Category: Movies

“Curse of the Werewolf” Werewolf

Here’s another gem from the ZONE vault.  I dug it then… and I digs it now.  This is a spot illustration created by Doug Hazlewood back in 1977.  It’s of course a drawing of Oliver Reed from “Curse of the Werewolf.” What, you didn’t recognize ole Oliver under all that make-up?

Growing up I always thought that the wolfman was one of the coolest of all monsters and that the “Curse of the Werewolf” werewolf was the version of the wolfman that I liked best… and I still do!

Gene Gonzales: Lords of Flatbush

The extremely talented, extremely nice, Gene Gonzales created his take on Sly from “The Lords of Flatbush” at the recent FX show.  Big John Beatty had requested that he have a table near Gene and it was a great move.  Gene is funny, knowledgeable and really nice.  [Did you hear that somewhere before?]

Although many artists said the FX show wasn’t as busy as they’d hoped, Gene was constantly signing autographs and sketching for fans.  At one point Gene even surprised me by singing the promotional song for “Lords of Flatbush.” That sealed the deal — I asked him if he would draw Sly as Stanley and Gene came through with flying colors.

You can see more of Gene’s work at his blog where he posts art DAILYGene is also available for commissions and his prices are very reasonable.

Thanks again Gene!

Clowns vs SWAT

Do you have two minutes and 19 seconds to spare?  If so you can check out this really cool [and really short] film by Adam Berg.  One of the things that make it worth checking out is that NOTHING moves but the camera.

I guess in an effort to make full disclosure I should tell you that the film is also a commercial for the Phillips Carousel which is a new really widescreen tv [as in wider than other widescreen sets].  But don’t worry about the commercial — the set is never shown or mentioned and the movie really has a neat twist… if you’re paying attention!

Enjoy!

Thanks and a tip o’ the clown mask to Mark Evanier for posting the link.

Is That Snake Plissken?

Here’s another item from the ZONE vault… at first glance it appears to be a publicity shot of Kurt Russell as Snake Plissken from John Carpenter’s “Escape from New York.” But it’s not… not really.   The photo is actually a pre-production still meant to help nail the look for Snake Plissken.

Look closer and you’ll see that Kurt has a snake tat on his arm — in the movie he had a huge snake tat on his stomach.  Also Kurt’s arm isn’t as big as it was in the movie — he hadn’t yet pumped up for the role.  Even though this photo of Snake isn’t quite the Plissken of the movie — it shows that Carpenter had a handle on the character’s look from early on.

Star Trek Me

When I was a kid I loved the original Star Trek series.  [Who am I kidding?  I still enjoy it.]  When we’d play Star Trek I always wanted to be Spock.  I had the haircut and even asked my mom if I could get my ears fixed like his.  Thankfully she didn’t give in on that.

I’ve never watched any of the Star Trek spin-offs.  It was just the original series for me.  I am going to check out the Star Trek re-boot since it features the original characters.  Still, it will be strange seeing someone else playing Kirk, Spock and the rest of the crew.  Although it won’t be as strange as the photo above with me as Spock, John Beatty as Kirk and Jim Ivey as a Romulan warrior.

Chris Lopez & FX Countdown

Today’s Stallone sketch is by Chris Lopez.  I love his work, but Chris’ website disappeared years ago and unfortunately I have no idea what happened to him.

Chris Lopez is a very talented artist who used to run SpaceBop.com. I sent Chris an e-mail praising his work and the next day this digital sketch and explanation appeared in my e-mail:

“The Lords of Flatbush is one of my favorite flicks. So I figured I’d do one of Stanley. I loved the scene with him in the pigeon coop, or when he goes to buy the engagement ring and gets pressured into buying the more expensive one. Oh yeah, swinging around 2 football helmets!!! Classic stuff.

So anyway, here it is. I hope you like it. I really had fun doing it. I tried not to fall back on the stereotypical Sly caricature features (eyes, lip) and give him a more realistic approach.”

That was about eight years ago. I lost track of Chris when SpaceBop.com went offline. [There is a site with the same name now, but it’s not Chris’.] Periodic searches for Chris on the internet haven’t turned him up.

Maybe one of you know him??

We’re less than a week away from FX and the fever is growing.  I had breakfast yesterday with Big John Beatty [who else has a milkshake with a sausage & cheese omelet?] and he’s ready to rock some sketches.  LOL.  Mike Zeck is putting us up for the weekend.  Too bad we can’t get Mike to join us for some FX fun.  Mike, like Bella [John’s wife] and Doralya [my wife] will probably enjoy the quiet while Beatty and I are at the show.

 
  • Mood:  Sunny Mood
  • Listening to: Smiling Faces by The Undisputed Truth
  • Reading: Patient Zero by Jonathon Mayberry
  • Watching: Pitch Black
  • Playing: Dead
  • Eating: Easter Dinner soon!
  • Drinking: Diet Coke

20 Before You Die

Yahoo posted their list of 100 Movies to See Before You DieUsing just their list I give you (in alphabetical order) my list of 20 Movies to See Before You Die:

  • Blazing Saddles (1974)
  • Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
  • Casablanca (1942)
  • Die Hard (1988)
  • Double Indemnity (1944)
  • Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
  • Enter the Dragon (1973)
  • The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather II( 1974)
  • Goodfellas (1990)
  • Jaws (1975)
  • King Kong (1933)
  • The Maltese Falcon (1941)
  • The Matrix (1999)
  • Psycho (1960)
  • Pulp Fiction (1994)
  • Rocky (1976)
  • The Searchers(1956)
  • Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
  • The Usual Suspects (1995)
  • The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Thanks to Control Central for the idea.

“28 days” Again

I’m a fan of “28 days later” and its sequel “28 weeks later” so I was happy to read Boom Studios announce that a new comic series will premiere in July bridging the events between the two movies.  Although a creative team has yet to be announced, this project sounds like it could be a winner.  Especially if the art for the new series is as good as the cover above.