2010 Showreel

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2008 Showreel

2005 Showreel

Ah, the prequels.  Say what you will, the kids do love ‘em.  So, maybe the guy playing Anakin was stiff, and maybe there was too much reliance on CGI.  A whole new generation got turned on to the Star Wars Universe, and for me that is a very good thing.  We should keep in mind that these are, first and foremost, kids’ movies.  We must ask ourselves, if we saw the original trilogy as adults, would we have liked it?  Or would we have gotten sick of all the press the films got, and angrily assert that Alien was the much better film?  Who can say?  My point is that I feel the prequel trilogy is unfairly maligned by viewers who brought twenty years of expectations as baggage into the theaters.  Maybe that two decade wait added to things.  If Phantom Menace had debuted in 1986, what would the reaction have been? 

Also, I dislike the vitriol spouted toward George Lucas.  I honestly don’t understand how one can blast him for the prequels while clinging the originals to their chest as if they, and not Lucas, had created them.  He created Star Wars and Indiana Jones.  If you don’t like his new work, that’s fine.  But show some respect for a tremendous talent and a legendary career.  Their new stuff may be garbage, and they should probably stop touring, but The Rolling Stones are still worthy or respect, no?

All right, enough of that.  Let’s talk about this film, Attack of the Clones.   I had to give some thought to how I will write about Star Wars films.  After much deliberation, I decided that the two most crucial aspects of any given Star Wars film (or show) are the visuals, and the characters/plot.  For the first part, I will discuss the visual design of the film.  In part two of the review I will get into the characters and plot.  So, how did it look?

For starters, we get our first real look at Coruscant in the extended speeder-chase scene.  The city-planet had been appearing in books and video games for years, so there was a certain amount of expectation to seeing it on the big screen.  I must say, Lucasfilm did not disappoint.  The cityscape was appropriately humungous, with a bottomless-pit feel.  The spider-web of traffic lanes at various altitudes was a nice touch, as was the billowing plumes of soot in the industrial region (at the end, when Dooku rejoins Sidious).

The water planet of Kamino was awesome.  I particularly liked the creature design on the Kaminoan cloners.  From a pure design point of view, Jango Fett ruled.  The silver and blue version of that all-too-familiar Fett armor was excellent; it was familiar, but different.  I also liked how Jango’s armor was clean and polished, whereas Boba’s is tarnished.  That’s a nice contrast that sets up the two men very well.  Jango Fett is the best and brightest, recruited to be the basis for an entire army.  Boba Fett, the genetically identical man, is scarred, and battered, and dingy.  Well done.  And of course the fight between Obi-Wan and Jango was tremendously well-staged.  It was almost as jarring as the Darth Maul battle in Phantom Menace, by which I mean this lovely little movie is jaunting along and out of nowhere we get hit with an awesome and genuinely thrilling fight scene.

Also on Kamino we got our first view of the Clone Army.  Now, most of the designs in the prequel that are meant to be clear ancestors to original trilogy designs will pop up in Revenge of the Sith (the ARC fighter, the V-Wing, and the Y-Wing for example).  But the Clones’ armor is so emphatically Stormtrooper Beta that it is impossible not to notice (actually, this is called Phase I armor).  This is a great design decision, as it makes us wonder what will happen to this can-do, stand-tall, defend-the-Republic army that will turn it into the merciless killing force we know it will become.  Also, on a shallower note, I dig the little swoop effect on the top of the helmets.

This is the first we see of the proper Droid Army as well.  Phantom Menace featured the stick-limbed Battle Droids, but in this climactic battle scene we get Supers, Spider Droids, and more.  It is great fun, and they are wonderfully designed.  Props to Lucas for giving us a huge battle scene with absolutely no moral consequences:  faceless army of clones does battle against robots.  No one with any real identity gets hurt.  Pass the popcorn. 

Coming in hot: Yoda as air support

I want to call particular attention now to the Clones’ air transports, the Low Altitude Armored Transports (LAAT). In the original Star Wars (A New Hope), Lucas drew on old World War II films as the basis for the starfighter dog-fighting scenes.  For this film, decades later, notice the strong similarity between the LAAT and the choppers used in Vietnam.  Soldiers stand by open doors, the airship touches down and they come out guns ready.  This is subtle, and powerful.  It is quite genius, in my opinion, and it doesn’t seem to have gotten the praise it deserves.  “Updated” Star Wars indeed. 

Knicks @ Celtics Game 1

I’m writing this from a Knicks fan perspective. Nardo Charles will handle the Boston stuff. These are things that I saw in the game that were encouraging and some things that were upsetting. I’ll give you as much background as possible and try to explain why these things made sense or were terrible. Throughout the blog I will be updating my mood/ temperament in italics at certain times of the game.

Here we go:

1st Quarter

Knicks are in the playoffs for the first time since I was in High School.

Mood/Temperament/Thought Process: Elated

Melo goes out with two quick fouls in the first two minutes of the game. Bill Walker comes in and scores 7 pts and weathers the blow of losing a star for the rest of the quarter. Amare gets into a shooting rhythm with his almost automatic 15-18 foot jumpers around the elbow. He also is able to get to the free throw line. STAT is at his absolute best when he can make those outside jumpers to draw the defense out. Then he can use his athleticism to beat his man and get to the rim.

Defensively the Knicks are adequate forcing two Celtic shot clock violations. Boston looks a little out of step as they miss a lot of shots. A combination of decent defense and Boston just missing allows the Knicks to be down 24-23 after the 1st with Melo playing the first two minutes.

Mood/Temperament/Thought Process: Content

2nd Quarter

Ray Allen, who was held scoreless in the first, begins to heat up. He scores Boston’s first six points of the quarter. On the brighter side Melo is back and feeling it. He has his jumper going as he buries four shots from 17ft and out including two 3’s. With seven minutes left in the half the score it tied 30-30. From there the Knicks go on a 21-9 run to take a 12 point halftime lead.

Mood/Temperament/Thought Process: Cautiously Optimistic

When Melo and Amare work together, New York is really good. Unfortunately, that happens less than desired. Get it out of your head right now that this is the 7 seconds or less offense. It’s not even close. The Knicks had 2, yes, 2 fast break points. They run Iso for Melo and pick and roll with Amare. The pick and roll will be successful because it loosens the middle for Melo to drive or Amare on the roll. It the Celtics overplay the screen Amare can pop out and hit the jumper. The Celtics are so disciplined on D; you have to have several options. Make them move their old legs around. The standing and waiting for Amare/Melo isn’t going to get it done.

One thing in the second quartet that was appalling was the defensive rebounds. The Celtics got so many second chances because of offensive rebounds. At times the Boston would grab 2 or 3 in a row. It was brutal.

3rd Quarter

Oh crap. This is starting to feel like a game the Celtics win. It’s getting more physical and the Knicks are settling for too many bad shots.

Mood/Temperament/Thought Process: Nervous

Absolute turning point in the game when Melo goes to the basket and gets swatted by the oldest 32 year old man on the planet, Jermaine O’Neal. Next possession, same situation, Melo goes hard to the rim and O’Neal sends him. From this point forward, Melo refuses to go inside the paint. Instead he continuously settles for contested jumpers and terrible shots. O’Neal was huge for Boston. I can’t believe I’m typing this sentence, but he was the difference in a Playoff game. Jermaine O’Neal, give that a second.

Mood/Temperament/Thought Process: Nauseous

4th Quarter

This is where the game becomes very compelling. Knicks are up 64-59 to start the final frame. STAT is showing his all around game. Knocking down jumpers to open up the drive, Amare owns Garnett at the moment. Melo forgets he is allergic to the paint, beats Pierce off the dribble and sets up Amare with an easy dunk.

Mood/Temperament/Thought Process: Pierce can’t guard Melo if he is committed to getting to the rim off the dribble

Immediately after that , Paul Pierce baits Melo into a foul and three free throws.

Mood/Temperament/Thought Process: Melo can’t guard Pierce because he is to savvy

Amare makes two of the best moves I’ve seen, showing he is ready to take over. Unfortunately this will be the last score from Amare. Ray Allen answers by posting up Tony Douglas, proving throughout the 4th quarter Douglass has no business on him. Keep that in mind. Under a minute, game tied at 82-82. Douglas makes up for his defensive let down by showing the minerals to hit a huge 3pt.

Mood/Temperament/Thought Process: How does Tony Douglas get up and down the court with his Art Shell like stones?

Rondos oops to Garnett for a score and an immediate answer to the three. Maybe .03 came off the clock. Knicks by 1 with the ball 37 seconds left.

Mood/Temperament/Thought Process: (Falls to ground) I just had an aneurysm. OK I’m coherent again.( Expletive laden speech).

Melo called for an offensive foul. He and Pierce get tied up as he tries to create separation and some over- zealous ref calls an offensive foul.

Mood/Temperament/Thought Process: Tim Donaghy!!! I hate the NBA

No way should that call be made. How has Melo not earned enough respect to get called for an offensive foul in the final 21 seconds? Here is a list of names that don’t get called for that offensive foul (current players that would be in that situation): Kobe, LeBron, Wade, Pierce, Ray Allen, Durant, Dirk, Manu, Rose, J. Johnson? Those are just to name a few, add in whoever you think. My point is, I thought Melo was in that offensive company. No way would he get called for a late offensive foul, for a BS position battle. That’s garbage.

So 21 seconds left, Celtics ball inside half court.

Mood/Temperament/Thought Process: Pierce and Allen, Pierce and Allen, Pierce and Allen.

One of those two is taking this shot. Doc Rivers knows how to draw up a play. Mike D’Antoni plays chess with himself on the defensive end. For a guy that gives no effort to coaching defense, he certainly does some strange things. Final seconds and he has 6’11 Jared Jefferies on Rondo. Jefferies is the Knicks best defender. So naturally D’Antoni says to himself “let’s put him on the guys that absolutely won’t take the shot.” I say to myself “ WHAT!?!?!?! NO!!!! Why?????#$%%^*”

Mood/Temperament/Thought Process: I wonder if I can Inception D’Antoni defensive strategy?

Rondo has zero confidence at this point in the game. He has penetrated into the lane several times with no intention of shooting. The last five times he beat his defender he hasn’t looked at the basket opting to pass to the perimeter. There is no reason for Jefferies to guard Rondo. If Rondo hits a floater to win it, I would have been able to sleep. What I can’t fathom, is to allow Ray Allen to come off a screen and hit a 3. This is exactly what occurred, because a smaller Tony Douglas guarded Ray. Ray Allen doesn’t beat people off the dribble, but he is an assassin as a catch and shooter. Therefore, Jefferies plays Allen because he has the length to change the jumper. Jefferies guarding Rondo takes our best defender out of the play entirely. Rondo stays on the perimeter as Jefferies sags to help but only if its penetration. Because I’ve never seen Ray come off a screen and knocked down a 3pt game winner or Pierce hit a step back. Let’s make sure we clog the middle and leave our questionable defenders one on one in space on the outside.

Mood/Temperament/Thought Process: Go away Mike D’Antoni

And here it is 11 seconds to go, Knicks down two after Ray Allen crushed my life. Plenty of time even though NY has no timeouts. Melo lazily asks for the ball, dogs it up court, gets the ball and pull-up an ill-advised deep 3pt with about 3.5 seconds left. It all goes back to the Jermaine O’Neal consecutive blocks. Melo was terrified to go to the hoop. Therefore he throws up garbage and the Knicks blow their prime chance to steal on in Boston.
Mood/Temperament/Thought Process: I want to punch a child

Melo was awful but if he is the player I think he is; he will have a large night in Game 2 and Game 3 back at the Mecca.

Mood/Temperament/Thought Process: I’m Back…Punchers Chance, Fat Lady, Not Over til it’s Over, and more not being over clichés.

On to Game 2……

So, then:  What’s the best comic for old readers of Batman?  That’s even easier.  Hush.

Both of those books were written by Jeph Loeb, by the way.  He is a guy who just finds the perfect balance of action, myth, humanity and surrealism to fit all of Batman’s Gotham and its inhabitants.  He nailed Long Halloween with artist Tim Sale, and the two of them followed it up with Dark Victory, and Catwoman: When in Rome.  But these were all stand-alone series.  They were set in the “past,” in the early days of Batman’s war on crime.  It was in Hush that Loeb stepped into ongoing Batman monthly comics.  Six years after blowing us away with Long Halloween he took the reins with Batman #608.  It was not business as usual.

DC was not messing around, here.  Just having Jeph Loeb on the monthly series was not enough.  They brought in Jim Lee.  Jim Lee was going to do a Batman arc.  That sentence alone would move books, but then they started showing us the posters.  Jim Lee drawing Batman, with Jeph Loeb writing.  You goddamn better believe it was going to be awesome.

Right from the opening pages we are in the action, and Loeb makes it clear that the modern Batman is a technological warrior.  He is a precision fighter, and moves with the strategic precision of a Navy SEAL.  The detective aspects are a part of his job.  The superheroics go with the territory.  He is, first and foremost, a man of tremendous means and incalculable will who is going to see to it personally that bad guys do not win.  That is how you portray Batman, folks.  Loeb nails it.

Jim Lee’s art defies description.  I don’t mean that I can’t think of terms big enough to describe its impact, I mean I simply can’t break it down.  Comic book art is, at its core, either realistic anatomy-based work or over-the-top cartoonish work.  Lee is the best of both.  Nobody actually looks like his Batman, or his Nightwing, or his Catwoman.  But that is how those characters would look if they were real.  See how tough this is to convey?  They don’t look like real people, but they look real.  That is how they would really look if a person could really look that way.  It’s basically not possible, what Lee is doing.  Maybe an artist could have a panel where they hit the perfect balance between exaggeration and representation; maybe.  He does it in every panel.  It can’t be.  I can’t be seeing what I’m seeing, but there it is.  That is the sensation of seeing his art in Hush.

Folks, it has to be said that there be

SPOILERS AHEAD

How about the elegance of the plot?  Bringing in a new character in a story like this just broadcasts their involvement in the plot.  We know right away that Tommy Elliot is going to be involved, but that very obviousness lays the seed of doubt.  Trust me, reading these issues as they came out, with a month between issues, you had plenty of time to think yourself into knots.  “Oh he’s so obviously Hush.  But…it’s so obvious that maybe it’s a fake-out.”  And Loeb knew it!  He so tantalizingly played it up as the story climaxed.  He wouldn’t just come out and say that Elliot is the bad guy.  Hush is CLEARLY Tommy Elliot!  Batman knows it, we know it, but why won’t they just say so?!!?  They tease it right to the end!  Diabolical!

Also, they hit all the classics with such a deft ear. Look at the scene with Batman and Nighwing, as they run down Riddler and his gang.  “Dick was born for the center ring.”  That is so pitch perfect; a terrific line for a terrific scene.  Note how that scene gives us the old “hide the mystery’s answer in plain sight” trick, as well; Riddler is just a nuisance.  Right?  But he seems to be laughing awfully hard at something.

Ah, and Clayface imitating he-knew-not-whom when he portrayed the adult version of the late second Robin.  The caption “Bottom line, Jason was never this good” is just devastatingly perfect, particularly because the scene ends with Batman’s internal acknowledgment that there was no confusion at all about how much he cared for the kid.  So the emotional component is there, but Batman is so diagnostic that he sees right through his own shock and emotional turmoil to analyze the simple facts of the matter, and bases his strategy on that.

He gets serious with Catwoman, and Robin pretends to play the doubter perfectly.  I loved this scene because in the earlier Tim Drake days Tim would have actually doubted this relationship.  But by now he would have total confidence in Batman’s choice, so turning that expectation on its ear was brilliant.

The fight with Superman was just too awesome.  “Deep down, Clark is a good person.  And deep down, I’m not.”  What do you want out of your Batman-Superman fight, people?!  That’s it!  Toss on the perfect capper exchange: “Always the Detective.”  “Ever the Boy Scout.”  It was spot-on and fantastic, as was the mid-air assault on Talia’s plane (with the look at then-President Luthor’s knowing smile, showing us how far this thing goes).

Now how about Gordon chasing Batman through the alley to stop him from killing the Joker?  I mean…it’s just…that’s it.  I’m out of words.  I will move on to hyperbolic sentence fragments:

Riddler.  Just..just awesome!!

And Harold!!  You remember Harold from the early 90’s!  Who puts Harold in a story in 2004?!  That is so great!!

SPOILERS END

If you have read a good amount of Batman comics but have not read Hush, you have no excuse whatsoever.  None.  If you are not a heavy comics reader but you’re interested in why people would like Batman, well…go ahead and jump in.  Why not?  It’s only the best, after all.

http://thedailyrawr.com/2011/04/11/dirty-martinis/

Seriously? I know I am a little late on this one but, come on 89,000,000 views? It sounds like she made it up on the spot. Also, she added a rapper to this song, does that make it legit? Also, she names the days of the weeks, literally one of the lines is “tomorrow is Saturday and Sunday comes afterwards” HELP!

I promise you all this, if someone can provide me with the proper beats, I will make my own version of this song, made up on the spot, maybe I will even live stream it…

Leave a comment.

You can find them over at deanographics:
50 Curved Drop Shadow Effects
Felix Blommestijn – Playing Cards

If anyone has any questions or anything I will be more than happy to answer them here in the comments section! Leave One!

This was a really new thing.

Before 1991, inter-property crossovers were extremely rare.  Intra-company stuff happened all time, of course, but nothing was going on between the offices.  Sure, there was the classic Superman-Spider-Man action back in 1976 (and again in 81) but that was pretty much it.  In 1991, DC and Fleetway teamed up on Batman/Judge Dredd: Judgment on Gotham, and it was a hit.  This was the first of the property crossovers (that are still very, very big today).  But the one that really got it kicking came out later that same year.  That is Batman Versus Predator.

First, we have to remember how awesome Predator was.  The movie came out in 1987, and it is still just a perfect action/sci fi/horror film.  It is all muscle and gunpowder, with a perfect cast and a phenomenal creature design.  Everything about it works.

Now, imagine we’re four years after the original Predator, one year after the sequel (which ruled).  And we hear that there is going to be a special, four-part comic book in which a Predator comes to Earth and fights…Batman.

As I’ve written before, it is the wonderful privilege—and, yes, duty—of all of us to watch movies that have terrible villains and think: Batman could take that guy.  Well now, the publishers were making it happen.  DC and Dark Horse were going to give us an actual, official version of this fight.  It was unheard of.  Today we take it for granted.  Of course Darth Vader is playable in Soul Caliber III.  Why wouldn’t he be?  Back then, though…holy crap.

It was written by Dave Gibbons—who was the artist on Watchmen before he shifted focus to writing—with art by Andy Kubert, the prolific comic artist of the famed Kubert family of artists.  The story was pretty straightforward.

SPOILERS AHEAD!

After a mobbed-up heavyweight champ is brutally killed (the very night he won the title belt from the rival mob’s fighter), Batman goes on the trail of the mystery killer.  In pretty short order (he being Batman), he finds the Predator’s Gotham camp.  Oh, boy!  This is it!  The fight!

Yeah.  Batman gets his ass handed to him.  He was just in no way prepared for a Predator.  In fairness, how was he supposed to expect one?  It’s an abnormal thing to come across.

Now, we must again remember that this was one year after Predator II; the franchise was still very much alive and well.  Only four years earlier, Arnold himself had tried and failed to beat a Predator hand-to-hand.  So we must understand that Batman could not very well beat one right out of the gate.

So, Batman retreats to the Batcave, and Alfred tends to his fairly extensive injuries.

With Batman out of commission, Predator enjoys open season in Gotham.  All the mob bosses: history.  The mayor: a trophy.  Commissioner Gordon just barely gets away with his skin.  All the while, Batman is at work in the Cave.  He knows he won’t heal for weeks, and he knows the monster is out there killing.  So he does what he must: he builds a suit of high-tech armor, complete with visual imaging to counteract Predator’s stealth.

Just as the National Guard is about to descend on the city to flush the monster out (and no doubt spur a bloodbath) Batman flips the Bat Signal on, challenging the alien to a fight.

Now, THIS is the fight.

They tear through all over the rooftops of Gotham, and all the way back to the Batcave.  Eventually, Batman chases the Predator out onto the grounds of the mansion and bashes him up with a baseball bat.  A baseball bat!  The fight started with space-age lasers, and they end up at baseball bat, hitting each other with everything in between.

As Batman stands over the beaten alien, a Predator ship lands on the grounds in front of them.  Out come the other Predators.  The defeated hunter guts himself with a sword (fittingly, it’s a samurai sword) for his failure.  The others give Batman the sword as a trophy, and fly off.

Batman wins.

SPOILERS END

What can be said?  Today we have crossovers for everything.  Freddy versus Jason versus Ash?  Yeah, I read that one.  It was pretty good.  And it all started here.

Classic stuff.

This week’s episode of Fletcher is up:  http://thedailyrawr.com/2011/04/04/dvr-gremlins/

Cougar forgets the rules about Gremlins, and Fletcher lets him know about it.  The title is DVR Gremlins.  Money quote:  “Explain that with your science!”