animation company."
So, the president is given super powers from a cosmic storm. He can now make his body into just about any element he wishes. He dons a mask and superhero suit and what does the most powerful man in the world, the president of the United States call his superhero identity? Why, Super President of course. Hahahhahahahhhh. It's such utter nonsense. I love it.
Despite the craziness of the premise the animation in the the opening looks halfway decent.
Here are a few more clips. I wish I could find more.
Worstcartoonsever.com don't have too much more information on the series.
The Bad Movie Report has a bit more information.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Lord Death Man by Sam Mickens
Death Man was a Batman villain who menaced the Dark Knight and Robin in Batman #180. A couple of months later Death Man became Lord Death Man and popped up in Japan's manga version of Batman.
More recently, Lord Death Man appeared in Grant Morrison's Batman Inc.
Now, Lord Death Man, master of secret yoga resurrection techniques, has his own theme song courtesy of Sam Mickens.
Lord Death Man by Tchalla
You can learn more about Mickens song and album at Comics Alliance and at his website.
Comics Alliance also has a great overview of Lord Death Man HERE.
(Thanks Nik.)
Friday, October 21, 2011
Daily poster: Blood and Black Lace.
Blood and Black Lace.
One of the first giallo films and one of the first slasher films, Blood and Black Lace is a classic suspense and horror film.
By 1964, the whodunit had gotten stale and director, Maria Bava, originally a cinematographer, decided to focus on the suspense of the murder scenes and on to center the story on the beautiful, female victims rather than on the police working the case.
These small changes became the foundation for the giallo genre and subsequently for the American slasher genre.
It's hard to watch Blood and Black Lace with fresh eyes. Throughout, you can see the drippings of this classic in countless other films. The music, the costumes, the scenes, the makeup, Blood and Black Lace has been pinched from endlessly.
One other funny note. The male voices are almost all dubbed by one actor, Paul Frees. Mr. Frees is probably best known for his voice in the first room of The Haunted Mansion at Disneyland.
Poster courtesy of Wrong Side of the Art.
One of the first giallo films and one of the first slasher films, Blood and Black Lace is a classic suspense and horror film.
By 1964, the whodunit had gotten stale and director, Maria Bava, originally a cinematographer, decided to focus on the suspense of the murder scenes and on to center the story on the beautiful, female victims rather than on the police working the case.
These small changes became the foundation for the giallo genre and subsequently for the American slasher genre.
It's hard to watch Blood and Black Lace with fresh eyes. Throughout, you can see the drippings of this classic in countless other films. The music, the costumes, the scenes, the makeup, Blood and Black Lace has been pinched from endlessly.
One other funny note. The male voices are almost all dubbed by one actor, Paul Frees. Mr. Frees is probably best known for his voice in the first room of The Haunted Mansion at Disneyland.
Poster courtesy of Wrong Side of the Art.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Andrew is out of control.
Why haven't I heard about this film before? Why does the trailer only have 302 hits?
Gave me goose bumps.
The new and improved Spider Man.
This comic was published yesterday on Burning Monster. It's pretty right on.
For those that aren't in the know, the Ultimate Marvel comics version of Peter Parker was killed. A boy named Miles Morales has become the new Spider-Man. The death of Peter Parker would probably been controversial enough, but the fact that Miles Morales is of Latino and African American descent has some fans pissed off.
I think the move is incredibly positive. My first reaction was, 'Spider-Man should have been black from the start.' His story is an American urban story about an outsider given incredible powers and the subsequent ways in which he deals with those powers. As Uncle Ben said, "With great power, comes great responsibility."
Until The Falcon came along in 1969, The Black Panther was the only major black superhero. The Black Panther is the king of an African country. He is not American. He is not an outsider.He's a rich, industrialist, king. Not so easy to relate to.
The writing in the new Ultimate Spider-Man is clean and the emotional notes hit perfectly. Miles Morales in two issues (maybe #3 is out, I have to go check) is a layered character. The Morales family is established through spot on dialog and expressive art. There is not a lot of action in the first two issues but the story doesn't need it.
My only complaint is one that I have with a lot of current comics. They take their visual cues from motion picture directing and consequently waste a lot of page space attempting to create tension. You can read a modern comic in less than two minutes.
I highly recommend the new Ultimate Spider-Man.
For those that aren't in the know, the Ultimate Marvel comics version of Peter Parker was killed. A boy named Miles Morales has become the new Spider-Man. The death of Peter Parker would probably been controversial enough, but the fact that Miles Morales is of Latino and African American descent has some fans pissed off.
I think the move is incredibly positive. My first reaction was, 'Spider-Man should have been black from the start.' His story is an American urban story about an outsider given incredible powers and the subsequent ways in which he deals with those powers. As Uncle Ben said, "With great power, comes great responsibility."
Until The Falcon came along in 1969, The Black Panther was the only major black superhero. The Black Panther is the king of an African country. He is not American. He is not an outsider.He's a rich, industrialist, king. Not so easy to relate to.
The writing in the new Ultimate Spider-Man is clean and the emotional notes hit perfectly. Miles Morales in two issues (maybe #3 is out, I have to go check) is a layered character. The Morales family is established through spot on dialog and expressive art. There is not a lot of action in the first two issues but the story doesn't need it.
My only complaint is one that I have with a lot of current comics. They take their visual cues from motion picture directing and consequently waste a lot of page space attempting to create tension. You can read a modern comic in less than two minutes.
I highly recommend the new Ultimate Spider-Man.
A new slew of Mondo posters.
These will sell out, so get your booty over HERE and buy one.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
David Petersen and Jeremy Bastian on world building.
World Building with Bastian & Petersen from David Petersen on Vimeo.
Jeremy Bastian & I presented a slideshow and discussion on world building at Detroit Fanfare this year. We showed examples in our work about how we tackle the idea of creating a fictional world for our readers that is believable and cohesive. We had a fair amount of people asking if the presentation would be available online. So Jeremy and I recorded a new version of the presentation for the web. I think if you are a creator working on a fictional world (or aspire to be) or are a fan of fictional worlds and our books, that you will enjoy the video.
Posting this presentation felt a bit static though. At a panel we can interact with the audience and leave plenty of room for Q&A. So next Monday (10-24-2011) at 8pm EST, Jeremy and I will do a live Ustream (link: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/davidpetersen) to answer your questions about creating, writing, & drawing a fictional world. (we plan to record this as well so if you can't make it, you can watch it later)So enjoy the video below, and catch us this Friday on Ustream for the follow-up!
Prank.
I'm normally not big on pranks but this one is so simple, non-dangerous, not too humiliating, and somewhat elegant, I can't stop laughing.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Daily poster: The Thing.
The Thing.
I love this poster.
The Thing prequel opened this weekend, tonight, I guess. I'm not hearing good things. I was very afraid they would pull an Alien -- Aliens switch on us. The first film was a horror film and the second was an action film. The creature was revealed to the public, it's features were normalized and all there was left to do was to throw in MORE of them. It worked with Alien -- Aliens, and it sounds like they tried that pattern with The Thing -- The Thing and it failed. Too bad.
I do feel like CG is now at a level where it can work for me. I believed it in the Rise of the Planet of the Apes. They got me. I did not know ALL the apes were CG and I believed them every step of the way. I felt for Caesar. I felt sympathy and sadness and excitement. I think some really good story telling and CG could get fear to work for me as well.
The big point for me, and it's probably a trivial thing to most, is that at one point in The Thing, it has GOT to look exactly like the Carpenter version. Where they cross over has got to look exactly the same. Same Norwegian helicopter, same guys, same dog, exactly the same. I hear they failed on this point. This detail will probably keep my $10 in my pocket. Sounds petty, but it speaks volumes to me about their commitment to the property.
Sounds like The Thing, as a film, is also a disfigured, partial, alien, clone version of the 80's The Thing. We all knew it would be. So, go throw the Carpenter (or even the original, it's damn good as well) version back into your DVD or blu-ray player. In my opinion it is one of the few PERFECT films, not a frame is off.
And here's the fantabulous musical trailer that's been making the rounds. Thanks Mike for sending it my way.
I love this poster.
The Thing prequel opened this weekend, tonight, I guess. I'm not hearing good things. I was very afraid they would pull an Alien -- Aliens switch on us. The first film was a horror film and the second was an action film. The creature was revealed to the public, it's features were normalized and all there was left to do was to throw in MORE of them. It worked with Alien -- Aliens, and it sounds like they tried that pattern with The Thing -- The Thing and it failed. Too bad.
I do feel like CG is now at a level where it can work for me. I believed it in the Rise of the Planet of the Apes. They got me. I did not know ALL the apes were CG and I believed them every step of the way. I felt for Caesar. I felt sympathy and sadness and excitement. I think some really good story telling and CG could get fear to work for me as well.
The big point for me, and it's probably a trivial thing to most, is that at one point in The Thing, it has GOT to look exactly like the Carpenter version. Where they cross over has got to look exactly the same. Same Norwegian helicopter, same guys, same dog, exactly the same. I hear they failed on this point. This detail will probably keep my $10 in my pocket. Sounds petty, but it speaks volumes to me about their commitment to the property.
Sounds like The Thing, as a film, is also a disfigured, partial, alien, clone version of the 80's The Thing. We all knew it would be. So, go throw the Carpenter (or even the original, it's damn good as well) version back into your DVD or blu-ray player. In my opinion it is one of the few PERFECT films, not a frame is off.
And here's the fantabulous musical trailer that's been making the rounds. Thanks Mike for sending it my way.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Spit in your face and laugh.
My grandfather gave this fellow to our family when I was a wee lad. You would pull his tie and he would spit in your face and then laugh at you for a minute or two. He's so ugly, he scared quite a few of my friends back in the day.
I needed some eyeballs for some makeup effect I was creating as a teenager and the old guy's eyes got plucked. His tongue was also some sort of soft plastic and it has rotted away.
Here's a Santa Claus version.
(for Mike M.)
I needed some eyeballs for some makeup effect I was creating as a teenager and the old guy's eyes got plucked. His tongue was also some sort of soft plastic and it has rotted away.
Here's a Santa Claus version.
(for Mike M.)
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Monday, October 10, 2011
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Saturday's ninja Ho-down!
Godfrey Ho made about a ninja film a week in the eighties. I've only seen about a half dozen films from his catalog of masterpieces. This week we picked seven of our favorite Godfrey Ho ninja trailers.
If you saw a ninja film where the ninja were wearing headbands with the word "Ninja" on them, welcome to the club, you've seen a Godfrey Ho ninja film. You're one of us. One of us. One of us. One of us.
If you saw a ninja film where the ninja were wearing headbands with the word "Ninja" on them, welcome to the club, you've seen a Godfrey Ho ninja film. You're one of us. One of us. One of us. One of us.
Friday, October 7, 2011
Ninja duel.
Ninja from Olivier Trudeau on Vimeo.
A short stop motion film about an old fashioned ninja duel.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Thursday's ninja Ho-down!
Godfrey Ho made about a ninja film a week in the eighties. I've only seen about a half dozen films from his catalog of masterpieces. This week we picked seven of our favorite Godfrey Ho ninja trailers.
If you saw a ninja film where the ninja were wearing headbands with the word "Ninja" on them, welcome to the club, you've seen a Godfrey Ho ninja film. You're one of us. One of us. One of us. One of us.
If you saw a ninja film where the ninja were wearing headbands with the word "Ninja" on them, welcome to the club, you've seen a Godfrey Ho ninja film. You're one of us. One of us. One of us. One of us.
Mastermind Ninja.
The Shawnimals ninja of the month is Mastermind Ninja.
Mastermind Ninja went on sale yesterday for $30.
His motto is "The world is a giant chessboard, filled with pawns...." and he comes with:
Mastermind Ninja went on sale yesterday for $30.
His motto is "The world is a giant chessboard, filled with pawns...." and he comes with:
- A handmade ~ 7" x 7" plush Ninja limited to 100 pcs.
- Signed and numbered fancy hang tag
- Fun accessories – Mr. Demon bling and a pet Lumpbox!
- A character sticker
- A character button
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Tuesday's ninja Ho-down!
Godfrey Ho made about a ninja film a week in the eighties. I've only seen about a half dozen films from his catalog of masterpieces. This week we picked seven of our favorite Godfrey Ho ninja trailers.
If you saw a ninja film where the ninja were wearing headbands with the word "Ninja" on them, welcome to the club, you've seen a Godfrey Ho ninja film. You're one of us. One of us. One of us. One of us.
If you saw a ninja film where the ninja were wearing headbands with the word "Ninja" on them, welcome to the club, you've seen a Godfrey Ho ninja film. You're one of us. One of us. One of us. One of us.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Path of Blood - Demon at the Crossroads of Destiny.
Path of Blood - Demon at the Crossroads of Destiny.
"When a lone samurai sets his course towards the path of blood, unknown dangers and terror awaits. Will his great swordsmanship be enough to survive the treacherous demon lord and his minions? Path of Blood is a highly stylized paper animated short film that promises more paper cuts than you can handle.
Animated/Directed by Eric Power"
Monday's ninja Ho-down!
Godfrey Ho made about a ninja film a week in the eighties. I've only seen about a half dozen films from his catalog of masterpieces. This week we picked seven of our favorite Godfrey Ho ninja trailers.
If you saw a ninja film where the ninja were wearing headbands with the word "Ninja" on them, welcome to the club, you've seen a Godfrey Ho ninja film. You're one of us. One of us. One of us. One of us.
If you saw a ninja film where the ninja were wearing headbands with the word "Ninja" on them, welcome to the club, you've seen a Godfrey Ho ninja film. You're one of us. One of us. One of us. One of us.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Sunday's ninja Ho-down!
Godfrey Ho made about a ninja film a week in the eighties. I've only seen about a half dozen film from his catalog of masterpieces. This week we picked seven of our favorite Godfrey Ho ninja trailers.
If you saw a ninja film where the ninja were wearing headbands with the word "Ninja" on them, welcome to the club, you've seen a Godfrey Ho ninja film. You're one of us. One of us. One of us. One of us.
If you saw a ninja film where the ninja were wearing headbands with the word "Ninja" on them, welcome to the club, you've seen a Godfrey Ho ninja film. You're one of us. One of us. One of us. One of us.
Daily poster: Enter the Ninja.
Enter the Ninja turns thirty today.
The film opened on October 2, 1981 in the U.S.
Enter the Ninja is one of the most important films of the 1980's. Well, the opening fifteen minutes and closing fifteen minutes are.
The film opened on October 2, 1981 in the U.S.
Enter the Ninja is one of the most important films of the 1980's. Well, the opening fifteen minutes and closing fifteen minutes are.
I cannot express how important this film was to me and my friends. It almost reaches that Star Wars strata where the film goes beyond good or bad, it just is a force of nature.
The cast is a who's who of badassery. Franco Nero, who carries his own coffin around with him; Susan George, with the cutest mouth ever; and Sho Kosugi, who descended from a family of real ninjas! I'm not even going to look that last fact up, I'm so confident in the 80's prepubescent rumor mill. HA.
My brother and I recorded the film during a free Showtime weekend and watched the opening scene until the tape was unwatchable. We practiced the hand signs (too lazy to ever really memorize them all.) We skulked around the nearby hospital at night so much they had to hire a security guard.
Enter the Ninja really started a craze for us. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and a slew of ninja films and role playing games followed.
I pined over the camouflage ninja uniforms on sale in Inside Kung Fu magazine. I devised elaborate, interstate, plans to get throwing stars (illegal in CA) mailed to us. Like many young boys in the U.S., we had ninja fever, BAD.
It's still in my blood. Whatever antibodies killed the ninja fever left a little masked assassin in my system.
And damn, the main bad guy had such an anti-climactic but nuanced and awesome death scene.
Sho Kosugi's death scene was rad as well. "If I cannot live with honor. Let me die with honor." Ninja can act!
I cannot disagree with the title of this video: Enter the Ninja: best intro ever.
The cast is a who's who of badassery. Franco Nero, who carries his own coffin around with him; Susan George, with the cutest mouth ever; and Sho Kosugi, who descended from a family of real ninjas! I'm not even going to look that last fact up, I'm so confident in the 80's prepubescent rumor mill. HA.
My brother and I recorded the film during a free Showtime weekend and watched the opening scene until the tape was unwatchable. We practiced the hand signs (too lazy to ever really memorize them all.) We skulked around the nearby hospital at night so much they had to hire a security guard.
Enter the Ninja really started a craze for us. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and a slew of ninja films and role playing games followed.
I pined over the camouflage ninja uniforms on sale in Inside Kung Fu magazine. I devised elaborate, interstate, plans to get throwing stars (illegal in CA) mailed to us. Like many young boys in the U.S., we had ninja fever, BAD.
It's still in my blood. Whatever antibodies killed the ninja fever left a little masked assassin in my system.
And damn, the main bad guy had such an anti-climactic but nuanced and awesome death scene.
Sho Kosugi's death scene was rad as well. "If I cannot live with honor. Let me die with honor." Ninja can act!
I cannot disagree with the title of this video: Enter the Ninja: best intro ever.
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