I really don't care what all the cynical critics are saying, I think the Water Horse is a wonderful film. Simple, classic story with sumptuous visuals and nice performances. Of course, I am a cryptid-obsessed father of two, so I might be the bullseye of the target market, but so what.
It's full of crypto-nods to 'authentic' Nessie lore, and the monster is just wonderful (aren't they all, though?). At least I'm not the only one who likes it...
The latest edition of the legendary, off-model, Cartoon Network Calendar is out, and I just can't believe my guys are in it. Drawn in a Kamandi-ish King Kirby style by the super-awesome J. Ortiz, no less! Now it's really official... I've joined the illustrious CN line-up. Happy New Year!
... I want North American Region Code DVD's with English subtitles of last years' Nekome Kozo (Cat-Eyed Boy) based on the maga by Umezz, and the live action Kitaro movie, please. And all of these Shigeru Mizuki toys. Thank you.
Got some time off? Looking for something cool to peruse online? I humbly reccommend this Jack Kirby Monster blog, chock full of early Marvel monster action, including nice scans of a slew of never before reprinted stories. Rare and Rampaging!
I've been a busy guy lately. Had a really great trip down to Mattel Toys HQ in El Segundo last week. Great bunch of people with jobs at least as fun as mine. It's official... Mattel will be doing our Secret Saturdays action figure line, and it's going to be awesome. Too bad we have to wait until Fall 2009 for the first wave... Merry Christmas 2009, everybody! One of the Cartoon Network Consumer Products team members I had in my corner for the presentation was Rick Blanco, who also just happens to paint creepy pictures in his spare time. We had a chat during the break about Leonard Nimoy's In Search Of... TV series that inspired and disturbed us both as youngsters. 'Leonard Searching' (pictured above) is described on his site thusly... "This painting is a bit of an homage to my childhood. In the late 1970's/early 80's there was a show called "In Search Of," which was hosted by Leonard Nimoy. This show used to investigate mythological, supernatural or cryptozoological subjects and even though much of it was over the top conjecture, it gave me the creeps while keeping me enthralled the whole time. I'll always remember the raw grainy footage of the Sasquatch looking over its shoulder as it stomped back into the forest. Here little Leonard has gone searching for his ball or a new friend and winds up with both."
