Tag: loki

Weekend Shopping Guide 12/26/14: Holiday Hangover

The weekend’s here. You’ve just been paid, and it’s burning a hole in your pocket. What’s a pop culture geek to do? In hopes of steering you in the right direction to blow some of that hard-earned cash, it’s time for the FRED Weekend Shopping Guide – your spotlight on the things you didn’t even know you wanted…

(Please support FRED by using the links below to make any impulse purchases – it helps to keep us going…)

While many a college professor has probably done the same, Drunk History (Comedy Central, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP) makes learning train wreck fun by getting blitzed comedians to relate true stories from our country’s history in soused fashion, which are then reenacted by a bevy of guest stars. The 3 disc set contains the first two seasons, plus additional footage.

I’ve been remiss in shining a spotlight on another in a long line of brilliant figures from the fine folks at Hot Toys, which just so happens to be the second iteration of the Norse god of mischief as featured in Thor: The Dark World, Loki (Sideshow, $229.99). Eschewing the horned helmet featured in the first Thor and The Avengers, this take goes with the slicked-back hair actor Tom Hiddleston sported in Dark World, as well as the subtly streamline outfit. The accessories are somewhat light, but that makes sense, as Loki didn’t have a lot of props this go round, so we’re limited to a dagger and his Asgardian manacles, plus a couple pairs of swappable hands.

Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon return to their largely improvised hyper-reality selves in Michael Winterbottom’s The Trip To Italy (IFC, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$24.98 SRP), which finds the two awkwardly competitive chums chumming around Europe’s boot sampling fine fair and engaging in eminently watchable chitchat. Bonus materials include deleted scenes and a trailer.

Despite a shaky start and a network that doesn’t seem to know what to do with it, The Legend Of Korra Book Three: Change (Nickelodeon, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$35.98 SRP) finds the show coming fully into its own in a way that fans of the original Avatar: The Last Airbender had hoped it would, as all of the world and character building finally starts to coalesce into powerful storytelling. Bonus materials include audio commentaries and featurettes.

Fill the increasingly chilly hours during your December lock-in by partaking of a pair of Comedy Central shows ready for bingeing – Kroll Show: Seasons 1 & 2 (Comedy Central, Not Rated, DVD-$24.99 SRP) and Broad City: Season 1 (Comedy Central, Not Rated, DVD-$ SRP). Both are loaded with bonus features, including commentaries, outtakes, and more.

Taken as a slick B movie, the adaptation of Joe Hill’s pulpy morality horror Horns (Anchor Bay, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP) is an enjoyable bit of schlock, owing largely to lead Daniel Radcliffe as the devilish murder suspect who brings out the worst in those around him.

The Warner Archive continues to be a refuge for the studio’s often-overlooked animated fare, with brand new high definition releases for Young Justice: Invasion (Warner Bros., Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP) and the complete run of the newer take on Thundercats (Warner Bros., Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP). Young Justice sports a pair of audio commentaries on the two-part finale, plus interviews.

While purists may grumble with some alterations to the plot, none of that affects the thoroughly enjoyable soundtrack to Disney’s adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s Into The Woods (Walt Disney Records, $15.98 SRP), which gets a lavish 2-disc deluxe edition.

It may be a bit soft-focus, but there’s something certainly uplifting in The Hundred-Foot Journey (Dreamworks, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$36.99 SRP), starring Helen Mirren as an emotionally distant chef who feels profoundly disconcerted when a young Indian immigrant opens a restaurant 100 feet from her own, leading to an all-out war as worlds collide. Bonus materials include a clutch of featurettes.

The Beeb has kids covered this season with the A Very Funny Christmas collection (BBC Not Rated, DVD-$16.95 SRP) featuring the adaptations of David Walliams children’s books Gangsta Granny and Mr. Stink, plus the museum mystery of Guardians Of The Museum (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$18.86 SRP).

If, like me, you were onboard and hooked by the early days of Nick At Nite, a horse is a horse, of course, but there’s no horse as famous as Mister Ed (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$139.99 SRP), whose full six season run is available for the very first time in uncut form, with an audio commentary on the pilot, interviews with castmembers Alan Young and Connie Hines, and vintage Studebaker ads.

Dysfunction has rarely been as enjoyably watchable as in This Is Where I Leave You (Warner Bros., Rated R, Blu-Ray-$35.99 SRP), which finds a group of squabbling siblings forced to coexist under the same roof after their father passes away. Maybe that’s because the cast is stacked with aces including Tina Fey, Jason Bateman, Adam Driver, Ben Schwartz, Rose Byrne, and Jane Fonda. Bonus materials include featurettes, outtakes, and deleted/extended scenes.

It’s not often you see a romantic comedy centered around a pair of leads in the twilight of their lives, but Elsa & Fred (Millennium, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$24.99 SRP) anchors its enjoyable tale with Shirley MacLaine & Christopher Plummer. Bonus materials include a making-of featurette.

If nothing else, the sixth season of Happy Days (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) is memorable for the return of the Orkan alien Mork, played with gusto by Robin Williams, cementing the character’s spin-off future. The 4-disc set contains all 27 episodes, plus the 5th anniversary show “Mork Returns”.

Watching the Michael Bay-produced Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Paramount, Rated PG-13, 3D Blu-Ray-$54.99 SRP) is a painful view into a wrongheaded, steroidal world of poor decisions and even poorer design choices, particularly in a world where the consistently endearing animated Nickelodeon turtles exist. So truly, watch this at your own peril. Bonus materials include featurettes, an extended ending, and a music video.

Glen Morgan was part of the key creative team on The X-Files, and he brings that supernatural sensibility to the BBC’s eerie paranormal thriller Intruders (BBC, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$34.98 SRP), about a secret society whose key to immortality is taking possession of the living. And it stars John Simm and Mira Sorvino.

Listen, as far as charming little family flicks go, Dolphin Tale 2 (Warner Bros., Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$35.99 SRP) delivers exactly that – a pleasantly warm diversion with an affable cast that neither offends any sensibilities nor will live terribly long in your memory. Bonus materials include featurettes and a blooper reel.

History buffs who want to pass the long family gathering hours watching documentaries instead can dive into the History Channel’s massive 20-disc The Definitive WWI & WWII Collection (History Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$99.98 SRP), which includes the docs World Wars, 100 Years Of WWI, 75 Years Of WWII, Patton 360, WWII From Space, The Color Of War, and WWII In HD.

Holiday viewing has reached its crass nadir with the arrival of Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever (Lionsgate, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP), which exists solely to ensure that Aubrey Plaza can buy a new car with her fees for voicing the titular tabby.

So there you have it… my humble suggestions for what to watch, listen to, play with, or waste money on this coming weekend. See ya next week…

-Ken Plume

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December 26, 2014
My Favourite Things: November 2013

NOVEMBER

Once again I try to give you My Favourite Things from around the web in the last month.

1) Loki

Tom Hiddleston is in danger of becoming a regular feature in this column. He has appeared far too often at this point with his exploits. He is clearly having far too much fun.

Recently he featured in some short clips on Comedy Central to promote Thor: The Dark World. Watch with glee as he tries to get the upper-hand over a bunch of small kids.

2) Batkid

The Make-A-Wish Foundation is wonderful and provides real service to millions of young children who are fighting for their lives against server and often terminal illnesses. This particular wish got a lot of attention online last month and for good reasons.

Young Miles is only 5 years old and has been battling leukaemia since he was 20 months old. When he asked if he could be Batman for a day, the response was strong and heartwarming.

You know, sometimes, just sometimes, the world can be alright.

3) Alan Moore: The Lo-Budget Biopic

On November 18th, noted comic book writer and all-round mad bloke Alan Moore celebrated his 60th birthday. Singer/songwriter and cartoonist Jeffrey Lewis decided to pay homage to Moore with this illustrated song. It’s rather sweet and pretty cool.

4) Aningaaq

I genuinely believe Gravity will be looked back on as being similarly cinematically influential as 2001: A Space Odyssey. I got to see it in November and was really blown away.

Do you remember when Sandra Bullock is trying to communicate with Earth but only gets a strange man, his dog, and a baby? Well, there is a short film of his end of the conversation. It’s made by Gravity director Alfonso Cuaron’s son Jonas.

5) The Five(ish) Doctors

We here at FRED love both Doctor Who and Sylvester McCoy with all out hearts. Just to prove a point, here is me with Mr. McCoy from a couple years ago:

Any excuse to show people that…

Anyway, with the big 50th anniversary this past month, Mr McCoy and some of his fellow Doctor cohorts decided to do their own big reunion show. It’s written/directed by Peter Davison himself and features pretty much everyone you can think of from the Doctor Who universe.

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And that’s it! My favourite things of the last month.

– Aaron Fever is the creator of the phrase “Tardistance”. He is also more accurately an internet whore and rarely leaves the house. If you like what you read here check out his blog http://www.aaronfever.com

December 2, 2013
My Favourite Things: July 2013

JULY

Things are picking up now as Con season is in full swing and preparations for Dragon Con next month begin. If you follow me on Twitter, then all I will say is “expect cursing”.

1) Dustin Hoffman Gets It

I love the Hoff. He’s a great actor and from all the interviews I’ve seen he seems to be a genuinely good guy to boot. Enforcing this belief is a recent interview he did with the AFI about his time on the film Tootsie where he plays a man dressing as a woman.

Hoffman had a revelation while preparing for the role and he gained a little understanding as to just how hard women have it in this world. Things get a little emotional, so grab a tissue before watching.

2) Castletown Donkey Derby 1994

Words will be difficult to find in an attempt to describe what follows. It is quite possibly the funniest, unintentionally funny, video about rural Ireland in the 90s. You’ll soon realise that Father Ted was more of a documentary than most of us would like to admit.

Welcome to the Castletown Donkey Derby. It’s as batshit insane as you’d imagine.

3) Wolverine – The Musical!

I love the guys at gloveandboots, they do some great videos. With The Wolverine out this month, they jumped at the chance to create a musical based on Hugh Jackman’s… love of musicals.

It’s pretty awesome and features cameos from Jamie Madrox, Hulk and Spider-man.

4) The Walking Dead Season 4

The TV series has been divisive to say the least. Fans of the comic and those completely unaware all have a love/hate relationship with the show. Personally, I’ve found it enjoyable but inconsistent.

Comic Con recently premiered a big four and a half minute trailer for the new season and I have to say, it looks pretty bad-ass. Check it out.

5) Tom Hiddleston

Speaking of Comic Con, here is the perfect example of an actor who is having the time of his life.

Tom Hiddleston, during a Marvel movie panel, crashed proceedings in his full Loki costume and while in character decided to “have fun”. He may be playing an evil trickster but you can tell that smile is legit.

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And that’s it! My favourite things of the last month.

– Aaron Fever is the creator of con-crud. He is also more accurately an internet whore and rarely leaves the house. If you like what you read here check out his blog http://www.aaronfever.com

July 30, 2013
Weekend Shopping Guide 6/7/13: Adventure Time!

The weekend’s here. You’ve just been paid, and it’s burning a hole in your pocket. What’s a pop culture geek to do? In hopes of steering you in the right direction to blow some of that hard-earned cash, it’s time for the FRED Weekend Shopping Guide – your spotlight on the things you didn’t even know you wanted…

(Please support FRED by using the links below to make any impulse purchases – it helps to keep us going…)

What time is it? ADVENTURE TIME! And it most certainly is, considering you can now get both Adventure Time: Season 1 & Season 2 (Cartoon Network, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$32.07 SRP each) in brilliant high definition IN YOUR VERY OWN HOME, Bonus materials include audio commentaries, animatics, featurettes, a music video, and more.

Today’s modern tech world means a lot of touchscreens – phones, tablets, computers… Which means a whole mess of surfaces with increasing crud levels that are just, well, icky. Enter Biocynclear Cleaning Solution ($14.99), a antimicrobial cleaning solution and applicator being offered by the fine folks at Thinkgeek.

In an age where JJ Abrams’ abysmal take on Star Trek threatens to become the norm, it’s a delight to dip into the classic Trek-era stories crafted over the past couple of years by legendary comic writer/artist John Byrne, all of which have been collected together in the hefty hardcover Star Trek: The John Byrne Collection (IDW, $49.99 SRP). From tales of the Romulan empire and regular starship crewmen to Gary Seven and the frontier doctoring of Leonard McCoy, they’re all beautifully evocative of the original final frontier.

It’s not as clever as Bridesmaids, but there’s no denying that Identity Thief (Universal, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$34.98 SRP) works largely on the back of the ridiculously talented Melissa McCarthy, who makes her turn as an over-the-top con artist par excellence tick. Bonus materials include alternate takes, featurettes, and a gag reel.

It’s always dicey business when another non-Pixar CG-animated film comes down the pike, but I genuinely enjoyed the madcap verve of the astronaut-as-alien reversal in Planet 51, and I found myself enjoying the sequel, Escape From Planet Earth (Anchor Bay, Rated PG, 3D Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP), which flips the premise back to aliens on Earth and adds 3D to the mix. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, alternate scenes, featurettes, and more.

If you enjoy your juice in concentrated form, you can now pick up the entire first season of Cartoon Network’s The High Fructose Adventures Of Annoying Orange (Vivendi, Not Rated, DVD-$29.93 SRP), featuring the titular grating fruit and his pals traveling through time and space. Bonus materials include featurettes, a webisode, and an animatic.

Looking for a gift for Dad this weekend? How about the John McClane as Jack Ryan meets Bourne sequel A Good Day To Die Hard (Fox, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP), which find McClane teamed up with his adult son in Russia. Or maybe wrestler Randy Orton as a paramedic put through the action ringer by a vengeful psychopath in 12 Rounds 2: Reloaded (Fox, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP). Finally, there’s the cowboy songstyling biopic of controversial bad boy Hank Williams, The Last Ride (Fox, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP), starring ET’s Elliott, Henry Thomas.

Find out whether Dora can find a note in Dora The Explorer: Dora Rocks! (Nickelodeon, Not Rated, DVD-$14.9 8 SRP), featuring a clutch of episodes that – you guessed it! – feature music.

If you’re like me (and I know I am), you’ve been terribly impressed with the work the fine folks at Hot Toys have been doing with their 1/6-scale figures based on Marvel’s Avengers. But what are a bunch of superheroes without their opposite – and that means the arrival of the long-awaited Asgardian god of mischief, Loki ($219). Decked out in the same outfit featured in the film and featuring another of their eerily lifelike head sculpts, you can now posses your very own tiny Tom Hiddleston, leaving you to decide on either his horned helm of bareheaded looks. Accessories include handcuffs, face muzzle, a pair of staffs (long and short), and plenty of hands. Just look how exquisitely done this figure is…

So there you have it… my humble suggestions for what to watch, listen to, play with, or waste money on this coming weekend. See ya next week…

-Ken Plume

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June 7, 2013
Opinion In A Haystack: THE AVENGERS Review

THE AVENGERS ““ Review ***SPOILER FREE***

In the western world, in the culture of Hollywood, we have made films the apex of a property’s existence. When any creative, artistic or entertaining endeavor reaches a certain level of popularity, respect, profits or prestige we turn it into a film, or possibly threaten to turn it into a film, if its isn’t already a film itself. So we’ve grown up salivating for certain things to come to fruition. Impossible things. For better or worse many of those things in my generation, due to new technology powered by James Cameron’s ego, have come into being as live action romps of varying degrees of success.

Well as far as “things” go, The Avengers is most certainly one of those “things” for me. The good news being that I went completely ape-“fecal matter” for the movie. I sang the praises of Sir Joss Whedon in my Cabin In The Woods review not long ago, and here I’m not even sure that singing is going to do him justice. The man is having a good year, so good in fact that his career is probably going to take a different path from now on. Avengers most certainly has the potential to skyrocket him into the big leagues of Hollywood Event Filmmakers like Michael Bay or Stephen Sommers, but the good news for us is that, unlike those guys, Whedon makes sure to take care of character and story first. However, once those are locked he will let loose on the action spectacle with the best of them. He has the potential to be, and I apologize for saying this, a “thinking man’s Michael Bay.” If you remove all the storied history of the characters involved with the Avengers that is what it boils down to: a Bay film where you actually care what happens amidst all the silliness and explosions. Joss Whedon: Man of Emotional Explosions.

Unlike Cabin though, Avengers is “A Joss Whedon Film,” written and directed in full. I’ve been yapping to everyone who would listen that my main satisfaction with this movie is that it truly feels like a comic book script, as in, a script written with the intention of being drawn, inked and printed for Marvel to distribute. It’s very comic-book-like. What exactly do I mean by that? Well, I don’t know really. I suppose if my hand is forced to explain I would say that is has that ever so sacred balance of comic book reality, physics, logic, and tone without ever delving into being stupid or silly. It’s not cynical of its own source material, this movie is proud to be sopping wet with comic book mythology and atmosphere. At no point does it shy away from the exaggerated world of comicdom. It’s as big, awesome, and faithful to the source art form as Joss Whedon is a fan of that art form himself.

The reason Avengers fires on all cylinders is balance. Whedon is no stranger to the group dynamic in his writing and it most certainly shows here. Thor, Banner, Cap, Stark, Hawkeye and Black Widow all share the screen with things only slightly tipping towards Iron Man. However, that isn’t a problem, this is Iron Man’s film and it makes perfect sense. Cap is still reeling from his 70 years under the ice, his rise to leadership is not cemented especially considering this is an “origin” story of a team. Not to mention, that as far as the public is concerned Tony Stark and John Favreau’s triumphant first Iron Man film is responsible for this whole gargantuan undertaking in the first place. It’s impossible to deny Downey’s presence as well, with a character as “large” as his version of Stark on screen it’s going to take at least two films for the cream, or in this case the Captain, to rise to the top.

It’s an impressive achievement on Whedon’s part as well that Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye and Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow not only have presence in the film but actually prove themselves useful and interesting in the face of being over shadowed by a super soldier, a demi-god, a genius billionaire, and the ultimate engine of destruction. Tom Hiddleston proves once again that he was perfectly cast as Loki, at every turn, even when he’s losing he is deep in character without flinching. Chris Evans gives a convincing take on a recently unfrozen and confused Captain America. Chris Hemsworth probably has the most unsung hardship of the entire group as he succeeds in playing Thor with an undercurrent of shame and disappointment in his adopted brother Loki and the horrors he is bringing about on earth. Fans might complain that Thor doesn’t get as much time to strut his powers this time around, but he is mentally focused on his brother and the plot unfolds as such. I think once we get a Loki-free Avengers flick we will truly see Thor cut loose. (Also, I still say that Hemsworth is quite possibly the best casted superhero role ever. The guy just exudes Thor at every turn. Just my opinion.)

Oh, and Sam Jackson knocks it out of the park playing Nick Fury as”¦well”¦Sam Jackson.

There were two huge standouts of the film for me. First is Clark Gregg as Agent Coulson. His screen time isn’t long but the little he gets he sells hard, going so far as to give his character a lot of heart and a lot of balls. Second is Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/The Hulk. Now, I admit right here and now that I am a lifelong Hulk fan. The comics, the TV show, the movies, I love the Hulk in all his forms, always have. As a credit to Whedon and Ruffalo I would go as far as saying that with the exception of Bill Bixby, Rufalo might be might favorite live action Banner ever. This is the first time in this new era of cinema tech we get to see the green guy “smash” as a hero instead of a menace and it is incredible (sorry.) That is especially a compliment considering Ruffalo did all the motion capture himself. When Hulk is unleased in this film, especially in the last third of the movie, it takes the “awesome” to a whole new level of incredible (sorry again.) However it isn’t just the smashing that wins me over, it’s Ruffalo as Banner. Much like Bixby, Ruffalo is playing a Banner who was been to hell and back and has begun to live with the curse instead of trying to fight it, this movie particularly furthers that very narrative. Of course all the buzz Hulk is getting from audiences and critics for Avengers is due to the smashing, I’m just saying for the rest of us who love the character this movie has other things to offer as well. Hats off to the design team too, the green guy has NEVER looked more accurate, and just plain perfect, to the source material than he does here.

Thanks for reading and for the love of Thor: STAY AFTER THE CREDITS!!!

May 4, 2012