The 1910 Version of “The Wizard of Oz”

I think the most poignant aspect of this original silent film is the fact that it was made during the era when practically everyone said motion pictures were a fad, sure to fade away into that realm of failed fads. Note how much the Tin Man and Scarecrow look like their future counterparts.

(YouTube Link)

More awesome Wizard of Oz rarities at Miss Cellania’s Mental Floss post.

The Easter Bunny

Classic, but mandatory for today. Happy Easter.

(YouTube Link)

Killer Concept Art for Green Lantern

Count me among the teeming masses that can’t wait to see Green Lantern when it comes out in 500 days.  The franchise, about a race of aliens scattered among the planets (we get Greenie) and endowed with superpowers will be a fresh, and apparently artistic endeavor.  So far, at least in concept stage, it looks promising.

Kenny Baker On Break

Hot dog or hoagie, that looks like a lot of carb scoring on that droid.

Found at Epic Win FTW.

All Righty Then, That’s Done

seen at The Thought Experiment

GO.

The Shelving of Superman

In 2006, I and millions like me were supremely disappointed with Bryan Singer’s contribution to a seemingly simple franchise: Superman Returns.  Many compared the experience to gang rape, and questioned Mr. Singer’s true intentions (The Gayification of Superman).  Myself, I thought he tried too hard to connect the film to the Christopher Reeve era, particularly Richard Donner’s Superman II.

But Elisabeth Rappe of Cinematical has a piece up about the way Hollywood has failed to return to that singular magic that Donner and Reeve captured, and why they need to revise the approach.  Everyone loves to throw around the word “reboot,” and for some franchises, it works.  But Superman is a pretty famous dude, and if an audience doesn’t know about Jor-El, Krypton, and the Kent farm, it’s really not all that bad.  They won’t be lost if we just jump into a Supes story in Metropolis, ratcheting up a plot that doesn’t have to explain Superman.  What’s not to get?  He can fly.  He’s strong.  Only Kryptonite can harm him.

Therein lies another problem that Elisabeth brings up.  He’s kind of a boring hero.  Even when Lex Luthor flattens him with a giant slab of the stuff, we know he’s going to be okay, somehow (although Singer’s solution reeked).  We know our protagonist is going to come out fine, and that hinders suspense.  However, if we have Superman performing to save someone else, say, the human race, then we have ourselves some real, interesting drama.

The reality is- Tinseltown is giving up for now.  The last Son of Krypton won’t be flying across movie screens anytime soon, because the potential for another failure is too great.  That’s really too bad, for I think it’s important to have more Superman in our lives… as long as he’s done right.  I suppose the only hope we have to believe a man can fly would be to combine him with another, more bankable hero.

Superman Screws Up Big Time

Supes says, “Ooops.”

Awesome Halloween Costume

I’ve been getting back into the Harry Potter series, and just can’t help but wonder if the dog in my life could pull this off.  Awesome x3.

Thanks, Buzzfeed.