Fans of Mystery Science Theater: 3000 will almost unanimously vote the 4th season episode: “Manos: The Hands of Fate“ in their personal top 10 list of favorites, if not top 5. The movie itself has a reputation for being one of the absolute worst ever made. This is pretty accurate, but because of its notoriety and the popularity of the MST3k episode, most geeks worth their salt at least know of it. Well, this week the Rifftrax crew, one set of spiritual successors to MST3k (the other being Cinematic Titanic) teased on twitter that they’re going to be re-riffing the film.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DjorW-QtQk

That bewitching tune is of course the haunting Torgo Theme, representing the satyr/manservant of the film’s “villain”. Now, while it’s easy to be skeptical of  the Rifftrax crew going “back to the well” and all that. I would hope that the talents involved would deliberately try to avoid making the same jokes. While Michael J. Nelson didn’t personally riff the original episode, he was head writer, so I’ve got my fingers crossed for some nostalgic laughs that avoid retread.

The problem is, the way Rifftrax releases their wares is in the form of a Mp3 commentary track to be played alongside the movie. While this format works, most copies of Manos that are out there are the MST3K version! Aside from making a rush to Amazon to get the ‘virgin’ edition, one of the best ways you can get it is the upcoming HD remaster thanks to the Manos Restoration Project. Originally a kickstarter, the MRP not only got all of the required funding, but nearly 500% of the initial goal! Perusing the site itself is a revelation. While putting Manos in HD won’t make the film a masterpiece, it will still be the best looking the film has ever been, up to and including the original premiere! I urge anyone who plans on getting the Rifftrax anyway to pick up Manos HD on Blu-Ray when it’s available.

We posted the picture last week that showed Zachery Quinto giving Benedict Cumberbatch the old Vulcan Nerve Pinch. Now we get this video that treats us to some of the rehearsal for that fight. All this does is make this robots joints wet for next year!

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xp3f6p_exclusive-behind-the-scenes-of-star-trek-2_people#from=embediframe

A day late, and seven dollars short, Mexicus Prime and Arse-bot finally decided to brave the sequel to 2007’s Ghost Rider, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, over the weekend. Suckers for any superhero movie that hits the big screen, they ventured out to their local cinema to once again watch Nicholas Cage’s head burst into flames and are here with a joint review for you!

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

Directed by Neveldine/Taylor

Starring Nicholas Cage, Idris Elba, Ciaran Hinds, Violante Placido, Fergus Riordan and Johnny Whitworth

Plot: Johnny Blaze is on the run on the other side of the world trying to prevent harm coming to those around him from the demon inside of him. When a monk by the name of Moreau approaches him with a deal to rid Blaze of the vengeance-seeking demon, he once again finds himself going head to head with Devil as he tries to prevent him from taking over the body of it’s own son.

Mexicus Prime –

Our favorite heavy-metal hero from the 90’s is back in black for another full length feature! Grab a steak sandwich ‘cuz this movie delivers the cheese.

After the sour taste of the first film from 2007 just barely leaving me, I felt the need to see if they’ve improved on the character since then. To answer short and sweet, I’d say yes. Visually speaking (3D aside) I’d say it was a major improvement from the first film. From the opening fast paced fight sequence to the pounding of bad dudes later, the action was fun to watch. From the trailer, the fight sequences looked like they would be very talky and funny, but they came out very dark and vengeful – which for Marvel was a nice change of pace. Had they given this the R-rating treatment, I think it would’ve packed a harder punch, but none-the-less enjoyable.

As you may have presumed from the other Ghost Rider movie, the dialogue was very obnoxious. “CRANK-ESQ” styled jokes (toned down), boring, drawn out lines from Nicholas Cage. The “pissing fire” joke from the trailer is not half as bad as some of the one-liners in this movie though. Nobody was that impressive acting or character wise, except for “Moreau” played by Idris Elba, who I feel character and otherwise was a joy to watch on screen. He plays a kind of a rogue monk if you will who helps Johnny Blaze find the boy (possible anti-Christ) he’s supposed to save in return for giving back his soul. I liked the character’s quirks and sensibilities and found myself wondering what a different (for the better) movie this would have been had he’d been the one making a deal with the devil or merely just trying to stop the dark rebirth.

My last bit about this movie, and many comic related movies in general, is the invincibility with the heroes. The only antagonist seemed to be Johnny’s race against the clock. Villain-wise, he rocked the living hell (no pun intended) out of everyone on screen without even flinching. Way too overpowered compared to his rogues and the ending fight scene came with no rebuttal and was like a Mortal Kombat, Scorpion-styled fatality.

I would not recommend Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance to anyone, but maybe parents who want to waste a few cheap laughs with the kids on the weekend. With all the plot holes in the movie with villains, powers, and responsibility I do not see this appealing to anyone but kids and young adults alike.

Arse-bot –

Mexicus Prime pretty much summed up our reasoning for seeing Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. Aside from the fact that we see pretty much any superhero flick, we were curious to see how this stacked up to the lack-luster fist go around with this character nearly 5 years ago. Was this sequel an overall improvement? Sure. But it still ranks really low on the superhero movie list.

I appreciated the way they handled breezing over recapping Johnny Blaze’s deal with the devil and how he became the Ghost Rider. The animation used for this was pretty slick, and the whole thing was taken pretty lightly – it’s almost as if the directors knew how ridiculous this all comes across on screen so they tried to play it to their advantage. Speaking of ridiculous: Nicholas Cage. I actually enjoy Cage’s manic portrayal of a lot of his characters. In the right film I think he’s fun to watch. In this film, he keeps flipping from “calm, cool, collected” hero, to “I have a demon inside of me and it has driven bat-shit crazy”. Cage isn’t great in this film, and you never really connect with his character, but he’s tolerable enough.

The action in this film and the overall manic approach was what really separates this from its predecessor. You can definitely tell it’s from the guys responsible for the CRANK films, which is a good and bad thing. Some filming choices and effects don’t make a lot of sense, and some are down right confusing; but the straight-forward action sequences were pretty cool. The problem is though, as Mexicus Prime already mentioned, is that Ghost Rider is essentially invincible, so it just becomes a waiting game as bad guys pointlessly empty entire ammunition clips into the demon until he dispatches of them in some over-the-top way or another. There was really never any risk to Ghost Rider except for the fact that he would be too late to stop the Devil from becoming all-powerful.

All said, my expectations going into this film were low. I was just hoping that it would be better than the first one, which it was. Neveldine and Taylor do a good job at just hitting the ground running for this film and packing it with a lot of action, but with a “hero” who pretty much can’t be hurt there never seems to be a real threat. Even when the Devil bestows the “power of decay” on his main lackey, turning him into a “super villain”, you’re not really that concerned about it. Okay, so this guy can decay anything he touches, BFD, he’s going up against a demon who is already a flaming skull. A smart Devil would have said, “I have given you the power of having fire hoses for arms. Go get ‘im, buster!”

Ghost Rider is a less-popular character from the Marvel Universe, and from what I can tell from what little I’ve been exposed to him, not one of the stronger ones. With a huge lack of villains, sense of threat, and a roster of characters you just never really care about, this film amounts to little more than just waiting for the next action sequence, which they were smart to include a lot of. Idris Elba is the standout character in this film, but sadly he his missing through most of the entire second act, but when he is on screen the film improves considerably, but not enough to turn the tide on it. Saying this film is an improvement over the original isn’t saying much, so I’m guessing that this will be the last we see of Johnny Blaze for a long while – and when we do see him again, I’m guessing “reboot”. Marvel fans, and fans of superhero flicks in general, I know I’m telling you what you already know, but wait on this one until it hits Netflix.

Excitement is mounting for the theatrical release of the Hunger Games.  We recently shared two new tv spots for the upcoming film, and tickets are now on sale for when the action-packed story hits theaters on march 23.  A friend introduced me to the book series, and I literally could not put the first one down, so I am eagerly looking forward to seeing the movie.

Maybe you think it’s a Battle Royale knock-off.  Maybe you still aren’t happy with the casting of Peeta or Gale.  But the merchandising juggernaut is now underway, and none of us will be able to escape its presence for at least the next couple of months.

Hot Topic looks to be one of the major merchandisers of Hunger Games paraphernalia, and they’ve put Katniss, her two favorite guys, and the mockingjay on everything from keychains to journals to pillow cases.  There are also about fifteen different T-shirts, including portraits of Rue and Haymitch.  Personally, I think the mockingjay is the best-looking of the bunch.

I also love these mockingjay earrings.

And, for hardcore fans, you can now purchase (inside the continental United States) an exact replica of Katniss’ hunting bow.

For music fans, the CD The Hunger Games:  Songs from District 12 and Beyond is available for pre-order from Amazon, scheduled for release on March 20. This is the soundtrack with Taylor Swift’s single Safe and Sound.  Another pre-order item is the companion book The World of the Hunger Games, containing full-color photos and new quotes from author Suzanne Collins.

From everything I’ve seen about this film, it looks to be a thrilling adaptation of the book series.  Will you be going to see it?  Does any of the merchandise interest you?

Am I excited about the following news from Warner Brothers that a live action Bleach movie will be made? Well, I suppose I should be honest and say, “Not really,” but only because I was not impressed with the Japanese live action adaptation of Death Note or the absolute train wreck that was the live action Dragonball: Evolution. (As I said in a post last year – “In my opinion, it might be the worst live action adaptation of any anime series. Even the trailer was completely terrible.”)

To be even more honest with you, I don’t really feel that anime translates to live action all that well.  Also, it’s important to note that the Bleach anime series in particular falls victim to one of the unfortunate side effects of long-running-anime – SO MUCH FILLER and unnecessary monologues!!! As usual, they are taking on a pretty huge task by trying to translate a manga / anime like Bleach to the big screen AND somehow make it appeal to a wider audience. The series never really seemed to me like one that would even remotely appeal to non-anime watchers, but hey, you never know, they could surprise me! Here is an example of what I feel would be fairly difficult to pull off in a live action adaptation of the series (unless, of course, they have an excellent CGI budget and fantastic crew):

-nM3VHoM

And here’s the official Press Release from 2/22/2012:

In the tradition of Kevin Smith’s Clerks and Chasing Amy, a new comedy is on the horizon about fanboys and the world of comic books.

The filmmakers of Pulp have released an exclusive clip on YouTube following the trailer for their independent film.  From the press release:

Adam Hamdy, co-director of Pulp, said, “The clip we released was pretty controversial. It contains foul language and even fouler views on Star Wars. It’s the geek world equivalent of a knife fight and is really not for the faint-hearted.”

In the scene, Tyler goes head-to-head with ‘Rock God’ comic book artist, Rick Bean, in an encounter that ends with only one of them standing. Pulp’s ‘Star Wars’ scene has had real-world audiences applauding and cheering, and online viewers are responding the same way.

” target=”_blank”>httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGE0q_bQN4M

The plot:

Tony Leary, the nice-guy owner of Junk Comics, is gearing up for one last roll of the dice.  Nothing will stop his new superhero comic The Sodomizer from being a success except a gang of Geordie criminals who are using another comic company to launder their dirty money.  Aided by his trusty geek sidekicks, Rick and Keith, Tony must defy the odds if he is to become a real life hero.

Inspired by real life experiences at San Diego Comic Con, Pulp is directed by Adam Hamdy [creator of the comic series “The Hunter”] and Shaun Magher, and produced by Phil Bland, Phil Chalk and Adam Hamdy.

I’ve always been a fan of Kevin Smith’s works, particularly the earlier ones, and Kyle Newman’s Fanboys reminded me of what life was like as a Star Wars fan leading up to the prequels.  So will Pulp follow in the footsteps of these films?  Only time will tell.

I also don’t consider the clip terribly controversial, but I’ve heard a lot of horrible things said about the Star Wars films over the years.  The Tyler character obviously has some anger directed towards the original trilogy, but he didn’t insult Yoda, so all is well.

The release date for Pulp is scheduled for July 26, 2012.  Visit their official Facebook or Twitter page for more information.

These are quick and dirty and there isn’t much new footage but a little more to tide us over until the movie drops.

Disney∙Pixar has released a clip from their upcoming film Brave, and my excitement for this film has dramatically increased.  The teaser trailer piqued my interest, but there wasn’t enough there to help me decide if I wanted to rush out on June 22 to see this movie.

Based on the new clip, however, I can tell that the teenaged Merida with the flaming hair is the kind of spunky heroine I am drawn to in films.  Voiced by Kelly Macdonald  (Margaret Schroeder in Boardwalk Empire), Merida is a princess forced to sit and await the results of an archery contest.  The winner will be rewarded her hand in marriage.

She and her father King Fergus (voiced by Billy Connolly, Il Duce in Boondock Saints II: All Saint’s Day) joke with each other as the contest begins, but Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson) obviously disapproves.  This brief interaction between the three characters shows us that Merida has a strong bond with her father, and they seem to have fun together.  Her mother, however, is more serious and focused on the task at hand.

The trio of kilted archers fail to impress the young princess, and she sneaks away to appear on the field in a dress poorly suited for archery.  She declares that she will compete for her own hand and lets her arrows fly.  While what happens next isn’t all that surprising, the way her expertise is depicted is still exciting to watch.  She and Robin Hood should go against each other in a tournament, but who would win between the two is anyone’s guess.

The clip ends with Merida glaring defiantly at her mother.

The animation in this film looks incredible, and I’m already in love with the music by Patrick Doyle (composer of Thor).  Hopefully it will live up to expectations.

Nearly a decade ago, a trio of fans began to compile material for the United States filming locations of the original Star Wars trilogy.  In addition to locations used in the movie, the information includes other Lucasfilm places of interest, such as the Presidio in San Francisco where Industrial Light & Magic is located.  The Yoda statue in the courtyard is open to the public, as well as a visitor’s center where many Lucasfilm books and collectibles are on display.

Since this book is not being published by Lucasfilm, the trio (Adam R. Parr, Carl Cunningham, and John Klinger) have created a Kickstarter page to help with marketing costs.  They describe the book, titled In a galaxy not so far away:  The Star Wars Filming Locations of the United States:

“This book was not written in a lab or a library; it’s based on our first-hand experience & extensive field work.  It’s based on our travels, our research, our photography & our documentation.  We’ve been to all the locations multiple times and have put together a book which has no rival.  It provides detailed routes & directions, reference photographs & illustrations, beautiful original location & scene artwork, maps, travel tips, personal experiences, historical background info, photographic suggestions & much more. It is very much a complete & exhaustive reference, and a perfect addition to any Star Wars book collection.”

Reward levels are offered for anyone who pledges money towards the project, beginning at the lowly amount of one dollar.  Rewards for larger amounts include location photo and art prints, signed copies of the book, and, for the ultimate pledge, a guided tour of the Death Valley locations.

In a galaxy not so far away acts as a tour guide for any fan wanting to follow in the footsteps of the beloved characters of the saga.  (Just be sure to walk single file, to hide your numbers). Full color pages include written directions, GPS coordinates, and travel time.  Want to see where the Ewoks lived and sang Yub Nub?  Instructions to Redwood National Park are at your disposal, along with how to gain access to the beautiful serenity of the forest.  I would have tried to go there myself during my recent visit to California, but there simply wasn’t time.  I settled for the next best thing, the Muir Woods, and there may or may not have been pictures of Ewok action figures taken against the forest backdrop.  Maybe.

Also included is the Road to Jabba’s Palace and the Mos Eisley Overlook (you will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy).

If you’re a fan, I encourage you to check out the Star Wars Road Trips facebook page and the Kickstarter page and show your support.  Only two days are left, however.

But remember, the Jundland Wastes are not to be traveled lightly.

I had the opportunity this weekend to chat with anime voice actor Vic Mignogna. Vic is famous for his portrayals of Edward Elric in Fullmetal Alchemist and Tamaki Suou in Ouran High School Host Club, as well as for his work as Broly in Dragon Ball Z and Death Scythe in Soul Eater. You might even know him from my personal favorite – Fullmetal Panic – as the American soldier Kurtz Weber.

Vic is currently promoting the recently released Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos, now playing in cities across the U.S. and Canada. (You can find a full list of locations here). The film, which premiered on January 20th in North America, follows the adventures of the Elric brothers to Table City as they attempt to track down an escaped prisoner. Events in the film take place during the plot of the Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood continuity.

And Vic’s not only a talented voice actor, singer, and media guru – he’s one of the geeks! Listen as Vic shares with us awesome stories about growing up with Star Trek, his trip to Japan where he met Romi Paku, voice actor antics, cosplaying at conventions, and upcoming projects like “Star Trek Continues,”  which I’m psyched to see develop over the next year!

Listen to the interview here!

Above: Vic as Captain Kirk and as a Klingon (at right).

For more about Vic, check out his website at www.vicsworld.net. You can find tons of cool stuff (like upcoming convention appearances) on his official fanclub’s website at www.risemboolrangers.com. Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos comes to DVD April 24th (and you can pre-order it now). Also, make sure to check out the Star Trek Continues Facebook Page!