Big news in the convention world today (I know you are keeping careful track of all those conventions!). Comic-Con leaders have agreed to stay in San Diego for another 5 years, or until 2015. This has been a hot topic of discussion the last few years as the attendance for Comic-Con reached record numbers, and SD is overrun with geeks. And for years, San Diego hasn't been too accepting or excited about having 100K+ geeks taking over the town. But perhaps the local government finally realized the massive amounts of money that this 4-day convention brings into town, along with some amazing publicity courtesy of all the celebrities who now come to town to promote their latest show/movie/video game/toy line/clothing line/anything that might remotely appeal to the target audience.
Either way, I'm happy enough to hear that SDCC is staying put for a few more years. The alternate locations I've heard tossed around the last couple of years included both Anaheim and Las Vegas. Anaheim=ehh. And I love Vegas, but not for this event. While there are certainly plenty of flights, hotels and restaurants to accommodate the attendees, the ambiance doesn't seem quite right. Also, if you haven't been, Las Vegas in late July is ridiculously hot. Like melting pavement hot. You don't want this crowd sweating like that.
Now, if only they can get a pedestrian bridge built over the stupid train/trolley tracks, we will really be rolling!!
Portland has some really cool events for such a small city. This weekend, for example, is the Retro Gaming Expo at the Crowne Plaza. As they describe:
The Portland Retro Gaming Expo is an annual exhibition of classic video games and systems in Portland, Oregon. We aim to recognize the history of video game systems and their authors, manufacturers and players.
I know Atari changed my life as a kid; I bet those consoles changed yours too! I'm still counting on getting a tabletop Ms. Pacman for our basement suite one day. And it will rock!
I got a little stir crazy this afternoon and had to get out of the house, even if for a few hours. Post-surgery, my energy levels still fluctuate so I thought it might be better to go to a movie (not much different from what I'm doing at home). Despite a major holiday weekend, I found that there aren't too many movies currently out that I have any interest in seeing. However, I recently heard an interview with Sylvester Stallone and decided that The Expendables could be worth checking out (or "not your worst option" as we like to say).
Stallone not only stars in, but also co-wrote and directed the movie. Based on the interview I heard, he had a hard time getting any studio to make the movie, despite an all-star cast with major action draw. I'm not sure why it was such a hard sell, but I know H'wood is a fickle beast.
The movie stars quite a few action stars of the 80's & 90's. In addition to Stallone, you've got Jason Statham (Transporter, Crank), Dolph Lundgren (Rocky IV, Universal Soldier), Mickey Rourke, Jet Li, and cameos from Bruce Willis and the Arnold. Two other cast members that the geek world would recognize include Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia of Buffy & Angel fame) and David Zayas (Angel from Dexter).
I'm not sure what to say about The Expendables, other than it was a fast-paced, guilty pleasure. The action is ridiculous but so over-the-top that it's fun and entertaining. All the stars have amazing fight sequences, particularly Statham and Li (so awesome that it made me want to go learn a martial art!). I didn't expect much out of the plot line - since it is clearly an action focused film - so the story was about as deep as one would anticipate: team of mercenaries hired to take out South American dictator. Trouble ensues. It reminded me a little of The Losers, which was released earlier this summer and based on a comic book series of the same name.
Shockingly (not), critics didn't love the movie, but the earnings have been so good that apparently a part 2 has already been greenlit (green lighted?). Given how hard it was to get Expendables produced, I'm sure Stallone is thrilled by the commercial success. Anyway, here's a clip:
Maybe it's the nostalgia talking (yeah, let's go with "nostalgia") but with a summer of some crappy movies -- I'm looking at you, Charlie St. Cloud -- I'd much rather have a shoot 'em up pulpy action film than more sappy dramas or terribly predictable rom-com. Oh, and if it isn't in the works already, this one should *totally* be a video game; the possibility of living vicariously through martial arts fights, shooting everything, and blowing up everything else would make it a contender (ahem, Kinect).
Earlier this week, Comics Alliance featured a few images of very cool 60's style comic cover wedding invitations created by Etsy artist Swelser. I really, really wish I knew about this artist before my husband and I got married. Maybe for our 10 year re-commitment ceremony, we can get some of these awesome Kirby-inspired invites. My favorite is this one, probably because it is in space:
PS - Check out some of their other pieces on Etsy - pretty cool stuff, including vintage-inspired movie posters which I may have to come back to here at a later time...
I love fall, especially because of Halloween and all the fun geek tie-ins that show up this time of year. Also, the leaves changing color is really pretty, and even though that has nothing to do with pop culture, it's part of fall and makes me happy. So there.
Via Laughing Squid today is a post of a supremely awesome zombie Spock t-shirt (by Shawn Conn). Thumb's up! Now, where's my zombie Picard?? (could be titled "Brains, Number 1" or "Grey Brains, Hot"). Could be a whole great series!
Heat Vision reports that Warner Bros is looking to develop a TV series based on the fan-favorite Sandman series. Not to wax poetic, but the Sandman series changed my life, and brought me back into the comic-book fold. Actually, it also lead to getting a job and working at a comic book store for many years where I met many of my closest friends. Butterfly flaps its wings, etc, etc. So you can praise/blame Sandman for much of the adult geek you see today.
As Heat Vision points out, any adaptation of the series is tricky; Sandman is one of the most beloved stories and set of characters, with a cultish-like following of devotees. It would be exciting to see an episodic take on the series (rather than a one-off movie like Constantine). I can only hope that an HBO/Showtime/Starz picks up the property so it can be appropriately rated for "mature audiences." Or at least with AMC -- looks like they might have a fighting chance with the new Walking Dead show. And for sure get Neil Gaiman involved!! It would give the whole thing instant geek cred. We heart the Neil.
I haven't been quite up to leaving the house yet after surgery earlier in the week. This has translated to a crap-ton of TV and movie watching. And I have to say, I'm so thankful for the extended basic cable I was able to upgrade to earlier this year. It doesn't include all the pay channels, or even SyFy and BBC but it does include ion, USA, Comedy Channel and Cartoon Channel. So that's something.
This afternoon's fare has been a double header on ion. First up is the Ben Affleck/Uma Thurman science fiction flick, Paycheck (2003). It's apparently based on a Philip K. Dick short story of the same name, but clearly Hollywood had its way with yet another PKD story. Sigh. The premise was interesting:
Michael Jennings (Affleck) is a reverse engineer; for lucrative sums of money, he analyzes his clients' competitors' products and designs new versions that excel above and beyond the original's features. When he finishes the job, he undergoes a memory wipe with help from his friend. The memory wipe is achieved by computer technology able to scan one's brain and erase whatever must be erased. This ensures that the new product cannot be tracked back to the reverse engineering effort, thereby protecting his client's intellectual property.
But the movie falls short of the ambitious plot line. Shocking, I know. I feel like I'm saying/thinking this sentiment a lot lately, particularly in the science fiction genre. I'll see if I can dig up the thesaurus to put it a new way at some point.
I'm a sucker for sci-fi movies with a futuristic bent that are now 5+ years old. And I didn't hate the movie; granted, I'm still on post-surgical pain killers, so that's something but Paycheck amused me for a couple hours on the couch this sunny Saturday. Maybe a B-/C+?
Actually, this trailer sums up the entire movie pretty well:
Next up this afternoon is The Fifth Element, starring Bruce Willis and Milla Jovovich (1997). I remember this move quite fondly, as it was a house favorite when it came out 10+ years ago now. Luc Besson directed the film, and used not only really great set designs (some of which were designed by legendary artist Moebius), but outrageous costumes designed by Jean Paul Gaultier, and a dash of some good ol' fashioned slap stick humor.
Set during the 23rd century, the film's central plot involves the survival of humanity which becomes the duty of a taxi driver (and former special forces major) named Korben Dallas (Willis) when a young woman (Jovovich) falls into his taxicab. Upon learning of her significance, Korben must join efforts with the girl and a priest to recover four mystical stones which are key to defending Earth from an impending attack of pure evil and destruction. (via Wikipedia)
Gary Oldman is particularly fantastic as the villain Zorg. And this movie was my first introduction to Chris Tucker. Love him as Ruby Rhod. Not sure what happened to him...
The movie runs a little long, but it's so pretty!
Not sure I love this trailer, but you get the idea:
I wish I could find a good clip of the operatic piece that is included about half way through the movie. I don't typically care for such music, but I would love to see that production!
Not sure if it is just nostalgia but I still love this movie, and would give this at least a B+. The costumes get an A+ for sure.
Next up may need to be a re-viewing of Total Recall...
Ray Bradbury is one of the writers who served as a foundation to my love of science fiction. I think I read my first Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451, around 7th or 8th grade and thought it was so deep, so thought provoking. I don't recall how old I was when I read The Illustrated Man, just that it was a cool concept. Same is true for The Martian Chronicles (though I'm pretty sure I read that one later). I should probably pull all 3 out and read them again with my adult eyes. Even if they don't stand up, reading such classic science fiction at a formative age really helped to make me the geek I am today.
So, thank you, Ray Bradbury, for your amazing contributions to science fiction! Happy 90th Birthday!!
Published in 1953 during the Cold War and McCarthy Eras, Fahrenheit 451 portrays a frightening vision of the future, firemen don't put out fires--they start them in order to burn books. Bradbury's vividly painted society holds up the appearance of happiness as the highest goal--a place where trivial information is good, and knowledge and ideas are bad. (Amazon)
This classic science fiction anthology by Ray Bradbury brings to life the social and political fears prevalent in post World War II America, when they were first published. The unnamed narrator in the introduction watches the Illustrated Man's tattoos come to life presenting the 19 short stories. (Amazon)
Season 4 of The Guild started a few weeks ago. I've really enjoyed the fun, webseries based on the antics of an online gaming guild who become friends in the "real" world. Felicia Day is great. And there's Wil Wheaton as a dicky gamer!
Here's the trailer for Season 4. I believe other seasons are available for viewing on the interwebs, and Season 1 is on Netflix streaming.
<br/><a href="http://www.bing.com/videos/browse/originals/the-guild?videoId=1038bcb9-8604-490f-8617-e397587e4a32&fg=sharenoembed" target="_new"title="'The Guild' Season 4 Trailer">Video: 'The Guild' Season 4 Trailer</a>
via io9, there is a super cool set of international stamps, primarily from the 50s and 60s. The complete set is displayed on Karen Horton's Flickr site. Stamps really were cool. Are they still? I'm not sure the "sticker" version stands up quite as well as the classic version.
A few of my favorites:
I love owls...
and maybe cats/kittens...
These two are for my husband, the space geek!
I vaguely recall that one of my dad's friends passed along a huge collection of international stamps to me when I was a kid. But in my many moves since then, I am pretty sure I got rid of them. Too bad. It would've been fun to do something like this with them.
Sandcastles & Succulents: Exploration of research, creativity and contemplations of interesting bits and bobs.
Undercover Geek Girl: This was my effort to channel all those useless thoughts and nerdy interests in one place.
Big news in the convention world today (I know you are keeping careful track of all those conventions!). Comic-Con leaders have agreed to stay in San Diego for another 5 years, or until 2015. This has been a hot topic of discussion the last few years as the attendance for Comic-Con reached record numbers, and SD is overrun with geeks. And for years, San Diego hasn't been too accepting or excited about having 100K+ geeks taking over the town. But perhaps the local government finally realized the massive amounts of money that this 4-day convention brings into town, along with some amazing publicity courtesy of all the celebrities who now come to town to promote their latest show/movie/video game/toy line/clothing line/anything that might remotely appeal to the target audience.
