Corey

Marionettes aren't known for their musical skills, because if their arms and legs can't stop flopping around they can't really play an instrument, now can they?

Well, as talented puppeteer and street performer Ricky Syers shows in this video, there is one instrument those floppy armed puppets can play pretty well- the drums.

(YouTube Link)

It's really impressive to see how much expression Ricky is able to put into little Chopsy's performance of Rush's "Tom Sawyer", and I'm really surprised Chopsy hasn't been offered a recording contract yet!

(YouTube Link)

-Via Laughing Squid

If Clint Case and his wife don’t win Parents of the Year, then the system truly is rigged, presumably by the Galactic Empire.

For Halloween, they outfitted their son in a homemade Luke Skywalker-on-Tauntaun costume that’s simply too cute for words. If you don’t believe me, just watch the video of the boy taking the adorable little beast for a test drive.

It’s unclear whether the rider or the Tauntaun is to blame for the less-than-stellar turn. “You’re Tauntaun, he’s dumb,” Case declares. In fairness to Li’l Luke, the snow lizards are known to be a little temperamental, not to mention stinky.

We can only hope that Case plans to accompany his son trick-or-treating while dressed as a wampa. And maybe — just maybe — when the kid gets old enough not to be traumatized, the Tauntaun costume will get an upgrade, so the Youngling can slash it open with a lightsaber to keep warm. Hey, it can get chilly on those late October nights.

Tauntauns made their big-screen debut in 1980’s “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back,” where they served as somewhat-reliable transportation for Rebel forces on icy Hoth. They had a brief cameo, of sorts, in “Return of the Jedi,” where the head of one of the beasts can be seen mounted on the wall of Jabba the Hutt’s palace.

Just a suggestion: Don’t trick-or-treat at Jabba’s palace.

(via Mashable)

The post This Adorable Tauntaun Costume Will Be the Envy of Star Wars Fans appeared first on CBR.com.

Repeat as necessary

Nice to meet you

Finalists, 2016 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

Costume update

The world of The Walking Dead is a grim one—after all, it’s populated by flesh-eating undead hordes and maniacs running around with barbed-wire-wrapped baseball bats. But before you dive back into the grimness with the show’s seventh season, fill your world with a little joy, courtesy of British comedic icon John Cleese.

Read more...

Bubble are a Russian comic book publisher, who are also expanding into games and movies.

Including a movie based on their comic book Major Grom. With this teaser trailer to demonstrate what’s coming, which they were happy to show off to any passerby at New York Comic Con. And which I am alsohappy to spotlight here.

The comic is published in Russia, and has now been made available to international audience, translated into English, through ComiXology.

The masks from the trailer are based on an old Russian cartoon. Here’s where to get really familiar.

Major Grom – My Favourite Movie Trailer From New York Comic Con

IT’S FUCKING SATURDAY. DID YOU KNOW WOODROW WILSON IS THE ONLY PRESIDENT TO HAVE HELD A PHD?

WORDS OF WISDOM OF THE FUCKING DAY:

LEARN THE RULES LIKE A PRO SO YOU CAN BREAK THEM LIKE AN ARTIST.

PERSON OF THE FUCKING DAY:

BEHEADED FOR SHELTERING A FUCKING GERMAN GENERAL. more>>

EDUCATE YOUR IGNORANT ASS:

PRINT OUT SOME FUCKING PRODUCTIVITY TOOLS. more>>

FUCKING MIND-BLOWING BOOK OF THE DAY:

WAYS TO LIVE A KICK-ASS LIFE. more>>

USEFUL SHIT OF THE GODDAMN DAY:

CHECK OUT THE FUCKING NIGHT SKY. more>>

WEBSITE OF THE FUCKING DAY:

SELL DIGITAL DOWNLOADS TO YOUR GODDAMN CUSTOMERS. more>>

AWESOME-AS-SHIT VIDEO OF THE DAY:

A FUCKING WORLD OF SELF-DRIVING CARS. more>>

SWEET-ASS PICTURE OF THE DAY:

MOTHERFUCKING ZION. more>>

soivechangedmypleatoguilty:

Don’t ever tell me that wrestling’s fake ever again

Go Ahead, Make My Drink
60 Recipes Inspired by the Best of Film and Television
Hardcover
Written by Anthony Marinese
Illustrated by Horacio Cassinelli
Publisher: Insight Editions
Publication Date: October 18, 2016
Cover Price: $19.99

Whenever we have a party at my house, we always pick a "signature" drink to make, as if we're hosting some kind of David Tutera-coordinated extravaganza. I'm constantly scouring the Internet for movie- and TV-themed drink inspirations, which is why Go Ahead, Make My Drink: 60 Recipes Inspired By the Best of Film and Television by Anthony Marinese was a book I was 100 percent interested in checking out.

This 144-page full-color hardcover recipe book from Insight Editions was even cooler than I expected, mainly because a lot of the properties they selected are ones I'm into -- Star Trek, Star Wars and the like -- but it's also illustrated! Each drink has its recipe with instructions, accompanied by explanatory text on its inspiration, a photograph of the prepared item, and an adorable full-color illustration by Horacio Cassinelli either of the drink alone or of the beverage with something from the film/TV show, such as a character or prop [...]

The post Book Review: Go Ahead, Make My Drink: 60 Recipes Inspired By The Best Of Film and Television appeared first on Geeks of Doom.

Mad Max: Fury Road has reignited an interest in the post-apocalyptic desert setting of the Wasteland. But even before the film made a splash on the big screen last year, people were already taking to the desert for a celebration that would make Immortan Joe proud, and it looks like a party made in Valhalla.

Wasteland Weekend has been running since 2010, combining the aesthetic of the Mad Max movies with the festivities of the desert insanity known as Burning Man. See the party in action after the jump.

Here’s how the official Wasteland Weekend event page beckons you to have a lovely day:

Join over a thousand attendees coming from all over the the United States (and beyond) to gather in the Southern California desert for a four-day post-apocalyptic festival.  Set up camp at our wasteland compound, surrounded by specially-built sets.  Costumes are required and post-apocalyptic campsites and vehicles are encouraged.  Live for four days in a world pulled straight out of the Mad Max movies and other post-apocalyptic films and games, beyond the grip of so-called civilization.

There’s everything from live bands, stunt performers, fire dancers, burlesque shows, circus acts and some kind of “post-apocalyptic bloodsport of the future” called Jugger. Plus there are tons of crazy vehicles on display and cruising around.

The bad news is Wasteland Weekend already happened back in September for 2016, but it’ll be back next year. So get your chrome spray paint ready and get someone to witness you. Thanks to GeeksAreSexy for bringing this to our attention.

The post Wasteland Weekend: It’s Mad Max Meets Burning Man appeared first on /Film.

Tara Flynn, a rising star in show development at TV studio Fox 21, walked into her boss’s office in August to announce she was leaving for a job at Netflix Inc.
Her boss said she was under contract, and Flynn replied that she wasn’t asking permission, according to people familiar with the conversation. She had little to lose. Netflix said her contract wasn’t enforceable in California, and promised to cover any legal fees, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private information.

Flynn’s departure is just one of the latest examples of Netflix’s aggressive hiring as it builds its own empire.

...

Parent company 21st Century Fox Inc. took its grievances a step further, suing Netflix last month for allegedly encouraging Flynn and a film marketing executives to break their contracts. “Netflix is defiantly flouting the law by soliciting and inducing employees to break their contracts,” the media company said in its statement. “We intend to seek all available remedies to enforce our rights and hold Netflix accountable for its wrongful behavior.” Netflix declined to comment on the suit. Flynn referred questions to Netflix.

While Hollywood relies on fixed-term contracts, they aren’t enforceable, Netflix has said. The company wants to set a precedent that it can take employees from other companies -- if those employees want to leave.

As promised, here is our second trailer for the Assassin’s Creed movie.

This one goes into the action, story and iconography a lot more from the series, and I dig the look of this. (I will say, I’m not super into the tyopraphy of the graphics, but that is obviously a pretty big nit-pick.)

Not much more to say other than that. Take a look right here:

Assassin’s Creed’s Second Trailer Gets Deeper Into The Past And Present

In collaboration with Pottermore, artist Olly Moss is releasing seven officially licensed Harry Potter posters in a timed-edition. Last year Moss worked on a set of new Harry Potter books, giving the covers a new minimalistic look. This set of Olly Moss Harry Potter posters is being released in a timed-edition, , which means any Harry Potter fan that wants them (and has the cash) can own them. Find out more details, after the jump.

Olly Moss Harry Potter Poster Prints Set

These Olly Moss Harry Potter posters are beautiful, and while I’m a fan of the series I’m not sure I have the wall space to dedicate to all seven of these prints. I might end up buying a print of my favorite, Prisoner of Azkaban. Although I think these prints would look best on a wall in a set of at least three, like Moss’ Star Wars trilogy.

We’ve featured a lot of Moss’ art over the years, from his work on the Lost art show to his now classic Star Wars trilogy set and much more. The demand for the artist’s pop culture prints has grown as he has been away for a couple of years, working on the video game Overwatch.

Moss has revealed that these posters were one of his pitches for the book covers: “I actually pitched like five different approaches. Hoping to share the whole original pitch one day, just waiting for permission.”

As for why they are being released as giclee’s and not screenprints, Moss offered the following reason: “I thought about it, but managing an unknown number of orders, across seven prints, each probably needing at least eight screens, would just be a logistical nightmare.”

Moss chose to release the prints in a timed edition to give regular Harry Potter fans a chance to own them: “That is honestly my thinking behind the long timed edition. Just want these to go to Potter fans who don’t necessarily have their finger on the button of the print world.”

The art is also being used exclusively as the covers for the Harry Potter audio books in Germany.

How do you buy them? Head on over to Olly Moss’ website Moss.fm, where all of the prints are available $50 separately or as a set for $275. The prints are sized 16×24″ and hand-numbered. This is a timed edition that will be on sale until 3 pm BST on Monday, October 25th, 2016. Because this is a timed edition and production is based on the volume of orders, they won’t be able to start shipping these posters for two or three months. The earlier you order, the earlier your prints will ship. Orders of 4 or more prints will be shipped flat.

The post Cool Stuff: Olly Moss’ Harry Potter Posters Are Beautiful appeared first on /Film.

After a long week at the office, this old broken poser needs to oil the bearings with @strikebrewingco so I can get back out there and show these young guns a proper handplant. @santacruzskateboards #screaminghand (at Sierra Madre, Sierra Madre, California)

The ocean’s already fraught with danger, the last thing you need while swimming is a massive humpback whale deciding it wants to leap out of the water a few feet from where you’re treading water. But that’s exactly what happened to Australian photographer Beau Pilgrim, who fortunately got the whole thing on video.

Read more...

You know you’re a dedicated Star Wars collector when you demand extreme accuracy even when it comes to a novelty shot glass. These inside-out Stormtrooper glasses from The Fowndry were created using Andrew Ainsworth’s original 1976 helmet molds, which means you really won’t find anything more accurate.

Read more...

While humans are terrible, animals are universally good. Let the trailer for the new Planet Earth II uplift you, usher you into the restfulness of the weekend, captivate your mind, turning your thoughts far away from the darkness of the human world to the beauty of the animal kingdom.

Read more...

New York Comic-Con has been finished for a few days now, but that doesn’t mean you can’t pretend like you were there by picking up some of the artwork from Hero Complex Gallery that was unveiled at the convention.

Right now the collectible art gallery has a bunch of new pieces straight from NYCC featuring Ghostbusters, Lord of the Rings, The Professional, Misery, Harry Potter, RoboCop, How to Train Your Dragon, The Fifth Element, Pulp Fiction and more.

Check out all the Hero Complex Gallery NYCC 2016 art available after the jump.

As a massive Ghostbusters fan, I love all the iterations of Casey Callender‘s “Nightbusters” piece (a variation on the classic piece of art called “Nighthawks” by Edward Hopper), as well as Vance Kelly‘s vibrant “Don’t Cross the Streams” print. But Marko Manev‘s trios of new pieces for Lord of the Rings are quite marvelous as well.

In case you didn’t notice, that Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone piece from Ape Meets Girl is in this batch, and there are still copies on sale in the Hero Complex Gallery shop, though the alternate color variant is completely sold out.

Each of these pieces have a different edition, a few of them have variants, and they’re all on sale right now over at Hero Complex’s online shop while supplies last. If prints aren’t your thing, there are also a bunch of cool enamel pins inspired by Big, Stranger Things, Cast Away, Back to the Future, Gremlins, Lost and more. Here’s some of them:

Head over to Hero Complex Gallery to see all the NYCC goodies available for purchase right now.

The post Cool Stuff: Hero Complex Gallery’s NYCC Art for ‘Ghostbusters,’ ‘Lord of the Rings’ & More appeared first on /Film.

Netflix has become a great place for stand-up specials to find a much bigger audience than they used to. Tons of the latest specials from the likes of John Mulaney, Hannibal Buress, Morgan Murphy, Louis CK, Mike Birbiglia, Maria Bamford, Aziz Ansari, Patton Oswalt, Jen Kirkman and more all have some outstanding comedy available to stream. But now one of the greatest stand-up comedians ever is bringing two new specials to Netflix.

Chris Rock is currently planning an all new world tour, and part of that tour will be the first of two specials recorded for Netflix in 2017. This will be the first special that Rock has done in 11 years, with the last one being Never Scared which premiere on HBO in 2005. Find out more about the Chris Rock Netflix stand-up specials after the jump.

Rock didn’t offer up any quips or hints at what his new material might be covering (though headlines in the past few years will provide plenty of fuel for the comedian’s fire), but he simply said, “I’m very excited to be working with Ted and Lisa and all the good people at Netflix. I can’t wait to get back on stage.” Considering how well Chris Rock did when he took the stage as the host of the 88th Academy Awards this year, giving him a whole hour (if not more) for each new special is going to be incredible.

That’s Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s Chief Content Officer, and Lisa Nishimura, VP of Original Documentary and Comedy, who Rock is talking about. They’ve made Netflix a prime destination for some of the best stand-up acts in the business right now, and Lisa isn’t afraid to toot their own horn in that regard:

“Increasingly, Netflix is becoming the preeminent destination for stand-up comedy, partnering with top-tier talent across a wide variety of styles and humor, enabling them to bring their fresh, distinctive and hilarious voices to our members in 190 countries around the world. Our members discover every day that we truly offer something for every comedy fan, and the comedians we partner with understand the power of having a direct line to our ever-growing global audience. Coming on the heels of our first Emmy win in the category (Patton Oswalt: Talking for Clapping), now is the perfect time to take things to the next level with Chris Rock.”

Three of Rock’s albums have won Grammys for Best Comedy Album, one of them being Bigger & Blacker, which I consider to be one of the best stand-up specials I’ve ever seen. Here’s one of my favorite bits on gun control:

In addition, Rock has won several Emmys, including one for Outstanding Director for a Variety Special after being at the helm of Amy Schumer: Live at the Apollo. He also won another this past year for his turn hosting the Academy Awards as well.

Chris Rock joins Netflix’s roster of upcoming Netflix specials from the likes of Joe Rogan, Dana Carvey, Michael Che, Gabriel Iglesias, Reggie Watts and Colin Quinn. I cannot tell you how thrilled I am that not only is Chris Rock in the midst of bringing new material to the stage, but that he’s bringing two comedy specials to Netflix for everybody to see.

The post Chris Rock Working On Two New Stand-Up Comedy Specials For Netflix appeared first on /Film.

Humans have been driving evolution for millennia, often intentionally: Over the past 11,000 years, we’ve domesticated more than 700 plants and animals, turning the gray wolf into the toy poodle and the bland, bitter watermelon into a sweet, summertime snack. Among the 95 species that make up the world’s most important crops, at least six are human creations.

But we also shape other species indirectly. Hunting, fishing, and harvesting, for instance, can lead to selection against the very traits that we prize. Consider a naturally occurring genetic variant that gives some red foxes iridescent, silver coats. Furs from these foxes fetched higher prices than the traditional rust-colored pelts, leading economically rational hunters to target the silver canids, removing them from the gene pool at disproportionate rates. In 1830 in Eastern Canada, silver foxes made up 16 percent of the population; a century later, that figure had declined to just 5 percent. Likewise, hunters’ hunger for trophy specimens has led to a decrease in horn size among Canadian bighorn sheep.

We continuously reshuffle the planet’s species

The Jim Henson Company has announced that Jim Henson’s television series Fraggle Rock will be returning to HBO in a digitally remastered HD presentation. HBO was the original home of the series when it premiered in 1983, lasting five seasons and 96 episodes. Hit the jump to learn more about the Fraggle Rock HBO return.

Growing up in the 1980’s, I was always a fan of The Muppets, and anything and everything Jim Henson produced, and The Fraggles were probably my most watched of the bunch. I had many VHS tapes filled with episodes recorded off HBO that I would watch on repeat. So it’s exciting to see the Fraggles return to television for a whole new generation to discover.

“In remastering the series, illuminate has created a contemporary look for the series with meticulous attention paid to every detail — sharpening the images, cleaning up the contrast, increasing the vibrancy of the colors and re-formatting for wide-screen — all under the careful supervision of Brian Henson,” Richard Goldsmith, EVP of Global Distribution for The Jim Henson Company said in a statement. “We’ll engage a whole new audience who will love meeting the Fraggles, Gorgs, and Doozers.”

Hopefully, HBO will put all 96 episodes on the HBO Go streaming service, because if so, that would be an incredible deal for parents of young children. All we know is the remastered version of Fraggle Rock will return to HBO by the end of 2016.

Back in 2008, The Weinstein Company was trying to make a Fraggle Rock movie. They had the rights, a director, and a distinct vision of what they wanted. Years later, New Regency took over and hired some writers. Then more years passed. Then in 2015 it was announced that Joeseph Gordon-Levitt would be starring in the film, but sadly we’ve heard nothing about the project since.

The post Jim Henson’s ‘Fraggle Rock’ Returns To HBO In HD appeared first on /Film.