Putting the “Glad” in “Gladiator” (Alert Nerd Family Show)
Nov 19One of the many joys associated with parenting a toddler is the opportunity to watch the same TV show, movie, or holiday special over, and over, and over.
This is frequently torture. If the US government really wanted good intel down at Gitmo, they should have screened episodes of Dora the Explorer on an infinite loop for prisoners.
In the case of Disney’s animated output, I can’t help but turn it into critical analysis. I’ve watched a lot of these movies on my own, throughout my life, at least one time; like most kids I loved my Disney flicks, and as an adult, I’ve become a fan of animation as an art form and storytelling vehicle. So suddenly, watching Peter Pan for the 9,475th time isn’t just boring; I’m finding myself dissecting these flicks, appreciating some of them anew, and finding others a bit more lacking.
Which is a long roundabout way of saying that I kinda think Hercules kicks ass.
Win A Copy Of Draw Star Wars: The Clone Wars!!! (Alert Nerd Family Show)
Nov 13Do you like Star Wars: The Clone Wars? Do you enjoy drawing, or know any kids who do? Are you into FREE STUFF???
If you answered yes to any or all of the above questions, we have got a post for you.
We’re giving away five copies of Draw Star Wars: The Clone Wars by the editors of Klutz and Lucasfilm writer (and Twitter maven) Bonnie Burton. (One of the five copies will even be autographed by Bonnie!)
From the publisher:
Draw Star Wars: The Clone Wars is filled with tips, techniques, practice space, and translucent overlays to make you a master of drawing. Start with stick figures, move onto basic shapes, and finish up with the details. Use the included double-tipped metallic-colored pencils and black marker to make 20 Clone Wars characters come to life.
Just respond in the comments with your favorite Star Wars character by November 27, 2009. We’ll pick five winners at random to win the free books!
Check out a trailer!
We’ll also spend the next few weeks occasionally looking at geek entertainment and culture from a family perspective in our Alert Nerd Family Show posts, since we know many of our readers are geeks with kids (and at least one of our writers…Jeff may have a few younglings from his days working the cantina in Mos Eisley).
So join the contest below! Have fun and good luck!
The Draw Star Wars: Clone Wars book giveaway is open to participants with a United States mailing address only (international readers can enter if they have a friend in the States who can accept their prizes by mail.)
From the Trunk: My Thing Pitch
Nov 10What better way to follow up the unparalleled excitement of last week’s One Con Glory release than with an old shitty thing I wrote like four years ago? Let’s do this!
Like many comics fans and bloggers, I harbor secret dreams to someday write comics. Okay, I harbor secret dreams to someday write anything that isn’t a press release or requires a “call to action” upon its conclusion.
At some point in…2005, I think?…it made sense to me that my first step toward Writing Comics was to put together a one-page pitch for a fill-in issue of the Thing series, which I think was still being published at the time. You know, the Dan Slott one.
Here it is; please be kind, as I realize my own idiocy in writing this and stealing the plot of Groundhog Day. If it helps ease the sting, I think I consciously aped Groundhog Day, so it was less a swipe and more a swipe-disguised-as-homage.
Misplaced Princesses
Oct 19My kid is WAY into Disney princesses.
She’s into Disney period. Pixar too. She watches each flick multiple times, of course, but she’s burned through most of the top-tier Disney films and has begun to sample the second- and third-tier product, such as (*chill*) Oliver & Company.
I’m not sure how to feel about it; on one hand, I do believe it’s ultimately harmless and while she doesn’t need Disney movies to fuel her amazing imagination, she sure does seem to enjoy playing Cinderella, Simba, Dumbo, Nemo, and the like. On the other hand, I feel like we’ve totally played into the hands of a cold, uncaring corporate behemoth intent on twisting the minds of the young into lifelong customers, whatever the cost.
It’s a pickle. Somehow, we survive, and wake up each morning, and in a few months, we’ve decided my kid’s first Real Movie in a Movie Theater will be this new Disney princess movie, The Princess and the Frog, which has been touted as featuring the first African-American Disney princess.
I just hope she fares better than other non-white Disney princesses, because if Disney’s past efforts are any indication, Tiana may be doomed to a future of obscurity.
Don’t Let These Clone Wars…End
Oct 15You kids remember Bill Murray, right?
Whatever.
So I started watching Clone Wars again. I was on a plane this weekend and in my frantic attempt to leave the state, I threw the first two episodes of season 2 onto my iPod, thinking they’d make for a decent way to kill an hour or so of the flight.
They did. In fact, I was so engaged that while I didn’t finish the second episode on the plane, I did finish watching it later that night once I’d reached my destination.
What is it with this show, anyway?
