DVD releases for Jan. 27th

TOP PICK:
- Hulk Vs (Special Edition)

NEW RELEASES:
- The All-New Super Friends Hour: Season One, Volume Two
- Cannery Row
- Cheers: The Final Season
- Closing the Ring
- Deep Winter
- Far From the Madding Crowd
- Fireproof
- Holly
- Hulk Vs
- The Invaders: Season Two
- The Invaders: Seasons One & Two
- John Grisham Courtroom Collection
- Lakeview Terrace
- Listen Up! The Lives of Quincy Jones
- The Lucky Ones
- M.A.N.T.I.S.: The Complete Series
- Mary Poppins (45th Anniversary Edition)
- Open Season 2
- The Pink Panther Classic Cartoon Collection
- The Pink Panther Film Collection
- Pride and Glory (2-Disc Digital Copy Special Edition)
- Pride and Glory (Single Disc)
- The Rocker
- RocknRolla (Two-Disc Special Edition)
- Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
- Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! Volume 1: A Monster Catch
- The Secret of the Magic Gourd
- The Secret Policeman's Balls
- The Sidney Poitier Collection
- Songs in Ordinary Time
- Splinter
- Vicky Cristina Barcelona
- The Warner Bros. Romance Classics Collection
- Waterloo Bridge
- The Yellow Rolls Royce
- You're a Good Sport, Charlie Brown (Deluxe Edition)

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OPTIMOUSE PRIME (get it?)

Mickey Mouse and Optimus Prime -together? This little baby is like a Reese's Cup: Two great tastes that taste great together! Recently on display at the Tokyo Toy Forum, this sucker is scheduled to be released around the end of February and should run just under $40. The robot actually transforms into a vehicle which fits the little Mickey behind the wheel of the rig. Don't expect these to be around long, and I wouldn't count on them being sold outside of Japan, but you never know...

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Oh yeah, did I mention that Batman is dead?

DC comics had teased the fact that Batman would be taking the dirt nap for quite some time in a storyline that would be called 'Batman: R.I.P.' Makes sense, right? So, people went out and bought the issues to this historical storyline that went through all of the Bat-titles, meaning you couldn't just buy Batman, you had to buy Robin, Nightwing, Detective Comics (you get the idea), if you wanted the full story. DC head honcho Dan DiDio claimed that the story would change Batman's world forever, but after some amazingly wild twists (a little too wild and chaotic) everything pretty much went back to status quo -including the fact the Batman was still alive at the end of 'Batman: R.I.P.'? Okay, so what gives? So people invested their time and money into multiple issues of a story about Batman dying where Batman doesn't die only to -get this- have Batman die that same month in a completely different title that really has nothing to do with the R.I.P. story at all! The deathblow actually takes place in Final Crisis #6, the most convaluted and ridiculously written story in years. Nobody even cares! The second oldest superhero in history and they force a non-dramatic death in a lame meaningless story. Captain America died last year and made headlines in papers across the country. The issue in which he dies sold out in minutes and spent a couple of weeks going for $200+ a copy. I picked up Final Crisis #6 the day after it came out, off a stack of many more copies, just to see how it happened. No fuss. No fanfare. No real story. People are already expecting him back soon. It's just hype. DC Comics has become all flash and no substance. This was just an excuse to sell more comics with their "Battle for the Cowl" storyline where people are now going to battle for the right to wear the Bat-tights, which is basically just a rehash of the Reign of the Supermen storyline from the 90's and even that ended with Superman stepping back in. Don't worry Bat-fans. Batman is about as gone as Colin Farrell's sex drive.

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Mighty Muggs shelf

Not sure how to store your growing Mighty Muggs collection? Maybe you're just not looking hard enough. Or maybe you just weren't quick enough. Take a look at this little number:
A gentleman from Roanoke, VA recently took advantage of the Steve & Barry's clothing stores going out of business and liquidating their fixtures by getting an amazing deal on what would appear to be the perfect storage unit for any Mighty Muggs collection. This fixture went for $20 and each of the 30 cubbies are 6 Muggs deep, which means that you can store 180 Mighty Muggs displaying your favorite 30 out front. Awesome. I think it's time to take up carpentry.

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Romero is back with "Diary of the Dead"

In 1968 George A. Romero scared the crap out of the world with "Night of the Living Dead". He followed that up 11 years later with "Dawn of the Dead", and in 1985 gave us "Day of the Dead", (which was my personal favorite, though many would disagree). Most 'Dead' fans thought that was it for Romero and his 'Dead' films, but in 2005 we were given "Land of the Dead". Since we had to wait 20 years between installments I had pretty much resigned myself to the fact that "Land" was going to be the last hoorah.
Imagine the shock and awe of horror fans everywhere when we were treated to Romero's "Diary of the Dead" just 2 years later!
"Diary of the Dead" was the first thing I bought with my Christmas loot, and I usually don't buy a DVD without seeing it, but for this I made an exception.
It should always be remembered that George Romero created this sub-genre. The whole zombies taking over the world and society thrown into chaos, even the idea of zombies craving human flesh, it all comes from Romero's 'Dead' films.
The "Resident Evil" Video games and films like "28 Days Later" and "Shaun of the Dead" were all inspired by the original "Night of the Living Dead".
The first preview for "Diary" didn't look so good to me, and a friend told me to bother, so my expectations were low, but I have to say I enjoyed it and was glad I made the purchase.
First off, you should know this film is shot first person documentary style like "Cloverfield" or the "Blair Witch Project", this may cause some to groan, but the camera is held with a steady hand, and it won't make you dizzy. Also, yeah, Romero scores no points for originality using this kinda played out gimmick, but it does make for some truly creepy moments. There is an opening scene of a news crew on the scene of a triple homicide, bodies are being loaded into the back of ambulances, one starts twitching, it doesn't end well.
The story centers around some young film students who happen to be making a movie out in the woods when the dead start to rise. The director of this student film decides to keep his camera rolling and document the ensuing chaos. You pretty much have to suspend disbelief, and not ask why the heck you would walk around trying to film while zombies are taking over the world. I mean if your girlfriend is being attacked by her undead younger brother, wouldn't ya put down the camera for a sec and help out? As long as you can get over that, "Diary" is pretty entertaining.
There are also lots of voice over cameos from heavyweights like Wes Craven, Stephen King, and Quentin Tarantino. You really have to listen for them, but they're there! Stephen King is great as a wacked out screaming preacher.
The special effects are also pretty good considering the low budget. It's almost all CG, but it works well. If I was going to grade this I'd give it a B, not great but darn good and worth a look. Also, Dead fans can rejoice because Romero's next project is entitled "Island of the Dead"! The King is back!

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OKTAPODI

Oktapodi is one of five films nominated for Best Animated Short Film at this year's Academy Awards. It's actually a graduation film by six students who attended Gobelins in France, and now it's up for an Oscar. Who'd a thunk? I guess it shows that you don't need a big budget or big names to make a big impact.

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Gi. Joe 25th Anniversary line continues to impress!

In 2007 Hasbro celebrated G.I. Joe's 25th anniversary by completely revamping the original figures with amazing results.
Hasbro had been trying over the years to resurrect the 3 3/4 size Joes and Cobras with not so successful results. Lines like "G.I. Joe vs. Cobra", "Spy Troops", and "Valor vs. Venom" scored points for originality, but never quite seemed to hit the mark.
Hasbro finally figured it out, instead of trying to update the characters, just release them in all their retro, cheesey, 80's glory. Instead of putting Shipreck, everyones favorite sailor, in a modern, pratical, outfit, give him his original duds, (which makes him look like a member of the Village People), and don't forget his pet parrot! Because who wouldn't want to charge into battle with a squaking, light green bird attatched to them?
While the characters are wearing their original outfits, the figures are all new sculpts with mind-blowing articulation. These new guys have swivle wrists, jointed ankles, and ball jointed necks, so they can look in any darn direction you want! Gone are the "o rings", those black rubberbands that could snap in the event of , well , twisting your figures around at the waist too much. Now the figures are simply jointed at the torso, allowing for even more poses, and no more broken crotches! There isn't a male aged 25 to 35 who doesn't know the heartbreak of a broken crotch. You could try gluing it, but it just wasn't the same. Same goes for broken thumbs, which would result from trying to force a weapon into a figure's hand, well that also, is now a thing of the past, the new figures are made of a softer plastic that bends instead of breaks.
The original Joes and Cobras had guns and knives sculpted right to their bodies, so you couldn't remove them, now they're all removeable! You can take Snake-Eyes pistol out of his holster and stick Zartan's dagger securely into his boot!
Could it get any better? Yes. Hasbro just added Specialist Matt Trakker to G.I. Joe's ranks. Sound familiar? He's a character from another 80's toy line, M.A.S.K.! Seriously, how cool is that!?
There are a truckloads of more G.I. Joe and Cobra goodness on tap for 2009, Target will have exclusive Tiger Force and Python Patrol jets, Toys R Us is going to have a Viper Five pack, and Hasbro is gearing up for a line of figures from the upcoming G.I. Joe movie, so if you like G.I. Joe, go to your local retail store and check these out!

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Star Wars retold

Here is a clip of a girl doing her best to give a recap of the original Star Wars trilogy. I'm not sure what movies she was watching, but at least she got a lot of the names right and that's more than I can say for some people.

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DVD releases for Jan. 20th

TOP PICK
- The Powerpuff Girls: Complete Series (10th Anniversary Collection)

OTHER RELEASES
- American East
- Amusement
- Center Stage: Turn It Up
- Chris Rock: Kill the Messenge
- Chris Rock: Kill the Messenger (Special Edition)
- City of Ember
- The Deal
- Emergency!: Season Five
- The Express (Full Screen)
- The Express (Widescreen)
- Igor
- Max Payne (2-Disc Unrated Edition)
- Max Payne (Unrated Edition)
- MGM: When the Lion Roars
- Moonlight: The Complete Series
- National Lampoon's Stoned Age
- National Lampoon's Stoned Age (Unrated)
- The Notebook (Limited Edition Gift Set)
- Poison Ivy 4: The Secret Society
- Repo! The Genetic Opera
- The Rockford Files: Season Six
- Saw V (Full Screen Edition)
- Saw V (Unrated Collector's Edition)
- Saw V (Unrated Director's Cut)
- Waking the Dead: Season Three

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WB and Fox shake hands and make nice

[From the Hollywood Reporter]
Warner Bros. and Fox have resolved their dispute over Watchmen, with the studios scheduled to present the settlement to Judge Gary Feess on Friday morning and request that the case be dismissed, says The Hollywood Reporter.
Terms of the agreement will not be disclosed, but it is said to involve a sizable cash payment to Fox and a percentage of the film's box office. Fox will not be a co-distributor on the film, nor will it own a piece of the Watchmen property going forward. The studios are set to release a joint statement announcing the agreement Friday.
Fox sued Warners in February of 2008, claiming copyright infringement based on agreements the studio had with producer Larry Gordon. Feess ruled on Dec. 24 that Gordon did not secure the proper rights to Watchmen from Fox before shopping the project and eventually setting it up with Warners. Feess' decision prompted settlement talks to heat up because Warners faced the prospect of an injunction stopping its March 6 release of the $130 million comic book adaptation.
While Gordon is not a party to the case, Warners is said to be pursuing the producer and his attorneys to reimburse it for the costs of the settlement.

UPDATE: Here is the official statement from both studios...
Warner Bros. and Twentieth Century Fox have resolved their dispute regarding the rights to the upcoming motion picture Watchmen in a confidential settlement. Warner Bros acknowledges that Fox acted in good faith in bringing its claims, which were asserted prior to the start of principal photography. Fox acknowledges that Warner Bros. acted in good faith in defending against those claims Warner Bros. and Fox, like all Watchmen fans, look forward with great anticipation to this film's March 6 release in theatres.

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Durex Commercial

I could describe this video to you, but I think it's just better if you see it for yourself. I will say that this is not for the easily offended and I would make sure that your little kid isn't watching over your shoulder or they may have a question or two. Then again, there's no time like the present to have a talk with your kids, and look...visual aids!

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Watchmen hearing is dismissed -Good news?

[From the Hollywood Reporter]

A scheduled Tuesday court conference between Fox and Warner Bros. attorneys has been cancelled, fueling talk that a settlement in the contentious Watchmen case is imminent.

Fox sued Warners last February, saying the studio infringed on its rights to make the comic book adaptation. In December, when federal judge Gary A. Feess ruled that Fox has distribution rights to the film, Warners faced the prospect of having the film's March 6 release blocked.

Settlement talks between the two sides became serious over the weekend and continued to heat up yesterday.

A settlement could cost Warners tens of millions of dollars as Fox is reportedly asking for upfront fees as well as a percentage of the back-end.

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MATRIX PONG

I really wanted to put a new video up today, so I went back to an old favorite that I'm sure many of you haven't seen. When I first saw this 4 years ago it blew my mindgrapes. Here it is -Matrix Pong:

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DVD releases for Jan. 13th

- 'Til Death: The Complete Second Season
- Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Chipettes
- Appaloosa
- Balls Out: Gary the Tennis Coach
- Ben 10 Alien Force: Season One, Volume Two
- Breakfast at Tiffany's (Paramount Centennial Collection)
- Brick Lane
- Brideshead Revisited
- Dallas: The Complete Tenth Season
- Funny Face (Paramount Centennial Collection)
- The Henry James Collection
- Hit and Run (Unrated)
- House of Payne, Volume 3
- Little Britain USA
- Make 'Em Laugh: The Funny Business of America
- Matlock: Season Two
- My Best Friend's Girl (Rated)
- My Best Friend's Girl (Uncut)
- My Bloody Valentine: Special Edition (1981)
- Reba: Season Five
- Supercop
- Swing Vote
- Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys (Full Screen)
- Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys (Widescreen)
- Underworld & Underworld: Evolution Double Feature
- Walker, Texas Ranger: The Sixth Season
- Without a Paddle: Nature's Calling

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The first Mighty Muggs of 2009

Here is newest wave of Marvel Mighty Muggs (Wave 6) coming in March. It looks like Hasbro is trying a little more personality into their upcoming waves. No complaints here. Logan and Sabretooth look amazing.
On their way to the toy shelf this month are G.I. Joe (Wave 1) and Indiana Jones (Wave 2), followed close behind by Transformers (Wave 1) in February and G.I. Joe (Wave 2) in March.

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BIG BUCK BUNNY

Recent winner of the Audience Award at the Holland Film Festival, Big Buck Bunny shows that even a nice guy can be pushed too far. This very impressive and entertaining film comes The Blender Institute and was created entirely with open source software for all to enjoy.

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RED BAND TRAILER FOR 'SLAMMIN' SALMON'

Broken Lizard is back with another serving of hot buttered comedy in the tradition of Super Troopers and Beerfest (and to a lesser extent Puddle Cruiser and Club Dread). Their latest project is Slammin' Salmon about a group of waiters in a contest to win $10, 000 for bringing in the most money in one night. Joining the five man troupe of Stolhanske, Soter, Lemme, Heffernan, and Chandrasekhar this time around are Michael Clarke Duncan and Cobie Smulders (How I Met Your Mother). Now don't forget , this is a RED BAND trailer, so it may not be suitable for all audiences -just fair warning. There is no release date for this film as of yet.

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The Mask for Halloween 2

Here is a peek at the new mask for Rob Zombie's Halloween sequel tentatively titled 'H2'. From the look of things it would appear that Zombie was smart enough to go with a weathered version of the same mask instead the constant second-rate replacements they kept using in the original series. They've even added a huge gash from the bullet wound that Myers received in the first film. You've got to love continuity.

On another note, the sequel has been moved from it's original Halloween release date to a more familiar August release to mirror the first film. I guess they figure they'll get more revenue from the summer crowd than the Halloween crowd.

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DVD releases for Jan. 6th

TOP PICKS:
- Frisky Dingo: Season 2 ***Amazingly underrated show from Adult Swim***
- Pineapple Express (Two-Disc Unrated Edition)

OTHER RELEASES:
- Babylon A.D. (Single-Disc Edition)
- Babylon A.D. (Special Edition)
- Bangkok Dangerous (2-Disc Special Edition)
- Bangkok Dangerous (Full Screen & Widescreen)
- Barney: Be My Valentine
- Barney: Once Upon a Dino Tale
- Battlestar Galactica: Season 4.0
- Behind Enemy Lines: Colombia
- Bob the Builder: Race to the Finish
- Disaster Movie (Full Screen)
- Disaster Movie (Unrated Widescreen)
- Doctor Who: Episode 118 - Four to Doomsday
- Doctor Who: Episode 27 - The War Machines
- Duckman: The Complete Series
- Duckman: Seasons Three and Four
- Eden Lake
- The Films of Michael Powell
- IMAX Ultimate Collection
- Mannix: The Second Season
- Midnight Movie
- Pineapple Express (Rated Single-Disc Edition)
- Pineapple Express (Single-Disc Unrated Edition)
- Ping Pong Playa
- Righteous Kill
- Transformers: Animated Season Two
- The Tudors: The Complete Second Season
- The Wackness
- The Waltons: The Complete Eighth Season

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Pixar's Burn-E

For those who loved Disney/Pixar's Wall-E, the animation house serves up a bonus treat with Burn-E. Exclusive to the video release of Wall-E, Burn-E gives you one last peek into the Wall-E-verse. Of course, just in case you haven't gotten around to buying said DVD, don't fret. Here is Burn-E in all it's pixalated glory. Enjoy.

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Nolan North as Deadpool

Here's a look at Nolan North rocking Deadpool in the upcoming Wolverine vs Hulk DVD.

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Why aren't you watching THE CLONE WARS?

If you missed The Clone Wars series on the Cartoon Network I highly recommend giving it a chance. Yes, I am a Star Wars dork who grew up with the original trilogy, but like many I was monumentally disappointed by the three car pile-up that was the prequel trilogy. However, this new series produced by George Lucas is better written and a lot more fun than the last three films. As a kid, I was always mystified by the Clone Wars when Obi Wan mentioned them in "A New Hope". Were the Jedi fighting against the clones? Was the war over the ethics of Cloning? Who knew? Finally our questions would be answered in the prequel trilogy and they completely skip over them! This series finally shows it in all it's droid, clone, and jedi butt-kicking glory. First, this isn't kid stuff. Sure its premiere was the most watched series premiere in Cartoon Network's history, but it's rated PG. There is a surprising amount of violence in this show, people get blown away, run through with light sabers, and clone troopers get mercilessly sucked out into the vaccume of space. Also, this show doesn't just focus on Obi Wan and Anakin, (By the way, the animated Anakin is a much better actor than Hayden Christensen!) many Jedi are spotlighted like Plo Koon, Kit Fisto, some guy named Yoda, and there is even an episode focusing on a group of Clone rookies! And yes, one episode did feature Jar Jar Binks, but just one! And with 10 episodes aired that's a pretty good ratio. Also, I gotta say I am a big General Grevious fan, and we didn't get to see nearly enough of him in the films. In the series he is pretty much the central bad guy, and he is a great villian with one of the coolest voices ever. Cartoon Network has been showing Clone Wars marathons during the holidays, a great way to catch up when the new episodes start in January, so check it out already!

[Entry by Jeff Beckley -Hopefully, the first of many. ]

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RESIDENT EVIL: DEGENERATION

Have you ever sat around playing Resident Evil and thought, "Wow! This stuff is better than that crap that they've been putting in the movies. They should just CGI a movie like this". Well, speculate no more. It's here.

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TROOPS [1998]

I know this piece is ten years old, but it's held up well over time. This was probably the first really well done parody I had ever seen online. Troops is a Cops parody featuring Stormtroopers (well, technically Sandtroopers) on Tattooine in a couple of very familiar scenarios from the original Star Wars film. It shows that these misunderstood Imperial soldiers were just, you know, doing there duty to keep the peace. Nothing wrong with that, right? Oh, and for you MST3K fans, if you pay close attention you'll notice that the officers have recovered a certain Mr. Tom Servo from the Jawas sandcrawler.

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