Double Hikari Friday From Funko: BIG Spidey, Smaller Skeletor Up For Grabs!

Posted on August 15, 2014 by geelw

So, this week, Funko is giving away TWO very cool limited edition Hikari Sofubi Vinyl figures, one in the standard Hikari line and one in the Hikari Premium line. Going in reverse (because it’s Friday and I didn’t sleep last night thanks to that review copy of Tales of Xillia 2 that kept me up allllll night), enter and you can get a chance to win this HUGE Premium Blaze Spider-Man Hikari Sofubi Figure (#1 of only 1500 made!):

If you don’t win that big Spidey, it’s going on sale this October at your favorite Funko retail or online emporium! Or, you can try and be the lucky winner of win this lovely (well, for a Masters of the Universe figure, it’s kind of handsome in that devilish manner, I guess) Mythos Skeletor (# 1 of 1000 AND an Entertainment Earth exclusive!):

As usual, pop on over to one of Funko’s social media channels:

http://www.facebook.com/OriginalFunko
http://www.twitter.com/OriginalFunko
Instagram @OriginalFunko

Enter and keep whatever lucky charms you use handy as you lurk near your inbox and hope you’re getting that box in the mail! As always… Good Luck!

Funko Does A Double Giveaway Today: Hikari Turtle and Guardians of the Galaxy Figures Up For Grabs!

Posted on August 1, 2014 by geelw

Holy Swag, Batman! Oops, wrong comics company, but you’ll forgive my transgression if you happen to enter this awesome Funko contest and win ALL THIS STUFF:

Technically, this contest isn’t “free” to enter, as you need to have a ticket to see Guardians of the Galaxy in order to enter:

HOW TO ENTER
Post a picture with your Guardians of the Galaxy movie ticket and tag us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
@OriginalFunko
Use the caption “I want to win the Guardians of the Galaxy Prize Pack from @OriginalFunko! #FunkoGuardians”

The giveaway starts NOW and runs through Friday 8/8 at 12am PST!
Good luck!

But wait, there’s more… Continue reading →

Guardians of the Galaxy Clip Joint: What You See Isn’t Even Close To What You’ll Get…

Posted on July 24, 2014 by geelw

So, some early reviews are in and all are stating this is not only one of the best movies this summer, but quite possibly the best Marvel movie to date. I figured all of those end credits scenes were adding up to something and from what I’ve read (and heard from someone who was at a screening), fans will be knocked off their feet a few times and then some.

One thing I figured that would work from the start with these films was having different directors with different styles working on different franchises similar to how different writers and artists work on the different comics. While there’s a certain uniformity to elements of the look and continuity across each of the films since the first Iron Man, it’s been fun to watch most of these movies and see how a particular director’s vision works within the (Disney) Marvel Universe.

James Gunn seemed like the oddest choice to direct GotG at first, but his own offbeat sense of humor and musical tastes have spilled over into the film and works well to the point where he’s probably going to be the go-to guy for the next film with this team… Continue reading →

The Humble Transformers Bundle Will Change You Into A Charity-Giving Digital Comics Reader…

Posted on July 23, 2014 by geelw

I’m not the world’s biggest Transformers fan, but this is one of those cool deals I have to let those of you who are know all about. Hop on over to the Humble Bundle site and pay what you want for four volumes (48 issues) of IDW’s classic Transformers reprints and feel free to boost your contribution up a few tiers for even MORE classic Transformers reads. You’ll also be supporting the Hasbro Children’s Fund and yes, just about anything you can read something digital on can be used to peruse whatever you buy.

You may want to step on it, though. This deal only lasts two weeks before it vanishes, so make like an educated raccoon and go get yourself some comics to keep you busy on some hot summer days, I say…

Random Film of the Week(end): The Punisher (2004)

Posted on July 19, 2014 by geelw

(thanks, Flauntvids!)

When I finally got around to seeing the 2004 version of The Punisher last week, I was wondering how I missed this one back then in theaters (although I’d not pay a dime to see this flick) or on cable. Then I realized that the film came out when I was in a crazy jobless phase and had chopped out any ideas of spending money to hit the local theater (or any other theater for that matter) until I was back in the black.

Well, even if I’d wanted to see this gloomy and unintentionally hilarious (yet erratically violent) movie, I’d have chosen to save my money. While it works on a basic level of grunting guys saying unintelligible stuff before trying to out-kill each other, the film is far too uneven to be entertaining unless there’s someone on screen getting killed in a ridiculous manner. Where the first (and forgotten by most, save for the more die-hard Marvel movie fans) Punisher film from 1989 was an automatic camp cult classic thanks to Dolph Lundgren’s grumbling and mumbling through the role as sullen serial gangster murderer Frank Castle, some cheesy sets and laughable action scenes, this reboot tries a wee bit too hard to capture the mood of 70’s and 80’s action films to the point that it feels a wee bit outdated on a few fronts… Continue reading →

This Sunday’s Kind of A Drag…

Posted on July 13, 2014 by geelw

(thanks, CoolCoolMovies!)

Oof. Well, today was kind of non-productive on a few levels, but that’s probably a good thing. I’m still toiling away on a bunch of stuff (some reviews, a few post CE Week articles and some brief impressions of a few games I saw recently), but I have a kind of kooky week coming up and am conserving energy for some of these events. As the weather folks say it’s going to be a bit of a thunderstorm-y start to the week, that means I need to break out the broken umbrella and keep my paws crossed that it survives the early Monday morning trek I need to make.

As for that clip above, it serves double duty as description and hilariously violent reminder that there was a Punisher movie (from 2004) I’d actually never seen before last night. I found it to be pretty terrible overall (a lack of dialog, humor that doesn’t work properly and some odd casting choices make it more “interesting” than watchable), but you do get to see John Travolta’s evil Howard Knight character get bumped off in a really creative manner. Hey, I was laughing through the bulk of the action scenes here and while the film is quite heavy on the carnage, it still doesn’t beat The Punisher: War Zone for pure nastiness and mean-spirited (or REALLY over the top and hilarious) violent content. Not that I’m in a violent mood or anything, folks – bad movies of all types just make me laugh a lot when I need to…

Hmmmm. I think I need some ice cream or something… back in a bit.

Guardians of the Galaxy Featurette 2/TV Spot 5: Settling In For The Long Haul (And Reliable Predictability)…

Posted on July 11, 2014 by geelw

I’d say right about now that Guardians of the Galaxy will indeed be comfortably predictable on a few fronts. I usually go in to these movies with zero expectations, but I suppose I have to accept the fact that Marvel wants fans to know they’re getting the full meal deal here: LOADS of in-jokes, some serious stuff in between the jokes, plenty of last-minute escapes and plot twist or four and some fun use of music if you happen to be well-aged and savvy about such things or just happen to “get” the musical stuff the film drops into your ears when it does.

And yes, you HAVE to stick around until the credits roll because there’s going to be a surprise reveal that ties into previous and upcoming Marvel movies that some fans will be wanting to drop that ticket and merchandise money on. All that is a given at this point because messing with the formula (as formulaic and formic as it can be) is a recipe for confusion among some folks. But it’s something that works well for what it’s worth, so I’m not complaining much (if at all)…

Guardians of the Galaxy International Trailer 2: August Will Be Scorching For A Few Reasons…

Posted on June 18, 2014 by geelw

Yes indeed, the more I see of this, the more I like it so I hope to all the hot hells it doesn’t disappoint. I already know what to expect from a Marvel Studios film, so I know that I need to keep my eyes peeled for in-jokes and cross references to other ME properties, there won’t be any mention of Spider-Man (different studio!) and you’ll NEED to sit through the entire end credit sequence so you can get slapped upside the head with a shocker of a fanboy surprise other people who see this won’t get because they’re not Marvel fans at all, but dragged their kids (or were dragged BY their kids) to see this. I keep thinking of this kid who started yelling at his parental unit to “WAIT!” when I went to see The Avengers because “WE HAVE TO SEE THE ENDING!” and half the theater telling that daddy dearest to sit down so the kid would stop with the wailing. Good times? Nope, but hell, you may as well get that full ticket price worth, I say. At least that dad agreed to listen to the masses and didn’t drag the kid outside, so there’s a victory for the loud small fry contingent, I guess…

Guardians of the Galaxy TV Spot 1: Call In The Criminals!

Posted on June 5, 2014 by geelw

And so it begins, the deluge of TV spots for this most eagerly awaited of all the recent Marvel movies. If this one fails to do well (although all signs point to it doing very well indeed), there goes the sort of “indie” pillar Marvel was looking for in getting more than just superhero fans to embrace their new and improved lineup of upcoming film, TV and online projects. My money’s on this being a surprise hit, but in looking over the other properties, there are a few weak links that aren’t assured to be major hits thanks to a few things such as digital distribution not being something everyone wants or can access when they want where they want when it comes to getting those new shows. Granted, the success of other shows being binge-watched by too many people is a huge draw for anyone who wants to produce content that they feel will be snapped up by the eager masses who want it. On the other hand, alienating that part of the audience that’s not willing or able to buy in is never a good thing as no one likes to be told “You can’t have it!” when they indeed, WANT it. But I’m getting ahead of myself here (as always)…

BUY THESE! Funko Gets Guardians of the Galaxy All Bobbly And Tiny And Collectible This July

Posted on May 21, 2014 by geelw

Okay, Funko. I want an entire box of these Guardians of the Galaxy Mystery Minis and I don’t even have ROOM for them! These mini-bobbleheads are coming in July (price TBA) and man, aren’t they CUTE? I mean LOOK. AT. THEM. (faint, *THUD*):

Anyway, blind box packaging, no “rares” to chase down, but two of them glow in the dark. If you want in on these, check the usual comic shop and online haunts for these in about two months. I bet they sell out everywhere, especially if the movie is bigger than it’s going to be…