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If IKEA Made Geeky Furniture Part 10: Lord of the Rings
Here is a floor lamp design based on the staff used by Gandalf. He often used it to emit light, so it felt appropriate for a lamp.
The staff was wielded by Gandalf the White. The one used by Gandalf the Grey looked a bit rough, more like a twig. The above design has a nice ivory look.
If you like this, check out myHobbit Blu-Ray case.
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If I Designed Blu-Ray/DVD/Video Game Cases
I’ve always ALWAYS wanted a case that would open at the spine. This way I can grab the movie or video game disc, and just leave the case parked on the shelf with the rest of my library.
I think a static design would work, wherein the disc holder is just attached to the spine. However I went the extra distance and created a ramp and slider system, so the disc could roll towards you. It’s a bit more clearance from the case, and having this extension mechanic just exclaims “Here is your movie/video game, enjoy!”
This can co-exist with the existing jewel case system that opens like a book, should you need to get at the booklet, or prefer to get at the disc old-school style.
Not only is this handy for those who own many films/video games, but it really keeps things neat and organized.
I think this could be a system people would upgrade all their cases to in a wholesale fashion. As long as they recycle their old cases!
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Arrested Development Bluth-Ray Case
This Blu-Ray case design features a bunch of discs that swing out from inside the truck. Looking back at this design, it’s probably a bit too complicated to remove discs. Still it would look nice on your shelf!
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Transformers Trilogy Blu-Ray Case
This is a pretty fun case design that transforms from a standard box set into Optimus Prime’s trailer. Now that’s putting the fun in functional. Okay I’ll stop.
You can access the blu-ray cases in both forms, and even better they can remain inside the case during transformation:
When in box form it should blend-in with your DVD library like a normal box set. In trailer form it would be compatible with a Leader-Class Optimus Prime.
All of the accessories (trailer hitch and “thingy that plugs in the front of the trailer”) would store inside the case. Originally I had the front “thingy” be a transforming Roller figure but I lost all the original files for that guy.
I feel this would be a fun package that would appeal to Transformer collectors, and would also offer incentive for a blu-ray fan to grab an Optimus Prime figure (and vice versa). Also I might be mistaken, but Hasbro has been reluctant to release a trailer for Leader-Class Primes, so this item could fill that void.
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Dark Knight Trilogy Blu-Ray Case
For those keeping track, this is my second case that revolves around the use of a Batmobile. With The Dark Knight Rises coming out in 2012, I thought I’d make this case in anticipation of the trilogy release. In 2008, Warner Brothers released a Blu-Ray package that included the Batpod, descendant of the doomed Tumbler Batmobile. Not a bad package at all. Though one would think that a case which revolved around the Tumbler had to have been considered. There is probably a prototype resting on a WB Executive’s desk. It must exist! 
Conspiracy theories aside, I found the Tumbler’s squat, boxy shape to be ideal for a container. It could not ideally fit 3 standard Blu-Ray jewel cases. I opted for shorter, thinner jewel case, practically the same as a CD jewel case (remember those?). 
Special thanks to Jeff Bell, who designed this poster for The Dark Knight Rises, and allowed me to use it here.You can find the original image here and Jeff’s portfolio here. I think it’s a beautiful one-sheet, would look great on my wall. Awesome work Jeff! Unfortunately, because I opted for a square-shape case, I decided to crop out the title and put it on the side, sort of like a video game package. A full poster would have resulted in a very small image. These remind of the cases they use for Nintendo DS games. Some bigger images if you are interested, including a ‘Blu-Ray Blue’ window variant:
Apologies for having this done ahead of the Transformers Trilogy case - this was just too engrossing to make.
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TRON Legacy Review: Very Average
I watched TRON Legacy yesterday, and I just could not believe how meh the whole thing was. And I think this was the result of the film being painted into a corner from the get-go. Spoilers ahead.
First off, the film/franchise is named for a background character that has a very small role. This Tron guy was likely very pivotal in the first film, but here he was tacked on. I was very dumbfounded by this (more so than my usual dumbfounded self), as this would be the equivalent of renaming The Empire Strikes Back as Boba Fett Legacy.
I think the whole film was painted into a corner by the short teaser released three years ago, which featured a Zen-like Jeff Bridges in his cliffside chateau. Of course the feature film had to venture this way, though it still seemed like a forced diversion. I also don’t think his home would have been resilient to Clu’s flying vehicles (major plot hole).
That teaser also showed a younger CGI’ed Jeff Bridges in Clu form. I think this film could have benefitted from a different antagonist altogether. Heck, Tron Legacy might have been better served by deviating from the teaser as much as possible. Here is that teaser I speak of:
And don’t get me started on the digital Jeff Bridges. He looked weird. I find the CG acting in the L.A. Noire video game to be more convincing. Here, it was like someone was wearing a Jeff Bridges mask. If it were up to me, I would have given Clu some CG imperfections, which would have hinted at his morphing physical form of the first film. Here though, Clu was not intimidating or menacing, which undermined him as an antagonist. He couldn’t even imitate Robert Patrick’s robotic (and much more memorable) performance as the T-1000 in Terminator 2.
There were no stakes. At all. The lightning-quick exposition of the ISO race appearing and then falling to Clu’s genocide just fell flat, because I didn’t care about these people - I only met them seconds ago. What were the consequences of Clu getting Flynn’s frisbee? They were huge - the key - but to what? I don’t know. Clu’s apparent invasion of Earth with his army was hugely laughable. A few hundred thousand guys clad in orange neon armed with frisbees and sticks - that would have lasted long.
The protagonist, the underachieving “Son of Flynn”, showed some rebellious spirit early on, but not much in the way of being an underdog or a fish out of water. Could not relate to the guy at all. His goal of escaping this world and rescuing his dad was expected, and probably not a worthy goal for the film to revolve around. Destroying the bad guys and saving the world would have been more to the expectations of audiences everywhere.
The 3D was good, but the film didn’t really utilize this aspect much. I largely forgot I was watching a 3D film, felt like I was witnessing a CGI-fest.
This was generally a paint-by-numbers TRON film that showcased all the things you’d expect from the franchise, with the right amount of homage thrown in. I can see the production blackboard now: 1. Get beamed into Tron world. 2. Frisbee Fight! 3. Light Cycle Fight! 4. Chase scene for rest of film.
They should have tried to expand on this concept in a way that relects our modern digital age, but Disney’s idea of expanding Tron was including 4-wheel Light Cars to compliment the Light Cycles. Woopidy-doo.
Was there anything good? The effects were good, the overall look of the film was good, and the Daft Punk soundtrack were the standouts. The performances were solid, and nothing really eye-rolling as far as dialogue or scenes - even with the CG Clu.
Overall, it’s a watchable diversion, but still a missed opportunity.
TRON Legacy will go down as one of those pop-culture phenomenons that had a lot of hype, but did not deliver.
