Movie Review: The Muppets

Today, for the first time since 1999’s ‘Muppets from Space’, Kermit and the gang hit the big screen. If you read this blog at all, you already know I’m a big… nay… huge fan of Jim Henson’s lovable band of misfits. So, going in, it is natural to assume that I fully expected to enjoy ‘The Muppets’. But, I do remember the mediocre outings that were ‘Muppets from Space’ and ‘Muppet Treasure Island’, so I had my trepidations. But enough about my mindset going in… I’ll now get to the question you came here for: Is the new Muppet movie any good?

Without being spoilery at all, I can give a complete and enthusiastic thumbs up. From the opening dance number to the final tune over the credits, ‘The Muppets’ is pure cinematic bliss. I’ll be as spoiler-free as possible with my further comments but, if just came to find out if ‘The Muppets’ is good, then… yes! A thousand times yes! Now go see it!

As for the movie itself, I’d seen and read all the interviews with writer/star Jason Segel leading up to the release of ‘The Muppets’. The ‘How I Met Your Mother’ star kept professing his love of the original Muppets. But I just couldn’t wrap my head around a new writer with being able to pull off a Muppet movie with as much heart as the 1979 original ‘Muppet Movie’. But Segel utterly proved me wrong.

'The Dark Knight' Trailer Done 1960s Style

Ever wondered what it would look like if the crew of the 1960's Adam West 'Batman' were to make a trailer for the dark and realistic world of 'The Dark Knight'? Well wonder no longer! Here it is!



And as corny as it looks, I unashamedly admit that I would so watch this if it were ever actually made.

The Muppets Hangout on Google+

Yeah... Here I am again with another Muppets update and video. So sue me. Either way, you know how Google+ was supposed to be the awesome Facebook killer? Well, as it turns out, it's not so much. The coolest feature of G+, though, had to be the hangout. It allowed for multiple people to video-chat realtime.

Now, the Muppets and the creators of the new 'The Muppets' movie have taken advantage of the Google+ Hangout feature to bring us another new video promoting the movie. This time, the gang chats about making the movie and gives some great laughs in the process.

Enjoy!

The FINAL Muppet Parody Trailer

Okay. I realize that since my comic reviews are now on ScienceFiction.com, this blog is starting to look like a Muppet fan site and that's okay by me since I'm a HUGE Muppet fan. That said, here's the latest trailer for Jason Segel's new 'The Muppets' movie that hits theaters this November. Watch it whether you're a fan or not. It's funny. But honestly... if you're not a fan of the Muppets... what's wrong with you?

Seriously...

The New Muppets Theatrical Trailer In Glorious 1-D!

I went to see 'Ghostbusters' on the big screen and when the new 'The Muppets' trailer popped up, I was in heaven! I was grinning like a total spaz and nearly bounding out of my seat! I can't wait to see this movie! I'm already planning my outfit for opening night and... ahem... I digress. Here's the new trailer for your Muppety enjoyment...



And while I don't have any AMC theaters in my vicinity, I saw this cell-phone advert while I was searching YouTube for the new trailer and I absolutely adore it!



Are you as excited as I am about a new Muppet movie? No... I guess not. How could you be? So... are you "almost" as excited as I am?

Shel Silverstein (1930-1999)

Shel Silverstein (1930-1999)

To a man who never lost the magic of childhood and was so adept at sharing that magic with the world through his words and drawings.

Thank You, Mr. Henson

Jim Henson (1936-1990)

Thank you, Jim, for creating so many worlds that dominated my childhood and for inspiring me to chase my dreams no matter how out there they might be.

Thrilling New Muppets Parody Trailer

The Muppets Facebook page just posted a new parody trailer. They make you "like" the page to see it. I expect that most sane people would like a Muppet page already but, in case you don't, here's the trailer...

Kermit the Frog Adidas Sneakers

The internet is abuzz about the new Nike Mag sneakers from 'Back to the Future II'. Actually... so was I until I saw THESE!

Adidas will be releasing limited edition Kermit the Frog sneakers. They'll be available through City Sole as early as late October and in stores during the month of November.

These would be perfect to wear with my Kermit tee when I go opening day to see 'The Muppets'! So... if you're looking for gift ideas for your humble writer... (hint hint)

Doctor Who Theme (A Capella)

This is presented without comment. Just bask in the awesomeness!

Oracle Speaks Out on Being Changed Back to Batgirl

Warning: video contains slightly NSFW (but friggin' hilarious) language.

Happy birthday, Mr. Roddenberry.

Be the First to Hear The Muppets Green Album

We may have to wait until Christmas for the new Muppets movie, but next week (August 23), muppet fans will get be able to get their hands on the new 'Muppets: The Green Album'. The album features classic muppet songs from modern artists like Weezer, OK-Go, The Fray, Akaline Trio and more!

Don't want to wait until next week to hear the muppety goodness? Now you don't have to! Thanks to NPR, you can hear the entire album via the magic of online streaming!

I know what's going to be the soundtrack for my writing this week.

The Muppet gang with Weezer

Listen to 'The Green Album' at NPR here.

And preorder the album from Amazon here: Muppets: The Green Album

Changes to Hyde and Geek

I'm writing for another site (again) so I won't be double-posting my stuff both here and there. So, from now until further notice, my comic book news will be seen on ScienceFiction.com. You can find the latest headlines from me over on the right side of this page under the heading "The Latest Comic News from Scott and ScienceFiction.com".

For now, all other writings (Muppets, Game of Thrones, video games, and other random goodness) will still be featured here on Hyde and Geek... unless you know of, or are, someone looking for a writer who has expertise on these subjects. If so, drop me an e-mail to swank_stuff@yahoo.com

New Hi-Res Photos from The Amazing Spider-Man

Check out these beautiful new hi-res photos of Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone from next year's Amazing Spider-Man. As someone who grew up with Peter Parker as a kindred spirit, I am so excited for this film! I'm still not sold on the dark tone from the first trailer (which is posted below the pics for your viewing convenience), but... hey!... it's Spider-Man!

(click any of the images to see them in their full hi-res glory)

Game of Thrones Theme Cover (with Lyrics!)

Source: Topless Robot

Another New Muppets Poster Revealed!

As anyone who's read my blog or tweets know, I'm a huge fan of the muppets and have been super excited about the new The Muppets film from Jason Segel and company. The movie comes out this November and looks to be channeling all the insanity and love that I expect from Jim Henson's iconic creations.

Before I gush more, The Muppet Mindset today shows us some another theatrical poster and theater standee. These show more of stars Jason Segel and Amy Adams than the previous set of posters that were released.

After basking in the muppety goodness, you can head over to The Muppet Mindset for a list of all the muppets shown if you can't pick them out on your own.

(the poster - click for a larger version)

Captain America's Avengers Uniform

I found this image online of what someone says is Captain America's uniform from the upcoming Avengers film. It sure does look like what we've seen on the Avengers character posters. I like that it's a combination of the classic Cap suit with what he was wearing in the Captain America flick.

George Lucas Loses the Rights to Stormtroopers

Artist and prop designer Andrew Ainsworth is the guy how created the original stormtrooper unforms for the original Star Wars. For the better part of the last decade, Ainsworth has been selling replica stormtrooper helmets and armor. Naturally, George Lucas didn't like this and filed a lawsuit. In 2009, Lucas lost the suit at the UK High Court level and went on to appeal to the UK Supreme Court. Today, the courts came back with the answer that Lucas can't stop Ainsworth from making his stormtroopers.

A New Spider-Man?

The Ultimate Marvel universe was shaken up last month with the death of Peter Parker in Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #160. But it seems that, despite who's wearing the costume, Marvel just can't keep Spidey down. Ultimate Fallout #4 reveals someone else wearing a slightly altered Spidey suit (are those kneepads?). Who is it? As of now Marvel's not telling but, regardless of the universe, no one can replace Peter Parker. Did we learn nothing from Ben Reilly?

Check out the cover below...

The Avengers Assembled!

Yesterday, you saw the seven character posters for The Avengers, due in 2012 from Marvel Films. After, I'm sure you were still wondering what these guys would look like assembled as a team? Well, wonder no longer, true believers! The seven posters can be combined to create one awesome panoramic shot of the entire Avengers team. Now... who wouldn't kill to have this piece commandeering a wall in your home?

Click the image to view a larger version.

Exclusive Star Wars Xbox 360 Revealed at SDCC

As a Star Wars fan, I was uber-excited when I saw a image of an Xbox 360 painted to look like R2D2 and C-3PO online a few days ago. I figured it was a fan mod, but then an announcement appears on my Xbox dashboard and I nearly flipped! This special edition Xbox 360 will be bundled with the upcoming Star Wars Kinect game. In addition to the awesome design, it also includes the first white Kinect unit. The icing on the cake... it makes R2 sounds when powering up and opening the disc tray!

Check out the official announcement video after the jump if you want to see more details like the sounds, a great closeup of the C-3PO controller, and a few clips of the Star Wars Kinect game.

The Knights of Badassdom Trailer Doth Appear!

Verily! The geeks at SDCC did rejoice as the trailer for the upcoming The Knights of Badassdom did appear before them! But lo! The geek gods have also seen fit to release the trailer to us devotees watching the SDCC from afar! The movie follows a group of LARPers who accidentally open the gates of Hell. It stars Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones), Ryan Kwanten (True Blood), Summer Glau (Firefly), and Dani Pudi (Community). With a cast like that, let the smiting begin! Huzzah!



Related links:
The Knights of Badassdom official site
The Knights of Badassdom on Facebook

Avengers Character Posters Released at SDCC

Update: Want to see the Avengers as a team? Check out the combined posters here.


Marvel Comics' film version of The Avengers has really been amping up the excitement the past few months. Both Thor and Captain America have post-credits button teasers for the new film. Now Marvel has released seven beautiful character posters for the film at SDCC. The posters feature the main Avengers characters in all their glory! What do you think?

Check Out the New Muppets Posters

The last poster for this November's The Muppets didn't impress me much. The muppets look weird standing up. (Check out that poster here to see what I mean.) That problem has been rectified with the release of two new posters that have more muppets and a much better layout. Check 'em out!

Muppets - Being Green teaser

The Muppets have released their 3rd parody movie trailer! I don't want to give anything away, but today is an appropriate day to do so. *cough cough* Lantern *cough*

The Official DCU Relaunch Poll

Okay. By now, the entire comic fanboy world has heard that DC Comics plans to relaunch it's entire line with a series of 52 #1 issues beginning on August 31st with the release of Justice League #1. Over the past week, DC has been releasing the titles of the books that will make up the new DCU. So, here it is... the ultimate showdown...

Feel free to discuss in the comments. Also, titles will be added as they are officially announced by DC.

2011 Tweetathon Prize Winners!

First off, thanks again to everyone who donated! You are all winners in my book! But alas! I only have so many prizes to give away. So without further ado...

The winners of the 2011 Hyde and Geek Kids Need to Read Tweetathon prizes are...

$100 ThinkGeek gift certificates: Amy Ratcliffe, Chris C. and Shane and Sarah

(2) 2-day Geek Girl Con weekend passes: Annie Boyle

Geek Soap prize pack: A CS Supporter of Reading

Luxury Lane Soap prize pack: J2Metal

Little Professor Book Center prize pack: Minimate Factory

Crossed Genres prize pack: LukaIsntLuka

Geeky Knit brown toque: Karen Zadina

Geeky Knit Ravenclaw toque: shinyswoots

CthulhuChick Tiny Cthulhu: JentheTiny

Jayne Cobb hat from Wobbly Wear: SpaceMonkeyX

The Real Ghostbusters vol. 1 DVD from Hyde and Geek: Kelly Redwine

And remember that all prize winners get official Hyde and Geek buttons from Who's Got the Button?

The New Green with Envy Trailer is Amazing!

I can't wait to see this movie!!!

The 36 Hour Tweetathon is Over

Update (May 23, 2011): I have e-mailed all of the prize winners. Since not all of them have replied, I will postpone the official posting of prizes here until I've heard back from all the winners. I apologize for any inconvenience that this may cause.

The 2011 Hyde and Geek / Kids Need to Read 36 Hour Tweetathon is officially over with a final tally of $1354.

Thank you to everyone who donated, retweeted, blogged, and otherwise helped out. Thank you to the wonderful sponsors who donated prizes. This event was a spectacular success! For those who donated, I will use the random number generator at random.org to select prize winners and those winners will be emailed this coming weekend. I will make a public announcement of all the prize winners on the this blog on Monday, May 23. For now... I'm off to get some much needed sleep! G'nite all!

Note: The donation page will still accept donations for a limited time, but the official Tweetathon is OVER and new donations will NOT be eligible for prizes.

The 36 Hour Tweetathon Begins!

THE 2011 HYDE AND GEEK / KIDS NEED TO READ TWEETATHON IS OFFICIALLY UNDERWAY!!! DONATE TO CHARITY, WIN PRIZES, AND GET YOUR GEEK ON!

Join in the fun by following @hydeandgeek on Twitter now!

CLICK HERE FOR THE OFFICIAL DONATION PAGE

So what exactly is this 36 Hour Tweetathon?
Good question! The Tweetathon is a geek-centric charity event to benefit Kids Need to Read. KNTR is an awesome charity organization that gives books to needy libraries, reading programs, and sponsors those same programs. The way that the Tweetathon works is that I'll be tweeting at least once every 10 minutes from now until midnight on Friday, May 20th (all times Eastern) on my Twitter account at @hydeandgeek to raise both money and awareness for KNTR. You can help out by donating or by retweeting, blogging, Facebooking, e-mailing, and spreading the word about the event however you can. The bonus? YOU CAN WIN SWEET PRIZES! (For a full list of how and what you can win, check out the Prize page.)

What can you expect during the event?
I will be posting geeky goodness all around. I will post photos, links, maybe do some livetweeting commentary on some Instant Netflix movies (with fellow Twitter-folk joining in I'm sure). It'll be a blast! If you're tweeting about the event, use the hashtag #36hourtweetathon so that everyone can follow along.

Better yet... you can help out a great cause by donating to Kids Need to Read!

For full details, check out the 36 Hour Tweetathon FAQ page and our official list of sponsors.

Related Links:
The 36 Hour Tweetathon Donation Page
Kids Need to Read
Kids Need to Read on Twitter
Kids Need to Read on Facebook
Hyde and Geek on Twitter
Hyde and Geek on Facebook

The List of Prizes for the 2011 KNTR Tweetathon is Here!

Pfew! I finally got around to tallying all the awesome goodies from this year's Hyde and Geek/Kids Need to Read  36 Hour Tweetathon.

You can check out the full list of prizes below!

Find out about the Tweetathon, Kids Need to Read by reading the FAQ!

So how do you win these spectacular prizes? You win them by donating to the Tweetathon. If you wish to be entered to win prizes DO NOT click the box to hide your e-mail address from the page creator when donating. This information will only go to me for prize purposes and will NOT be seen by the public. However, if you hide your e-mail address, you will not be eligible for prizes as I won't have any way to contact you. After the Tweetathon ends on Friday at midnight, I will use a random number generator to select the winners from everyone who donated and left their e-mail address.

And, while you're here, don't forget to check out the list of awesome geeky sponsors and, of course, Kids Need to Read.

ThinkGeek:

(3) $100 ThinkGeek gift certificates

Geek Girl Con:

(2) 2-day weekend passes

Geek Soap:

(1) Geek Soap prize pack including...

        (1) D20 on a Rope

  (1) Dr. Who

  (1) N64

  (1) NES

(1) Donkey Kong Barrel

Luxury Lane Soap:

(1) soap prize pack including…

(1) I want to Bathe (X-Files UFO)

(1) Epic Soap Wars (Star Wars)

(1) puzzle soap set

(1) LEGO mini fig set

Little Professor Book Center:

(1) book prize pack including…

(1) Medusa's Mirror Cthulhu ring

(1) proof copy of Neil Gaiman's Fragile Things

(1) Horns by Joe Hill

(1) Patient Zero by Jonathan Maberry

(1) The Dragon Factory by Jonathan Maberry

Crossed Genres:

(1) Crossed Genres book prize pack including…

(1) Crossed Genres Year One

(1) Crossed Genres Year Two

(1) A Festival of Skeletons by RJ Astruc

Geeky Knit:

(1) toaster toque

(1) Ravenclaw toque

CthulhuChick:

(1) Tiny Cthulhu

Wobbly Wear:

(1) Jayne Cobb hat

Who's Got the Button?:

Hyde and Geek buttons (included with every prize!)

Hyde and Geek:

(1) The Real Ghostbusters vol. 1 DVD

Happy Star Wars Day!

Happy Star Wars Day, geek gang! May the fourth be with you...

When I was a Boy

When I was a boy,

the days were long,

and summers went on forever.

My only care was making it home,

in time for dinner,

Hoping that it was burgers

and not spaghetti… again.

and that my Mother wouldn’t

notice the rip in my new jeans.

The world was a grand adventure

waiting to be experienced,

and almost everybody was my  friend.

If they weren’t, that’s just because

I hadn’t introduced myself yet.

There was never much trouble,

and what there was didn’t matter.

Because my mother could fix anything

that might go wrong with a single word

…or a kiss, but don’t tell my pals.

They’d never let me live it down.

Now I’m a man,

the days are shorter,

and summers almost don’t exist.

But I still try to make it home,

in time for dinner,

and hope that it’s burgers,

and not spaghetti… again.

and that my wife doesn’t notice

the stain on my new shirt.

The world is a still grand adventure

if only a little more worn around the edges

from too much play.

Most everyone is still my friend,

but there are far more people

to introduce myself to than I expected.

There is more trouble than I remember,

but it still doesn’t matter.

A kiss from my wife or a hug from my kids

can make a bad day wonderful just like that.

…and go ahead and tell my pals.

I’ll never let them live it down.

It's Okay to Not Like Things...

I think that this video should be required viewing before anyone is given their interweb rights...


(source: Wil Wheaton's Tumblr)

Kids Need to Read Tweetathon Date Announced!

The 2011 Kids Need to Read 36-Hour Tweetathon is officially going to take place from Thursday, May 19th at noon through Friday, May 20th at midnight.

For those who missed out on the fun in 2010, I'll recap the basic idea. (More details can be found in the FAQ.) I will be sitting in front of my computer for 36 hours straight and tweeting at least once every 10 minutes for the duration of that time to encourage people to donate money to Kids Need to Read through a charity page that will be set up specifically for the Tweetathon. What will I do for 36 hours? That's sort of random. Last year, I asked geek trivia questions, posted photos (some of them embarrassing) and made a general fool of myself. This year, well... we'll just see how it goes, shall we?

Just be sure to follow me on Twitter so you don't miss out on all the geeky fun!

As for why, I would do this... it's because, as an avid reader and future teacher, I absolutely love the ideas behind Kids Need to Read. If you haven't head of them before, Kids Need to Read is a charity organization that provides books and reading programs to underfunded libraries, schools, and literacy programs. (For the Browncoats among you, it was co-founded by none other than Capt. Tightpants himself, Firefly's Nathan Fillion!) To find out more about KNTR, check out the Tweetathon FAQ or visit the KNTR official site.

I had a blast in 2010 and, with the help of a lot of awesome geeks on Twitter, raised nearly $2000 for Kids Need to Read! The 2011 Tweetathon is going to be bigger and better all around! I have prizes lined up from all sorts of geeky outlets around the world! (Click here for the full list of sponsors.) "What sort of prizes?" you ask. I will be posting a full list of prizes very soon.

That's it for now. Stay tuned to this blog for more details.

Related links:
Hyde and Geek on Twitter
Kids Need to Read

Ravenclaws - An Awesome Rebecca Black Parody

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've no doubt heard of Rebecca Black's song Friday (see the original video here). Black's slightly annoying, but frakkin' catchy, tune is the most disliked video on YouTube and has spawned dozens (maybe even double-dozens!) parodies.

But this morning, YouTube user GinnyisaPrincess flat out owned any and all parodies I've seen thus far with her Harry Potter spoof called Ravenclaws.

What better line to get stuck in your head than: "What the Hell is a Hufflepuff?"

Geeks Are a'Tumblin'!

Hi, geek gang! If you're one of the intrepid readers that have been eagerly awaiting a new Hyde and Geek post, I offer my apologies. I haven't had the time to devote to this blog as much as I'd like (translated: I've been studying a lot and thus unmotivated to write anything very lengthy).

However, I have been posting lots of awesome photos over at the Tumblr blog that I set up as a sort of little sister to this one. Check it out. I'm sure you'll find something there that will make you laugh.

Click the Image to Visit...

The Rise of the Planet of the Apes Trailer is Creepy!

After Tim Burton's disastrous reimagining of the classic Planet of the Apes franchise, I'd pretty much ignored the fact that Hollywood was trying to make another POTA film. I mean Rise of the Planet of the Apes? Really? I think that the second "of" made even the title sound off to me for some reason. But today, for the first time, my interest was piqued when 20th Century Fox released the first teaser trailer for the new film. It actually looks creepy and... good.

I'll hold my breath since I've been burned by horrible films with awesome trailers before but the Rise of the Planet of the Apes trailer is here. What are your thoughts?



Related links:
www.apeswillrise.com (official site from 20th century fox)

The Weeping Woman is a Creepy Winter Romp

Poster Art by Mark Welser

Mark Steensland is a filmmaker friend of mine. He has made several creepy short films including Peekers, Lovecraft's Pillow, and the comicbook-based Dead@17. His latest film, based on a short story from UK horror scribe Paul Kane is titled The Weeping Woman.

Set in the rural snow-covered countryside of Erie, PA, The Weeping Woman follows the tale of Harry, a businessman who takes a shortcut and has a fateful encounter with the titular weeping woman.

The cast includes Stephen Geoffreys (Fright Night's Evil Ed) and newcomer Melissa Bostaph with special effects from "Monster" Mark Kosobucki (Bloody Inheritance) and a haunting score from Fabio Frizzi (The Beyond).

As an avid fan of anthology shows like The Twilight Zone and Night Gallery, I've always been a fan of short films. The format allows for some great creepy tales that wouldn't benefit from the feature length expansions. (Check out some of Stephen King's films  and you'll see what I mean.)

Steensland has proven time and time again that he is a master behind the camera. He gets shots into his short films that one would might expect from bigger-budget fare and The Weeping Woman is no exception. That great cinematography, combined with the snow-covered on-location filming and Frizzi's eerie score make for a film that the above mentioned shows would have been proud to include in their libraries.

There are not very many characters in The Weeping Woman but the few that are seen are very well done. The main character Harry is played by Stephen Geoffreys, best known for corny sidekick roles in 80s horror flicks like Fright Night and 976-EVIL. In The Weeping Woman, Geoffreys takes some leaps into a slightly more serious role, even though he lets that cornball side slip into the film's opening sequence. The creepy "weeping woman" is played by actress Melissa Bostaph in her premiere role. She does a great job of portraying a creepy, ghostlike hag that I definitely wouldn't want to run into on some lonely snow-covered night.

I won't give too much of the story away since The Weeping Woman will be making the film festival circuit throughout 2011, but if you get the chance to check it out, you won't be sorry.

Update: You'll get your first chance to catch the film with the world premiere at Motor City Nightmares (April 15-17).

Update 31 March 2011: Check out the teaser trailer for the film (with a blurb from "you know who")...


Related links:
Mark Steensland - official site
Paul Kane - official site
Mark Kosobucki - official site
Mark Kosobucki - Twitter
Mark Welser - official site

Blinky (short film)

Max Records (Where the Wild Things Are) stars in this short film about a friendly household robot with a not-so-friendly malfunction.


Blinky™ from Ruairi Robinson on Vimeo.

Happy St. Patrick's Day - Muppet Style!

Have a good one, mates!

Geeks Unite for Japan!

If it weren't for Japan, we'd have no Nintendo, anime, giant robots, Godzilla, or sushi. In case you've been living under a rock (or stuck playing the latest Call of Duty) for the past week, Japan was recently devestated by an enormous 8.9 earthquake, followed by many aftershocks and tsunamis with death tolls currently topping at over 10,000. It is now in threat of a nuclear meltdown.

In reponse, our good friends at The Geek Girls Network have teamed up with Mercy Corps to help aid Japan in its time of need.

I saw the strength and passion of my fellow geeks last season with my Kids Need to Read tweetathon so I know that we can do this! Let's help 'em out!

CLICK HERE TO DONATE NOW!

Engage!

Updated: As an added bonus, Who's Got the Button? will donate 10% of all button sales this week to the Geeks with Heart drive.

Related links:
Geek Girls Network
Mercy Corps

Library Girl (music video)

Here's a cute little ditty that about the girls who hang out at libraries and bookstores.

"Extra frothy!"

I have a feeling that this one will go viral. It's just too awesome not to.

Check out the rest of musician Reina del Cid's videos on her YouTube channel.

Sleepless Nights and a Book Recommendation

Have you ever had those nights where you can't go to sleep because your brain is just too wired? I don't mean the ones where you're thinking about work tomorrow, how you expect to get that bad muffler checked out on your car, or why McDonalds doesn't sell Shamrock shakes all year 'round. I mean the ones where you really don't have anything to worry about or think about but your brain just won't shut off. If you haven't had those nights, consider yourself a lucky cat (or kitten). I have barely slept for two nights and I can already tell that tonight will likely be night three. So why am I telling you this on a blog that you normally come to for comic, movie, or video game news? I'm writing this for no other reason than to pass the time and try to burn my brain's fuel up so that I can sleep.

That said, since you're here and you've read this far, I'll take a moment to recommend a great book for your reading lists. I just finished reading Scott Westerfeld's Behemoth. This is the second book of a trilogy that's set in an alternate history during World War I. It revolves around a young girl who disguises herself as a boy to join the British Air Service and a young prince who is fleeing his homeland after his parents were assassinated. The cool part? It mixes in a lot of steampunk and sci-fi elements. In this alternate world, the British (and a few other countries ) have developed a science of changing and/or combining animals into new lifeforms. These new lifeforms, called beasties in the slang of the novel, are used for everything from communication (as is the case with messenger lizards which can mimic human language and run messages back and forth) to military vehicles (as the great flying whale-hybrid Leviathan of the series title). These beastie countries are at odds with the "clankers" of Germany and Austria where science has developed along a mechanical path rather than biological. These countries have great zeppelin airships, giant robot walkers, and cannons that fire electricity. Naturally, the plot (which I won't ruin here) brings these opposing forces into conflict and the main characters are constantly astride the dividing line between both of these worlds. To top it off, the novels are illustrated with stunning art from Keith Thompson. If you're into steampunk, sci-fi, rousing adventure, romance, comedy, or just a damned good read, you could do a sight worse than Westerfeld's novels.

That's it, gang! Go read. I know that's probably what I'll be doing instead of sleeping.

A video trailer for the first book in the Leviathan series:


Related links:
The official Scott Westerfeld site
Scott Westerfeld on Twitter
Keith Thompson's official site

She Don't Like Firefly (music video)

This fan-made tribute to Joss Whedon's Firefly is brilliant!

Spoiler warning: The lyrics contain a spoiler if you haven't seen the film Serenity.

Other than that... enjoy the Browncoat goodness!

The 1st Full Trailer for James Gunn's Super

As a fan of James Gunn and comic books, I've been following his superhero comedy Super closely. The premise seems a lot like Kick-Ass in that it's about normal people trying to be superheroes. In this case, the normal people are Rainn Wilson (The Office) and Ellen Page (Inception). There've been a few clips floating around the web but nothing has gotten me as excited as the first real trailer that was recently released!

What are your thoughts?

Mine?

Dwight Schrute + Juno + Capt. Hammer + that guy from Footloose = WINNING!

Here's the trailer (possibly NSFW)...

And to save you some YouTube searching, here are the other clips...

Dr. Who Opening Credits - Buffy Style!

Presented without comment (as I am in awe at the sheer winning).

The Red Skull Revealed!

Entertainment Weekly just released an awesome high-res pic of Hugo Weaving as The Red Skull from the upcoming Captain America film. I expected Marvel to keep more of a lid on the iconic villain's actual image but, I must say... if this were my villain, I'd want to show him off too!

Captain America hits theaters July 22.

 

 

 

Hyde and Geek Musings

When I started Hyde and Geek some years ago, it was intended as a break from what I'd done before. My previous online presence, through websites and blogs, was always devoted to a single theme or genre each time. My first website was about comic books, my second was Godzilla, and my third was horror movie reviews. Over time, I decided that I wanted something that would allow me to stretch my geeky little fingers into everything that I was interested in and not be confined by a single theme. Thus, Hyde and Geek was born.

As I look back over all the posts on this site, I see that I have posted news and random goodness and that reflects my interests in a much better way than what I've done in the past... but it's still very limited. I have recently been considering posting some of my writings here as opposed to simply posting geek news, videos, and the like. These writings will most likely be random bits of personal commentary along with some fiction and whatever else that I care to share. (For the interested, I've started sharing random photos and videos on my Tumblr to keep them from bleeding into this main blog.)

I haven't decided when, what, or if I'll start posting these writings but I wanted to give my readers here a heads-up in case some random posts show up that aren't necessarily geek news. It's still me folks. It's just a different side of me. I prefer to think of it as the Mr. Hyde to my Dr. Geek.

Trailer for Cartoon Network's Thundercats Reboot

I've had (and still have) mixed feelings about Cartoon Network's upcoming anime-inspired Thundercats reboot. Lion-o just seems too young and small to me. However, this recently aired teaser trailer has actually gotten me excited. I'm still not sold 100% but damn! It does look good!

What are your thoughts?

Smallville's Jimmy Olsen Gets Transfered to Warehouse 13

When Syfy's Warehouse 13 returns this summer, Pete will have a new partner. Smallville's Aaron Ashmore (Jimmy Olsen) has reportedly signed on to play "Steve Jinks, ATF agent with the ability to tell when someone is lying" according to Inside TV's James Hibbard.

Do you think Ashmore will be a good fit for Mrs. Frederic's warehouse team?

Source: i09

Spider-Man Film Gets a Title and a New Pic

The upcoming Spider-Man reboot was given the final title of The Amazing Spider-Man today. Marvel also released the first official image of Spidey in his full costume and it does indeed look very cool and brooding.

I'm just happy that it wasn't called Spider-Man 3D.

Check out the First Trailer for X-Men: First Class

I used to read X-Men religiously back in the Claremont days of the '80s. Yeah. I'm showing my age there. That said, I haven't been a huge fan of the X-Men movie franchise. They each had their good moments (the appearance of Nightcrawler being my personal favorite) but were all too uneven for my tastes.

Yesterday, the first trailer was released for X-Men: First Class. The new film is a prequel that details the early days of young mutants Charles Xavier (Prof. X) and Erik Lehnsherr (Magneto) during their college years in the turbulent 1960s. Personally, I like the look of this one. The classic yellow and blue costumes look amazing! Also, the fact that they chose to leave out the much-overused Wolverine is a huge plus.

What are your thoughts?

Calling All Geeks!

Last Summer I did an experiment that I called the Hyde and Geek/Kids Need to Read 36 Hour Tweetathon. The idea was that I'd sit in front of my computer and tweet every ten minutes to help raise money for charity. In this case, the charity was Kids Need to Read, an organization dedicated to getting books in the hands of kids. I managed to stay awake through the event  (thanks to a ton of Red Bull), had a ton of fun, and my awesome Twitter friends and followers rose to the challenge and raised nearly $2000 for charity!

Last season's Tweetathon was such a success that I've decided to do it again! In fact, I'm considering making it an annual event. But to the point of this post...

Last year, my good Twitter-pal, Brian Truitt of USA Weekend helped me out by giving away a copy of The Losers on DVD to one random Twitter-ite who helped to promote the Tweetathon through some retweets. So, as I began planning this year's event, I thought to myself "What if other geeks and friends would like to help out by giving prizes?"

That's where you come in.

I'm looking to geeky businesses of all stripes who would like to help out a great cause and get exposure for their business at the same time. What I'm looking for are prize donations of any sort that I can give away during and after the Tweetathon. This can be anything from gift baskets, samples of your wares, gift cards, random junk you have lying around your office, or just about anything else you can think of that somebody out there might want. In return, you'll get the name of your business plastered all over the charity page once I set that up, this blog as I post about the event, your name and business promoted throughout the Tweetathon, and my eternal and undying gratitude.

I'm also looking for anyone who has a blog, a website, Facebook, Twitter, or any other online soapbox who would be willing to help me promote this thing so that we can blow it out of the water again!

If any of the above sounds like you, send an e-mail to Scott (that's me) at swank_stuff@yahoo.com or DM me at @hydeandgeek on Twitter.

Cute Vader Attacks in This Volkswagen Superbowl Commercial

Aside from my NHL phase years ago, I've never cared much for sports. However, I do sit with the family and watch the Superbowl each and every year. I mean, c'mon! I get free chicken wings while getting to watch the latest movie trailers and hilarious commercials. Plus, the actual game provides me ample time to take food and potty breaks. It's perfect!

Here's one of the commercials from the upcoming Superbowl XLV and it, as is expected, awesome!

Bonus: It's Star Wars! Enjoy!

Mortal Kombat!!!

Update (26 Jan 2011): Don't mark your kalendar just yet. Game Informer just announced the release date as April 19. But looking at pre-order sites linked directly from the official Mortal Kombat site shows GameStop with an April 1 release date while Amazon shows it as April 26. So, I suspect it'll be April but what day exactly seems to be up in the air. Of course, my vote is to release it the 18th for a Mortal Monday and be done with it. I'll post once a date is 100% confirmed.

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If anything could make me break my self-imposed scholarly sabbatical from blogging it's Mortal Kombat. It looks like 2011 is going to be the year that this long-suffering franchise returns to the glorious (and gory) form that we'd expect. Back in June of last year, I posted this trailer for what was then tentatively titled Mortal Kombat 9. It seems as if the title is now just Mortal Kombat and reports are saying that it's a reboot of the entire series. I'm not sure if this means it's going back to the Enter the Dragon storyline of the first (one can only hope) but it does look bad-ass! Below are the latest trailer and a new gameplay video. The game is set for a release date of March 2011 on Xbox360 and Playstation 3.

Mortal Kombat 2011 Teaser Trailer:


Mortal Kombat Gameplay Footage:


And for PS3 Owners Only, an exclusive character...


And as if all the gameplay footage isn't enough, Geek Tyrant broke the news this morning that Warner Premiere is creating an online video series based on the short film Mortal Kombat: Rebirth that I posted HERE.

Now, they just need to set the official release date to a Mortal Monday so I can count down the days to when I need to stay home and tell everyone to bugger off while I memorize fatalities.

MORTAL KOMBAT!!!!!!!!!