Pump Up The Volume, Mr. Scott

From the turntable to the Trektable.

Some genius edited a bunch of kinetic Star Trek clips to that great old school jam Pump Up The Volume by MARRS.

Riddick 3, Audience 0

In this edition of Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy (NOT!), io9 reports that Vin Diesel just. won't. let. Riddick. die.

Yes, Pitch Black (2000) was good - a lean, muscular lower-budgeted sci-fi action thriller where Diesel really had a presence about him as the convict Richard B. Riddick with the spooky see-in-the-dark eyes.

Chronicles of Riddick (2004) spent some big bucks to only go waaay overboard and create an ass-load of backstory and shit around Riddick, making a shady convict anti-hero into a mythological prophesied space god (or something).

Since Chronicles didn't do gangbuster biz, Diesel and writer/director David Twohy tried to go back to basics with the modestly budgeted Riddick (2013). Audiences everywhere shrugged - what was this movie even about?

Now that Diesel's profile has been raised by the admittedly fun Fast & Furious franchise, Vin wants to do ANOTHER Riddick movie for the six people still interested in the character, AND do a TV series tie-in set in the "Riddick Universe."

Come on Vin, you might have a small, and I mean small, cult following around the Riddick character, but after three movies that received wide releases over a 13 year period, and only managed to gross on average just over $46 million each - audiences has spoken: they simply don't care for this character.

The mercs didn't catch up to Riddick, but audience indifference surely did.

Gary Owens, Voice of Space Ghost, Passes

"Spaaaace Ghooost!"

If you were a kid who watched Saturday morning cartoons in the late 60s and 70s, you recall the battle cry of the intergalactic superhero, Space Ghost.

The voice of Space Ghost, the great Gary Owens, who also found fame as the announcer on the classic Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In passed away on February 12 at the age of 80. 

Mr Owens had a long career as a disc jockey and voice over actor, lending his distinct smooth baritone to hundreds of commercials and TV series such as Roger Ramjet, Dynomutt and Ren and Stimpy's Powdered Toast Man.

More at Variety.com.

It's A Genre World, We Just Live In It

Lotta things happening in the genre worlds right now:

Christopher Nolan' s Instellar is set to move and thrill us in early November.

The super-cult TV favorite Twin Peaks is coming back, with original creators David Lynch and Mark Frost returning to run things.

Robert Downey Jr's Iron Man is rumored to be the "villain" in the upcoming Captain America 3.

And Warner Brothers is banking A LOT on their stable of DC Comics characters translating into movie blockbuster franchises.

To the Falcon Cave, Robin!?

Did the Batmobile/Tumbler make the Kessel Run in less than 3 bat-parsecs?

Check out the video link to Variety.com at the end to find out the latest tit for tat shenanigans between Star Wars: Episode VII director JJ Abrams and Batman v Superman helmer Zack Snyder.  LINK.

Mad Max: Fury Road - The Road Warrior Returns

The Road Warrior (1982) is one of my all-time favorite movies.  The bleak, desolate world created and brought to life by director/co-writer George Miller, actor Mel Gibson and their amazing team of filmmakers, artists, craftspeople and, lest we not forget, stunt drivers feels so real, you want to shake the dust out of your clothes after watching the movie.

Road Warrior, or Mad Max 2 as it was known in its native Australia and other parts of the world, was so influential that to this day, over 30 years after it was first released, cheap knockoffs are still made that ape aspects of the movie - mainly its football shoulder pad, leather-clad fashions.

I'm always drawn to characters like Max.  A wounded man who just wanted to be left alone after the tragedy he suffered, but who did the right thing when no one else did, or could do.  That fits the mold of many a classic Western film character too (and more than a few characters from Samurai films).

Now, finally, MAD MAX IS BACK.

Mad Max: Fury Road, scheduled for released May 2015, puts George Miller back in command, with Tom Hardy donning the weathered and tattered Main Force Police uniform of Max Rockatansky.  Academy Award-winner Charlize Theron, sporting a very cool mechanical arm, co-stars.

Start revving your engines.  The chase is about to begin...again.

Ed Wood - Interesting facts about this Tim Burton gem

Well, kids, Halloween is right around the corner.  One of my favorite movies to get me into that Halloween spirit is Ed Wood, directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp as the "worst director of all time."

It's an amazing film, featuring lush black and white photography and a great cast, with Martin Landau winning an Oscar for his moving portrayal of the legendary horror film icon Bela Lugosi.

Film School Rejects has posted an article that pulls 40 interesting items from the DVD commentary track.

Star Trekking with DC Comics

We love all things Star Trek at the blog here. Back in the day - 1987 to be exact - DC Comics published "Who's Who in Star Trek," a limited series featuring the work of various artists as they gave you the rundown on the most prominent characters in Star Trek up to that point.  Howard Chaykin did the amazing cover artwork (issue No. 1, below).

(art from DC Comics of the 1980s)

The great blog DC Comics of the 1980s has Chaykin's art on display for both issues. 


Star Trek is a Registered Trademark and Copyright 2014 by CBS Studios, Inc.  No infringement of those rights is intended with this article.

1980s Sci-Fi and Fantasy TV Intros

Here's a great video posted to You Tube which compiles a ton of fun old sci-fi and fantasy TV series opening titles.  The poster, RwDt09, titled it, "11 INTROS TO TACKY 80s SCI-FI/FANTASY TV," but I recall being enthralled by a least of couple of these lost gems: Manimal (due to Stan Winston's great spfx makeup work) and Wizards and Warriors (which had its comedic charms).

But The Highwayman...any show where Sam J. Jones drives a big rig with a GIANT FREAKING HELICOPTER on the front...yeah, that's the definition of "tacky."

Count how may of these shows had one of those openings that explained the show's premise each and every week (The Phoenix, Matthew Star, Outlaws, Highwayman).

Another Bat-Short for The Batman's 75th Anniversary

Acclaimed animator/writer/artist Darwyn Cooke has a new short film featuring one of the more unique twists on the Batman mythos, a futuristic version called Batman Beyond (based on the short-lived animated series of the same name).  It was created to celebrate Batman's 75th Anniversary this year.

Actor Kevin Conroy once again voices the aged Bruce Wayne, with the new younger Batman voiced by actor Will Friedle.

Cooke first came to fanboys' attention after designing the amazing opening titles for Batman Beyond, seen below. 

The Batman Is Back In A Bruce Timm Short Film

75 years.  That's how long the Batman has been prowling the streets of Gotham City, delivering his unique, laser-focused brand of two-fisted justice after first appearing in Detective Comics #27, cover dated May 1939.

Legendary animator Bruce Timm - the chief designer and architect of Batman: The Animated Series - returns to the cowl with a terrific animated short film he conceived and directed for DC Entertainment to celebrate Batman's long reign.  It's sepia-toned for a vintage feel, retro-cool and doesn't waste a single frame. 

And, yes, Kevin Conroy voices Batman.

Avengers Assemble (Via Waffle Iron, If Necessary)

The fine, funny folks at College Humor featured a pic (click here) comparing and contrasting the Avengers circa their 1978 TV incarnations with the big budget 2012 incarnations.  What a difference a couple decades and a few hundred million bucks does to a superteam.

But to be fair, while Thor, Captain America and the Hulk are all from late 1970s CBS TV series/TV movies, CH's '78 "Iron Man" is actually a character called Exo-Man, which is not a Marvel Comics character, but rather a TV movie/pilot that didn't get picked up.  Ok, so it's an Iron Man rip-off, and from what I vaguely recall from watching the thing, Exo-Man used a giant wafle-iron-like device to suit up.  Oh, here it is (thanks YouTube) .

Photoshop Phasered Fumetti

Blasts from the Photoshop TOS Fumetti past.

Star Trek is Copyright 2014 and a Registered Trademark of CBS Studios, Inc.  Screencaps from Trekcore.com. Metaluna monster Copyright Its Respective Rights Holder. No infringement of these rights is intended with this parody.

Snake Plissken takes on Hazel the Maid

Perhaps the greatest "double feature" EVER aired on OTA station Antenna TV this morning.  From 6a -8a, they showed the scifi actioner "Escape From New York," featuring the adventures of the cynical, wise-cracking, take charge Snake Plissken.  This was immediately followed by two episodes of "Hazel," the classic 1950s sitcom about the adventures of a cynical, wise-cracking, take charge maid named Hazel.

I just know Hazel would have had a field day cleaning up NYC after it became a maximum security prison. 

Swing On Over To The Monkey Bar

Because it's a slow news day as far as monkeys are concerned, and Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes isn't out until July, here's a primate photo-op I ran back in December 2009.

Planet of the Apes series is Copyright 2014 by 20th Century Fox. No infringement of those rights is intended with this parody.  Andy Serkis mo-capped all the monkeys in this pic!

A New Food Truck Rocks Vasquez

Star Trek is Copyright 2014 and a Registered Trademark of CBS Studios, Inc. No infringement of those rights is intended with this parody. Screencaps from Trekcore.com. Metrons eat free.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Star Trek is Copyright 2013 & 2014 and a Registered Trademark of CBS Studios, Inc. No infringement of those rights is intended with this parody. Screencaps from Trekcore.com.

Celebrate Movie Posters Of Old

A blogger named Frederick has a terrific fun blog called HELD OVER MOVIES where he puts up old newspaper ads for movies. 

Check it out for a couple reasons: 1. the great rush of nostalgia at seeing ads for pics like Orca, The Spy Who Loved Me, Planet Of The Apes, chop-socky classic Exit The Dragon, Enter The Tiger and something called Superargo vs. Diabolicus, and 2. the thrill of seeing old-style poster designs and paintings (before Photoshopping everything became the norm).

Since Darren Aronofsky's new film Noah is coming out in 2014, this poster for In search of Noah's Ark seemed the perfect thing to post here.

Three Words That Strike Fear Into Movie Watchers

Here are three words on film posters that strike fear into movie-watchers everywhere: "and Richard Grieco."

Mr. Grieco has been coasting on his status as one of the 21 Jump Street TV brat pack dudes, but, come on now, that show ended over 20 years ago.  Grieco was only on it for one season, plus one season on his character's spinoff show.  Jump Street was nowhere near as influential or popular a show as, say, Miami Vice, so come on people, it's time to stop renting the crap Grieco makes.

Comics Alliance had this to say about "mockbuster" The Almighty Thor, which stars Patricia Velasquez, Kevin Nash "and Richard Grieco" - "Almighty Thor is nowhere near as good as you want a movie starring Richard Grieco as Loki and Big Daddy Cool Diesel Kevin Nash as Odin (with absolutely no effort made to hide his tattoos) to be, but it does feature dinosaurs and Thor with a machine gun."

Other flicks starring some folks "and Richard Grieco" include, A House Is Not A Home and Evil Breed: The Legend Of Samhain.

Tom Laughlin: Indie Director/Writer/Actor of Billy Jack Film Series Dies

"I'm going to take this right foot...and I'm going to wop you on that side of your face.  And you want to know something...there's not a damn thing you're going to be able to do about it."

I imagine Billy Jack is having that conversation with St. Peter at the pearly gates.  Yes, you read that right, Billy Jack or rather his earthbound form of actor/writer/director Tom Laughlin has passed, on December 12 at age 82, from this reservation onto the next.

No one did Native American-US Army vet-turned-pacifist-action-hero like Laughlin.  He played the black hat-wearing, denim-clad Billy Jack in four films: The Born Losers (1967), Billy Jack (1971), The Trial of Billy Jack (1974) and Billy Jack Goes To Washington (1977).

As a kid, I loved the first two films in the series.  Laughlin had a likeable, genuine screen presence (although it's obvious when his double, Hapkido master and the movie's fight choreographer Bong-soo Han is being used).  Billy Jack wasn't a superhero, but man, could he open a can of whoop-ass on a bunch of dumb rednecks.