December 3rd, 2009 | people I know
I have here the sizzle reel for your new favourite TV show. It’s OCEAN’S ELEVEN. The Sixties original. In space. With Sean fucking Pertwee. Devised by old crony Mike Sizemore, directed by Steve Barron. It’s called SLINGERS.
This is the link to the sizzle reel. Go and watch it now.
(The bit with the gun cracks me up.)
And this is the SLINGERS category on Mike’s blog. All kinds of interesting stuff there.
WARREN ELLIS
jwz - 30 Jul 10
Jean Snow - 30 Jul 10
I mentioned last week that I’d be a guest this week on game developer Grasshopper Manufacture’s podcast (Flower, Sun, & Podcast), and the episode (5) is now up and you can download it here (it should be on iTunes too). Check it out if you want to hear me ramble (and ramble) about mostly game-related topics.
Pictured, the Grasshopper conference room — complete with ping-pong table — where we recorded the episode. Big thanks to Grasshopper producer Esteban Salazar for inviting me on the show.
Kieron Gillen - 30 Jul 10
Catching up a little with stuff that happened when I’m away. I’ll talk Generation Hope later, but here’s the two comics I’ve got out this week.
My Thor In Hell and Hel arc continues. Here’s the five-page-preview. Enormous metal seriousness. My dual influences remain I, Claudius and the cover of 1980s Metal albums. Assorted random reviews: IGN. A Comic Book Blog. Weekly Comic Book Review.
The concluding party of my two part character-study/fight-comic. Preview here. And no reviews which I can find, but pleased to see that at least some people thought it was funny. Few things make me worry more than writing comedy.
Oh - here’s Seb’s review of the first one, which will give you a taste for it.
Coilhouse - 30 Jul 10
So… any Mad Men fans in the ‘haus? No spoilers in the comments, please, because I’m not sure if Mer and Zo have had a chance to catch last Sunday’s Season 4 premiere. But without giving away any plot points, I just want to ask: what was up with Don Draper pulling a Dov Charney with his horrible Jantzen pitch? Our colleague Copyranter eats this kind of American Apparel shit for breakfast. The Portland-based swimwear company was portrayed as a stodgy, conservative business to whom Draper declares angrily, “you’re too scared of the skin your two-piece was designed to show off.” I guess he (and/or the show’s writers) never saw Jantzen’s Vargas-inspired campaign, which ran in LIFE in 1947 (below). Dear readers, I proudly tag this post “Stroke Material” and present you with my stash of vintage Jantzen advertisements from the 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s. Sun-kissed beauties with Bettie Page smiles and space-age swimsuits – as well as a few clever parodies – after the jump.
Read the rest of Vintage Jantzen: The Pin-Up Powerhouse
Post tags: Advertising, Fashion, Stroke Material, Ye Olde
Kung Fu Monkey - 29 Jul 10
Coilhouse - 29 Jul 10
Photo by Ben Corrigan.
Ryan Francesconi‘s wonderful music has been lilting around the edges of my life since 1995 when I briefly worked together with him and Dan Cantrell in the Toids, an experimental folk group that riffed off various Eastern European idioms in tandem with Francesconi and Cantrell’s eclectic compositional styles. Back then, Francesconi was one seriously intimidating guitar/tambura/bouzouki shredder! He reveled in playing faster, smarter, better than anybody. He’s a shredder still, and no one can approximate his style… but over the years, wisdom seems to have smoothed over some of the sharper, more Malmsteinish edges of his virtuosity. Lately, the music he makes has deepened into an expression of something far more present, and pure.
Nowhere is this more apparent than on a quietly stunning record Francesconi released earlier this year, called Parables. A series of songs for solo acoustic guitar, it reflects his interest in American bluegrass, Bulgarian folk, jazz improvisation and Baroque lute music. Recorded live (no overdubs!), the music is graceful and green with nods of kinship to everyone from Nick Drake to Herman Hesse to the forests of the Pacific Northwest– which is where Francesconi lives when he’s not trotting the globe.
Speaking of– if you’re a fan of Joanna Newsom, the name Ryan Francesconi is probably already familiar to you, since he’s been one of her key players for several years, leading her live touring performers in the Ys Street Band and arranging/playing on just about every song on her new triple album, Have One On Me. They’re kicking off their summer West Coast tour of the States tonight in San Diego, California. Newsom had this to say about Parables:
“Ryan Francesconi is one of the most awe-inspiring musicians I’ve known. On “Parables,” he distills his many realms of artistry [...] into a beautifully minimalist, poetic, intricate, emotionally realized study of themes, variations, organic counterpoint, and such devastating forays into fractal-metric out-lands that it is nearly impossible to believe he’s picking those strings with just one hand. This is solo music that sounds like an ensemble, an ecstatic and measured reconciliation of West African / Balkan / Baroque / bluegrass influences, which ultimately resembles nothing I know.”
Pick up Parables on vinyl over at Drag City (they’re currently sold out of the CD), or in Mp3 format from CD Baby or iTunes.
Post tags: Events, Faboo, Music, Personal Style
Coilhouse - 29 Jul 10
Nick Cave’s participation in the remake of the new Crow has been confirmed, and I’m finally starting to get excited. The Crow, a film based on James O’Barr’s eponymous comic book series, was a sort of holy grail to me and my darque little crew back in the early nineties. Unapologetically dramatic, The Crow had everything an angsty kid could want: love, destruction, hot bloke in makeup, great villains, pretty girls. There was one year when I watched the film at least five times.
Now, I haven’t actually seen it in over ten years, for fear that it won’t hold up. I’m told it doesn’t. Still, the concept of a shiny new remake of my childhood/adolescence favorite is an uncomfortable one. Nostalgia and Brandon Lee’s death on the set veil The Crow in shimmery, inviolate mystery, and, had it been anyone other than Nick The Stripper doing the re-write, I would have probably shunned it. As things stand though, I think there’s reason to get at least a little fired up, especially with new rumors of Cillian Murphy possibly signing on to play Eric – almost as weird as casting Brandon Lee! If only Stephen Norrington could be replaced… Yes, then I can almost picture it. Until we know more, let us remember The Crow that once was. I leave you with a question: who would you cast as the ideal Eric?
The Crow is available on YouTube in its entirety.
Post tags: Comics, Fairy Tales, Film, Stroke Material, Surreal, Uber
Coilhouse - 29 Jul 10
A patchwork biography of Igor Oleynikov: Growing up in Lubertsy, Russia ? a small town outside of Moscow ? his entrance into the art world was at the Russian animation studio Soyuzmultfilm in 1979. Since 1986 he has been illustrating children’s books and has done 25 to date.
Children’s book illustration is a lot like veterinary school ? the common misconception being that medical school has a much higher barrier of entry, and yet the opposite is true. Children’s book illustration is a notoriously difficult nut to crack.
Oleynikov’s work is testament to the talent involved in the field. His paintings are lush and yet his tones are muted just enough to give everything a dream-like quality. In addition, they possess that air of danger and foreboding so often found in literature for young readers. Really, I could look at these all day. See more after the jump and even more here, here, and here.
Read the rest of Igor Oleynikov
Ectoplasmosis - 29 Jul 10
When I found this last weekend, I watched it obsessively a number of times. It just seems right. Not exactly a vision of prophecy, but for a myth of collapse it will do?
Apocalypse -Cthulhu- Now by Cthulinos [Youtube]
Apocalypse Now intro – In case you’ve forgotten the visual pun [Youtube]
© ECTOPLASMOSIS!, 2010. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us | digg it | reddit it
This reminds me of Cowboy Bebop in the best possible way. This HAS to get made.
“Boom.”
Home is cleared. Heh. :D
I was left needing a Sci-Fi fix when Firefly got canned.
This looks like it will do just nicely.
Thanks for the smile, my day is that much better. Ditto the Cowboy Bebop reaction, but I’ll take it all the same. This project cannot possibly die here.
highly acceptable, especially the projected pistol HUD
say the word, and I will hunt down and kill anyone who needs to be dead to make this show happen.
HOLY FUCK this is what dreams are made of.
Fucking Gorgeous. Just Gorgeous. MOAR
Loved the use of ‘Theme De Yoyo’, and thank God Sean is doing something other than a credit card voice over. More please. Much more.
My review of the Slingers sizzle from a few weeks ago. It’s probably too good for this world – but let’s hope it gets at least a full series.
BRILL-FUCKING-YINT!!!
I MUST HAVE IT ALL IN MY EYES AND BRAIN NOW!!!
DO WANT.
i’d actually *watch teevee* for this…
God I hope this get’s picked up and done to a good end, hopefully more than 6 seasons.
It has te potential to turn in as much an institution as Doctor Who is
I want all guns to be like that one right now. War would be hilarious.
[...] a few industry sites already so it was only a matter of time before it got linked to. Warren Ellis did that today and kindly christened it “Your favourite new TV show“. That, as you can imagine, [...]
god, the details!
any sci-fi soundtracked by “theme de yoyo” HAS to be worth watching. and watching. and collecting in box set form. and then getting sick of once it’s past six series and all of your favourite characters have changed irrevocably. or left to work in film.
Just fantastic.
Here’s hoping it gets picked up, AND someone stateside is wise enough to buy the broadcast rights!
grrrowrr…, now THAT is an ace fucking clip—jeesus I hope it isn’t just stillborn here. Live damn you, LIVE! thank you for bringing this out into the light Warren.
When – not if – this goes to series, it will undoubtedly become my new favourite TV show.
Abso-frelling-lutely!
That was fucking brilliant! I love it when retro becomes the new future – especially when it has been nailed so well. Must – have – moar!
Yes, yes, yes please! What in the world can I do to help make this happen? I’m craving this!
Relevant to my Interest!
DO WANT.
Just say the word and I’ll get to intimidatin’. This can’t bloody die here.
[...] est utile de dire qu’une intense communauté de fans s’est déjà crée autour du film (Warren Ellis fit parti des premiers) et je suis donc assez satisfait de vous le présenter avant que ça tourne [...]
This must come to pass.
Two words. Bad. Ass.
When? WHEN?!?!
Must have.
man that looks awesome! it is indeed my new favorite show.
Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant. This needs to happen.
That looks fantastic!
Looks amazing, hope it happens.
Warren – so grateful for your kind words on slingers – coming from you that is a mighty compliment! Steve Barron
[...] [via Warren Ellis] [...]
Sean Pertwee? SOLD! XD Looks like instant classic material.
Anyways, this looks far more Cowboy Bebop than any live-action Cowboy Bebop movie featuring Keanu Reeves could ever be.
Keep this away from Fox! They ruined Firefly and they’ll ruin this too!
[...] Warren’s triple-slap of blog post, tweet and Bad Signal, the sizzle reel up on Vimeo has had some 36,000 views. I haven’t [...]
[...] Uncle Warren was not kidding when he said that Slingers is our new favorite TV show. Go see why. Do you like our Stuff? You can subscribe to just this portion of the site and get the Stuff You Need to Know by using this newsfeed. Thanks for stopping by. These Posts Are Not Only Similar But Taste Like Candy: Night of the Living Animated Dead [...]
[...] not the first person to say this (Warren Ellis got there first), but it bears repeating: this show needs to get made. I love everything about [...]
[...] here via Warren Ellis, who says it’s Ocean’s Eleven in space. An apt [...]
[...] as interest in the TV project was ignited across the web after award-winning comic book author, Warren Ellis posted a link to our sizzle reel over on director Steve Barron’s [...]
[...] consciousness until graphic novel writer Warren Ellis (Transmetropolitan, Planetary) posted a link on his blog to a site where someone had embedded a raw MPEG of the sizzle reel. Within hours, Sizemore decided [...]