More Than Meets the Toy

Recall your childhood pals The Transformers with fascinating factoids.The Transformers have survived well past that far-flung, futuristic year of 2005 so vividly depicted in their 1986 animated flick. Grease your wheels with Transformers trivia as you prepare for their return in Transformers Prime.

Trans-imports: Hasbro created The Transformers by re-purposing molds from two different Japanese toy lines – the 1:1 scaled, household object-based Microman: Micro Change, and the vehicles of Diaclone.

Trailer Trashed: Back in the day, lead good-guy Optimus Prime’s trailer would always mysteriously vanish when he morphed into robot mode. When fans asked why, creators jokingly explained that it was made of “Disappearium.”

Prime Cuts: Hasbro killed Optimus in the 1986 animated film Transformers: The Movie. Taken aback by how upset young fans became, they nixed plans to similarly ice Duke in 1987's G.I. Joe animated feature film. Prime was later resurrected on TV.

Transforming Times: Megatron has always transformed into a gun; the original toy comes from a different era, however. These days, you wouldn't be able to sell it in American stores in its old incarnation. It looks too real.

Big Voices: While Optimus Prime's voice is forever linked to fan-fave VO artist Peter Cullen, Prime's antagonists have included such legends as Leonard Nimoy (Galvatron), and Orson Welles (Unicron).

The Stepfather (2009)

Mom's (Sela Ward) new boyfriend, David (Dylan Walsh), isn't quite right and Michael knows it. A series of mysterious events leads the teen to suspect that David might in fact be a dangerous serial killer known for preying on families. Now, all he needs to do is gather evidence before it's too late. Nelson McCormick directs this spine-tingling remake of the 1987 thriller based on the real-life story of killer John Emil List.

It was nice to see a scary movie that was actually suspensful. I wouldn't say I got scared watching it, but I did jump on occasion when something happened that I didn't expect. It was very refreshing to see a scary movie that had NO sex and NO gore. Most horror movies today are not scary by any means. Being shocked by the violence and sadistic gore DOES NOT make a movie scary. Perhaps if production companies would actually use directors, writers, and actors that actually had some talent, they wouldn't have to use sensationalism and shock to sell their product.

I actually found many parts hilarious and I think that thrillers and horrors that of this type should have a sub-genre called comedy thrillers/horror. Once again another movie where someone makes an illogical and irrational choice by trusting a person who ends up being a psycho. All signs point to this person being unbalanced, but the main characters really don't notice it except for the troubled son who of course no one will believe. It takes getting hit smack dab in the face for the naive and trusting mother and girlfriend to realize somethings not right. Not a great movie... pretty predictable and unoriginal, but I enjoyed it.


***/*****

3/5 Stars

Shrooms (2006)

A hallucinogenic trip turns into reality -- or does it? -- when a group of adventurous American college kids on holiday in rural Ireland munch some magic mushrooms and find themselves plagued by nightmarish visions of death. But are they really being stalked and killed, or is it all just drug-induced paranoia? Lindsey Haun, Jack Huston and Maya Hazen star in this spine-chilling slaughterfest from director Paddy Breathnach.

This movie is not scary. There are disturbing images, and I probably jumped a time or two, but it's really just a lot of wandering through the woods. It's not the worst horror movie ever made, but that just means youll sit all the way through it before deciding you've wasted your time.

I thought this would be a decent movie, but turns out it wasn't! The acting was okay, but the movie itself was just terrible. I was bored out of my mind. I couldn't sit still or pay attention. The plot was stupid, and the ending was a shocker yet really stupid. Its not even scary at all!


**/*****

2/5 Stars

Zombie Campout (2002)

Playing matchmaker, buddies Bunny (Misty Orman) and Steve (John M. Davis) plan a weekend camping trip to allow Tammy (Tiffany Black) and Trevor (Jeremy Schwab) to get to know each other. But when radioactive meteorites rain down on a nearby cemetery, the dead rise from their graves -- becoming flesh-eating zombies who think the four friends look like a very tasty treat. This campy horror comedy co-stars Alecia Peterman and Cheryl Dallas.

This movie is unbearably boring. There are no redeeming factors in play either. The actors suck, lighting is terrible, effects are so so, the story itself has no point, the dialogue couldnt be written any worse. I mean how many times do they have to say ready to go and be there in a second. I love low budget zombie flicks and I really tired to like something about this one, but I just couldnt do it.

*/*****

1/5 Stars

Holy Crap!?!

Has it really been since 12/14/10 since I blogged a review or anything?! Wow. I guess I've just been busy out of the e-world. Expect a load of reviews and whatnot to load up just so I can catch up! Get ready cause I've seen A LOT of movies since then.

Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam(DC Showcase: Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam) ((2010))

This collection of DC Showcase animated shorts boasts the teaming-up of two of DC's most powerful heroes -- Superman (voiced by George Newbern) and Captain Marvel (Jerry O'Connell) -- as they battle villain Black Adam (Arnold Vosloo) and cope with the ethics of utilizing superpowers. Billy Batson, who assumes the mantle of Captain Marvel, turns to Superman for guidance on the moral implications of seeking justice ... or is it revenge?

Loved the whole showcase. The Spectre was probably my favorite overall. Love the dark, gritty way it was shot. I would love to see a full length feature on him. Definitely worth a viewing.

This dvd is a collection of 4 short movies involving Superman and Captain Marvel, the Specter, Green Arrow, and Jonah Hex. I gave this dvd a 4 because of the Specter and Jonah Hex shorts. I though those were great and very well done. Superman/Captain Marvel and Green Arrow were both good too, but the two I mentioned really stood out for me.

****/*****

4/5 Stars

Get Him to the Greek ((2010))

Ambitious young record company intern Aaron Green (Jonah Hill) will let nothing get in the way of his planned rise to the top in the music business -- not even the unruly rock star (Russell Brand) he must escort to Los Angeles for the start of his anniversary concert. Doing whatever it takes to get the rocker from Point A to Point B, Aaron encounters all manners of mishaps in this comedy directed by Nicholas Stoller and produced by Judd Apatow.

Following up on his 2008 film Forgetting Sarah Marshall, writer/director Nicholas Stoller creates here more of a spin-off for the character of Aldous Snow (Russell Brand) than a direct sequel. Also returning are Sarah Marshall herself (Kristen Bell in a quick cameo) and Jonah Hill (but playing a COMPLETELY different character than he did in the first). The thing that surprised me the most about this movie was its heart. I had expected it to be funny, but I didn't expect that there would be a legitimate emotional core at the center of this film. The other big surprise, to me at least, was how incredibly funny Sean "P. Diddy" Combs was. He's been halfway decent in some smaller movies (see Made right now), but I had no idea that he'd hold his own so well alongside some of the best names in the comedy business right now. There's one scene in particular where it shouldn't have worked at all, but just because it's him, it does. Brilliantly. If you liked Sarah Marshall you should definitely see this, as it more than lives up to its predecessor. If you didn't like it, or didn't see it, just know that this is a stand-alone film and the other isn't prerequisite viewing for you to enjoy yourself. I honestly didn't expect a story centered around Brand's character to work on its own, but I have been pleasantly surprised. This movie is VERY funny and highly recommended.

Way WAY too funny! Russel Brand, I think, has always been funny but you do not expect how funny Diddy would be in this movie. I think it was fantastic movie. Definitely a great movie to watch with friends or when you need a pick me up. *Clap*lol

*****/*****

5/5 Stars