Daily Monsterism - 30 Days of Night

Just got back from the movies. 30 Days of Night is awesome. My memory of the book is a little fuzzy, so there're no prizes for guessing what I'm doing after this. So, in light of the awesomeness that was, here's today's monsterism...

Monster: The Head Vampire
Movie: 30 Days of Night

Certainly not your garden-variety vampire, the head vampire is (as are all the others) about as far removed from every other vampire Hollywood churns out as you could want. He's a relatively plain looking guy which actually bolsters his creep-factor more than you'd imagine, but the fact that he has a maw full of jagged fangs and black eyes only enhances that but also gives him that lethal edge. He's creepy looking and there's no doubt that he'll kick your arse. The actor also manages to give the role an incredible amount of power and authority, even over some of the more horrifyingly pro-active undead.

More Than Meets The Eye...

I had a chance to indulge myself a little this week. My brother, Evan, recently picked up an X-Box 360, which is backwards compatible with the older X-Box games.

Yesterday, I picked up this.

I'm a big fan of the whole Cthulhu mythos, and an even bigger fan of a good horror movie/game, so this was a gold find for me. $24 AUD too! Great atmosphere so far and plays like a dream (or nightmare...)!
One of my most recent favourites has finally hit DVD too, I picked up this snazzy tin case. God, I loved this movie. I grew up with Transformers and this movie was a perfect translation of the franchise. The Buff is great in this (as he was in Disturbia too, which is something everyone should see), Megan Fox is sex on legs, and the robots themselves are fucking unreal!

Anyway, got to run, off to see 30 Days of Night, which also looks to be awesome! Read the comics as they are f'awesome and the art is by fellow Aussie, Ben Templesmith!

Peace

Monsterism - Grover

Monster: Grover
Movie: Elmo in Grouchland

I'm a Henson nut. I grew up on Sesame Street and Grover has (and hopefully always will be) a mainstay on the show, enduring almost, if not equally, as long as the show itself. Hilariously predictable but totally lovable. Grover is Grover (but sounds like Yoda).

What?!

I don't understand some people. I just arrived home from a mate's place a little further up the road. It's like a five minute walk up a hill. Anyway, I'm walking home, I get to the end of my block and a couple of cars are making their way down the road. I've got to cross to get to my block and keep walking a bit, so I have to wait until these cars have cleared the intersection here. So I wait, as all good pedestrians should, and these cars crawl past. The second car, some kind of stupid muscle car driving slower than I walk, blares it's horn at me. It's the middle of the night, in a quiet suburb here. Someone inside the car then proceeds to berate me verbally for some reason, whether they found it funny or not I dunno. "Fuck off, you fuckin' faggot." That's what I get served. For standing on a corner, waiting for cars to clear an intersection.

What the Hell?

Belated San Diego Shiznit and Monsterism

I was lucky with this one, I rushed out of a panel regarding the future of Marvel comics to get to a Joe Quesada signing, managing to arrive just as the PR dude (I forget his name now but he was an awesome guy, introduced me to Paul Jenkins, who's work I absolutely love) was walking over with the Last in Line sign.

Alright, for those out there who don't know who this is, this is the big cheese at Marvel, Joe Quesada. Great guy, really inspiring to talk to and extremely encouraging. I'm hoping I'll get another chance to meet him at the NYCC next year.

Fuck, I look horrendously thin...

More insane lines. This stretched back about 700m.

And some monsterism....

Monster: Slimer
Movie: Ghostbusters

Whoever doesn't have room in their heart for Slimer deserves to die.

Not really.

The Villain That Never Was

Unfortunately, the sequel I proposed for Tales of the TMNT #36 was rejected. I had planned on introducing a new villain who I thought would go down well and suit the TMNT universe, but unless I can work him into another story for the powers-that-be, then this is probably the only time you'll see him (although I do have an idea for something creator owned that I'm thinking of working him into). Here's my initial scribble, and then Paul Harmon's incredible take...
His pre-Diamondback persona is actually there in #36...

Multi-Monster Madness! Scanning Insanity!

I spent the whole afternoon scanning. Of course, when I got towards the end of my epic scan-fest, the computer crashed. Over a hundred pictures and a decent few hours of pure tedium all suddenly down the toilet. The following survived.

Raph

The Scarecrow of Oz

Cretlin Cavalry

Flying Monkey

Donatello

And here's some monsterism... y'know... In case you missed it...

Monster: The Pods
Movie: Invasion of the Body Snatchers

I've said in previous monsterisms why this movie is so effective. Check out the bum-dog entry.

Monster: The Dragon of the North Sea
Movie: Eric The Viking

The movie wasn't exactly stellar. I know it definitely has it's fans so I won't go into my reasons for not really liking it, all I'll say is that when I watched this as a kid I was always hanging out for two bits. This one, with the Dragon of the North Sea, simply because it was a dragon, and the scenes taking part in Valhalla, because they were creepy. I think if this film had a larger budget we probably would've got a better look at the beast, but the moment itself was enough for me, and from the brief glimpse above, it probably would've looked pretty cool in full.

Monster: The Gorax Giant
Movie: The Caravan of Courage

Another monster from a childhood favourite. The Gorax was a pretty terrible effect, but this was a telemovie. I think it's my Star Wars fanboyism that makes this creature cool to me - knowing all the backstory and history of the beast (everything us in the know call "Expanded Universe" stuff)!

Monster: Gwangi
Movie: The Valley of Gwangi

God, I love Harryhausen. It's almost a genre in itself (and even has a section at JB Hi-fi)! The Valley of Gwangi is one of those matinée classics that too few have heard of and probably even fewer have seen! It revolves around a hidden valley in Mexico that is home to a variety of prehistoric creatures, and when a show promoter decides to go all "King Kong" and capture the fabled Gwangi (an Allosaurus), shit hits the fan spectacularly. It's a classic fantasy - cowboys vs dinosaurs, with fantastic special effects for the time.

Monster: Malificent
Movie: Sleeping Beauty

Sleeping Beauty has always been one of my favourite Disney movies. The visual style and animation was considerably different to what had come before it and what followed after, and Malificent was always one of the creepiest villains Disney put out there. In a perfectly executed finale, Malificent turns herself into the monstrous dragon you see above.

The Return...

I'm back. Not exactly brand new, but sorry if anyone has missed me... (cue sound of crickets)

Anyway, I've been working hard, trying to earn money and working on some personal projects.
Starting another blog as well, but here's some Monsterism.

Monster: Count Orlock
Movie: Nosferatu

Nosferatu is one of those rare cases where you can legitimately look at it and say "This is cinematic art." It's a beautiful movie, visually striking, and completely and utterly unnerving as well. The sequence the above still is taken from is one of the creepiest moments ever put to film, and Graff Orlock is, hands down, the ugliest vampire of all time.

Monster: The Grundel

Movie: The Real Ghostbusters

Okay, so it's not a movie, but the Grundel was probably the scariest thing ever to be featured in a cartoon show. The Grundel was a parasitic demon that preyed on children with the potential for bad. Rebellious kids. Punks. Brats. You get the idea. Anyway, he'd appear at their windows at night and convince them to let him in, promising to show them a good time, claiming to understand how the child feels, that the grown-ups will never understand, the works. Anyway, should the kid let the Grundel in, the Grundel will slowly turn that child into a Grundel, and the cycle will continue. The voice is frightening and when you see him fully animated (and the half Grundel children for that matter) you realise how truly horrifying this thing is for a kids show.

Monster: Dilophosaurus
Movie: Jurassic Park

I love Jurassic Park. I also love physical special effects. I love the Dilophosaurus. Though not entirely accurate in terms of presentation, it still looks damn nice and was one of the biggest surprise moments of the movie (I read the book after). Suck on that, Newman!

Monster: The Troll
Movie: The Cat's Eye

Ah! The Cat's Eye! How I love this movie! It's an unsung horror classic of the 80's! Three short stories by Stephen King are all brought together and bridged by a homeless tabby who is driven by haunting visions of a very young Drew Barrymore pleading for help. James Woods is great in the very disturbing adaptation of Quitter's Inc. and the second story is a nailbiter too, but the final story comes so far out of left field you have no choice but to accept it. A tiny troll living in Drew Barrymore's bedroom turns out to be the chief antagonist of the piece! Voiced by the legendary Frank Welker, the troll is brought to life perfectly, using a number of visual tricks to bring him to life. Just see it!

Monster: The Martians
Movie: Mars Attacks!

Switch off your brain and gaze at theirs as they sadistically wreak havoc on our planet. Mars Attacks! doesn't claim to be anything but shits and giggles, and if you've got a bit of a dark streak running through you, you're going to love it. Lord knows I did!