Mar 04

Behind The Panels Issue 18 – Warlord of Mars Fall of Barsoom

Hosted By: David McVay & Richard Gray

David and Richard discuss the latest in news from the world of comics. This week The Guardian names the greatest comic hero ever, the most important new character in Archie history sells out, Marvel goes even more digital than digital and then they let you have your cake and eat it too, but only under limited legally binding circumstances. THEN The Governor comes to life in The Walking Dead, The Avengers Launch a second trailer and our kick-ass pick of the week – Warlord of Mars: Fall of Barsoom by Robert Place Napton & Roberto Castro.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Our next reading assignment: Maus: A Survivor’s Tale by Robert Spiegelman.

Behind the Panels is still in beta, this issue still carries temporary music and cover art and we continue to work out format issues. We hope you will continue to help us craft this show (via email and feedback) into the finest comic book podcast on the market. Make sure you subscribe to Behind the Panels on the link below.

Have you got something to say? We want to hear from you, send email to comics@geekactually.com or drop us a voicemail at 02 8011 3167 (Skype ID: geek actually) and we’ll play it on the show.

If you are an iTunes user, subscribe for free here and please leave us feedback. The next two or three issues will also come out on the Geek Actually and Film Actually feeds to get things started.

Make sure you check out our other fine podcasts Film Actually and Film Actually News for the latest in cinema reviews and news. Continue reading

Mar 01

Marvel’s The Avengers (Trailer 2)

Whoa! Holy crap what did I just watch??!??! Yesterday the new poster and now this, quite possibly, the most awesome trailer yet for the Marvel Studios super team up film “Marvel’s The Avengers”. This is a must see trailer if you are at all on the fence about this film. There is little I can say except I think I just exploded in a massive geekgasm!

Marvel Studios presents in association with Paramount Pictures “Marvel’s The Avengers” – the Super Hero team up of a lifetime, featuring iconic Marvel super heroes Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins. Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Samuel L. Jackson, and directed by Joss Whedon, “Marvel’s The Avengers” is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series “The Avengers,” first published in 1963 and a comics institution ever since. Prepare yourself for an exciting event movie, packed with action and spectacular special effects, when “Marvel’s The Avengers” assemble in summer 2012. Source: iTunes Trailers

“Marvel’s The Avengers” opens in 3D across Australia April 25th and in the US on May 5th.

If you want to see this trailer in all of its HD glory, head over and watch it at Apple

Feb 29

Prometheus Viral Video – Peter Weyland at TED 2023

Okay, this is awesome! Our friends over at Fox Australia just alerted me to this video and it is well worth having a look at. The video is a viral piece of marketing for Ridley Scott’s upcoming “Prometheus” that shows Peter Weyland giving a TED talk in 2023 which basically starts the ball rolling for the Weyland Corporation (you remember them from the Alien movies right?).

Here we have Guy Pearce as Peter Weyland giving a wonderful speech about the state and future of technology. I don’t know if this video is actually in the film or if it was shot just for the viral campaign, but I don’t care it is cool.

“Prometheus” will be released in 3D on the 8th of June.

I grabbed this video from YouTube for better embedding, the original can be found here at the TED site, how cool is that!

Feb 29

POSTER: The Avengers

The countdown is on for a brand new trailer for “The Avengers” tomorrow, but for the moment we will have to make due with a new theatrical poster. It’s interesting, I have seen so much in the way of concept art, fan art, character banners etc. that I forget that we have only seen one official theatrical poster for the new superhero film and that was the teaser poster with the “A” logo.

As a fan of movie posters, I’m glad to report that Marvel Studios have now unveiled a brand new theatrical poster that shows off Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. My only small gripe would be that I wish they didn’t have to sell movie stars… I would like to have seen Iron Man with his helmet on and Captain America with his cowl. Oh and one last thing, can we put a winged helmet on Thor already! Continue reading

Feb 28

GAME REVIEW: The Darkness 2 (Xbox360/PS3/PC)

Do you have that personal favourite game? You know the one. It’s that game that not too many other people you know have played but it feels like it’s perfect. Like the developers made it specifically for you. Where the story pulls the right strings, the controls feel natural and the stars are aligned and it hits every note that you didn’t even know you liked. But try to describe why it’s so great to someone else and they look at you like you’re speaking in an alien language. For myself, The Darkness still stands as my favourite “next gen” title. So when I heard a sequel was coming, I didn’t exactly think happy thoughts.

My main concern was that the first game was so well wrapped up. When the ending came, you felt the sweet satisfying kiss that only an extremely violent revenge fulfilled can pucker. So whatever story they were going to spew up for The Darkness 2 was obviously going to feel sticky taped and blu-tacked to the end of the original. I’m going to go through a comparison from the first Darkness to this new one so for those of you who haven’t played the first, and don’t worry, I forgive you, can skip a few paragraphs to the “new comers” section. See you guys in a minute. Continue reading

Feb 28

TRAILER: The 25th Reich

Well it looks like 2012 is shaping up to be the year of the space Nazi. First there was “Iron Sky” coming out of Finland and now Australian filmmaker Stephen Amis has launched the first trailer for “The 25th Reich”, a new special effects heavy genre mash-up based on the novella, “50,000 Years Until Tomorrow” by J. J. Solomon.

According to their official YouTube post, “With an international cast, state of the art digital effects, and classic vintage styling, The 25th Reich is a rollicking, WWII sci-fi adventure – full of time-travel, duplicitous Nazi robots, faulty spaceships and giant mega-fauna…”, can I just state that if these are sate of the art effects, the industry is in trouble. I am hoping that this is early stuff and they will polish those effects a little more before release. At the moment it looks a little like a movie I would watch on the Syfy channel produced by The Asylum (“Almighty Thor”, “Mega-Shark vs Giant Octopus”).

Overall the trailer left me cold and it really does not have the same sense of style, quality or fun as “Iron Sky”. Roll on 2012 and let’s see who wins the goose step wars.

Find out more about this project at the25threich.com