Topic: Lord of the Rings

Gallery: The Cutest Toy Pop Culture Duos You Will Ever See

Gallery: The Cutest Toy Pop Culture Duos You Will Ever See

If you’ve ever wished you could snap up your favorite pop culture duo and keep it in your pocket, now’s your chance. Artist Andrew Kolb’s series “Two of a Kind” takes well-known characters and turns them into wooden dolls that may be the cutest things I’ve ever seen. The characters run (naturally) in pairs, and of the inspiration for the series, Kolb says, “The idea stems from the recurring theme of pairs comprised of one who is tall and thin and the other who is short and stout.” Each set of figures starts with the same basic templates; then Kolb unleashes his artistic talents, and they turn into unique renderings of pop culture regulars. Like what you see? Check out more of Kolb’s work on his Tumblr. More »

Watch Andy Serkis Experience the Full Range of Human Emotion as an Ape in ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’

Watch Andy Serkis Experience the Full Range of Human Emotion as an Ape in 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes'

Andy Serkis is the master of performance capture. That’s what he calls it, not motion capture — because “performance” implies a more wholehearted effort on the actor’s part. And after seeing Rise of the Planet of the Apes, we’re inclined to give this nontraditional actor props. After all, he pioneered the technology when he played the terrifying Gollum in Lord of the Rings starting in 2001. But did you know that he worked with Peter Jackson again a few years later, when he starred in King Kong? That’s right, the 5’8″ actor played the magnificent Kong and actually made us feel sorry for the misunderstood gorilla. Now, he’s embodying a primate again, on a smaller scale and with even more creepily accurate human emotion on his digital face. More »

Gallery: The Entirety of Middle-Earth Built Out Of Legos

Gallery: The Entirety of Middle-Earth Built Out Of Legos

Okay, I lied: It’s not ALL of Middle-Earth, but it’s pretty damn near most of it. In one of the most impressive acts of nerdery I’ve ever seen, a whole bunch of Lord of the Rings/Lego enthusiasts built pretty much the entire landscape of Tolkien’s universe as part of BrickWorld 2011 in Wheeling, Illinois. I think the only locations not pictured here are Weathertop (where Frodo gets stabbed in Fellowship of the Ring) and Lothlorien (where Galadriel hangs out), but everything else from Hobbiton to Mount Doom itself is there. Want to see how accurate the Lego renderings are? Fine– included are also images from Peter Jackson’s films. I wonder if they’ll do the Misty Mountains once The Hobbit comes out… More »

Video: The Lord of the Trololos

Video: The Lord of the Trololos

I’m not entirely sure what to tell you guys about this video. It’s funny. It is possible one of the funniest things I have ever seen. And every time I watch it, IT JUST GETS FUNNIER. Anyway, if you’ve ever wondered what would happen if The Lord of the Rings and the Trololo song had a lovechild, now’s your chance to find out. For the curious, the original scene is from the extended edition of Return of the King (check it out here if you haven’t seen it). Watch. Laugh. Good morning! More »

‘Star Wars vs. Star Trek’ and Other Tales: Which of These Franchises Would Win in a Fight?

'Star Wars vs. Star Trek' and Other Tales: Which of These Franchises Would Win in a Fight?

On May 18, a fantastic new book will hit the stands: Star Wars Vs. Star Trek by Matt Forbeck. As you might expect, this book examines the age-old rivalry of Wars fans and Trek fans, though it does it through an unusual lens: The hotly debated question, could the Empire kick the Federation’s ass? In the words of Mr. Spock, fascinating! But how does the book measure the seemingly immeasurable qualities of these two science fiction giants? I have six words for you: Who. Would. Win. In. A. Fight. That’s right: Star Wars Vs. Star Trek pairs similar characters and creations from each franchise and invents a scenario in which the two would find reason to fight. Subjective? Maybe. But entertaining? Hell yes. Storm Troopers fighting Red Shirts? Check. Yoda facing off with Spock? Check. Darth Vader battling Khan? Check!

That got us here at Crushable HQ to thinking: How many other franchises have we always wanted to see duke it out? The answer was plenty. So, ladies and gentlemen, I bring you Pop-Culture Collision, in which we pit a selection of today’s most popular franchises against each other. Who’s going to win? Read on to find out! More »

Video Gallery: The Best of ‘My Little Pony’ Pop-Culture Mash-Ups

Video Gallery: The Best of 'My Little Pony' Pop-Culture Mash-Ups

Once upon a time, I saw one of the funniest mash-ups in the history of funny mash-ups: The “Madonna” speech from Reservoir Dogs laid over a scene from a My Little Pony cartoon. Alas, this piece of hilarity seems to have vanished, for I can no longer find it, which means that sadly, I cannot share it with you, Gentle Readers. However, in its stead, I offer these other mash-ups, in the hopes that they may provide you with much jollity and good feeling. Lord of the Rings? Got it. Scott Pilgrim? Got that, too. How about some Michael Bay? Come on down! Welcome to the Internet’s Best My Little Pony Mash-Ups! More »

Video Gallery: 9 Pop-Culture Reenactments Starring Marshmallow Peeps

Video Gallery: 9 Pop-Culture Reenactments Starring Marshmallow Peeps

Easter: Yet another religious holiday that has been taken over by the candy companies. More specifically, it’s been appropriated by Just Born, makers of the marshmallow monstrosity known as the Peep. Peeps, generally, are disgusting. They do, however, look really cute, which means that they lend themselves to all sorts of endeavors not necessarily related to eating. We’ve already brought you the artistic genius of the Washington Post’s Peep Show V; now, we bring you the oh-so-creative (and somewhat disturbing) things people do to their Peeps when video cameras become involved. Specifically, people seem to enjoy recreating scenes from pop-culture. Here are the best of the best pop-culture reenactments starring those crazy marshmallow creatures: More »

Gallery: 13 Letters to Fictional People

Gallery: 13 Letters to Fictional People

Have you ever wanted to sit down and give your favorite fictional characters a piece of your mind? I know I have. And the geniuses behind Letters to Fictional People have done just that, offering short, pithy words of advice and wisdom to everyone from Voldemort to Bella Swan to Bambi’s mom. We thought of a few more, so we offer them here for your reading pleasure. Got any to add? Tell us about them in the comments! More »