Katharine Trendacosta

In an Upside Down City, Bat-Winged Ships Fly

It’s a world folded in on itself, where skyscrapers climb likes stalagmites and dangle like stalactites. This is “Reverse II” by Jean-François Liesenborghs. See more at deviantArt. Contact the author at [email protected].

In This Dreamy Animated Short, a Young Woman Frees Herself From Her Oppressive Family

In Les Liens De Sang (“Blood Ties”), we see the youngest daughter of an autocratic father take her birthday as the chance to break free. It’s a sumptuous short, filled with imagery that is both disturbing and revealing of her backstory. You’ve got to admire the work of Sophie Kavouridis, Manon Lazzari, Marion Louw, Simon…

What Did the Ancient Egyptians Do to Deserve These Gods of Egypt Posters?

With these posters, a movie that I’d barely paid attention to gets the highest compliment I can give: This is so ridiculous, I might have to see it. Okay. Let’s break this shit down. Gods of Egypt is directed by Alex Proyas (I, Robot, The Crow) and is about the epic battle between Horus and…

10 Villain Origins That Actually Make Sense

Pop culture is full of weak villains with nonsense origins. And the latest James Bond film, Spectre, was Exhibit A for “villains ruined by ridiculous new backstories.” But it doesn’t have to be this way. Here are 10 villains who actually have origins that make them better and more monstrous. Spoilers ahead, obviously. 1. Loki,…

Guillermo del Toro Gives Jack Kirby a Perfect Tribute

In a series of tweets, Guillermo del Toro—obviously no stranger to the comics—decided to offer his own little tribute to Jack Kirby’s skill. It’s pretty much dead-on correct. The rest of the tweets are below. Contact the author at [email protected].

In the Future, Robots Kidnap the President to Win the War

In a future where humans battle robots, an elite military team has to save the President. And retrieving him from the middle of robot-territory is as easy as it sounds. Directed by Samuel Jorgensen, Singularity is one of those rare shorts that is also an action movie. Even if the final twist is exactly what…

Image of astronaut Scott Kelly from the November 6, 2015 spacewalk outside the International Space Station. Image Credit: NASA Contact the author at [email protected].

Spectre‘s John Logan Is Rewriting Prometheus 2 Because One Overly-Complicated Turn Deserves Another

What do you do when you’re working on a sequel to a movie that was visually stunning but made heads explode to think about? You hire someone to rewrite it who has just finished doing that. Brace yourselves for John Logan’s version of Alien: Paradise Lost. In a fairly long profile of Ridley Scott, Variety…

iZombie Practices Safe Sex

Seattle’s crime scene is getting more complicated by the episode, but the thing that occupied far too much of “Max Wager” was Liv and Major’s sex life. Spoilers… The murder this week barely matters. The gambling lawyer from last week’s episode gets gunned down right in front of Clive, and the culprit is obviously the…

What Happens When a Civilization’s Home Literally Dies Underneath It?

EXODE is one of those short films which builds a whole world in just a few minutes. The whole shape of this civilization—and why the death of this dinosaur-like creature has spurred an exodus—is clearly revealed, and it’s fascinating. [h/t Rob Munday, Short of the Week] Contact the author at [email protected].

In the First Finding Dory Trailer, Memory Is a Tricky Thing

We finally have the first trailer for the Finding Nemo sequel–and it focuses on what we all knew the plot is: Dory trying to find her family. Aside from the Dory memory gags, I’m strangely touched by how protective Nemo is of Marlin. And confused as to how Nemo is still a kid, since the…

The Huge Problem With Spectre‘s Villain

Spectre, the latest James Bond movie, had everything it needed to work. Including the decision to cast the usually amazing Christoph Waltz as its main villain. Too bad some unfortunate choices turned Waltz’s villain into one of the film’s main liabilities instead. Spoilers ahead… When you call a Bond movie Spectre, there are certain expectations.…

The Latest Ice Age Short Shoots Scrat Into Space

After it premiered with the Peanuts movie, Fox has put the short “Cosmic Scrat-tastrophe” up online. I have literally no feelings about any Ice Age character except Scrat, whose life is a reminder of the constant misery that is the pursuit of the simplest needs. Contact the author at [email protected].

So I Guess the Holy Grail Is a Thing On Once Upon a Time Now? Okay, Sure.

Yeah. Why not? At it’s very heart, Once Upon a Time is an almost offensive melange of every story that’s ever existed. Why not have Merlin casually toting the Holy Grail around? Spoilers. . . It’s all Merlin all the time this week, Which means we open 2000 years ago, with Merlin wandering a desert,…

Robin Williams’ Will Prevents Disney From Using Old Aladdin Material in a New Film

If you’ve seen even the tiniest portion of Robin Williams’ performance as the genie in Aladdin, then it won’t come as a shock to you that there a ton of his material that never made it to the final cut. And now it won’t be seen on the big screen for at least 25 years.…

One of 2013’s Most Beautiful Stop-Motion Shorts Is Finally Online

Christophe Peladan’s Goutte d’Or is so brilliantly conceived and executed, all other undead pirate stories (looking at you Pirates of the Caribbean) will fall from memory. Warning: mildly NSFW due to naked half-octopus woman. https://vimeo.com/channels/every… [via Everything Animated] Contact the author at [email protected].

How Popular Are Your First and Last Names?

One of the best things about the internet—for those of us obsessed with names and history—is that there are a bunch of tools out there for tracing the popularity of your name. Here are three of my favorites. Fair warning: two of the three of these are US-centric. The Popularity of First Names From 1900…

Hell Yeah It’s Time For a GIF Party!

Your attention for the GIF PARTY! Bring us your best, worst, and weirdest. It is Friday after all. So, whether you’re up to dancing: Or a less subtle mayhem: Let us know. Contact the author at [email protected].

To This Day, I Am Terrified of The La Brea Tar Pits

Outside the La Brea Tar Pits and Museum, there’s an installation. In a still-bubbling lake of asphalt, a mammoth drowns to death while a crying baby mammoth reaches out its trunk. This is one of the most depressing pieces of statuary I have ever seen. The La Brea Tar Pits and its museum is a…

Aaron Sorkin’s Pixar Idea? Talking Office Supplies.

Way back in the mists of time, Aaron Sorkin was approached by Pixar—in the form of Steve Jobs—to write an animated feature for the studio. It never materialized, but Sorkin’s still got that idea kicking around. Speaking toDigital Spy, Sorkin revealed that he wanted to do a sort of Shoemaker and the Elves meets Toy…