In the new crime biopic Public Enemies, Johnny Depp stars as John Dillinger, the notorious bank robber who became Public Enemy #1 in 1930s in the United States in the beginning years of the J. Edgar Hoover-led FBI. During the Great Depression, the real-life Dillinger was a two-time escaped convict who not only pulled two [...]

At this point, most of us are aware of Sacha Baron Cohen, the British actor who has portrayed a Kazakhstanian reporter in Borat; a gay Austrian fashion buff in this summer’s Brüno, and a French car racing star in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby — among many other things. What many of us are not so much aware of is that Sacha has a cousin named Ash, and he’s been here in America and working in movies for much longer than his superstar relative.

In the July issue of Esquire, they did a small story on Ash Baron Cohen, and while he hasn’t made the most well-known films we’ve ever heard of, his story is wonderful and decorated with the praises of cinematic legends. Some of the films he has made are: Bang, which Roger Ebert called one of the best movies of 1997; Pups, which had Mischa Barton and Burt Reynolds; and probably his biggest project was This Girl’s Life, which starred James Woods, Rosario Dawson, Michael Rapaport, and Ioan Gruffudd. He also currently has three movies on the way that are in various states of production.

Most of his projects were directed under the one-name format: Ash. This was because he was initially here illegally. Apparently Oliver Stone loved his movie Bang so much, that he said “We need to get you legal,” and actually wrote the INS to make it happen.

Click over to the other side for one of the best Hollywood stories I’ve ever heard — WITH video! Pre-click warning: this video has some heavy NSFW language from thespian Richard Harris (that’d be Professor Dumbledore from the first two Harry Potter films, for you younger generation folks). Now you’re too curious not to look, aren’t you? [...]

Out there in the world, right this moment, there are countless independent comic book writers and artists trying to make their mark in the comic world. Silber Media is one of those folks, but instead of sticking on the regular path or taking the new road of digital comics, these guys and gals took an alternative path rarely traveled: mini-comics!

Mini comics aren’t comic books, and they’re not comic strips. They’re kind of a hybrid of the two. Each is about the size of a matchbook, with one panel, one picture, and one or two lines of dialogue on each page, but in the page-turning book format. Basically, you throw a handful of them in your pocket and go wherever you need to go. At a low point in your day, grab a mini-comic and go to town.

Currently, Silber has multiple mini-comic series going on, including Lost Kisses — which follows a lowly stick figure on his bitter, loathing quest for vengeance on a hated ex girlfriend; as well as Worms — a nightmare of a story that sees a girl waking up in a mysterious hospital, tied to her bed and attached to an IV with worms in it that slowly work their way into her system. [...]

Sci Fi Channel’s Warehouse 13 premieres on Tuesday July 7th at 9/8c. Starring CCH Pounder (The Shield), Eddie Mclintock (Bones), Joanne Kelly (Vanished) and Saul Rubinek (Eureka), the show follows a group of government agents assigned to retrieve strange supernatural objects for the U.S. Government. Once obtained, they are housed and safeguarded in a super-secret facility known only as Warehouse 13. According to the Sci Fi Channel, the show is a cross between the X-Files and Moonlighting, two very awesome shows in their own right.

In celebration of this super show, we came up with the Top 13 coolest objects from the comic-verse that would fit perfectly on the vast shelves in Warehouse 13. Get it? Because there’s 13 items and the Warehouse is numbered 13…and it is…uhh…funny…ha..umm..hah…..moving along…

Bruce Campbell. The man, the myth, the mighty chin.

In the realm of cult cinema there is no greater name than his. Bruce embodies all the great qualities we look for in our cinematic icons: talent, personality, wit, charisma, humility, grace, and honesty. He may never be accepted in the Hollywood circles like so many before him who got their start in B-movies and then forgot about where they came from, because Bruce will never betray his roots or his massive, well-deserved international fanbase. Any movie he’s part of, be it a clever cameo (the Spider-Man movies) or a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it bit part (the last shot of Darkman, The Demolitionist, several recent Coen Brothers flicks), is all the better for his presence alone, but Bruce has more acting talent than his extensive resume of Sci-Fi channel flicks, failed television shows, and countless convention appearances would reveal to the uninitiated.

Here’s a list of Bruce’s 10 best performances in film and television, in the humble opinion of this writer [...]

Geeks of Doom was very lucky to interview writer/artist Jimmy Gownley of Amelia Rules! fame. Jim talked about his series Amelia Rules!, how to break into the business, and most importantly, what is in his fridge.

If you have not read Amelia Rules!, you are missing out on some great comic writing. Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy at your local book store or comic book store. You will be glad you did. Special Thanks to Jim for giving us a chance to interview him.

You can learn more about Gownley and Amelia at ameliarules.com [...]

So, your guy Saturday JackBauerstein went to Day 1 of the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art Festival in New York City yesterday and let me tell you, the event was pretty amazing.

Now for this year’s event, MoCCA had a location change. Once stationed at the Puck Building, the event had grown too big and just too awesome to be contained in such a small space. Enter: The 69th Regiment Armory at Lexington Avenue and 25th Street. This massive building would be perfect for such a large gathering of indie comic fans and as usual, I had to be front center, smack-dab in the middle of the event.

I arrived at the location 20 minutes before the event was about to begin and already there was a line in front of me [...]

Burn Notice, premiering its third season on Thursday, June 4th on USA Network at 9/8c, is a show that started out as something very small. The story of a CIA operative who suddenly finds himself burned (blacklisted from government work, stuck with no passport, no money, etc.) and dropped off in Miami, the show may appear on the surface to be a traditional formula: with the help of his “trigger-happy” ex-girlfriend Fiona (Gabrielle Anwar) and his former colleague Sam (the week’s honoree, Bruce Campbell), Michael Weston (Jeffrey Donovan) helps out people in the community who need someone who knows how to handle a gun, is able to rig a bomb out of just about anything, and who’s street smart enough to get the job done without involving the authorities.

At that basic level, the show is a procedural like any other, but it was first boosted by two primary elements that raise its quality. First, the presence of Anwar (who despite being a polarizing figure is damn fun to watch due to her sadistic streak) and Campbell (who is both the heart and humor of the show, usually simultaneously) help to give the show a nice banter, along with Michael’s connection to his mother and brother who also happen to live in Miami. Second, the missions themselves take the form of Michael offering narration as to his MacGyver-like abilities with hardware store purchases — he takes us through the missions piece by piece, allowing us to see the inner workings of the process. It takes missions that are good to begin with thanks to their populist streak (everyone likes to see a good guy helping out the little guy) and gives them an added point of interest for the viewer, especially those who enjoy geeking out at some ingenious engineering. Combined with the beautiful Miami setting, and the bikini-clad women who somehow always seem to populate the streets, and you have a show with something for everyone [...]

Game Trailers TV had a great special on recently which debuted a bunch of great new videos for games expected to make impacts at the great E3 convention — the convention where most of the year’s biggest and best video games make their first impressions.

Below is a list of big upcoming games, a little about them, and the links to some great video previews that video game fans just need to go and watch. Once you watch one of the videos, you can search for a title on the website and watch any other videos or trailers that they may have.

Keep in mind these are just previews of some of the promising-looking multi-platform games that might be big at E3, which takes place June 2-4 at the LA Convention Center. There’s a whole lot more games than this that are coming out soon that have us all Christmas Day-excited for them. There will also be countless other games talked about at E3. Hopefully, you might find a game here that you weren’t aware of!

Think of this like our Summer Movie Mayhem, but with games. Be sure to stay tuned for any giant E3 announcements that may come along this June! [...]

Warren Ellis is a lot of things: comic book author, script writer, storyteller, unapologetic drunkard, and generally a badass. But, most people don’t realize he’s also a master of the 140-character message, also referred to as a ‘tweet’ on popular microblogging site Twitter, which allows its users to update a stream throughout the day. In Ellis’ case, he warns the scum that follow his updates about the dangers of unicorns, warns of unwanted genitalia contact, and threatens the well-being of Apple fanboys.

About a year ago we ran a similar article that sifted through Ellis’ message stream for the top ten best ‘tweets’, but honestly, it doesn’t do him justice. Below are another ten messages that only required looking at the last two months. But, lest ye still challenge my claim that Ellis is master and commander of microblogging, check out his full Twitter page, or better yet, venture on over to his personal site [warrenellis.com] to see some long-form examples [...]

Sam Raimi returns to his horror roots with Drag Me To Hell, which opened in theaters today.

Spoiler Talk is usually reserved for a spoiler-filled discussion about a movie — and we’ll get to a little bit of that later — but for this edition, allow me to focus on the true spoiler of Drag Me To Hell — the American teenage audience. That’s right, I made the dreadful mistake of going to a 7:30pm Friday showing of this PG-13 horror flick, so I got the special viewing complete with running commentary, texting, and cellphone lighting.

The beauty of a Raimi horror film is that there’s suspense, there’s tension… you’re on the edge of your seat the whole time. You know something is going to go “bump” in the night, yet when it happens, you’re startled nonetheless. Well, all of that is lost when Vinnie Stunad and his buddies NEVER STOP TALKING through the entire movie. God forbid there’s a split-second of silence, these hormone-raging ADHD morons just HAVE TO say something, anything, doesn’t matter what it is, if it makes sense, etc [...]

Before we start, a couple of rules that I followed while making this list:

-Documentaries don’t count: Watching the scene and setting the scene are two different things. If you made a documentary before you made your dramatic debut, the dramatic debut is the one I’m counting.

-Your movie had to be distributed: Every once in a while, a feature makes the film festival rounds without actually getting picked up and distributed. If your second film was released in theaters in America, that’s the one I’m counting.

-No Donnie Darko: That movie is actually an episode of Quantum Leap with shitty emo “Kill Yourself” music packed in. Sorry, kids.

So now then…The Ten Best Directorial Debuts of the Decade [...]

You’ve seen them on gaming tables or in display cases, preserved and painted to amazing quality. If you’re a Dungeons & Dragons player like myself, odds are you have one of your own to represent your fantasy persona. They come separately packaged or in multi-figure kits, typically sculpted from plastic or pewter. These days, they can even be bought pre-painted for the avid gamer who would rather spend more time rolling dice than sitting at a painting table.

But where’s the fun in that?

If you’ve ever looked at a beautifully painted miniature and said to yourself, “I wanna do THAT!” then this, my friend, is the column for you.

I’m sure some of you may be thinking, “There’s no way I could ever be able to paint like that,” but don’t be discouraged! The people who do those incredible paint jobs started off just like you, and with the right guidance and plenty of practice, you could be giving them a run for their money in no time.

For the duration of this column, I will be discussing the techniques of painting your own miniature. I do not profess to being a professional by any stretch of the imagination, but that is the beauty of this rewarding and relaxing hobby… You don’t have to be a professional to share the tips and techniques that you’ve discovered! [...]

Empire Magazine has been throwing quite the birthday party for themselves after turning an impressive 20-years old recently. Along with some great movie stories and information, the magazine has now created The Cryptic Canvas, and they’re inviting you to come on over and see if you have the ultimate movie knowledge it takes to de-crypt the cryptic!

Basically, it’s one giant painting, and on this giant painting are 50 different things that depict a movie title. You look around, then click it on an image in the painting and a box opens where you type in the movie title. The site promises that all films come from the past twenty years to coincide with their 20th anniversary, but be warned, I did find at least one sneaky sneaky one that slipped in. I know your tricks, Dewey.

After figuring out that these weren’t literally translated, I was personally able to get about half deciphered before hitting the proverbial wall. Since then it’s been a slow, pecking process toward the completion of this master movie puzzle [...]

As part of celebratory Week of Geek, we’ve put together a preview of all of the books being released in association with the Terminator Salvation, which was released this weekend.

We have novelizations, prequel books and comics, and art and film companion books — all of the books that Terminator fans would want to have in their library or on their coffee table!

Below you’ll find the brief summaries of the books, along with authors, illustrators, number of pages, publishers, and a link to where you can go and get your own copy.

Also, be sure to check back tomorrow for information on your chance to win one of the Terminator Salvation tie-in books, courtesy of the awesome folks at Titan Books..

Enjoy! [...]

I’m going to assume that 99.9% of us have seen at least The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day, if not Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines as well. If you have not, and you’re planning on seeing Terminator Salvation this week, then Geeks of Doom is your place to make sure you at least have some kind of an idea of what the hell is going on.

Keep in mind — I can absolutely promise you that Salvation and any others ever made will not be anywhere near as good as the first two, and I strongly urge you to see them first; but if you just don’t have time and have to get you some Christian Bale action now, hopefully this will help out a little.

Before you continue here, be sure to check out our own BAADASSSSS!’s in-depth and thoughtful retrospect of 1984’s The Terminator. Go ahead, I’ll wait.

OK, now that you’ve read up on the first movie, here’s the promised quick recaps of both T2 and T3 so that you can complete the Zelda tri-force and be fully prepared to see Terminator Salvation! [...]

Season finales have all aired and the campaigns to save NBC’s Chuck and Fox’s Dollhouse were short lived as I’ve heard both will survive to see at least one more September. But what I want to point out before the news becomes stale is the underlying problem with how the networks currently judge a program’s worth.

Right now, the primary concern of television network executives are ratings via a standard broadcast during prime time hours. Those “ratings” primarily come from places like Nielsen, which means they select a group of individuals across the nation that will represent a good sample of the population and give them a box that records their viewing habits. That’s how they get their demographics by age and gender, two of the most useful pieces of information used to reel in advertisers.

I don’t know about most of you, but I’m 25 years old and I’ve never once met anyone who had one of these Nielsen boxes. The closest I’ve come to even understanding how the whole process even works is due to an episode of Roseanne where the family got a Nielsen box and proceeded keep it tuned to PBS to mess with the statistics [...]

Since our prehistoric ancestors first learned how to use tools and then learned that those tools could also be used as killing implements mankind has always been at war in some form or another. From the battlefields of our nation and many others around the world to the pages of superhero comic books and the flickering lights of the silver screen, epic battles have been fought and fearsome adversaries have been encountered and either conquered or embraced as an ally. Sometimes the greatest enemies can be the ones we create for ourselves, stored in our active imaginations until they can be loosed on an unsuspecting world. Oftentimes there can be no greater enemies than the ones we become out of the necessity to feed our weaknesses and satiate our egos.

Enter James Cameron’s 1984 scifi classic The Terminator.

The machines rose from the ashes of the nuclear fire. Their war to exterminate mankind had raged for decades, but the final battle would not be fought in the future. It would be fought here, in our present. Tonight…

Once upon a time future, self-proclaimed “king of the world” James Cameron was screwed six ways to Sunday [...]

There have been comparisons all over the Twitterverse this morning of the new Star Trek cast and a litter of cute newborn kittens. This of course is reaffirmed by adding LOL-speak to stills of the new movie, as done by Lolodeck. Right now there aren’t that many up but of the shots they have posted, they are worth of a click through.

Personally, I couldn’t wait for more so I made one of my own (scroll down) using Google Image Search, Griffin’s FAIL Maker App for the iPhone and a lolcat speak translator (found here).

If you feel the urge to do the same, post the links in the comment section below…(puleez?) [...]

I’m sure most (if not, all) of you are aware of the promotions that fast food giant Burger King has been running for J.J. Abrams‘ box office smash Star Trek, where they offer Trek-themed toys to kids and Trek-themed drinking glasses to adults. It, of course, has been nearly beaten to death by various ad campaigns, whether in the form of radio announcements, television spots, or ridiculous-looking window clings stuck to the fronts of most of their buildings.

If it sounds like I am complaining, I assure you, I’m not. It’s been a long while since a chain such as BK has released glasses like these, because nowadays the “adult toys” usually constitute watches of some sort (like the awesome Star Wars ones or the terrible talking Simpsons ones; take your pick), and I was always a huge fan of the collectible cups and mugs that they have offered throughout the years (Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and Batman Forever? Yes please!). So hearing that they were going back to basics and offering a line of four cups to collect was awesome news to hear… about two months ago [...]