Only God Forgives: Next Sleeper Hit?

PLANET GRIFFIN, that digital blogcast pirate you love and trust, is back in orbit! Yours truly, THE INFAMOUS RODBUDDAH a.k.a. INK WESTLAKE is amped for the summer release of NICOLAS WINDING REFN's ONLY GOD FORGIVES, a sleek revenge tale (set in the mean streets of Thailand) starring Refn's newest paramour, RYAN GOSLING, from their stunning 2011 debut, DRIVE.

Julian (Ryan), a drug smuggling living in Thailand, is driven by his seemingly possessed mother (played by Kirsten Scott Thomas) to find his brother's murderer and eliminate him! If the quiet, yet shocking and sudden, violence of the director's first outing is any indication, this film can easily become the sleeper hit of the summer!

It's A Small World After All

PLANET GRIFFIN is known by many as many things: Rant Machine, Pirate Blogcast, NEXT 100 Advocate, Grindhouse Goodfella, and other lowball comments that I won't publish here, but you understand... Let's get to it, shall we?

What the hell is going on with Disney? Answer: Something Big in the near future.

Only a few days ago, the Mighty-Marvel-Mouse-House-Of-Ideas-With-Whom-The-Force-Is-Strong-With, decided that the time was right to dismiss it's old school animation staff; opting to control it's cost by focusing on CGI features since they now have full controlling interest of PIXAR (Y'know, somewhere in Japan, a group of animators in a bullpen are laughing uncontrollably--- a blurb that tickled legendary cartoonist Kyle Baker earlier today, btw). They shut down LucasArts Ltd. to focus on licensing the properties since the Games division was playing games with people's wallets (I can understand this one--- why would Indiana Jones games suck ass while games like Uncharted and Tomb Raider franchises see profitable returns..?)

Other blogsites make mention (in theory) of Issac 'Ike' Perlmutter's ultra grim cost cutting tactics with Marvel in regards to how Disney is doing the exact same thing...

 Well, YES, Perlmutter IS a member of Disney's Board of Directors and, YES, Perlmutter's move from Toybiz to Marvel was a pre-ordained move (he brought AVI ARAD with him to clean up the entertainment division until MARK MILLAR stepped into Marvel Special Projects), which explained how Disney would buy the Marvel Brand, and YES, Disney is following the 'Perlmutter Pennies-Before-Passion Playbook' in grand fashion (somebody's got their eye on the Iger Seat--- mark these words)! Even with all the cost cutting till it hurts business tactics, Disney is still buying into other markets like Big Box Retail... With the massive influx of cash the next 3 years alone will generate, don't be surprised when Disney buys big into the Foreign markets within that time.

 If their co-production split with China on Iron Man 2 (China will have it's own separate version of the film, share a co- production credit, and Disney claims a huge check. Ice cream for all) is any indication, definitely.

With so much reorganization/ consolidation going on, from the Marvel Special Projects involving Avengers sequels, Guardians of the Galaxy, and smaller projects, to their big marketing push for the upcoming Star Wars films, it's pretty evident that after all these years, Disney was right... It truly IS a small world after all...

...Just when they said it, they never meant the Unemployment Office.

RESURRECTION

Hello?
 Is this thing on?
Good...

Ladies and Gentlemen, that pirate blogsite that orbitted the blogosphere for oh so long was disabled due to technical issues waaaaaay back in 2011. Those of you who followed me on Facebook & Twitter since that time, I thank you for sticking with me and standing by me. It's been a long, hard, and strange road since that time.

As of today, the Infamous RodBuddah has returned to reclaim the pyramids and realign my fat ass back upon the throne of the Wilder Kingdom! As time progresses, expect more ranting, raving, and telling tales of the Industry At Large and Pop Culture as it stands.

Besides, anyone who kept up with my rantings up until the disconnect can see how much of what I said has already come to pass... And I AM JUST GETTING STARTED!

Thank you

Revolution In Ruin? Doubt It...

The last time this country saw a true revolution, it involved a united front facing the overwhelming odds of a hierarchy whose reign, though already well established, sought to continue its domination over those who broke away to seek new worlds of their own.


Sound familiar?


Superbowl Sunday is the flavor of the day as PLANET GRIFFIN returns to orbit to comment on other clashes that have taken place over the last few weeks... I speak of the supremely intriguing; albeit lukewarm, commentary of the ' Indy Comic Revolution'--- from Eric Powell's infamous Youtube video (revealing a cowled superhero straddling one of its artist across a kitchen table) declaring the emergence of a Creator's Front, to the impassioned statements of Steve Niles, Robert Kirkman, and others, to the varied criticisms from online reviewers--- all of this chatter culminating (so far) in the removal of the Creator's Front facebook page and the bewilderment of many a fanboy as the online chatter quickly changed from 'Gotta Revolution' to 'What Happened?'  


Frankly, in an industry surrounded by incredibly talented individuals, the abundance of ego's in this business are just as incredible, so revolution is putting it a bit strong... Which offers one explaination of Powell tearing down the FB site; citing 'his own personal enthusiasm' to carry him forward... Really, the mainstream wouldn't have to worry about such sides--- they have corporate sponsorship. Independent power players like Niles and Kirkman can afford to speak on such issues... In fact, in the wake of television, film, and multimedia, they can afford to do whatever they like... Sigh.

Y'know, I could continue on with this, but for those of you who took the time to read up on PLANET GRIFFIN archives, you would've already known that this blogsite foretold the situation over a year ago!  Bold statement, I know, but considering that even in its dormant state, this pirate blogcast has been sitting on ALL of this information for some time, so for those of you who've followed this site, you're already ahead of the curve. This little heads-up is brought to you by The Infamous RodBuddah.

BACK TO WORK...

Brand New Day, Brand New Business

Happy New Year!

That baaaad maaan of the pirate blogcast, The INFAMOUS RODBUDDAH,  has re-emerged to once again become part of your complete breakfast just in time for the new year! The number of emails, text messages, and people who generally abuse me, asking when I would make the return to ranting and raving about the excesses of lamestream pop culture--- Well, here we are.

Anyways, I hope everyone's holidays have been a merry one--- my time spent at the end of the year has jumped up and down more than the Dunn and Broadstreet stock index... Christmas time was joyous until the water pipes burst in my house and my neighbor's dog attempted to treat my ass as Steve-O's stunt double while underneath the house... I thrilled to the sight of going to a bonfire where the theme of it was burning old christmas trees... Just picture the imagine:  Hapless dry pines being sacrificed to the old gods of the holidays... The flaming spiral extending into the sky by an astounding 30 feet... The young man consuming champagne, oblivious to the gas can by his feet... By the fire... The stark contrast of bright yellow and white against a deep purplish night sky, followed by the sharp hues of blue, red, and white lights as they encircled the party, inquiring of the incredible fire show which threatened to consume the neighborhood....

...Ah, the Jim Morrison moment was not lost on me.  But that's another story for another time.

But now, a brand new day for a brand new year, and this is merely a taste of what to expect from your brand new host.  I did spill the beans in my last post concerning a new PODCAST that will emerge in 2011 and since that staement, the number of inquires surrounding that has doubled. For those uninitiated with PLANET GRIFFIN, the new mantra for 2011 is simple and direct...

"Balls. Big ones. On your coffee table."  In other words:  Our Business is your Business that means Business.

Till next post, stay hungry and BACK TO WORK!             

Since We Last Spoke

BOO!! Just in time for Halloween, PLANET GRIFFIN has returned! (Even in it's 1.5 status)...  Since we last spoke, I've made mention of how I've been working towards bringing the pirate blogcast back full force... Considering how long these posts have been coming along, I must apologize to all the followers who have waited (and waited, and waited, and... you get the idea...) patiently for the world of The NEXT 100 to return.  Of course, yours truly, The Infamous RodBuddah, has been moving silently among you, gathering the tools I need for the new 2011 venture ( which will require a terrabyte just to archive it)--- I've been bursting at the seams to say it aloud, but have been forced to play it all close to my chest. I will say that on top of the FIERCE CREATURES OGN (which may top out at 320 pages with all the trimmings), a new series that's guaranteed to draw out the Modern Warfare junkies (the cat's coming outta the bag slowly... There WILL be pics to follow up), and the voice...

Yes, the voice of The Infamous RodBuddah himself, as I will be hosting an upcoming podcast (the title to be announced, seeing as how it will be titled something entirely new and I don't have the time to screw around with those who like to hold domain names 'hostage' just for the hell of it!).  It's all been a WHOLE LOTTA WORK, but in true RodBuddah fashion, I LOVE THIS WORK THAT I DO!  To ALL my indie bretheren out there, NOW is the time to get your act together!  If WE don't do everything in our power to bring the masses back to the shelves, the corporations will raze this industry to the ground!!!  Yes, I said it--- look at Marvel and Disney--- if they don't change that attitude within the coming year; price changes AND content,  it's gonna become a smaller world than you think!

BACK TO WORK FOLKS!

Gaining New Orbit (Once The Hyperdrive Is Fixed...)

It's been a long time, I shouldn't have left you, without a quick
word to step to. Of course, the one and only pirate blogcast, PLANET
GRIFFIN, is still under construction (this time due to technical difficulties,
Nothing too major, though), and yours truly, The Infamous RodBuddah, is still
hard at work repairing and preparing for the ridiculous amount of rants, raves,
and NEXT 100 goodness you've come to expect... In the meantime, don't hesitate
to go back through the PLANET archives and see what it's all about, recommend your
friends, family, enemies, etc. to experience the madness of the indy rebel and stand
by for what's to come (new artwork, new NEXT 100 news, and the future of what this
blogcast is prepared to follow up with--- trust me, you're definitely gonna want to
be around when it jumps off!). Until then, like the Millenium Falcon, she'll still
make the Kesel Run in less than 4 parsecs--- just gotta fix the hyperdrive...