Chances are, if you've looked at a weirdshistic record cover by Yes, Asia or other bands, you've admired Roger Dean's paintings of surreal landscapes. If you've ever seen all good people turn their heads each day, then you're already a Dean fan.

Connor Freff Cochran, founder of Conlan Press (which is busy putting out a bunch of Peter S. Beagle books, hosting Beagle's 52/50 poetry subscription service, and putting out art books) contacted us and suggested that Avatar's lush moon might have gained some inspiration from Dean. And when you look at Dean's artwork and compare it to the concept art we posted the other day, it's hard not to see the resemblance.

All of this makes me want to rent Avatar (when it's released on DVD) and see if I can sync it up with YesSongs.

Directed by Yusul Abdul Halim, a member of Malaysian hip-hop group KRU, the Cicakman movies feature Hairi, a loser who works in a lab in the city of Metrofulus — until one day he swallows some coffee that's been infused with a weird experimental gecko virus. Then he starts making weird gecko noises and sticking to walls, not unlike a certain other web-slinging hero. He faces the evil Professor Klon, who's trying to take over Metrofulus using deadly viruses.

In the more action-oriented sequel, Professor Klon is back — but this time he's got the same aim as the villain of the new James Bond movie, to control the water supply. Klon aims to accomplish this by using something called "Black Planet." The heavies from the first film, the Ginger Boys, are also back, and there's a new villain, an assassin named Rrama who takes pleasure in killing. (I think she's the one posing and rampaging in the trailer.) Cicakman gets some help from a female feng-shui master and his dead best friend.

The movie will be released simultaneously in Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and Indonesia. [New Straits Times]

This picture isn't just gorgeous. It's also confirmation that mining technologies haven't changed much over the past two centuries, though the engineers' shiny Hazmat getups have. Images by Andrew Caballero-Reynolds via Getty.