Evolution Of... by Jeff Victor

Jeff Victor is a terrific artists who obviously loves movies. He is trying to figure out a way to portray some of his favorite film characters in an interesting and original light, so he decided to go with a timeline format for some of our favorite actors & actresses. This allows him to draw someone like Tom Hanks in a plethora of characters that he has portrayed over the years. I think this is a cool idea, and shows us just how much a characters roles have varied over the years. You can see a ton of his timeline pieces and other fantastic art that he has to offer by clicking over to his page, or you can continue after the jump and see my faves in his 'Evolution Of...' series...

A CCD Rant - Cloud Atlas: What Did Mike D Think?

Last night Jeff Bond and I decided that we needed to make a trip to the local cinema and catch Cloud Atlas on the big screen before it leaves theaters. The film has been in theaters since October 26th and is much debated on the merit of its three hour runtime. This is a full on fucking movie, one that does not take any shorts from what the filmmakers (the Wachowski Brothers & Tom Tykwer) wanted to get up on the screen. It is adapted from a very famous British book of the same name by David Mitchell and has been pretty much a nightmare to get an actual release. It features a star studded cast with the likes of Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Hugh Grant, Jim Broadbent, Susan Sarandon, Keith David, Hugo Weaving and Jim Sturgess... all who appear in various roles throughout the films six segments. The film has been praised by some critics like Roger Ebert as visionary and extremely fun, and panned by reputable publications like Time Magazine as one of the worst movies of the year. It can't possibly be both, right? So here is my little rant on what I think of Cloud Atlas. Here is a bit of a hint: I tend to think Ebert is right in this one...

Click after the jump for more...

'Cloud Atlas': Now That Is A Movie Trailer!!!

Wow... wow! There has rarely been a time when i watched a movie trailer and was completely blown away and immediately drawn to a film in the way I am to Cloud Atlas, the new film from producer The Wachowski  Brothers & Tom Twyker. I have been hearing about this epic undertaking of a story for quite a few years, and I have been a bit intrigued. But after seeing the 1st trailer, I am all in. Why you ask? Well, it could be the cast. Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Hugh Grant, Susan Saradon... yeah, that is a pretty good start. Tom Twyker (director of the fantastic Run Lola, Run) and the Watchowski Brothers (creators & directors of The Matrix) are a great start as well. But that is not it... it is the 6 MINUTE FUCKING TRAILER!!!!! HOLY SHIT!!!! I have never, ever, ever seen a 6 minute trailer. A 3 minute trailer is usually referred to as extended.... what is a 6 minute trailer? It is epic!!!! Now I don't know exactly if this complex, time jumping storyline is going to end up awesome or end up being crapped on... but I know that this trailer has at least got my interest  up. I have often heard that the original book would be one of the hardest books to convert to film, but that didn't stop Twyker and the W brothers from giving it a college try. Check out the trailer (mini movie is more like it), poster, and a cool storyline breakdown (there are 6 storylines apparently, intertwining!) from /Film after the jump....

How Have I Never Seen This Before???

Holy fucking hell... how have I never seen this??? As a purveyor of the Internet and someone always seeking out weird and wacky stuff, I do not know how I never saw this rap video from Dan Aykroyd & Tom Hanks entitled "City of Crime" from the Dragnet soundtrack. I fucking love Dragnet... it is such a campy classic that I revisit it often. But I had no idea that this video existed... Jesus!!!It was brought to my attention when I read an article on Yahoo Music by Rob O'Connor (click here to see it) highlighting the 25 worst rap performances ever. How the fuck did they get TOM HANKS & DAN AYKROYD to dance around like buffoons and recite these ridiculous lyrics with straight faces??? I know this was long before Hanks was Mr. Oscar perennial front runner, but he was still a pretty big name in Hollywood. This could have derailed his career FOREVER if the Internet was around back in the late 80s/early90s... This is by far the best 3 minutes I have spent in a long time!!! Click after the jump for some Pagan bashing fun...

How Do You Eat These? by Ben Chen

This is a really cool mashup of the Tom Hank's classic Castaway character and the sea life from the Super Mario Brothers franchise by artist Ben Chen. He got him some grub, but how do you cook 8 bit sea life? Anyone? Anyone? Wilson... you got any ideas? Click after the jump to see the full sized pic...

SNL Throwback of the Week #20 6/19/10

I am a huge Saturday Night Live fan. One of my earliest memories was of my parents watching SNL every Saturday while we were tucked in our bedrooms, and sometimes being allowed to watch for a bit. The show has gone through its ups and downs over its 35 year run, but the fact that it is still on the air after 35 years is a testament to the staying power of the show. Lorne Michaels is a genius at finding and developing young, comedic talent. SNL has produced a bevy of stars over the years, from Eddie Murphy to Tina Fey. The show is doing well again thanks to Ms. Fey and the rest of the team, but I love watching clips from the old shows. Every Saturday I will give you guys one of my favorites. This weeks clip features Will Ferrell hanging at the bar with his buddies Bill Hader, Kenan Thompson, and Darrell Hammond. He abruptly gets up from the reminiscing group and begins a rendition of "Goodnight Saigon" by Billy Joel solo. But thats not the best part. His is joined by many guest stars in a super band, from Tom Hanks and Anne Hathaway to SNL vets Amy Poehler and Tina Fey. This video is phenomenal. I love it. Great way to end season 34... Ok, Live from my living room, It's Saturday Night!!!!


Will Ferrell sings Goodnight Saigon on SNL from Lee Jackson on Vimeo.