Black Belt Jones
Directed by: Robert Clouse
Screenplay by: Alex Ross, Fred Weintraub and Oscar Williams
Starring: Jim Kelly, Gloria Hendry, Scatman Crothers, Eric Laneuville, Alan Weeks, Malik Carter
Running Time: 90 minutes
Rated: NR
Release Date: 1974
DVD Release: Blax Film

Earlier this week I received a copy of one of my favorite films of all times, Black Belt Jones. I’ve been dying to get this flick on DVD for more than 10 years now - since I wore out my old VHS copy. Now, I found it on Amazon and I’m not completely sure where the DVD came from. As far as I can tell there has been no official DVD release of the film, but the copy I received in the mail is a fairly nice transfer from a company called “Blax Film” and judging from the cover art may have originally been an Asian release or bootleg. The only real downside to the DVD is there are absolutely no extras aside from trailers for some other flicks.

Bootleg or not, it’s great to have Black Belt Jones on DVD. I believe Black Belt Jones to be one of the greatest of the so-called Blaxsploitation films of the 1970s and the forerunner of the modern action film. Watching Jim Kelly in Black Belt Jones gives a great look back at the source of the Arnold/Stallone/Segal/Van Damme/Whoever action flicks of the 80s, 90s and today. It is one of the original sources and originators of all of the bits that eventually became cliches in modern action movies, down to the pithy one-liners. It’s a shame that a film that was such an influence on modern action movies has become forgotten. Read More »

While surfing YouTube instead of doing something more constructive (like downloading porn or finding CAWs for “Raw vs Smackdown 2007″), I came across what has to be one of the most important cases in the history of the Unit States legal system. That’s right, the ex-girlfriend of a nerd finally got fed up enough to take this slacker, World of Warcraft playing r-tard to court. Well, to Judge Judy’s court.

It seems the nerd in question borrowed money from her, didn’t pay rent and neglected to find gainful employment…well, unless you count mining for silver in the mountains of Dun Morogh to be gainful employment. So she kicked him out. Read More »

Today I am going to present you with one of the absolute best music collections ever put together. I would love to take credit for the conception of the thing but I can’t. That honor goes to a man commonly known to comic book insiders as “PondScum.” I’d reveal his real name but I’m afraid “they” would have me killed for doing so…whoever “they” are.

I do want to take a moment or two to tell you the origin of how I became introduced to PondScum’s “Worst of the 70s” collection. Throughout the 90s I worked off and on as a comic book artist in between my movie/tv gigs. And, as an artist living in Manhattan, I would go in to the offices of Marvel Comics and work (read: hang out) in their bullpen - beginning in 1994, but mainly from 1996 through 1998 or 1999 (around that time they fired the “Raiders” (art department) and essentially killed the heart of the company…which is now run by the former leader of the “Sweatpants Mafia,” Joey the Hutt). A number of my friends worked in the Marvel Bullpen, so it was a great place to hang out, get some work done and scrounge up new jobs.

That is where I met the legend known as PondScum. Read More »

Well, it’s now official: Warner Brothers and DC Comics suck ass. I’m assuming there will be a press release stating that fact sent out shortly. You see, in the infinite wisdom of the Warner Bros., Greg Berlanti has just signed a deal to not only write but also direct a live-action “Green Lantern” movie.

My reaction: WHAT THE FUCK??!?!! Read More »

Kamen Rider the First
US Title: Masked Rider the First
Created by: Shotaro Ishinomori
Directed by: Takao Nagaishi
Screenplay by: Toshiki Inoue
Starring: Masaya Kikawada, Hassei Takano, Rena Komina, Hiroshi Miyauchi, Eisei Amamoto
Running Time: 90 minutes
Rated: NR
US Release: Media Blasters

As a young nerd growing up in Hawaii, one of my favorite TV shows was Kamen Rida V3 (as a white kid from the East Coast, I was mocked for saying “Kamen Rider” and quickly learned to drop the hard “R” sound in “rider”). It was a great action Sentai series that premiered in the early 70s and ran, well, forever in Hawaii. Later iterations of the show were released in the US as the Masked Rider. As big a fan I was of American comics and superheroes, I was completely enamored with Kamen Rida V3 (pronounced Kamen Rida V Shree). Since I wasn’t old enough to have watched the shows when they originally aired, I missed out on the original 2 Kamen Ridas (creatively named V1 and V2) outside of their few appearances and team-ups with V3. They always seemed cool and mysterious and as a kid I always wished I could find out more about them.

Finally, 20-something years later, the adult me is happy to say that I’ve had my wish fulfilled. Released in 2005 by Toei in Japan and in 2007 by Media Blasters, the all-new Kamen Rida the First film took me by surprise. I first saw pieces of it while roaming the weekly Frank & Son comic/toy conventions here in Southern California. One of the booths had it playing on a tiny portable DVD player. I squinted at the amazing images coming across the screen for about 10 minutes before I was chased away for not buying anything. I then found some clips on YouTube and was blown away. I knew I had to track down this lost piece of my childhood. It took a few months, but I was able to score a copy on Amazon and one week later I had the DVD in the tight grip of my sweaty little hands. Read More »

My nephew came over to the house today to play with our Xbox 360 and WII consoles. Like any young kid, he was absolutely convinced he could beat an “old guy” like me in the latest next-gen games. He told me that adults didn’t know how to play games and that he was going to tea-bag me in Halo 3. Little did he realize that at this point in my life I’ve been playing video games for almost 30 years and that I eat little shits like him for breakfast…figuratively speaking, that is. I don’t actualy condone eating children or shit. Unless you have to.

Once the young’un had been properly schooled and tea bagged, his father (my brother-in-law) decided that he was going to take a turn at trying to give me the Halo 3 beat down. He’s about 7 years younger than I am and even cockier than his son. He figured my hands would be tired after a 45 minute deathmatch session with his son and that I would stand no chance against his…how did he put it?…”mad skillz.” Read More »

DOA: Dead or Alive
Directed by: Corey Yuen
Screenplay by: JF Lawton, Adam Gross and Seth Gross (why it took 3 writers on this screenplay confuses the hell out of me)
Starring: Jaime Pressly, the moon-faced Devon Aoki, Holly Valance, Sarah Carter, Eric Robers, Robin Shou (not sure if “starring” qualifies here), Matthew Marsden, Brian J. White and Steve Howey…the guy from Reba
Running Time: 87 minutes
Rated: PG-13 for violence and a rather homely Devon Aoki

I’m not going to both spending a whole lot of time on the plot of this movie.  You’ve seen “Enter the Dragon,” right?  Or any of its whole host of knock-offs?  Then you know the basic plot to this one.  Group of people are invited to an island, run by a creepy man dressed in Chinese pajamas, for a martial arts tournament with a sinister secret.  There’s some additional attempts at a plot by the writers, something about Devon Aoki’s brother being missing or some crap like that, but no one really cares.  Read More »

30 Days of Night
Created by: Steven Niles and Ben Templesmith
Directed by: David Slade
Screenplay by: Steven Niles, Stuart Beattie and Brian Nelson
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Melissa George, Danny Huston, Ben Foster and some other people
Running Time: 113 minutes
Rated: R for icky blood and bad acting
Official Website

I welcome you to the first installment of The Nifty Nerd’s Dinner and a Movie.  Every week I’ll review a new movie and tell you what you should think about it.  This week Aaron and I went to check out “30 Days of Night.” 

I’m going to start off by saying that I haven’t read any of the “30 Days of Night” comics.  While I do enjoy some of the work by Steven Niles, I am completely turned off by Ben Templesmith’s art (for those of you who don’t know, Steven Niles wrote and Ben Templesmith was the artist on the original “30 Days of Night” comic book mini series).  To me he’s always been a pale reflection of Bill Sienkiewicz — he’s trying to ape Sienky’s style but doesn’t have any of the structure or technical ability to back it up.  I feel like he’s a prime example of what is wrong with comic books in general today. 

In spite of my dislike of Templesmith’s work, I allowed the A-Man to drag me along to see the flick at the opening last night.  The thing that suprised me most when we arrived at our local AMC 30 mega-movie-plex was how uncrowded the theater was.  It looked like AMC had been set up for a huge crowd, with roped off areas for each showing, but the place was half-empty.  Very strange for the 7pm showing of a big budget release on a Friday night.  The empty theater was a sign of things to come. Read More »

My name is Mat Nastos and I am a profession Nerd.  Now, I didn’t begin life as a professional nerd.  No, I started off as an amateur nerd in the 70s and 80s - buying comic books, playing video games, playing every role-playing game known to man (D&D, Champions, Villains & Vigilantes, Paranoia, Bureau 13, Gamma World…need I go on?  Because I can), running an Elfquest fan club, starting and managing the first (and only) comic and Star Trek conventions in Hawaii and a whole mess of other things that were obviously there to keep me from getting laid. 

I then went to Nerd School, two of them actually - the Joe Kubert School for Cartoon Art and then the School of Visual Arts.  Once you finish schooling at either (or, in my case, both) of those places you can then call yourself a professional nerd.  Since then I’ve spent my professional Nerd career working in film, television, video games, comic books and the internet.  I’ve even made a semi-popular (with other nerds) movie about life as a nerd, “Bite Me, Fanboy.”  I will deny to my dying breath that it was based on events in my life.  Of course no one believes me.

Now that Mark Gruenwald has passed away, I may know more comic book trivia than anyone else on the planet.  And, although I’m not proud to admit it, I know more about Elfquest than any straight man should.

As a nerd Jedi Master I have created this page as a Mecca for other nerds to find out about all the cool things in life they should know about: the cool toys, cool movies, cool tv shows, cool…er, wait a minute, we’re talking about nerds here.  Let me re-phrase:  the nerdy toys, the geeky movies, the dorky tv shows.  All the magnificent things in life that will keep you forever living in your parents’ basement and eternally a virgin.

Now, step forward, my young padawan, and begin your training.

-NiftyMat

The Nifty Nerd Weekly Schedule:

• Monday: Game On!
• Tuesdays: Dinner and a Movie
• Wednesdays: Comics That Piss Me Off
• Fridays: Trapped in the 80s
• Sunday: Nerd Week in Review

Phil Clark, creator of the fantastic indy comic Quantum, interviewed me at Wizard World LA. We talked about comic publishing, marketing and what Nifty Comics is up to.  Take a look at the video interview below: Read More »