PENCILHEADS

PENCILHEADS Episode 5: "Crossing The Streams"

pencilheadsmail@gmail.com (Annie / Chris / Mooch) — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 14:30:00 +0000

Hey all,

In this long overdue installment of our podcast, Mike, Annie and I revel in the wholesome 1980's nostalgia that is Ghostbusters... Luckily for us this trip down memory lane can now be assisted with a little help from the playstation 3 and (the aptly titled) Ghostbusters the Videogame!

In this episode we also discus Sucker Punch's electricity charged, open-world action game Infamous, JJ. Abrams', Roberto Orci's, and Alex Kurtzman's sci-fi masterwork Fringe, and Pixar's Academy award-winning CGI feature film Up!

GHOSTBUSTERS | game discussion

INFAMOUS | game discussion

FRINGE | television discussion

UP | film discussion

Music Credits: The Strokes "1251" / Room On Fire (2003)

PENCILHEADS Episode 8: "Secret Origins"

pencilheadsmail@gmail.com (Annie / Chris / Mooch) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:17:00 +0000

Pencilheads Episode VIII

Hey all,

In our latest episode, Mike and I drive a souped-up delorean back into the 1990's to explore our humble beginnings- how we met, the industries we've worked in, and our most favoritest projects! Definitely worth a listen if you ever wondered what we do on the day to day when we're not here podcasting.

HEAVY RAIN | game discussion

We also discuss the phenomenal PS3 exclusive Heavy Rain. We talk about all things Origami Killer, drug addicted FBI agents, insomniac photo journalists, and incompetent fathers/husbands... Ehem... That's you, Ethan Mars. Mike and I also manage to dive into the graphics, music, and gameplay!

ALIEN | design discussion

Mike and I take a hard look at everyone's favorite xenomorph and all of it's intriguing, unsettling, and, frankly, brilliant design elements. We also manage to delve into some face-hugger and space jockey discussion, with a dash of Giger thrown in.

DUNE | design discussion

We go into detail regarding our love for all the wonderful designs this film has given us. The Baron Harkonnen, Fremen stillsuits, the ship designs, prop design... Even that creepy, mutated navigator dude and his translators.

PENCILHEADS Episode 7: "We're Back"!!

pencilheadsmail@gmail.com (Annie / Chris / Mooch) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 04:36:00 +0000

Pencilheads Episode VII

Whoa. What time is it? Don’t tell me we overslept by 10 months?!!? DAMMIT!!!

Well all four of you out there who have been waiting patiently for our return can breathe a sigh of relief because Christmas has come early for you! We’re back! With arms laden with audible gifts! Huzzah! In all seriousness, we’re going to be recording episodes on the regular now, so you can remain confident that you can visit Pencilheads and not have your heart broken repeatedly because you can’t hear the sultry vocal styling's of Annie, Chris and Mooch.

Episode Seven (Five and Six are coming, we promise!) picks up right where we left off with Chris and I discussing “Mass Effect 2”, “Dexter” and “Inglorious Basterds”. Annie was under the weather during the time of this taping, so please, don’t call the police on us. Yet.

Enjoy all! We’re back and it feels SO good!

Cheers!
-Mooch-

Music heard during this Podcast is “Black Panther” and is © Crystal Castles.

PENCILHEADS Episode 4: "Keep on Trekkin"!

pencilheadsmail@gmail.com (Annie / Chris / Mooch) — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 01:15:00 +0000

Pencilheads Episode IV

Loyal listeners! Can you believe it? Episode IV already! Shazam!

Originally we had planned to discuss a whole mess o' things, but our excitement for J. J. Abram's new re-boot of "Star Trek" stunned us faster than a Red Shirt with an itchy trigger finger, and we got carried away discussing. Hopefully you've all seen the film by now (and judging from it's box office take, you very well may have) so not much should come as a surprise to you as you listen (well, maybe the part where we talk about Kahn's plunging neckline). Personally, we were all thrilled with the film, plot holes aside, and hungrily anticipate the inevitable sequels that are undoubtedly being planned. If J.J. Abrams can tear himself away from swimming inside his Scrooge McDuck loot vault, that is...

So what are you waiting for? Beam up! Boldly go! Set phasers to stun! Listen to the Podcast already!! And in the immortal words of a pointy eared, green-blooded hobgoblin, "Live Long and Prosper!" (I'm doing the Vulcan salute as I write this. I swear.)

Cheers All,
Mooch

**Music heard within this podcast is "Y Control" and is © "The Yeah Yeah Yeahs".**

PENCILHEADS Episode 3: "What's Happening?"

pencilheadsmail@gmail.com (Annie / Chris / Mooch) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 07:20:00 +0000

Pencilheads Episode III

THE HAPPENING

Directed by M Night Shyamalon. Starring Mark Wahlberg, and Zooey Deschanel.

"A strange, horrible and unprecedented crisis begins in Central Park. A high school science teacher, his wife and a young girl do what they can to survive it." -Imdb

What do we here at the Pencilheadquarters say? A lot, since the movie is so unbelievably bad. So bad it's good.

SHADOW OF THE COLOSSUS

Released in 2005 for the Playstation2.

"Shadow of the Colossus is a majestic journey through ancient lands to seek out and destroy gigantic mythical beasts."

We discuss one of the greatest games ever made.

WATCHMEN MOVIE

Lastly, we tackle Watchmen directed by Zack Snyder: starring Billy Crudup, Malin Akerman, Matthew Goode, Jackie Earle Haley, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Patrick Wilson.

"When an ex-superhero is murdered, a vigilante named Rorschach begins an investigation into the murder, which begins to lead to a much more terrifying conclusion." -Imdb

Watchmen is, in fact, an adaptation of a 1986 graphic novel of the same name- written by Alan Moore and drawn by Dave Gibbons. We chat about the film's direction, VFX work, set design, and acting.

Best,
Chris

Music Credits: Depreciation Guild "Butterfly Kisses" / In Her Gentle Jaws (2007)

PENCILHEADS Episode 2: "Let The Right One In"

pencilheadsmail@gmail.com (Annie / Chris / Mooch) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:40:00 +0000

Pencilheads Episode II

Hej Guys,
That's "Hi" in Swedish!

This post is meant as a companion piece to our second podcast, in which we talk about Let the Right One In. The story takes place in 1982 Stockholm, where a lonely 12 year old boy, Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant) finds himself drawn to Eli (Lina Leandersson), a strange dark-haired girl. They soon develop a deep friendship but Oskar realizes that Eli is not an ordinary 12 year old girl, but a vampire of questionable age. That doesn't deter him and their bond grows stronger. Directed by Tomas Alfredson, Let the Right One In is the most original vampire film I've ever seen in a long time. It's a strangely beautiful coming of age horror film that people should watch. So check it out and let me know what you think! And check out some of the cool images Chris and Mooch dug up for this post~

Let The Right One in plush dolls! Heh-he.

Later,
~annie

Music Credits: MGMT "Kids" Oracular Spectacular (2007)

PENCILHEADS Episode 1: "BSG Series Finale"

pencilheadsmail@gmail.com (Annie / Chris / Mooch) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:32:00 +0000

Pencilheads Episode I

Hello Internets!

We're pleased to finally give you our first official "Pencilheads" Podcast! We hope you enjoy this very special "Battlestar Galactica" series finale discussion. All three of us (Annie, Chris & Mooch) are massive fans of the show, so it felt fitting that we dedicated our first podcast to the series, and give it a final farewell. Into the sun with you, Battlestar!

**Please be aware that this is a very SPOILER HEAVY discussion!**

All sounds clips © Ron Moore, Battlestar Galactica and the SyFy Network.

All music © Bear McCreary, and are listed below in the order they were used in the Podcast:

Battlestar Galactica: Season 1 Soundtrack: "Prologue" © Bear McCreary
Battlestar Galactica" Season 2 Soundtrack: "Allergo" © Bear McCreary
Battlestar Galactica" Season 2 Soundtrack: "Prelude To War" © Bear McCreary
Battlestar Galactica" Season 3 Soundtrack: "Heeding the Call" © Bear McCreary

Enjoy, and please join us for the next show, where we'll discuss our thoughts on the "Watchmen" film!

Cheers,
Mooch

Noby Noby Boy for the iphone!

pencilheadsmail@gmail.com (Annie / Chris / Mooch) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 02:12:00 +0000

via

Energized John Travolta drinks Tokyo Energizer

pencilheadsmail@gmail.com (Annie / Chris / Mooch) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 02:01:00 +0000

MANLLOW: half man half pillow

pencilheadsmail@gmail.com (Annie / Chris / Mooch) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 01:46:00 +0000

Is it just a cute phase or are we nurturing something creepy...

See for yourself

Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland

pencilheadsmail@gmail.com (Annie / Chris / Mooch) — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 18:41:00 +0000

Anyone who actually read the Lewis Carroll book knows that "Alice in Wonderland" has a lot more teeth than the 1951 animated Disney film (which, incidentally, British film and literary critics completely shredded). Lewis Carroll's Alice was bratty, slightly arrogant, self-serving, bad tempered, and had a habit of eating first, asking about possible side effects later - the type of daughter I hope to have someday. In his re-imagining of the classic story, a 17-year old Alice runs away from her snooty society peers at a fancy party only to end up following a familiar white rabbit straight down a long, dark, mysterious and magical tunnel. Let the drug and sexual innuendos begin! You know straight off the bat a girl who prefers talking to rabbits and drinking and eating strange substances so she can shrink or grow at will over hanging out with lads in silk waistcoats and powdered wigs isn't going to be all sweetness and fluff. No, this is the type of girl I'd bring home to mother.

From the looks of the official trailer, Burton has managed to capture much of the book's lush, magical, grotesque, almost gothic mood. Making the heroine an adult rather than a child gives Burton a great deal more creative license, and the result, I hope, will be magically macabre: A moat full of floating heads, character designs and costumes that look like something out of a wonderful nightmare. Then again, this past year brought us Neil Gaiman's "Coraline," which is hardly saccharine, so perhaps this is a sign that movie makers are going to stop treating children like they have eggshell-fragile psyches.

I've got more than 6 months to go until the movie is release, so in the meantime, I'm going to try and convince the other Pencilheads to do a bit of research with me and read the original book and watch the most well-known version of A.I.W: the 1976 X-rated version which was also a musical!

Huzzah, music AND sex! At the same time..?

Official website, featuring trailer and concept art: http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/aliceinwonderland/

You know I love nothing more than knowing there are people as...normal and sane as I am, so send us comments/links/thoughts. Oh who am I kidding. I NEED LOVE. SEND IT. STAT.

Stop Reading And Go!

pencilheadsmail@gmail.com (Annie / Chris / Mooch) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 15:44:00 +0000

http://ronaldchevalier.com/

Now! I mean it! GO!!

Cheers!
-Mooch-

More Insane Gold From Jared Hess.

pencilheadsmail@gmail.com (Annie / Chris / Mooch) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 15:00:00 +0000

Seriously. Check out the trailer to his new film “Gentlemen Broncos” and tell me this doesn’t look like uber-quirk coolness. Jared Hess directed both “Napoleon Dynamite” and “Nacho Libre” and whether you’re a fan of his films or not, you’ve got to admit, that he’s got a bizarre style all his own. Check out some of the stills from the film below, as well as the link to the trailer. Sam Rockwell alone is enough to get my ass in the seat when it hits theatres!!

Check out the films description here:

Benjamin (Michael Angarano), home-schooled by his eccentric mother (Jennifer Coolidge), is a loveable loner whose passion for writing leads him on an offbeat and hilarious journey as his story first gets ripped off by the legendary fantasy novelist, Ronald Chevalier (Jemaine Clement) and then is adapted into a disastrous movie by the small town’s most prolific homespun filmmaker.

And the link to the trailer here:

http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox_searchlight/gentlemenbroncos/

And for you’re viewing pleasure, a slew of stills from the trailer.

Cheers!
-Moochanous-

You've got He-man in my World of Warcraft!

pencilheadsmail@gmail.com (Annie / Chris / Mooch) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 11:18:00 +0000

Had to share this little gem. Seems the artists over at Blizzard have craftily added He-Man and Skeletor into their WOW card sets. As any self respecting fan of the classic cartoon will tell you (or, they may be too embarrassed to) the character names seen on these cards are the actual names of both He-man and Skull face. Hope no one over at Mattel is a WOW fan! Can you say "possible lawsuit"?

Cheers!
-Mooch-

ガンダム!

pencilheadsmail@gmail.com (Annie / Chris / Mooch) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 17:36:00 +0000

So it seems that a giant size Gundam has taken over Japan:

Check out these links for more photos and info!

Gundam 30th Anniversary Site
Green Tokyo

p.s. Does anyone know how to read Japanese?

later!
~annie

photos via AppuruPai

BOOK REDESIGNS THAT MAKE ME WANT TO BUY MORE BOOKS [part 2]

pencilheadsmail@gmail.com (Annie / Chris / Mooch) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 13:26:00 +0000

Video Game Classics Series

Technically these aren't book redesigns. However, these video game covers (re-concepted in a style evocative of Germano Facetti’s Penguin Classic’s) are so clever and expertly designed that I couldn't resist posting on them.

The images above were designed by Olly Moss and have been making the rounds for some time now- they even started an internet meme. Click on the covers above to see the set in better detail. You can also find four more cover redesigns here.

Best,
Chris

Rec 2- Looks Frightening And Sounds Beautiful

pencilheadsmail@gmail.com (Annie / Chris / Mooch) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:30:00 +0000

From time to time I find myself in the mood for a good Zombie flick. I don't know much about Rec 2 (or Rec 1 for that matter), but it looks pretty-much like a zombie flick to me. This one's on my radar!

Best,
Chris

Patrick Stewart Alphabet

pencilheadsmail@gmail.com (Annie / Chris / Mooch) — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 23:00:00 +0000

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Best,
Chris

New Castlevania Trailer Has Giant Monsters, Werewolf Riding, Patrick Stewart

pencilheadsmail@gmail.com (Annie / Chris / Mooch) — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 19:00:00 +0000

Seriously, it has Patrick Stewart. What more could you want? Oh yeah, Hideo Kojima (Metal Gear) is involved somehow too.

Best,
Chris

Friday Night Links!!!!

pencilheadsmail@gmail.com (Annie / Chris / Mooch) — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 23:00:00 +0000

Once again, here are some links:

David Carradine's Death Not A Suicide, Kind Of Creepy

J.D. Salinger Still Alive, Suing Over "Catcher" Rip-Off

Duncan Jones Says Moon Is Our Real-Life Future

Best,
Chris

Stache Attack!

pencilheadsmail@gmail.com (Annie / Chris / Mooch) — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 03:48:00 +0000

Finally! Different mustaches for Mario! Have fun with this kiddies!

Later,
~annie

Art by: mike stefanini

Bladerunner Concept Art

pencilheadsmail@gmail.com (Annie / Chris / Mooch) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 13:30:00 +0000

I don't have many favorite movies, but, of the few I consider my favorites, Ridley Scott's Bladerunner sits comfortably at the top.

Above is a small selection of concept art from the film. I believe these were created by the insanely talented "visual futurist" Syd Mead.

Best,
Chris

Trico / The Last Guardian

pencilheadsmail@gmail.com (Annie / Chris / Mooch) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 13:30:00 +0000

Oh, what a difference a year's worth of development makes! Textures & lighting, not to mention the architecture have all been vastly improved. We also, get our first peek at what appears to be some of the game's enemies.

This is the leaked year-old footage. Compare the Project Trico trailer with the footage above it- the devil is in the details.

I don't know much about this little gem yet (nobody does), but, the leaked footage above apparently comes from Team Ico's long awaited follow-up to Shadow of the Colossus... Looks like we're in for one hell of an adventure!

I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for an official trailer- hopefully dropping sometime later this week.

UPDATE
The official trailer hit E3 yesterday, along with the game's official title: The Last Guardian.

The director discusses creature design & gameplay- June 3

Best,
Chris

Perk Pioneers

pencilheadsmail@gmail.com (Annie / Chris / Mooch) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 13:00:00 +0000

I don't really know anything about these little guys; I stumbled across them over the weekend and I thought they were pretty well designed, interesting... Maybe a tad creepy too, but that's ok. Just thought I'd share.

Best,
Chris

Say What?? We're on ITUNES!!

pencilheadsmail@gmail.com (Annie / Chris / Mooch) — Fri, 29 May 2009 19:01:00 +0000

Hey Everyone!

So, after much decoding of the Dead Sea Scrolls (also known as RSS Feeds), we've submitted to, and have been approved by, ITUNES! Huzzah! And there was much rejoicing and drinking of spirits!

So what are you waiting for, you fine, furious listeners out there? Click on the image above this post to be beamed on over! Or you can search for us by hitting up the podcast section on the itunes store, by typing in "pencilheads". All that's left to do is subscribe and enjoy!

We're extremely proud of the episodes we've created thus far, and we hope you've been enjoying the audible gold too. Do us a favor and share your thoughts via the review system offered on iTunes. Anything you'd like to share, crits, positive comments, a recipe for your Gramma's Goulash, please do 'cause we're open to every delicious word!

Cheers all, and thanks for listening!

-The Pencilheads-