It’s true. Maybe it’s that whole “because I came into it with low expectations” thing. I expected it to be unwatchable dreck, so was pleasantly surprised to find that it was actually watchable dreck. I have no qualms about turning a movie off at the first whiff of crap. Case in point: I just tried and failed to make it through the most recent George Romero “..of the Dead” offering, desperate to fill the void left by “The Walking Dead”, but barely made it 15 minutes in. But I digress…

If you were a nerdy little dude like I was back in 1981, you loved the original—it was a very important part of your life. So it is necessary to have a stance on the remake. That said, I never felt is was “sacrilege” to redo this movie—I’ll be the first to admit that it doesn’t hold up. But the original had its moments and memorable bits of story, and I assumed the new one would butcher what little value the original had.

But the new one was actually a totally different movie. It followed the same broad arc—Perseus is a demigod that has to go get Medusa’s head to kill the Kraken—but everything else was rethought. Most of the rethinking made it entertaining enough. With the exception of:

Calibos was so critical to the original, but seemed like an afterthought in this one. Even though the new one’s backstory was much more relevant and interesting, he didn’t mean much to the story.

Sam Worthington stuck out like a sore thumb. Not just because of his Australian accent (though, why a British accent would be acceptable in Ancient Greece to begin with, I dunno) but also because he looks somehow too “modern.” Maybe it was his J-Crewcut good looks.

Perhaps one of the most important elements of the original were the little glimpses of female nudity, that so made an impression on me at 8 or 9. Nary an boob was to be seen in the new one. Perhaps not “an issue”, per se, but surprising nonetheless.

Medusa in this one was a pretty good update, but unfortunately, she was clearly 100% CGI, so “suspension of disbelief” was impossible.

They clearly spent the money meant for Medusa on the Kraken, and to good effect. He was badass. As were the Lost-Smoke-Monster-like Hades and his little demon spawn. But I think it’s safe to say I wouldn’t have stuck with it were it not for my connection to the original. For comparative purposes: I turned off “300” at about the 10 minute mark. So maybe it wasn’t good. But it wasn’t as horrible as it should have been.

(This post is dedicated to Tom Haegele, at whose house I probably watched the original not less than 10 times.)

Brought to you by Hazen Robotics International (Finn and Shawn) and Makedo.

Just put this new print/poster up at the Ye Olde Hazen Shopppe. It’s essentially the “Kidbot” shirt design from Robotcha run amok.

It’s available through ImageKind.

I simplified the site for Hazen Type. Made it match the one-page-wonders I’m doing for my other sites.

This is what I want my house to look like. Lisa would argue that we’re already well on our way.

This is Karl Lagerfeld’s place. Via @kylevanblerk and Flavorpill.

Just a little art print I put together. One of those (rare) drawings from the sketchbook that I actually worked up in a final form. Just for fun. I’m offering it for sale through ImageKind, though. This pic is an image of one of their prints, a Giclee print on Somerset Velvet Fine Art paper.

So obscure, in fact, that it doesn’t really exist.

I give you, the Nissan 270X concept, introduced at the 17th Tokyo Motorshow in 1970:

Look at that glass! And I even like the color. But, it’s a concept car. So I can’t have it. Probably just as well, since, apparently, its looks were deceiving:

“For reasons unknown Nissan decided to fit this exotic looking car with the engine and mechanicals from the new E10 Datsun Cherry. This meant that the car had a 1171cc 68hp A12 engine. The front wheel drive system from the Cherry was also used, with it’s 4 speed gearbox. The only modification made to the drivetrain was that the engine had to be slanted at an extreme angle to fit it under the very low bonnet.”

Here’s a couple more pics. Looks cool from the front, too—like a bad guy from Speed Racer. And it opens in an interesting way. It:

“…featured a one piece lift-up canopy arrangement instead of doors. This meant that the roof, windscreen, and sides all lifted up in one section, with the canopy being hinged at the front just under the windscreen.”

Found this on PinkTentacle.com. Quotes are from EarlyDatsun.com.

Phew! We brought a rollicking weekend on our own to a close last night, with a much-needed bath for Stinky C and a shave for Fuzzy Daddy.

Can’t wait till Mommy and Finn get home from Houston later today!

There are many things about this that are awesome (like the mere fact that Steve McQueen had his own letterhead and it has an [inexplicable] blind embossed logo on it) but I think the content of the letter itself might be the best part.

From Live Auctioneers via Letterheady.