Eight Legs of Horror!

...And Ten Tentacles of Terror!

...And A Few Ink Defense Mechanisms of Unease!

...And Countless Suction Cups of...

OK. I'm stopping. But check out a beakfull of the weirdest pulp mag covers evar!

Via Cephalophanalia!

TOS gets a Touch-Up

Just recently, I was watching Star Trek, the Original Series on DVD (or ST:TOS for those in the know), and for the most part, the show looks fantastic. However, I've been wishing that the external special effects scenes of the Enterprise, alien ships, and planets thoughtout the series looked a little better, as most of these shots were heavily reused and grew darker, more scratched, and more dusty as the series progressed.

There was one specific episode that I was watching that I thought could use a complete overhaul, and that was The Doomsday Machine. This episode was outstanding in terms of drama and acting, but the the horror of the Doomsday Machine itself was never sold on me. Even when I was a kid, I couldn't fathom why Commodore Decker was so horrified at this snail-paced paper maché cornucopia.

Not too long after having watched this episode on DVD, I had my wish fulfilled when I recieved a link to this video of some enhanced Doomsday Machine SFX shots on YouTube:



Even though the Doomsday Machine stays true to its original low-budget design, it's awesomeness is much better sold on me. I'm dying to see more.

Well, as it turns out, Paramount just announced that the original Star Trek series is getting a CGI makeover for it's 40th anniversary in prepartion for broadcast in High Definition! If Paramount's effects look as good as that footage on YouTube (and I'm guessing they'll be much better), I'll be very pleased. I'm probably speaking for millions of Trekkies (or Trekkors, depending on which side of the Galactic Barrier you were born on) when I say that I can't wait for this! And on broadcast tv, no less!

I guess I'll be thinking more seriously about buying an HDTV in 2007...

via TrekMovie.com

Update: Phil found some additional information on The Digital Bits Rumor Mill from yesterday (8/28)... They bring up a good point, what aspect ratio is this going to be presented in?

Shatner Roast

Relax in your favorite captain's chair with a cup of trania this Sunday (August 20th) at 10pm (9 central) and tune in to Comedy Central to enjoy the peerless William Shatner getting an industry roasting (hosted by Jason Alexander).

This should be a great show, as Bill seems to have a lot of vocal enemies in the biz. It's about time that all this tension was vented.

For more info and a preview of what we're in for (or to record your own roast), check out the Roast of William Shatner web page at comedycentral.com, or just read the press release.

I hope you will relish it as much as I.

Somewhere, In One Of Those Memories...

I remember begging my mom to take me to go see Tron in the theater, back in '82. I'm not sure if she enjoyed the movie or not, but I was captivated from the very beginning- the shots of Flynn's arcade, and the cross-cutting shots of what the computer world looked like from the program's point of view... I'm swooning just thinking about it!

What kid, after having seen this movie, didn't run around the playground with a stick in their hands pretending to be in a lightcycle? Or peg other kids with their frisbee yelling, "I just derezzed you, sucker!" Well, I can't answer for everyone, but I know I did (and this guy probably did too)! Despite the movie's dark and pessimistic view of the future of computing, I knew that computers and frisbees were going to be a huge part of my life!

Well, prepare to live the adventure again:

One Night Only! Saturday, August 19th at the Castro Theater: It's a brand new 70mm Print of Tron! It's part of the MiDNiTES FOR MANiACS 70mm series presented by host Jesse Hawthorn.
More info and advance ticket sales here

I'll see you at the theater! And don't forget your frisbee...

End of line.