Bernie and Neighbourhood Watch

Here's a couple of trailers for some interesting comedies coming out. The first being a new film from Richard Linklater (Dazed and confused, Scanner Darkly and School of Rock) featuring Jack Black, "Bernie"

Here's "Neighbourhood Watch" featuring Ben Stiller, Jonah Hill, Vince Vaughn and Richard Ayoade directed by Akiva Schaffer (Hot Rod, The Lonely Island)

Follow Friday: Samuel L. Jackson Is A Bad Ass M......?

There are many reasons to follow @SamuelLJackson on twitter, but the most important one of all is that he will teach you how to spell! Dude has used the word "motherfucker" in about half of his 265 tweets, and has not spelled it the same way twice.

Check out many, many more variations of the "M" word after the break.

Stryder's Favourite Comics - Release Date 2/29/2012

So we've come to the end of our look back at the last 6 months of the DC New 52!  However, they did save the best for last...

Justice League #6 - "Every civilization throughout history has had higher beings they aspire to..."  What can I say about the Justice League that hasn't already been said?  Earth's Greatest Super-Heroes defend against a very literal hell-on-earth as Darkseid continues his quest for universal domination all over our planet! 

This issue marks the final chapter of the story of the initial formation of the League!  There are a lot of great things about this issue...more than one big full-page spread that took my breath away, including one of Superman in the clutches of Darkseid's henchmen that literally made me gasp the first time I saw it.  Talk about being emotionally invested!  My only complaint is that this story seems too short!  Luckily, Justice League #7 is only a month away!

Oh there's a separate, very short story in the back of JL #6 that takes us back to the beginning of the New 52 and names the mysterious hooded woman who started this whole thing off.  Her name is Pandora, and she has an agenda...one involving the Justice League.  Not everyone in the universe is on board.  What will happen?  I can't wait to find out... 

Overall Run: 

Pros:
-Brilliant artwork, big and detailed, colourful and amazing!
-Fascinating story, particularly due to the interaction between these amazing, iconic characters!
-Every hero has a part to play and every part is important. 

Cons:
-Too Short!  I want more! 

Score: 5 out of 5 gods among us!!!  This story is a great example of what comics should be!  If you only buy one a month...

Some final thoughts and a very personal thank-you after the jump!!

ParaNorman trailer 2

Whoa another awesome stopmo film! This gorgeous looking film is from Laika the peeps behind Coraline

I want to see it now!

Boards and Beers - Montage

Word games are not my friend. Growing up my mom loved to play Scrabble, but would pull no punches. So when you're 8 and are proud of spelling "cat", having mom throw down "scapulary" for a double word score you tend to not want to continue to play. But to each their own because if anything "Words With Friends" proves that plenty of people out there like the challenge of knowing more than me. Montage does a great job of doing this, while also adding in color coded word jumble, crossword puzzles, and clever clues while being timed. Its a wonder any who played with me survived.

Wait.... Simon Pegg is Dengar?!

You know that I've been bewilderingly excited about lumpy, bandaged bounty hunter Dengar making his animated debut on Star Wars The Clone Wars this week, but today I discover that Dengar will be voiced by none other than jovial ginger Simon Pegg!? WTF!?

Here's Pegg sitting on the toilet - possibly the same toilet that Dengar smashed his head on while drunk.

We already knew that he was British thanks to the brief preview clip I showed last week, but I wouldn't have imagined that the mighty Pegg - although clearly a huge Star Wars fan - would accept the hideous, oft-mocked 3rd-stringer gun-slinger as his role in the Star Wars saga. I guess this means that Dengar is going to be a constantly quipping smartarse, which is kind of a shame because, based on his look, I've always imagined him to be a shifty, terminally depressed George Constanza. Bear in mind that in Empire Strikes Back he's fat, bandaged, and wears brown stormtrooper armour and loafers.

I'll be sure to bring you all the news on Dengar's debut once the episode airs!

The Guardian: 3 little pigs and the big bad wolf

Here's a great add for The Guardian. A 24 hour news attack on the story of the 3 little pigs

Frankenweenie - Official Trailer

OHHHH Yessssss!

Yes yes yes yes!

Speaking of Transformers...

Oh hey you guys did you know that the Transformers: Prime season 1 blu ray is released next week?

They've scheduled it for March 6th!  I'm very excited.  even though I've seen season 1 all the way through, I mostly only watched it in Standard Definition, as that is all they offered on Teletoon here in Canada (and yes I already complained to my local cable provider!)  I DID get to see some of the episodes in HD thanks to the magic of the Internets and they are mind-blowing!  Don't believe me?  Check out this clip after the jump!

Dolphins are A-Holes

As if we needed another reason to hate these underwater jerks. Mr Dolphin over here all drunk on shrimp got a bit too touchy feely with everyone.

Ehh ehh ehh ehhhh means Ehh ehh ehh ehhhh A-HOLE!

Peter Cullen - We Are The Explorers

This is just too cool not to share.  Peter "Optimus Prime" Cullen narrates this clip from NASA!!!

115 Hours Later and I Finally Beat Skyrim

I'm not a hardcore gamer on a whole. I've been playing video games since my parents brought home a Nintendo w/Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, and Mike Tyson's Punch Out one day as a kid, but ever since college, really, gaming has been a hobby more than an obsession. This doesn't mean I don't have my moments - I've logged an embarrassing amount of time in Team Fortress 2, for example - but it's rare these days for a game to essentially take over my entire life.

Then came Skyrim.

I never played Oblivion, mostly because first person anything tends to rub me the wrong way. But I had some gift certificates, and the entire internet was going crazy over Skyrim, so I jumped on board. The next thing I know, my 12 day Christmas vacation from work involved putting in probably 50 hours into Skyrim, my wife started worrying for my sanity, and all was lost. After 115 hours, I finally beat it, though. I didn't finish everything, mind you - still some leftover quests and such, but the main quest and most of the side stuff is complete. I rarely accomplish that these days, even with immersive RPGs that I'm enjoying. And Skyrim left me with a lot on my mind.

My Playing Card Project 2012: Update 2!

Last week I revealed my intent to shoot 54 models with 54 weeks (hopefully it's actually going to take a fraction of that time) and produce some decks of genuine casino-quality playing cards! You can see the first two images I shot for the set right here.

Since then, the shoots have been pretty regular. Have shot six more, and have six scheduled for the end of this week. Here's the next few preview images - bearing in mind that they are all still subject to change before the final product.

Models are Hexx (left) and Shay (right). Shay's makeup by LMP Makeup. 

Join me after the jump to see the other four and find out how you can eventually be involved!

Avengers Trailer #2 - Time to Get New Pants

Some pretty fantastic stuff it looks like, though I'm sure it'll be about 80 minutes of angsty "You guys we're a team!" with 40 minutes of non-stop balls/womb tingling action sequences with another 10 minutes of setup for the next Avengers film that'll happen in another 8 years. 

I actually am looking forward to this, honest.

Stryder's Favourite Comics - Release Date 2/22/2012

Proving once again that I have too much going on every day, here it is new comic book day and I'm just posting last week's comics!!  Luckily since it's a leap year, today's new comic day is only one book, and thus I don't feel all THAT late.  Ahh rationalization...what a great human art. 

Speaking of great human art...COMICS!

The Flash #6 - “In the five years I’ve been the Flash, I’ve faced many adversaries…but none as persistent as Captain Cold.”  This issue sees Captain Cold, the villain who, in a very roundabout way, is responsible for the new DC 52 universe in the first place, make his debut in this new universe!  And clichéd or not, this time…it’s PERSONAL.  Captain Cold has somehow acquired new powers, making his old freeze gun obsolete.  However, this is NOT what makes him so much more dangerous.  Always before he’s fought for material gain.  This time, he’s fighting for a very personal cause.  No one is more dangerous than when they are protecting someone they love.

Speaking of love…as always, I love the Flash!  The Flash, of course, loves his new girlfriend…Patty?!?  Not Iris?  Interesting…Barry asks Patty to be his girlfriend in this issue in a scene right out of any shy guy’s life.  It was awesome.  In many ways, Flash is the most realistic of super heroes.  His normal life is actually a normal life!  Or it will be, if he and Patty survive the next issue!!

Overall Run:

Pros:
-Great cast, great writing, great art, great dialogue!  What more can I ask for?
-Isn’t the Flash the nicest guy in the (comic book) world?  If you can’t get behind him as a hero, why even bother reading comics?  He’s everything you want to be as an 8 year old running around playing superhero…

Cons:
-I am having a hard time learning the names of all the supporting cast, particularly in Barry’s workplace.  That’s all I got

Score: 4.5 out of 5 super-accelerated lightning bolts!!  This may be my personal favourite book, which is why it DOESN’T get 5 out of 5.  I think I’m TOO biased.

Lots more after the jump!

DoYaThing Official Video - Gorillaz

It is always a good day when there's a new Gorillaz videoclip

and here's some storyboards of the above clip

Prometheus - Guy Pearce Weyland Viral Video

Ohhhhh this is looking good! Guy Pearce has got a good character to play with here

Let’s recap another episode of The Celebrity Apprentice! Your number one show where planet-sized egos clash and embarrassingly insecure celebrities burst into tears and scream at each other!

HULK PASH!!!

Remember all the way back in... ohhhh... episode ONE, where the women made a solemn pledge to buck reality television tradition and be the first female team ever to NOT be bitchy and catty towards each other? And I, like many of you I’m sure, thought, “Golly! Why would obscure actresses, Miss Universe, former pop idols, reality TV monsters, a mob boss, and the world’s most obnoxious comedienne, possibly have any reason to be bitchy and/or catty?” I just assumed that they would all get along great!

Did they succeed? Why not join me after the jump and we’ll find out!

Traces of Thedas - Geek Chic's Dragon Age perfume collection

So I bet you're thinking - "oh no, there's NO possible way she can still be going on about Dragon Age". Well, you'd better believe it, kids, because Geek Chic Cosmetics - otherwise known for their makeup collections based on World of Warcraft, True Blood, Serenity and Portal (among others) have released their very first perfume line, namely Traces of Thedas, and the news of this sent me into such a flurry of excitement I have never logged into Paypal so fast.

So I received my little bundle of solid scents today - for the uninitiated, these are a heavily scented waxy balm that you rub onto pulse points, as opposed to normal alcohol-based liquid perfume - And first was stunned at how many there are. I only vaguely remember buying the whole lot for about $20 and I think I mentally allotted that at maybe four scents. Nope - eight.

Read after the break for smellz!

What's Out? 29th of February 2012

Happy Leap Day, everybody! Celebrate by LEAPing into the new release list and then LEAPing into your local comic shop.

Nerd History: Claude Degler

I feel like I'm cheating this week, but I've tripped up on the story of Claude Degler, arguably the historical epitome of what constitutes a "fan." His story is a little bit all over the place - institutionalized in the 1930s, presenting a talk at a convention in 1940s that he claimed was written by Martians, claiming sci-fi fans would usher in a new age of evolution, and then briskly disappearing.

If you're ready for your brain to hurt a little bit, feel free to dive down this rabbit hole a little bit. I'm struggling to really make heads or tails of most of it, but it's too interesting not to share. Available is a Fanclopedia entry on him, as well as his Cosmic Circle and an attempt to track him down. Who knows what parts are truly believable and what are more the memories of people who love a good story, but...

Tuesday Bounty! Glorious Bounty is Envious!

It's Tuesday again, and that can only mean the unbridled excitement of a brand new page of web comic Glorious Bounty, illustrated with the mighty fists of Edward J. Grug III, with a script typed by my delicate, effeminate fingers!

When we last left the Glorious Bounty crew, Bruce and Deevis had their brains temporarily stored in new model PK robot bodies (much to the disgust of their own old crappy model PK) and were attempting to take down a giant bug-like weapons smuggler who was way out of their league. They're going to mess this up, right? Read on!

Click to embiggen, or check it out at the official site!

Holy shit! I'm so excited about what happens next that I want to be knocked unconscious for a week! And if you've never read Glorious Bounty then start RIGHT HERE AT CHAPTER ONE, you dummy!

The Book Was Better Episode 12: The Smurfs

This week we tackle the pinnacle of cinematic achievement, the zenith of animated art, the high point in the fine art of substituting one word for many disparate words: The Smurfs. Smurf yourself in and get smurfy to smurf, because this smurf is smurfing smurfed!

Christopher Plummer's Other Finest Hour

Now that 82-year old Christopher Plummer has finally won an Oscar, why not partake in a movie where he robs a bank in a Santa outfit and things just get freaky from there?

As someone who is proud to have never watched The Sound Of Music, Christopher Plummer is a good actor but nobody whose films I would actively watch out for. But as a fan of weird, little movies few have ever heard of, I got excited when I found out that 1978’s The Silent Partner was available on YouTube (Note: while Part 1 is safe for work, later scenes may be inappropriate for some audiences).

Catching up on Naruto

Remember Naruto? Well it's still going on and thankfully there is finally a video to catch you up on where Naruto is at

Yes that's right there's a rapping ninja in it now.

Our Oscars Prediction Challenge 2012 Results Are In!

A few weeks back, the staff here decided to take a stab at picking the Oscar winners this year, in our 2012 Oscars Prediction Challenge.

Well the results are in. Surprisingly... we actually got a few right!?

Even after writing-in Jack and Jill into most of the top categories, Luke Milton was still able to take this one away from us. I think it's because Australia is in the future, and the awards show had already aired when we voted.

Total scores:

Luke Milton - 13
Taylor - 9
Jeff Raymond - 8
J. Tagmire - 7

You can see all of our predictions in the comments here: http://www.fruitlesspursuits.com/2012/02/oscars-2012-prediction-challenge.html

The Chase by Tomas Vergara

This is pretty cool short is from Chilean director Tomas Vergara. For a first independent short from a self taught 3d animator it's pretty dang good. It features some pretty great character design and a cool almost plasticine texture.

There's a fantastic making of blog for the film (http://thechaseshortfilm.com/) where it shows how he really lived in a cabin in the woods for 6 months to make it. I always thought that was like a filmmakers joke about isolating oneself.

Seriously that looks like the greatest personal studio ever. I want to live there just like I used to dream about when I watched Dr Quinn Medicine Woman.