Comic News Insider - Top 3

Captain Blasto was featured in the Top 3 segment of the Comic News Insider podcast last week. You can listen to the podcast here or on iTunes. (The segment is towards the end of the episode.) Thanks to Joe and Jimmy for helping spread the word!

Interview: Girls Entertainment Network

Gave a short interview this weekend for the Girls Entertainment Network, a site which takes a female perspective on pop culture. They put together a great write up of the Blasto series. Many thanks to Stephanie!

You can read the article here.

Interview: Comics Waiting Room

I recently did an interview for the Comics Waiting Room, an online comics magazine, which features Captain Blasto as it's cover story. Thanks to Elliott Serrano for putting together a great article.

You can read the interview at http://www.comicswaitingroom.com/captainblasto.html.

Help Spread the Word

If you're reading this blog then you must be a fan of the Captain Blasto series. (Or you did a search on the Kurt Russel movie Captain Ron and you somehow ended up here.) If that's the case then we're asking you to help us spread the word (about Blasto, not Ron). And here's a few easy ways to do that.

Subscribe to Captain Blasto on iTunes
Even if you don't have an iPod. By subscribing you're bringing the series to the attention of the good folks at Apple which increases our chances of being featured on the iTunes Podcast page. You can also write/post a review on the Captain Blasto iTunes page which also helps. You can find Blasto on iTunes here.

Share Captain Blasto through YouTube
We've all grabbed the embed code from a YouTube video and posted it to a friends myspace, Facebook, or blog page. Share an episode of Blasto. You can find Blasto on YouTube here.

Join the Blasto Facebook Group
When you join a Facebook group all of your friends see it in their news feed. You can find the Blasto Facebook group here.

Pass out Blasto Postcards
Here at Blasto HQ we've got these fine color postcards promoting the show. Send us an e-mail at info@captainblasto.com and we'll get a small stack out to you. And to thank you for helping us out, we'll send you a free Captain Blasto poster.

And lastly, a genuine thank you to each of you watching the series!

The Mercury Men Screenings

Some great news came in recently for The Mercury Men, a short film we produced as a concept for our upcoming web series.

The Mercury Men will be screening at the San Diego Comic-Con International Independent Film Festival on July 27th. (2:05 PM, Room 26AB) The film was selected by Tom DeSanto (producer of X-Men and Transformers) and Borys Kit (senior film writer at The Hollywood Reporter). The Comic-Con film festival can be found at http://www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_iff.shtml

TMM will also be screening at the Action On Film International Film Festival on July 30th at the Laemelle Theater in Pasadena, CA. On top of that, TMM was nominated for Best Visual Effects, Best Sci-Fi Film, and Best Short Film! The AOF Film Festival can be found at http://www.aoffest.com

If you happen to be attending Comic-Con or live in the San Diego or Pasadena area, I encourage you to come check out the screening and introduce yourself.

Baby Kleiber and Baby Schultz

Congratulations to Aaron Kleiber (Daryl) and his wife Wendy who became new parents today with the birth of their daughter Rebecca.

Also, a belated congratulations to Alan Schultz (technical producer) and his wife Melissa who also have a new daughter, Amelia, now only ten days old.

Extra Life

If you've got a moment I suggest you take a look over at myextralife.com. Extra Life is a comic, a radio podcast, and a blog all rolled into one great site. Not only are the comics great, but they've also been big supporters of Blasto.

Blip.TV

Captain Blasto was featured on the front page of blip.tv today!

Blip is not only the site hosting the episode feeds, but it's also home to many more really good web series. I suggest doing a little browsing.

Episode Three

"Mild Mannered Reporter," Episode Three of Captain Blasto is online now at http://www.captainblasto.com.

Subscribe to Captain Blasto on iTunes and each new episode will be downloaded automatically.

Blasto on Aint it Cool News

Blasto has hit Aint it Cool News! The insanely popular and geeky movie news/reviews site, of which I've been a reader for many years, posted a fantastic review this morning. Here's an excerpt:

This is no fan-fic film you see as you wander through YouTube or a Convention room floor. There are really impressive production values at work. The story wallows in fun. Its characters are having a blast. The humor is smart and crisp, like an extremely intelligent head of lettuce. Camera angles are skewed and exciting. The screen sections itself off into panels (a helluva lot more effectively than Ang Lee’s HULK) and fits the fun mood laid out. I love the mixture of comic book drawings with the live action looniness. If I were to pitch this to a big time Hollywood exec, I’d say it’s CLERKS meets FIGHT CLUB; a light-hearted romp about the drudgery of human existence and the lengths man will go to crawl out from that drudge. It’s also pretty funny when Blasto pounds the would-be criminal with a trash can over and over.

Get in on the ground floor and see what I’m talking about. It’s got laughs that made me chuckle even after multiple viewings. Don’t miss this one. New episodes are going to drop every week. It’s freakin’ free and worth so much more. Check out the first episode. I guarantee you’ll be hooked.

Repost: An Invention of Limitation

I'm in the middle of writing a new feature, and in the midst of the struggle to create a great action /adventure film on a micro budget I thought it appropriate to repost something from a few years back. Enjoy.

Picked up The Adventures of Superman on DVD. That's the old 50's Superman show starring George Reeves (no relation to Christopher Reeve). George Reeves eventually commited suicide and his life is being made into a movie right now starring Ben Affleck which of course makes me want to fill my mouth with molasses and killer bees. But that's not the point of the post.

The point is that while I was watching I kept trying to put myself into the shoes of a little kid back then. They LOVED this show. This is what really rocketed Superman into uber-popularity. And the whole time I'm seeing this middle aged guy leap out of windows in this awful costume and I'm wondering, "They loved THIS?" The effects are horrendously funny. The acting is just what you'd expect from a 50's show. Superman looks like about as heroic as your Uncle Ray.

But the more I thought about it, every medium that super-heroes have ever thrived on has been a very limited one. Superman, the very first super-hero, was created in the funny books. Cheap little black and white mini-mag's with awful little illustrations. He later entered homes through this little TV show. Spider-Man was made famous, not by the comic book, but by his cartoon in the 60's. I've seen flip books and buddy icons with better animation.

So why did people fall in love with these characters if they're only represented by such limited mediums and low budgets? Because the super-hero is essentially a character of imagination. The very core of a super-hero is just that, the ability to defy human limitations. Superman himself is an invention of limitation. A super-hero needs limitation or else there is nothing to defy. Any guy can walk through a door. But not everyone can punch a hole through it.

This theory lends itself to the consistent failure of box office super-heroes. (Failure in my regard is not measured by box office money, but rather quality of story.) With hundreds of millions of dollars poured into movies like Fantastic Four, Batman Begins, and the upcoming Superman Returns, there is NO limitation. Limitation breeds creativity. Unlimited resources breeds laziness. George Lucas should have learned this by now. If you use computers to create great fictional characters and landscapes you've removed the option of the audience using their imagination to fill in the edges. They don't need to, it's right there. And if you remove the audiences ability to use their imagination, they're not going to be engaged. Understand why kids are then so easily sucked into cheesy cartoons?

Should we withold budgets then? Should we ask Bryan Singer to make a film on 10 million as opposed to 200? Should we make special effects so bad that you have to use your imagination? No. But with every resource at their disposal, he'll never be half as super as he is trapped inside that comic book or those old Fleischer cartoons.

Superman needs to be wrapped in chains, just to show everyone he can break out of them. Maintain limitations, because then you'll be forced to be more creative than you ever could have been.

Captain Blasto now on iTunes!

That boring plane ride just got a little better because Captain Blasto is now available to subscribe and download on iTunes! You can watch each weekly episode on your iPod or iPhone.

Just click the subscribe button at http://www.captainblasto.com

or simply by clicking the link below:
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=282174763

The Web Series Premieres!

Episodes 1 & 2 of the new weekly web series are online now!

Watch them now at www.captainblasto.com.

If you've got a minute, please pass the link along to friends, family, and co-workers as we try to spread the word about the new series. It would be greatly appreciated by Team Blasto.

E-Mail News and Updates

For those of you reading this on the Blasto blog and not on Facebook or via RSS feed, you'll notice a new e-mail form on the right. Toss in your e-mail address to get Blasto news and updates. We promise we won't be sending you an e-mail every three seconds, only important stuff.

You can also sign-up at captainblasto.com.

Movie Expectations

If you've seen or talked to me in the past week then my disdain for the new Indiana Jones movie is no secret. While I have a great analysis of the film after many conversations and debates, I'll spare you the essay. (Ask me in person or comment below if you'd care to hear/discuss.)

The question I almost always get asked when I dislike a movie is: what were you expecting? As if my standards are set to high or that I've become cynical and jaded. No, I WANTED to love this film as I go into EVERY film rooting for it, hoping it doesn't let me down. Nowadays, they rarely don't.

Was I expecting this film to be better than Raiders of the Lost Ark? Absolutely not. That movie is lightning in a bottle. But when a film is being developed for 19 years, has draft after draft of scripts written by industry heavyweights (Frank Darabont - Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, Jeff Nathanson - Catch Me if You Can, David Koepp - Jurassic Park, Spider-Man 1 & 2), has hundreds of millions of dollars at it's disposal, and is a collaboration of the four BEST filmmakers (Spielberg, Lucas, Ford, and Williams) in all of the WORLD, I expect something great and I have every right to.

Have we become so barraged with crap that our expectations have plummeted? Have we become so used to flimsy and heartless stories with computer effects that we now applaud mediocrity? Should the slightly above average Iron Man be the new gold standard? Should we give Indy the thumbs up simply because "it was fun?" 19 years, millions of dollars, best of the business, and all they were able to provide was some fun for 120 minutes? Even my dog could accomplish the same feat. And while it may sound cliche, the ticket price of a movie has skyrocketed and the mild amusement aint worth it anymore. (Get those tickets back down to five bucks and you'll see expectations drop real quick.)

No, I believe films, filmmakers, and filmgoers need to set their sights a bit higher. Outrageous resources, large enough to change the course of small nations, are poured into these projects and people. To whom much is given, much is expected.

New Trailer and Facebook Group

Captain Blasto is now on Facebook. You can join the group at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=19976281997.

Also, the new trailer to the upcoming web series is up and running in Quicktime on the official site, http://www.captainblasto.com.

Episodes 1 & 2 will be premiering soon!

No Man's Land

At festivals, talking with other filmmakers and audience members, the question of the day is usually, "What are you hoping is going to happen with your movie?" Nine out of ten times the answer is some sort of distribution deal. Over the last few years, ever since Robert Rodriguez busted open the indie dream with a $7,000 film, there's been an surge of low, micro, and no budget films all competing for that grand distribution prize. But I believe that well has run dry. Big budget films are having a hard enough time competing with one another, along with video games and video on demand, and are given just over a week before being yanked away to DVD. Why in the world would studios take a risk on some low budget independent film? Speed Racer is losing money. George Clooney's Leatherheads was a whisp of smoke, here one second, gone in an instant. What hope do the little films have?

Here's more proof, via Indiepix blog:

• ThinkFilm, in a financial crises having overpaid for films that it can’t make money on in distribution, sells its catalog to a Canadian investor/speculator.
• New Line Cinema, respected for its having pioneered “edgy” films into the mass market, is closed by Warner Bros; 450 jobs in NY and LA lost.
• Picturehouse, run by top indie film distributor Bob Berney, is closed by Warner and titles folded into the studio.
• Warner Independent, the so-called “independent” arm of Warner managed by a former studio exec, Polly Cohen, is closed and folded into the studio.
• Cablevision, owner of the IFC channel, successfully bids an estimated $500 million for the Sundance Channel, now controls all cable presentation of independent film.
• Discovery Networks, after purchasing rights to and then declining to show “Taxi to the Dark Side“, Discovery is rumoured to be closing their independent film activity and may cut back on their support of Silver Docs.

Another example. Let's look at two projects.

Captain Blasto. Took three years to make. Cost $7,000, an additional $2,000 to have DVD's pressed, and roughly $1000 in advertising. To submit to a single film festival costs approx. $45, and we've easily spent hundreds on entering countless fests. If you're not accepted, that money just disappears. If you are accepted you now pay airfare, hotel, food, transportation, etc. A successful screening ends up being approx. 100 - 200 people. Often times that number lingers more around 40, and I've seen as low as 12. All that money for a few dozen people? Well, maybe there's a producer/distributor on the hunt at least. At Sundance sure, to bid on that William H. Macy movie he heard great things about, but they're not at the other eight zillion festivals looking for that goofy film from Munhall. In total, I estimate that approx. 3,000 - 5,000 people have seen Blasto in it's entirety.

Luigi Story. Made in just over two weeks. Cost $100 for some overalls and fake mustaches. Posted to YouTube and advertised the link on a handful of video game blogs. Currently the short has been seen on various sites by over one million people.

Times are changing. The new distribution model, whether it is video on demand or internet, has not solidified itself. We're entering a new season where people are going to be trying all sorts of stuff. Some will work, most won't. I know I've been giving my next project A LOT of thought. What is the best end product? Direct to DVD? Digital download? Web series?

Welcome to no man's land.

The Best Picture Ever Taken

Ben sent me this today. Can you imagine being the store teller that rings up Harrison Ford buying Indiana Jones toys?

Review: Speed Racer

I haven't kept my reservations and apprehensions towards the Speed Racer movie secret. Just a few posts ago I wrote that it looked a little too "Spy Kids" for me. Saw the movie on an opening day matinée and I have to admit, it's fantastic! Much better than Iron Man, which is the buzz movie at the moment. It was so good I had to see it again the very next day, and I'm sure they'll be at least another viewing before this ducks out of theaters. Very few films have surprised me like that.

I often complain about filmmakers taking cartoons/comics and changing them to the point where it doesn't resemble the original cartoon in any way shape or form (Transformers or the upcoming G.I. Joe for example.) This film is literally a translation of the cartoon to the screen, down to the tiniest detail. It's not the cartoon adapted into a real world. It's an original universe with races that seem born out of Mario Kart rather than Nascar.

The producers have been marketing this film completely wrong. They continuously show all these candy coated trailers of cars flying around, and while those scenes are INFINITELY better on screen (and in context) than they appear in the trailers, there's a lot more to this movie then CGI cars. I was shocked by the strong theme of family throughout this film, especially scenes between Speed, Rex, and their father Pops.

I have to warn you though, while this movie gets my highest recommendation (something I don't do too often on here) I don't think everyone will like this movie. But there's an easy test. The first 7 minutes of the film is online (embedded below.) These opening scenes capture the film perfectly. If you like what you see, you'll love the film.
Click here to watch.

UPDATE: I've been getting lots of e-mails asking, "Are you seriously recommending this movie?" The short answer: absolutely. The long answer: while this movie does have it's problems (especially a rather slow second act), the first act, the third act, and lots of great scenes peppered throughout the second act overcome all it's faults.

Captain Blasto: The Series

Finally able to post the news.

Early this summer you'll be seeing Blasto in a new form, a web series. We've cut the film down into 5-8 minute episodes which will be released online each week for absolutely free through both the main site and iTunes. We've also taken the time to do some color correction, so Blasto will look better than it ever has. (Or maybe we'll go the George Lucas route and throw a bunch of CGI creatures singing into the Lock and Key Heist.) On top of that we're trying to offer some new content for long time Blasto fans in the form of previously unreleased behind-the-scenes footage.

Why are we doing it? Simple really. We'd like it to be seen by as many people as possible.

I'll keep ya posted with details in the very near future. If you haven't picked up a DVD yet, the original cut will remain on sale through the main site until the series premiere in June. All future DVD sales will be of the new, shorter cut, with older footage as a deleted scenes special feature. Supplies of the original cut are incredibly limited (50 or so left) so if you'd like to own a copy, I suggest ordering soon.