Cool Art: Galerie F Celebrates 'Doctor Who' With Exclusive New Prints

Galerie F celebrates the 50th anniversary of 'Doctor Who', with exclusive new limited prints by Tracie Ching, Jillian Nickell, Andrew Ghrist and Drew Morrison.

They will go onsale on the Galerie F website from Monday December 2 at 2pm CST.

Check out the prints by Tracie Ching and Jillian Nickell below.

by Tracie Ching

Happy St Andrew's Day!

Happy St Andrew's Day to all my Scottish friends and followers, including myself!

'The Pledge' by NC Wyeth

Cool Art: 'The Fields Of Trenzalore' by Tim Doyle

'The Fields Of Trenzalore' by Tim Doyle.

This is an exclusive 'Black Friday to Cyber Monday' timed release print, available RIGHT NOW on Spoke-Art’s website.

They are both 18" × 24" signed and numbered by the artist prints and will be hand-printed in Doyle’s studio and costs $40 for the Regular, $60 for the Variant or $90 for the set. The regular version is a 6-colour print, and the GLOW IN THE DARK variant is a 5 colour print.

Regular Edition

Variant Glow-In-The-Dark Version

Cool Art: 'The Day Of The Doctor' by David Goh

'The Day Of The Doctor' by David Goh.

This is available as a print at David's Red Bubble store.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my US friends and followers! Have a great holiday!

The Saturday Evening Post cover art by JC Leyendecker

Cool Art: 'Ho Ho... WhoooOOOoaaa!!!' by J Scott Campbell & Nei Ruffino

'Ho Ho... WhoooOOOoaaa!!!' by J Scott Campbell & Nei Ruffino.

This is a free complimentary Holiday 8.5" x 11" mini-print when you make a purchase from www.jscottcampbellstore.com.

Hero Complex Gallery Philippine Typhoon Haiyan Benefit Print Sale

Hero Complex Gallery have teamed up with artists Jason Liwag, Graham Curran, Roland Tamayo and Ruel Pascual to create an art benefit to help those affected by Typhoon Haiyan with 100% of sales donated to the Philippine Red Cross.

Thank you to the artists involved and please donate if you are able. We all can help rebuild people's lives and give them hope and encouragement little by little.

Go here to buy.

'Puzzled' by Ruel Pascual

'Little White Lies' 50th Issue Anniversary Prints

For their 50th issue, movie magazine Little White Lies commissioned 50 original illustrations by some of the world's leading creative talent. Their challenge? To visually interpret the last 50 years of cinema, focusing on a single film between 1964 and 2013.

They are also available as limited edition A3 prints and cost £18 from the Little White Lies store.

Check out a few of them below.

Gravity by Grzegorz Domaradzki

Second Trailer For Laika's 'The Boxtrolls'

From the hands that made 'Coraline' and 'ParaNorman', Laika, comes the second trailer for 'The Boxtrolls'.

An orphaned boy raised by underground creatures called Boxtrolls comes up from the sewers and out of his box to save his family and the town from the evil exterminator, Archibald Snatcher.

'The Boxtrolls' is out in cinemas September 12  2014 (UK) and September 26 (US).

A Preview Of Howard Shore's Soundtrack For 'The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug'

Warner Bros have released a preview of over 40 minutes of Howard Shore's score for 'The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug'.



And here's the full tracklist for the two disc special edition of the soundtrack.
DISC 1
1. The Quest for Erebor
2. Wilderland
3. A Necromancer (Bonus Track)
4. The House of Beorn (Extended Version)
5. Mirkwood (Extended Version)
6. Flies and Spiders (Extended Version)
7. The Woodland Realm (Extended Version)
8. Feast of Starlight
9. Barrels Out of Bond
10. The Forest River (Extended Version)
11. Bard, a Man of Lake-town (Extended Version)
12. The High Fells (Extended Version)
13. The Nature of Evil
14. Protector of the Common Folk

DISC 2
1. Thrice Welcome
2. Girion, Lord of Dale (Extended Version)
3. Durin's Folk (Extended Version)
4. In the Shadow of the Mountain
5. A Spell of Concealment (Extended Version)
6. On the Doorstep
7. The Courage of Hobbits
8. Inside Information
9. Kingsfoil
10. A Liar and a Thief
11. The Hunters (Extended Version)
12. Smaug (Extended Version)
13. My Armor Is Iron
14. “I See Fire” performed by Ed Sheeran
15. Beyond the Forest

Cool Art: 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' by Dave Perillo

'A Charlie Brown Christmas' by Dave Perillo, is a new print from Dark Hall Mansion.

It's available as a 12″ x 36” numbered and individually screen print, in a limited edition of 280 which costs $65, and a variant version in an edition of 50 which costs $100.

There is also a very select run of just 10 of each style-with Standard or Variant artwork-printed on full 12″ x 36″ panels of wood, which costs $250.

It goes on sale Tuesday December 3 2013 at Dark Hall Mansion at a random time between 9:30 AM PST and 11:30 AM PST. Follow them on Twitter @DarkHallMansion for the on sale announcement.

Regular Edition

Variant Edition

New 'In Saturn's Rings' 4K Teaser Trailer

A new trailer for 'In Saturn's Rings' is out, and in glorious 4K too! Go full screen with this beauty!!!

The film is created entirely from real photographs using photoanimation and multiplane photoanimation, all stitched together for massive hundred megapixel+ resolutions that are scaled and zoomed using techniques developed by the filmmaker, based on Ken Burns and 2.5D photo animation processes. No computer-generated images, painting, cloning, tweening, morphing, texture maps, camera projection or 3D models used.

And, if you enjoyed the trailer, consider pledging to their Kickstarter, which is aiming to fund the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra recordings of "Adagio for Strings" for the film for IMAX® and Giant Screen theatres. It's already made it's funding, but pledging does give you the chance of owning the film on limited edition DVD or Bluray and a thank you credit on the screen and the website as part of the rewards!

Go here to pledge.

Cool Art: 'Firefly' Pulp Novel Covers by Kyle Burles

What if Firefly was a series of pulp novels?

Check out Kyle Burles' blog and Deviant Art page for more cool art.

Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Horror Cover Art: Frank R Paul

Continuing my look at the weird and wonderful cover art of the vintage Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror pulp magazines and paperback books. This week, the art of Frank R Paul.

If you love vintage pulp cover art too, visit Pulp Covers and Galactic Central for lots more.

Behind The Lens: 'The Day of the Doctor' - Doctor Who 50th Anniversary

As 'Doctor Who' celebrates 50 years, here's a special behind the lens look at the year's most anticipated television drama. Voiced by the Sixth Doctor, Colin Baker, catch up with old friends and meet some new ones. Featuring Matt Smith, David Tennant and Jenna Coleman with Billie Piper and John Hurt, as well as lead writer and executive producer Steven Moffat, discussing their 50th Anniversary experiences.

Cool Art: 'Flash Gordon' Star Wars style by Jim Sweet

'Flash Gordon' Star Wars style by Jim Sweet.

'Doctor Who' Animation: '50 Years In Time And Space' by Richard Swarbrick

'Doctor Who' Animation: '50 Years In Time And Space' by Richard Swarbrick.


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Cool Art: 'The Venture Bros: Season Five' Box Art by Patrick Leger and Chris Fisher

The DVD and Blu-ray will include all 8 episodes, including 2 bonus episodes (A Very Venture Halloween and From the Ladle to the Grave: The Shallow Gravy Story). Special features include audio commentaries from series creators, Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer with deleted scenes.

Check out the Hardy Boys/Tom Swift-inspired cover art by Patrick Leger and Chris Fisher. 'The Venture Bros: Season Five' collection is available on March 4 2014.

Cool Art: New Prints From Mondo By Jason Edmiston And Paolo Rivera

Mondo celebrates the end of their 'Tales From The Crypt / EC Comics' Gallery Show with two new prints that will be available online at a random time on Friday, November 22nd.

Previously only available as original art, Jason Edmiston's interpretation of the famous 'Crime SuspenStories #22' cover will be made available as a giclée, and Paolo Rivera's original 'Weird Science #32' cover will be made available as a screen print. Mondo still have some original pieces available in the Gallery section of their website too.

Follow them on Twitter @mondonews for the on sale announcement.

by Paolo Rivera

by Jason Edmiston

Movie Poster Art: 'Frankenstein' (1931)

'Frankenstein', one of the Universal Monsters, was released on this day back in 1931. Here is a collection of some of the poster and fan art.

Cool Art: 'Doctor Who' by Matt Ferguson

Each day in the run up until 'The Day Of The Doctor' 50th anniversary episode, Matt Ferguson has been posting individual 'Doctor Who' posters to his Twitter (@Cakes_Comics).

From the very first incarnation, William Hartnell, all the way through until the current, Matt Smith, each poster features a silhouetted doctor against a decidedly psychedelic background, that looks based on their intro sequence.

All 11 prints will be available as a timed released edition at Bottleneck Gallery. The sale starts Friday, November 22nd at 12pm eastern until 11:59pm on Sunday, November 24th. They are 8" x 11", numbered giclée prints and cost $25 each or as a set of 11 for $260. Each set will come with a free “12th” print that will be shown over the weekend on Bottleneck Gallery’s Facebook page.

A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Home Sweet Home, an organization that helps incarcerated mothers and their children reconnect in society.

Check out Matt's 'Doctor Who' posters below.

Super Café: Who's A Hero

Before the Doctor can have his Day, he must first swing by the Super Café.

Cool Art: More FREE 'Doctor Who' Prints by Tim Doyle

As part of Nakatomi Inc's ongoing set of 'Doctor Who' portraits celebrating the 50th Anniversary that they’re giving away for free with orders, this time they're featuring a Dalek and a Weeping Angel by Tim Doyle.

Each is a 9" x 24" signed and numbered, 2-colour hand-printed poster, and each is in a limited edition of 150. There will also be a metallic variant edition of only 20 of each, which will also be randomly inserted in orders.

Go to the Nakatomi store and buy a print to qualify for one of these free 'Doctor Who' prints.

Cool Art: 'Starcrash'

The film may be a straight up 'Star Wars' rip off and not be up to much in a so bad it's good sort of way, but it's posters like this Spanish poster for 'Starcrash' why I love illustrated movie poster art.

'The Last Day' Doctor Who Mini Episode

Bit of a Robocop first person pov thing going on with this 'Doctor Who' mini episode.

Cool Art: 'Rambo: First Blood Part II' by Tomer Hanuka

'Rambo: First Blood Part II' by Tomer Hanuka.

This print premiered at a 5-film Sylvester Stallone film marathon called 'Stallone Zone', and will be available online at a random time from Mondo on Thursday, November 21st.

It's a 24"x36" hand numbered, screen print in a limited edition of 225 and costs $45.

Follow them on Twitter @mondonews for the on sale announcement. 

Kickstarter: 'Twenty-Four By Thirty-Six' - A Documentary On Poster Art

This Kickstarter campaign by Kevin Burke and Post No Joes Productions is definitely up my street and something I just had to pledge my backing to.

“Twenty-Four by Thirty-Six” is a film that explores the world of movie poster art, past and present; the artists who create it, companies that commission it, galleries that display it, and collectors and fans who hang it.

Starting with the awesome illustrated posters of the 1970's and 1980's, the team behind this documentary will be interviewing many of the personalities behind some of the iconic posters of that era, including Tony Seiniger, the man behind the inception of the original 'Jaws' poster, as well as Andrea Alvin, a long time member of the film marketing community and wife of the late, great John Alvin, creator of the memorable 'Blade Runner', 'E.T.', 'The Princess Bride', 'The Golden Child', 'Gremlins' posters and lots more.

The documentary will also be interviewing and following several modern screenprint artists (many of which I feature regularly on this blog), such as Goulish Gary Pullin, Jason Edmiston, Phantom City Creative, Kevin Tong, Joshua Budich and many many more, in various stages of their careers, through the process of producing illustrated movie poster art and speaking with them about their influences, their challenges, dealing with studios, print houses, and galleries. They also visit print houses Skuzzles and Mondo, and chat to journalists and collectors as to why illustrated film art is important to movie fans.

And to top it all off, they're also putting together a one of a kind gallery show featuring a ton of original posters from some really incredible artists.

They are currently a good way through production, and have conducted many interviews so far and have lined up a great deal more to be knocked out in coming months. The Kickstarter is aimed at funding travel expenses for the remaining, more remote interviews with artists and gallery owners as well as going toward post-production and administrative costs like insuring the film for exhibition in festivals, film festival submission fees, and marketing materials. They will also be using some of the funding for licensing rights for some very exciting original art that they have in store.

Some of the pledge rewards are really cool too. As well as a digital download there's also DVD or Bluray copies of the completed film with reversible cover artwork, an artbook, T-shirts and limited edition screen prints by some of the artists interviewed, plus have your name in the credits of the film as a thank you and even a chance to appear in the film too. Go to their website more on that. 

If you love illustrated movie poster art, and I've a feeling that there are quite a few of us that do, then check out the video below and go to their Kickstarter campaign page for more information and to help bring this documentary to light!

'Just Another Day In Middle-Earth' Air New Zealand Video

Following on from last year's 'An Unexpected Briefing', a 'Hobbit' inspired flight safety video, Air New Zealand are back at it again with a new video, 'Just Another Day In Middle-Earth'.

"Here in Middle-earth, everyday tasks can reveal out of this world surprises and before you know it everything can turn a bit Hobbit-shaped."

Cool Art: 'Searching For A Life On Mars' by Kacper Kieć

'Searching For A Life On Mars' by Kacper Kieć.

Cool Art: 'Mob City' by Drew Struzan

'Mob City' by Drew Struzan.

'Mob City' is an upcoming television series created by Frank Darabont, and is based on real-life accounts of the LAPD and gangsters in 1940s Los Angeles written in the book 'LA Noir: The Struggle for the Soul of America's Most Seductive City' by John Buntin. 

The series was previously known as 'LA Noir' and 'Lost Angels' during development, and is set to debut on December 4 2013 on TNT.

Cool Art: 'Space Aged to Infinity: A 2014 Lunar Calendar' by Tyler Stout

'Space Aged to Infinity: A 2014 Lunar Calendar' by Tyler Stout.

This 2014 lunar calendar by Tyler Stout represents all 365 moons for the year 2014. It is accurate to within a day for all of the Northern Hemisphere, however if you live in the Southern Hemisphere the lunar phases will be reversed. 

It is a 13" x 19" numbered, 5 colour glow-in-the-dark letterpress print on archival printmaking paper and will ship with a certificate of authenticity. It will cost $30 unframed.

Tiny Showcase are accepting preorders through Thanksgiving, after which they can not guarantee that you will be able to purchase a calendar.

And as an added bonus, Tiny Showcase have commisioned Dan Wood of DWRI Letterpress to create a series of lunar-themed foil embossed pencils. The pencil type was cast in lead on a 1950s linotype (referred to as the "8th wonder of the world" by Thomas Edison) in Spartan Medium 8pt and foil stamped using a vintage Conn Pencil Co. pencil embosser. Each pre-order will include one pencil of our choosing.

Go here to pre-order and to check out some up close detail photos.

'Doctor Who': How Doomsday Should Have Ended

To celebrate Doctor Who Week, HISHE is going back to Bad Wolf Bay to address some unfinished dialogue.

Cool Art: 'Legends From The Ancient North' Cover Art by Petra Börner

The Creative Review blog have a look at the cover art for the new Penguin Classics series 'Legends From The Ancient North' by illustrator Petra Börner.

You can see the covers below for the five classic stories, which are published November 28 or now as ebooks, and go here to check out the CR blog post to see the making of process with original sketches and rough drafts.

More Character Posters For 'The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug'

Another week closer to the release and another set of new character posters have appeared online for 'The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug'.

Cool Art: 'Sam Gets Requests' by Laurent Durieux

'Sam Gets Requests' by Laurent Durieux.

This 'Casablanca' inspired print is a 21″ x 36″ Screenprint, and is available in three versions: a Regular in a limited edition of 250,  a variant limited to 90, and in wood in a limited edition of only 10. And is only available Saturday November 23 at the Phone Booth Gallery in Long Beach, California, on first come first served basis, starting at 12 noon.

Any remaining copies will go on sale Sunday, November 24th at the Phonebooth Gallery website.

Cool Art: 'The Lonely God' by Alice X Zhang

Alice X Zhang has a new print from her 'Doctor Who' series, 'The Lonely God', a portrait of John Hurt's War Doctor.

"...as you can see has quite a different, darker feel than the others; I was going for an intense, fiery battlefield sort of thing. It’s the Night of the Doctor, after all."

It will be available to buy online as official prints from Big Chief Studios & BBC in the near future, and follow her on Tumblr or Instagram for the relevant announcements.

Cool Art: 'Reservoir Dogs' by Ken Taylor

Miramax is releasing a 5 poster series based on the Tarantino XX boxset artwork by Mondo and Ken Taylor, featuring the films Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, Jackie Brown, Kill Bill and a Quentin Tarantino poster. The Reservoir Dogs poster is now available with the rest available soon.

These are 24" x 36" hand numbered silkscreened prints on acid-free paper using archival inks. They are in a limited edition run and cost $75. They may be official Miramax merchandise, but they're being released without any connection with Mondo and Ken Taylor. 

Go here to buy.

Cool Art: 'We're Doomed' by Joshua Budich

'We're Doomed' by Joshua Budich.

This is part of Art v Cancer’s contribution to the Thought Bubble Festival that runs from November 17-24 in Leeds, UK. The Art V Cancer project was set up by artist Chris Thornley (aka Raid71), who was diagnosed at the age of 37 with a rare incurable form of lymphoma.

The print is a 18″ x 24″, signed and numbered, 4-colour screenprint on French Madero Beach paper. It's in also in a limited edition of 100, and will only be available at the Art v Cancer show, with any leftover prints going onsale at the Art V Cancer website following the gallery show.

Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Horror Cover Art: Frank Kelly Freas

Continuing my look at the weird and wonderful cover art of the vintage Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror magazines, and now expanding to include the vintage pulp paperback books too. This week, the art of Frank Kelly Freas.

If you love vintage pulp cover art too, visit Pulp Covers and Galactic Central for lots more.

'Final Fantasy VII' The Movie: Part 2 'Cloud & Aerith'

Continuing with the serialization of Youtube user dansg08's movie playthrough of the 1997 Playstation classic 'Final Fantasy VII' using the Tifa's Package PC Mod.

Part 2:
Cloud, Barret and Tifa head to the next reactor, only to be interrupted by the Shinra President. After a Boss Battle Cloud falls a long way, and finds himself in a Church where the "Flower Lady" he met earlier happens to grow her stock. We learn that her name is "Aerith", and the two get acquainted after Cloud saves her from the "Turks"

Kickstarter: 'Monster Of The Sky'

'Monster Of The Sky' is a stunning Clockwork puppet film inspired by a Lord Byron poem and driven by the music of Stereo Alchemy.

In a futuristic world of cogs and gearwork, young Sky falls in love and is swept off to the clouds by a winged prince, only to die on her wedding day. But the story doesn't end here - resurrected by mechanical ghosts, she becomes a goddess of vengeance who sets out to find her prince again.

Will Sky get her revenge? Or will she change the course of the Clockwork Universe, defying the Fates to become her own woman, free of a past of anger and pain?

Directed by Sam Koji Hale, 'Monster of the Sky' was launched earlier this year as a successful Kickstarter campaign. They have since spent a good part of the year building puppets and sets, testing the facial motion capture system and shooting footage with the funds. Now they're back with a Phase Two Kickstarter, with the hope of using the funds for post-production and to animate the puppet faces using real-time motion capture and digitally marrying it with the puppet bodies.

Check out the teaser trailer for Sam Koji Kale's previous, and award winning animated short, 'Yamasong', which you can also own as part of a DVD set with 'Monster Of The Sky' as one of the pledge rewards.

As they say, the finished 10 minute animated short is a cross between "Dark Crystal and Spirited Away meets Count of Monte Cristo."

If this is something that ticks your box, and it does mine, then consider making a pledge to help fund this Kickstarter. Check out the video below and go here for more information and to make a pledge.

Cool Art: 'The Empire Strips Back: A Star Wars Burlesque Parody' by Chris Wahl

'The Empire Strips Back: A Star Wars Burlesque Parody' by Chris Wahl.

"This one was a bit of a dream job. Done for a burlesque Star Wars parody production which will be touring Australia in 2014."

Cool Art: 'Zatoichi' by Elliot Cardona

'Zatoichi' by Elliot Cardona.

Cool Art: 'Doctor Who' Portraits From Alice X Zhang

Alice X Zhang has two new prints from her 'Doctor Who' series.

The first print is a portrait of the Ninth Doctor, titled “The Parting of the Ways" - "it’s meant to be a dually melancholy/hopeful piece, as it was inspired by both the triumphant scene in The Doctor Dances, as well as the bittersweet regeneration scene in The End of Time."

The second is a of the Tenth Doctor, titled "The Turn Of The Universe".

Both will be available to buy online as official prints from Big Chief Studios & BBC in the near future, and follow her on Tumblr or Instagram for the relevant announcements.

'The Parting Of The Ways'

'The Turn Of The Universe'

'Final Fantasy VII' The Movie: Part 1 'Trouble In Midgar'

Youtube user dansg08 is putting together a movie playthrough of the 1997 Playstation classic 'Final Fantasy VII' using the Tifa's Package Mod.

"I will be showing you all the "Cutscenes" and pieces of gameplay. This puts it somewhere between a 1-2 hour Cutscene/FMV only Movie and a full 20-30 hour walkthrough. I have not completed this game before, so I don't know its story. What I will be doing is going through the game blind, and including every cutscene/piece of dialogue I come across along the main story. There are likely to be cutscenes that are missed, but my philosophy is that if they are miss-able then they are not essential to the story, or else they would have been mandatory."

In part 1, we are introduced to Cloud Strife, an ex member of Shinra's SOLDIER unit who has become a mercenary for hire. Cloud has teamed up with Barret and his group, AVALANCHE, and they are on a mission to destroy the Mako reactors powering the Shinra-governed city of Midgar up above. They believe that doing so will save their planet from the harmful effects of the reactors.

'The Last Of Us: Left Behind' Story DLC Teaser Trailer

Coming Spring 2014 to the PS3, the new single player 'The Last Of Us' Story DLC - 'Left Behind'.

Ellie returns as new light is shed on her relationship with Riley, her best friend from the military boarding school they both grew up in. After inexplicably disappearing for weeks, Riley reemerges in Ellie’s life with a surprising revelation. The two sneak out of their school for the last time, leading to a series of events that will forever change both of their lives.

Also check out the prequel graphic novel 'The Last Of Us: American Dreams' from Dark Horse Comics featuring Ellie and Riley for a bit more on their story.

'Uncharted' PS4 Teaser Trailer

One of my favourite game series is coming to the PS4! 'Uncharted'!

'Greatness Awaits' PS4 Launch Trailer

A 3 minute sizzle reel of what to expect on the Playstation 4.

Cool Art: 'Gravity' by Patrick Connan

'Gravity' by Patrick Connan.

'Batman vs Superman'

The voices of Batman and Superman face off, starring Kevin Conroy, Tim Daly and Sam Daly.

Subscribe to The Daly Show for more fun videos.

Cool Art: 'The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug' by Harlan Elam

'The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug' by Harlan Elam.

This is a 24″ x 36″, 6 colour screen print with 2 metallic inks and will hopefully be available soon.

Check out cool blog Blurppy, where the poster was exclusively revealed, for some super detailed up close shots.

'Doctor Who' Mini Episode Prequel: 'The Night Of The Doctor'

To get you in the mood for next weekend's 50th anniversary episode . . .

The Bringer of Darkness, the Oncoming Storm, the Doctor, the Warrior - A Time Lord! The 50th Anniversary features Matt Smith, David Tennant and a mysterious incarnation played by John Hurt. Only one appears in the mini episode, The Night of the Doctor. But which?

New Banner Posters For 'The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug'

More new banner posters for 'The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug'. Click to embiggen for a closer look.

'The Hunger Games' As An 8 Bit Video Game

8-bit Cinema "gamifies" your favourite Hollywood Blockbusters into 80's arcade and NES inspired action!

'The Hunger Games' retold via old-school 8-bit (and a little 16-bit) game tech. No quarters or controllers required!

Movie Review: 'Gravity'

by Doaly

In the month between the US release and the UK release, there was a ton of hype about 'Gravity'. Some calling it THE cinematic experience of the year, some calling it the most stunning looking film, some saying it is Sandra Bullock's virtuoso performance, a must see movie! After seeing it for myself, I kind of have to agree on all points.

We join veteran astronaut Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) and rookie Ryan Stone (Bullock) on a repair mission to the Hubble Telescope, until the debris from a destroyed satellite causes chaos and so begins the thrill ride that is 'Gravity'.

And it is definitely a thrill ride of emotions, as we follow the two astronauts, with the focus on the rookie and how she copes with the frankly terrifying ordeal and her emotional journey of self-belief and survival. Throughout the 90 minutes, we're with her as she experiences the anxiety, the disorientation, the despair, the vulnerability, the danger, the hopelessness, the desperation, then the belief, hope, and relief! I was exhausted by the end! And I can positively say that I've not been as gripped throughout a movie as I have this one.

The VFX work is simply stunning. Not overblown or in your face, but giving you that sense of realism as if you've been watching a NASA video. I thought that the musical score by Steven Price worked really well too and helped to expand the emotional feel of Stone's ordeal.

They say it's best to experience it in 3D on the biggest screen you can, I went to The Giant Screen at the Millennium Point in Birmingham. At 72 foot wide, that's as big as screen as I'm going to get and was definitely well worth the experience as it felt as I was up there in orbit with them.

Overall, 'Gravity' is well worth the hype that has been thrown at it. Tense, emotional and a superb performance from the focal star, what more do you need!

***** out of 5

New Trailer For Disney's 'Maleficent'

"Maleficent," the untold story of Disney's most iconic villain from the 1959 classic "Sleeping Beauty," reveals the events that hardened Maleficent's heart and drove her to curse the baby, Aurora.

'Maleficent' is out in cinemas May 30 2014.

'Star Wars 1977' The Video Game

Remember the old Atari Arcade 'Star Wars' shooter from the 80's? Well, 'Star Wars' fan Shawn-Todd O'Malley is creating his own Star Wars video game, based on the old airplane shooter style video games.

'Star Wars 1977' is 24 levels of simple, fun game play - complete with power-ups and boss battles, Star wars props, space and planet landscapes, and a pre-episode IV story line - and is virtually complete. It only lacks some original artwork for the back drops and in a few months, after extensive game testing, he hopes to release the full game, FREE, to who ever wants to play.

Check out some of the screenshots below and head over to the 'Star Wars 1977' Facebook page for more!

Cool Art: 'Bad Guys, Villains, Miscreants, & Low-lifes In Hell!' by 100% Soft

'Bad Guys, Villains, Miscreants, & Low-lifes In Hell!' by 100% Soft.

This is the variant of 100% Soft's 'Bad Guys, Villains, Miscreants & Low-Lifes Campout' print for Gallery1988‘s Crazy 4 Cult presents “Say Hi To The Bad Guy” group show, that ran Friday, October 18th to Saturday, November 10th, 2013 at their gallery in Los Angeles.

"Each artist was tasked with creating a piece representative of their favorite cult movie/tv villains. I couldn’t decide which one to do, so I just did all my favorites, and then some more! Can you name all the movies referenced?"

This 'Hell' variant, featuring 80 villains from TV and movies, was created for this year's DesignerCon. They are 16" x 20" giclee prints on ultrasmooth 250gsm fine art paper. And is in a limited edition of 50 and costs $40.

Go here to buy.

Cool Art: 'Star Wars' by Paul Shipper

'Star Wars' by Paul Shipper.

This is part of the new 'Star Wars Illustrated: A New Hope' trading card set by Topps, and is based on the original NPR radio adaptation, which was slightly different to the iconic 1977 film as it expanded the story, adding additional elements to the story, especially the early appearances of Luke and Leia in the first two episodes of the 13 episode series.

I can definitely recommend the 'Star Wars: The Original Radio Drama', if you're a Star Wars fan. In fact I can recommend the NPR radio adaptations for 'The Empire Strikes Back' and 'Return Of The Jedi' as well!

The base set consists of 100 cards, with the extra 45 insert cards putting together the full story. Each box holds 24 six-card packs. 

• 1 Panorama Sketch Card, Film Cel Relic, Sketchagraph, Printing Plate or Original Etched Foil Artwork
• 12 One Year Earlier Inserts
• 8 Movie Poster Artist Reinterpretations Inserts
• 3 Etched Foil Puzzle Inserts
• 2 The Mission: Destroy the Death Star Inserts
• 24 Parallels
• 144 Total Cards

The cards are available now. Head to the official Topps Star Wars page as they will be added soon.

'Man Of Steel' Honest Trailer

This week, Screenjunkies give 'Man Of Steel' the Honest Trailer treatment.

Superman is the hero that every kid looked up to, until Man of Steel made him into a mopey violent a-hole. But hey, at least "he's kinda hot!"

Teaser Poster For Disney's 'Maleficent'

'Maleficent' is out in cinemas Summer 2014.

New Banner Poster For 'The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug'

A new banner poster has been revealed online that features the Tauriel, Legolas, Thranduil, Bard, the dwarves and Bilbo front and centre. Click to embiggen for a closer look.
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New 'The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug' Featurette

In this Denny's exclusive featurette for 'The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug', we get a look at Beorn's house.

'The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug' is out in cinemas December 13.

Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Horror Cover Art: Ed Valigursky

Continuing my look at the art of the vintage Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror magazines and books, this week, the cover art by Ed Valigursky.

If you love vintage pulp cover art too, visit Pulp Covers and Galactic Central for lots more.

EDIT:
Added book cover art.

Cool Art: 'Carrie' by Doaly

'Carrie' by Doaly.

This is a 16" x 20" hand numbered giclée print on Cold Press Paper. It's in a limited edition of 25 and costs $50. It's also exclusively for the 'Picture's Worth A Thousand Words', group art show from Ltd. Art Gallery which is on display until December 7 at the Ltd. Art Gallery in Seattle.