Previews and Reviews that are Z's Views
You’ve probably heard me speak read about my buddy, Bill Black many times. Bill always has something creative going. He writes, draws, edits and publishes comics. Bill also writes, produces and directs micro-budget movies.
Bill’s latest film is called “The Ghost of Garganta: The Giantess Rises.” Here’s a link to the trailer. If it looks like something you’d like, then check out Bill’s site. You can see more free clips and even order a movie or ten.
I commissioned my first sketch from Thomas Boatwright in December of 2010. It was this First Blood piece. Thomas finished it in less than a week and I totally loved it. So I ordered two more pieces. This sketch of Sly as Barney Ross from The Expendables is the second piece. I have another that I will post in the near future of Sly as Jack Carter. I totally dig them all and hope to get more art from Thomas for my collection later this year.
If you’d like to see more of Thomas Boatwright’s art check out his blog and his DA site. Send him some love. If you get commissions, you should consider a piece from Thomas. He keeps you totally in the loop on his progress, finishes his commissions on or ahead of schedule, has very reasonable prices and is a fantastic artist! – Craig
If you’re a fan of Justified, then you may be interested in a the great bargain that Amazon is offering on Season One. The complete first season on blu-ray is only 21.99 [56% off the retail price] and the regular dvd for the complete first season is just 19.99.
While we’re on the subject of excellent tv shows which are coming to dvd, let’s not forget that The Walking Dead: Season 1 dvd drops on March 8th. Since season 2 won’t start until the fall, there’s a strong possibility that “Dead Heads” are going to want to pick up this one to ease their wait.
Want to see some rare Raiders of the Lost Ark preproduction art by Jim Steranko? You’d be crazy not to and you can thanks to the nice folks at Slashfilm. It’s interesting to note that at this point in the production, they major storyline was in place, but Indy was visualized as more of a rough and tumble guy who smoked.
I don’t read many comic books these days, but one I am really looking forward to is, Who is Jake Ellis. Written by Nathan Edmondson and with art by Tonci Zonjic, this comic series looks to be not only a change of pace, but a lot of fun. Here’s how Josh Wigler at CBR.com describes, Who is Jake Ellis?…
And speaking of CBR.com, they are running the first eight pages of issue one with commentary by Nathan Edmondson and Tonci Zonjic. Who is Jake Ellis? #1 is available at comic shops now.
Want to see some amazing optical illusions? [Via Bits and Pieces]
Since you read my blog there’s a good chance that you are a Sylvester Stallone or Rocky Balboa fan. If that’s the case then you may want to try your luck at this Rocky IV quiz. It’s pretty easy. As you can see above I scored a perfect 9 out of 9. Would you have expected any less? [Via Mental Floss]
If you’re looking forward to the premiere of Lights Out, the new series on FX that premieres on January 11th, then you’ll probably want to check out the trailer below. If you haven’t heard about Lights Out, give it a look and see if the show might be something you’d like. Since you read this blog, there’s a good chance it will.
I’ve known Rob Smith Jr. for over 30 years. In addition to being a talented artist, Rob is one of the most passionate, committed and dedicated people I’ve ever met. Rob absolutely loves the state of Florida, nature, art, politics, reading and more. Rob’s enthusiasm is contagious and he is always on the go. Another thing I admire about Rob is he doesn’t just talk about his passions, he gets actively involved.
Rob and I met up for breakfast with another old friend [Jim Ivey] earlier this week. As we were eating, talking and doing a lot of laughing, Rob whipped up his take on Sly as Santa. After our breakfast, Rob headed out to another meeting about preserving an old Florida school and then to an evening meeting with the Florida Trail Association. Whew!
You can check out Rob’s site and learn about more of his passions!
As we head into a new year, I always take a moment or two to look back. Since today is the first day of 2011… The top photo is of me taken during the middle of a tough game. I was a sophomore at Mainland High School and played defensive tackle.
This photo is of me and Mike Singletary. The Chicago Bears have always been my favorite pro football team. Mike Singletary is one of my all-time favorite players [and he would have been even if he wasn’t a Chicago Bear]. Singletary was never the biggest player on the field, but he always played with the most heart. I got a chance to meet Mike back in 1993 or 1994. He had been brought in as an inspirational speaker and I was lucky enough to get some face to face time with him afterward. Funny, but my hair doesn’t look as gray in that photo…
We’re less than three hours away from 2011. Wow. It’s going to take some time to get used to writing THAT. 2011. For a person my age [and I ain’t ancient], it’s weird to think that we’re living in the future that we read about and saw on movies and tv as kids growing up in the 60’s and 70’s.
Think about it. Escape from New York would have taken place nearly 14 years ago. The Space Odyssey that we took in 2001 would be a decade old. Where are the hovercraft, flying cars, trips to Mars, and all the cool stuff we thought would be part of our world in 2011?
Okay. So we don’t have some most of the fantastic stuff that we thought the future would bring. That’s okay though. If we’re lucky we have our friends, family and our health. If we have those three things all the other junk will fall into place. Who knows, maybe we’ll get jetpacks for Christmas in 2012.
Enjoy New Years Eve. May 2011 bring you all that you desire, or at least “the three things” we all really need.
Recently UGO listed their choices for The Greatest Professional Wrestlers of All Time. Using just their list, here is my top ten:
UGO’s list is very limited. Where was Dick the Bruiser [my personal choice for #1], Mil Mascaras, Blackjack Mulligan, Wilbur Snyder, and so many others. And yes. Andy, I did see Moose Cholak wrestle many times, but he wouldn’t have made my top 50. Sorry Moose.
Yesterday I suggested that we get ready for the relaunch of Dark Horse Presents. Dark Horse announced that the first issue would feature work from Frank Miller [Xerxes, the prequel to 300] and Paul Chadwick [Concrete]. Today CBR.com has a preview page [two panels shown above] for Marked Man — a story that Chaykin will write and draw.
Miller, Chadwick, and Chaykin — I can’t wait to get Dark Horse Presents in my mitts.
Larry Griswold aka “The Diving Fool” was a talented diver, gymnast and co-inventor of the trampoline. Griswold traveled the world with his act and, as you can imagine, was a hit on early television variety shows. Here, he preforms on the Frank Sinatra Show.
Griswold’s act kind of reminds me of John Beatty when he’d work the high dive. [Via Bits and Pieces]
