Sly and the Family Stone - Stand!

New Trailer for CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER

I take back all my misgivings about this flick (including the casting of Chris Evans) this looks like it could be the Bees-Knees.

Does anyone eles think the Hydra agents masks look similar to Paladins?

John Waters and Darren Aronofsky in Conversation

Here's footage of an on stage talk between John Waters (one of my all time favorite film makers) and Darren Aronofsky who is one of the great directors working in cinema today.
Although I have to say that Requiem for a Dream is one of the most contrived and pretensions  films I've ever seen. I've always described it as Trainspotting directed by Calvin Kline. 

New Batmobile from 'BATMAN LIVE' unveiled

 CAN-YOU-DIG-IT. It's no great revelation that the design of the new Batmobile for Chris Nolans next Bat-flick is probably more anticipated than most full on blockbusters and with the Tumbler biting the dust in its last outing the smart money is on the new one taking a more fast 'n sleek approach. But until we get the next big screen version here is the Batmobile for the BATMAN LIVE stage show and a'int it a peach.
This would only need minimal adjustments and this 2 seater hot rod wouldn't look out of place in 'the Dark Knight Rises'. 

Rob Liefeld's 'the HAWK & the Dove'........and the Penguin?

With the DC re-boot dividing opinion on how bad it will actually be, the biggest surprise/shock for me is the Rob Liefeild relaunch of 'the Hawk & the Dove', the book no one was waiting for. But the most puzzling thing is why he's drawn a penguin instead of a hawk on the cover of the first issue.

And if your not fully aware of Rob's work click here and to check out 'The 40 worst Rob Liefeild drawings' to see what all the fuss is about. (to be fair one or two of them are just cruel for the sake of it but it's a cruel world.)

The Coen Brothers with Noah Baumbach: Where and How to Begin a Film?

LOVECRAFT: FEAR of the UNKNOWN. (HP Lovecraft documentary)

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Now Showing: The Thing from Another World

The Thing from Another World by crazedigitalmovies

The Who - The Seeker

HP Lovecraft 'DAGON' homage.

illustration by Kev Harper

Keeping up my Lovecraft trip here's an illustration I did of the sea god 'Dagon'.

Holy Procrastination Batman....

I'm not one for drawing superheros but here's a quick Batman sketch for shits and giggles.

1960's Batgirl TV Pilot

 Here is a clip from the unaired 1960's Batgirl pilot starring Yvonne Craig who also played the super heroin in the Adam West Batman show.


And dig her theme tune.


Yvonne Craig was also the now iconic green alien Marta in the original Star Trek series.

Alabama 3 'Monday Don't Mean Anything...'

Kurt Russell's 'Han Solo' Audition

Jack Burton + Star Wars, I'd buy that for a dollar.

The real deal.

The HIT & MISS Adventures of WONDER WOMAN on Television

Although the new Wonder Woman TV show is dead in the water I'm sure it won't be to long before we see the pilot pop up online or as a one off TV 'special' but as someone pointed out NBC (who rejected it) where more than happy to produce the nostalgia mugging that was the Knight Rider remake so how bad could Wonder Woman really be.

It surly can't be as bad as the 1974 TV movie version starring Cathy Lee Cosby, who makes the Amazonian princess look like a 40 year desperate housewife.



Or how about this unaired 1967 version starring Ellie Wood Walker and produced by William Dozier
the man behind the Adam West, Batman series.



Basic story aside the biggest difficulty in adapting Wonder Woman is her costume, in the few released images from the new show Adrianne Palicki just came across like an angry stripper chasing after a guy who forgot to leave a tip.

When the costume was first revealed the immediate reaction was overwhelmingly negative with it quite rightly being compared to a cheep 'sexy Halloween' outfit, although the shows makers insisted that there would be 3 different versions (including the classic hot pants) of the much ridiculed get up which recent images have shown to be the case.

If they wanted to make her a strong super heroic figure they could have done worse and just used the costume Lois Lane wore in an episode of Smallville which served as a fan-boy tickling talking point and tip of the hat to the iconic super heroin. Erica Durance who played Lois Lane on Smallville also wore the unused 'new' costume on a recent episode of Harry’s Law.

The much loved (and rightly so) camp-fest that was the hit Lynda Carter version was an entertaining light hearted adventure romp that by today's standards wouldn't stand a chance against the baffling need for 'dark and gritty' superheros and the unrealistic expectations of blinkered pop culture tourists who mix up character and adventure with cartoon sex and violence and it is this which might be the real reason behind the failure of Wonder Woman 2011.

Animated Batman Year one Behind the Scenes.

 

This looks really promising. Can-you-DIG-IT!

CTHULHU Sketch.

Sketch by Kev Harper

 A sketch I did of HP Lovecraft's Cthulhu. It's that kind of Monday.

Judge Dredd's new movie Lawgiver.

 

 source

 Here is a close up of Judge Dredd's Lawgiver as it'll be in the new flick. Not to wild on how they look (or the Lawmaster for that matter) but I'm still 100% looking forward to this. The helmets look more than spot on though. 

Also have a look at the trailer for the pretty amazing looking fan flick "Judge Minty" and click here to check out their blog site for filming details.

Top 5 Songs from Comic Book Films

 

5. PRINCE: Batdance (BATMAN 1988)
If you listen carefully enough you can almost hear the cries of derisory laughter at the sight of this much ridiculed tune. I agree the other Bat-flicks featured better tunes (Siouxsie and the Banshees, U2, Smashing Pumpkins) but the Batdance fight back starts here, BATDANCE FOR CHRISTMAS No.1, you love it.

  
4. ARTIST ?: Jaan Pehechaan Ho (GHOST WORLD)
Taken from the 1965 Indian filck Gumnaam, the song along with the actual footage appeared in the opening to the excellent Ghost World. I'm not sure who the top cat is that is doing the singing but if anyone dose let me know.


3. FOR LOVE NOT LISA: Slip Slide Melting (The CROW)
The Crow is easily one of the best Comic adaptations to hit the silver screen and this song perfectly fits it's striped down neo-monotone atmosphere. My only reservation about the film and it's soundtrack is that I count it as a starting point to Goth/Emo revival (Evervesance, etc) that sprung up 10 years or so after the movies 1994 release.


2.VELVET REVOLVER: Come on come in (Fantastic Four)
With Marvels back catalog leading the way in Superhero pictures it's hard to believe just how bad the Fantastic Four flicks turned out. But if they had any saving graces it would be that the first one featured this little beauty from Velvet Revolver on it's soundtrack and the sequel had a top notch Silver Surfer.


1.QUEEN: FLASH (Flash Gordon)
History has proven that this movie is everything a comic book/Sci-Fi adventure should be, colourful, loud and not at all embarrassed by it's source material which is exactly how you would describe the Queen soundtrack that accompanies it, 10/10.


And special mention goes to the Ramones and they're version of the Spider-Man theme why the goons who make these movies don't use this and persist with Nickleback and the like will continue to be a mystery.

RAMONES: Spider-Man.

Joan Jett & the Blackhearts - I Love Rock N Roll

X-MEN: First Class film review

X-MEN: FIRST CLASS: reviewed by Joe 'Nightwing' MacDonald.

“Before he was Professor X, he was Charles. Before he was Magneto, he was Erik.”

Off the back of Thor, here comes the next Marvel Comics installation, and just like Thor, X-Men: First Class is definitely worth a watch.

 In stark contrast to the previous X-Men movies a la Brett Ratner, this movie avoids the pitfalls of tone that depressed its predecessors and strives to do just what a movie should: entertain.  Make no mistake, it is far from perfect but it is ultimately a movie that you should go out and see.

 Keeping spoilers to a minimum, the movie starts off with a dark overtone that it does not maintain, but is ultimately crucial for character development.  Starting with Kevin Bacon’s very well presented Sebastian Shaw and his actions upon a young Erik Lehnsherr gives us an insight into what pushes Erik into becoming Magneto.  And given the tagline I would expect it to be so. 

 Sebastian Shaw is followed by his Hellfire Club of Emma Frost, Riptide and Azazel;  Emma Frost (January Jones) being the most showcased whilst Azazel (Jason Flemyng) gets some decent action/fight sequences with the red-Nightcrawler treatment (appropriate if you know the comic backstory), and Riptide (Alex Gonzales) who gets no lines from what I can tell.

 Moving on from our villains, we have our two main characters of Charles and Erik. Erik Lehnsherr is played by Michael Fassbender who more than delivers.  The character is well played given the source material of the previous movies.  He’s man who knows he’s different and revels in it, not quite understanding why he and his kin pander to the humans around them and determined not to do so himself.  His journey and character development are principal to the plot.  As is his friend and opposite; Charles Xavier.

 Charles Xavier (Professor X), played by James McAvoy, is part of the reason this movie is so enjoyable.  Taking him back to his origins seems to have imbued the character with the chance to be a bit more of an adventurer and this is genuinely what the franchise had been severely lacking.  This isn’t to say that he takes a light hearted frolic through the whole movie – not at all. But it’s good to see the character of Professor X take off his grimace and wear a smile for once.  One thing I will say for James McAvoy is that he’s discovered magic in portraying the invisible power of telepathy.  You will see a lot of him touching his temples, but I suppose, what are you going to do when you need to present an essentially hidden ability? 

The relationship between our two main characters is a cornerstone of the movie, and to my eye, is well presented and occasionally gripping.  The Cain and Able style doomed relationship is entertaining to watch and both do a fantastic job of giving an insight in to the hidden nuances of the characters; Erik hinting at the dark and dangerously oppressed whilst Charles is the open and accepting mediator.  Any comic book fan knows that the two will become adversaries knowing that they are the opposite sides of the same coin, but witnessing the journey that gets them there is where the movie takes you.

  

Besides the two main characters, the line-up of X-Brats was something bittersweet for me.  On one hand, I love the way they are presented.  The costumes are fantastic, and styled in the way they should be, director  Matthew Vaughn has them all running around quite appropriately dressed in the old yellow and blue. Most of the characters are new as far as X-Men series goes, however some are cut far too short. Characters such as Darwin and Beast should have been showcased, whilst others who remain are just outright unlikable.  I cannot think of a single redeeming feature that our young Havok has. This is a problem that probably has more to do with the script-writing of the parts and not so much about the actors.  The character of Mystique is also a problem for me.  And once again it is not the actress so much as the way her character was written.  Again, avoiding spoilers, her relationship with Charles Xavier has no relevance with what has been established in the previous movies. This brings me to my next and final grievance with First Class.

It seems to spit in the face of previously established continuity with outright glee. Characters introduced in previous movies have absolutely no bearing to the ones portrayed within this one, Moira McTaggert being a prime example. Having been shown in X-Men 3 as a Scottish scientist is now an American CIA Agent.  There are other ‘errors’ which shall remain nameless and they in no way spoil the movie at all.  They just find a way of crawling under my skin.

Overall, this is a fantastic romp of a movie that will have you wishing that a little bit of radiation and evolution could give us all powers.  Go see it and you will not be sorry.

Good Points:      The costumes, the acting and mainly… the cameos!!

Bad Points:         The costumes, some of the minor characters and mostly, the goddam continuity errors!