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- I Remember Ed Wood
- Head Trip House
- Sleek Box Furniture
- WIMM Wearable Android Module
- Marvel Comics Posters At Their Most Minimal
- Cool Award Winning Scientific Simulation Videos
- The Bodega Cats Of NYC
- Pokemon With An Edge
- Glass Beach
- Forensic Psychiatrists Analyze Batman Villains
- Bottle Cap Nautilus Sculpture
- Space Invaders Cross-Stitch Sampler
- Hello Kitty Flashlight Keychain
- St. George and the Dragonet
- The Tiny Origami of Anja Markiewicz
- Diamond Encrusted Contact Lenses
- The 1990s Are Back!
- South Koreans Go to the Beach to Avoid the Sun
- Where Children Sleep
| Posted: 15 Aug 2011 05:10 AM PDT
Ask any film buff to name the worst directors of all-time, and you can be sure Ed Wood’s name will come up. He’s become a legend for films like Plan 9 From Outer Space -a movie so bad it needs to be seen just to be believed. This piece was written by someone who knew him -in fact, the reluctant star of Plan 9, Gregory Walcott. The Connection Early in our marriage, Barbara and I lived in a cottage just across the street from the First Baptist Church of Beverly Hills. Ed Reynolds, a chubby little man who attended the church, had come out to Hollywood from Alabama to make Biblical films. He talked to me occasionally, knowing I was in the movie industry, about his “calling” to produce religious movies with life-embracing themes. I tried not to encourage him, knowing he had no background in film production. Naive individuals like Reynolds are easy bait for Hollywood hucksters. Reynolds’ Big Break About a year later, Reynolds came to me and said he was going to finance a film starring Bela Lugosi. He wanted me to play the young romantic lead. I said to him, “But Ed, Bela Lugosi is DEAD!” Reynolds said, “Well, that’s not a problem. There’s a very ingenious director, Ed Wood, who has some excellent footage of Lugosi, and he has written a very clever screenplay around that film.” “But Ed, I thought you wanted to make religious pictures!”  Ed Wood “Yes! That’s the ultimate plan. But Biblical pictures with big sets, large casts and costumes are very expensive. This fellow, Wood, has convinced me that by making a few exploitation films, I can build up my bankroll to where I can then make big budget Biblical films.” I had never heard of Ed Wood, so I asked to see the script. It was the most atrocious piece of writing I had ever seen. A child could have written better dialog. I said, “Ed, this is a terrible script, and I hate to see you get involved in this project and lose your money.” “No, no! I want you to meet the director,” he insisted. “I’ll arrange a luncheon.” Reynolds was dazzled by Hollywood and couldn’t be dissuaded. Before the meeting, I looked into Wood’s background, and discovered he had done a few cheesy low-budget pictures. It was incongruous that sweet, sincere Reynolds, who wanted to produce inspirational Biblical motion pictures, would be connected with Wood, whose movies could only be booked in fleabag theaters on back streets. Meeting the Auteur At the luncheon, I found Wood to be a charmingly handsome man, who gushed about how perfect I would be working with a top-notch Hollywood crew and a good cast. Taking the Plunge  Greg Walcott in Plan 9 I reluctantly agreed to do the film, Plan 9 From Outer Space, as a favor to Ed Reynolds, working at scale wages on a four-day schedule. The first day I reported to work on a tiny sound stage-behind a sleazy bar and a disreputable hotel. I knew right away that I had made a mistake. The sets looked like something a 6th grade class has hastily put together. the crew seemed fairly normal, but the cast members were a bizarre assemblage of Wood’s cronies: hopeful actors, former wives, an astrologer, an over-the-hill wrestler, a few cross-dressers, and his chiropractor. The set had an ambiance of an old-time carny side-show, not a professional movie sound stage. I went home that first day, and I remember distinctly saying to my wife, “Honey, this has got to be the worst film ever made.” Unfortunately my assessment was prophetic, and the movie turned out to be a debacle. Poor Ed Reynolds could get no distributor to release the picture, and he lost his investment. A couple of years later he died, a broken man at the early age of 52. A Cult Film  Johnny Depp as Ed Wood The film was eventually released to television and shown during late-night ghetto hours. Amazingly enough, it picked up an audience; it was so shockingly bad that it was actually funny. A freaky Edward D. Wood phenomenon began. Even Tim Burton, director of the Batman mega hits was so fascinated by the quirky auteur that he made a movie of his life story in 1994. The film, Ed Wood, received favorable reviews but limited box office success. It did, however, add to Ed Wood’s growing international fame. But Why? I am still puzzled as to why people are attracted to Ed Wood’s ghastly legacy and his ludicrously inept films. Perhaps it’s like the fascination one finds looking at a macabre auto wreck. Perhaps Wood appeals to people who feel lost, or who rebel against society’s stereotypes. I think my son, Todd, may have hit upon the real reason: “It’s that thing we fear, in ourselves, that we, too, are not really talented, and in time that truth will be revealed.” I do say, I have to admire Wood for his flint-faced determination to do the thing he loved the most, making movies, and his uncanny ability to complete the projects, no matter how tasteless and poorly made. Who knows, maybe effort should be recognized as well as art. R.I.P. In his later years, Wood dashed off dirty magazine stories to survive and drank heavily. Evicted from his rat-hole apartment, he moved in with a friend in whose bed the 54-year-old Wood died quietly and unexpectedly in December 1978. His ashes were scattered in the ocean off the coast of Southern California. As a followup to Greg Walcott’s piece, we thought we’d include a few comments from critics about Plan 9 From Outer Space. ONLY HUBCAPS “Some say [Plan 9 From Outer Space] is the worst movie anyone ever made. Certainly it’s the worst movie Ed Wood ever made. And nobody but Wood could have made it. The lunacy begins with a portentous introduction from our old friend Criswell, the clairvoyant. ‘Greetings my friends,’ Criswell reads from his cue card. ‘We are all interested in the future because that’s where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives.’ While we’re still mulling over the meaning of that statement, Wood hits us with the heavy-duty special effects -UFOs flying over Hollywood Boulevard. Actually, they’re only hubcaps, superimposed on a pseudo-sky.” -The Worst Movies of All Time, by Michael Sauter ATTACK OF THE UNDEAD  Bela Lugosi in Plan 9 “God knows what the first eight “Plans” were, but Plan 9 is a doozy… Aliens Dudley Manlove and Joanna Lee (today a successful scriptwriter) were sent by The Ruler to raise the dead so that they’d attack the living. That’s just about what Wood tried to do with his dead friend Bela Lugosi, billed as the star of the film although he died prior to production. Wood had a couple of minutes of footage of Lugosi from an aborted project, so he simply inserted the snippets into the film and repeated them over and over so that Lugosi had adequate screen time. Lugosi’s character -The Ghoul Man- was played in the rest of the movie by a chiropractor, an extremely tall fellow who spends his screen time with a cape covering his face so we won’t know he’s an impostor. The ruse doesn’t work, but I don’t think Wood really cared.” -Guide for the Film Fanatic, by Danny Peary BEYOND RIDICULE  Lee and Manlove as the aliens “Words such as amateurish, crude, tedious, and aaarrrggghhhh can’t begin to describe this Edward D. Wood film with Bela Lugosi in graveyard scenes made shortly before his death…. The unplotted plot by Wood has San Fernando Valley residents troubled by UFOs of the worst encounter. Humanoid aliens Dudley Manlove and Joanna Lee land their cardboard ship with a ninth plan to conquer the world (the first eight failed, you see). They resurrect corpses, including Vampira, Tor Johnson and Lugosi’s double. The results are unviewable except for masochists who enjoy a good laugh derived from watching folks make fools of themselves.” -Creature Features Movie Guide Strikes Again, by John Stanley “The graveyard set provides the film with many of its eerie moments, thanks to a number of dead tree branches and cardboard tombstones; in one scene a policeman accidentally kicks over one of the featherweight grave markers. Despite the resourcefulness of the director, there are slight technical shortcomings in the final version of Plan 9. Even Wood’s staunchest defenders will admit that the Old Master seemed to have a tough time with lighting. In one scene, as Mona McKinnon runs in horror from Bela Lugosi’s double, she goes directly from a graveyard at midnight to a nearby highway at high noon. This same confusion between night and day occurs several times in the course of the film.” -The Golden Turkey Awards, by Harry and Michael Medved CHEAP, CHEAP, CHEAP “Money was always a problem for Wood. Budgets were routinely nonexistent, forcing him to film on the cheap, scrimping…as best he could… How cheap was Plan 9? The flying saucers are hubcaps suspended by wires. In several scenes the movie jumps from daylight to nighttime and back. And outdoor lawn furniture doubles as bedroom furniture…In all of the literature about Plan 9 (and there’s reams of the stuff) one question about the movie has never been answered. If Plan 9 was to revive the dead, what were the other eight plans?” -Why the People of Earth are “Stupid,” by Tom Mason See also: Robot Monster: The Ultimate Golden Turkey and The Worst Movie of All Time? ______________________________
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| Posted: 15 Aug 2011 04:57 AM PDT Armin Blasbicheler (I don’t know how to say it, either–just go with it) home in South Tyrol, Italy, designed his own home with the help of his children to make a fun and interesting living space. The exterior is constructed to make the house look like a pile of logs and the living room ceiling is cleverly made up of doors. My favorite bit is the colored front door made out of Pantone reference panels which creates a beautiful stained glass design on the floor. Design Sponge features photos of the home which includes a door dubbed by Ben over at Like Cool as the “Inception” door. Overall, it makes for an interesting combination of whimsical and practical. |
| Posted: 15 Aug 2011 04:10 AM PDT If you’re short on space, you may be interested in Boxetti–a new line of furniture meant for small spaces. Boxetti includes a fold out bed and closet combo, a stereo and television system, a couch with a coffee table, desk and kitchen units, all affordable and easily stored. Link (warning: autoplay music) -via Yanko Designs |
| Posted: 15 Aug 2011 02:42 AM PDT Wristwatches are waning as folks replace their time pieces with their smart phones. Wearing a phone is not exactly fashionable, but wearing a one-inch module from WIMM that incorporates an Android platform could be. Keeping track of your appointments, calls, and other data all from a module that fits on your wrist does have its appeal. It’s full color and is touch capable! Link via Design Boom |
| Marvel Comics Posters At Their Most Minimal Posted: 15 Aug 2011 01:30 AM PDT Superheroes are hitting the big screen hard these days, and comic books are more popular and finely illustrated than ever before. So what’s missing? How about a minimalist approach to the symbolism behind the heroes, the logos as art with a vintage poster appeal. Take a gander at these pop art inspired poster designs by Marko Manev and see if you can recognize them without reading the names at the bottom. |
| Cool Award Winning Scientific Simulation Videos Posted: 15 Aug 2011 01:29 AM PDT Science videos have never looked so cool, thanks to the introduction of 3d visual effects and simulations that make the scientific process geeky fun to watch. Whether you understand what’s happening in each short film or not, the visuals are mind blowing and quite beautiful to watch. You can see all 10 videos over at Wired. -via Wired |
| Posted: 15 Aug 2011 01:27 AM PDT What do cats that live in New York bodegas do all day? Oh, the usual-scratch stuff, hole up in a secret nest made out of a shipping box, and occasionally offer to help the customers with their milk. For more on the subject, check out the vid created by Internets Celebrities, who discover how kitties make the interwebs go round. |
| Posted: 15 Aug 2011 01:26 AM PDT These aren’t the little critters that have been driving kids, and parents, crazy for over 15 years, but personally I find these designs by Gavin Mackey far more appealing. Gotta catch ‘em all? More like make sure they don’t catch you, alone in the dark… Link -via ComicsAlliance |
| Posted: 14 Aug 2011 01:13 PM PDT Glass Beach is a section of coastline in MacKerricher State Park in California. After World War II, it was used as a public dump for two decades until local officials halted the practice. Since that time, the waves have worn smooth the glass shards disposed on the shore. However sad is the original cause, the result is quite pretty. You can view several more pictures at the link. Link -via The Agitator | Photo: In Focus |
| Forensic Psychiatrists Analyze Batman Villains Posted: 14 Aug 2011 12:13 PM PDT
Pozios’s colleague, H. Eric Bender, would also like to clear up a misconception about the Joker:
Link -via Glenn Reynolds | Image: deviantART user MZ09 |
| Posted: 14 Aug 2011 12:03 PM PDT Virginia art student Ryan Lytle created Nautilus, the awesome 3D sculpture shown above, from bottle caps, lots of wire, some keys, a gas mask lens and other recycled materials. Lytle calls the process of wrapping and weaving wire into art “cathartic” and says the changeable nature of the medium, added to the aging process of exposed metal, reminds him “of the progression of life.” More photos of Nautilus are available on his Flickr. Link via Laughing Squid |
| Space Invaders Cross-Stitch Sampler Posted: 14 Aug 2011 11:33 AM PDT This is definitely not your grandmother’s alphabet sampler. If your interest in old-school gaming overlaps with an appreciation for needlecraft, then this may be your new favorite thing. The Space Invaders sampler measures about 7.8? (h) x 6? (w), and was handmade by Knitforvictory, and is available over on Etsy for $25 (USD). Link via Technabob |
| Hello Kitty Flashlight Keychain Posted: 14 Aug 2011 11:23 AM PDT Hello Kitty Flashlight Keychain – $6.95 Are you a fan of Hello Kitty and all things cute? You need to check out the Hello Kitty Flashlight Keychain from the NeatoShop. This adorable keychain will light up your life with it’s very useful LED lights. Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more great Hello Kitty items! |
| Posted: 14 Aug 2011 11:22 AM PDT (Video Link) In 1953, satirist Stan Freberg released an audio spoof of the radio show Dragnet which imagined the legend of St. George and the Dragon as a hard-boiled cop show. Here’s a stop-motion animated version of it. It’s a pity that it doesn’t feature Jack Webb with bunny ears. -via Nag on the Lake |
| The Tiny Origami of Anja Markiewicz Posted: 14 Aug 2011 11:11 AM PDT Anja Markiewicz creates amazing, tiny works of origami. This crane was formed from a 9mm sheet of paper. Link -via Colossal | Artist’s Website (Google Translate) Previously: The Tiny Origami of Mui-Ling Teh |
| Diamond Encrusted Contact Lenses Posted: 14 Aug 2011 11:00 AM PDT Chandrashekhar Chawan, an optometrist, wanted to offer his customers an extra sparkle for their eyes. Initially, he tried gold, but it didn’t work that well. After his wife had diamonds mounted into her teeth, Chawan then realized that jewels present the luminous effect for which he was searching. Now he sells thick contact lenses with diamonds inside for $15,000 a set. Link -via The Presurfer | Photo: Shekhar Eye Research |
| Posted: 14 Aug 2011 10:45 AM PDT
Claire Suddath of TIME gets us all ready for the inevitable arrival of the scrunchies:
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| South Koreans Go to the Beach to Avoid the Sun Posted: 14 Aug 2011 10:44 AM PDT
John Glionna of the Los Angeles Times wrote to tell us how people in South Korea's most popular beach go there to avoid the sun:
And it doesn't end there. Read more about how the local officials had to install a high heel-friendly runway on the beach and other eccentricities: Link (Photo: Matt Douma/ LA Times) |
| Posted: 14 Aug 2011 09:46 AM PDT  9-year-old Jamie shares a top-floor apartment on New York's Fifth Avenue with his parents and three siblings. The family's two other homes are in Spain and the Hamptons.  14-year-old Prena is a domestic worker in Nepal and lives in a cell-like room in the attic of the house where she works in Katmandu. Kenyan-born, English-raised, Venice-based documentary photographer James Mollison’s photographs of children and their sleeping arrangements highlights the shocking disparity between the living conditions of children from all over the world. From Fifth Avenue to Katmandu, Mollison’s book, Where Children Sleep, was written and designed as an empathy tool for 9-to-13-year-olds to better understand the lives of other children around the world. Link |
The following is an article from 
The article above is reprinted with permission from 
Dr. Vasilis K. Pozios is a forensic psychiatrist and reader of superhero comic books. He’s spent his career studying dangerous criminals and is now applying that knowledge to comic book villains and the way in which Batman interacts with them:
Remember the 1990s? You know, Rugrats, Saved by the Bell, and - gasp - New Kids on the Block? Well ... love 'em or not, get ready: they're baaaack!
Aah, the beach. The shimmering ocean, the scantily clad girls frolicking in the sun ... wait scratch the last one, at least if you're in South Korea.| You are subscribed to email updates from Neatorama To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
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