With the recent expansion of the best picture category, this year’s Academy Awards have made room for normally-ignored Nerd properties to make a big impact on the Oscars. Announced nominees include two sci-fi films (Avatar, District 9), a cartoon (Up), and uber-film nerd Quentin Tarantino’s latest opus (Inglourious Basterds).
Seriously. This is as Nerdy as the Oscars get. But don’t worry, there’s still plenty of opportunity for shitty choices (The Blind Side), to beat all of them. Besides, there’s only one awards show for me: The Latin Grammys.
As I’ve said in the past, when it comes to modern Japanese designer Kaiju vinyl, there is no brand cooler than RealxHead. Their figures draw from all aspects of pop culture and have, over the last few years, created a world as odd and amazing as any fantasy/ sci-fi universe, while creating many pieces of high end collectible art.
The third series of Mutant Zone figures from RxH started to trickle out late last year, and over the course of 2009, many of them have been popping up, Stateside. The general theme of this series has been the combination of a figure from series 1 with a figure from series 2. Of all of these figures, I’m really loving the Chaos Beast figure. He’s a combination of the Mutant Chaos
The boys are joined by local Sci-Fi nerdess Ti Mikkel as they talk Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, and the new order of hot chicks that keep popping up in Nerdery, in this, the 52nd (yeah, that’s right) episode of Nerd City.
Announced a few months ago, the Sci-Fi channels name change to Syfy will begin today. The name change was done to attract a more casual audience that “may be afraid of all the sci-fi stuff”. I don’t understand how the name change will bring in new viewers considering it is pronounced the same way as the old channel, but I guess that’s not why I’m not some bigwig at the Syfy channel. The first original show, Warehouse 13, which is a story of federal agents working within a wharehouse that stores ancient/supernatural artifacts debuts tonight at 9et/8ct, where as all current programming will remain in their current timeslots for now. Looking at their promo video below, it appears that there is a show about Tracy Morgan playing with giant dinosaurs.
The most extravagant SUCKADELIC set to date. Contains 3 exclusive figures in
a high-quality, full color, 10″ x 12″ blister pack. By far the dopest thing SUCKADELIC has done to date.
40 piece edition.
The Sucklord also briefly discussed his motivation to put out these pieces at this time on his Flickr:
The LAND of the LOST movie is gonna suck, and Will Ferrell is a total douche for making it into some stupid asshole comedy. For real. The show, as cheezy and flawed as it was, had some pretty serious Sci-fi themes going on. There was a real charm to the low budget effects and the hoakey over acting. There is for sure a lot of opportunity for comedy there. I’m not mad that it’s a comedy. It just looks like a very lowbrow, typical Will Ferrell vehicle that shows no respect for the integrity of the source material or it’s fans. I hope I’m wrong, but that awful clip they showed on Conan the other night was not encouraging at all. Stupid potty humor. That’s why these figures are coming out now. To act as a salve to the heartbroken fans that are being screwed by Mr. Ferrell and his bullshit, self-serving stinkeroo. Enjoy!
It’s cool to know that in a world full of blockbuster summer movie remakes that have little to do with their original source material other than a few names, someone is making art that celebrates the original aesthetic of properties like Land of the Lost.
Now, who’s going to step up and do something like this for G.I. Joe and Transformers?
To pick up your own Evolutions 3-Pack or to check out some of the latest music from Band of the Lost, go here.
This Saturday, May 9th, @ 6 and 9 p.m., as part of their Meet the Maker Series, Lakeshore Theater presents Monty Python and the Holy Grail, featuring a rare appearance by Python Terry Jones. This event, in conjunction with the Sci-Fi Spectacular film festival @ The Music Box, represents one of the coolest Chicago cinema days in recent memory. Make sure to check out one, if not both of these awesome film events.
Well, it’s time for another fantastic show to end its run tonight. At 9ET/8CT “Battlestar Galactica” wraps up it’s fourth and final seaon on Sci-Fi. It all started with a six episode mini-series and now will be remembered as one of the most critically acclaimed shows ever shown on cable. The way this show has grown in it’s short time on tv has been astonishing. Go back and watch the mini-series. Find me a show that has developed it’s characters better. From humanity being destroyed by robots, using suicide bombers as a means to escape occupation, the rape and torture of a female prisioner, and the shocking deaths of numerous characters, this show has packed a punch (to the gut). Tonight we find out how it all ends. Sci-Fi is doing an all day marathon of BSG culminating with last weeks part 1 of “Daybreak”, the series’ last chapter. Tonight’s part 2 is said to run 2 hours, 10 minutes….so a nice solid 3 hours to wrap all the loose storylines up. What the hell is Starbuck? Why does the Cylon child (Hera) know “All Along the Watchtower”? Who’s gonna die? Will humanity find a home? It all ends here tonight kids, so strap in and tell your friends to frak off.
Nerd City has always made it perfectly clear about how we feel about the work of Suckadelic- we love it! From his music to his bootleg toys to his subversive artistic statements, we just can’t get enough. We were, therefore, super excited when The Sucklord was cool enough to answer a few of our questions.
Who is Suckadelic? What inspires him? And what is his artistic mission?
Suckadelic is an evil arts organization based in Chinatown NYC. The company specializes in bootleg action figures and illegal remix records. The founder and supreme ruler of Suckadelic is the Super Sucklord, a mysterious space traveller and downtown toy imprasario. His chief inspirations are self-promotion, arcane niche studies, and culture jamming. The artistic mission of Suckadelic is to create opportunities for its growth by absorbing and re-appropriating vast qualities of pop culture detritus in an effort to inspire legions of loyal followers to consume its products and champion it’s cause.
Before I was familiar with any of your other work, I discovered your music. Do you feel that the use of sampling in your music carries over to your philosophical approach towards your other art?
Yeah, we call it “toy sampling.” Taking parts from a bunch of different toys and remixing them into something new. I hide things in there that only real nerds would recognize. I do Same thing with the music.
Also, is there an aesthetic sensibility that influences your toys, for example, that also informs your musical work?
Yeah, A “kitchen sink” mentality, taking stuff from far and wide and boiling it down to something rich and layered with lots of hipster snark. In both cases I try to take uncool nerdy niche references and put them in a “cool” context, such as hip-hop or Gay Rights activism. At the same time I try to demonstrate a serious, almost academic comprehension of the original material. For example, if I’m gonna make a remix of a Micronaut toy and flip him into a statement about lame people on message boards, it has to work on two levels. That’s what I did with the Cosmo Douche. Not only did I try to relay a true-to-life backstory about universal message board wackness, I made sure the piece had unassailable, un-ironic Micronaut cred as well. I did that by mixing parts of both Acroyear 1 and 2. (even though in Japan, Their Acroyear 1 became our Acroyear 2 and vice versa). I try to hit two marks with my best works.
Your toy work is unapologetically referential to action figures in a world where many art toy/ designer vinyl artists tend to avoid such homages. Why do you feel that your style is more open to this realm than that of your peers?
The 3 and 3/4′ figures were what I played with. To me this are the archetypal scale for toys. Way before I learned to make my own, all my toy fantasies revolved around this scale. I can’t speak for what other people are doing. It all just boils down to the fact is that it’s just what I like and what I know.
What are you listening to while you work at the moment?
I usually listing to left-wing talk radio when I work.
Your video output has increased steadily over the past couple of years. What is your level of involvement in your video projects?
For the Sucakdelic videos, I do all of it. Conceive it, shoot it edit it. For the Original Villains. I do most of the conceptual stuff and the production, but the various people in the episodes often write parts for themselves that fit within the bigger picture. With Microsexuals. I help out with some writing, but I mostly do set building and stop-motion or puppetry work.
The well publicized Christie’s auctions of your work sort of thrust you into the world of mainstream or proper art. Do you feel that this is a reflection of a general acceptance of the importance of your work by the larger art community or more of an indication of that community’s desire to capitalize on the “next big thing”?
I don’t really know. It was just one deal that I did with an idealistic person who works there who had a pure affinity for the work on a personal level. I never got that there were really any greater implications to it. I know it may seem that way to someone on the outside of it. But to me it was just another opportunity.
What upcoming projects can we look forward to from The Sucklord?
An epic, multi-chapter Original Villains movie called TOY LORDS of CHINATOWN. It’s a sci-fi gangster movie centering around the bootleg toy racket and all the shady characters that keep it going. It will have a series of figures to go along with it, both vinyl and resin. First episode comes out this Spring.
Thanks so much for your for your time, Sucklord. Long may you suck!
For all of the latest and greatest about the goings on of Suckadelic, check out the official site here and The Original Villain Network here.
Here’s a bit of awesome news involving moving pictures (unless you’re Max who is retarded and dispises this character/book). According to Ain’t It Cool News and Variety Warner Brothers not only has green lit “Green Lantern” but is also fast-tracking it. The Variety article says that WB is under negotiations with Martin Campbell (Goldeneye, Zorro, Casino Royale) to direct the project. I think it’s great first news, but it’ll all come down to the actors and story. I mean what would be better than a giant action flick with sweet sci-fi aspects and power rings? Throw in the Corps and a battle between Hal and Sinestro and it’d be icing on the cake. So what would be the cherry on top you ask? Getting Geoff Johns to write the damn thing. He has now proven his writing chops (outside of comics of course) with his episode of Smallville, introducing the Legion of Superheroes, which was one of the best in the series’ 8 year run so far. And he has said on numerious occasions that he would love to tackle a GL movie. At least pick the guys’ brain for ideas…I mean it’s not like he hasn’t done wonders with the book of the same name or anything.
I recently picked up Volume One of Richard Starkings’s (not the drummer out of The Beatles) Elephantmen. It’s an awesome sci-fi noir comic book from Image. Starking is world renowned for, of all things, his letttering skills. What this traslates to is a book that is just as impessive in terms of layout and graphic design as it is writing and penciling/ inking.
So what’s the book about? In the early 23rd Century, genetic experimentation in Africa resulted in massive animal-human hybrid super soldiers. Now, years later, these “Elephantmen” (a general term used for all animal/ human hybrids) are struggling to survive as normal members of society in a futuristic world reminiscent of Blade Runner.
I honestly can’t recommend this book enough, and, because there is so much emphasis on graphic design/ layout, I’d say that you should pick up the hard cover version of the volume one trade.
Remember that small film with Tom Cruise called “Minorty Report”? I believe Spielberg was involved as well. No worries if you don’t because it wasn’t that good. It had its moments but overall was pretty dissapointing. The one thing in it that I found kinda awesome was the user interface they used in Precrime Headquarters. You know, the one where Tom could just wave his hands and manipulate all the data and images on a screen. Well we don’t have to wait for that grim future where they can tell if you’re thinking of killing someone (no fun in that!). Oblong Industries have actually created that UI-gloves and all! It’s called G-Speak (NOT the G-Spot…that’s different and much harder to successfuly operate) and I can’t wait for this to become mainstream technology. Aren’t you tired of using a keyboard? I know I am and this tech looks very promising to end that. Here’s the demo of it in action.
The only description I can find on the new movie Moon is the following: “Astronaut Sam Bell has a quintessentially personal encounter while stranded on the moon for a three-year period.” The vague and mysterious summary is only amplified when accompanied by the linked photos below.
Now, I’m not a sci-fi/outerspace fan, I freely admit to that. However, when they involve someone going insane or perhaps a creepy “encounter”, you can count me in. Throw in Sam Rockwell, and I’ve signed the dotted line. For me, there haven’t been many space movies that awe me with chilling visuals of how vast, lonely and desolate space is. Moon seems to pull it off. Enjoy the pics, from Bloody-Disgusting.com.
Check out the art of Dave Perillo, or as his blog calls it, Montygog’s Art-O-Rama. Dave cites his influences as 1950’s Sci-Fi Movies, Charles Schultz, Jim Flora, Ray Harryhausen, Roy Lichtenstein, Jim Henson, Hanna Barbera, The Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitchcock & Character Advertising Icons. Anybody whose artistic subject matter includes Voltronand The Sex Pistols is pretty rad in my book!
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