Batman: Gotham Knight 2-Disc Special Edition

Two days ago I received the Batman: Gotham Knight Special Edition. I've
mentioned it before; as you may know, it's this animatrix-like collection of
short anime stories based on & inspired by the recent Batman movies.

For some reason I didn't seem able to get hold of the 2-disc edition here in
the Old Continent (tm), so I had no choice but to order it from an American
site.

But I figured it was worth it, and I have to say, I wasn't disappointed.
Having, erh, do*COUGH*wnloaded the game before, I wanted it and I wanted to
get me the extras.

IMO they were worth it. One is an exploration of both Batman himself and the
eccentric villains that populate Gotham city. Which I really liked. Nothing
really earth-shattering, I suppose, but I did like it enough to watch it
twice in a row. I guess that means something. :-)

Then there was a documentary on Bob Kane, who apparently was quite a
character in his own right.

On top of that, there was an interesting selection of episodes from the
Batman animated series from the 90's. One of them in particular was
interesting in that it featured some kids talking about how they knew/saw
Batman, an idea that was revisited in one of the actual anime episodes, but
the way it was done was nice: in one kid's version, Batman, Robin and the
villains looked like they did in the 60's series intro, and with the story
reflecting the campy wackiness of that series.

Another part was way cool in that they actually did what was basically an
animated version of a chapter from Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns"
in which Batman takes on some gang, and its leader, all done in the drawing
style that was used in the actual graphic novel. Great stuff!

That's basically it. Highly recommended!

The Dark Knight

Batman's back, and he's pissed off! Well, he's always like that, really, because that's just the sort of person he is. But anyway...

Christian Bale returns as Wayne/Batman, and does a pretty decent job. He gets to have some funny scenes having Bruce Wayne goof around, while being dead serious and focused as the Dark Knight. Which illustrates a point one of the characters made in Batman Begins: which is the disguise? Batman? Or is it as Bruce Wayne that he is playing a role?

In this latest movie we are re-introduced to Batman's old nemesis, an enigmatic villain who is known only as the Joker. Despite his clownish appearance he is a force to be reckoned with: highly intelligent, unpredictable and extremely dangerous.

As we all know this is Heath Ledger's final role, and man, talk about going out with a bang! His portrayal is multilayered, giving us a villain that's interesting and fascinating without hamming it up or chewing the scenery. This is a more realistic take on the Joker that fits in with the entire direction the franchise has taken with Batman Begins.

Bottom line: well, I like it! This has been a great year for superhero movies (I loved the Iron Man movie).

This is Belgian - New Beat

Anyone remember New Beat?

Ulysses 31

This has got to be one of the best series I watched way back in the 1980's.

It's called Ulysses 31, and it was based on the ancient tales of Ulysses.

Lego is cool

I've been looking for a decent, affordable, Blade Runner Spinner model for years! either they're vewwwwy expensive, or impossible to find - or both. And that's on a GOOD day!

But this custom-made lego version (found here)got me drooling. Great likeness, very detailed, great colors... As close to perfect as you are going to get using legos!

Check this page for an entire gallery of stuff made by this person called Kaitimar.

Deckard is a replicant! Neener neener

One of the persistent controversies surrounding Blade Runner has always been the matter of Ridley Scott's hints that Deckard himself is the very thing he is hunting -a replicant. It is a religious discussiuon; people are very passionate about how they feel about it. Some will deny to the bitter, bloody, gory end that this is nonsense, even if the director himself has been telling us over and over that he is.

Don LaFontaine

In a world where movies need trailers to inform the public, one man can make a difference...

You know him as the Movie Trailer Guy, the Voice of God, The King of Voice-overs! This is a short documentary/interview with the man himself. Check it out.

The nature of Monkey was IRREPRESSIBLE!

This is one series I fondly remember seeing on the BBC in the early 80's. Based on an old Chinese story, and no doubt very familiar for all the Dragon Ball fans out there...

On farmland no one can hear you scream!

I've heard about alien technology, but this is ridiculous!

Ridley Scott introduction at the Jules Verne film festival

The recent Final Cut version of Blade Runner was shown at several film festivals all over the world, including the Jules Verne Adventures Film Festival. Unfortunately director Ridley Scott couldn't be present, but he recorded a little introduction speech for the audience. So check it out, and oh, make sure you watch it until the very end...

Blade Runner - The Revenge of The Final Reloaded Cut

Those who know me know that I'm a big Blade Runner fan.

This year, after what feels like a million years of waiting, the "Blade Runner: Final Cut" has been released.

Among other things, a bunch of technical shortcomings of both the 1982 "original" release and the 1992 Director's Cut version have been corrected while the movie's audio and video were enhanced & improved upon.

The result is well worth checking out, even if you have already seen the movie a 145 times (as I have).

The website Digital Bits has put online an extensive article on the Final Cut DVD set(s).

http://www.thedigitalbits.com/reviewshd/bladerunnerfinalallver01.html

Best steampunk rocket design EVER!

Not many people know this, but the space race was started by the French in the late 19th century!

At one point in his career, writer/inventor/pro kickboxer Jules Verne commissioned Alexandre Gustave Eiffel and his army of mutant spiders to build him a rocket that, if finished, would have put the French on the moon. Which would have made them impossible to live with. Wait - they're already impossible to live with! Well, never mind.

But anyway, the project was ultimately abandoned due to financial reasons, and the Eiffel tower ended up as the landing beacon for aliens, as we now know it to be.

No, really!

Not for the squeamish - Singapore officials rap

Soooo... who thought this would be a good idea?

Still, there's some morbid pleasure to be had watching it - a bit like watching a train wreck.

This reminds me of a funny thing that happened to me! (Aren't you glad?)

I once got invited by my local branch of the Flemish Public Employment Service to what eventually turned out to be a recruitment movie for the Belgian army.

Apart from footage showing off the raw mechanized death power that is the Belgian army, it featured some obnoxious kid rapping away, that all but caused spontaneous spastic seazures with half of the unsuspecting people who turned up.

Strangely, I didn't sign up.

Some thoughts on Highlander

I've always loved Highlander. I loved the first movie foremost, but I also quite enjoyed the TV series. Unfortunately, the movie sequels have been of varying quality, putting it mildly, even though I still manage to enjoy some of them.

The latest one in the series of HL films, Highlander: The Source, is sadly the worst of the lot, IMNSHO. It throws much of the established mythology out of the window, the fights aren't very exciting, and the villain is more weird than menacing. There is little wit or humour to be found either.

It's a shame because I like the series a lot. I like the cast of the TV series (although I wish they hadn't killed off Connor in the previous movie) but it's just not a very good film.

To be honest I got me the DVD anyway because:

• It was sold cheap (unsurprisingly)
• I wanted to keep my collection complete. (Of the movies anyway.)
• Because that's the sort of insane person that I am! Blame me.

Anyway, just to have something non-depressing to include in this post, here's the final moments from the final episode of the IMO rather excellent TV series.

Just Thinking About (The) Internet

One more thought about the Internet. THE Internet. Why are people calling it "the Internet"? Doesn't that suggest there are other Internets? Maybe that's what got Dubya confused when he mentioned the Internets!

Why not just refer to it as Internet? That's what they do in Holland and Belgium, BTW. Don't ask me how I know! I could tell you, but then I'd have to blame ya!

Internet Shocker!

Research by British scientists has revealed that the Internet is indeed a truck after all!

According to Intelligence reports the Internet can often be encountered when cruising the highways of Transsylvania!

Here's a photo of the Internet sitting between unsuspecting regular trucks.

Dominion Tank Police

In the early nineties, inspired by the success of Katsuhiro Otomo's mindblowing Akira, a wave of anime releases started being released in the West. One of the companies involved was Manga Video, nowadays known as Manga Entertainment.

In around 1993 they realeased a line of anime titles including Akira, Fist of The North Star, Project A-Ko and a hilarious OVA ("Original Video Animation") called Dominion Tank Police, based on a manga by Masamune Shirow, of Ghost In The Shell fame.

Dominion Tank Police was a funny series about a police force that used tanks as patrol vehicles, usually causing more damage than any bad guys could ever hope to. What's more, the English adaptation had a great cast of voice actors that made the series even more fun.

In the clip you see the adrenaline-pumping intro Manga Video animation, followed by the English intro for Dominion.

Even more Goldorak stuff

For the 2 people reading this blog - possibly counting me & myself - it should be clear by now that I'm into anime. A LOT!

Here's the French intro of UFO Robot Grendizer AKA Goldorak.

For an alternative intro check here! Or here for a more recent version. (I know, confusing, huh?)

Blame This gets gaming counterpart

I just started up another blog, dedicated to games, gaming, gamers, the mating rituals of mutant cucumbers, etc.

So if you're into computer and video games, be sure to check there every now and then! Comments and suggestions are welcome!

Highlander The Anime

Did you know there's an anime Highlander movie out?

It's called "Highlander: The Search For Vengeance" and was made by Yoshiaki Kawajiri, whose team has been involved in tons of stuff including Cyber City Oedo 808, Ninja Scroll, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, and the Animatrix segment called Program.

If you like anime and Highlander this just might be worth checking out.

For more information check this Wikipedia entry. There's also an official site with a trailer. Check Sci Fi Weekly for a review.