Some “Thing” Familiar…

Posted October 17, 2011 by vulpesffb
Categories: aliens, furry, furry film classics, movies, sci fi
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 – – I saw some Thing this weekend that was both some Thing old and some Thing new…namely, the prequel to the 1982 John Carpenter classic film of the same name.  The film was basically true to the mood and feeling of Carpenter’s previous epic, and has been criticized for not striking its own identity.  Heavy on atmospherics and paranoia, the new Thing is a dark movie…as well it should be.  The grandfather of the series, The Thing From Another World (1951),  was a classic film way ahead of its time, drawing in turn from the 1938 John W. Campbell novella, Who Goes There?

While the alien monster in John Carpenter’s film went out of its way to hide its identity and avoid detection, this prequel alien is much more visible, looking like a Lovecraft-inspired horror of claws, jaws, and flailing tentacles.  When we see the full-bodied creature scrabbling about, it appears part cephalopod and part crustacean, morphing as it assimilates and mimics the cellular structure of its victims and then hiding within them until the time for its next power play. 

We are taken inside the massive starcraft of the alien when the few survivors of the decimated Antarctic Norwegian research station decide to limit the contagion by tracking the creature home, and in the closing scenes of the movie the filmmakers provide seamless transition scenes to where the Carpenter film begins.  While some of the prequel’s characters are monster kibble, Mary Elizabeth Winstead turns in a strong performance as paleontologist Kate Lloyd, a woman who like Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley knows her way around a flamethrower…

Comments: 2 Comments

“Beetlejuice” Resurrection?

Posted October 15, 2011 by vulpesffb
Categories: Brilliant but twisted, movies, weird
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 – – One of my fave movies of all time and one which contributed to my love of over-the-top weirdness was the 1988 Tim Burton production of Beetlejuice, with Michael Keaton as the title character.  A new sequel is coming at an undetermined date, the movie will not be a re-make, and it may be called, Beetlejuice 2 or Beetlejuice Begins…it’s far too early to tell, or even what form the movie will take.  The original producer David Katzenberg and writer Seth Grahame-Smith will be making the sequel.

It’s also unknown at this stage whether all or part of the original cast will return, but one hopes that at least Michael Keaton will.  He shines in dark movies, whether comedy or drama, and his inspired, gleefully demented portrayal of Beetlejuice is what made the classic original a great gothic comedy…

…if we chant “Beetlejuice” three times, maybe we will again hear the great bio-exorcist say, “It’s showtime!“

Comments: 2 Comments

Robodeer…

Posted October 12, 2011 by vulpesffb
Categories: animals, conservation, cool things, furry, furry causes
Tags: ,

 – -For several decades now, state wildlife officials across the country have been rolling out roadside robotic decoys to nab unscrupulous hunters who seek to poach deer out of season or beyond established hunting hours. 

Often placed near a road where they can be seen by passing cars, the robotic deer can be outfitted with remote controls that make it possible to move the decoy’s head and tail to make it look as realistic as possible.  When a poacher takes the bait and pegs a shot at the mechanical deer, authorities are not far away and the would-be deerslayer gets nailed with something like a misdemeanor citation, punishable in Utah by up to six months in jail, up to a $1,000 fine, and seizure of the offender’s weapons.  Robot decoy programs are in place not only in Utah but also in Georgia, Florida, and elsewhere.

In some cases, offenders have repeatedly fired shots and even arrows at the mechanical deer, apparently amazed that they don’t go down!  A robotic deer decoy used in Georgia had to be replaced in 2006 after being shot more than 1,000 times.  Perhaps videos could be made of such occurrences and sold with proceeds going to add to state wildlife conservation funds…

Comments: 2 Comments

Farmers Insurance “Critters” Commercial…

Posted October 10, 2011 by vulpesffb
Categories: animals, furry, furry commercials, television
Tags: ,

– – Farmers Insurance as part of its “University of Farmers” advertising campaign reveals their finest agents receiving road-kill expertise training under the watchful eye of Professor Nathaniel Burke (actor J.K. Simmons) at a university setting in which a real deer, caribou, turtle, porcupine, and other creatures appear in the classroom setting alongside the agents-in-training.  For the filming, living animals rather than CGI or animatronic creations were actually in the room together with the cast at the same time.

The commercial playfully highlights the in-depth training that its agents receive at the actual University of Farmers in Agoura Hills, California which enables them to dispense expert advice...

Comments: 1 Comment

Janus Cats…

Posted October 7, 2011 by vulpesffb
Categories: animal oddities, animals, anomalies, furry, rare animal, science
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 – -They are not Photoshopped or the product of trick photography; meet Frank (left) and Louie (right), the world’s longest surviving Janus cat.  Named for the figure in Roman mythology with two faces on one head,  Janus cats seldom survive due to congenital defects that include cleft palate, often causing the afflicted animal to starve or choke to death.  Frank and Louie, however, beat the odds handsomely, using only one mouth to feed and making it to the ripe old feline age of 12 years. 

Originally taken by his breeder to be euthanized at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, Frank and Louie were instead adopted by a worker there, and have fared well since.  Residing in Worcester, Mass. the exotic blue-eyed rag doll cat boasts two faces, two mouths, two noses, and three eyes, and is a friendly soul who walks on a leash and loves car rides…

Comments: 2 Comments

Rock-‘Em-Sock-‘Em Robots…

Posted October 5, 2011 by vulpesffb
Categories: movies, sci fi
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 – – I like robots, The Twilight Zone, and Hugh Jackman, so I’m likely to be sucker punched by Real Steel, a movie based on robotic boxing.  Inspired by the Richard Matheson short story Steel which was itself previously produced as a Twilight Zone episode, Real Steel is set in a near-future where human boxing has been banned in favor of robotic pugilism, and Jackman plays a former human boxer (Charlie Kenton) turned manager/trainer for robotic combatants. 

Times are tough, however, and Jackman’s character is reduced to managing  Atom, an old generation robot whose remains are discovered in a junkyard.  Through this vehicle Jackman may attempt a comeback denied his human flesh, and gain reconciliation with his estranged son…as you might expect, the actor who’s played Wolverine and Van Helsing has some wild talents up his sleeve. – -Sure, it sounds cheesy and it ain’t Shakespeare, but this Steel is more than scrap metal, and might be fun…

Comments: 3 Comments

Puss in Boots: The Movie

Posted October 3, 2011 by vulpesffb
Categories: anthropomorphic, famous furries, furry heroes, movies
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 – – Played by Latin hunk Antonio Banderas and likely to buckle every swash in sight, Puss in Boots:  The Movie is coming from DreamWorks Animation on November 4th.

A spin-off movie for the CGI character from the Shrek movies,  Puss is a prequel which will follow the exploits of the courageous cat before he even met Shrek, and detail the roots and evolution of the character into a Zorro-like figure.  And yes, Puss in Boots will have have a love interest, called (what else?)…Kitty Softpaws! 

As the character with cat-itude most memorably says in one scene, “Stay furry, my friends!“

Comments: 2 Comments

Geico’s Rowing Guinea Pigs…

Posted September 29, 2011 by vulpesffb
Categories: furry, furry commercials, television
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 – – Kia’s hamsters rock, and Geico’s guinea pigs row…at least they do in the newest Geico commercial!  Faced with skyrocketing electric bills (…yes, I  feel your pain!), we are introduced to one ingenious gentleman who has created a hydroelectric generation facility where a trio of hamsters row a tiny boat in an aquarium, producing enough juice for him to surf the net all day!  Not that it was any easy task, mind you…it took six months to train two hamsters to row, and fully eight months to get the “little chubby one” to yell “row!” 

I don’t know yet if PETA will consider this cruelty or exploitation of animals…probably not, since the guinea pigs are all computer-generated.  You can even download a free iPhone app called “Guinea Pig Getaway” in which the three intrepid guinea pigs escape their owner, and are looking for a better way of life.- -But in any case, we may be living in the golden age of rodent advertising mascots, and maybe guinea pigs will someday power your Prius!  Then there may be a rodent uprising, a great and terrible day of reckoning…(I shudder to think about it!)

Comments: 3 Comments

Some “Thing’s” Coming!

Posted September 27, 2011 by vulpesffb
Categories: aliens, movies, science, space
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 – – Wow, it doesn’t seem possible that it was way back in 1982 that John Carpenter made his version of the sci-fi/horror classic The Thing, complete with Kurt Russell as that film’s protagonist, R.J. MacReady!- –Well, some Thing else is coming this October, this version a prequel taking place three days before the events of the John Carpenter film and following the exploits of the Norwegian and American scientists unfortunate enough to originally discover the shape-shifting alien.

While it’s hard to beat Kurt Russell, the new version of The Thing includes Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Dr. Kate Lloyd, a lead character somewhat modeled after Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley in the Alien film series; fortunately, no romantic or sexual elements will be introduced associated with her character in keeping with the dark tone and paranoid atmospherics of the previous film.   Efforts have been made to keep the new film visually consistent with the 1982 Carpenter flick, and creature effects will include both animatronic and computer generated imagery.  We’ll be seeing much more of the interior of the crashed alien spacecraft, and it will also be implied what the nasty alien mimics were doing about in the galaxy.- -All in all, The Thing should serve to remind us that if we find something buried deep in the ice in Antarctica, leave it the hell alone!

I plan on seeing The Thing in October, and you may want to, as well…who knows, The Thing may become you!

Comments: 4 Comments

Franklin, the Fair-Housing Fox…

Posted September 25, 2011 by vulpesffb
Categories: animals, anthropomorphic, furry heroes
Tags: ,

 – – I, for one, can sleep better at night knowing that Franklin, the Fair-Housing Fox is on the job!  Just as McGruff the Crime Dog represents the fight against crime and Homeland Security has Rex, the Ready Kids Mountain Lion, Franklin is meant to help make fair housing everyone’s responsibility, and he looks great while doing it!  It’s good to know that we vulpines haven’t been excluded from the guild of anthropomorphic animal awareness cartoons representing federal agencies.  Created in 2007 to celebrate the 39th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act, Franklin even has an e-mail address and of course, a Facebook page!

Your tax dollars are never harder at work than when they’re funding the creation of an animal mascot, and Franklin Fox has got to be far ahead of some other actual creations such as Energy Ant or Thermy the Thermometer…other creations might include Edward, the Illegal Immigration Eagle, and Arnold, the Anti-Terrorist Armadillo!       

Comments: 2 Comments

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