Movie Stunt

I don’t know how I missed this incredible action shot from Pixeljunkie months ago, but it’s never too late. I know I work on movies and should be all jaded by now, but my love of all things film runs deep, and shots like this make my heart go pitter patter. I will say that crew is in significant danger and the stunt coordinator is going to get a little visit by the studio and the union though.

"They Have A Tank"

While the original Raiders of the Lost Ark remains my favorite, Last Crusade is a close second. The dynamics of Dr. Henry Jones junior and senior makes for fun scenes, and the action in the movie is top notch. Of course the tank battle is a highlight, and this recreation of the iconic scene by JBIronWorks is spectacular. Not only that, but there's an awesome behind the scenes story in his description as well, click through for an interesting read.

"I'll Never Join You!"

Hopefully your browser and screen is just the right size that the bottom of this picture by storm TK431 is cut off, because it's a really fun reveal (yeah, those are guys holding mattresses). I don't know about you, but I've always been absolutely captivated by behind the scenes photos. Even though I've worked on dozens of movies, I still get a thrill stepping on set and seeing the sausage being made, it's just how I'm wired. This classic scene from ESB doesn't look quite so perilous huh?

E.T. Goes Home

Like so many films of the 80's, E.T. helped shape me as a filmmaker and artist. It's a remarkable story told by an army of exceptionally talented artists. This wonderful diorama by builders ~The Steads~ depicts the uplifting but heartbreaking end of the movie, when E.T. says goodbye to Eliot and his family and climbs aboard his ride home. Admit it, you cried.

The Teeniest, Tiniest, Cutest ED-209 You Ever Did See

Yes, ED-209 was a bit of a failure, he had a 'glitch' or two (tell that to Kenny). But if he hadn't had his initial issues the Robocop program wouldn't have moved forward, and Clarence Boddicker would probably have a stronghold on Old Detroit right now...I digress.

Sure he's a mindless killing machine, sure he didn't work (who cares, spare parts for 20 years1) but you cannot dispute the absolute squee value of this adorable ED-209 from Grantmasters. I just want to hug it.

Jurassic Park III

You just have to wonder about theme park operators and giant, dangerous, prehistoric beasts. Haven't those guys seen those other two movies? Anyway, feast your eyes on this truly epic MOC by markus19840420, it's part of a collaboration with Disco86 and absolutely jaw dropping. Normally I would wait until everything was posted and then feature, but I was so blown away by this I had to share. Stay tuned for the whole collaboration coming soon.

Wilson!

Cast Away is a remarkable bit of filmmaking, if you haven't seen in, I highly recommend it. It breaks many of the "rules" but works so very well. And one of the characters is so unconventional, well, you just have to see it to understand. Builder jtheels understands, and this LEGO version of Wilson is absolutely brilliant.

Marker! *thwack!*

There was no way I wasn't going to blog this. Since the invention of "talkies" filmmakers have needed a way to synchronize picture to sound, since generally they are recorded separately. There have been a number of ways of doing this, and several technological advances through the years, but when it comes down to it, nothing beats a good old classic clapboard. Nice build Cole.

"Unlimited Technology From The Whole Universe, And We Cruise Around In A Ford P.O.S."

Men In Black is an awesome movie. But how could they fail with Barry Sonnenfeld, Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith, Rick Baker and ILM? One of the delightful and surprising scenes is when J and K need to make good time during rush hour and activate a few hidden features in their otherwise mundane mode of transportation, here perfectly recreated by Mad physicist.

Klaatu Barada Nikto

Making movies is a lot of work, and I do mean a LOT of work, and I've done a fair share of them since 1988. Most have blurred into a mishmash of memories of waiting all day to be up, last second equipment malfunctions and tyrannical directors. But a few stand out as actually fun to work on, Army of Darkness was one of them. Bruce Campbell was a joy to be around, Sam Raimi was awesome and the crew of Alterian Studios was family. So to see this book of the dead by vitreolum might conjure images of the macabre for some, to me it's just fond memories of one of the better movie making experiences of my career.

The Thing

So what's the deal? Why am I showing the poster to John Carpenter's The Thing? Look again, it's BRICK! This seriously phenomenal build is for the MOCathalon over at MOCpages by builder matt rowntRee. This is one of my all-time favorite thrillers, and to see it like this gives me a happy. Click through to see how this amazing and pretty huge MOC was done.

Big thanks to elbarto for the head's up

Corpse Bride

Say what you will about Corpse Bride, it may not have and the charm or lasting power of Nightmare Before Christmas, but it's still a stunning achievement in stop motion animation. Now builder CASTOR-TROY has created the main characters in brick form. Not only that, but he recreated the poster from the film, brilliant!

Billy

Just in time for Halloween and what I'm sure is plenty of binge viewing of the Saw franchise (what's wrong with you people?) comes this fabulous recreation of Billy, Jigsaw's puppet. Who would have thought the cheery spiral printed domes and 1x1 round tiles would have come to such handy use in a scary prop?

"Dead Or Alive, You're Coming With Me"

Not only am I so ancient that I saw RoboCop in the theater, I was lucky enough to catch a preview screening (and I hadn't even heard of it, ah the days before internet). Needless to say we were blown away by the Verhoeven classic. This MOC by paddybricksplitter is faithful to Rob Bottin's design, but adds an almost chibi charm to him. Great pose-ability too, makes you just want to grab him like an action figure.

A Night Without Day, A Day Without Night

The 80's were such a good time for movies. There were original stories, epic tales and imaginative filmmaking. Ladyhawke is a great example, and the inspiration for this phenomenal cathedral MOC by Pippo Zane. I strongly encourage you all to click through and check out many more pics (view in high-res, it's worth it) of this awesome structure and the occupants. 

Movie Quiz!

The prolific and talented SuckMyBrick is back with a movie quiz for you all. Can you name the movies these awesome little MOCs represent? These are so wonderful I can hardly contain myself. I got them all except one, still pondering it. There's ten in total, click through to see them all!

Wake Me Up When We Get There

The eighties were a great time for visual effects. Computer generated imagery was in it's infancy and unproven so filmmakers relied on clever tricks and careful planning to make unique visuals. Unlike today, where it's just an onslaught of 50 foot robots beating the hell out of each other in polygonal pixel porn. The movie Aliens was a great example of the former, and this MOC by Missing Brick not only pays tribute to the scene and set of the cryotubes, but also the brilliant way it was accomplished, with mirrors.

The Grand Budapest Hotel

I finally got a chance to watch Wes Anderson's latest cinematic achievement The Grand Budapest Hotel just a few days ago, and I loved it. And now Ryan Ziegelbauer, Gary McIntire and a team of top notch builders have created a masterpiece of their own inspired by the movie. I give you the LEGO Grand Budapest Hotel, and it's awesome!

The EM-50 Urban Assault Vehicle

One of my favorite all-time movies is Stripes. And this is one of the best things about it, the ridiculously awesome EM-50. How amazing would it be to have an RV with a flame thrower and rocket launcher? It would certainly help those camping trips with the obnoxious loud music neighbors (camping with PJ and Sean wouldn't suck either). This MOC by BMW_Indy rocks by any measure, but with the addition of lighting by BrickStuff, it's just over the top.