Turner Classic Movies Finally Gets With The Program on YouTube

Posted on March 21, 2014 by geelw

Like many of you out there, I love Turner Classic Movies quite a lot, although the popular classic movie site isn’t without its issues. I’m still waiting to see more imports (where are Cul De Sac, {The Mad Adventures of} Rabbi Jacob, The Tall Blonde Man With One Black Shoe and other intriguing foreign films that deserve a wider American audience?) and a more stable Underground (I can be the host, as I have a LOAD of ideas to make it better and more accessible to new viewers to the weird and strange!), but overall I’m happy with most of what they do. That said, they’re finally using YouTube a lot more effectively, posting videos for current programming for the day during the week, which goes a long way towards making folks like me see what’s coming on during the day without having to check the cable guide or just turn the channel on when we crawl home and hope we’ll see something we haven’t yet. Yeah, the frequent rebroadcasts need to be worked on a bit, but for now, I have one LESS thing to gripe about…

Metal Gear Solid V Ground Zeroes: Demo As A “Luxury” (For Better Or Worse)…

Posted on March 18, 2014 by geelw

So, it’s here and even though it’s been known for a while it was going to be what amounts to nothing but a brief demo with a $30 price tag (and similar to Gran Turismo 5 Prologue in its cost versus brevity factor), some critics have been punching away hard on poor Big Boss/Solid Snake. As I’m not made of money, I’m going to wait for a used copy or trade from a friend to pop up, but I really want to play this just to see that Fox Engine in action, how Kiefer Sutherland works as the voice for Snake (taking over from David Hayter) and the ability to tackle that single (and large) map as many ways as possible. Granted, the one to two hours maximum play time I’m hearing about IS a bit pesky, but I’m gathering most reviewers played through just to complete their posts and aren’t fully appreciating that demo for all its worth. On the other hand, this is a Hideo Kojima game, so perhaps that and the Metal Gear name are carrying that price point into “Hmmmmm…” territory for some writers and players.

That said, the full game (Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain) is still underway as far as development goes, so I do hope the cost of this slice is offset in some manner, be it some exclusive content available to those with save files (on-disc and not DLC so EVERYONE who bought in can see/play it) or something else Kojima and publisher Konami can think up to keep the angrier folks down off their soapboxes. Eh, we’ll see, I suppose. I’m just glad to see a new MGS on a home console after all this time…

Godzilla International Trailer: All You Need From Me On A Tuedsay Is A Big, Mad Lizard…

Posted on March 18, 2014 by geelw

Yeah, I’m kind of taking the day off to rest because my overtaxed brain has needed it for a bit and I didn’t listen to the signals for a few weeks, so here you go. Of course, after that toy reveal yesterday, I figured we’d HAVE to see a new trailer that shows the big radioactive lug doing his stuff. Nice, huh? I’m tempted to break my travel almost 24 miles both ways boycott to check this out, but we shall see. At this point, seeing new movies when they land in theaters is low on the totem pole unless I get preview passes. I’m not at all averse to holding out for the soon to be released home video version (which as I’ve noted previously, takes less than eight months for most films these days).

Godzilla Toy Reveal: MTV Makes Itself Relevant Again!

Posted on March 17, 2014 by geelw

Image: MTV

“Raaaar! Hi Kids!” is what this new Godzilla seems to be saying with a grin on his mug. Thanks to the fine folks at MTV News, here’s a long and loving first look at the 2014 version of this classic beastie from the upcoming film by director Gareth Edwards.

The figure (coming to you from Jakks Pacific) stands a whooping 23 inches tall and with the added tail length, measures a very respectable 43 inches long. Yikes, there goes the neighborhood indeed in terms of finding a shelf at home to put this hefty plastic monster on. Other than his weird feet and manly-muscly arms, I like the new look of the big guy a lot.

Image: MTV

It’s also got twelve points of articulation including a mouth that opens and closes (important when pretending to chow down on citizens and scenery) and a tail that swings back and forth (also important for keeping away helicopter-sized bugs and other flying things). This massive monster might seem too scary for the wee ones (it’s made for ages 3+, parents), but we all know that boys (and girls) just ADORE dinosaurs of any size, correct?

Besides, it still can’t top the KING of inappropriate movie licensed toys geared for the wrong age group, Kenner’s 18″ ALIEN figure from 1979. I had one of those babies, boxed and all, but it got swiped by my younger brother and wrecked/tossed out eventually while I was away and I’ve been kicking myself since for not buying a few when Gimbels was closing them out at a song. Ah well… you can’t change the past, people… but you CAN get started on the room-sized diorama you’re going to fit this new HUGE Godzilla in. Good luck on that project!

Oculus Trailer: Nothing (New) to See Here, Move Along…

Posted on March 16, 2014 by geelw

*Sigh*… I don’t know why I do this to myself, but I figure one of these modern horror films will actually do what it’s intending and actually scare me. Granted, I draw the line at the torture porn genre stuff and some of the repetitive nonsense that templates better films that were more entertaining back in the 1970’s and 80’s. Well, at least this poster variant is REALLY nice (and probably the creepiest thing about the film).

The one fun and funny thing about this trailer is I’m SURE the folks behind the upcoming Oculus Rift virtual reality (or whatever they want to call it) headset probably don’t want the negative stigma of someone slapping on those expensive X-Ray specs and seeing not so friendly ghosts popping up in their faces. Eh, whatever – I’ll be waiting for this one to pop up on cable to see if it makes me even shift a little in my seat. I sure wasn’t at all scared by this two and a half minutes…

Random Film of the Weekend: The Racers

Posted on March 15, 2014 by geelw

(thanks, Jon Clark!)

Henry Hathaway’s 1955 potboiler The Racers isn’t exactly the best Kirk Douglas vehicle out there, but the actor gives it his usual all in this zippy yet easily forgotten melodrama that features some excellent real life races in gorgeous European locations race fans will approve of highly. Unfortunately, mixed in with these lovely tracks are some of the worst laughably out of place front, rear, and side screen projected driving scenes outside of a slapstick comedy. In fact, these projection sequences are so obvious that they give the otherwise slickly made movie more of an odd comic tone today than they probably did back in theaters in 1955. Then again, I can’t imagine anyone being fooled back then either.

Granted, it’s more than obvious that the otherwise wise filmmakers didn’t want Douglas whipping around in uncontrollable circles in an open cockpit roadster or flying off a track because of a stray poodle to crash through some hay bales and a stone fence (the first hilarious wreck in the film). On the other hand, given the character he plays is a bit of a jerk as he steps on a few toes on his way to the top of the auto racing heap, I guess a little less fake looking fakery may have made this more memorable a time killer… Continue reading →

Get on Up Trailer: Better Not Get Me Down Or It’s The Big Payback!

Posted on March 14, 2014 by geelw

Well, this looks as if it’ll hit all the usual Hollywood biopic notes to a “T” (“Can I get a “T”!) and yes indeed, the music saves this trailer (and quite possibly the film) from sinking into melodramatic parody. I say ANYONE who wants to spend money on a ticket needs to at least track down a copy of Star Time and Brother James’ appearance on The T.A.M.I. Show (TIGHT band, TIGHTER pants, the crowd goes wild as if commanded and possessed) just so you can hear those bombastic classics as they’re meant to be heard. I’m betting if there’s a soundtrack for this flick, the mix will be putrid or overdone or both, but I may be wrong. I’m not holding my breath. Now, Please, Please, Please go dance somewhere else, as I’m trying to work here!

Random Film of the Week: The Colossus of New York

Posted on March 10, 2014 by geelw

The first time I saw Eugène Lourié’s The Colossus of New York, I think I was about ten or eleven and stayed up all night on a Friday or Saturday just because it came on at something like 2 or 3am. I recall falling asleep somewhere in the middle and waking up for the ending, disappointed that I missed whatever robot rampage the cloaked metal man went on. It turns out that I didn’t miss much of a “rampage” at all, although the thing did wreak some havoc on some poor important folks down at the United Nations before getting shut down for good without the military blowing it to scrap metal with a bunch of rockets.

Anyway, featuring some fine performances and an brilliant (and sometimes unsettling) piano score by Nathan Van Cleave, this is an interesting albeit flawed sci-fi film with a more human side to its fantastic bits thanks to the internal conflict of Jeremy Spensser (Ross Martin) who finds his brain in that bulky cyborg after he dies in an auto accident and his genius dad (Otto Kruger) and second genius (but somewhat devious) son (John Baragrey) decide to keep him living in that metal shell… Continue reading →

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For Trailer: Miller & Rodriguez, Partners In Crime…

Posted on March 6, 2014 by geelw

(thanks, JoBlo Movie Trailers)

Oh, yeah. I loved Sin City, so this trailer for the follow up made me grin a wee bit too much. This is good even though it took so long for this to get made that some of the principals who were in the previous film look a little long in the tooth even with a bunch of prosthetic makeup and fine fancy lighting doing their thing so well. Still, it’s all good because Miller and Rodriguez are doing it up as it should be done and all is right in the world (well, in that weird way things roll in Sin City). Anyway, August 22 is when this one’s let loose like a pack of starving dogs, so make sure you’re in its path and welcoming that first bite…

Transformers: Age of Extinction Trailer: Bay of Picks of the Litter? We’ll See…

Posted on March 5, 2014 by geelw

While I’ve seen the three previous films and way too many of the cartoons to count, I’m not a huge fan of the Transformers movies and their CG overkill, nor do I revere those old animated series as some sort of overall canonical tome that cannot be tampered with. That said, it looks as if this one’s going to be more “serious” than previous installments,, but then again you can’t tell by a two and a half minute plus trailer how the quality of the final flick will be. Mr. Bay seems to have spent that studio money up but good here and based on the usual polarized response this teaser has gotten, I’d say this will make a Megatron full of money (ah ha ha… Hey, pure corn is my specialty, folks!). Then again, if this is the last of the series (and to quote the late Godfather of Soul, James Brown: “Please, Please, Please!”*), it’s certainly going out with a bang. We’ll see on June 27th what’s what, I suppose. Check that: YOU’LL see before I will, as I’ve sat out the last two films until they popped up on cable.

*Yeah, I do KNOW that classic song is about JB wanting someone to NOT leave him, but for this franchise, that cape has come out too many times and it’s done every encore it can think of…