Gen Con Double Feature

Just got word that The Luigi Story has also been accepted into GenCon Indy, making it's theatrical premiere. That's right, youth group videos can make it into film festivals.

For those of you who don't know what the Luigi Story is, I'll explain. It's a short film spoofing E! True Hollywood Story, documenting the tragic underdog life of the eternal player 2, Luigi from the Super Mario Bros.

Ridiculous Talent

Once in a while I'll come across an artist that is so freakin' good it makes you feel like you're the must untalented human to walk the earth. Honestly, with art/design this good, why bother?



You can check out more of Ragnar's stuff at http://symptomatica.blogspot.com.

CaptainBlasto.com gets a makeover

Paying tribute to the vintage comics that gave birth to the hero, the all new CaptainBlasto.com

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GenCon Indy 2006

Captain Blasto will be hitting GenCon Indy 2006 in just a short few weeks from August 10th till the 13th. GenCon Indy is a national gaming convention that brings in more people/money than the Final Four. There will be tens of thousands there for the weekend event. DVD's of the original extended cut will be on sale for $5.00. We've yet to hear back as to whether we've been accepted into the GenCon film fest. Should know soon.

Also appearing at GenCon will be the national debut of A Great Disturbance, the Star Wars mockumentary. DVD's of this film will also be up for sale, although I'm not sure on the price just yet.

EDIT: Just got word that we HAVE been accepted into the GenCon Indy Film Fest. Captain Blasto will be screening on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. If we win something we'll also screen on Sunday.

More Superman

Yeah, yeah, I know. Superman is so two weeks ago and Pirates is the new deal. But I came across this incredibly accurate review of the film while reading Paul Dini's blog. For those of you who don't know, Paul Dini was one of the writers/creators of Batman: The Animated Series, or what I like to call, The Best Television Show and Most Accurate Representation of Batman Ever Made Hands Down. Here's what ol' Paul has to say:

Eh, it was okay.

Considering the train wreck it could have been it was outstanding, but as it was, to me at least, it was just okay.

Given Superman's history in comics, movies, radio, television and a dozen other places, I was disappointed that the filmmakers looked only as far as the two movies made in the late 70's for their inspiration. But Superman, both as a character and as an entire concept, is much richer than those films. Clark the bumbler, the barely developed Daily Planet staff (besides Lois), the Superman/Clark/Lois triangle, goddamn wacky Lex and his daffy henchmoll du jour, ugh. Enough. You clowns are spending, when all is said and done, 300 million dollars. Show me something I can't get at the video rental store. Screw the fact THE INCREDIBLES is a cartoon, give me a story that's better than that, because animated or not, THE INCREDIBLES is the new gold standard for superhero movies. SUPERMAN RETURNS was in live-action (partially) and it felt like a cartoon, a flat, boring one. THE INCREDIBLES had characters that were compelling, some cool plot twists, great action sequences, and a villain's plot that, while not the most original, actually made sense. Weren't too many of those elements in SUPERMAN RETURNS.

I liked bits and pieces -- Eva Marie Saint, Brandon Routh, the Smallville flashbacks, Superman seen via a security camera foiling a convenience store robbery, the whole saving the plane sequence. Sweet raisins in a bowl of bland oatmeal.

All I can say to that is...ditto.

Pirates 2

Saw the new Pirates movie last night. I enjoyed the first one, but I wasn't bonkers about it like most people. Johnny Depp is good and all, but I don't see the craze that surrounds him. He downright ruined the new Wonka movie.

I left the second one with the same exact feeling as the first: it's a really good movie that borders at the edge of being a great one, and never quite makes it. They've got great characters, inventive scenes/sequences, and created a fun escapist world. But, like the first one, they achieve all that in a bit of a messy screenplay structure.

That being said, the crew/creatures of the Flying Dutchman are absolutely incredible. Davy Jones is one of the best cinema villains to hit the screen in quite a while.

Roads and Weather

Did you ever notice that if two middle aged men are having a conversation nine out of ten times it either about directions or weather? It's either "Oh, you just gotta take I95 up to New Stanton and head west on the Orange Belt," or "The storm's supposed to hit at 4:00, but I felt the wind change about an hour ago."

Why? Why is it that there default conversational topic is either something that's been relatively the same for decades or something that changes hourly?

Hopefully when I hit 45 I won't join the club. I'm betting I'll still be complaining about George Lucas.