If you follow our Geeky Art board on Pinterest you know that we’re all a bit obsessed with the awesome work that geeky artists are producing constantly. When I saw these great Star Wars Pixel Art portraits by Ryan Andrews though, I knew I had to post them on the site. I’ve seen plenty of examples of Star Wars pixel art before, but Ryan’s portraits have a style to them that is really distinct. So far he’s done Obi-Wan, Luke, Han Solo and Chewie, and C-3PO. I can’t wait to see his take on Darth Vader and Bobo Fett.

You can check them all out on his blog, or view his portfolio site.

There have been Star Wars-themed alphabets before. Creating a children’s primer of Star Wars ABCs or turning a Stormtrooper into an “S” letter form is nothing new.

However, the current series of illustrations by Dave Daniels is the best I’ve seen. The Toronto-based artist and self-proclaimed Star Wars fanatic is posting his creations within the popular photo sharing app Instagram.

Daniels has worked up to the letter K so far. Each letter gets a wonderful caricature of a Star Wars character representing that letter: A for Ackbar, B for Bossk, C for C-3PO, D for Dengar, E for Ewok, F for Fett, G for Greedo, H for Hutt, I for IG-88, J for Jawa, and K for Kenobi.

You can see all Dave’s creations on Instagram under his username “jaggedgrace.” If you’re iOS-less, you can view them all over at Webstagram, a web viewer for Instagram photos.

Dave told me he’s doing the drawings “just for fun.” They definitely brighten my day and I look forward to what he has in store for the rest of the alphabet. Here’s hoping he draws an Ugnaught for U.

Incidentally, I’m compiling a list of comic artists and illustrators on Instagram. If you have a suggestion for creators who routinely post their work on there — or you are an Instagram artist — please include a comment below with their/your username. I’ll be posting some of my favorites (along with yours) in a future THS post.

Well, that happened a lot faster than I thought it would. After Minecraft became the first LEGO Cuusoo set to get 10,000 supporters, passed the initial review, and was announced as an upcoming really-for-real set, I thought it could take months before we ever got a glimpse.

Luckily we’ve already got a press release and promo images, and even better, the set comes out this summer! It’ll run you $35 and it’s mini-scale, but includes a little Steve and Creeper. I think it looks great, and I can see a lot of people buying this when it’s available. Hell, I’m a casual I’ve played Minecraft a few times kind of guy, but I’ll probably pick this up.

What do you think?

You can check out the other photos and read the press release over at FBTB.

The Top Hat Sasquatch team reads a lot of blog posts every day, and some slip through the crack or just don’t warrant their own post. That’s where Missing Links comes in. Every few days we collect the best links we’ve come across and pass them on to you.

iCade 8-Bitty | Uncrate
I don't have much use for an iPad sized arcade cabinet, but this 8-bitty controller from iCade sounds about right. I think I'll end up with one of these.

The Best WWII Movies You Probably Haven’t Seen
A nice bit of original writing on an otherwise news-related site. I look forward to checking out some of these movies.

Hasbro’s new Lazer Tag guns use iOS devices for HUD and augmented reality | The Verge
I've been looking for an excuse to buy some new Lazer Tag guns and try to convince some friends to play, and guns that use iPhones as a HUD just might be the ticket.

Coming Out Of My Shell
The Surfing Pizza finds a sealed cassette of the TMNT Coming Out of Their Shells album. Hilarity ensues.

First Look: Disney’s Video Game-Inspired ‘Wreck-It Ralph’ | /Film
Just a few pieces of concept art, but every time I remember that this movie is coming this year I get excited. I can't wait for a trailer.

Tim and Tommy are always up for talking Lego, and this week they have a lot to talk about. 2012 is a huge year for the toy company, with Marvel Super Heroes, Lord of the Rings, Dino, Friends, and Monster Hunter lines debuting, alongside additional sets in all the classic series. Throw in a few more of the collectible minifigures and you’ve got a great year to be obsessed with LEGO.

Just as the hate slowly grew in Anakin Skywalker as he turned toward the Dark Side, so too did my resentment for The Phantom Menace. The film had so much promise. Many of the right pieces were there: a spry Obi-wan and Yoda, glimpses of R2-D2 and C-3PO, a bad-ass villain with a double light saber, the exciting podracing.

For all the fun elements, there were numerous pieces that pulled it down: that whiney kid Anakin, the stale Queen Amidala, slapstick courtesy of Jar Jar Binks, the overly political storyline… I could go on. (See Red Letter Media’s thorough review if you need more examples.)

The film resurfaces this weekend in 3D. As if three dimensions could shine that turd into something worth seeing. Instead of spending an ungodly amount on premium, 3D movie tickets, I have a few Star Wars-related alternatives for you.

Buy all six Star Wars films on Blu-ray. Yeah, buy the very movie I’m dissuading you from seeing in 3D. Obviously the original trilogy is the trophy here. Having it in pristine (albeit altered) condition is worth the discounted price of the full set. Just consider the prequels supplemental material.

Explore the expanded universe. The world of Star Wars is immense, thanks largely to talented authors building upon the foundation George Lucas and others set forth. I highly recommend The Thrawn Trilogy of novels. These establish a post-Return of the Jedi storyline that could have made for Episodes 7, 8, and 9.

Build a Star Wars LEGO set. Building LEGO sets are a great way to pass the time, either alone or with family. Pick out one or two of the more moderately priced Star Wars sets and make an afternoon out of building them. If you’re feeling really ambitious, I recommend the Millennium Falcon (set 7965) or X-Wing (set 9493).

Share Star Wars with kids. Those who defend Episode I say it needs to be treated as a kids movie. Making The Phantom Menace a kid’s first experience with Star Wars is no way to build a fan. After showing them the first three movies, give kids a better understanding of the characters. There are two books geared for kids that I highly suggest: Star Wars: Battles for the Galaxy and LEGO Star Wars Character Encyclopedia. Both will entertain your younglings for hours.

Simply peruse the Wookieepedia. You think you know all there is to know about Star Wars? You don’t know the half of it. Browse through the online encyclopedia for everything Star Wars. For example, read through the entry on Stormtroopers. There’s more to those boys in white than bad aim. And, hey, it’s free.

And I haven’t even scratched the surface… Video games, the Star Wars radio dramas, Star Wars podcasts, the decent Star Wars Clone Wars animated series, the long run of Star Wars comic books—all are worth the time.

There’s a lot of great Star Wars stuff to explore rather than stooping to an overpriced 3D showing of a mediocre movie.

It doesn’t matter whether you like sports or not, the Super Bowl is one of the biggest entertainment events of the year. The estimated 111.3 million viewers Sunday night made it the most watched television show of all time.

A big highlight from the night, at least for me, was the commercial presented by MetLife. The insurance company’s “Everyone” ad featured a bevy of classic cartoon characters.

A great aspect of the nostalgia-inducing spot was its use of B-list stars. Sure, the Peanuts characters common with MetLife advertising were present but so too were Saturday Morning heroes long forgotten. You could easily see popular ’70s and ’80s figures like Voltron, He-Man, and The Jetsons. Also on hand were lesser-knowns like Jabberjaw, Hong Kong Phooey, and Magilla Gorilla.

MetLife’s Facebook page has bios of most of them but cartoonist Mark Anderson has an exhaustive list in chronological order. Anderson even corrected MetLife’s mention of Captain Caveman to his doppelgangers Rock and Gravel Slag.

If you missed the ad, watch it below and then seek out the excellent coverage by Anderson. The Facebook page also has a few “behind the scenes” videos to check out. Oh, and see if you can find the numerous inclusions of the stripe shirt-wearing Waldo.

It’s a good week to be a Marvel fan. A few hours ago the new trailer for Marc Webb’s reboot of Spider-Man debuted and it is pretty amazing indeed. I loved the first Spider-Man movie when it came out, but then again I was a sophomore in High School and I haven’t really watched them since that time. The Amazing Spider-Man looks like a Spider-Man movie I can get behind.

Andrew Garfield looks great as Peter Parker, and Emma Stone as Gwen Stacey will be a welcome break from whats-her-face playing MJ. The tone of the film looks great. Spidey cracks jokes and displays some impressive acrobatics, and the costume and tech look awesome. All in all, this is one of the top four movies I’m most excited about in 2012, along with…

The Avengers Extended Super Bowl Trailer

Apparently there was some big sporting event this Sunday just a few minutes from my house, and a lot of people watched it while my wife and I stayed home and caught up on episodes of Adventure Time.

I don’t think we missed much, but there was a new trailer for The Avengers, and Marvel also released an extended version and put it up online for all of us non-sports geeks to see. It must be so fun cutting together Avengers trailers, because you can get away with showing so little and still make them insanely exciting. All it really took for this trailer was having a rendered Hulk standing next to all the other heroes to make it sink in that we’re really getting an Avengers movie in a few months.

Spellbound

Dr. Constance Petersen (Ingrid Bergman) is a noted psychoanalyst at Green Manors Mental Hospital. She’s a bit stuffy and has little interest in romance, preferring to bury her head in her Freudian work. That is until Dr. Anthony Edwardes (Gregory Peck) arrives as the new head of Green Manors. Not much is known about Edwardes, other than the fact that he has written an authoritative book on guilt complexes, a topic Petersen has taken a special interest in studying. Naturally she is drawn to the good-looking, young doctor and the feeling seems mutual, however, he seems reticent to talk about psychology at all. His odd behavior is only exacerbated after he sees lines drawn on the tablecloth at dinner and later has a meltdown after seeing the blood from an injured patient. Soon after, Petersen discovers that the man she knows – and loves – is not who she thinks he is. In fact, he could very well be a murderer.

Spellbound set the standard for the psychological thrillers we know today. With its emphasis on real Freudian concepts, the film is one of the earliest examples of a film using psychology to glimpse inside the mind of a killer. These otherwise intangible aspects are brought to life as part of a dream sequence designed by none other than surrealist, mustachioed artist, Salvador Dali, in one of his rare Hollywood appearances.

Peck and Bergman

While it’s not my favorite Hitchcock film, it’s still well worth checking out. A few laughably dated special effects aside, the film holds up pretty well as a psychological thriller, and if you’re a fan of the genre, you’ll see a lot of its influence on everything from Seven to The Cell to Silence of the Lambs.

Dali Inspired Sequence

Buy Spellbound on Amazon

Notorious

Following the success of Spellbound, Hitchcock turned to a genre he knew well – the spy film – for 1946′s Notorious, one of the first films to present the dangers of nuclear proliferation. Ingrid Bergman stars as Alicia, the spoiled, drunken daughter of a Nazi sympathizer that is coerced by the government to spy on a small group of German leaders hiding away in Rio de Jenairo. Alicia and her American handler, Devlin (Cary Grant), quickly strike up a relationship, though Devlin holds her at arm’s length as best he can to protect them both – emotionally and physically.

If I had to choose a favorite of this double-feature, there’s no question I’d give the nod to Notorious. The performances from Bergman, Grant, Claude Rains as the Nazi leader, and Leopoldine Konstantin as Rains’ mother, are all exceptional; each gets a moment to shine and they all step up to the challenge. The story is very exciting, although for modern viewers it could suffer from familiarity due to its influence on the genre. But if you keep in mind that this is where those tropes began, you won’t notice or care.

The direction is wonderful, if not as flashy and experimental as other Hitchcock movies, though there is one excellent long-shot where the camera moves through mid-air from the balcony to a close-up on Bergman’s hand as she stands on the floor below. If you’re looking to expand your Hitchcock horizons, Notorious is a tight spy thriller that gives equal time to the relationships and the action of post-War espionage, which should make it a hit with everyone.

Notorious

Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant

Buy Notorious on Amazon

Spellbound and Notorious are both available on Blu-ray from 20^th Century Fox, who were kind enough to supply us with copies of both for review.

Yesterday MTV Geek got an exclusive first-look at the new TMNT toys that will be coming out later this year, and they are amazing. I was going to hop on the bandwagon yesterday and post the initial photos but I decided to hold off so I could try to organize my thoughts on the two different lines in a little more depth. Playmates is releasing lines based on the new show as well as a TMNT Classics line modeled after the original cartoon. Today I’m going to talk mostly about those.

2012: Year of the Dragon Turtle

With the new CGI show airing on Nickelodeon this year and Playmates releasing these toys, it could be a huge year for the Turtles. I haven’t seen anything from the new cartoon, but I know lots of awesome people are working on it and it should appeal to kids without seeming like some recycled 80s fad. Combine that with the fact that these new toys look like the best Playmates have ever released, and we could potentially have ourselves full-blown TMNT mania again.

I browse the toy aisles at the megastores as often as I can, and everything pretty much looks the same these days. You have your big robot toys, your superheros, tacky wrestling figures, and whatever is the flavor-of-the-month from Hollywood.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles toys always look great in the aisles, and with these new toys looking so great, I hope kids buy the crap out of them and reward Playmates for their awesome work for over 25 years.

TMNT Classic Collection

He's cool, but rude.

And even though I had boxes full of TMNT toys as a kid, it feels like I’m getting action figures based on the original cartoon for the first time ever.

It’s no secret that the original TMNT action figures didn’t look like their animated counterparts, but nobody really cared. They were still awesome toys and they flew off the shelves. In 1992 Playmates released the Toon Turtles in an attempt to be more cartoonish, but they just looked like Aardman claymation versions of the Turtles. (Note to self, make that happen).

Fast forward 20 years and with the TMNT Classics line we’re finally getting some action figures that look like they stepped right out of the campy 80s cartoon, and that makes me happy.

Here’s hoping they sell well, because Playmates said they would release more characters if the initial series is successful. Thinking about TMNT Classics versions of Shredder, April, Casey Jones, Splinter, Krang, Bebop, and Rocksteady is making me mentally clear off shelves in my office to make room.

It will be interesting to see how they market the classic line, and if they give them the same shelf space as the newer updated Turtles. At least it looks like they nailed the packaging, which means I’ll have to buy two sets, one to keep in the box and one to play with have on display.

The only negative thing I can think of about the classic collection is pretty small, and stems from me being a hardcore fan of the 80s cartoon. I wish they had Happy Faces you could switch out so they’re not angry all the time. Oh well, at least I’ll be smiling when I get these.

Thanks to Ninja Pizza and MTV Geek for the images. Make sure to check out Rose’s in-depth coverage of the new toys as Toy Fair unfolds over the next few days.