Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Trailer: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part 1

Here's the first trailer for the first part of DC Comics' animated adaptation of one of the most celebrated comic books, Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns.

The first movie will hit shelves on October 23 in the US. Part 2 will be released in early 2013

Via

New Skyfall International Trailer



Skyfall is out in cinemas October 26 (UK) & November 9 (US)

Movie Poster Art: Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Continuing my look at movie posters and fan art with the next film in the Star Wars saga, 'The Empire Strikes Back'.


Lots more after the jump. Click to embiggen.

Monday, July 30, 2012

Video: 'Batman: Dark Knightfall' by Derek Kwok & Henri Wong

"Batman: Dark Knightfall" is a Batman fan-made stop-motion animation directed by Derek Kwok and Henri Wong of Parabucks Co. using those awesome super realistic Hot Toys Batman toys!

This is just a snippet, the full video is hopefully coming soon.


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Cool Art: 'The One That Got Away' by Anthony Petrie

Here's a cool Predator print, 'The One that Got Away' by Anthony Petrie, for the Gallery 1988’s Crazy 4 Cult show in New York.

Crazy 4 Cult NY will open in August 9th, with an opening reception from 6-9pm, at 64 Gansevoort St. in the Meat Packing District. The show will stay up in this location through September 1st, and will feature over 200 artists.

Anthony Petrie's print is a 18” x 24” 5-colour screen print with metallic in on 140lb Cover Kraft French paper. Each edition is priced $30 and is signed and numbered in a limited edition of 100. He'll also have some copies for sale at his site after the show is over for $30.

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Book Review: The Art & Making Of ParaNorman by Jed Alger

From LAIKA, the studio behind one of my favourite films, Coraline, comes another stop-motion animation marvel, ParaNorman.

This book features the detailed artwork that went into the film's creation, from character sketches and concept art to puppets, textiles, set dressing, and 3-D printed facial models.

The Art and Making of ParaNorman feels like a studio tour as Jed Alger charts the progression of the film's production.

We start with the introductions from LAIKA President & CEO (as well as being ParaNorman's producer and Lead Animator) Travis Knight and from the film's director's Chris Butler and Sam Fell. Then it's on with the tour, with a look at the different stages starting with 'Welcome To LAIKA' then onto the creation from original idea to physical puppet, building the puppets, the sets, the special effects and meeting the people behind the curtains.

It's a really interesting look at the process of what goes into making a film, even more so with stop-animation, because of how much detail is put into the production. And another welcome addition to my library of movie art books.

Definitely recommended.

**** out of 5

Trailer: Studio Ghibli's Debut Live Action Film

Known for their brilliant animated films, like Spirited Away, Ponyo and Princess Mononoke, this is a Japanese trailer for Studio Ghibli's first live action short film 'Giant God Warrior Appears in Tokyo', which will be directed by Neon Genesis Evangelion director Hideaki Anno.

The film - which was created in the style of old-school Japanese sci-fi (think of those Godzilla films from the 1950's) - will also feature creatures from Hayao Miyazaki‘s 1984 animated film 'Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind'.


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Movie Poster Art: Star Wars (1977)

Continuing my look at movie posters and fan art, with George Lucas' iconic 'Star Wars'.

EDIT: Added more fan art

by Greg & Tim Hildebrandt

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Cool Video: 'Memorium' by Fabrice Mathieu

Here's a cool short film by that's been nominated for Short Of The Week (you can vote at this link). It has already won a couple of awards at the Los Angeles Movie Awards 2012: Award of Excellence and Best Editing.

'Memorium' is the journey of a man into the afterlife, inspired from the world created by the french artist Marc Giai-Miniet.

This short film kind of reminds me of Mirrormask by Dave McKean, which is all good in my book.

Check this out and vote for it if you like it!

Cool Art: "The Goonies" by Randy Ortiz

Those that attended the screening of The Goonies at The Alamo Drafthouse in Kansas City presented by Mondo over the weekend, were treated to an exclusive movie poster by artist Randy Ortiz. Posters were priced $45 with movie ticketholders guaranteed a copy.

Click to embiggen.

"The Goonies" by Randy Ortiz. 24" x 36" Screenprint
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Movie Poster Art: Star Wars: Revenge Of The Sith (2005)

Continuing my look at movie posters and fan art, with the third and final film of George Lucas' Star Wars prequels - 'Revenge Of The Sith'.

by Drew Struzan
 More after the jump. Click to embiggen.

Cool Art: The Girls Of Adventure Time by Abigail Larson.

The girls of Adventure Time, Princess Bonnibel Bubblegum, Marceline The Vampire Queen and Flame Princess by Abigail Larson.

Check out her Deviant Art page and website for more awesome art!

Princess Bonnibel Bubblegum
Hit the jump to see the others. Click to embiggen.

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Friday, July 27, 2012

Trailer: Cloud Atlas

New trailer that's been doing the rounds, based on the book by David Mitchell.

An exploration of how the actions of individual lives impact one another in the past, present and future, as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero, and an act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution.



Cloud Atlas will be out in cinemas later this year.

Movie Poster Art: Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (1999)

Continuing my look at movie posters and fan art, with the first of George Lucas' Star Wars prequels - 'The Phantom Menace'.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Cool Art: Justice Magazine ft Wonder Woman by Stanley Lau

For more awesome art by Stanley Lau (aka Artgerm), check out his Deviant Art page.
Click to embiggen.

I'm With Neil by The Phenomenauts

A musical tribute (theme song?) to astrophysicist, and one of my inspirational heroes, Neil deGrasse Tyson, by The Phenomenauts.



Follow Neil deGrasse Tyson on Twitter @neiltyson
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Man Of Steel Comic Con Trailer

Someone has taken some of the original blurry cam footage and audio and mixed it with bits from the officially released teaser trailer. It kind of works, and will have to do until hopefully the Comic Con trailer gets an official release.

Check it out.


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2001 A Space Odyssey Trailer (Recut 2012 Style)

Film School Rejects have recut the trailer for Stanley Kubrick's classic sci-fi movie '2001: A Space Odyssey', if it was released to today's movie audiences. Definitely changes the tone of the film!



Hit the jump to see the original 1968 trailer of '2001: A Space Odyssey'.
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Movie Poster Art: Star Trek (2009)

Continuing my look at movie posters and fan art with JJ Abrams' 2009 'Star Trek' reboot.


More after jump. Click to embiggen.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Cool Art: Cinémarium Poster Series by Ïve Bastrash

Here's a set of movie posters 'tooned by Ïve Bastrash, as part of his Cinemarium poster gallery.


Check out his Deviant Art page for more artworks.
More posters after the jump, click to embiggen.
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Movie Poster Art: Star Trek Movies (1994-2002)

Continuing my look at movie posters and fan art, with the Star Trek movies of the mid to late 1990's.

(1994) Star Trek: Generations


More after the jump. Click to embiggen.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Movie Poster Art: Star Trek Movies (1986-1991)

Continuing my look at movie posters and fan art, with the Star Trek movies of the late 80's and early 90's.

(1986) Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home


No fan art, but more posters after the jump. Click to embiggen.

Monday, July 23, 2012

New Hobbit Production Video Diary From Peter Jackson

The Hobbit Production Diary #8, covering Comic Con and the final days of principal photography on the film.

Cool Art: Family Guy Meets Star Trek by Mick Cassidy

Here's a couple of Family Guy / Star Trek mash ups by Mick Cassidy. Check out his blog for more cool illustrations.


Check the other mash up after the jump. Click to embiggen.
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Cool Art: Alien by Godmachine

Some time this week TommyGood.com will be selling this stunning poster by Godmachine for the show of Alien at the Astor Theatre in Australia.

Click to embiggen.

Alien & Aliens double bill by Godmachine
24”x18” 5 color screen print
Hand numbered Edition of 180
Keep an eye on the TommyGood.com website for when they make it available.
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Movie Poster Art: Star Trek III The Search For Spock (1984)

Continuing my look at movie posters and fan art with the third of the Star Trek movies, 'Star Trek III: The Search For Spock'.

by Bob Peak
More after the jump. Click to embiggen.

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Trailer: Man Of Steel

Saw this teaser trailer for Zack Snyder's Superman reboot, 'Man Of Steel' before The Dark Knight Rises. Doesn't give away much, but got me wanting more.

Man Of Steel is out in cinemas June 14 2013.

Cool Art: Doctor Who by Jonathan Eveson

I love these stylised Doctor Who posters by Jonathan Eveson. Check out his Deviant Art site for more awesome art.


More after the jump, click to embiggen.

Movie Poster Art: Star Trek The Motion Picture (1979)

Continuing my look at movie posters and fan art with the first of the Star Trek films, 'Star Trek: The Motion Picture'.


More after the jump, click to embiggen.

Movie Review: The Dark Knight Rises

Art by Olly Moss
Normally I'm not much of a fan of superhero or comic book films, but Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy is a thing of beauty. Impressive, most impressive!

The Dark Knight Rises completes the circle of one of the best movie trilogies ever, in my opinion.

Set eight years after the events in The Dark Knight, a new terrorist threat, Bane - an outcast from Ra's Al Ghul's League Of Shadows, wrecks havoc upon Gotham, prompting the Batman to resurface from his self imposed exile, to protect a city that has branded him an enemy.

To me, The Dark Knight Rises is a spectacular film that for once, provides a satisfying ending to a trilogy, but at the same time, makes you want more once the credits roll! Credit to Christopher Nolan and his creative team for that.

Each film in the Dark Knight trilogy I feel has improved upon the last. Yes it may have been a sequel, but with all the remakes, reboots and reimaginings we've been getting recently, you are in for a treat as The Dark Knight Rises stands head and shoulders above the films I've seen so far this year. Can we have more of films like this please Hollywood, instead of the crap we've been getting fed with recently?

Every frame of the 164 minute runtime is not wasted thanks to the direction of Christopher Nolan and the wonderful cinematography of Wally Pfister. And the soundtrack from Hans Zimmer just hits the spot!

Whoever takes over the reigns of a future Batman film will have their work cut out to even get close to hitting the same heights as The Dark Knight trilogy. I do not envy them at all! It's no wonder that after Zack Snyder's Superman reboot, 'Man Of Steel' there will be no more DC Comics movies until around 2015!

Forget the fact that this is based off a comic book hero. This is one top notch piece of cinema, fact! I can't recommend this film enough!

***** out of 5

Friday, July 20, 2012

Cool Art: The Dark Knight Rises by Shaun Watson

Here's a cool 1930's noir style The Dark Knight Rises poster from Shaun Watson.

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Movie Poster Art: Serenity (2005)

Continuing my look at movie posters and fan art with Joss Whedon's feature-length Firefly movie, 'Serenity'.


More posters, comic book covers and fan art after the jump. Click to embiggen.

Cool Art: Flash Gordon by Steve Thomas

Love this poster of Flash Gordon by Steve Thomas. It's part of his solo show for the Ltd. Art Gallery in Seattle. Doors open next Saturday (July 28th) at 7 pm for the opening reception.

The theme is mostly made up of Pop Culture Icons From the 80s and 90s. This includes movies, TV and arcade games.  Check his blog for a sneak preview of other pieces from his gallery.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Make Good Art: Neil Gaiman Inspired T Shirts From Threadless

Threadless, as part of their Comics On Tees series, are selling a set of 4 T shirts based on the Neil Gaiman short story, 'The Day The Saucers Came'.

Click to embiggen
Shirt 1 by Estudio Verso is the chosen design from the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund challenge. 25% of the sale of each tee will go to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.

Shirt 1 by Estudio Verso Reads:
Front:
That day, the saucers landed. Hundreds of them, golden,
Silent, coming down from the sky like great snowflakes,
And the people of Earth stood and stared as they descended,
Waiting, dry-mouthed to find what waited inside for us
And none of us knowing if we would be here tomorrow
But you didn't notice it because

Back:
That day, the day the saucers came, by some coincidence,
Was the day that the graves gave up their dead
And the zombies pushed up through soft earth
or erupted, shambling and dull-eyed, unstoppable,
Came towards us, the living, and we screamed and ran,
But you did not notice this because

Shirt 2 by Ben Templesmith
Front:
On the saucer day, which was the zombie day, it was
Ragnarok also, and the television screens showed us
A ship built of dead-man's nails, a serpent, a wolf,
All bigger than the mind could hold, and the cameraman could
Not get far enough away, and then the Gods came out
But you did not see them coming because

Back:
On the saucer-zombie-battling gods day, the floodgates broke
And each of us was engulfed by genies and sprites
Offering us wishes and wonders and eternities
And charm and cleverness and true brave hearts and pots of gold
While giants feefofummed across the land, and killer bees,
But you had no idea of any of this because

Shirt 3 by Brandon Graham
Front:
That day, the saucer day the zombie day
The Ragnarok and fairies day, the day the great winds came
And snows, and the cities turned to crystal, the day
All plants died, plastics dissolved, the day the
Computers turned, the screens telling us we would obey, the day

Back:
Angels, drunk and muddled, stumbled from the bars,
And all the bells of London were sounded, the day
Animals spoke to us in Assyrian, the Yeti day,
The fluttering capes and arrival of the Time Machine day,

Shirt 4 by John Cassaday
Front:
You didn't notice any of this because
you were sitting in your room, not doing anything
not even reading, not really, just
looking at your telephone,

Back:
wondering if I was going to call.

He is definitely one of my favourite authors, and here is a video of Neil Gaiman addressing the University of the Arts Class of 2012. One of the best commencement speeches. A must watch for any artist and everyone who hopes to be creative and successful.



Make Good Art!

Mass Effect SDCC 2012 Panel

Just finished Mass Effect 3 for a fourth time, second as FemShep and first with the new Extended Cut ending, which to be honest was a lot better and tied things up. They should've had it from the beginning though. Still love the game!

Anyway, here's the Bioware/Mass Effect panel at this year's San Diego Comic Con.

Mass Effect: Past, Present, and Future - Developers from Mass Effect offer an exciting look at the evolution of the Mass Effect franchise. Mike Gamble (producer), Corey Gaspur (senior combat designer), Parrish Ley (lead cinematic animator), Sylvia Feketekuty (writer), Chris Hepler (writer), Jessica Merizan (community manager) and Chris Priestly (community specialist) discuss the history of the series, beloved characters, multiplayer gaming and hints at upcoming DLC. Don't forget to bring your emergency induction port!

Trailer: The Dark Knight Trilogy

Here's a trailer by Andrew Hegele, that brings together Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy in one trailer. Enjoy


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Movie Poster Art: Sinbad (1947 - 2012)

Continuing my look at movie posters and fan art with the films of Sinbad.

No fan art, but more posters from the various Sinbad films, starting with the 1947 Douglas Fairbanks Jr 'Sinbad The Sailor'.

(1947) Sinbad The Sailor

Trailer: Drew - The Man Behind The Poster

The legendary Drew Struzan is one of my favourite movie poster artists. Most of his posters have become iconic, Back To The Future, Star Wars Special Editions, Indiana Jones, The Thing, ET and many more and puts the vast majority of todays movie posters to shame!

I would recommend getting 'Ouevre: Drew Struzan' the artbook that showcases his art in different sections; Music, Movies, Publishing, Commerical, and Personal. And here's a post I've done highlighting his art.

Here's the official trailer for the upcoming feature-length documentary, 'Drew: The Man Behind the Poster', highlighting the career of poster artist Drew Struzan, whose most popular works include the Indiana Jones, Back to the Future and Star Wars movie posters. Telling the tale through exclusive interviews with George Lucas, Harrison Ford, Michael J. Fox, Frank Darabont, Guillermo del Toro, Steven Spielberg and many other filmmakers, artists and critics, the journey spans Drew’s early career in commercial and album cover art through his recent retirement as one of the most recognizable and influential movie poster artists of all time.

Three filmmakers have united to bring this film to life; Greg Boas (Hefty Inc.), Charles Ricciardi (Torino Pictures), and Erik P. Sharkey (Sharkey Productions), assembling one of the most intriguing film lineups and crafting a comprehensive presentation about the artist, the art, the stories behind Drew’s most recognizable creations, as well as a never-before-seen insider’s examination of the industry and the profession of motion picture advertising.

Check out www.drewthemovie.com for more information.


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Duke Nukem Reads 50 Shades Of Gray

Jon St. John was convinced by Team Four Star to read a few lines from,"50 Shades of Gray," in his Duke Nukem voice.


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The Honest Dark Knight Trailer


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Call Me Maybe Star Wars

Had to post it! :p
The Star Wars cast sings Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Trailer: Batman: The Animated Series Rises

Coinciding with the Friday premiere of The Dark Knight Rises, US cable channel The Hub is airing a 10-episode marathon of Batman: The Animated Series, the Batman series from the 1990's that’s considered the gold standard for animated adaptations of comic books by fans.

To promote the event, The Hub has created a teaser that recreates the trailer for the final installment of director Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy using clips from the show and the original voice cast.


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Cool Art: Star Wars Vehicles by Jason Christman

A cool set of minimal Star Wars vehicles posters by Jason Christman.

More after the jump.
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The Sound Of The Dark Knight

A look back at the sound of Christopher Nolan's previous Batman film, The Dark Knight by SoundWorks Collection.

Check out the SoundWorks Collection website for more videos including The Avengers, John Carter, The Hunger Games, Hugo and lots more. 


SoundWorks Collection: The Sound of "Dark Knight" from Michael Coleman on Vimeo.

Movie Poster Art: Se7en (1995)

Continuing my look at movie posters and fan art with David Fincher's 'Se7en'.


More posters and fan art after the jump. Click to embiggen.

The Sound Of Brave

Really looking foward to watching Brave when it hits UK cinemas in August!

In the mean time here's a look behind the scenes from Soundworks Collection at the sounds of Brave.

In this exclusive SoundWorks Collection sound profile we talk with Director Mark Andrews, Re-recording Mixer and Sound Designer Gary Rydstrom, Supervising Sound Editor Gwen Yates Whittle, and Sound Designer E.J. Holowicki.

Since ancient times, stories of epic battles and mystical legends have been passed through the generations across the rugged and mysterious Highlands of Scotland. In “Brave,” a new tale joins the lore when the courageous Merida (voice of Kelly Macdonald) confronts tradition, destiny and the fiercest of beasts.

Directed by Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman, and produced by Katherine Sarafian, “Brave” is a grand adventure full of heart, memorable characters and the signature Pixar humor enjoyed by audiences of all ages. The film's voice cast features Kelly Macdonald, Julie Walters, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Kevin McKidd, Craig Ferguson, Robbie Coltrane and John Ratzenberger.

To make the most complex visuals possible, Pixar completely rewrote their animation system for the first time in 25 years. Brave is also the first movie ever to use the Dolby Atmos sound format.


SoundWorks Collection - The Sound of Brave from Michael Coleman on Vimeo.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Cool Art: Star Wars Celebration VI

Here's some stunning art from some very talented artists in celebration of one of the most popular movie sagas of all time - Star Wars - at Celebration VI from August 23-26 2012 at Orlando, Florida.

Hit the link for more information on the artists and these prints plus a whole lot more Star Wars celebration news.

by Tsuneo Sanda
Check out a load more after the jump. Click to embiggen.

Movie Poster Art: Scott Pilgrim vs The World (2010)

Continuing my look at movie posters and fan art, with one of my favourite movies; Edgar Wright's 'Scott Pilgrim vs the World'.

New Clip For The New Total Recall


Total Recall is out in cinemas August 3 (US), August 29 (UK).

Cool Art: Pulp Style Comic Covers by Jon Morris

Jon Morris has created some old style pulp covers for comic books. I love this style of art!


More covers after the jump. Click to embiggen.
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SDCC: Paranorman Sneak Peak

A behind the scenes featurette for Paranorman that debuted at the San Diego Comic Con over the weekend.

#DirtyLaundry Punisher Fan Film by Thomas Jane

"I wanted to make a fan film for a character I've always loved and believed in - a love letter to Frank Castle & his fans. It was an incredible experience with everyone on the project throwing in their time just for the fun of it. It's been a blast to be a part of from start to finish - we hope the friends of Frank enjoy watching it as much as we did making it." - Thomas Jane


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Sunday, July 15, 2012

Cool Art: 'Final Battle' by Yaphleen

Another brilliant piece of art from one of my favourite Studio Ghibli films, 'Princess Mononoke' by Yaphleen.

Check out her Deviant Art page for lots more gorgeous artwork.
Click to embiggen.

SDCC: Trailer For Season 3 Of The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead returns Sunday Oct 14th at 9pm in the US, and will premiere in 122 countries worldwide later that week.

SDCC: Bat Man of Shanghai: Cat Woman

This. Looks. Amazing!

Love the stylised look. I want to see more please!

The first Bat Man of Shanghai short, set in 1930 China and featuring an alternate version of Catwoman and a cameo by Bane, from an upcoming DC Nation short by Wolf Smoke.


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SDCC: Man Of Steel Teaser Poster

Another San Diego Comic Con exclusive teaser poster reveal, Zack Snyder's Superman reboot 'Man Of Steel'.


Man Of Steel will be out in cinemas June 14 2013.

Cool Art: The Dark Knight Rises by Olly Moss

Mondo posters always sell out in minutes and so Mondo will be giving every person in the world a chance to get one. From 12:01 a.m. CST Wednesday July 18 until 11:59 p.m. CST, if you go on Mondo’s site and order Olly Moss' The Dark Knight Rises poster, you’ll get it. Simples. Mondo will print as many posters as are ordered in 24 hours.

Also, including in one poster will be a golden ticket that’ll allow the winner to have Moss do an original, one-off image of anything you want. Anything in the world!

Olly Moss’ The Dark Knight Rises poster will be a 16 x 24" screen print with an edition TBD. Cost is $40. The image below is actually the 24 x 36" variant, edition of 180, currently on sale at Comic-Con (cost $100). The regular will be the same image, just smaller.

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Cool Art: The Lord Of The Rings by JC Richard

A SDCC exclusive The Lord of the Rings print set by JC Richard for Mondo.
Click to embiggen.

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Saturday, July 14, 2012

SDCC: The Firefly 10th Anniversary Panel

Loved the show and the Serenity movie! Good to see everyone together, even if it's just at Comic Con.

Enjoy!


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New Behind The Scenes Featurettes For Paranorman

Here are a few behind the scenes featurettes for the upcoming film, Paranorman. From the same people behind the wonderful 'Coraline', I'm looking forward to seeing this.

Keep checking the WeirdWins website for more updates in the run up to the August 17 US release. Us lot in the UK have to wait until September 14.



Check the rest out after the jump.

New Cinematic For 'The Last Of Us'

First shown during San Diego Comic Con.

Joel and Ellie manage to escape the Infected and hid in the house of some guy in a gas mask. The masked man turns out to be a new character named Bill, who knows Joel somehow and owes him a favour. Bill is voiced by accomplished Hollywood actor, W Earl Brown, who has appeared in numerous movies including There's Something About Mary, Scream, Vanilla Sky, and the upcoming movie, The Lone Ranger. He also played Dan Dority in the acclaimed HBO series, Deadwood.

The Last of Us is a genre-defining experience, blending survival and action elements to tell a character driven story about a population decimated by a modern plague. Cities are abandoned and being reclaimed by nature. Remaining survivors are killing each other for food, weapons and whatever they can find. Joel, a ruthless survivor, and Ellie, a young teenage girl who's braver and wiser beyond her years, must work together to survive their journey across what remains of the United States.

Developed by Naughty Dog, The Last of Us is being made exclusively for the PS3 system.

Brand New The Dark Knight Rises Clip

With the release of the film only next week, the teaser clips are still popping up. Here's another new clip, 'Selina's Interrogation'.


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Cool Art: Adventure Time & Lego Lord Of The Rings Posters

More Mondo poster goodness from SDCC. Click to embiggen.

Adventure Time by Olly Moss
Lego Lord Of The Rings by Kevin Tong
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Friday, July 13, 2012

Cool Art: Creature From The Black Lagoon by Francesco Francavilla

Another SDCC only exclusive by Mondo, and part of their Universal Monsters series; 'Creature From The Black Lagoon' by Francesco Francavilla, one of my favourite artists!

'Creature From The Black Lagoon by Francesco Francavilla
24x36” screenprint. $45, edition of 325
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New Red Band Clip For 'Dredd'

The story of Dredd takes place on an Earth ravaged by the Atomic Wars. Survivors of this world live within megacities, gargantuan urban sprawls which protect its citizens from the Cursed Earth, a radioactive desert environment populated by mutants.

The main story takes place in Mega-City One, where its police force, known as judges have the power of judge, jury and executioner to thwart crime. One man, Judge Dredd (Karl Urban), a senior Judge, teams up with rookie Judge Anderson (Olivia Thirlby) to humiliate a drug dealer named Ma-Ma (Lena Headey) and her traffic of the reality-altering drug Slo-Mo.


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Another new clip from The Dark Knight Rises

Selina Kyle and Bruce Wayne discuss the 'storm that's coming'.

Movie Poster Art: Rango (2011)

Continuing my look at movie posters and fan art, with one of my favourite films from 2011, Gore Verbinski's 'Rango'.


More posters and fan art after the jump. Click to embiggen.

The Dark Knight Rises With 1960's Robin

Batman's showdown with Bane is interrupted by 1960's Robin.

WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY: Paulilu
STARRING: Paul W. Downs as Robin, Luke Scholl as Bane, Bevan Bell as Batman
PRODUCED BY: Celeste Ballard


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Cool Art: Princess Mononoke by Olly Moss SDCC Mondo Exclusive Posters

Another San Diego Comic Con exclusive poster reveal by Mondo.

This time from one of my all time favourite films (animated or otherwise), Studio Ghibli's 'Princess Mononoke' by Olly Moss.

As always with Mondo posters, it sold out in double quick time!

"Princess Mononoke" by Olly Moss (Regular)
20" x 36" Screenprint. Ed of 430 S/N. $50
Check out the variant after the jump. Click to embiggen.
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Cool Art: New Metropolis Posters by Rodolfo Reyes

Check out these Metropolis posters by Rodolfo Reyes for Dark City Gallery.

by Rodolfo Reyes
14" X 34 1/2" handmade screen print with metallic ink
hand numbered and signed and priced at £35
(Gold) Limited Edition of only 50 Pieces
Go to the Dark City Gallery website to buy a print.
Check out the silver version after the jump. Click to embiggen.
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Christopher Nolan Abuses The Dark Knight Rises


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Brand New Sandman Arriving In 2013

Excellent!

Neil Gaiman and JH Williams III are getting together to create a brand new Sandman story next year, which just happens to be the 25th anniversary! A good excuse to dig out my Sandman graphic novels and read them all over again!

Here's Neil Gaiman with the exclusive.


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Update:
Check out the new artwork too.


The press release:
Twenty-five years after one of the most celebrated graphic novels of all-time hit shelves, award winning and critically acclaimed author and screenwriter, Neil Gaiman, announces his return to THE SANDMAN. Gaiman made the surprise announcement, via video, at DC Entertainment’s Vertigo panel at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con.  Karen Berger, Executive Editor of Vertigo, then revealed that Gaiman is paired with artist, JH Williams III (BATWOMAN) for the series, who appeared on stage to an already stunned and elated crowd. THE SANDMAN mini-series will be published by Vertigo in 2013.

One of the few graphic novels ever to be on the New York Times Best Seller list and lauded by critics the world over, THE SANDMAN is credited with changing the path of storytelling in the comic book industry. Gaiman will pick up his pen for the first time in more than 10 years since ending the series to continue a story that he feels still has yet to be told.

“When I finished writing THE SANDMAN, there was one tale still untold. The story of what had happened to Morpheus to allow him to be so easily captured in THE SANDMAN #1, and why he was returned from far away, exhausted beyond imagining, and dressed for war. It was a story that we discussed telling for Sandman’s 20th anniversary… but the time got away from us. And now, with Sandman’s 25th anniversary year coming up, I’m delighted, and nervous, that that story is finally going to be told,” said Gaiman.

“There’s nothing like a Neil Gaiman story,” said Berger, “and there’s nothing like having Neil back home on THE SANDMAN, his dark, soulful, literary epic that transformed comics and continues to captivate countless new readers year after year. Working with him again, and with JH Williams, the extraordinary and groundbreaking artist, is truly the stuff dreams are made of.”

DC Entertainment Co-Publishers Jim Lee and Dan DiDio added, “As accomplished as Neil Gaiman is in other media—whether it be novels, film and even music—he still has an incredible passion and love for comics. It’s exciting to have him back. J.H. Williams will be the perfect complement to Neil’s writing. He has a history of creating art that pushes the boundaries of the medium.”

Each issue of THE SANDMAN mini-series will be published day-and-date digitally. The title will be announced at a later date.

Trailer: 'OZ: The Great And Powerful'

Here's the new trailer for Disney and Sam Raimi's (never thought I'd be hearing those two names in the same sentence!) 'OZ: The Great And Powerful', out in cinemas next year.

The blurb:
When Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, he thinks he's hit the jackpot-fame and fortune are his for the taking-that is until he meets three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone's been expecting. Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity-and even a bit of wizardry-Oscar transforms himself not only into the great and powerful Wizard of Oz but into a better man as well.


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Thursday, July 12, 2012

Book Review: Drawing Down The Moon - The Art Of Charles Vess

I first experienced the art of Charles Vess through the issues and cover art of the Vertigo/DC Comics series The Sandman and Swamp Thing during the 1990's. Along with the stories in those comic books, his artwork definitely left it's impression on me as well. An ethereal feel to the art, sort of a blend of the old fashioned Art Nouveau style with classic fantasy art. And a few years later I read through the Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess illustrated novel Stardust (after I watched the movie, which I also love), and fell in love with his artwork all over again.

Fast forward a few years later and, from Dark Horse Books, comes 'Drawing Down The Moon: The Art Of Charles Vess'. This is a superb collection of paintings, pencil sketches, pen and inks from a legend of fantasy art. Over 200 pages of luscious artwork, some with descriptions by Charles himself, and includes some of his work for Swamp Thing, Stardust as well as other works such as for George RR Martin's 'A Storm Of Swords', and 'Spiderman' and 'The Books Of Magic'.

Presented as a large format book, with most of the art taking up the full page, and with a foreword by Susanna Clarke (author of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell), this book is a joy to read and must for those that love quality art and fantasy art in particular! Totally recommended!

***** out of 5

Cool Art: Community / Mass Effect Mash Up by Rus Silmaro

Here's a brilliant mash up on Community and Mass Effect by Rus Silmaro. I think they fit both series really well. Great work, made me laugh!

Here's what Rus had to say about it from his Deviant Art page:
Just a creative expression of two series that have inspired me Mass Effect & Community. All Mass Effect Content belongs to Bioware and all Community content belongs to NBC Universal. Intended to be a fan art tribute. Here is the genesis:

Okay, I was playing Mass Effect 3 (one of my fav game series of all time…despite the last 10 minutes of the ending) last memorial day weekend and as I was playing I noticed how Mordin Solus reminded me a lot of Abed Nadir (one of my fav TV characters of all time from one of my fav shows of all time Community…#sixseasonsandamovie) then how Shepard reminded me a lot about Jeff and so on until I was able to match almost every main character on Community to a character on Mass Effect. I ran the idea by my fiance and my nephew who are both big community fans and they thought it was awesome. I even remembered being awed by all the Community Fan Art Mash ups that I have seen on the net recently ie. Community/Street Fighter, Community/Star Wars, Community/Batman, Community/X-Men and mucho props to all the other creatives that executed those ideas awesomely. At this point the ideas in my head became a train picking up steam and I needed to express it somehow, first I was thinking about sketching, drawing or painting these characters…but with the day job and other projects that would take too long and I needed to satisfy this itch fast, so I found a hi-res screenshot of Mordin then found an image of Abed with a facial expression that matched perfectly and after some creative photoshopping and some filters applied I photoshopped an image of a mash up fan art I entitled "Abed Solus" and applying some of graphic design skills I made this little character poster. 



Check the rest out after the jump.
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New International Poster For Total Recall

Here's the new international poster for the new Total Recall film starring Colin Farrell.

What is it with Hollywood's obsession with movie posters and Photoshop collages though! Give me the posters from the guys from Mondo, and the old school painted posters from Drew Struzan, John Alvin, Dan Gouzeé, Renato Casaro, Richard Amsel and the rest any time! Lots more innovation from those posters than what we get as movie posters these days. Anyway . . .

Still very much interested in watching this though, want to see their take on the PKD original short story.

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Another New Clip From The Dark Knight Rises

Just over a week away and another clip has surfaced online, and as in the first clip, doesn't really give away much.

Lucius Fox introduces Bruce Wayne to his new toy "The Bat."


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Movie Poster Art: Django Unchained (2012)

Continuing my look at movie poster art and fan art with Quentin Tarantino's soon to be released western, 'Django Unchained'.


More posters and fan art after the jump. Click to embiggen.

Cool Art: Paranorman Posters by Mondo

More cool posters from the guys at Mondo. This time for the stop-motion animated film 'Paranorman'.

Looking forward to seeing this film when it hits UK cinemas on September 14 (August 17 if you're in the US).

by Dave Perillo
Hit the jump for more posters. Click to embiggen.

Also check out this website, Weirdwins, for a look behind the scenes with the artists, animators, craftspeople, and filmmakers behind ParaNorman.
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