William David Lee, ESQ.

Cinema 2009

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 21:22:43 GMT

A fantastic look back at the year in movies. Both good and bad.

Home Alone: Retribution

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 09:16:47 GMT

Merry Christmas, you filthy animal. And a Happy New Year.

Coming Soon

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 10:02:56 GMT

I haven't been posting as much content as I'd like to. I've just been crazy busy these last couple months. My New Year's Resolution is to make more time for writing, whether that be reviews, blogs, or scripts. I do plan on returning to the Watchmen annotations and the DCAU Project.

I will be posting my annual year-end awards within a few weeks which will culminate in my Top 25 Films of the Year list. Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Cinematography, all the usual categories along with a few unique ones of my own. I'm shooting for around January 10 as I have a few more films to catch. I still want to see Avatar, Precious, and Invictus, to name a few. Plus, I'm really hoping Crazy Heart and A Single Man will open in San Diego soon.

EDIT: Okay, I did what I should have done before and just checked online. DUH! Crazy Heart doesn't open until Jan. 8, but Single Man will start playing this weekend. Sweetness.

Just to give you a preview, Star Trek, Inglourious Basterds, The Hurt Locker, and Up in the Air are pretty much a lock for my Top 10. Animation is going to be well-represented this year. On the flipside, I slacked off on documentaries.

In addition, I'll be celebrating 2010 by posting a Top 100 Films of the Decade list. That's going to be a fun beast to tackle. So stay tuned.

Iron Man 2

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 09:44:35 GMT

Aww...yeah! The first trailer is now online.

Some Comic-Con footage mixed in with new scenes like Mickey Rourke slicing Tony's race car in half. Plus, Iron Man and War Machine fighting an army of armored suits. I twittered that they were upgraded Iron Mongers, but they look more like a mish-mash of the Monger and Crimson Dynamo designs which makes sense since Mickey Rourke's character is supposed to be a composite of Whiplash and the Dynamo.

You can watch a higher quality version at Apple Trailers.

In further Marvel movie news, X-Men might get good again as Bryan Singer returns to the franchise. He'll direct the upcoming X-Men: First Class.

Not to be outdone, here's some more trailer goodness...

Clash of the Titans...RELEASE THE KRAKEN~!

Alice in Wonderland...Tim Burton's pseudo-sequel.

And here's the first trailer for Ridley Scott's Robin Hood. Meh...

Why, Jackie, Why?

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:01:23 GMT

Proof that Jackie Chan has taken one too many hits to the head.

It's bad enough he's basically remaking The Pacifier, but now he's co-starring with George Lopez and Billy Ray Cyrus...

On a more positive note, The Film Geek Blog is back in business. I've been crazy busy and I got sick awhile back so I've been way behind on movie reviews. I seriously stood next to a girl at work who turned out to have the H1N1, luckily I didn't catch it. Anyways, I'm back to writing reviews and I should get caught over Thanksgiving break. With any luck, I should be posting a review each day for the next month or so. And maybe, just maybe, Christmas break will allow me to get in a little screenwriting. But, don't get your hopes up.

I am Kick-Ass

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:09:36 GMT

I know Iron Man 2 will be the king of comic book movies next year and I'm anxiously looking forward to it, but I'm also really excited about Kick-Ass. Despite the constant lateness, the comic has been one of the best I've read in years and the movie looks good.

Trailer is online over at MySpace.

Also online is the first teaser for the new Clash of the Titans. I'm always up for a good hack-and-slash, sword-and-sandals flick and Sam Worthington is quickly becoming the action hero-du-jour. Plus, you've got Liam Neeson as Zeus, Ralph Fiennes as Hades, and Danny Huston as Poseidon which makes for one awesome pantheon of gods.

Some people call me a space cowboy...

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:23:15 GMT

I miss you Firefly.

Rifftrax - Transformers Edition

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 07:09:59 GMT

Ah...the only way to watch Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen with RiffTrax.

Scream Awards 2009

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 22:30:18 GMT

Attended Spike TV's taping of this year's Scream Awards at the Greek Theater in L.A. Here are some pics from the red carpet:

Kate Vernon, aka Ellen Tigh of Battlestar Galactica

Christina Ricci

Karl Urban

Disappointed this was the best shot I could get of Keith Richards

Eli Roth is a Basterd

Grace Park, FTW

More pics here and quick report over at DVD Town.

The Expendables

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 08:20:43 GMT

I'm excited about this movie and all, but this is such a shitty trailer. It makes the film look like a direct to video crapfest. In any event, I don't know if theaters can handle the sheer presence of so much manly manness. We've got Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Terry Crews, and Randy Couture vs. David Zayas from Oz and Dexter, Eric Roberts, Dolph Lundgren, and Stone Cold Steve Austin. And because there wasn't enough testoserone, they threw in Mickey Rourke. Plus, Arnold is supposed to be making a cameo appearance in a scene with Stallone AND Bruce Willis. Shit, this movie will surely cause me to soil my pants with multiple bodily fluids.

Welcome to Zombieland

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 01:18:59 GMT

If any of you turkeys still haven't seen Zombieland, here's the first four minutes of the flick, including the awesome opening credit sequences. Don't know how long it'll stay online so hurry up if you want to know the rules for surviving in Zombieland.

Long Beach Comic-Con

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 07:54:31 GMT

A belated post, but a post nonetheless.

My shoulder hurt, my back was sore, and my feet were killing me. That's right, I was at a comic book convention. I hit up the first annual Long Beach Comic-Con this past Saturday. I should note that the LBCC has no relation to the more renowned San Diego Comic-Con. Most conventions are re-branding themselves as "Comic-Con" to capitalize on the success of San Diego's.

The main reason I attended was to do all the things I used to be able to do at SDCC before it became such a massive endeavor. Walk around the exhibit hall without feeling like a sardine, get my comics signed, gawk at D-list celebrities, and (most importantly) not have to deal with Twilight fans.

I was also hoping for better luck than the last time I visited the Long Beach Convention Center. This was back in 2004 when Wizard Magazine held the first Wizard World L.A. It was Spring Break and I bought a 3-day pass, looking forward to geeking out. Only I got crazy sick the night before. I was in a germ-induced daze and hardly remember even driving myself to Long Beach. I stumbled through the con for less than an hour (most of that time was spent sitting at a picnic table with my head down) before cutting my losses and heading home. I did get some comics signed by George Perez so it wasn't a total fail.

The set-up was pretty old school. No crazy, super expensive multimedia extravaganzas, just tables with toys, comics, and other cool crap on them. Only Nintendo had anything fancy with a carpeted area where people could play Wii and DS games. Best of all, Artists' Alley was placed in the center of the hall whereas SDCC has kind of shoved it off into a corner like it was an ugly stepchild. The main floor was miniscule compared to San Diego. You could walk the hall at SDCC for days and still not see everything while it only took me 15 minutes to walk LBCC and see all the booths. Also, the Long Beach Convention Center is kind of a dump. Sorry, Long Beachers.

I got some books signed by Jim Lee and Geoff Johns, but missed out on a few others like J. Scott Campbell because the lines were too long (which was something I wanted to avoid.) Other comic professionals in attendance included: Stan Lee, Marc Andreyko, Philip Tan, Scott Williams, Peter Tomasi, Jeph Loeb and Norm Rapmund. I did see Seth Green and Kevin Grevioux from Underworld (the man has an insanely deep voice) scoping out the Con. Thomas Jane was there, and just like at SDCC, he was walking around barefoot and chomping on a cigar. I don't think he pissed on the side of a hotel this time.

I hope the convention lasts and expands as a nice alternative to the hustle/bustle of the increasingly Hollywood-centric SDCC. I would like to see a deeper involvement next year from the major comic book companies.

After a brief hiatus, Wizard is bringing back Wizard World L.A., rechristened as the Anaheim Comic-Con, taking place April 16-18. Eliza Dushku will be there and as primary Eliza Dushku Stalker, you know I'll be there.

I didn't really take that many pictures, but here's a sampling:

More pics available on Flickr.

Whoo!

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 07:23:58 GMT

I know Naitch has 3 ex-wives and all, but...jeez...is he this hard up for money? Well...at least it's for a good cause. Whoo!

Comic Book Picks of the Week #38

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 01:47:54 GMT

Made a rare stop at ye olde comic shoppe this week and picked up a couple things.

Wolverine: Old Man Logan Giant-Size #1 (Marvel)

Ah, one of the reasons why I gave up comics: perpetual lateness. The conclusion to "Old Man Logan" finally hits stores so late that they skipped ahead in the Wolverine series and printed this as a separate issue. Unlike the insanely late Ultimate Hulk vs. Wolverine, this was worth the wait. After a hellish journey through a supervillain-controlled America, Logan has witnessed the death of his friend Hawkeye, battled the Red Skull (now self-declared President), and relived the tragic circumstances surrounding his retirement from superheroing. He returns home with the money to save his farm only to find his wife and children murdered by the Hulk Gang. Now, it's adamantium ass-kicking time. Wolverine proves why he's the best there is at what he does when he carves his way through an insane Bruce Banner and his inbred gamma-powered offspring.

Kick-Ass #7 (Marvel/Icon)

Also from Mark Millar is the penultimate chapter of Kick-Ass and if you thought the rest of the series was bloody, this one gets really nasty. The Red Mist betrays Kick-Ass while the mob beats the crap out of Big Daddy and shoot Hit-Girl out a window. That's only the beginning when Kick-Ass gets his testicles hooked to a car battery.

Blackest Night #3 (DC)

After the disappointment of Infinite Crisis and Final Crisis, DC renews my faith with one of the best crossover events I've read in years. Black rings swarm the planet like locusts and bring the dead back to life to rip the hearts out of the living. The recently resurrected Barry Allen and Hal Jordan battle their former friends now in the form of a Black Lantern Justice League, including the recently murdered Hawkman and Hawkgirl. In space, the Black Lanterns show no mercy to ringbearers of any color. Even the ancillary titles are good reads...

Blackest Night: Batman - Gotham City is under siege by a group of resurrected Bat-villains. The new Batman and Robin (Dick Grayson & Damian Wayne) along with Tim Drake (now Red Robin), Commissioner Gordon, and Barbara Gordon barely escape with their lives when the dead parents of Dick and Tim return as Black Lanterns.

Blackest Night: Superman - Supergirl's father, Zor-El, attacks New Krypton while Superman and Kon-El try to save Smallville from the Earth-2 Superman and Lois Lane as the Psycho-Pirate forces the citizens to tear each other apart.

Blackest Night: Titans - Black Lanterns Terra and Omen begin the assault on Titans Tower as a resurrected Hank Hall murders the new Hawk, Holly Granger, right in front of Dove's eyes. And things get really messed up when Donna Troy meets the Black Lantern version of her dead son.

I have mastered this internet...

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 09:45:30 GMT

Dr. Horrible rules it at the Emmys. Glad they didn't forget about Moist.

And here we go...

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 23:37:05 GMT

After sitting out the format war and waiting until the dust settled, I finally decided to go Blu-Ray. The recent release of the PS3 Slim was the main factor in my choice to finally pull the trigger. I ordered it Labor Day weekend off Amazon and it finally arrived this Tuesday. No shipping or sales tax so with the extra cash I saved, I also ordered HDMI cables and the Blu-Ray remote.

I researched a lot of standalone models, but I felt the PS3's internet capabilities and hard drive were essential in order to keep the player constantly upgraded. I'd hate to drop a couple hundred on a BD player and see it become obsolete after a couple months. The first thing I did was update to Profile 3, quick and painless.

Naturally, the first Blu-Ray I bought was The Dark Knight. I also bought the Skynet Edition of Terminator 2. I already own the Ultimate and Extreme Editions so this is the 3rd time I've bought the film on disc, but considering it's one of my favorite films ever, I have no problem with this. Video and audio quality is exceptional. I love all the little things like accessing the menu without stopping the movie. I wound up also buying Crank 2, Terminator 3 (10 bucks!), and Wolverine. I also bought The International on sale at Fry's mainly so I could watch the Guggenheim shootout in high definition. I'm so impressed with how awesome these movies looked, I went ahead and ordered The Assassination of Jesse James and a few other titles. Damn, this format is addictive.

I've also received Blu-Rays of Takashi Miike's Audition from Shout! and Superman/Batman: Public Enemies from Warner Brothers for review over at DVD Town. These will be my first Blu-Ray reviews ever. I watched the latter this afternoon and it looks gorgeous. If any genre lent itself to Blu-Ray, it's animation. I can't wait to upgrade all my Pixar titles and I'm excited to see the picture quality on Disney's upcoming Diamond Collection line.

As an added bonus, the PS3 does a splendid job in upconverting standard DVDs so the video quality is much improved over my regular DVD player. The only nitpicks I have with the PS3 Slim is that its loading time is a bit slow. According to reviews, it's actually slower than the previous PS3 models. You won't be able to play PS2 games either. I'm not even much of a gamer these days. I remember getting Lego Star Wars: The Original Trilogy for my Gamecube as an X-Mas gift a few years ago and I STILL haven't unwrapped the damn thing. That doesn't mean I won't be playing games, but the PS3 is much more of a multimedia center than a mere video game system.

Knowing my luck, now that I've finally gone Blu-Ray someone probably already invented the next format, like 3D holographic projection suppositories or something.

Pity the fool...

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 19:01:33 GMT

So it's official, according to Get the Big Picture. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson is playing B.A. Baracus in the new A-Team movie directed by Joe Carnahan. He's filming right now and the movie is set for release in mid-June. Weird thing is, the roster isn't complete. Liam Neeson is Hannibal and Bradley Cooper is Face, but no word on who will play "Howling Mad" Murdock. Woody Harrelson was John Singleton's first choice when they was attached to direct. Me? I'm pulling for Bill Hader.

Me likey this...

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 07:08:50 GMT

Variety is reporting Gina Carano will star in a spy thriller to be directed by Steven Soderbergh from a script by Lem Dobbs who wrote The Limey (an awesome flick). The movie is described as a straight up actioner and a cousin to La Femme Nikita and Kill Bill.

Luck hasn't been on her side in the past few months. EliteXC went under, American Gladiators was cancelled, and she suffered her first MMA loss against Cyborg. But, this sounds cool. Can she act? Probably not, but who cares...I want to see Gina kick ass and blow shit up. Blow shit up real good.

Toybox #11 - The Wonder Twins

Sun, 06 Sep 2009 07:31:04 GMT

Ah, the Wonder Twins. These super-powered teenagers from the planet Exor have been the butt of many jokes. Originally introduced on the Superfriends cartoon, the Twins have wormed their way into pop culture thanks to their battle cry of, “Wonder Twin Powers activate!” Along with their pet monkey, Gleek, the Wonder Twins were the teen sidekicks to the Superfriends and made Robin feel just a bit less worthless than normal. Mattel announced they would sell a Wonder Twins 2-pack at Comic-Con and later Mattycollector. However, they riled up thousands of fanboys into a pitchfork and torch-wielding frenzy when they stated Gleek would ONLY be available at Comic-Con. I won’t go into the mess I now refer to as Gleekgate. Suffice to say, it was a pain in the ass that I was lucky to avoid.

Packaging - ****
Mattel usually goes the extra mile when it comes to the packaging for their convention exclusives. Their JLU Solomon Grundy a few years back came in a vibrating box while their albino Man-Bat would screech when the panels were opened. They stepped it up to another level with the Wonder Twins. First, the figures are housed in a basic white box with the DC Universe logo. Open that up and you’ll find a pentagon-like box in the standard DCUC orange color with a Wonder Twins shield insignia on top. There’s a plastic slipcover around the package with Wonder Twins stamped on it in a Superfriends-style font.

Pull the slipcover off and you’ll find Zan on one side and his sister, Jayna, on the other. Here’s the cool part: the box can fold together so the Twins can touch fists. When that happens the box lights up and says, ”Wonder Twin powers activate…shape of an eagle…form of a bucket of water…let’s save those kids…I’m with you, Wonder Brother!”

Gleek is NOT packaged with the Twins. He comes separately in a polybag and was (supposed to be) given out 1 for every set of Twins purchased at the Con.

Sculpting & Paint - *** 1/2
Four Horsemen sculpting powers activate! Mattel’s star sculpting team once again gives fanboys another set of awesome figures. These toys capture the classic look of the Wonder Twins while giving them something of a modern, updated look. Created in the 70’s, the Wonder Twins still retain the basic goofiness of that era right down to the high collars and hairstyles. Zan has a Beatles-style mop top while Jayna has a pointy beehive ‘do. Looking at Zan, Mattel could pretty easily re-use that collared body for Earth-2 Robin. Zan uses the basic male body while Jayna uses a smaller female body that could be the same as Supergirl’s. Not sure, they appear to be the same size. She’s definitely smaller than Starfire. There is something about the Twins’ smiling faces that seem a bit unsettling. It’s as if they were staring into my very soul.

The paint is clean all around with just a bit of the yellow on their belt buckles and boot trim that bleeds with the dark blue around it.

Gleek is spot on. There’s a little bit of texture sculpted onto Gleek’s arms, legs, and neck to simulate his fur. He’s got the bent legged look that was the Horsemen’s signature in the old He-Man and DC Superheroes line.

Articulation - ***, Gleek - * 1/2
Basic DCUC articulation. The arms have joints in the shoulder, upper arm, elbow and wrist. The legs are connected to the hip with side-to-side and back & forth joints along with joints at the knees and ankles with a cut at the thighs. There’s also a joint in the midsection and neck cut.

Gleek only has articulation at the shoulders and neck.

Accessories - ***
The Wonder Twins come with Zan in bucket of water form as well as an eagle for Jayna’s animal form. Mattel seems to love that damn eagle because they’re also using it for their Masters of the Universe Classics line and it’ll be packaged with the Wave 10 Beast Boy. I’m also counting Gleek and the box as accessories.

Value - **
I’m giving it a two-star rating based on the original retail price of $40.00. That’s basically one Andrew Jackson for each Wonder Twin though you do get the added value of the tricked out box. Gleek was supposed to be a limited-edition gift given away for free at Comic-Con. Again, I won’t go into the mess at Mattel’s Comic-Con store, but it was a clusterfuck. I didn’t even bother to wait in line and bought the set off eBay through Buy It Now for $60. Considering the ridiculous prices Gleek ALONE went for on the Bay, I got them for a bargain. I may have paid an extra twenty bucks, but at least I didn’t have to deal with any headaches or waste hours and hours of precious time. At that price, I’d knock down the rating by a star. I love the Wonder Twins, but I don’t 60 bucks love them.

Gleek was gone by Friday while the Wonder Twins sold out Saturday at the Con. Even without Gleek, the Twins still sold out on Mattycollector. So if you still want the set, you’ll have to go to the secondary market.

As a sidenote, It’s been a Superfriends summer for me. I bought three of the DVD sets at Big Lots back in July for $6 each and I got The Lost Episodes DVD a couple weeks back for review. You can read that write-up on DVD Town. These Wonder Twin figures compliment the DVDs just fine.

Toybox #10 - Buzz & Woody

Sat, 05 Sep 2009 23:54:46 GMT

"To infinity and beyond!"

After 10 amazing films, it seems Pixar can do no wrong. Right now, they are on top of the animation world. Disney has practically given the keys to the Magic Kingdom to John Lasseter. Pixar will be returning to the property that put them on the map when they release Toy Story 3 next June in Digital 3D. As a preview, they will be re-releasing Toy Story and Toy Story 2 this October as a 3D double feature. Not to mention Toy Story merchandise has begun flooding retailers recently after a long absence from the shelves. There are so many toys in various shapes and sizes that it can be a daunting task to pick out the right one. The Disney Stores have their own exclusive line of figures while Target, Toys R Us, and Walmart have recently reset their toy aisles to include a Toy Story section with playthings by Mattel and Thinkway. I’ll discuss the differences later in the review, but if you’ve got the cash and the love for Toy Story then you want the super, deluxe versions from Thinkway. These are easy enough to spot…

Packaging - *****
I grade movies on a five-star scale, but I use a four-star scale for toys. However, for my new Woody and Buzz, I’m giving the packaging five-stars. Thinkway has put out a higher end line under the Toy Story Collection brand. These are essentially the toys Andy plays with in the films if they really existed. Well, they exist now. Buzz comes in the iconic spaceship box with ‘Buzz Lightyear’ logos on the front, sides, and top. The bottom of the box is designed to look like rocket thrusters. The back of the package describes all the cool features Buzz comes with and we even get the little picture of Buzz explaining who he is. ”I protect the galaxy from the threat of invasion from the Evil Emperor Zurg…” Even better, Buzz comes with a pair of sturdy cardboard wings that you can attach to the box to make it even more authentic.

Woody’s box isn’t as ostentatious. It’s a light blue box with a dark blue bottom and a big window to see Woody. There are Western style graphics around the package which is made to look like what Woody might have come in back in the 50’s. The ring to Woody’s pull string comes out the back so you can try him out.

There are two negatives to these otherwise beautifully designed boxes. One: the toys are a complete bitch to get out. Woody is held in by a shit-ton of twisty ties. Buzz also has a bunch of twisty ties keeping him trapped along with a zip tie and a plastic shell around his chest. Two: these boxes aren’t exactly collector friendly, Buzz’s more so. Finding a Woody in mint condition should be fairly easy, but the majority of the Buzz Lightyears I’ve seen have some dent or shelf wear. A few have been really bashed in. So those of you who are MOC collectors or who just want to keep the boxes for display will have to be really picky. Also, try to grab a figure in the back, one that hasn’t been played with in the store.

Sculpting & Paint - ****
Thinkway has basically given us movie replicas. They went straight to the source and used Pixar’s original designs. It was as if they reached right into their computers and pulled them out. They are in exact scale to the dimensions they would be if the toys existed in real life. Buzz stands at 12 inches while Woody is 16 inches tall. Woody has a real nice flesh tone to his face with a subtle pink to give him a pair of rosy cheeks. The browns for his eyes and hair are just right. His cowboy boots are made of a semi-hard plastic and have a cactus etched in on both sides. His outfit is great too. There’s a nice texture to his shirt and jeans. Woody’s vest is sewed onto his shirt and his sheriff’s star is sewed onto that. He’s even got his bandana around his neck.

Buzz is f’n incredible. His spacesuit is of a hard plastic and the sculpting on his face is perfect. His facial expression is pure Buzz with the raised eyebrow and the slight smirk on the end of his wide smile. Much like Woody, Buzz’s skin tone is just right and he has the same subtle rosy cheeks. Flip the panel open on his left arm and he has a decal for his wrist communicator. Thinkway released the original Talking Buzz when the first Toy Story was released and that toy created mayhem during the holidays. He was one of those hot in-demand items like Tickle-Me Elmo and another Pixar toy, the talking Boo from Monsters, Inc. I don’t have that Buzz, but I compared pictures of the two. The new Buzz is bulkier and a bit sleeker. The paint on his face is also better, lighter and more realistic.

Articulation - **
Buzz has articulated joints in his legs, shoulders, elbow, wrists, and fingers, but not his thumbs. He also has ratcheted joints in his lower torso, knees, and feet. These are more difficult to move, but the tightness makes it easier to pose him. This balances things out a as Buzz is a little back heavy due to his jetpack and wings. Buzz’s neck is articulated, but his head moves on its own. The shoulders don’t have full movement so you can’t put Buzz’s arms close to his body.

Woody’s head turns all the way around so you can recreate the Exorcist-esque scene from Toy Story. His wrists can also turn. However, Woody isn’t a traditional action figure; he’s much more of a soft doll.

Accessories - * 1/2
Buzz doesn’t come with any accessories unless you count his display box. Woody comes with his cowboy hat and a display stand with a base in the shape of a star. He does have a holster attached to his belt, but doesn’t come with a gun. Damn political correctness.

Extra Features - ****
Here’s where things get real good. Woody has a switch on his back to put him in ‘Play’ mode or demo (‘Try Me’) mode. The box proclaims Woody says 50 phrases in normal play mode and you don’t actually need to pull his string to hear them all. Woody has an interactive feature that allows him to react to the sound of your voice or other noise in the room. He can even sense when you’ve raised your voice. It doesn’t work quite as well as the materials seem to say, but it’s still cool. You can hear Woody say lines such as, ”Howdy, pardner! My name’s Sheriff Woody.”, ”Haha, boy, am I glad to see you!”, ”Reach for the sky.”, and, my personal favorite, ”There’s a snake in mah boots.” Maybe it’s just me, but some of the phrases don’t sound like they were done by Tom Hanks. Some have definitely been lifted straight from the movie, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they got a sound-a-like to fill out the 50.

As neat as Woody is, Buzz completely blows him out of the water. I guess that’s the point. Like I mentioned earlier, Buzz’s left arm has a flip panel to reveal a decal for his wrist communicator. His right arm has a laser (”It’s a little light that blinks!”) that can be activated by a red button that’s handily marked ‘Laser.’ Buzz’s wings have blinking lights on either end (one red, one green) and they can fold and retract into his jetpack. There’s a big red button on his chest that will pop them back out. His helmet also retracts. He’s got three oval buttons on the other side of his chest, blue, green, and red that switch between his different modes. Press the red button and that puts Buzz in Toy Mode. This is where Thinkway gets an additional gold star because of the tiny details that will please any die-hard toy collector. In Toy Mode, Buzz’s voice is on the tinny side and he says standard phrases such as, ”Buzz Lightyear to the rescue,” ”I protect the galaxy from the threat of invasion,” and “I come in peace.” Thinkway made Buzz sound exactly like your typical talking toy.

Now, hit the blue button and that puts Buzz in Interactive Mode. This is when Buzz "comes to life." He’ll turn his head automatically and say even more phrases in a voice much, much clearer and louder. Like Woody, he’ll respond to your voice and when he doesn’t hear anything for a while he’ll ask, ”Hello, are you still there?” He can even interact with himself. Flip the communicator and you get a little blip sound and Buzz will speak as if he’s trying to contact Star Command. Flip his helmet open and he’ll say, ”My eyeballs could have been sucked from their sockets!”, "The air isn't toxic..." or ”Ah, it’s good to breath planetary air again.” Flip it shut and he’ll say something like, “Switching to internal air supply.” Pop the wings out and he’ll make ‘whooshing’ sounds when you tip him to certain angles to simulate flying. Buzz is advertised as saying 65 phrases. I’ve been playing with him for a while and I haven’t heard all of them yet. Oh, the voice is unmistakably Tim Allen’s.

Value - *** 1/2
The Toy Story Collection Buzz and Woody have popped up at Target and Toys R Us at $49.99. Yes, 50 bucks is pretty steep, especially for Woody, but these are the most detailed and realistic Toy Story figures you’ll find. Again, these are Buzz and Woody as depicted in the films and are what Andy probably played with. As I mentioned earlier, these particular Buzz and Woody toys are easy to spot due to the unique packaging. They also have ‘Toy Story Collection’ stamped on the lower left corner of the boxes. Also available for the Toy Story Collection are a remote-controlled RC (for $80), a three-pack of aliens (for $30), and a bucket of green army men (for $15). Rex and Mr. Potato Head are coming soon.

If $50 is too much, Thinkway has also made cheaper, less elaborate talking figures for $34.99. Buzz, Woody, and Jessie are available in this price range. There are also a variety of action figures, mini-figures, and plush dolls made by both Thinkway and Mattel.

For me, Buzz was worth the fifty bucks though Woody would have been more palpable at $40. Still, these are worth every penny I spent. They’re fantastic toys. They look great for display, but made for play. Even older collectors will feel like kids again when they get their hands on these bad boys.

For more on the Toy Story Collection, you can visit Thinkway Toys' website.

These toys have also been given the stamp of approval by John Lasseter himself. You can view videos of Lasseter discussing the toyline on YouTube.

Toybox #9 - DCUC 2-Packs

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 01:55:58 GMT

I’m back again with another quick look at the latest releases from the DC Universe Classics line. This time, I’m reviewing a pair of the newest 2-packs from the Mattel. The first is “Battle for Earth 3” with Alexander Luthor and Ultraman which is exclusive to Mattycollector.com. The second is “Clash in the Cosmos” with Superman and Brainiac which is available only at Toys R Us and several online retailers.

Packaging - ***
Like the single-packed figures, the 2-packs come on the orange cardbacks with large display windows perfect for those of you who like their figures still in the box. They’re easy to open and the figures are held inside their trays using clear bands instead of the dreaded twisty ties. The figures are pre-posed which is sometimes a problem as the positioning can warp the plastic. That’s what happened to my Alexander Luthor as his right leg is slightly bent. My Starfire suffered a similar fate.

Sculpting - ****
I’m giving them a full four stars across the board. As Superman’s evil twin from a parallel universe, Ultraman looks like the basic Superman figure with some minor tooling. He’s got a V-shaped collar with the ‘U’ insignia attached. His face looks a lot like a vampire version of the Man of Steel with slicked back hair, sharp teeth, and red eyes. He’s based on the classic look rather than the modern version. Luthor is basically Lex’s good twin and one of the few heroes in the evil Earth-3 universe. His costume is a bit hokey. There’s a lot of detail in his face with just a minor bit of wrinkling and the pirate-esque goatee.

The “Clash in the Cosmos” set has yet another rehash of Supes, this time with heat vision eyes. He’s the same Supes figure previously released, but minus the long hair. He’ll be available again with regular eyes in the Walmart exclusive 5-pack. Most folks will be picking this set up for the Brainiac figure in his classic costume. The character was released years ago for the DC Superheroes line back when Mattel only had the rights to Bats and Supes. That version was the robot incarnation famously used during the Super Powers era of Superfriends. The 2-pack version is the one from the Legion of Doom era of Superfriends. He’s wearing a purple, long-sleeved polo shirt, black shorty shorts, and white go-go boots, a rather odd uniform for a supervillain. Mattel only needs to release Cheetah and Toyman for fans to get the complete LOD line-up. A new Riddler in spandex would be a plus.

Paint - *** 1/2
I don’t have any paint issues with the figures I purchased. I know some folks have found Brainiac with sleeves that were either lighter or darker in color to his torso, but mine did not. There’s no slop or bleeding with the white areas of his outfit. The green of his skin is also perfectly done. Supes and Alexander Luthor both look great too. The skin tones on Ultraman’s fists are lighter than his head.

Articulation - *** ½
These are the usual highly articulated figures from Mattel. There aren’t any issues with joints that are stuck or loose nor does any part of their sculpting get in the way of the joints.

Accessories - *
Brainiac is the only one to come with an accessory. He’s armed with the same laser pistol that came with the DCSH Lex Luthor. Everybody else has bupkis.

Value - ***
Again, I love these figures and the prices haven’t gotten so high that I’m turned off the line. Luthor/Ultraman is only available on Mattycollector for $25.00. The cheapest shipping option would be just under $9 and if you live in Southern California, you’ll probably get your figures in no time as Mattel is based in El Segundo. So you’re looking at about $17 per figure which is a little pricey. I picked up the Supes/Brainiac set at TRU for $21.99 which is a much better price though I really only wanted Brainiac. I don’t mind having an extra Superman as I’ll use him as a Superman Robot with my one, true Kal-El. The Supes/Brainiac set is being shipped with Batman/Clayface set and those have been hitting TRU in good amounts.

Overall - *** ½
I just love the DCUC line. Brainiac is awesome and perfect for those of you trying to build the Legion of Doom. Ultraman and Luthor aren’t exactly must-haves, but they’re great figures and I for one definitely want figures of Ultraman’s comrades, the Crime Syndicate. Can we get Superman/Owlman and Johnny Quick/Power Ring 2-packs, Mattel?

The Mattycollector 2-packs go on sale every quarter. The first one, Adam Strange/Starfire, went on sale back in January and is still available. The Earth-3 set went up last month. The next 2 sets look to be even better as we’re getting Sinestro Corps members Romat-Ru & Karu-Sil in the fall and Animal Man/B’Wana Beast next winter.

Toybox #8 - DCUC Wave 8

Sat, 29 Aug 2009 22:57:10 GMT

After a long drought, Mattel seems to be flooding stores with DC Universe Classics. Wave 8 and the new 2-packs finally hit stores with Wave 9 right behind it and the Wal-Mart exclusive Wave 10 coming soon. Another WM exclusive, the Gotham City 5-Pack has already hit stores a few weeks ago. Wave 8 is being reportedly found at Target and Toys R Us, while Wal-Mart seems to be getting 9 first. This review is for Mr. Terrific, Dr. Fate, Gentleman Ghost, and Hawkgirl.

Packaging - ***
The Classics come on the standard orange cardbacks that all of Mattel’s DC products come on which makes it a bit confusing for the uninitiated. The figures are housed in a big plastic bubble that’s perfect for MOC collectors. Each character in the wave is represented in the artwork behind the figure.

Sculpting and Paint - ****
I’m just going to go ahead and give each figure the full four stars. This is the Four Horsemen at their best. Each figure looks like they were ripped right off the comic book page. Dr. Fate uses the basic male body with some minor tooling for his costume. Mr. Terrific has his sweet jacket with “Fair Play” written on the sleeves though mine had some very minor smudging on his right leg. Hawkgirl is another awesome figure with no paint problems at all. They’ve managed to get all the little details just right such as the hawk logo on her belt buckle and the hawk feet design on her boots.

Gentleman Ghost is probably my favorite out of the four I bought. I never thought we’d get a GG figure, but this year we’ve managed to get two of them in both DCUC and JLU styles. That’s likely because he shares the same body with the Joker (a DCUC version will appear in Wave 10). What’s really cool is that they connected his top hat to the tip of his collar to replicate his headless look. His shins and feet and parts of his cape are done in transparent plastic to give him a more ghostly look.

Articulation – Hawkgirl **, Gentleman Ghost ***, Dr. Fate & Mr. Terrific ****
Lots of articulation which I’m not going to run down. I marked GG down one star only because the leg joints on mine are really loose, making it hard for him to stand. Hawkgirl gets knocked down two stars because her neck joint is severely limited in movement because of her molded long hair. Her head is stuck looking at a downward angle and can’t move too far to the left or right.

Accessories – Dr. Fate **, Mr. Terrific **1/2, Gentleman Ghost & Hawkgirl ***
Dr. Fate comes with an ankh-shaped energy construct, Mr. Terrific comes with his T-spheres which hook onto his back, and Hawkgirl comes with a mace, sword, spear, and a blue display stand. GG comes with a cane, a flintlock pistol, and the coolest of all, a miniature Atom (which I forgot to snap shots of). All four figures come with pieces to build Giganta.

Value - ***
The DCUC line used to be $9.99, but the prices have slowly risen with another supposed price hike for Wave 11. Target has these for just under 12 bucks while Walmart sells them for $12.97. Still, this is my favorite toyline of all time and I think they’re still worth it though I hope Mattel will give us more bang for the buck by including a few more accessories. The only problem with be actually finding these figures. Except for Mr. Terrific (who I picked up at Comic-Con), I found them all at a local Target the weekend before Comic-Con. I bought up the last of them and the store restocked two weeks later. Unfortunately, it was with Wave 6. Just about every store near me is still packed to the brim with leftovers from 6 and 7. That’s the most frustrating thing about collecting this line. New waves are really scarce at first, but are overstocked months later and sit on the shelves because most people have already bought them.

Toys R Us’s website does have a few Wave 8 figures for sale at $11.99. I’m more than likely going to order Wave 9 online.

Overall - ****
As I said this is my favorite toyline of all time. I love how we get a mixture of well-known figures and obscure characters in each wave. Along with Commander Steel, this set is perfect for JSA fans as we get several important members as well as one of their arch-enemies.

Toybox #7 - Street Fighter IV

Sun, 23 Aug 2009 07:34:45 GMT

I’m a big Street Fighter fan even though I haven’t played any of the games since Street Fighter Alpha 3 on the original Playstation. I owned Street Fighter II as well as Street Fighter II: Turbo and Super Street Fighter II on the Super NES. I watched the animated series on USA Network and a lot of the anime stuff. I even saw that God-awful movie with Van Damme. Sadly, I never bought any of the amazing action figures from ReSaurus or SOTA. There were also a series of Street Fighter figures from Hasbro that was done as a subset to the G.I. Joes. NECA currently has the license and they’ve released two sets (or Rounds) of figures based on the latest game, Street Fighter IV. Round 1 consisted of Ken, Ryu, and a new character named Crimson Viper. I’m reviewing Round 2 which are Chun-Li, Guile, and Akuma.

Packaging - ***
Nothing too spectacular. The figures are housed in a clamshell package with artwork of the game on the front. The back features a shot of one of the unpainted figures from the wave along with biographical info specific to the figure. A neat touch, the insert behind the figure is a silhouette of the character.

Sculpting – Akuma ****, Guile & Chun-Li *** ½
Not everyone has been won over by the style these figures are done in. It’s accurate to the new game, but they’re more rough and muscular compared to the smoother, streamlined SOTA toys. I wasn’t originally a fan of them either and passed over Round 1 when I saw them on the shelves. However, Round 2 was the first hit that got me addicted to the line. Akuma is the main culprit. He looks f’n phenomenal. Guile is pretty cool too though he looks a little too bug-eyed at some angles. Chun-Li is probably the most controversial figure of the line due to her thunder thighs. Seriously, those things are monstrously muscular. I was put off by the pictures, but seeing her in person changed my mind. She’s a great looking figure and you get used to the legs. She’s also got the spiked bracelets and buns in her hair. As an added touch, the gold trim on her outfit is sculpted rather than just painted on. The boots on Chun-Li and Guile are also well-done as you can see and feel every lace. The same goes for the ropes around Akuma’s fists and sandals.

Paint - ****
No issues here which is better than I can say for the somewhat disappointing paint job on the NECA’s new Half-Blood Prince figures. One store did have slight problems with all their Akumas, but I found a bunch of perfect ones at a different location. No slop on any of the characters and the skin tone is just right. They really nailed Guile’s camo pants and he’s even got clean USA flags tattooed on each shoulder.

Akuma is missing the Kanji symbol on the back of his gi. I know it only pops up during his victory pose, but it would have been appreciated.

Articulation - ****
Most of NECA’s figures feature limited articulation and are more in line with the almost-statues by McFarlane. Thankfully, NECA has given these figures plenty of articulation which is a fact boasted on the package. I won’t give you a detailed rundown of the joints, but these bad boys are definitely poseable and playable.

Accessories - *
This is my only nitpick with the line. Each figure comes with alternate hands, closed and open fists. Chun-Li has an extra for the peace sign. Unlike the SOTA figures, they don’t come with alternate heads. That’s it. I’m shocked that Guile doesn’t come with a comb. I’m also really disappointed that NECA didn’t include snap-on accessories to simulate their energy attacks. So, no Hadokens or Sonic Booms.

Value - ** ½
These figures just started hitting Toys R Us a few weeks ago and go for $13.99. I haven’t searched online yet, but you may be able to get the set for a slightly lower price. At fourteen bucks, these are some solid figures, but the inclusion of more accessories would have been a bonus.

Overall - *** ½
I really, really like these new Street Fighter figures. The sculpting may be an acquired taste for some, but it’s impeccably done and eye-catching. They definitely fill an obvious hole in my collection. I managed to buy Crimson Viper for less than retail at a nearby trade show and am going to hunt for Ken & Ryu. You should be able to find Round 2 easily at TRU though Chun-Li seems to be the big seller. Crimson Viper is warming the pegs from Round 1. NECA’s unique style should fit well with characters like Sagat, Blanka, and Balrog. I haven’t heard of any line-ups for future waves other than re-colored re-releases of Round 1. Hopefully, NECA’s license extends to other characters outside of Street Fighter IV. I’d really like to get my hands on figures of Adon, Rolento, and Birdy.

Hasbro's ML Poll Results

Sat, 22 Aug 2009 08:10:27 GMT

Just wanted to post something...no matter how minute.

Hasbro finally posted the results to the Marvel Legends Fan Poll and the winners are...

Kinda disappointed since I really wanted a Hood figure. Deadpool isn't a surprise due to his sudden rise in popularity. Valkyrie (along with Bi-Beast and the Red King) were originally scheduled for release with the Fin Fang Foom wave. The new Black Widow is amazing and has it all over the old Toy Biz figure.

Another moral crusader turns out to be a hypocritical douche...

Sat, 15 Aug 2009 23:08:32 GMT

Ironic Divorce

Protector of traditional marriage Doug Manchester leaving wife of 43 years.

Manchester owns the Hyatt downtown amongst others and donated $125,000 to kick off the Prop 8 campaign to protect traditional marriage and uphold his Catholic beliefs. Now, he's divorcing his wife AND stealing her mail in an effort to get out of paying her support.

Congrats, Mr. Manchester, you are a miserable, scumfuck douche.