Nautilus

Two years in the making, Alexander Safarik has finally completed his 1.75m SHIP!  It's made entirely out of LEGO, too, no metal or wooden framing needed.  His next task is to create some other ships in addition to a ground scene beneath.  The second shot really highlights the variety of understated color blocks along the length of the ship.  Not sure what they indicate, but it all looks pretty cool to me.  And if you want to see this beast in person, Alexander says he's going to be taking it to Brickcon this year.  Awesome! 

The LEGO Batman Movie: Spoiler-Free Review

Last night I went to see The LEGO Batman Movie. Yes, it was the day after the opening day (what can I say, I'm a busy guy), and yes it was in a theater full of children, but it's a family movie, and I wanted to experience it with it's target audience. Besides, I'm effectively a 12 year old, just ask my wife. I went in with pretty high expectations, The LEGO Movie was pretty awesome, and Batman was my favorite character from that, so the bar was high. I'm happy to say it did not disappoint, I loved it.

It has everything, action, laughs, heart-felt moments, excellent dialog, top-notch performances, more action, more laughs and so many subtle (and not so subtle) references and easter eggs that it will take another couple viewings just to take it all in. The writing is fantastic, and it has...*gasp* ...a story! And it's not just yet another bad guy threatens Gotham, batman saves the day sort of tired narrative (it is, of course, a subplot) but at it's core it's a film about family, being alone, and being afraid of loss. Real, genuine, emotional content from a bunch of polygons rendered to look like a bunch of toys. That's not a trivial accomplishment. CG features are a dime a dozen these days, but few are really capable of evoking an emotional response beyond a couple chuckles. The film starts out heavy on action, then slows down pretty abruptly. If I have a minor complaint it's with the pacing, when it slows down, it slams on the brakes. Judging by the fidgeting in the theater, the kids felt the same. 

The talent gathered to bring this to the screen is so good it's hard to grasp. I didn't read much before viewing, and I only knew a few key cast members. But during the credits I was thrilled to see so many A-list names. That's the power of the DC and LEGO brands, and the faith in the filmmakers to do this properly. This is a spoiler-free review, and those names were a surprise to me, so I'll let you be surprised too. I am also proud to know several people involved in this production, and I tip my hat to all you crazy talented artists and technicians. And before you ask, no, I didn't work on the movie. I did do some animation for some of the promotional tie-ins, but I had nothing to do with the feature.

One of the things I love most about this film, and The LEGO Movie, and from the preview The Ninjago Movie, is the care the filmmakers take to ground the film in classic brick filming. Subtle things like adding barbs to hands during fast moves to simulate motion blur, swapping out tubing for arms when they need to stretch or squash, staying true to building techniques that we have to use in the real world. Of course, in CG you can break any rule you'd like, but they "keep it real" for the most part. Of course, for better animation they play fast and loose with things like shoulder attachments, hips and general limitations of the Minifig design. And of course, Batman's cowl has a full range of emotions and flexibility that simply would be impossible in actual bricks. But there's a story to tell and I understand why they did it. The simple inability to make a figure shrug has frustrated me in the past, why purposefully hamstring yourself? I feel the filmmakers struck a good balance in what's possible and what's practical.

But like I said, this is a story about family, and it's a welcome departure from the gritty, depressing Batman content of late. Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed Nolan's trilogy, but you have to admit, they're a bit...dark. And I don't want to ever see anything as campy and stupid as Shumachers' Batman and Robin ever again, but a little levity and self awareness would be appreciated. And don't get me started on Batman v Superman, I stand by my original 9 word review: "A plodding, uninteresting mopefest intermittently interrupted by catastrophe porn". I found this film not only faithful to the history of Batman, but downright reveling in it. It's self-awareness was evident, and makes for some great laughs and sweet nostalgia. The themes of the film make for some insightful moments, and genuine character arcs, all with a group of characters and an environment we are all so familiar with they feel like relatives and places we have visited. Yet this film feels fresh, earnest and willing to please. And please it does, I give it 5 out of 5 Nerdlys.

Leaving the City

Inspired by a Jack Vettriano painting of the same name, Bricks Noir has created this stunning version in LEGO.  As I've said in previous posts, capturing the human form in any medium is no easy task.  But Bricks has done just that, and brilliantly.  Not only with the flowing curves of the main subject, but also a sense of motion as she admires the shadowy cityscape in the distance. Very effective! 

Inside Out

This one's a bit morbid, but tempered with whimsy. Builder simplybrickingit built this MOC that rides a fine line between anatomical and humor. But it's the part use that really caught my attention. So many creative decisions in this, and so much questionable taste. Like my old friend James Cummins used to say, "inside each one of us is a skeleton dying to get out"

Neo

I remember the first time I saw The Matrix. It was during the original theatrical release, and I went in cold. I don't even recall seeing a commercial for it. I went with a group from work, we had been crunching on a project and needed a little recreation, we got it. We all left the theater charged up for stylized storytelling, cutting edge effects and *gasp* an original idea. I don't care much for the sequels, but the original still holds up, it's an amazing little bit of filmmaking. This likeness of the hero by cmaddison just makes me want to watch it again.

Rotund

I don't know what the purpose of this big dude from m_o_n_k_e_y is. From the small section of base he's on it appears he's designed for industrial use. His large form seems a bit impractical if I'm being honest, but you just want to run up and hug his big ol' asymmetrical body huh? I'm guessing if the factory has a amateur football team this guy's a linebacker too.

Pikachu! I Choose....Oh Crap!

Yup let's face it, everyone's favorite pocket monsters are, for the most part, small animals. And small animals tend to end up small, flat animals when they get near roads. I laughed out loud when I saw this latest Iron Builder MOC by CeciΙie, does that make me a bad person? (Rhetorical question, I'm a bad person)

The LEGO Batman Movie Logo!

Darth Nick is an awesome builder I've had the pleasure of knowing for quite some time (he's actually the reason I became an AFOL). Whenever he gets a chance to build I usually know it will be something cool!  This time Nick has built the logo from The Batman LEGO Movie (launched today in Canada!), and it is spot on.

This creation measures over 4 feet long (about 152 studs) and it was built live on twitch over a span of a few days! He actually gave up his ticket to see the premiere a couple days ago to continue building this, not sure if he knew he was passing up on premiere tickets but I got to see it instead of him so yay! You can check out Nick's live build video below:

Nick also built The LEGO Movie logo for its premiere 3 years ago, you can check it out here on his flickr! (Man, does time fly!)

A Comfortable Space

Sometimes the genius of Iron Builder is subtlety. The seed part of this current challenge is the pentagonal 2x3 tile, but I'm guessing you've only glanced at this image by Cecilie and maybe saw four in use in the curtains, look again. This MOC is loaded with them, and used to great effect. There's several representing books, but my favorite use is the cushions on the couch, brilliant.

Mantis

We don't have a whole lot of the more exotic bugs here on the central coast of California, but we do see an occasional praying mantis, and it's always a little thrill. I don't know why this particular insect gets so much attention, but when one shows up it always seems someone is taking a picture of it. Now this version by Takamichi Irie is totally photogenic, being as it's built from everyone's favorite toy.

Burton's Batmobile

Guess what movie comes out today? There's Batman everywhere right now, and I'm totally cool with that. I haven't seen it yet (give me a break, it's not even 7am yet) but I'm totally stoked to learn that the Burton Batmobile will be represented thanks to the effort of builder Brent Waller. I understand it's only in the background, but this has always been my favorite Batmobile (with the '66 a close second) so I'll be watching closely. 

Batmobile Blues (NOT!)

More and more Batman builds!  Are you tired of it yet?  No?  Good!  The Incinerator14 is adding to the Batman excitement with another super sleek Batmobile!  (There can never be enough LEGO Batmobile MOC's.)  The builder of this model used all sorts of smooth and sleek slope elements to give this vehicle a sporty, yet tough, appearance to the model.  Instead of designing one of the more modern Batmobiles, this model is a replica of 1995's Batman Forever.  The builder had this to say:  "Since I find the design rather interesting and since it almost hasn't been recreated in LEGO form, I wanted to see if I could recreate this car..."  What's your favorite rendition of the famous car of the Dark Knight?  Let us know below in the comments!

Octana

She's sexy, she's confident, she's swift. Meet Octana, a pilot in the Formula Zero Gravity league. The classic color combination makes her instantly identifiable as a racer. It's a little difficult to gauge the durability of this model, but it certainly appears like it would be a great template for an animation figure, hmmm...

World War I Flying Ace

Here we see the WWI Flying Ace, locked in eternal battle with the Red Barron. His trusty Sopwith Camel strains under the maneuvers, but doesn't let him down, and his trusty sidekick Woodstock is by his side. Who will prevail? Well that is the question. Also, is dinner ready yet? A wonderful rendition of Snoopy by Legohaulic.

Scarif Citadel

The Rogue One builds are starting to flood my Flikr photostream (along with a lot of Batman builds)!  One of the most iconic new buildings in the newest Star Wars film is the citadel on the tropical planet of Scariff.  Inside of this structure, the technical readouts of the Empire's battle station are protected along with other important Imperial data files.  This micro version is incredibly accurate, right down to Director Krennic's signature shuttle coming in for a landing on the pad.  Great work Markus19840420!  Hope to see am even bigger one at some point in the future. 

For Better Or For Worse Or For Bananas

Congratulations, this minion couple by car_mp is going to tie the knot. But from the looks of it, the groom is perhaps having second thoughts. This looks a lot like a cake topper, but that would have to be a pretty enormous cake. What I really want to know is where those spiffy chromed 4x4 round plates.

NCS "Sobriety"

Yes, Febrovary is here, time to explore other planets. And when it's time to hit the craters, Benny likes to do it in style. In this beauty by Priovit70 he can do that, and keep superior traction with it's four independent tracks. Not only that, but according to the specs this thing has a whopping 5000 horses! I think it's a good thing sound doesn't travel in a vacuum.

S.H.A.D.O. Mobile Evo

For those that are familiar with it, you know that UFO was a pretty cool series. It had awesome vehicles, gripping action (eventually), groovy hairdos and one of the best themes ever. It didn't get much airplay in the US, but I was always a Gerry Anderson fan, and when it was on, I was watching. So this excellent S.H.A.D.O mobile evo from Norton74 gives me the warm fuzzies.

Icebreaker

Being from the central coast of California, maritime ice management is not really in my wheelhouse. So I found the description of this build, or more the organization that inspired it, fascinating. Adam Dodge built this to celebrate Canada's 150th birthday, and the Canadian Coast Guard, who not only provide ice breaking services for commercial ships, but also escorts, harbour breakouts, maintain shipping routes and provide ice information services.