WIN A DOUBLE PASS TO OZ COMIC-CON MELBOURNE

Posted on June 19, 2012 by Elizabeth Flux

The Melbourne Oz Comic-Con is on in two weeks, which, if it is anything like the Adelaide event, means that’s just enough time to start sorting out your costume, check over the timetable of events, and brush up on your geek trivia, because there is a high chance you will be tested.

Consisting of stalls, panels and special events, the event is essentially all about pop culture, ranging from film and television (with a focus on sci-fi) anime, comic books, gaming and more. It is also just a great opportunity to completely nerd out in good company. Possibly while wearing an Amy Pond costume. 

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PROMETHEUS: DISSECTION OF A SANDWICH

Posted on June 18, 2012 by Elizabeth Flux

A potentially dark, intelligent film gives way to poor characterisation and ham. Adam Brereton discusses Prometheus, AI and the current sci-fi love in. Warning: may contain spoilers.

Ridley Scott has never been the kind of director to shy away from ambitious projects. In his groundbreaking adaptation of Blade Runner, which did justice to Philip K. Dick’s novel by refusing to adapt it directly, Scott left the question of whether Deckard is a replicant ambiguous – and in doing so invoked the inherent moral ambiguity of inquisitors throughout history. In Gladiator he revived the sword and sandal genre that had been neglected since Ben Hur. He let Anthony Hopkins off the leash in Hannibal, and his unfilmed version of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi classic Dune remains one of film’s great apocrypha. Sure, he’s screwed up a bit along the way (A Good Year, Thelma and Louise) but when he’s good, he’s good.

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DUNGEON CRAWL – BACK TO THE DUNGEON!

Posted on June 8, 2012 by Elizabeth Flux

Image Credit: Robert Young

This week we attended Dungeon Crawl, a Dungeons and Dragons-themed improvised comedy performance  held at Bella Union on the first Wednesday of every month. 

Elizabeth: If it’s 9pm and you haven’t seen a troll being shamed into submission by a Cleric channelling the divinity of Nigella Lawson, then you’re spending your Wednesday night wrong.

Adam: If, however, you are sitting at home fantasising about such things then you are at least taking a step in the right direction.

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Q & A WITH MATT MELVIN FROM CYANIDE AND HAPPINESS

Posted on June 6, 2012 by Elizabeth Flux

We ask Matt Melvin, one of the four authors at Explosm, about Cyanide and Happiness, controversy, and survival in a dystopian society.

How did the comic start?
We used to draw stick figures on napkins in order to pick up girls. It never worked. We picked up each other instead.

Do the four of you work collaboratively, or is each comic an individual effort?
We collaborate here and there on them, but the comics are most often individual efforts. The animated shorts, however, are big collaborative projects, often bringing in people from outside our little, core group.

What’s the weirdest rumour you’ve heard about your comics?
That every comic is based on our real lives. That rumor is actually true.

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DARK SHADOWS (OR EVERY BURTON FILM EVER) [REVIEW]

Posted on May 31, 2012 by Elizabeth Flux

Tim Burton always brings the same cake to the party. Sure, they’re delicious, and yes, they are beautifully presented but if you scrape off the icing and ignore the different plates they’re presented on, underneath it all is just flour, gothic makeup and Johnny Depp.

Dark Shadows is Burton’s latest film, and is based upon the 1960s television series of the same name. Depp plays Barnabas Collins, a man cursed by Angelique, a house maid and secret witch (Eva Green) when he spurns her love but not her lust. She kills his parents and sends his fiancé Josette (Bella Heathcote) off a cliff; immediately sending Barnabus into both a metaphorical and literal downward spiral. Still furious, the witch doesn’t allow him to die and instead inflicts upon him the worst punishment imaginable: turning him into a vampire. When after all this he still doesn’t love her, she has him buried alive.

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