Ookla the Mok Will Own You

You know, I love the apocalypse. I love the images it invokes, and the renegade stories that can be told. It's like ground zero for the human race.
Some of my favorite literature and cinema as a kid was derived from this concept, starting with the bible. Noah and the ark? one giant apocalyptic rainstorm wiped out all life on earth, and that makes us all Noah's children (coincidentally, he was the first person to grow grapes, make wine, and become a wino when he discovered land again*). In movies, it's quite a common theme, and, if you've noticed the link, one that i've built my blog around. The last shot of the Planet of the Apes has the hero pounding the surf in despair when he sees the toppled statue of liberty (a scene in which you can view by clicking on the beach-looking movie clip to the left). It's one of my all-time favorite scenes, btw, and not because of the gun-totin', over-emotin' Charlton Heston, but because of the vibrant contrast between the past and present displayed so well by Lady Liberty.
Here is a link to a good list of other movies set in a post-apocalyptic world.
Of note, I tend to go towards the type where technology is wiped out and the surviving humans fight over resources, like Mad Max, and the anime classic Fist of the North Star. In the above picture, Thundarr (from one of my favorite 80's Saturday morning cartoons, Thundarr the Barbarian) and his posse roam the world beating up wizards and monsters, but couldn't last more than 2 seasons. Ookla, supposedly, was modeled after Star Wars fan-favorite Chewbacca in the same way that neither speaks English and is a furry sidekick to the hero. But in my 5 year old estimation, he should have been the title of the show.
Ookla the Mok ...and Friends.







*It's been recently reported that one of Darren Aronofsky's next projects is based on this fool.