Alice in Wonderland appears to be headed for the fearful nexus of visually stylized camp, but hope springs eternal.
Showing posts with label tim burton. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tim burton. Show all posts
Friday, August 07, 2009
Charting Tim Burton's Hits and Misses
After watching the Alice in Wonderland trailer, I started thinking about Tim Burton. What's his problem, anyway? What went wrong? I believe all questions can be solved with over analysis and charts, so...
Alice in Wonderland appears to be headed for the fearful nexus of visually stylized camp, but hope springs eternal.
Alice in Wonderland appears to be headed for the fearful nexus of visually stylized camp, but hope springs eternal.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Photos: Toy Fair 2009
2009 marked Geekanerd's first trip to the American International Toy Fair, held at the Javits Center in Manhattan. Toy Fair is a magical place where men and women in suits walk down endless hallways of brightly colored toys, with nary a child in sight - no one under eighteen is even allowed in the door. Hardcore.
Plenty of new toys were on display, including original painted prototypes of Mezco's upcoming line of 2-inch LittleBigPlanet figures. Good. Grief. The cuteness, it burns!
More Sackboy, plus Star Wars, Tim Burton, Simpsons, Qee, Watchmen, Umbrella Academy, and oh so much more, after the jump...
*Featuring color commentary in italics by Gnerd contributor, Sarah B....
Sackboy as an little angry cowboy. Again, this is an original painted sculpt, but it would be awesome if the vinyl figures can capture this much personality.
Sarah B: He looks mean.
Again, amazing paint job.
You ARE a PIRATE!
Plastic Sackboy key chains, including a Sackgirl. Girl Sackboy? Yeah. I don't think that one with the tongue sticking out really captures what this game is about.
You can pick which Sackboy you want on your keys. In late '09.
Lots of Hellboy stuff this year, including these figures by Mezco's Mez-itz line. I know this looks like a Web 2.0 photo shop job with the shadow and everything, but it's totally real. Nice paint job on the gun.
I'm not a fan of Count Dooku nor am I fan of the Clone Wars series in general, but this is a beautiful sculpt. Whoever lit this display should be promoted.
Ana's photo makes it look like Count Dooku is playing Don Corleone in a Godfather remake.
I have no particular affinity for Freddy Krueger, but I can safely say this piece by Gentle Giant was the best looking toy (sorry, Animaquette) I saw all day. The cartoony designs really capture the tension and energy of the scene - and bonus points for making the girl cute without going crazy with proportions, as toy makers tend to do. There's a wonderful sense of motion in this figure - from the girl's perky position ("Did I hear something?" she seems to say...), to the carefully balanced way Freddy is rearing back for the strike. And look, she's even got a little Jason plushie, and is wearing a Camp Crystal Lake t-shirt! $150? Sure, why not?
This looks scary and awful! Who would want this on their desk? I'm not buying vacation properties from a guy with this in his office, I tell you what.
A new line of Simpsons PVC toys. The even mildly observant fan will note these are all from the episode that shows how Homer and Marge got together; we've got Prom Homer, teenage Patty, streaking Barney, and middle aged-Abe. Barney is not anatomically correct, in case you can't tell, or intentionally averted your eyes.
This naked Barney really captivated me. So yellow.
These Uglydoll blind assortment figurines were also on display at Comic Con, but here they are again. I got to play with them this time, they've got a great sturdy feel, and the waist articulation is a really nice touch. I like how Wedgehead is best displayed upside down.
Ugly dolls made an appearance. naturally. They're like, we're here y'all.
A few Uglies got their own displays, for some reason, although it looks like Trunko is crashing the party. For those of you are love Ox as much as I do, please note that his description on the sign is SLIGHTLY different that the one that comes on his name tag.
OX is my favorite ugly doll.
Ice Bat busted out of the display case to take a coffee break.
He's got to limit his caffeine intake. It looks like he's dosing really high at this point. I've been there.
Oh my God! Real life Slurm! You probably want to buy this - well it's by Boston America Corp, but that website site seems to cater to retailers...but whatever, if you buy like, ten cases, I'm sure they'll negotiate.
We're now entering the Star Wars Science section, a new property by Uncle Milton toys. They've created all sorts of Star Wars-related science fair fare, including this old standard, the model Volcano. But wait- it's Obi Wan and Anakin! The volcano is Mustafar! You put a little orange dye in with that baking soda, and you're in for a seriously good time.
Why couldn't Anakin have just gotten control over himself?
Here's what I actually came to the Toy Fair to see....The Force Trainer. You may have already see video of this thing in action, but basically this toy teaches you how to move things with your mind. I'm serious. No, I'm serious. I did it. I have the Force. I'll be leaving to train as soon as I find a Jedi Master accepting students (tips@geekanerdblog.com, if you know someone).
That got levitated by Ana.
This is the official logo of Star Wars Science....but what is it? It looks a little like the Galactic Republic logo crossed with the Rebel Insignia, but with a star in the middle. Can anyone help me out?
These toys have really fantastic product design, in a distinctly Old Republic style. Apparently the Uncle Milton company designs everything, and Lucasfilm only gives approval and input. I wish I had spoken to a designer while I was there, but honestly I was a little shaken after learning I was Force sensitive.
Several toys are designed to be put together by kids so they learn about the inner workings of machines, in this case, Darth Vader's robot arm. Not this is not life sized, but about the size of a young kid's arm, perhaps the better to stick through your shirt. You can actually move the arm with controls on the shoulder side, and pick up and release objects. Excellent detail work.
The PR rep said that kids would build this themselves so as to learn about science. Did Darth Vader have to build his arm himself? Probably not because Palpatine probably had a storm trooper get him one from the store. So in conclu, kids will be more fierce than James Earl Half-arm, in a sense, if they put this together themselves.
Nightmare Before Christmas has turned out to be the little property that just won't die. This has to be the cutest rendering of Oogie Boogie I've ever seen.
This ghost appears happy to have shuffled off.
A life-sized replica of Kirk's chair, with tribble. There are buttons on the side, but they don't do anything. Could they have figured out how to mash a universal remote on there?
A guy next to us asked to sit in this chair. The Diamond rep said no, you have to buy it. The guy said, how much. The rep said 2200 dollars. The guy said, this would be a nice office chair. Then he said, but it would repel all women. The rep was like, yeah. The guy was like, this would be a magical women-repelling chair. The rep was like, but if you had enough money to buy it, you probably wouldn't have a problem with women. I was thinking, you guys are squares. But truefax, you could probably get a decently made-up trophy type chick if you had enough dinero to drop 2200 on a Star Trek captain's chair. But would she really understand you? Would she really care if you were doing fine or feeling sad, cause maybe you or Ice Bat spilled coffee on your Star Trek chair and the stain won't come out?
Excellent Umbrella Academy figures from Dark Horse that I "figure" will be flying off the shelves upon their release in May 09. The Umbrella Academy is the best new series of the last few years, and these designs by Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba look absolutely perfect off the page.
Detail on Space Boy's head sculpt...
...and Krakken as well. That's a scary looking little knife.
CHUBSTER! Are Chubbys the new Mighty Muggs? I'll leave that to you, the consumer. Wait, $59.99? For serious?
All those shame-eaten donuts.
The Leia line of Chubbys...kind of funny they put her Boushh costume in there, as opposed to, oh, I don't know, WHITE DRESS AND CINNABON HAIR? Actually, having the Thermal Detonator in there is pretty awesome, so it's all good. These are by Gentle Giant via Diamond Direct, and are
Didn't need to see cutified, ovular slave Leia, didn't.
Can you stand any more of these? Look that at X-Wing Pilot...could it be...Porkins? I like to think so. Eh, I'm pretty sure it's actually Wedge. These toy designers have no sense of humor.
These are kinda cute though.
Just when I thought I would never have anything to do with Guitar Hero again, McFarlane Toys comes out with these adorable Rock Band avatar toys. Look at Izzy Sparks! His beautiful locks kind of look like a melted soft-serve. But that's okay; If the actual CG avatars looked like this and not half-baked polygonal warcrimes, I might take a break from Rock Band and get back to basics.
This photo doesn't do these sculpts justice, but I think you get the idea. These are the original models for the PVC line
These looked great in real life.
Everyone at Geekanerd loves Giant Microbes. Especially the dangerous ones. But these little guys don't look dangerous at all. They just want to make a baby, is that so wrong? They're in love!
The sperm's like I GOT A JOB TO DO. The egg's like, me? Ok.
Anthrax! Now that's what I'm talking about - dangerous! If I put this in an envelope and mailed it to someone, would I go to jail?
These microbes are really cute. The anthrax has sorry eyes.
This is just a 2-D mock-up of an upcoming keychain from Applehead factory. It's a TOFU ZOMBIE in case you can't tell, "cuted up" from his original, more terrifying toy design. I like it.
Great looking floor mat for the Watchmen movie...the first of many apparently kid-oriented pieces of Watchmen merchandise from Neca.
That Under The Hood book is without a doubt the best piece of Watchmen merchadise I've ever seen. Fantastic 60s cover design, and look how the corners are "aged" - this is genius. When I first saw it, I said aloud, "IS THIS REAL?". It's just a blank notebook inside but still - someone in the Neca design department must have some serious geek cred to come up with a toy based on such an obscure reference.
In the middle there, in plastic, are LiveStrong-style bracelets with the names of the different watchmen. For preteens? Also there's a lighter.
These lunchboxes are presumably for hipsters, and not actual grade schoolers. Because surely no responsible parent would let their child each lunch of of something adorned by the image of a hateful, reactionary, violently psychotic vigilante. And no Batman jokes, please, Rorschach is a totally different kind of crazy.
Dr. Manhattan doesn't eat lunch though, right? He looks sad here cause he can't relate to your need to eat a sandwich or taco every day at noon..
I love Qee toys, and I really love it when people imagine the anatomy of cartoon characters. Here's a cross-section of the iconic Qee Bear.
Also a detailed skeleton. Notice: no neck.
Some adorable Qee sculpts. They're available now, so go get em.
Cute eggs.
Nice looking custom Baby Qee, titled Splatter Bear. Toy2R is a great company, they had a pop-up shop in Brooklyn not to long ago...really sweet gift bags.
And because every convention at the Javits Center has to have a stormtrooper.....bang.
This storm trooper had his convention badge stuck to his back. Kind of slightly messed up the effect.
For more photos, high res versions, and more detail shots, check out our Flickr Set.
Plenty of new toys were on display, including original painted prototypes of Mezco's upcoming line of 2-inch LittleBigPlanet figures. Good. Grief. The cuteness, it burns!More Sackboy, plus Star Wars, Tim Burton, Simpsons, Qee, Watchmen, Umbrella Academy, and oh so much more, after the jump...
*Featuring color commentary in italics by Gnerd contributor, Sarah B....
Sackboy as an little angry cowboy. Again, this is an original painted sculpt, but it would be awesome if the vinyl figures can capture this much personality.Sarah B: He looks mean.
Again, amazing paint job.You ARE a PIRATE!
Plastic Sackboy key chains, including a Sackgirl. Girl Sackboy? Yeah. I don't think that one with the tongue sticking out really captures what this game is about.You can pick which Sackboy you want on your keys. In late '09.
Lots of Hellboy stuff this year, including these figures by Mezco's Mez-itz line. I know this looks like a Web 2.0 photo shop job with the shadow and everything, but it's totally real. Nice paint job on the gun.
I'm not a fan of Count Dooku nor am I fan of the Clone Wars series in general, but this is a beautiful sculpt. Whoever lit this display should be promoted.Ana's photo makes it look like Count Dooku is playing Don Corleone in a Godfather remake.
I have no particular affinity for Freddy Krueger, but I can safely say this piece by Gentle Giant was the best looking toy (sorry, Animaquette) I saw all day. The cartoony designs really capture the tension and energy of the scene - and bonus points for making the girl cute without going crazy with proportions, as toy makers tend to do. There's a wonderful sense of motion in this figure - from the girl's perky position ("Did I hear something?" she seems to say...), to the carefully balanced way Freddy is rearing back for the strike. And look, she's even got a little Jason plushie, and is wearing a Camp Crystal Lake t-shirt! $150? Sure, why not?This looks scary and awful! Who would want this on their desk? I'm not buying vacation properties from a guy with this in his office, I tell you what.
A new line of Simpsons PVC toys. The even mildly observant fan will note these are all from the episode that shows how Homer and Marge got together; we've got Prom Homer, teenage Patty, streaking Barney, and middle aged-Abe. Barney is not anatomically correct, in case you can't tell, or intentionally averted your eyes.This naked Barney really captivated me. So yellow.
These Uglydoll blind assortment figurines were also on display at Comic Con, but here they are again. I got to play with them this time, they've got a great sturdy feel, and the waist articulation is a really nice touch. I like how Wedgehead is best displayed upside down.Ugly dolls made an appearance. naturally. They're like, we're here y'all.
A few Uglies got their own displays, for some reason, although it looks like Trunko is crashing the party. For those of you are love Ox as much as I do, please note that his description on the sign is SLIGHTLY different that the one that comes on his name tag.OX is my favorite ugly doll.
Ice Bat busted out of the display case to take a coffee break.He's got to limit his caffeine intake. It looks like he's dosing really high at this point. I've been there.
Oh my God! Real life Slurm! You probably want to buy this - well it's by Boston America Corp, but that website site seems to cater to retailers...but whatever, if you buy like, ten cases, I'm sure they'll negotiate.
We're now entering the Star Wars Science section, a new property by Uncle Milton toys. They've created all sorts of Star Wars-related science fair fare, including this old standard, the model Volcano. But wait- it's Obi Wan and Anakin! The volcano is Mustafar! You put a little orange dye in with that baking soda, and you're in for a seriously good time.Why couldn't Anakin have just gotten control over himself?
Here's what I actually came to the Toy Fair to see....The Force Trainer. You may have already see video of this thing in action, but basically this toy teaches you how to move things with your mind. I'm serious. No, I'm serious. I did it. I have the Force. I'll be leaving to train as soon as I find a Jedi Master accepting students (tips@geekanerdblog.com, if you know someone).That got levitated by Ana.
This is the official logo of Star Wars Science....but what is it? It looks a little like the Galactic Republic logo crossed with the Rebel Insignia, but with a star in the middle. Can anyone help me out?
These toys have really fantastic product design, in a distinctly Old Republic style. Apparently the Uncle Milton company designs everything, and Lucasfilm only gives approval and input. I wish I had spoken to a designer while I was there, but honestly I was a little shaken after learning I was Force sensitive.
Several toys are designed to be put together by kids so they learn about the inner workings of machines, in this case, Darth Vader's robot arm. Not this is not life sized, but about the size of a young kid's arm, perhaps the better to stick through your shirt. You can actually move the arm with controls on the shoulder side, and pick up and release objects. Excellent detail work.The PR rep said that kids would build this themselves so as to learn about science. Did Darth Vader have to build his arm himself? Probably not because Palpatine probably had a storm trooper get him one from the store. So in conclu, kids will be more fierce than James Earl Half-arm, in a sense, if they put this together themselves.
Nightmare Before Christmas has turned out to be the little property that just won't die. This has to be the cutest rendering of Oogie Boogie I've ever seen.This ghost appears happy to have shuffled off.
A life-sized replica of Kirk's chair, with tribble. There are buttons on the side, but they don't do anything. Could they have figured out how to mash a universal remote on there?A guy next to us asked to sit in this chair. The Diamond rep said no, you have to buy it. The guy said, how much. The rep said 2200 dollars. The guy said, this would be a nice office chair. Then he said, but it would repel all women. The rep was like, yeah. The guy was like, this would be a magical women-repelling chair. The rep was like, but if you had enough money to buy it, you probably wouldn't have a problem with women. I was thinking, you guys are squares. But truefax, you could probably get a decently made-up trophy type chick if you had enough dinero to drop 2200 on a Star Trek captain's chair. But would she really understand you? Would she really care if you were doing fine or feeling sad, cause maybe you or Ice Bat spilled coffee on your Star Trek chair and the stain won't come out?
Excellent Umbrella Academy figures from Dark Horse that I "figure" will be flying off the shelves upon their release in May 09. The Umbrella Academy is the best new series of the last few years, and these designs by Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba look absolutely perfect off the page.
Detail on Space Boy's head sculpt...
...and Krakken as well. That's a scary looking little knife.
CHUBSTER! Are Chubbys the new Mighty Muggs? I'll leave that to you, the consumer. Wait, $59.99? For serious?All those shame-eaten donuts.
The Leia line of Chubbys...kind of funny they put her Boushh costume in there, as opposed to, oh, I don't know, WHITE DRESS AND CINNABON HAIR? Actually, having the Thermal Detonator in there is pretty awesome, so it's all good. These are by Gentle Giant via Diamond Direct, and areDidn't need to see cutified, ovular slave Leia, didn't.
Can you stand any more of these? Look that at X-Wing Pilot...could it be...Porkins? I like to think so. Eh, I'm pretty sure it's actually Wedge. These toy designers have no sense of humor.These are kinda cute though.
Just when I thought I would never have anything to do with Guitar Hero again, McFarlane Toys comes out with these adorable Rock Band avatar toys. Look at Izzy Sparks! His beautiful locks kind of look like a melted soft-serve. But that's okay; If the actual CG avatars looked like this and not half-baked polygonal warcrimes, I might take a break from Rock Band and get back to basics.
This photo doesn't do these sculpts justice, but I think you get the idea. These are the original models for the PVC lineThese looked great in real life.
Everyone at Geekanerd loves Giant Microbes. Especially the dangerous ones. But these little guys don't look dangerous at all. They just want to make a baby, is that so wrong? They're in love!The sperm's like I GOT A JOB TO DO. The egg's like, me? Ok.
Anthrax! Now that's what I'm talking about - dangerous! If I put this in an envelope and mailed it to someone, would I go to jail?These microbes are really cute. The anthrax has sorry eyes.
This is just a 2-D mock-up of an upcoming keychain from Applehead factory. It's a TOFU ZOMBIE in case you can't tell, "cuted up" from his original, more terrifying toy design. I like it.
Great looking floor mat for the Watchmen movie...the first of many apparently kid-oriented pieces of Watchmen merchandise from Neca.
That Under The Hood book is without a doubt the best piece of Watchmen merchadise I've ever seen. Fantastic 60s cover design, and look how the corners are "aged" - this is genius. When I first saw it, I said aloud, "IS THIS REAL?". It's just a blank notebook inside but still - someone in the Neca design department must have some serious geek cred to come up with a toy based on such an obscure reference.In the middle there, in plastic, are LiveStrong-style bracelets with the names of the different watchmen. For preteens? Also there's a lighter.
These lunchboxes are presumably for hipsters, and not actual grade schoolers. Because surely no responsible parent would let their child each lunch of of something adorned by the image of a hateful, reactionary, violently psychotic vigilante. And no Batman jokes, please, Rorschach is a totally different kind of crazy.Dr. Manhattan doesn't eat lunch though, right? He looks sad here cause he can't relate to your need to eat a sandwich or taco every day at noon..
I love Qee toys, and I really love it when people imagine the anatomy of cartoon characters. Here's a cross-section of the iconic Qee Bear.
Also a detailed skeleton. Notice: no neck.
Some adorable Qee sculpts. They're available now, so go get em.Cute eggs.
Nice looking custom Baby Qee, titled Splatter Bear. Toy2R is a great company, they had a pop-up shop in Brooklyn not to long ago...really sweet gift bags.
And because every convention at the Javits Center has to have a stormtrooper.....bang.This storm trooper had his convention badge stuck to his back. Kind of slightly messed up the effect.
For more photos, high res versions, and more detail shots, check out our Flickr Set.
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Shrimp Glove Face Plant: MC Chris Pays Tribute To The Ghost With The Most
With the start of April comes many burnt blogosphere offerings, but the gem of the day was a nerdlicious new song from MC Chris. He'd been advertising an exclusive preview track from his upcoming album, though given the April 1st release date it seemed unlikely he'd be putting up anything legit. He ended up unleashing a song that won't be on the album, or presumably any other album since the backing track consists almost entirely of samples from the greatest Danny Elfman theme of all time...
UPDATE: Aw man, it got taken off YouTube! Oh well. You can still get it off Chris's MySpace, see the link below.
Awesome. It's available to download for free on mc chris's myspace. Annotated lyrics after the jump....
The following lyrics were posted by MC himself on the MC Chris forums and YouTube. Most of the references should make sense to anyone who counts themselves as a fan of the film, but I added a few annotations for some of the more obscure lines.
im deathly pale bad breath bad teeth
hate the sand and the sun never see me at the beach
i'll stick with goth chicks transfixed on death
that wear black britches i insist on nice breasts
i sleep in a grave lived through the black plague
actually that's all my fault but dont wiki that k?
green hair downstairs boogers farts and phlegm
that's my stock in trade see me startin trends
black and white striped suit or a blood red tux
got jack on my hat in japan it's a must (1)
i can change shapes do pranks and disguises
bioexorcist im the best in a cirisis
parents wanted me to clean up like my brother (2)
boss used to say i didnt work well with others
now im independent and my methods are effective
say my name three times if you want to get connected
beetlejuice beetlejuice one two three
i like a little lady name lydia deetz
her demeanor is depressed i confess that's sweet
dont try to deny she's my bride to be
hey kmart shoppers there's a sale on my services
im here to help there's no need for your nervousness
i'll eat what u wanna eat swallow what u say (3)
relieve you of your living that are ruining your day
have you read the handbook for the recently deceased
it's too thick like my dick when i think of little deetz
she's the key to my release from this model existence
coffin lining's confining and i want out this instant
me and the dragster of doom we're the baddest of dudes (4)
we hit the inferno room where the ladies get nude
but we're eternally screwed so i become a bridegroom
and get lovely lydia to lip synch an i do
i must move the maitlands out of my way
give'm zipperlips pitch a plate on their face
say hello to hammer hands say goodbye to goulet
and then off to fla where my review drew raves (5)
shrimp glove face plant
we like cassettes not 8 track
clown face much like
the one you'll see in dark knight
being dead kinda sucks
the afterlife's no fun to us
im the name that people trust
the juice that comes from beetleguts
(1) Kay, we're starting off slow because I actually don't really know what the hell he's talking about here. Possibly refers to the Beetlejuice stage show in Universal Studios Japan?
(2) Reference to Beetlejuice's Parents an episode of the Saturday Morning Cartoon show in which it's revealed that BJ's parents are conservative squares.
(3) Refers Beetlejuice's advertising jingle for his bioexorcism service; "I'll eat anything you want me to eat, I'll swallow anything you want me to swallow, come on down I'll....chew on a dog!" Perhaps the film's finest moment.
(4) Another reference to the cartoon, the Dragster of Doom (or Doomie) was Beetlejuice's sidekick from the second season on.
(5) Beetlejuice's Rockin' Graveyard Revue used to be a live show at Universal Studios Florida, but it's gone now, along with the amazing Back to the Future Ride. Kids today have to settle for some seriously tame bullshit based on The Mummy and Twister.
UPDATE: Aw man, it got taken off YouTube! Oh well. You can still get it off Chris's MySpace, see the link below.
Awesome. It's available to download for free on mc chris's myspace. Annotated lyrics after the jump....
The following lyrics were posted by MC himself on the MC Chris forums and YouTube. Most of the references should make sense to anyone who counts themselves as a fan of the film, but I added a few annotations for some of the more obscure lines.
im deathly pale bad breath bad teeth
hate the sand and the sun never see me at the beach
i'll stick with goth chicks transfixed on death
that wear black britches i insist on nice breasts
i sleep in a grave lived through the black plague
actually that's all my fault but dont wiki that k?
green hair downstairs boogers farts and phlegm
that's my stock in trade see me startin trends
black and white striped suit or a blood red tux
got jack on my hat in japan it's a must (1)
i can change shapes do pranks and disguises
bioexorcist im the best in a cirisis
parents wanted me to clean up like my brother (2)
boss used to say i didnt work well with others
now im independent and my methods are effective
say my name three times if you want to get connected
beetlejuice beetlejuice one two three
i like a little lady name lydia deetz
her demeanor is depressed i confess that's sweet
dont try to deny she's my bride to be
hey kmart shoppers there's a sale on my services
im here to help there's no need for your nervousness
i'll eat what u wanna eat swallow what u say (3)
relieve you of your living that are ruining your day
have you read the handbook for the recently deceased
it's too thick like my dick when i think of little deetz
she's the key to my release from this model existence
coffin lining's confining and i want out this instant
me and the dragster of doom we're the baddest of dudes (4)
we hit the inferno room where the ladies get nude
but we're eternally screwed so i become a bridegroom
and get lovely lydia to lip synch an i do
i must move the maitlands out of my way
give'm zipperlips pitch a plate on their face
say hello to hammer hands say goodbye to goulet
and then off to fla where my review drew raves (5)
shrimp glove face plant
we like cassettes not 8 track
clown face much like
the one you'll see in dark knight
being dead kinda sucks
the afterlife's no fun to us
im the name that people trust
the juice that comes from beetleguts
(1) Kay, we're starting off slow because I actually don't really know what the hell he's talking about here. Possibly refers to the Beetlejuice stage show in Universal Studios Japan?
(2) Reference to Beetlejuice's Parents an episode of the Saturday Morning Cartoon show in which it's revealed that BJ's parents are conservative squares.
(3) Refers Beetlejuice's advertising jingle for his bioexorcism service; "I'll eat anything you want me to eat, I'll swallow anything you want me to swallow, come on down I'll....chew on a dog!" Perhaps the film's finest moment.
(4) Another reference to the cartoon, the Dragster of Doom (or Doomie) was Beetlejuice's sidekick from the second season on.
(5) Beetlejuice's Rockin' Graveyard Revue used to be a live show at Universal Studios Florida, but it's gone now, along with the amazing Back to the Future Ride. Kids today have to settle for some seriously tame bullshit based on The Mummy and Twister.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Weekanerd NYC: Sweeney Todd Talk, 1/4th of Sonic Youth, Noah Baumbach, Expensive Toys
Monday, November 12th
- Margot at the Wedding w/ Noah Baumbach and Jennifer Jason Leigh
- 7pm @ Clearview Chelsea West, 333 West 23rd Street, Manhattan
Tuesday, November 13th
- Women and the New York School w/ Kim Gordon
- 8pm @ Tribeca Performing Arts Center, 199 Chambers Street, Manhattan
Wednesday, November 14th
- An Evening With Tim Burton
- 8pm @ Lincoln Center's Rose Theater, Broadway & 60th Street, Manhattan
Thursday, November 15th
- Tara McPherson Dunny Signing
- 6pm @ Kid Robot at 126 Prince Street, Manhattan
Thursday, October 04, 2007
An Insane Fan's Guide To The Sweeney Todd Trailer
The good news is, the new Sweeney Todd trailer looks gorgeous. Shots like the one above make me hope that Tim Burton's imagination is back on track after his long dry spell. Okay, so that pic is from a fantasy sequence that's not exactly characteristic of the look of the rest of the film, but still, it's awesome. And really, there's nothing like working with the greatest material ever written to get the old directorial mojo working again.The bad news is the trailer itself is pretty poor, due an attempt to cover up the fact that Sweeney Todd is a sung-through musical by cramming in every spoken line of dialogue (all ten of them). The trailer can be viewed here, but really, if you've never seen the play the trailer may give you the wrong impression - there's barely any music in it, the one clip they do have of Johnny singing looks strange out of context. The trailer's overall impact is much more conventional and less hardcore than I believe this movie truly is (UPDATE: I was right. Read my rave review for details). But still, visually it kicks ass, and after the jump I've screencaped some "killer" stills, accompanied with my patented Foaming Geek Analysis.
Remember those moments in Kill Bill when The Bride sees someone she wants to kill, and it goes into Revenge-O-Vision? This movie will have many of those kinds of moments, but with more pathos.
This is from a song sequence in which Todd decides to kill, well, everyone. "What do you mean, everyone?" EVERYYYYONNNE!
The most moving love song in Sweeney Todd is sung directly to a pair of razor blades. Is that, or is that not, all the reason you need to see this film?
What a kooky pair! Helena Boham Carter plays Mrs. Lovett, Todd's practical, street-smart, and highly delusional partner in crime. Carter doesn't make much of an impression in the trailer, but I'll give her the benefit of the doubt and assume her ultra-dry performance is more of a long form thing. Note that in this pic Johnny is doing his trademark wounded glare. Can't go wrong with that.
Sacha Baron Cohen as Adolfo Pirelli, one of those turn of the century snake-oil salesmen you're always hearing about. We can look forward to a suitably over-the-top performance and an purposefully broad Italian accent.
Alan Rickman as the evil Judge Turpin, seen here in a 15-years prior flashback. Wow, he really cleans up well. Snape fans are going to lose their shit. However, Rickmanites will be somewhat discouraged to know that for the majority of the film, Mr. Rickman will be looking more like this next still...
Still, you take what you can get.
Todd makes a "few minor adjustments" to his barber chair.
Welcome to the grave, filmmgoers.
The very CG exterior of Mrs. Lovett's shop.To close, a selection of images that signify what this movie is all about. Not the soul-corroding power of anger, not the self-destructive nature of revenge, nor dehumanizing caste system of the industrial age. No, this film, as the MPAA will attest to, is at it's core about angrily slashing people's throats with huge straight razors. Enjoy.
Slashy slashy!Related: Geekanerd's rave review of Sweeney Todd. Even the highest hopes can be satisfied.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
