JULY 7th TRANSFORMERS DISTRIBUTION EVENT CANCELLED!


SORRY, GUYS. LATE BREAKING NEWS. IT LOOKS LIKE THE JULY 7th TRANSFORMERS DISTRIBUTION EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED AND MOVED TO TOMORROW, SATURDAY, JUNE 30th.


HERE'S THE ANNOUNCEMENT FROM CYBERTRON.PH
Distribution of Fall of Cybertron and TF Prime Cyberverse Legion Vehicon was moved to tomorrow, June 30, 2012 inside Toy Kingdom, SM Megamall. The July 7 distribution is now cancelled.
I AM SAD.

6” Mumm-Ra (Modern)


The last 6” figure in Bandai’s wave one was Mumm-Ra.

Mumm-Ra was the big bad in the cartoon Thundercats: a demon sorcerer in service to the Ancient Spirits of Evils. Usually, he was this old decrepit dude in a ratty, red robe with a bad case of emphysema, but every now and then, he would croak out a mantra asking his gods to help him out:

"Ancient Spirits of Evil...transform this decayed form...to Mumm-Ra... the Every-Living!"

After his chant, he’d show up as this super, shirtless guy in a loincloth who could fly around in rags and zap people, change his appearance and doing all sorts of gnarly stuff. He was a hell of a lot scarier than Skeletor with that desiccated face and that death’s rattle of voice (no one could ever have taken Skeletor’s nasal whine seriously).

Funny thing was, despite being a devil priest, the vessel for all the powers of the “Ancient Spirits of Evil”, Mumm-Ra was still pretty much a pushover. I mean he spent most of his time sleeping in a coffin, schlepping around his pyramid with his toy bulldog, Ma-mutt (yes that was its name) at his heels, dreaming up all these sinister plans that never actually worked. Half the time, he was up against kids (Both Lion-O and the Wiley Twins were teenagers) or the Thundercats’ pet (Snarf), or the Thundercats’ pet’s nephew (Snarfer).

I bet even the Ro-Bear Berbils could have kicked his butt and they weren’t even as intimidating as Ewoks.

New Transformers Distribution Next Weekend!



SORRY, GUYS. LATE BREAKING NEWS. IT LOOKS LIKE THE JULY 7th EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED AND MOVED TO TOMORROW, SATURDAY, JUNE 30th.
Distribution of Fall of Cybertron and TF Prime Cyberverse Legion Vehicon was moved to tomorrow, June 30, 2012 inside Toy Kingdom, SM Megamall. The July 7 distribution is now cancelled.
I AM SAD.

So Transformers fans are just coming down off the high of the First Edition Vehicon distribution in Robinsons Ermita a few weeks ago and already Cybertron Philippines is setting up another event for us geeks!

On July 7, 2012, inside the main branch of Toy Kingdom in Megamall, Hasbro Philippines, Playkit, and Cybertron Philippines will be launching the new figures based on the video game sequel, Transformers: Fall of Cybertron, as well as the new Cyberverse versions of the popular toyline based on the new cartoon series, Transformers: Prime.

From Fall of Cybertron, we’ll be seeing Wave 1 of the new Transformers: Generations Deluxe Class figures. So far, the Deluxe Class of Transformers toys have been the best bang for your buck at Php 699.75 (about $15.50 US). Not only is that the cheapest price in the region, the Deluxe Class is usually the best accessorized and the best engineered of the classes and normally the most fun to actually play with.

New Marvel Universe Figures this Saturday!


Guess what, true believers... Marvel Universe is back!

Toys 'R' Us, in cooperation with Cybertron Philippines will be having a distribution event at the activity center of Robinsons Galleria on Saturday, June 23rd, 2012.

6” Panthro (Modern)



Coming off the high that I got from the excellent 6” Lion-O figure from Bandai’s Thundercats line, the second Thundercat in the first wave of 6” figures had a lot to live up to. Not only was the Lion-O figure well sculpted, but it was also well articulated, well accessories, and over all just about the funnest action figure I've seen this year (barring Transformers since they cheat by being two toys in one).

Lion-O (Modern)


During the 1980’s, toy manufacturers decided to begin conditioning the minds of a generation. Instead of satisfying themselves with 20 seconds of airtime during commercials, they decided to take over Saturday Morning and field their own cartoons. Hasbro dominated with boy-centric shows like Transformers and G.I. Joe, but also included some girl-geared shows like My Little Pony and Jem & the Holograms (Truly Outrageous!) in their Saturday Morning syllabus.

Prometheus




Kids these days probably think movies like Ridley Scott’s Alien was boring as hell. It was long, quiet, and you were required to pay attention or you’d miss out on the good bits. There were lengthy shots that established atmosphere and frames that made you feel like you were there onboard the Nostromo, hauling cargo to the far reaches of the galaxy with Ripley and her crewmates.

Scott’s new Alien prequel, Prometheus, is a lot like that. It reminds me of Cameron’s Avatar in a way. Emphasis is put on ambiance in this film: time spent walking around the mostly virtual environments with the characters. You wait for scares as the tension builds up, finally realizing that you’ve been holding your breath for a several minutes. When something does happen, you’re thoroughly immersed in the movie’s environment, enough that it still comes as a complete surprise. The spectacle here is mood rather than action set pieces.

There’s a slow boil as the movie starts with otherworldly landscapes (which were in Iceland) and moves into the rising action, where you learn of Doctors Elizabeth Shaw’s (Noomi Rapace) and Charlie Holloway’s (Logan Marshall-Green) study of ancient cave paintings that have led to the discovery of a kind of map left in humanity’s genetic memory. By the time the film has transitioned to the outbound trip of the science vessel, Prometheus, you’re hooked.

The biggest weakness in the film it’s the plot. Because this is part of the Alien universe (if not necessarily part of the franchise itself), certain things had to happen in order for it to tie into the mythology that has already been established. The writers and filmmakers did a pretty good job keeping Prometheus as a stand-alone story, but it’s individuality seems to have been sacrificed a bit. What you expect is what you get and because of that restriction, the movie doesn’t seem to be able to carry the philosophical underpinnings that are so obviously being presented.

However, the draw of the movie isn’t really the plot, it’s the visual design. Building on H.R. Giger’s work for the first film, the production team created tons of practical costumes, creatures, sets and props that fill the screen with tangible awesomeness. As the human team explores the alien compound, you really feel as if it’s a real cavern, as if it’s a real ship, as if there are real bodies moving through space. The CGI work seems to have been restricted to fantastic virtual matte paintings and some so-so work on the new alien race.

They were able to assemble a pretty good cast of actors. The always likeable Idris Elba plays the cool Captain Janek. A prosthetic-covered Guy Pearce plays Peter Weyland, the dying owner of the Weyland Corporateion (what eventually grows up to be “The Company”). And Charlize Theron plays Meredith Vickers, the ruthless company representative who enforces the Weyland agenda onboard the ship.

On the flip side, Noomi Rapace (Dr. Shaw) is an actress I still can’t buy as a lead. Maybe it’s the athletic body or the odd (to me anyway) Swedish accent or her unique manner. I didn’t like her in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows either. Maybe I’m just too married to the idea of Sigourney Weaver as the lead in an Alien film. After all, we have four of them. I can’t picture Rapace shouldering a flamethrower and saying, “Get away from her, you BITCH!”

The real standout is Michael Fassbender as David (this outings’ version of the “Bishop” android) who steals every single scene he is in. He first appears on the outbound voyage, taking care of the ship as the passengers sleep in cryo-tanks. He watches movies, learns dead languages, and shoots some hoops while riding a bicycle. His character comes off as far more unbalanced than Lance Henriksen’s helpful Bishop or Ian Holm’s sinister Ash. At one point he talks about the disappointment he feels (or doesn’t feel) after “meeting his maker” and you just want to cry (or run away in terror). His performance here alone is worth the price of admission.

While Prometheus has not replaced Sunshine as my all-time favorite science fiction movie, it’s come in at a close second. The technology available to Scott and the other filmmakers today have allowed them to create a world like the ones I imagine when I read books from Niven, Clarke, or Heinlein. While they may not have been successful in conveying the (one assumes) deep messages that they wanted to communicate about the “big questions”, the movie they’ve made is highly entertaining and satisfying as all get out.

I can’t wait for the sequel!

Disqus for Joint Junkie