Page 3715 – Capsule Computers

Richard Kiel & George Lazenby Panel at Supanova 2014

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June 17, 2014

Richard Kiel & George Lazenby Panel at Supanova 2014

Iconic seems to be a word I personally am throwing around a lot in writing these panel reports, but it is apt, especially in this case. Richard Kiel‘s Jaws is one of, if not, the most iconic villains in 007 history, and George Lazenby is iconic in his own right for being the sole Australian James Bond and starring in what has been considered the most controversial and divisive entry in the franchise’s long history – On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Bring these two men together, and you’ve got a truly momentous occasion.

The Q&A Session at Supanova Sydney 2014 was slightly awkward due to the absence of any ramps, forcing the wheelchair bound Kiel to sit in front of the stage while Lazenby sat comfortably on the stage’s red couch behind him. It’s sad to see Kiel’s current physical state, but his mind is as sharp as ever. Our host asked Lazenby if he’d like to come down and sit on the edge of the stage next to Kiel, to which he joked “I don’t jump that far! I used to do my own stunts…” To start, the duo were asked how their appearances in the series impacted their career and lives. Kiel appreciated the opportunities that were opened up for him to travel to, and make films in, countries like Taiwan, Hong Kong and Yugoslavia. Lazenby gave a long answer, expanding on just what happened with his agent and the advice he got to ditch the role for a sequel;

I remember seeing Dr. No in Monaco in 1962, and I think I had 80% chance with this girl going in, and 20% coming out! I thought “huh, I’d like to be that guy!” When it came up, I had never met an actor before. So it was a surprise coming out of Bond; I was talked out of doing another one – “that’s Sean Connery’s gig”. Easy Rider was the big movie at the time, so I listened to Ronan O’Reilly’ he said “you know, there’s a guy named Clint Eastwood, he just made a spaghetti western in Italy and didn’t even have to speak and made 500 grand. You can do those kinds of things.” They offered me a million bucks to do another Bond film. So I said “what about that?” and he said “you can make that in two movies in Italy.” So I listened to him and found out that I couldn’t work anywhere else because they thought I was still under contract with the Bond people!

Lazenby continued, detailing his meeting with Bruce Lee;

So, I went sailing for about two years. And came back and went to see Bruce Lee, because he was kinda anti-establishment. He gave me some money – I was totally broke – to come and do a movie with him. There was about eight of us at the table, and there was a typhoon going on – the biggest one ever in Hong Kong – and we were watching corrugated iron flying around from inside this restaurant, meanwhile he said “if I had to fight you, how long would it take for me to beat you?” I didn’t know how to answer! He said “I’d take a second to beat Raymond [producer Raymond Chow]. I’d take a minute to beat my wife, she’s a blackbelt.” And he went on around the table. “So how long would it take me?” he said. So I replied “well, I guess as long as it took to catch me.” He said “I like that answer. Give George $10,000, we’re gonna do a movie together” and Raymond said “what movie?!” – “We’ll work it out.” So he took me to the bank, cashed the cheque and I was on the road again.

On why Lazenby got the role of James Bond in the first place, he said; “Well it was already established by that other guy. The other fella, Sean Connery. It was a tough act to follow, but I had nothing else to follow anyway. So they changed my accent, changed my walk…they tested 300 guys on film – it was the biggest film test in history – but why did I get it? It’s like winning the lottery, I don’t know.” Next, Kiel – who was known for playing similarly physical and intimidating roles – spoke about the original concept of Jaws and why he became so successful;

It was a surprise that the character became so popular. I remember when Cubby [Albert R. “Cubby” Broccoli], the producer, was telling me about Jaws, it was a little bit of a put-off. He said “he’ll have teeth, maybe like tools, or like pliers…or maybe like a shark! But they’ll be made out of steel and he kills people with his teeth.” And I went “oh my God, that’s a monster part.” And I was trying to break away from that. So I took a little chance and said “well, Mr. Broccoli, whoever you cast in this role, I think you really need an actor. I think somebody who kills people with his teeth can become over-the-top very quickly. And if I were to play that role, I’d want to give him some human characteristics like perseverance, frustration, vulnerability and make him a little more rounded, fun character” and he said “I like that. What are you doing for dinner tonight?” […] And that’s how I got the role.

George-Lazenby-Hong-Kong-01 — **George Lazenby in The Man From Hong Kong**

A young fan asked Kiel what it was like wearing the prosthetic teeth as Jaws, to which he replied that it was mostly nauseating because of its chromium steel taste, with the plate pushing up into the roof of his mouth. “People ask, “did it affect your acting?” and it did, it made me very stoic. I was trying not to throw up!” When asked how his time on TV series Legit was, Lazenby said he almost already forgot that he did it, being only in two episodes. He stated; “I’ve been through 20 years of acting classes, and now that I can act, nobody wants me!” For those who wonder if Lazenby ever had another shot at reprising his role as Bond, he apparently did;

I was called back in again to talk to the producers after Connery left again, and I looked like a hippie with long hair after sailing for those two years. And the director said “take a look at him, he can’t play James Bond!”. So they didn’t make an offer. And I might’ve done it, because I was having trouble finding a job and making money. I actually went home to live with my mother, with this girl I had on the boat, who told me she couldn’t get pregnant; we had a little kid and she was already pregnant again! That’s when the Benson & Hedges cigarette thing came along. I was fortunate I was skiing down Mt. Kosciusko with a guy who took me up there, paid for my skis and everything…and I ran over to who I thought was this little girl, but it was a really short woman who was the wife of the guy that produced the Big Fry commercials I did in London. I went down to see him at the bar and he gave me a cheque for $500 not to do any promotions until I talked to the Benson & Hedges people. So I ended up sitting there, having lunch with them and I didn’t smoke at the time – I had given it up – and they were offering me cigarettes; I was getting dizzy! [Laughs]. I was expecting to get $5,000 and they said “now, don’t say no – we’re only doing this ad for Australia – but our offer is $50,000.” I almost fell off my chair! That’s how I got back on my feet again and went back to America to see if I could hit the big time.

Speaking on the recent films, Kiel intimated that Skyfall is his personal favourite, and that he almost felt sorry for the villain (played by Javier Bardem). The two actors then connected on a commemorative watch that they were both sent to celebrate their part in the James Bond franchise after its recent 50th anniversary. Lazenby quipped; “well I’m trying to sell mine!” Relating back to commercials, Kiel stated how he actually made 5 times as much money doing a single PepsiCo commercial than he did doing The Spy Who Loved Me.

Jumping off of Kiel’s statement about making more money from ads, Lazenby called the studio heads behind Bond “cheap bastards”, to which the two shared their own experiences in pay negotiations on their respective James Bond appearances;

Well, you know the first film, I think Cubby felt like to be in a Bond film was a career maker, so you should do it very reasonably.And then when they had me come back to do the second one, my agent actually hung up on him because he felt the offer was really kind of ridiculous. And Cubby called back and said “you hung up on me! Why are you being so difficult?” and my agent said “Well, Mr. Broccoli, if I were representing you in a negotiation where I felt you deserved a whole lot more, I’d do the same thing for you.” So finally Cubby came around. But at that point in time, that was one of the things that Sean Connery had a problem with; he wanted to be paid a million dollars. And they didn’t want to pay him a million dollars! But when he did come back to do the one after George’s, they paid him a million pounds! [Lazenby interjects to say it was two million pounds]. But Sean didn’t receive the money; it was given to the Boys & Girls’ Club. It was really wild. – Kiel
Yeah, they were tough. I remember I was getting $100 a week, per diem, which was good money in those days. And I was in their accounting office, Harry Saltzman [another producer] was in there too. Either it was $100 a week or a day, I forget, but I asked “how much is the other fellow getting?”…I always called him that, which is where the line came from. And the accountant looked at Harry and said “tell him!”. And he said “he’s getting $1,000”. So I gave Harry a dirty look and he said “okay, give him $1,000”. – Lazenby
Well I remember I was getting $500 a week for The Spy Who Loved Me, and they were putting me up in an apartment near the American Embassy, and then when we went over to Sardinia, it was ridiculously expensive. And I said “guys, I don’t want to invest in this movie, I just want to work in it! You’re going to have to do something about this per diem if you want me to stay here in this hotel…I can’t afford it!” So they doubled my per diem. I asked the director how much his room was, and it was one third the price of mine, because I had my wife and a baby boy and they were charging us per person, including the baby! So I asked for three rooms instead, and they said “what are you going to do with three rooms?!” and I said “it’s cheaper!”. […] I got the hotel to cut the bill in half, so we ended up doing okay. – Kiel

George-Lazenby-01 — **George Lazenby today**

A young lady questioned what Roger Moore was like, being her favorite Bond. Of course, she said “no offense” to George, to which he replied in jest “you have bad taste”. Kiel relayed how Roger’s “heart is bigger than his ego, which is very unusual for a movie star.” Kiel went on to compliment George as one of his own favorite Bonds, and the respect was clearly mutual. Speaking of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Lazenby says that he was told after doing a take of the final scene in tears, that “James Bond doesn’t cry” and to do one without so much emotion, which he didn’t really agree with. His wife dies for God’s sake! As for how he regards the film, Lazenby stated; “It was the best book, and as far as I’m concerned it was the best film. Not to toot my own horn because I’m not the best actor, but I honestly believe that.”

For those who are aware, Lazenby has had his run-in with the police in the past. He was asked to recount a story he had once told involving gun ownership;

I was bored! I was down in Geneva and I went into a gunshop, and they had some beautiful pistols in there…like a Luger that was brand new. And I said “Can I have that?” and he said “No, you need a license.” And the guy with me said “He’s James Bond!”. And I’m not kidding, the guy sold me two pistols! [Laughter]. So we were on set, and they took a long to time to change cameras around. So I got one of the crew to throws cans in the air and I was shooting these cans, and it was making everyone nervous. I don’t know why! Another time, I got drunk and shot out all the lights in the lobby of the hotel, and the bullets knocked out the back window. So the cops came up and said “Give us the gun.” They didn’t know I had two, so I gave them one. And then I started shooting again, but they couldn’t arrest me because then the Bond film would’ve stopped. I was going back to London for Christmas, and the two detectives got on my plane. I was in my seat and they said “These guys up front want to see you.” I walked up the front, and they literally placed the pistols in my belt. I pulled closed my coat, said thank you, and went back to my seat. This is 1968 mind you. We got into London and they asked if I had anything to declare, and I said “Yeah, these!”. And they asked “Are they loaded?” and I said “I don’t know, I haven’t looked in a while” and there was two bullets in there. I never got them back as you can’t have guns in England.

Richard-Kiel-Jaws-03 — **The softer side to Jaws**

An avid fan wondered if either had any hobbies that we might not be privy to. Kiel expressed how heavily he was into photography back in the day, owning an enlarger and all these other peripherals that we no longer need today in the digital age, while Lazenby’s was Motocross, although he started at 41 and stopped at 57 due to slowing reflexes. But today, they both have in common the joys of children. For Kiel, his six grandchildren are his main focus, one of which is a wrestler, another a dancer. Lazenby has three kids of his own, whom he claims are getting old enough now to be able to beat his ass, so he never dares reprimand them.

A few hypotheticals later and the panel was over. Everyone in the room absolutely appreciated the effort made to come down and attend the expo, and it was a very interesting, eye-opening Q&A for both Bond and film fans in general. Rarely do you get a backstage look into the industry like we did that day. Hopefully you all got a kick out of reading the stories told by Kiel and Lazenby as well.

selector infected WIXOSS Episode 11 Impressions

Kane Bugeja

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June 17, 2014

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selector infected WIXOSS Episode 11 Impressions

selector-infected-WIXOSS-Episode-11-01 — **Consequence has a way of catching up with you**

selector infected WIXOSS
Episode 11: The Summer of Dreams

Well Iona certainly doesn’t like to wait does she? At last episode‘s end, we witnessed the stoic model post what was essentially a call to arms for all Selectors with an internet connection. Though I have to say, it’s a pretty smart idea. I mean, why wait until you stumble upon an opponent when you can bring them directly to your doorstep?

selector-infected-WIXOSS-Episode-11-02 — **A mysterious beauty**

Especially when your doorstep is a colossal skyscraper under construction in the middle of a town. Remember that building that seemed like it was important and then became little more than a backdrop? Yeah, well that’s back and now it’s the battlefield for every Selector who accepted Iona’s little invite. Contestants line the multitude of floors as their battles take place and they attempt to make their way through the tournament. But you might be asking yourself “How does having a tournament make sense? Now Iona only gets to battle one person.” Well my curious friends, that is indeed a good question. Short answer: It doesn’t really make a whole lot of sense. For some reason, Iona seems intent on creating a number of eternal girls, though her reason for wishing so is unclear. As far as we know, LRIGs cannot communicate with each other unless their cards are near each other, so I don’t think it’s for the companionship. Also, if Iona knew in her heart of hearts that she needed just one more battle to achieve her wish, why start a tournament? Why not just find some hapless Selector and beat her? She already knew where to find Ruko. Hopefully they explain this further in the next episode.

selector-infected-WIXOSS-Episode-11-03 — **Fear and change often go hand in hand**

Something that was rather interesting in this episode was the development of Tama as a character. With a decent amount of dialogue, we learnt her true feelings regarding Ruko and her desire to keep things the same. She even went as far as to say she didn’t want to battle, which is kind of a big deal. However, she continued to fight by Ruko’s side despite said objections, though her attitude may have a serious effect on Ruko”s newfound wish. Oh, didn’t I mention? Our indecisive protagonist has finally settled on a wish: Save everyone. Kind of a jump there, from nothing to everything in one sentence. Of course, despite the implied genius of using WIXOSS to destroy WIXOSS, Yuzuki was there to put a dampener on things immediately. Some nonsense about being unable to make certain wishes come true, blah blah blah. But wait, what luck! Tama is a mysterious LRIG, one who possesses unique powers, powers which could make Ruko’s wish come true. Oh happy days! I believe in the business they call this power a Deus ex Machina. I mean, why bother putting a limit on Ruko’s dream when you’re just going to remove it ten seconds later. It seems rather pointless to me. I would’ve been much more poetic if Ruko was merely the first person to wish for such a thing, as no other had the forethought to do so in the past. But no. Steal your soul and body swap you with a card so you can date your brother? Sure, no problem. Wish for girls stolen by a card game to return to where they once came from? Impossible. What?!

As is customary in anime, Ruko proceeds through the tournament at blazing speed, eventually coming face to face with the exact person she wanted to fight: Hitoe. Acting vastly different to the friend she remembers, Hitoe is hellbent on achieving her wish, despite Ruko and Yuzuki’s pleas. Though despite her seeming indifference to her former friends, Hitoe isn’t as distant as she lets on. Despite the pain, she has held one thing close to herself all this time: her scrunchie. The physical representation of their friendship. Isn’t that sweet? Still, poor Hitoe. The torment she’s been through because of this game is immense. Let that be a lesson to you all, do not participate in shadowy, otherwordly card games. It’s just not worth it.

selector-infected-WIXOSS-Episode-11-04 — **This poor girl cannot catch a break**

We all know where this is going right? Ruko is going to keep on winning until she reaches the roof and challenges Iona. If Iona wins, her wish will be granted and she will visit the white room that she inexplicably has knowledge of. If Ruko wins, every LRIG in WIXOSS may be saved. Of course they may not be saved, but we’ll cross that bridge when and if we come to it.

Check out more selector infected WIXOSS Impressions HERE.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders Episode 11 Impressions

Frank Inglese

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June 17, 2014

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JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders Episode 11 Impressions

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders
Episode 11 – The Emperor And The Hanged Man Part 2

Well last week’s episode was quite a shocker wasn’t it? If you missed out on it, allow me to help you catch up: Avdol is dead…Hol Horse killed him. Awesome! now that you’re up to date we can move on with the impressions article. No, I understand that the death of Avdol was actually pretty important to the plotline, excuse me for breezing over it like that but I’m a firm believer in laughter being the best medicine and since I couldn’t make his death funny I thought to just rip the Band-Aid off as quickly as possible.

Last episode was quite different for the series with there being actual consequences for the characters being idiots and it seems as though this episode hasn’t detoured from that. Episode 11 continues on exactly from where episode 10 left off (click here to read my impressions article) and it is probably just as hard-hitting.

Polnareff and Kakyoin can’t even take a minute to mourn the death of their dear friend before the enemy once again begins to advance towards them. Polnareff – being so close to getting revenge for his sister’s death – doesn’t want to turn and run yet so he stands tall against the enemy…Kakyoin on the other hand thinks it be better if they flee. Once again, Kakyoin has thought the situation through and devised the best way to handle it. If only Polnareff was in the same mind set.

Polnareff fronts on Hol Horse and his invisible partner Mr. Centerfold but is quickly shut down when the duo begin to attack. Doing his best to keep his friend alive, Kakyoin blasts both Polnareff and his attackers with an “Emerald Splash”, damaging Polnareff but also forcing the other two to back off. Jumping into a nearby truck, Kakyoin speeds off but not before grabbing Polnareff who’s now quite damaged. Hol Horse states that they’re too far away for him to shoot down but Mr. Centerfold has other plans in mind and chases after them using his odd but soon to be unveiled powers.

Driving out into the desert, the two now discuss what is to be done next. What was great about this scene was the subtle attention to detail. Polnareff, while talking, simply grabs the rear-view mirror and tosses it out the window. No attention was drawn to this but it was obvious as to why he had done it. This is what I want from an anime; not everything has to be narrated by the characters.

Now the young men talk about what exactly Centerfold’s power could truly be. Polnareff thinks that his “Stand” exists in some “mirror world” but Kakyoin is quick to shut him down by saying “there’s no such thing”. Thank God Polnareff calls him out by saying something along the lines of “there’s such things as ‘Stands’ why wouldn’t there be a mirror world”, which is pretty much exactly what I was thinking. They both continue to talk and Kakyoin gives Polnareff a nice elbow to the face, stating that he must accept that instead of a handshake which indicates there’s no beef between them anymore.

Seems like the smart thing to do…it’s not like you could be attacked at any moment and need all of your face bones in tact just in case someone tries to attack you again. Stupid Kakyoin. Before a second elbow to the face can be dealt, the two notice something in the reflection of the chrome steering wheel: Holy shit! “Hanged Man” is in the back of the truck! They get slashed and the car is run off the road, tipping over and landing on it’s top. Totaled, the two crawl out full of glass and metal hoping to the only God they know that “Hanged Man” isn’t right behind them read to strike again…too bad fellas…he is.

After a scuffle with the invisible enemy, the men run as far away as possible from anything reflective hoping to escape from the “Stand” and gain as much composure as possible. That plan would have worked had their not been some snot-nosed little kid around to put the two back in a place of danger thanks to the reflection in his eyes. Centerfold slashed at Polnareff once again but this time the Frenchman wasn’t shaken at all, in fact, he was confident that he had “Hanged Man” all figured out.

He spouts some cheesy one liner about getting revenge and then kicks sand in the young boy’s eye which, to nobody’s surprise, forces the kid to close his eyes and also gives him a little negative experience with foreigners. Too bad these are the types of mental scars that stick with you for life huh, kid? A light shines off of the child’s eye and into Polnareff’s but not before “Silver Chariot” gets a chance to deal some revenge blows.

Polnareff then goes onto explain that “Hanged Man” doesn’t exist in a mirrored world like he though it did, instead “Hanged Man” is a light source that jumps from reflective surface to reflective surface but can be harmed while in transit from one surface to the next. Somehow Polnareff figured this out and used it to his advantage by trapping the odd “Stand” within his own eye. Now he just has to make sure to never go near a mirror again. That will be hard…especially with a hairdo like his.

Hearing a scream in the distance after slashing at “Hanged Man”, the two decide to run towards it hoping that there they will find Centerfold, the man behind the “Stand”. Running into what looked to be some sort of open-air ruins, the two men discover a man bleeding from his chest just around the area where “Silver Chariot” slashed “Hanged Man”. It must be Centerfold!

Without checking to see if this particular man does indeed possess two right hands, Polnareff goes to attack. Luckily Kakyoin has a brain in his skull because he quickly stops the Frenchman from laying a hand on the mysterious man. Now looking down at the man’s hands, Polnareff realizes this is NOT Centerfold. They’ve been tricked…but not for long. I guess Centerfold is a showoff because almost instantly after the two men realize they have the wrong guy, Centerfold reveals himself. Instead of running away while his pursuers were distracted, Centerfold chose to sit there and watch, waiting for the perfect time to reveal his amazing plan of cutting another person to make them look like him…brilliant, Centerfold.

The man with the two right hands then reveals his secondary plan: He yells out to paupers surrounding the area and draws attention to the fact that these two foreigners plan to give them money. Almost immediately Kakyoin and Polnareff are surrounded, all eyes are on them which means Centerfold has plenty of reflective surfaces to play around with. The men seem trapped, that is…until Kakyoin reveals HIS plan.

Flicking a shiny, golden coin up until the air, Kakyoin averts the gazes of all the men and women who have formed a crowd around them. With no where else for “Hanged Man” to go, the “Stand” dashes for the coin but is met with the cold steel of “Silver Chariot’s” blade. SLICE! “Hanged Man” is dealt a fatal blow…and that means Centerfold was also dealt that blow. He tries to make a run for it but is met by a locked gate…and an angry Polnareff who shreds up his body something fierce! Slicing Centerfold’s body and flinging him into the air, Polnareff has gotten his revenge once and for all.

This scene, as you can imagine, was extremely face-paced and extremely well animated. The two then say their final goodbyes to the man with the two right hands and make their way back to town where Jotaro and Joseph have already buried Avdul. I understand the symbolism behind giving the poor guy a proper funeral but they could have at least waited for the other team members before laying him to rest. It doesn’t matter anyway because Hol Horse shows up just in time to bring more rain on this already ruined parade but he doesn’t have his mate Centerfold to back him up so he makes a dash to safety.

Thanks to the young girl he made fall for him in the last episode, he was able to make it away from the crew without a scratch…I wish I could say the same for old Joseph who gets a bit of the girl’s blood on his arm as she tackles him to allow Horse to escape. The episode finishes with a cliffhanger showing the blood on Josephs arm transform into what looks to be a small flesh bud-like growth. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens next.

Check out the “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders” anime on Crunchyroll and check out more episode impressions HERE.

Grant Imahara Panel at Supanova 2014

Zac Elawar

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June 17, 2014

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Grant Imahara of Mythbusters fame was the first to completely fill out the Imagineer’s Playground at Supanova Sydney 2014. His fan-base was as staunch and die-hard as any other guest’s, which surprised me. I mean, he’s awesome, and learning more about his career from way back when to today reinforces that opinion, but man did he have everyone in the palms of his hands. Here are the highlights of his special presentation/Q&A session at the con!

Grant’s history at Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) might be known, but not too many may be aware of exactly what he was responsible for and who he worked with. I most certainly wasn’t. He worked for nine years at ILM, as a model maker, engineer and “Artoo Technician”. He displayed to us numerous photographs of himself working on the miniature sets used for the second Star Wars trilogy, some of which also featured Tory Belleci – fellow Mythbusters build team member. After joking about how young they looked, Grant continued through his blast from the past and talked about how he was tasked with bringing the old R2-D2 up to snuff for The Phantom Menace and beyond. He then had to rip the guts out of the Episode I robot and replace it with updated technology for the later entries. In fact, the filmmakers would call on him during filming outside of the country (Episodes I-III were filmed in Australia) and require a new R2-D2 after coming across issues with the original’s dome popping off when its middle leg would get caught in door grooves on the set. All-in-all, the crew probably built over seven R2-D2’s for different purposes; one was the hero droid, a couple were faster, etc.

Being instrumental to transitioning a previously human-operated R2-D2 (Kenny Baker) to a completely remote-controlled one wasn’t Grant’s only experience with droids; a little known fact is that Grant was actually C-3PO…no, not in the films; that role was played by British actor Anthony Daniels. But in all the promotions, advertisements, photo shoots and general outside work, Grant donned the uncomfortable and restrictive suit as it was much cheaper than paying for Anthony Daniels’ flights halfway across the world just to shoot a commercial, for instance. Grant showed an image of the crotch piece from the suit, which was made from a thin bendable vacuum-formed plastic, sitting on top of a radiator. They did this to make it more malleable and easier to manipulate when putting them on. Grant was also working alongside Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman at ILM, and when the latter was approached about a potential TV show about busting myths using science, he contacted Grant and Tory in hopes that they would join, however Grant would stay behind at ILM to finish his duties on Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Adam came on board immediately as Jamie considered himself too boring to host solo.

Grant’s final project with the visual effects company was xXx: State of the Union…that’s when Grant knew it was time to move on. (I would to!) Grant also called out Van Helsing for being “a dreadful movie”, but having amazing effects, naturally. Before moving on to talk about Mythbusters, Grant touched on the Energizer Bunny and Geoff Peterson jobs he took on. A team at ILM was tasked with creating a refurbished and refreshed Energizer Bunny for upcoming ad campaigns. This is an iconic mascot, and it was taken as a very serious task! Of course, Energizer – which was still the Everready Battery Company at the time – had a couple prerequisites at the time, the hardest of which was that the bunny had to run on Energizer batteries only. Consumer grade batteries are never utilized in such intensive builds, and it ended up requiring over 40 AA batteries to function, with all of the electronics housed within the drum it beats. It still required almost half a dozen people to operate all moving parts when coordinating for the filming of its new advertisement. Later, the company turned to a completely CGI bunny, and people hated it so much that they had to bring back the physical bunny.

Geoff Peterson is also iconic, but to an entirely different audience. The skeletal sidekick to host Craig Ferguson on The Late Late Show is the closest Grant’s felt to being a “parent with a famous child”. Craig was so excited about the initial idea in his head that he personally spoke to Grant on the phone, giving him his specifications. The gist? He wanted a purposely cheap-looking skeleton in a suit that could be controlled and hold a conversation. And so Geoff was born. The animatronic skeleton with a mohawk is a mainstay on late night television, and Grant couldn’t be prouder of the quirky credit on his resume. Finally, we get to Mythbusters, where Grant stayed (mostly) behind the scenes for quite a while until the Discovery Channel and Beyond Television Productions thought it would benefit the show to add some more personalities to share the hosting load and allow Adam and Jamie the time to work on their builds more efficiently – it took three whole months to film and prepare the very first episode! That’s when Grant, Tory and the other build team members were turned to as extra on-screen personae.

Grant proceeded to take questions from the fans, in which we learnt that he is a fellow cosplayer (gasps from the females in attendance), is 43 (more gasps…but he does look much younger, so understandable) and that his favourite myths have been the JATO Rocket Car attempts, while his least has to be the earwax candles inspired by Shrek. He detailed the horrid stench heating up the wax produced, stating that even Tory – who never wretches at anything – started to vomit. He signed off promoting the debut screening of Episode 3 of Star Trek: Continues, in which he plays Sulu beside Vic Mignogna as Captain Kirk, Todd Haberkorn as Spock and others. A continuation, but also alternate take on the original TV series, Continues is a nostalgic trip for Trekkies. Grant is a fantastic presenter who holds everyone’s attention and comes off like such a genuine, nice guy; it was a pleasure to learn more about the man.

Attack on Titan Part 1 Review

Travis Bruno

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June 17, 2014

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Attack on Titan Part 1
Studio: Wit Studio
Publisher: FUNimation
Format: Blu-ray/DVD Combo
Release Date: June 3, 2014
Price: $49.98 – Available Here

Overview
Despite there being over a hundred anime series created each year, rarely will more than one or two of these series reach such a wide-ranging audience as Attack on Titan has managed to. Not only has the series spawned numerous manga spin-offs in Japan as well as a slew of merchandise, it has propelled the original manga to chart as a best seller in North America for over a year. To top that off, Attack on Titan is even being broadcast on television through Toonami. The question is, does the first part of Attack on Titan warrant a purchase or is all the hype for nothing?

Story
In the world of Attack on Titan, humanity has taken refuge behind gigantic walls that have protected them for over a hundred years. In fact, except for the Scout Squad, very few people venture beyond the safety of the walls because they serve as protection from creatures called Titans that eat humans and ignore every other type of animal. As such, a young Eren Jaeger is discontent with his life stuck behind the walls even though he lives a simple life with his adopted sister Mikasa, his mother, mysterious father, and his best friend Armin.

That simple life is shattered when a skinless titan, later called the Colossal Titan, suddenly appears. This titan is taller than the walls and looks over at the humans who have for so long remained safe and ignorant of the outside world, only to smash through the wall and let in the very Titans that these people will soon fear. As the Titans swarm into the area the ill-prepared military proves useless against these giant freakishly human looking monstrosities who begin to devour everyone in sight.

With the city in a panic, Erin’s house is destroyed and while Erin and Mikasa try to save his mother, she must be left behind when a Titan approaches the household. With Erin and Mikasa both being carried away to safety, they are forced to watch as Erin’s mother is devoured. Even when the stragglers of humanity escape behind the next set of walls, the nightmare is not over as the refugees find themselves without food and sent on a suicide mission simply to cull the population.

As such, with Eren, Mikasa, and Armin all now orphaned, Erin, seething with feelings of hatred and revenge, enlists in the military to train and become a soldier capable of taking down these Titans. Unfortunately for him, even with Armin and Mikasa at his side, these foes are not only incredibly resilient and numerous, but even the best humanity has to offer can do little to stop the next attack from the Titans from occurring.

There are many elements that create an enjoyable show and Attack on Titan has many of these elements which may explain why it has become such a popular series. First and foremost the entire setting is rife with mysteries, such as where the Titans came from, why do they act as they do, what happened to the world in the first place, and many more. In fact there are so many questions that even when we see some semblance of an answer, numerous other mysteries are brought to the forefront and create an intriguing and bleak world that these characters must survive in.

That is another case for Attack on Titan, while humanity can fight back against the Titans through the use of 3D Maneuver Gear that allows them to zip through the air and attack a Titans weak point with incredibly sharp blades, no one is safe from becoming Titan chow. These incredibly durable monstrosities make for a world where death is a constant and survival is pretty much never guaranteed.

With this thought always in the back of their minds, it creates an interesting cast of characters that are explored throughout each episode, though most of the focus goes to Eren and Mikasa’s backstory to explain why the two ended up together. Even then, each member of the cast is memorable in their own way, be it a certain hungry girl named Sasha or Jean as he deals with leading his fellow soldiers into danger. To add to the desperate theme of the series, there are many times that even background characters will momentarily be focused on just to show how pitiful their chances are or how desperate they have become facing such monstrosities.

That being said, while Attack on Titan thrives on fast paced action, a likable cast of characters pit against unthinkable odds, the fact that death is around every corner, and one major twist, there are some issues with the way the story is paced. Because of the way the story is told, we are often pulled away from the action to either introduce a new character/threat, or cover a bit of backstory which is problematic when you consider how the second half of this release is all about an intense battle between humanity and Titans.

Visuals
Like many people, I watched Attack on Titan back when it was being shown through Crunchyroll and at the time, there were some notable issues with certain aspects of the series. There were many moments that one scene would not change or have any movement at all for over ten seconds and while this usually was for dramatic effect, it looked terrible. Thankfully that aspect of the series has been changed for home release as watching through the series at this point I noticed a number of sequences that have been expanded slightly to avoid this issue.

The design of the city and all of the backgrounds in Attack on Titan is gorgeous looking though with the way the characters are designed there is often a stark contrast between a character and their environment. That being said, the characters are nicely designed with notable characteristics and there is plenty of blood to be had as one would suspect. The titans themselves range from looking terrifying to absolutely ridiculous looking, often in a bad way, such as a certain running Titan looking completely out of place in a series such as this.

Audio
While many fans of the series might be on the fence about trying out Attack on Titan’s new English dub, the voice cast that has been assembled to tackle these characters has done a great job portraying these characters as they deal with all of the drama in the series. Of course for those who would prefer it, the Japanese voice track is also available on the release.

Most anime have basic background music that is forgettable but Attack on Titan is not like most anime. In fact the majority of the background music is presented absolutely amazing sounding with a chorus capable of making any moment feel foreboding or action packed. It is also worth noting that the opening theme for the series, “Feuerroter Pfeil und Bogen” by Linked Horizon provides an epic sounding introduction to the show while the ending theme “Utsukushiki Zankoku na Sekai” by Yōko Hikasa serves as an emotional closer.

Extras
It is worth noting that for this review of Attack on Titan Part 1 we can only mention the on-disc extras and FUNimation has provided a number of bonus features alongside their rather standard offerings. There is a clean version of the opening and ending themes, trailers for the show and other FUNimation anime, an “Eyecatch Gallery” that features the translated text of all of the information shown on the mid-episode eyecatches, a making of documentary, Chibi Theater: Fly Cadets Fly! which is a set of chibi shorts that are presented in Japanese only and can only be viewed on the Blu-ray discs of the set, and two commentary tracks.

The first commentary is for episode 3 and it is worth mentioning that this commentary does have spoilers for the series in it, so it is best saved for last. It features ADR director Mike McFarland who also voices Jean, Trina Nishimura, the voice of Mikasa, Josh Grelle, the voice of Armin, and Bryce Papenbrook, the voice of Eren. The second commentary is for episode 13 and sees the return of Mike McFarland, J. Michael Tatum, the voice of Erwin, Scott Freeman, the voice of Ian, and Clifford Chapin, who voices Connie.

Overall
Attack on Titan Part 1 thrives on the series’ interesting premise of humanity struggling against foes that see them as nothing more than food and the concept is helped along by intense action sequences and plenty of drama that helps viewers connect with the wide-ranging cast of characters. There are a few issues here and there with the pacing in this first half but with three new questions for every answer, significant twists, and death around every corner, it is clear that Attack on Titan is a series that deserves the many fans that it has attracted over the past year.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

Indie Gala Every Monday Bundle #12 Now Available

Jamie Laike Tsui

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June 17, 2014

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Indie Gala and Capsule Computers are celebrating three months of Every Monday Bundles with Every Monday Bundle #12. For a single price, gamers will get seven great indie games.

Rage Runner features nine lovingly crafted levels that will mix memory, music, and reflex into one high octane runner.

Cognition Episode 2: The Wise Monkey continues FBI agent Erica Reed’s hunt for the serial killer that murdered her own brother.

Overcast – Walden and the Werewolf follows Walden’s path of revenge after a mysterious creature slaughtered the small village near Walden’s cabin.

HOARD Complete Pack let’s players be the bad guy for a change. Players can work cooperatively or fight competitively as they guide their dragons into looting nearby towns, kidnapping princess, and burning down fields.

Inescapable is a side scrolling adventure with a deliciously retro art style. Players will uncover the mystery of an interplanetary mining operation in this Metroidvania from Magnetic Realms.

Toki Tori is a reboot of the classic Game Boy Color puzzle game.

Crazy Belts is a casual puzzle game that will challenge players to operate the elaborate machines that will send luggage to the correct flight. The game is currently on Steam Greenlight.

For the first 48 hours of the sale, the Every Monday Bundle #12 is only $1.49. Be sure to snag your copy at Indie Gala.

John Jarratt Panel at Supanova 2014

Zac Elawar

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June 17, 2014

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I’ll admit, prior to this Q&A Session at Supanova Sydney 2014, I was intimidated by John Jarratt. If you’ve seen Wolf Creek, how could you not be?! I completely disregarded the fact that he had worked on Better Homes and Gardens…this man is a killer! Okay, not in real life, but still! The panel even began with the trailer for Wolf Creek 2 just to remind us of how sinister this guy is! Okay, he lambasted some parents for bringing their 8 and 13 year olds, to the panel after realizing it may have been their first time hearing the “F word”, so the jig is up.

As the panel progressed, that murderous facade was further stripped away, helped by early reminders that there actually is a funny bone is his body. His next film, StalkHer, is a dark comedy that is somewhat reminiscent of Misery in its premise, but is tonally your signature Aussie comedy. Pending a distribution deal agreement, we could be seeing StalkHer in cinemas this September, but if not, definitely in January of 2015. John, however, was gracious in treating us to three early footage clips from the movie, which also marks his directorial debut. The first showed a battle of glassware in the kitchen of Emily (Kaarin Fairfax), who is Jack’s (Jarratt) object of desire. He incurs her ire by being a filthy bugger (had to channel Mick Taylor there), which results in her throwing glasses and plates at a pot-shield wielding Jack, who then grabs a stool and wrestles her against the wall with it; it’s all playful to him, but she’s not as entertained. The next scene shows him tied to a chair, needing to “take a piss”. The tag line – along with the aforementioned nod to Misery – should tell you all you need to know about StalkHer: “He chased her… until she caught him.”

The movie will certainly be rated MA 15+, as the second scene involved some suggestive language as Jack insists Emily must aid him in urinating. She grabs an empty bottle, and then an oven mitt to…handle…the instrument. Was that PG enough? The final clip sees Jack experiencing a dream sequence in the hospital where Emily works as a nurse. It’s a quite humorous and light-hearted take on the captive-captor relationship, although she certainly doesn’t want him developing Stockholm Syndrome. Moving on to the audience questions, John equated his hosting gig on Better Homes and Gardens to putting in little effort, and earning a big paycheck, as opposed putting in maximum effort and earning a small paycheck in the Australian film industry, which is why it was very financially wise for him to take it and continue hosting for the four seasons he did. John’s cameo at the end of Django Unchained was then brought up. Jarratt joked that he’s the one who taught Quentin Tarantino how to do a completely “rubbish Australian accent”, but actually learnt a little bit about direction from the legendary filmmaker…not while on the set, but by watching interviews online!

He was stressing himself out about his directorial debut, putting all the responsibility on his own shoulders and worrying about how he would nail down the technical aspects of shooting a film, when he realized through said interviews that there are experts on the crew whose job it is to handle those tasks, and he simply needed to trust them, with the safety in knowledge that they would execute them to his desires and directives. He stated that Tarantino knows more about Australian film, and the entire industry in general, than probably any other man on Earth. Jarratt also famously played Ned Kelly in the TV mini-series The Last Outlaw in 1979. The role was a big deal for him, with the subject being an Australian icon that he needed to do justice to. He actually has a Kelly in the family, but never checked the ancestry to see if they are directly related. Interestingly enough, Jarratt was considered a better choice at the time than Mel Gibson, who had just come off of filming Mad Max. Mel was apparently upset about not landing the role, but ended up doing Gallipoli instead, which Jarratt was also offered, but had to turn down after signing on for The Last Outlaw.

John-Jarratt-Django-Unchained-Still-01 — **Jarratt as a LeQuint Dickey Mining Co. Employee in Django Unchained**

Jarratt touched on the big piracy numbers that Australians seem to like to flaunt. He surmised that the reason Australian cinema in particular isn’t overly successful is partly because of quality, and partly a lack of effective marketing. He slyly implored everyone to actually pay for his movies, at the very least. Finally, before closing out the panel, Jarratt obliged to a request for his trademark Mick Taylor laugh, which is more akin to a wry, gruff grunt, and then spoke on the character himself. He said that the only thing that would force him to commit similar acts would be if someone harmed his kids/family. Then came a candid admission that we all can relate to; Jarratt said the difference between those kinds of people and “normal” human beings is that we don’t act upon our dark thoughts and that even he has thought about grabbing his son and cracking him over the head…so, well done Mr. Jarratt, I warmed up to you during the Q&A, but by the end, returned to an untenable state of fear….

Did Walmart Leak Disney Infinity 2.0 Characters?

Andrew Day

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June 17, 2014

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In the digital day and age, it is almost impossible to keep anything a secret. Big online retailers like Amazon often accidentally spoil upcoming games and products before the producers have had the chance to tell the world. Well, it seems like Wallmart over in the USA has done the same thing for the upcoming Disney Infinity 2.0 – Marvel Super Heroes.

A few days ago, Wallmart had several Disney Infinity 2.0 figures and Play Sets that have not been officially confirmed by Disney, which of course has lead to a lot of speculation. The items have since been removed from the online shopping portal, leaving only the confirmed Avengers and Spider-Man figures for pre-order. However, here are some of the products that were previously listed:

Disney Infinity 2.0 Disney Originals Starter Pack (separate from, and cheaper than the Marvel Super Heroes Starter Pack)
Disney Infinity 2.0 Marvel Super Heroes Avengers Play Set (again, this is in addition to the Marvel Super Heroes Starter Pack)
Disney Infinity 2.0 Disney Originals Stitch Figure
Disney Infinity 2.0 Disney Originals Tinker Bell Figure
Disney Infinity 2.0 Disney Originals Bay Max Figure
Disney Infinity 2.0 Disney Originals Hiro Figure
Disney Infinity 2.0 Disney Originals Donald Duck Figure
Disney Infinity 2.0 Disney Originals Crystal Sorcerer’s Apprentice Mickey Figure
Disney Infinity 2.0 Marvel Super Heroes Guardians of the Galaxy Play Set
Disney Infinity 2.0 Marvel Super Heroes Groot Figure
Disney Infinity 2.0 Marvel Super Heroes Rocket Raccoon Figure
Disney Infinity 2.0 Marvel Super Heroes Drax Figure

Now normally I would be one to take rumors like this with a grain of salt, BUT a little bit of credence is added to the grapevine here, as a picture was posted online from the E3 floor that showed all of the Guardians of the Galaxy figures standing side by side with the Avengers and Spider-Man.

If all of these rumors pan out, then that means we are getting a nice serving of Disney characters to go with out slice of Marvel Super Heroes cake. It is also an additional 11 characters on top of the 13 we already know about. Is 24 characters enough? Let us know in the comments below, as well as your thoughts as to how real you think this leak. Remember folks to always stay tuned to Capsule Computers for all the Disney Infinity news as it becomes available.

Alien Legion: Uncivil War Preview Trailer

Andrew Day

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June 17, 2014

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Good afternoon comic fans! Today we have a special treat in store for you! we are just a little over a week away from the release of Alien Legion: Uncivil War #1 from the creative team of Chuck Dixon, Larry Stroman and Carl Potts. Well in the lead up to the book’s debut next week, the guys over at Titan Comics have shared with us a brief trailer for the book.

Like many of Titan’s other trailers, this features a mixture of still shots and a badass backing track and manages to introduce us to the cast of characters pretty succinctly. We recently checked out Issue #1, so after you have checked out the trailer below make sure you head over to our review to see what we thought. As always, make sure you stay tuned to Capsule Computers for all the Alien Legion news as it becomes available.

Katie Cassidy at Supanova 2014

Vicky Martin

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June 17, 2014

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All hail the Black Canary!

The stunning and talented actress, Katie Cassidy, took to stage her bad-ass attitude at Supanova this year. Famously known for her first major role in Supernatural and currently starring in the hit superhero CW series Arrow, Katie shared her passion for acting with the audience.

When asked about her role as Ruby in Supernatural, Katie mentioned her desire to be cast as a strong woman, with the added bonus of working alongside Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles.

“Jensen and Jared were absolute shits, because (as everybody knows) they are notorious for being pranksters. They were constantly trying to make me laugh and I was surprised that they were able to get takes out of me that were good enough to use on the show.”

Since her demonic role, Katie appeared in the horror remake, ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ and took the liberty of confessing to the audience her terrifying nightmare on board an aeroplane that Freddy was out to kill her. What made matters worse was the fact that Katie has a fear of flying! Let’s just say, if it came down to choosing a superpower, Katie would definitely go with teleportation.

The highlight of the seminar was when an Arrow fan asked Katie, who would win if it came to a showdown between Felicity and Laurel.

“Guys, come on – I think we all know who’s going to win.”

Don’t miss out on the action-packed return of Arrow: Season 3 this fall, and keep up-to-date with Katie Cassidy via her fashion blog Tomboy KC.

For all other Supanova 2014 news Click Here.