Deadpool (2016)

So I finally got around to watching Deadpool last night, and despite being tired of the hype that the Fox marketing team has been shoveling for months now, I found myself thinking that this is probably the best "superhero" movie that they've put out.

If you haven't heard yet (and I don't see how that's possible as their marketing was EVERYWHERE for a few months), Deadpool is a Valentine's date movie about a man who finds out he has cancer and rashly decides that he can't put the love of his life through the pain of watching him die. Over the course of an hour and forty-eight minutes, he realizes that that was the stupidest decision of his life.

It's rather moving.

Avengers: Age of Ultron

Maybe it was the fantastically long lead-in to this movie, or all the hype Disney's stellar marketing team built up around it's release, but I found myself slightly disappointed with their new Avengers: Age of Ultron.

To be fair, this sequel had a lot to live up to. Not only was it expected to top 2012's Avengers, but there have been four other Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movies released between that year and 2015 - Iron Man 3, Captain America: Winter Soldier, Thor: The Dark World, and Guardians of the Galaxy. Then you have the two television shows, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Daredevil. It's a wonder this super franchise hasn't collapsed yet under the weight of it's own continuity.

But predictably, it's now made more than $201M in it's first weekend internationally, and with no real competition until May 13 when Mad Max: Fury Road is released, it looks like it's on track to become the biggest movie of 2015.

At least until Star Wars: The Force Unleashed arrives.

Marvel's Daredevil

It's hard not to compare Netflix's first Marvel show, Daredevil, with Fox's Gotham. Both are based on superhero comics that are relatively well known, and both are kind of experimental in a way. The former is Marvel's first foray into video-on-demand programming through US Internet subscription service, Netflix, and the latter is a Batman show without Batman. However, both of them share a strong crime drama bent; they focus more on the crime and corruption in their cities, rather than the superhero aspects of their heroes.

After watching 5 episodes of Daredevil, it's hard not to come to the conclusion that Marvel's experiment succeeded, while DC's has failed incredibly.

iZombie

There are only a few shows that catch my attention straight out of the gate. Even one of my favorite programs of all time, Firefly, didn't wow me when I first watched the pilot episode. So when Hollywood comes out with a winner like this one, I feel I need to spread the word.

iZombie is a series that airs Mondays on CW, the home of other great comic-based tent pole shows, The Flash and Arrow. It's a little different from those two shows in that it's less superhero action, more crime/buddy cop comedy, and that it stars a woman in the lead role.

The story focuses on Liv Moore, a med student who has a happy, stable life with her loving family, sweet fiance, and bright future as a Doctor. One night she decides to live a little and go to a big party she's been invited to. Unfortunately, a zombie decides to crash the party and Liv is among the casualties lying in a body bag on the beach in the morning.

Naturally, she gets back up.

What to Watch in 2015

Last year I wrote out every single movie I wanted to see this year at GeekOut.ph. Despite my best efforts, I've only been able to see some of the films I posted about on that article. Some were moved to later release dates (Jupiter Ascending and Tomorrowland), others were put on the back burner after some pretty awful reviews (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Transcendence), but I was able to see a good number of them in the theater, which is where movies should be watched.

2014 turned out to be a pretty fantastic year for movie lovers. Even if some of the worst films I've ever experienced came out this year (yes, I'm looking at you, Transformers: Age of Extinction and The Amazing Spider-Man 2), some of the absolute best have also been fielded. Captain America: Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy immediately come to mind, but we also saw Edge of Tomorrow, How to Train Your Dragon 2, The Lego Movie, Big Hero 6, and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.

Now that the new year is coming up fast, I'm excited to find out what 2015 has in store for cinephiles. So in no particular order, while the Metro Manila Film Festival is clogging up cinemas with (mostly) garbage, let's look at what's coming up.

Komikon 2014

Return to Komikon!

It's been a couple of years since I was able to visit Komikon at the Bayanihan Center in Pasig City, but last Saturday I was able to stop by after it opened and catch up on the local comics scene. I gave a bunch of my copies of favorites titles away recently so I needed to get some replacements as well.

Word to the wise for next year, it opens at 10am, but unless you're trying to get first in line for something, it's probably better to arrive around 11am so you don't have to wait in line to enter the convention floor.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Live Action Role Play Figures

Mazes & Mutants is one of the best episodes of the most recent Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon series. In it, the four turtles decide to play the eponymous game and eventually to cosplay their chosen characters, turning it into a Live Action Role Play or LARP.

Things get hairy when another young mutant, Sir Malachi, decides to turn the role play part into reality with his hallucinatory powers. They have to defeat the dragon, save the girl, and win the day.

With the help of Mikey's +1 Ring of Awesome.

Interstellar

Despite all the awful reviews for Christopher Nolan's new film, Interstellar, I decided to give it a shot and watch it in IMAX. I felt that a movie about space travel really deserved to be seen on the really big screen.

While I'd have to agree that Nolan's film has it's problems, I was genuinely interested in what was happening on screen. The action scenes were very well done, the images very engrossing, and the science not completely Hollywood. Clocking in at 2 hours and 49 minutes, the movie's a hard sell to regular audiences, though, and I'd agree that most won't get as much bang for their buck as I did.

John Wick

You messed with the wrong guy.

That's basically what this movie is all about. To set your expectations straight, this is a revenge flick. It is a sub-genre of the action category that has recently included films like Taken, Man on Fire, Django Unchained, Old Boy, Munich, The Crow, and hundreds of others. Their unifying theme is that the bad guy always gets his due.

John Wick doesn't mess with the formula.

Funko Pop! Iron Man 3 Figure Set

This is really going to be a pretty quick review since there isn't really much to these figures other than THEY ARE CUTE!

If you've seen one Funko Pop! Vinyl Bobblehead figure, then you have a pretty good idea of what they look like. They stand about 3" to 4" tall, have small bodies, and huge cube-shaped heads (something like the "super-deformed" toys that Japan loves to produce). The squarish, hollow heads are mounted on a post with a large spring attached, that in turn attaches to the roof of the head's interior.

You hit the head, it bobbles. Bobble. Head.

Thor: The Dark World's Dark Elf

It's markdown time again.

Or actually, it's pretty much been markdown time for a really long time. With disappointing movie related waves from Amazing Spider-Man, hard-to-find figures from the Captain America: Winter Soldier wave, a non-existent X-Men: Days of Future Past wave, and not-worth-full-price Transformers: Beast Hunter waves, it's been awhile since there's been a real draw for the local toy stores. Even the The Guardians of the Galaxy toy line failed to pull in huge numbers (but I think that's mostly because there didn't seem to be large numbers of them ordered).

Thor: The Dark World is another line that pretty much got buried really quickly in toy stores. I guess Thor just isn't as cool as giant robots or guys in steel underwear. Even I didn't want to pick them up, since they aren't made for collectors. G.I. Joe is a good line for collectors. Articulation is standardized, accessories are the norm, and price isn't crazy. Marvel 1:18 toys used to be on the same page, but lately it's been more miss than hit.

And the Thor: The Dark World were all pretty much miss.

Figma Ryuko Matoi (Kill la Kill)

I don't like many Japanese cartoons, also known to geekdom as anime, but I will occasionally find a series that floats my boat. Kill la Kill (or Kiru Ra Kiru on the Wikipedia page, which I'm pretty sure is just "kill la kill" with a racist accent) fits that bill.

Awesome fight scenes? check.

Big action set pieces? check.

School girl outfits with short skirts? check.

Huge scoops of fan service? check!

If you're not familiar with the series, it's another winner from the makers of Gurren Lagann, the anime that brought us Yoko Littner. Click the link. That should tell you pretty much what you're in for.

DC Comics Buildable Capsule Figures

I've been a fan of these little guys since they made the Marvel versions a few years back. So far, I've been able to collect a lot of the series including the two Marvel sets, the Disney sets, the BokChoyBoy toys, and a few others. I was even tempted to get the NFL sets, but I may have missed my window there.

I'm glad that didn't happen with the first wave of DC self-buildable figures.

TFC Toys Star Cats Dinosaur Combiners Age of Extinction Edition

I honestly am not sure if these are knock off toys.

If they are, they're definitely "Class A" knock offs, because they are absolutely amazing considering I only paid about Php 2,000 (roughly $45) for them. But from what I see online, the "original" toys from the Unknown Chinese Toy Manufacturer cost about the same, so they could be original for all I know.

Either way, they are amazing.

Robot Spirits Gundam Age-1 Titus

The Robot Spirits is a toy line from Bandai that includes 12cm (about 6") mostly robots from various anime shows, those most of the figures are of Gundam robots. The articulation and level of detail in the series is unprecedented and most usually include a good assortment of accessories. If you're not a Gunpla geek who wants to build toys from scratch, then these present a really great option.

I would have been really into these toys if not for one thing: they're really pricey. Even the ones that don't include a lot of accessories run about Php 3,000. If you're looking at something with tons of armor and weapons (like the the Altron), then you're looking at something closer to Php 4,000.

But recently, I found out that the few figures that local stores have in stock are all on sale for something like 65% off! So this Gundam Age-1 Titus, which was Php 3,500 was bought at Php 1,200 ($30 US) at Glorietta Toy Town!

That's awesome!

Decool Bootlego Future Foundation and Fantastic Four

If you haven't been to Divisoria in Manila yet, it's an insane place where just about everything is available for incredibly low (most of the time anyway) prices. When Marvel Legends and DC Universe Classics were at the peak of their popularity, Divisoria was the place to go to find cheaper, low quality factory over-run and test shot figures you could use for customs. Or if you weren't too picky, could pass off as part of your collection.

Now, with the rise in the costs of plastic and the drop in market interest pretty much killing off the super-articulated action figure, other bootlegs are taking over. We saw a lot of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle stuff start popping up, Frozen toys, Megablocks, (always) Transformers, and the big ticket these days, LEGO minifigures.

Mr. Potato Head Transformers Mixable Mashable Heroes

If you've already read the article I posted about the Marvel Mixable Mashable Heroes from Mr. Potato Head, then you know pretty much all you need to know about the Transformers versions other than the characters that are available so far in the Philippines, which are Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Grimlock, and Starscream.

You'll also need to know that they're still a whole lot of fun, and great value for your money, especially for younger kids.

Leatherhead

So the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie is out and I've decided to stop giving Michael Bay and company any more of my money than he already gets every time I buy a Transformers toy. After Transformers: Age of Extinction, I can't take anymore of the kind of crap that he consistently feeds his audience.

I'd rather give that money to the excellent people behind the Nickelodeon cartoon, and the awesome toy line based on it.

I bought the four Turtle figures pretty early on and if you read what I wrote in my review 2 years ago, then it's pretty clear that I thought it was the best line out there at the time.

Mr. Potato Head Marvel Mixable Mashable Heroes

Kids get the coolest stuff.

Take these mini Mr. Potato Head figures from Playskool for kids 2 years and up. They stand about 2" tall and are made of pure awesomesauce. Each one costs Php 249.75, with the special sets (the ones with an extra change of clothes) costing Php 449.75. That's a pretty good value considering these are all Marvel intellectual properties, which cost butt loads to license.

At those prices, these little guys are a steal!

Guardians of the Galaxy is the Best Star Wars Movie Ever!

Guardians of the Galaxy is the movie I was waiting for. It is EVERYTHING I expected it to be and more. It is my favorite Marvel movie by far.

It is totally fucking awesome.

That's my quickie movie review. Now go watch it so we will see more good films like it in the cinemas. If you watched Transformers: Age of Extinction, then you owe it to humanity to get off your ass, go to the cinema and pay the money to watch this in IMAX 3D.

You owe it to us.