Hello to our new host at WordPress, and farewell to our old host on Tumblr.
The nerd-base.tumblr.com account will remain active, but it will act more like most tumblr accounts do, reposting relevant articles and pictures from other blogs, as well as serving as a community presence there.
With the move, we now have the option for comments and discussion on posts, a more well-fleshed-out follow system, a larger community base, better site customization, and best off, an easier option to finally get more contributors to the site (which you’re TOTALLY open to email me about if you’re interested!!).
So, here’s to looking forward to better things!!
Don’t forget, the Nerd-Base crew (okay…so far it’s just two guys, maybe three if he ever decides to post, hehe) are going to be at Pi-Con in Enfield, CT this weekend. If you’re going and you want to meet up, email me from the site and we’ll sort something out!
Odds are, even if you are in your mid-30’s+, you may not have seen or remember this movie. But if you have and you love it, you’re a better person in my book.
If you haven’t, there’s never a better time than now to check it out. I still kinda holds up I think. Even if it didn’t, the music is definitely amazing with contributions from punk, rock, and new wave legends of the 70’s & 80’s like Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, Blondie (Debbie Harry), Cheap Trick and Earth, Wind & Fire.
As the opening dialog reveals
“The War was over, the only survivors were street animals, dogs, cats, and rats. From them a new race had evolved. That was a long time ago.”
From there, we’re told that aging rock legend “Mok” (himself looking like a conglomeration of Iggy Pop and Mick Jagger), has been researching the means to open the door to a dark dimension. At this point, he has everything he needs, save a single, special voice….and now, his search has led him back to his roots, in “Ohmtown”. There’s plenty of futurism in the movie playing on the themes of apocalyptic tech and electricity, but that just lends to the films wonderful atmosphere.
From here we meet our “heroes”, Omar & Angel, and their sidekicks, Dizzy & Stretch (effectively whose characters are sort of tropes of Donatello from TMNT and Shaggy from Scooby Doo). They’re a band, and they’re performing at a seedy little club and having a bit of tension. This is what you see in the clip I posted.
Mok has found his voice.
The movie itself is a big-budget remake of a 1978 Nelvana cartoon called “The Devil and Daniel Mouse”, which had been a Canadian Halloween special, itself, if you traced back the inspiring tales, a retelling of the story of “Faust”.
“Rock & Rule” had started production in 1979 and was in constant peril over the next 4 years of it’s inception due to constant rewrites (from the studios, not certain what to do with the film, shelving and un-shelving it), a high turnover (over 300 animators worked on the film) and almost bankrupting the company (it ended up costing Nelvana around 8 million dollars, unheard of for the studio at the time, which had yet released a film produced for English-speaking audiences), was finally release 4 years later in 1983 to unfortunately lackluster reviews.
Their hadn’t really been a film like this. A (relatively) big budget animated film aimed at adults. It had drugs, bad language, “sexual situations” and what is/was considered “satanic” imagery.
In 1983, cartoons were still considered “kiddy fare” even with the underground and fairly obscure movies like “Heavy Metal” or Ralph Bakshi films like “Fritz the Cat” and “Wizards” running the back alley theater and midnight movie circuits. Unlike them, however, “Rock & Rule” had a distinct quality to it. Above par animation, a soundtrack featuring some of the bigger artists of the time. I mean, c’mon, Blondie practically DEFINED the early 80’s. Still, the film had trouble. The studios didn’t know how to market it. The theaters didn’t know when to show it. The public didn’t know what to make of it. It sort of faded away.
Had it not been for late night showings on cable TV stations like HBO and Cinemax, it may never have developed it’s following. Thanks to them and the growing convention circuits, it had become a Cult Film phenom, with copies of the hard-to-find home video versions and bootlegs of the very rare laser discs, making their way into circulation. As a matter of fact, there were two versions of the film to hunt down! The theatrical version, and the American release with a bit of editing (ohhh…we love editing don’t we?) and some different voice acting. The VHS release is actually included on the DVD released a few years back by Unearthed Films.
For me, it was always so exciting to find someone else who loved the movie, much less knew about it. Honestly, it’s sort of still like that today. I’m okay with that.
So, long story short, do yourself a favor. Go out and grab the DVD. It was released as a double disc collector’s edition that includes different versions of the film AND the original “Devil and Daniel Mouse”, along with a booklet telling a more detailed history of the production.
Here’s some AMAZING fan art by Deviantart user, Fpeniche!
If you look up just about anything on the Olympics today, you’re bound to see any one of the litany of sites offering “Top <insert # here> Pictures of Olympic Synchornized Swimmers Frightening Faces”.
I often enjoy a little bit of leisurely photo-manipulation, so here’s my contribution to the fold.
I’ve opened up photo reply, so feel free to show me your versions!!
When I started this blog, I had every intention of it being a sort of “full-bodied” geek blog. Where I (and any contributers that I may find, still lookin’ guys…) could really just post anything that I could be nerdy/geeky about. That could honestly be ANYTHING. It’s a very large misunderstanding that all geeks are into naught but Comics, Video Games, RPG’s and the like. But truth be told, some of us are into other things. I could sit here and go on and on about music, movies, and yes, I get really into the Olympics. I used to play basketball in H.S. Sports aren’t really as bad as some more “traditional” nerds & geeks make them out to be. I mean, you won’t find me watching foosball, but if someone says, “Hey man, wanna go out and play baseball/basketball/hockey/ect…” I’ll probably say yes. It’s fun!
So there you have it. A little insight into me (Chris) and what I intend this blog to be. I may not update it as often as I’d like, but sometimes you just hit a rut. THAT’S why I am still asking for contributers/writers.
I plan to be porting over to WordPress within the next month/month 1/2. Anyone who could lend a hand is more than welcome. You can email me at nerdbasego@gmail.com.
Although I’ve only met you as a fan, you ran a school that honed the amazing skills inherent in a good handful of my friends, and the friends I’ve met through them, that they met through you. That being so, you’ve sort of vicariously filled my life with a good many talented artists that never cease to impress me with their imagination and skill, I thank you for giving me that wonderful sense of pride in people I care about. It may seem a weird tribute, but it’s an honest one, and one I can attribute to him on a personal level.
Just to give you an idea of the level of talent this legend of comics had. Well, for one, he ran the Joe Kubert School of Art here in NJ that many of my friends have gone to.
Aside from that, check out a couple of his “quick sketches”… (little known fact, although Kubert didn’t create Hawkman per se, he was instrumental in creating the Hawkman as we know his character today)
One of the awesome old weird covers of the golden age!
a lil’ Batman for ya…
Joe Kubert, thought, yes, you will be missed, your legacy will live on in the art of every student coming out of your school, and of course, all the wonderful art and imagination you’ve left in your wake.
Tom Baker who, for those odd few of you who don’t know, is relatively unarguably (I’m not counting the opinions of the “New Who” fans, nyeh) the most famous and beloved of the actors who’ve portrayed “The Doctor” on Doctor Who.
Not too long ago, Baker replied, when asked about the potential of his return to the “TARDIS” for the 50th Anniversary;
“I think if they ask me nicely, or I can see what they want me to do, I’d consider it. I think the fans have been so good to me, they’d expect me to at least make an appearance.”
So…I’m guessing which it was? A sweetened pleading with scones and tea, or just a really amazing part in the script?
Baker’s run on the show as the 4th incarnation of the Doctor during the years of 1974 to 1981 make him the longest running of the 11 actors yet to portray the character (not counting Peter Cushing who played the 1st Doctor in the “Dr. Who and the Daleks” movie, or Richard Hurndall who portrayed the 1st Doctor in “The Five Doctors” after William Hartnell’s death). He had been asked to come back for the Doctor Who 20th Anniversary special called “The Five Doctors”, but in a decision he now admits to regretting, he declined. They instead used footage of him from the sadly unaired/unfinished story arc, “Shada” which had been penned by none other than “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” author, Douglas Adams (there is a release of the episode with additional narration by Tom Baker that completes the story) and in an odd move, the BBC replaced him with a wax figure alongside the other actors for publicity photos.
So, I’m remarkably excited for this news. I grew up watching Tom’s 4th Doctor. He was my first back in the early 80’s when the NJN on UHF stations was really more like a mini-BBC America (they also introduced me to Monty Python ((which was, as well, shown on PBS)), Faulty Towers, the Young Ones, ect ect ect). Even after seeing the amazing job that has been done since the series “reboot”, I still love Tom’s Doctor. There was just something about him. I think he really took that role, took the idea of *who* the Doctor was and is, and just solidified the mold for all who came after him. If you’re a fan and haven’t seen the 4th Doctor series, you honestly owe it to yourself to do so. You’ll understand soon enough…
Nerd-Base 