Cost of Living was one of the most popular features at last year’s Fantastic Fest, a tongue-in-cheek short film that paid homage to the splattery tongue-in-cheek creature features of the 1980’s and was written and directed by newcomer BenDavid Grabinski. Now the acclaimed short is online and you can watch the entire 9-minute film as well as a brief behind-the-scenes video here below.

Brandon Routh (Superman Returns, Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World) and Bret Harrison (Reaper) play (respectively) Silas and Jerry, a pair of working stiffs employed by a scientific facility that often loses control of its “experiments” and thus must be put down violently. During one crisis our heroes are dispatched on a suicide mission into the darkest and most dangerous bowels of the building, and as Silas and Jerry stare certain death in its off-camera face they discuss their futures, including a possible transfer to a facility that doesn’t have so many monster problems.

The loving folks over at Archaia and the team behind the graphic novel Mr. Murder Is Dead sent out some really cool Valentine’s Day digital cards.

Check out the full sheet of Valentine’s Day cards here below. I think my favorite one is “You put the VD in Valentine’s Day” (an oldie, but goodie, no?).

Mr. Murder Is Dead is published by Archaia along with Star Trek‘s Zachary Quinto through his Before the Door company.

When I was looking around in stores for some Valentine’s Day gifts for my sweetheart, I found boxes of chocolates in Spider-Man-themed heart-shaped boxes, as well as sets of Spidey Valentine’s Day cards.

If you didn’t come across any of these items, you can still get in on the Spider-Man-themed Valentine’s Day fun thanks to a Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark mobile app.

G.I. Joe: Retaliation #1
Official Movie Prequel
Written by John Barber
Art by Salvador Navarro
Colors by Esther Sans
Letters by Chris Mowry
Covers by Salavador Navarro
IDW Publishing
Release Date: February 15, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99

Even though many movie tie-ins are generally not thought of too highly or are dismissed by most retailers, there are exceptions to that rule and G.I. Joe: Retaliation #1: Official Movie Prequel is one of them. Why? Let me explain.

John Barber gives us exactly what we want in this comic: an awesome summer movie in comic form. It’s everything you want to see in a G.I. Joe movie — ninjas, gun fights, action, conflict, drama, and more.

Today is Valentine’s Day and I, for one, really enjoy this holiday. I feel that any day that celebrates love is a good day. But, I know there are many people out there who hate it, including those who scream about “corporate greed!” and feel it’s a holiday created by greeting card companies to guilt men into spending their hard-earned cash on overpriced cards, chocolates, flowers, and jewelry. Well, I can’t argue with you there, as it is a big cash-in day for many industries (you Capitalists should love that).

So, for those of you who don’t want to give your money to corporate fat-cats or go along with the obligatory overpriced flowers and candy routine, then here’s some last-minute charitable gifts you can give — because let’s face it, if you’ve been going on all year about how Valentine’s Day sucks, then most likely haven’t gotten your sweetie a gift yet. But hey, just because you’re a non-conformist who hates sappy holidays doesn’t mean you can’t show the love, too, and not just for your partner, but for anyone in your life you care about. And, wouldn’t giving to charity on Valentine’s Day be a nice finger in the face to materialism? Yeah, go for it!

Here’s our list of 5 Charitable Last-Minute Gift Ideas For Valentine’s Day.