Marvel gave us this preview clip, along with this bio for the Falcon in Super Hero Squad:

Falcon flies with wings made of “hard light” (a solid type of hologram). He’s upgraded them with Stark-built “feathers” that shoot out as projectiles. Falcon communicates telepathically with birds, particularly his pet falcon REDWING. He can even “see” through their eyes, which comes in handy when the team needs recon. The original adrenaline junkie, Falcon loves anything that moves fast, flies high or causes severe motion sickness. Passionate and optimistic at 17, he’s a born hot-dogger who’s finally made it to the big leagues. Beneath his jokester persona, he’s got a lot to prove.

Falcon’s going to figure out, over time, that he’s as powerful a hero as any and it’s got nothing to do with how much he can bench-press (260, if you must know). The others are going to learn that his tactical judgment is approaching that of his mentor, Cap.

Falcon and the other Squaddies: Iron Man asked the Falcon to join at Captain America’s suggestion. Cap trained the Falcon and knows what potential the impetuous speedster has. Falcon also loves nothing better than a good prank, whether it’s gluing Wolverine’s boots to the floor or covering the sleeping Hulk with temporary tattoos. Mornings on the Helicarrier frequently begin with a huge roar and a big green fist coming through Falcon’s wall. It’s a good thing he can fly fast. In spite of Wolverine’s repeated threats to turn Redwing into a squab dinner, the truth is that everyone in the Squad is kind of attached to the quirky bird, and even Wolverine has been caught sneaking him extra snacks.

In battle, Falcon provides the team’s SPEED FACTOR.

This is our third episode in the Geonosis and I think, so far, is the weakest of the arc, but still worth watching.

This episode finds Master Luminara Unduli in hot pursuit of the Geonosian leader Poggle the Lesser. She tracks him to an underground lair where there may or may not be a rumoured egglaying, Geonosian Queen. Unfortunately, Luminara is captured and Anakin and Obi-wan must rescue her.

This episode incorporates a lot of cool things, but the first third seemed to move really slowly to me. I enjoyed it and it set things up wonderfully, but there was something off about the pacing and it seemed to just crawl along. Having said that, I really loved the Aliens and Zombie motif. When Master Luminara is captured, she’s taken deep down into the catacombs of Geonosis and is the hostage of the rumoured Queen (who looks very much inspired by the Alien Queen in the James Cameron film.) Obi-wan and Anakin take up her distress call and have to find their way into the catacombs to rescue her. The problem is that the Queen controls all of the bugs in her colony with a hive mind (giving them a zombie-like look and demeanor) and they can’t be killed.

This sequence of the episode is a very cool, thrilling suspense piece as good as anything in an Aliens film but for kids. I really enjoyed it, but it wasn’t the best episode of the season.

I loved the interplay between Obi-wan and Anakin, the remnants of their master-padawan relationship in their new roles as colleagues is one that I always love seeing and this episode had some of the best use of it I’ve seen in the series, so, even though the storytelling was a little off, I really enjoyed this episode.

To catch up on Season 1, you can order The Clone Wars: The Complete Season One at Amazon by clicking the link.

For other Clone Wars news and reviews of previous episodes, click this link.

Hello everyone, here we are again at the Tee with Doctor Cyborg. In which I take time out of my busy golf schedule to talk to you about whatever I feel like, while golfing at a slightly reduced pace, alongside my faithful caddy Slugtron! Today we will be doing some holiday golfing, and talking about Robert Zemeckis’ new film A Chrismas Carol. So pour yourself some Homemade Eggnog (12 eggs, 3 pints heavy cream, 1 cup sugar, nutmeg, 1 cup bourbon whiskey, 1 cup cognac, 1/2 tsp salt. Serve in a punch bowl) and lets go golfing!

The biggest question I had to ask myself when going to see a remake of this classic story was, why? And to be perfectly honest I don’t know if there’s a good answer. Beowulf, Zemeckis’ last film made sense to me, and I thought it turned out really good. (It did have Neil Gaiman attached to the script after all) Beowulf is a classic story, but popular culture has yet to be flooded with its presence, and therefore I thought it was a good choice.

The Christmas Carol story is admittedly amazing, but it has been told so many times, and told well most of the time. Including the book itself which is still highly accessible and readable. But that doesn’t make this movie a mistake outright. This is a cartoon, making it easy to take kids to, and it’s also a more classic interpretation of the story, which isn’t predominant most of the times I’ve seen it told. Therefore it does have some value, but on “Par” with Tim Burton’s recant of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

“Slugtron, the nine iron you idiot! I’m trying to kill a reindeer not an infant! “

eh, where was I? Oh yeah…The next question I was asking myself was, Jim Carey? followed by. Really? And I went in with a bad attitude because I didn’t get it. But honestly he wasn’t over playing the role, there were a few moments that I was annoyed with his face as The Ghost of Christmas Past, but he really wasn’t that much of a ham. He didn’t ruin the movie. The movie wasn’t even really that funny, I think it focused mostly on telling the story visually, and carefully. Which I think are some of Zemeckis’ best strengths. But not ruining a movie isn’t a good reason to cast someone. Jim Carey in multiple roles was definitely a mistake.

Because this movie was based in the 19th century, it lacked a certain…how should I say…robots! I find this highly disparaging. But it didn’t even try to make up for its lack of robots with its CG. I felt some of the scenery and shots were outstanding. I really thought the way they handled Marley (Gary Oldman) was awesome, but the scenes aiming to be 3-D roller coaster rides were out of place, and the character models really weren’t very good.

The models looked like they fell out of Girl Shrek’s vagina! –Slugtron

I will give them credit for mood though. The scenes that were supposed to be scary visually built the right mood. (I know because the human child I took to see it, began to cry because he was so scared! How’s that for proof?)

One thing that surprised me was with the way they did the modeling, It felt like you were looking at the characters faces, but  I could barely tell who the cameo roles were, though some of them did stand out. Bob Hoskins, Mr. Eddy Valiant was definitely an exception to the rule. (Man O’ man is he a good actor.)

Overall I felt that the movie stuck to telling a good story, kept it targeted for an appropriate age group, and didn’t break the boundaries at all. This is good if you are going to the theatre and want to play it safe. It also makes your film instantly forgettable. It was a slightly new take, but it was slight.

It did some things exceptionally, for example, using the fact that they were making a cartoon to there advantage. Some of the stuff they pulled off couldn’t have been done as well with live action. But some things weren’t awesome, for example, I know it’s a Christmas movie, but they were way to forceful with Christmas music. Honestly the story of A Christmas Carol works wonders without Christmas at all. In fact I prefer it when it’s left out, as in Ingmar Bergman’s Wild Strawberries. It tells a very similar tale, just not at Christmas.

Damn the eighteenth green already, I guess I better wrap it up. Basically it wasn’t horrible, if you are ever going to see it, make it be at the movie theatre. It’s a solid 6 out of 10. Jim Carey isn’t evil, he’s just an idiot.

Lucasfilm has been gracious enough to give us another advanced look at this week’s Clone Wars. This looks to be like quite a thrilling horror style episode and I’m terribly excited about it.

From the press release:

In pursuit of Poggle the Lesser, Jedi Master Luminara Unduli descends deep into the catacombs of Geonosis, where she uncovers an even greater threat to the galaxy in “Legacy of Terror,” an all-new episode of STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS, airing at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT Friday, November 20 on Cartoon Network.

When Luminara disappears while tracking the Geonosian warlord, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker lead a platoon of clone troopers in search of her. Following her trail, the heroes descend deep into the lair of the grotesque Geonosian queen – Karina the Great – where they discover that the hive is alive and teeming with undead defenders.

Though the episode finds Luminara confronted by agents of evil deep within the darkest bowels of Karina’s underground nest, actress Olivia d’Abo saw her character’s strength reflected by the grave nature of the circumstances. Rather than succumbing to despair, Luminara embodies the teachings of the Jedi Order even in desperate times. Despite her thoughtful and meditative nature, she is nonetheless a dedicated protector of peace and justice – and a formidable warrior when called to action. Faced with the potential escape of her quarry, she doesn’t hesitate to follow Poggle into the heart of darkness. Devoted to her noble cause even at the risk of life and limb, she is the quintessential Jedi Master – brave, strong, sage and selfless.

“Luminara is a Jedi, so she’s always going to have that ability to focus and remain calm,” says d’Abo “I’m thrilled to be playing a role that requires such wisdom and strength; it is really empowering.

Despite Luminara’s seemingly desperate plight, d’Abo relished the opportunity to tap into imagination and celebrate the creative spirit of the “galaxy far, far away.”

“The themes and characters in the [live-action] films have had such a major influence on me and everyone I know,” says d’Abo. “As a child, Star Wars allowed me to fall into another world that was more vivid, more defined, more authentic and so much more exciting. There’s nothing lightweight about the philosophy of the films, and I am finding that The Clone Wars series is just as timeless.”

Though perhaps best known for her role as Kevin Arnold’s older sister in TV’s The Wonder Years, d’Abo boasts a career that has included such iconic genre properties as Conan the Destroyer, Green Lantern: First Flight and Ultimate Avengers.

“I love science-fiction, the fantasy genre, and comic books,” she says. “They tend to stand the test of time because of their marvelous content; these kinds of projects will always capture people’s attention by providing far-away settings we’d like to escape to. I’ve been really lucky with all my roles and projects because I have an innate understanding of what they require. I just jump in and make them my own.”

And so ends the second quarter of the Geonosian arc of Season Two, with Ahsoka and Barris Offee tasked with a covert mission to blow the power generator of the new droid factory that is building Super Tanks capable of withstanding every kind of artillery the Republic has at its disposal.

Master Luminara Unduli gives the padawans their assignment against Anakin’s better judgment. This seems to be the emotional crux of the episode. This is very good writing at work here, developing the relationship between Anakin and Ahsoka. Anakin is incapable of telling her that he loves her and can’t help but being protective of her and not want her to go on the more dangerous assignments any longer, but Ahsoka misreads that as a lack of faith in her abilities on Anakin’s part. It creates an interesting dynamic later in the story, when Anakin has to reveal pieces of those feelings to Master Luminara.

I’ve been talking all along about how much I love the dynamic between Anakin and Ahsoka and this episode is progressing it by leaps and bounds.

Barris Offee (Luminara’s padawan) and Ahsoka spend the middle part of the episode on their covert action inside the Geonosian underground complex and I have to say, it reminded me in a lot of ways (in very good ways, too, I might add) to some of “The War Years” episodes of The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, where Indy was a spy for the Belgian and French armies in World War I. The action was intense and thrilling, and I’m happy for that half of the episode. I’m guessing young girls will love this half of the episode, too. I mean, you have two female tweenage Jedi Knights who are the heroes of the day, they’re going to eat this up with a spoon.

Anakin and Luminara’s half of the episode, however, was pretty damned thrilling in it’s own right and is had, quite possibly, one of the most stunning displays of Jedi prowess in an episode yet. The new Super Tanks (which are virtually indestructible) are crossing a bridge and Anakin and Luminara take to setting bombs beneath the natural stone bridge to destroy them that way. Basically, they have to play monkey bars on uneven stone a mile high in the air to plant the charges. I actually gasped at one point when the camera came down to see the view below. It literally took my wind from me.

The episode culminates in quite a sacrifice. The Geonosians have taken the padawans’ method of blowing up the power generator by remote and so they have to do it by hand. In person. Knowing full well that it will cost their lives.

Needless to say, I was pretty choked up. Ahsoka and Barris were willing to make the ultimate sacrifice in order to complete their mission and had the guts to prove it. They completed the mission expecting to die. Obviously, they lived, but this brings me to a broader point about the series and Dave Filoni. Last season there were a couple of moments I expected Ahsoka to be a goner and they pulled on my heart strings. Yes, tears formed in my eyes. Filoni (the supervising director) understands that Ahsoka is living on borrowed time because we know she can’t be in the series by the time Episode III comes to fruition. It makes a lot of sense for her to die, and add that fuel to the fire that turns Anakin toward the dark side in his quest to keep people from dying. And Filoni, like the brilliant puppet master he’s proving himself to be, keeps dangling that in front of us. We get choked up and are relieved when she’s not dead. And it’ll get to the point where that happens every time. We’ll still come close to crying, but it’ll all be okay. We’ll feel that she’s safe.

And then one day, she won’t be.

And that’s an episode I want to see. Not because I’m morbid, because it will be an incredibly important and well-told story. I can tell already.

As for this episode, though, this was also an incredibly well-told story, and I can’t wait to see the rest of the Geonosian campaign unfold over the next two weeks.

To catch up on Clone Wars, buy Star Wars The Clone Wars: The Complete Season One over at Amazon.

For all of my other Clone Wars coverage, click here.

For all the latest Star Wars news, be sure to follow me over on the The Examiner.

Lionsgate Home Entertainment has announce the release of Marvel’s next feature-length animated movie, Planet Hulk. The single-disc and two-disc DVD and two-disc Blu-ray will be hitting store on February 2, 2010!

Unfortunately, I haven’t checked out much in the way of the Marvel animated movies that have come to DVD. As much of a Marvel comics fan as I am, I tend to enjoy the DC animated features quite a bit more. So while I make it a point to check out the DC/WB straight-to-DVD animated features, the Marvel ones tend to fall by the wayside. That said however, I have read the Planet Hulk comic series that this is based off of, and if it stays close to the source material, I’d imaging this will be well worth a viewing.

A WHOLE NEW WORLD OF HURT! He was a monster, impossible to control, too dangerous to ignore. So Earth’s mightiest heroes exiled him into outer space. But now THE INCREDIBLE HULK crash lands on the distant planet SAKAAR, ruled by the tyrannical RED KING. Sold into slavery, Hulk becomes the planet’s mightiest gladiator – but his new masters get more than they bargained for when he forges a bond of brotherhood with his fellow fighters: crafty insectoid Miek, ruthless rock-man Korg, ex-shadow priest Hiroim, and the noble-born rebel Elloe. Unlike Earth, the desperate people of Sakaar believe a monster is just what they need. But will the Hulk be the one to save their world…or destroy it?

Special Features are to Include:

Single-Disc DVD:

• Commentary by Supervising Producer Joshua Fine and Screenwriter Greg Johnson
• “A Whole World of Hurt: The Making of Planet Hulk” featurette
• “Thor: Tales of Asgard” opening sequence

Two-Disc DVD & Blu-ray:

• Commentary by Supervising Producer Joshua Fine and Screenwriter Greg Johnson
• Commentary by Director Sam Liu, Character Designer Philip Bourassa and Key Background Painter Steve Nicodemus
• “A Whole World of Hurt: The Making of Planet Hulk” featurette
• “Thor: Tales of Asgard” opening sequence
• “Let the Smashing Commence! The Saga of Planet Hulk” featurette
• “Spider-Woman: Agent of Sword” Motion Comic
• “Astonishing X-Men: Gifted” Motion Comic
• 2 music videos
• “Wolverine and the X-Men – Wolverine vs. Hulk” Episode
• Digital copy of the film

Coming to DVD this spring from DC and Warner Bros. is yet another feature-length animated adventure. ‘Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths’ is actually an original script from award-winning animation/comics writer Dwayne McDuffie (“Justice League”).  Bruce Timm is of course executive producing. Lauren Montgomery and Sam Liu are co-directing.

In Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, a “good” Lex Luthor (Chris Noth) arrives from an alternate universe to recruit the Justice League to help save his Earth from the Crime Syndicate, a gang of villainous characters with virtually identical super powers to the Justice League. What ensues is the ultimate battle of good versus evil in a war that threatens both planets and, through a diabolical plan launched by Owlman (James Woods), puts the balance of all existence in peril.

Mark Harmon voices Superman, William Baldwin is Batman, Gina Torres plays Super Woman and Bruce Davison voices the President.

For all of you out there that picked up Superman/Batman Public Enemies on DVD you were privy to a sneak peak of this next Animated movie from Warner Bros!

I’ve got a great feeling about this episode, the second part of four involving the Geonosian campaign. I really like the idea of these two Padawans on a Guns of Navarone type mission all on their own. And I’m terribly excited to see Barriss Offee getting the animated treatment.

From the press release about this clip:

Operating without the supervision or protection of their respective Jedi Masters, Padawans Ahsoka Tano and Barriss Offee embark upon a desperate, last-ditch effort to destroy the droid foundry established by Poggle the Lesser on Geonosis. But when their descent into the Geonosian catacombs becomes a deadly journey into darkness, they must rely on each other’s strengths to find the light and complete their mission in “Weapons Factory,” an all-new episode of STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS, airing at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT Friday, November 13 on Cartoon Network.

“The one thing I really think is great about The Clone Wars is how it has a message in it of courage and loyalty and honesty and hard work,” says Meredith Salenger, who provides the voice of Barriss. “Barriss is very bright, honest, professional and brave. She would much rather sacrifice herself for the protection of others and the completion of her mission. Just learning those things – the tenets of the Jedi way – is important for kids. The Jedi have good values.”

Perhaps best known for her starring role in Disney’s The Journey of Natty Gann, Salenger welcomed the opportunity to embody one of the Jedi role models from George Lucas’ “galaxy far, far away.” Of particular interest, though, was the prospect of exploring a new type of interpersonal dynamic within the Order – specifically the burgeoning friendship between Ahsoka and the strait-laced Barriss.

“Her Jedi Master is Luminara Unduli, who is very by-the-book and ordered. As a loyal student, Barriss tends to be just as structured in her approach to dealing with situations,” Salenger says. “However, I think the more time she spends with Ahsoka, the more she tends to improvise a bit and trust her own instincts. Like most relationships, you are always learning from your friends who have different attitudes about life. When Barriss is with Ahsoka, her vulnerability and curiosity come out. With best friends, you can’t help but be influenced by one another.”

A newcomer to the world of voice acting, Salenger found herself influenced – and inspired – by the cast and crew of The Clone Wars, though she also found herself drawing from her own well of inner fandom.

“Who isn’t a Star Wars fan? I remember standing in line outside the movie theater with my Dad when the very first Star Wars came out. I honestly feel blessed to be part of it – though since working on the show, I’ve learned a lot more about the Star Wars universe,” she says. “Working with Dave [Filoni] is like working with the most creative and imaginative guy ever. He is so much fun; he is so good at directing the actors and creating a visual of the scene and what our characters are going through. I thank him all the time for bringing me on board.”

For all the latest Star Wars news, be sure to follow me on The Examiner.

Entertainment Weekly (.com) is reporting that Anna Faris, Dan Akyroyd, and Justin Timberlake are all in negotiations to star in the live action/CGI movie adaptation of Yogi Bear. Here’s what EW.com is saying with regards to what roles they would play:

[Faris] will play Rachel, a nature documentary filmmaker shooting Yogi and Boo-Boo for her next project. Dan Aykroyd is in negotiations to voice the CG-animated Yogi while Justin Timberlake is in talks to voice Boo-Boo.

Sounds like another bad cartoon to live action adaptation if you ask me. Are producers, directors, writers, etc. in Hollywood even paying attention to their predecessors?…

I was lucky enough to receive a copy of the Ruby-Spears Superman collection that came out last week. It originally aired for only one season in 1988, for a grand total of thirteen episodes. This DVD collects the entire series.

This show is sort of a blend between the Richard Donner Superman movies (Including the theme song.) and every cartoon that came out in the 80’s. By that I mean, the animation is comparable to Transformers or G.I. Joe. As with the voice acting, script writing, and overall cheese of the show. It seems like the 80’s had an unwritten rule book, ad  this show adheres to it by the letter. I don’t know how I missed this when it was originally aired, as I would have loved it as a kid.

Not that it doesn’t hold up, I just find that I’m not huge on watching these 80’s cartoon shows in my adult life. (Besides Robotech.) Although it’s still great to watch with kids. And it’s not that I’m above watching cartoons. I’m a huge fan of all the cartoons Marvel, and DC have put out in the last 15 years or so.

But the only way I can enjoy myself watching these shows is to be as cynical as possible. Which is easy with the way  these shows were written. The 80’s puns make me laugh a lot. I mean it was almost the 90’s when this came out, and they were still using words like, “Jeepers” or my personal favorite from the show, “great krypton!”. Another thing I found awesome about this show, was how Superman used his cape. For example did you know his cape had pockets?

At the end of the episodes they have a separate short episode called “Family album”, where Clark Kent is pretty much Dennis the menace with superpowers, and he’s giving his parents a hard time. Apparently Clark Kent was a pretty mischievous kid. It’s pretty hilarious.

If you’re the type of person that went out and bought Thundercats, and Transformers and  will actually watch them again, this is definitely worth buying. This show is just as defectively  awesome, and is completely collected in this one cheap set, and Wonder Woman even makes a cameo appearance!

To be honest, if you want to watch a cheesy show this might be the cheesiest you can get for the money. For example, one of the episodes has a villain named Cyron that comes from the future, turns Jimmy Olsen, Lois Lane, and a fair share or the military into cyborgs in an attempt to take over the future. Did I mention that Cyron travels through telephone power cords, and Superman has to use his heat vision to create special helmets for Jimmy and Lois to block Cyron’s transmissions after they become what Superman dubs Cyroids?

Cyron: No one can stop me!

Superman: Maybe not, but I will!

Well that’s about it, I managed to watch the whole set in a single sitting,  and it was pretty hilarious. It’s not like the comic books,  it’s not exactly like the movie, and it’s not the new animated series. so if you are looking for a different take on Superman, check this series out.

You can buy the whole series on amazon.com by clicking on this link!