Tag: Pixar

Weekend Shopping Guide 3/11/16: A Bad Motivator

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…)

We are spoiled for 1/6th-scale greatness, particularly with the Star Wars license. In just the last year, we’ve gotten stunningly pitch-perfect takes on Obi-Wan Kenobi, Han Solo, Chewbacca, R2-D2, and C-3PO. The latest bit of wonderfulness is Hot Toys’ take on A New Hope‘s Luke Skywalker (Sideshow, $229.99). From the spot-on Mark Hamill sculpt to the uniformly exquisite tailoring of his Tatooine togs, this is the best Luke we’ve gotten, bar none. It also features Hot Toys signature swappable LED lightsaber arm, which sports a healthy blue glow. In addition to that, we’ve got the blast helmet (with swappable under-helmet hair) and training remote, binoculars, a droid caller, and his deleted scenes bucket hat and poncho. Oh, and while you’re at it, be sure to also snag the latest delightful droid release, R5-D4 (Sideshow, $139.99). It even comes with a bad motivator, which you can trigger by pushing one of his visual sensors. Those 1/6-scale Jawas can’t come fast enough.

If Inside Out was Toy Story, then The Good Dinosaur (Walt Disney, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP) is A Bug’s Life – a lovely, enjoyable film wholly overshadowed by its juggernaut predecessor. But now you can rectify your oversight with a viewing of this gorgeous, heartfelt little gem at home, which is packed with bonus features, including the theatrical short Sanjay’s Super Team, featurettes, deleted scenes, and much more. In fact, the copious bonus features hearken back to the heyday of the Pixar special edition DVDs.

I admit, I had my worries about The Peanuts Movie (Fox, Rated G, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP) after seeing the first trailer. Without the creative input of Charles Schulz and Bill Melendez, would they take these cherished characters down a crass path? Well, crisis averted, because the film turned out to be a delight that beautifully captured the spirit of Charlie Brown’s neurotic universe. Bonus materials include featurettes, music videos, and more.

You know to start ticking off the days to the new season when the previous season hits shelves, so let the arrival of Game Of Thrones: The Complete Fifth Season (HBO, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$ SRP) kick things off with a refresher course on all of the myriad and very near confusing plotlines. Where this 4-disc set really shines, though, is in the incredible bonus features, with the usual complement of audio commentaries and featurettes being bolstered by the endlessly fascinating animated histories of the show’s mythology. With a world as rich as the one crafted by George R. R. Martin, it’s a welcome dive into a deep well.

When you think of catchphrases for Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s Captain Jean-Luc Picard. One is “Make it so.” Then you’ve got “Engage.” Sure, maybe “Shut up, Wesley.” Makes the cut, too. But certainly on that list is one that involves a certain beverage the good captain was fond of, and now the fine folks at Thinkgeek have made it so by offering a tin of Tea. Earl Grey. Hot. (Thinkgeek, $14.99). So now you too can sip the tea of a Starfleet legend while you contemplate your next negotiation.

That its true story of a group of canny investors that saw the mortgage crisis looming and gamed a system about to self-destruct plays like an ink-black farce makes The Big Short (Paramount, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP) both painfully funny and a painful reminder of just how precariously stacked upon the backs of fools our financial system truly is. Bonus materials include featurettes and deleted scenes.

If there’s one thing that Drunk History (Comedy Central, Not Rated, DVD-$26.99 SRP) has taught us, it’s that we all would have learned a lot more in school if our teachers had been fall-down smashed. The 3rd season covers subjects ranging from the Civil War to the Cold War and more, and makes a great thing even better. Bonus materials include 5 unblurred episodes, extended/deleted scenes, hiccups, and more.

While the packaging tries to make the finality ambiguous, it certainly feels like the long, odd journey that has brought us to the 6th season of Community (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$45.99 SRP) comes with a true sense of closure for both the characters and the audience. And as a fan of the show from the very start, I’m fine with that. All things must end, right? Unless you’re The X-Files. Which really should have stayed dead. Well and truly. Bonus materials include deleted scenes, a featurette, and a gag reel.

Following on his Oscar-winning performance as Stephen Hawking, Eddie Redmayne pulls off another remarkable turn in The Danish Girl (Universal, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$34.98 SRP) as a young man who begins to express his long-repressed desire to live as a woman after his artist wife asks him to fill in as a portrait model. Bonus materials include a making-of featurette.

However, if you want a genuinely enjoyable show that exquisitely captures the awkwardness of its characters and the situations they find themselves in, try the first season of Togetherness (HBO, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$34.98 SRP), from Jay & Mark Duplass. Bonus materials include a pair of featurettes and deleted scenes.

While I have zero interest in seeing what the live action cinematic take will be on DC Comics’ mightiest heroes, I have nothing but love for the endearingly goofy LEGO adventure Justice League: Cosmic Clash (Warner Bros., Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$24.98 SRP), which finds the League teaming with the Legion Of Super Heroes against Brainiac. Bonus materials include a featurette and a gag reel.

Why get a wimpy rinkydink lunch box when the R&D braintrust at Thinkgeek have devised a heavy-duty Tactical Lunch Kit (Thinkgeek, $29.99). The black nylon bag has a waterproof lining, an adjustable shoulder strap, and comes with a 12oz button-flow thermos with cup lid. Oh, and it’s finished off with a massive velcro patch that says “LUNCH”, because that’s what’s in it.

Continuing their genuinely wonderful partnership of chocolate and peanut butter fun, LEGO Star Wars: Droid Tales (Walt Disney, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP) brings C-3PO and R2-D2 front and center as they relate the Star Wars saga from their perspective following the Battle of Endor, with all of the off-kilter LEGO sensibility we’ve come to love.

The madcap misadventures of the prisoners of Germany’s most inept Stalag are yours for the taking in this massive 27-disc collection of Hogan’s Heroes: The Complete Series (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$79.99 SRP). In addition to all of the Colonel Klink-thwarting escape attempts, bonus features include audio commentaries, a photo gallery, and a gag reel. Now you’ll know everysink!

As a parody of the sweeping, bombastically self-important miniseries events that defined TV in the 70s and 80s, The Spoils Of Babylon (Anchor Bay, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP) comes awfully close to being a sublime success, but it never quite manages to gel into that sweet spot. Which is a shame, because so many of the elements are there, from its eclectically star-studded cast to many of the story beats.

After numerous duds at NBC, Fox got the live musical on TV right by realizing you had to have an audience present to keep the energy up, and that’s why Grease: Live! (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$21.99 SRP) is a fun romp of an awkward book with memorable songs. Bonus materials include a clutch of featurettes providing a fascinating look at what a logistical nightmare it is to pull off a live show on network TV.

I have a love/hate relationship with Ron Howard as a filmmaker. While the stories he directs tend to be powerful, I find the film’s themselves to often be sterile affairs that never quite achieve a launch velocity. His latest, In The Heart Of The Sea (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, 3D Blu-Ray-$44.95 SRP), is based on the true-life tale of a rogue whale that inspired Melville to write Moby Dick. The tale is mighty, the visuals are pretty darn nifty in 3D, and the cast, led by Chris Hemsworth, bring their all, but it feels more a small curio than a truly great film. Bonus materials include featurettes and deleted/extended scenes.

It was always a mess of truly unlikable characters, but it’s in the fourth season of Girls (HBO, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$34.98 SRP) that the wheels really come off the bus, as plots just kind of devolve into indifference-inducing masses of dialogue. But it does have a lovely turn by Kylo Ren, laying the groundwork of his obvious family issues. Bonus materials include audio commentaries, featurettes, and deleted/extended scenes.

The second season of Turn (Anchor Bay, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP) finds the Patriot capitol of Philadelphia fallen to the hands of the British and General Washington besieged both without and within, as conspirators infiltrate his ranks. His closest ally? Benedict Arnold. Bonus materials include featurettes and deleted/extended scenes.

The franchise has become, much like Ice Age, a quick way to generate amiable enough stories sure to entertain the kids, and Open Season: Scared Silly (Sony, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$30.99 SRP) certainly fits into that mold as forest-dwellers Boog and Elliot return with an all new adventure about overcoming fear. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, featurettes, and a blooper reel.

Want a goofball sword and sorcery romp this weekend? With a name like Dudes & Dragons (Momentum Pictures, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP), you can pretty much suss out exactly what you’re getting when a ragtag bunch of unlikely heroes go up against a wizard (James Marsters) intent on ridding the land of love. Bonus materials include featurettes, deleted scenes, and a blooper reel.

Because it’s a massive IP, it was inevitable that Nick Jr. would want its share of the Turtle pie, so we get the younger-skewing animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Half-Shell Heroes – Blast To The Past (Nickelodeon, Not Rated, DVD-$14.99 SRP), which finds our younger, pluckier foursome rocking to the dino past.

Strawberry Shortcake and her berry berry good pals return for more adventures in a pair of brand new releases – Strawberry Shortcake: Sweet Sunshine Adventures & Strawberry Shortcake: Berry Bake Shop (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP each).Bonus materials include printable recipes, coloring pages, a music video, and a featurette.

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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March 11, 2016
Opinion In A Haystack: SEEKING BRAVE PRESIDENTS FOR THE END OF THE WORLD

Pixar’s BRAVE – spoiler free review

I think the title is a mistake.

All the advertising, marketing, trailers, ricketa, racketa, even the first third of Pixar’s newest movie seem to be pushing one singular obvious plot that is nowhere to be found in the movie itself. This isn’t really a bad thing, just a confusing one.

The movie is a scottish period piece, a story about a soon-to-be Queen, Merida (voiced by Kelly Macdonald) who wants a life free from the expectations of her future. She has an overbearing mother, the current Queen (Emma Thompson,) and a very supportive father, the current King (Billy Connolly.) Merida is an expert archer, highly adept at life in the wilderness and is pretty much the antithesis to anything prim and proper. Surrounded by a kingdom of ruthless warriors and the “manliest” of manly scottish men, she is expected to be everything she hates on top of being expected to marry a prince she’s never met. You can see where this is going right? I mean the title, the setup, all of it points to the obvious conclusion that she is going to prove that she is something more than just a pretty smile by her extreme bravery, probably by showing up even the best of the best warriors in the kingdom at some yet to be known task. Right?

I mean look at this poster:

Wrong. I’m glad it’s wrong too. BRAVE is not trying to tell that story no matter how much the marketing and the setup seem to want to. This is a movie about mistakes (much like the title of the movie itself,) responsibility, identity and the relationship of a mother and her daughter. Without SPOILING anythng I’ll just say that the princess tries desperatley to change her destiny and ends up cursing her mother.

I won’t go too in depth with the story, but all of princess Merida’s wilderness and archery skills come into play and her mother sees that she is a much different personality then the one being imposed on her. It’s a very touching story, a very weird tale and even a welcome one, but at the heart of it its not about bravery, sure Merida has to be brave in one scene but it just doesn’t merit the title and the tone of the marketing.

The animation is exceptional, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson and Kelly Macdonald give great performances. For all of you who were heartbroken at CARS 2 sadly existing, BRAVE will remind you why your standards for Pixar were so high prior to CARS 2. Still, I don’t know if BRAVE is good enough to make up for putting Larry The Cable Guy in theaters TWICE.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter – Review

I’ve never read the book, so don’t expect any perspective involving that.

please carefully study the following Pictures by SharpWriter:

…and you basically just felt the exact tone, joke, and overall absurdly senseless “badassery” of Timur Bekmambetov’s Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. The movie makes little to no sense, doesn’t bother to truly explain the vamps, Lincoln’s powers are ill-defined and the film often defies its own logic and physics.

However, much like the above “internety” photographs of our founding fathers in absurd situations, fighting beasts while forcing them to “deal” with historical documents, this film succeeds on its complete dedication to the joke. It’s the phrase “AMERICA, F!@#$ YEAH!” formed and molded into celluloid. It is both a satire of “American Exceptionalism” and a homage, albeit a silly one, to arguably this nations greatest president.

Benjamin Walker’s performance, regardless how this movie strikes you, is actually quite great. In both body and spirit he embodies a noble, honest figure, which is a pretty impressive feat when you consider he’s surrounded by so much cartoonish action.

Some of the set pieces in this movie, cartoonish or not, pretty much define the term “AWESOME!” for better or worse.

– Abe Lincoln fighting a vampire in the center of a horse stampede? AWESOME.

– Vampires, fighting for the south, during the battle of Gettysburg? AWESOME.

– Abe Lincoln chopping a tree in half with one blow with the power of TRUTH? AWESOME!!!

***************SPOILERS OVER*******************

The movie isn’t that coherent and like I said it defy’s its internal logic, and never really explains the “vampire rules” of its universe, but I enjoyed it none the less for the nuggets of ridiculous that flowed throughout.

Oh, and DON’T SEE THE 3D…something was seriously flawed with the 3D print, it looked to be a victim of extreme DIGITAL NOISE REDUCTION, wide shots looked laughably horrible. I hope the 2D doesn’t follow suit.

It looked like the awful 2010 bluray of PREDATOR, but in 3D:

SEEKING A FRIEND FOR THE END OF THE WORLD spoiler free review

Earlier this year, when reviewing Cabin In The Woods, I spoke about my desire to reach into Joss Whedon’s nipple abyss, where he keeps his talent, and steal some for myself. This was basically cause I wish I had the idea for Cabin first, well I can say that I’m jealous I didn’t think of Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World first as well.

A light comedy that takes place during the last 3 weeks of the apocalypse , one that doesn’t whimp out in the end, it’s a good idea. Personally, I don’t know if I would consider it a great film, but it’s a very well acted, directed, and funny flick. The comedy isn’t coming from the leads here either, but from the various cameos by T.J Miller, Gillian Jacobs, Rob Corddry, Patton Oswalt, Rob Huebel, Adam Brody and William Peterson of all people. It’s a great cast, and Steve Carrell himself gives a very understated performance that is polar opposite to his Michael Scott.

Please don’t let “THE END OF THE WORLD” part in the title fool you, this isn’t a Michael Bay film, we don’t see much of the chaos and panic and destruction of the world in a storm of mania over it’s end, its only hinted at both visually, audibly, and through suggestion. In fact, that might be my biggest compliment to the film itself, they figured out just the perfect balance to keep the whole affair low budget but without feeling like they were skimping on showing us glimpses of the premise.

Writer/Director Lorene Scafaria doesn’t force armageddon down our throat, the movie knows we get what the apocalypse means, it pushes that aside and tells this small story of one lonely man.

Sadly, I foresee this film disappointing a wide variety of filmgoers expecting either the brash comedy of Carell’s other work, or as I said, a Michael Bay film. If you can except the movie for what it’s trying to be and not what the title would normally make our Hollywood glazed brains envision, it’s worth the price of a ticket.

Ok that’s all for now. I’m Bob Rose and thanks for your eyeball time!

June 25, 2012
Contest Round-Up: 2010-09-23

Welcome to our weekly round-up of featured giveaways here at FRED. Every week, we’ll present a new clutch of DVDs, books, and other cool stuff you can take a shot at winning. All you have to do is click on the graphics below to be taken to their respective contest pages. And good luck!

In conjunction with Chronicle Books, we’re giving away a copy of DAY & NIGHT signed by writer/artist Teddy Newton.

In conjunction with New Line Home Video & in celebration of the individual release of the Lord Of The Rings trilogy on Blu-Ray, we’re giving away a Lord Of The Rings Prize Pack

In conjunction with Fox Home Entertainment, we’re giving away three (3) copies of SIMPSONS: THE COMPLETE 13th SEASON on DVD.

In conjunction with Universal Home Video, we’re giving away five (5) copies of MacGRUBER on Blu-Ray.

In conjunction with Universal Home Video, we’re giving away five (5) copies of THE OFFICE: SEASON 6 on DVD.

In conjunction with Universal Home Video, we’re giving away five (5) copies of PARENTHOOD: SEASON 1 on DVD.

In conjunction with Paramount Home Video, we’re giving away three (3) copies of PETTY BLUE on DVD.

In conjunction with Cartoon Network Home Video, we’re giving away three (3) copies of BEN 10 ALIEN FORCE: VOLUME 8 on DVD.

In conjunction with Fox Home Video, we’re giving away two (2) copies of WALL STREET on DVD.

In conjunction with BBC Home Video, we’re giving away two (2) copies of CLATTERFORD: SEASON 3 on DVD.

In conjunction with BBC Home Video, we’re giving away two (2) copies of DOCTOR WHO: THE CREATURE FROM THE PIT on DVD.

In conjunction with BBC Home Video, we’re giving away two (2) copies of DOCTOR WHO: THE KING’S DEMONS on DVD.

In conjunction with BBC Home Video, we’re giving away two (2) copies of DOCTOR WHO: PLANET OF FIRE on DVD.

In conjunction with BBC Home Video, we’re giving away two (2) copies of LAST OF THE SUMMER WINE: VINTAGE 1985 on DVD.

In conjunction with BBC Home Video, we’re giving away two (2) copies of SKINS: VOLUME 3 on DVD.

In conjunction with BBC Home Video, we’re giving away two (2) copies of WONDERS OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM on DVD.

In conjunction with BBC Home Video, we’re giving away two (2) copies of LARK RISE TO CANDLEFORD: SEASON 3 on DVD.

In conjunction with BBC Home Video, we’re giving away two (2) copies of DALZIEL & PASCOE: SEASON 2 on DVD.

In conjunction with BBC Home Video, we’re giving away two (2) copies of JUDGE JOHN DEED: SEASON 2 on DVD.

In conjunction with BBC Home Video, we’re giving away two (2) copies of SHERLOCK HOLMES (1964-1965) on DVD.

In conjunction with BBC Home Video, we’re giving away two (2) copies of BEING HUMAN: SEASON 2 on DVD.

In conjunction with BBC Home Video, we’re giving away two (2) copies of PREHISTORIC PARK on DVD.

In conjunction with BBC Home Video, we’re giving away two (2) copies of TOP GEAR 13 on DVD.

In conjunction with Walt Disney Home Video, we’re giving away two (2) copies of CAMP ROCK 2: THE FINAL JAM on Blu-Ray/DVD.

In conjunction with Warner Bros. Home Video, we’re giving away three (3) copies of THE BIG BANG THEORY: SEASON 3 on DVD.

In conjunction with Walt Disney Home Video, we’re giving away two (2) copies of PRINCE OF PERSIA: SANDS OF TIME on Blu-Ray.

In conjunction with HBO Home Video, we’re giving away three (3) copies of BILL MAHER: BUT I’M NOT WRONG on DVD.

In conjunction with Adult Swim, we’re giving away three (3) copies of TIM & ERIC AWESOME SHOW GREAT JOB!: SEASON 4 on DVD.

In conjunction with Fox Home Video, we’re giving away three (3) copies of JUST WRIGHT on DVD.

In conjunction with History Channel Home Video, we’re giving away three (3) copies each of AMERICA: THE STORY OF US on both Blu-Ray & DVD.

September 23, 2010

Win an Autographed Copy of Disney/Pixar’s DAY & NIGHT!

In conjunction with Chronicle Books, we’re giving away a copy of DAY & NIGHT signed by writer/artist Teddy Newton.

Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, October 13th.

Official Rules

No member of FRED Entertainment or their immediate families may enter.

No Purchase necessary to win.

Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

One entry per day, per person.

All submitted entries must be received by 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, October 13th.

The winner must allow 4-6 weeks after notification of win to receive the product.

September 9, 2010

Toy Box: Wall-E Maquette

Pixar simply can do no wrong, at least not yet. Even when one of their films is less than Academy Award material (Cars), it still ends up producing one of the best selling toy lines for Mattel.

Most animated movies don’t produce successful toy lines though, especially not action figures. For action figures to be truly fun, there needs to be confilct, and the type of conflict normally seen in animated movies is situational, less evil bad guy.

This can make it tough for adult fans of such movies who are looking for collectibles or 3 dimensional representations of their favorite characters. Gentle Giant is now working with Pixar to produce a series of maquettes based on their films, and the first to be released – Wall-E – has hit the porch. These maquettes are the usual poly-resin type material, and run around $100 – $125, depending on where you pick them up. The production run numbers are pretty small considering, and they only produced 1000 of Wall-E. As a companion piece, you can also pick up Eve, and they are producing both Remy and Linguini from Ratatouille. No word yet on others in the series.

If you have any questions or comments, drop me an email at mwc@mwctoys.com. If you’re looking for more reviews like this, check out my site at Michael’s Review of the Week – Captain Toy.

Wall-E Maquette by Gentle Giant

Gentle Giant has been hit or miss the last couple years, and they’ve never been able to capture the magic that their Star Wars series of mini-busts had. Even that line has lost almost all it’s lustre, and you can still pick up their concept McQuarrie Boba Fett bust, an exclusive to the San Diego Comic Con, at their web store. But so far, things are looking good for these Pixar maquettes, and it’s a license that could pay dividends for quite some time.

Packaging – ***
Wall-E comes in a box, without any window to allow you to see the actual maquette. A window wouldn’t do you much good anyway, since he comes in two pieces – his head and his body – which you attach. The head attaches to the body by way of a metal post.

There’s also the usual cool baseball card style Certificate of Authenticity, a collectible these days in it’s own right.

Sculpting – ***1/2
Although this is an animated character, he doesn’t have the usual level of simplistic detail. Pixar made Wall-E a very real looking robot, and that means this maquette needs plenty of small detail. GG has done a nice job reproducing the beloved ‘bot, right down to the rivets. With a combination of sculpted textures (sometimes smooth) and paint, they’ve captured the look of metal in resin.

He’s in a rough period here, with lots of dings, dents and scuffs, many of them sculpted into the basic square body. While we saw him in varioius stages of damaged to clean throughout the movie, I think this is the most iconic look for him. The proportions are good, and at about 6 1/2″ without the base, he looks pretty good with other sixth scale figures.

Paint – ***1/2
The paint work almost gained that extra half star, but for one issue.

I love the damage and dirt, which has been applied liberally and realistically. The paint work has also added quite a bit of realism to the metallic look, improving the sculpt as any great paint job should. There’s lots of detail work, and while the dirt tends to blend some of the color pallette, there’s enough variation here to remain interesting.

The issue? Ah, that’s easy – the stickers. Wall-E’s name on the front of his body is a sticker, as is the energy gauge on his chest. At this price point, I was expecting a high quality tampo sort of print job, not an obvious sticker.

Design – ***
As I mentioned earlier, it’s somewhat unique that the statue of Wall-E does not attach to the included base. Of course, with those wide treads, there’s no chance he’d ever topple over. Even so, it’s generally accepted that a statue should attach to the base, so it was a bit of a revelation. It’s also a nice feature, in case you’d rather display him without the white disc.

And white disc is really all the base is. That and a nameplate. The nameplate isn’t of the character but the movie, but since they are one in the same in this case, it’s a moot point. I’m very disappointed with their design choice with the base. It’s supposed to look like the inside of the ship of course, but I would have much prefered something from Earth. Considering all the cool potential with the vast junk yard Wall-E spent most of his life in, this plain white base is quite a let down. Had they gone with an Earth design, we could have also gotten the cricket hiding in there!

The design of Wall-E himself is much better. They’ve gone with his pensive appearance, with his hands clasped in front and a wide expectant look in his eyes. It reminds me of when he was hoping to hold Eve’s hand, or early on when he was watching My Fair Lady, as is surely GG’s intention. The pose fits the character, reminds me of perhaps the best part of the film, and is dynamic enough to give him some visual pop.

Value – **
At a retail of $125, you’re paying a pretty hefty price for a 6″ statue. Because Wall-E is about as wide as he is tall, he is bigger than the usual 6″ statue, but breaking that $100 mark is still quite a stretch. The production run is so low, however, that it’s going to be tough to impossible to find a real deal.

Things to Watch out For –
The metal post that holds the head in place can easily damage the resin body, so take care inserting it or removing it. It’s a tight fit too, so you might want to turn it slightly as you work it in or out. But be careful!

Overall – ***1/2
The price point is high at some places, but if you’d ordered back before he shipped, you could find stores selling him for $100. Unfortunately, demand was greater than supply this time around, and finding one now is going to take some patience and dedication. In fact, the Remy maquette from Ratatouille is selling out fast as well, while the Linguine and Eve seem easy enough to get. Gentle Giant could easily have a winner on their hands here, as collectors who love the Pixar movies have had very few high end choices. If they can produce a Sully, Mike, Buzz, and Woody this nicely, they’d all move extremely well.

Where to Buy –
Options are a bit limited already, as these are selling quite well:

– Urban Collector is sold out of Wall-E, but they still have Eve for $100.

– Things From Another World is also sold out of Wall-E, but likewise have Eve still available for $100.

– Entertainment Earth is also out of Wall-E (are you seeing a pattern here?) but have Eve for $113.

– The UK collectors can pick up Eve (no Wall-E) for 80 GBP at Forbidden Planet.

– and there’s always ebay.

Related Links –
Wall-E has actually had a fair share of product produced so far:

– there’s the nifty iDance and Interactive Wall-E’s, as well as the U-Command Wall-E.

– in the action figure area, there’s the smaller figures, as well as the larger deluxe figures.

August 26, 2009
Opinion In A Haystack: UP Makes Children Cry

Hollywood hates children. Well, nowadays, for the most part. The past decade has seen a decline in the realm of family films so drastic it’s almost embarrassing to behold. A constant barrage of sub-par, placating, dreck that insults the intelligence of the child and the adult they will one day grow to be. Substance and craft are no longer the main concerns for children and families, simply be garish, be happy, and NEVER be realistic in tone (DEATH DOESN’T EXIST, ONLY iPods DO!!!) The youth of today have virtually nothing to grow up with and rediscover as surprisingly well-made entertainment, all they have is films equivalent to my generation’s Masters Of The Universe (great for nostalgia, not so great for adult criticism.) They need, and deserve, more fare like Beetlejuice, Return to Oz, Gremlins, or The Neverending Story (yes, I’m bias)… films where they grow up, re-watch and think “Holy hell! This was for kids?” They are feeding them messy piles of sugary air such as Alvin and the Chipmunks, Beverly Hills Chihuahua, or Night At The Museum (1 or 2, take your pick), which are so hackneyed and sloppy that the slightest hint of adolescent logic or understanding of story structure forces them to collapse under their own faulty welds and lashings. However, in a world of film that treats kids like permanently-imbecilic-spider-monkeys, there is still Pixar.

And Pixar has balls. SEXY. PLUMP. BALLS.

Not even going to bother jumping on the Pixar worship-wagon here. You know, as well as I do, about their reputation and their increasingly growing catalogue of well-crafted films that are arguably genre masterpieces (Wall-E, The Incredibles) or great against all odds (Cars: completely entertaining in spite of stilted-premise and Larry The Cable Guy.) Up continues this trend, possibly in the animation house’s greatest triumph of supremely original ideas and adult-story-telling-for-kids.

The film opens by following the life, from pre-adolescence to golden years, of Carl Fredricksen (voiced by the great Ed Asner.) He is an old man with an unfulfilled dream of adventuring in the South American wilderness and a home that is being strangled by industrial development. In short, he ties thousands upon thousands of balloons to his house and floats away, toward South America, on what is to be the last adventure of his life, one that he is forced to share with a young boy who inadvertently is on his porch during take off. Simple right? Odd right? Confusing right? Right, but it’s the approach that matters.

Amongst the fantastical elements in the film, the ones that can be seen in the trailer, like a house being floated by mere balloons, talking dogs, or elderly men being WAY too physically active for their own good, Up has a grounded heart and realism in place that metaphorically punches the adult-mind in the gut, and righteously, yet not viciously, sprays pepper-sauce in children’s faces (the kid next to me in the theater cried A LOT.) The movie deals with death, abandonment, and the loss of heroes at the fore front of its surface.

******************SPOILERS START HERE**************************

This blunt realism kicks right off, as the beginning of the film introduces us to the epitomes of pure cuteness and naivete that are young Carl and Ellie (his future wife.) They both seek adventure and have the same hero, Charles Muntz (voiced by the legendary Christopher Plummer), and we are treated to a montage of their life together. We witness their marriage, their home life, their romance, their laughter, and eventually, their inability to conceive children (yup,) and ultimately their parting. THAT’S RIGHT. Ellie dies. Not just dies, but dies in a montage around 20 minutes or so into the film… Pixar sets you up, and knocks you down… all to the loving tunes of a soothing and sad score. All that went through my mind was “Holy hell! This is for kids?” Which, trust me, is a huge compliment.

Pixar’s balls, by this point in the movie are already huge and pulsating, but they still get even bigger. The reason Carl even floats his home in the first place is because the government is taking it away and forcing him into a retirement-home due to him attacking a construction worker with his cane (drawing blood!) Through the course of the film we also see Carl discover that his (and Ellie’s) childhood hero is a deranged, psychopathic, MULTI-murderer and that the kid, Russell, has a deadbeat dad who basically wouldn’t care if he lives or dies… we even see dogs getting hurt and possibly killed (due to their own actions, its not Pixar’s Hostel.) Topping off the dark tones found here is a joke played on the audience that is so genius, cruel and hilarious that scriptwriter Bob Peterson must have been laughing since the day he put it on paper. I won’t spoil it for you. Heh.

******************END SPOILERS*******************

Up‘s realism, risks, and complimentary attitude toward the audience is not the only positive however. In no way am I trying to sell it on the merits of making children cry alone… ok, maybe a little. It is also quite successful on all other standard fronts, and it’s got plenty of well-executed laughs and a grand vibrant color scheme. The script is extremely original, not to mention the cast of characters which includes a huge bird, Dug the Dog, and his fellow army of talking K-9 brethren. Dug is the comedic stand out of the movie, as his dialogue perfectly plays out the awkward nature of how dogs would actually sound if they could miraculously speak English. All the main players in the movie get their own small, but useful, character-arcs… even the bird (oddly the only character not able to speak.)

The fantastical elements are handled in a way that doesn’t grate the logic. Unlike sloppy piles of confusion like the continuity, rules, or consistency of the magic tablet in Night At The Museum 2, the material here is given mystery and logic where it needs it, and glazes over where it doesn’t… which is why you wont be questioning how Muntz (Christopher Plummer) invented a collar that translates dog speak to English, or how those balloons wouldn’t remotely lift that house, let alone tear it from it’s foundation (I believe Mythbusters tested a similar idea, and it was only picking up the weight of a single child)

The triumph of the animation here is that Pixar does make art, but they don’t try to re-invent the wheel when the wheel is working just fine. The movie is absolutely beautiful, not as visually breath taking as Wall-E, but still it looks fantastic. The blocking of some of the scenes is incredible, the little house mushroom-topped with a cloud of balloons floating across a vast blue sky in an ultra-wide shot is iconic and slightly haunting, especially considering the “rainbow” visual of the balloons. Up, much like most of Pixar’s flicks, excels in its craft (from all angles, writing, direction, choreography) and not merely in the technology of the craft. The digital 3D print is especially gorgeous, and is highly recommended.

It’s not often that a bitter old grump like me sees a film and can’t find too much negative to say about it. If I had to really rack my brain, I guess I could say the only problem was that maybe the movie makes Carl too much of a physical action hero at times, considering his age, but it’s handled with such care in the narrative of the movie, so its not a big deal, and certainly not out-weighing the good. This is probably Pixar’s least marketable film yet, being so morbid an odd. The less broad they get, the better they get…which is kind of a mind boggler when concerning Pixar… how do they continue to get better? How? In this case most of the praise should be directed toward director Pete Doctor, who some how improved on his wonderful Monsters Inc. with this new offering.

Also, just to put things into perspective, this review was written by someone who doesn’t even honestly like computer-generated animation at all, and who has really never publicly “sucked off” Pixar. Up was just class-A entertainment, and perhaps an arguable masterpiece in the family film genre. It’s good to know that this generation has at least a few movies, like Up, to grow older with and re-watch and see the adult themes, the quality craftsmanship and exclaim “This was for kids?”

QUICK THOUGHTS AND RANDOM BITS

Star Trek: a few weeks later…

J.J. Abrams’s Star Trek was great fun. As a die hard Original-Cast-film fan, still have no debilitating complaints… except, upon further reflection… it was great, but it really just isn’t Star Trek. Long Live Shatner.

Annoyed at “revisiting” reviews

Something that grates on the nerves is when an old franchise is resurrected (Terminator) or announced to be resurrected (Ghostbusters) and we have to sit through a plethora of reviews, rants, and ravings by young-ins saying how the originals (T1, T2, Ghostbusters) are overrated in the first place. Just want to say: SHUT UP JUNIOR! Your ill-informed meandering is not making your CGI-raped re-imagining any less horrendous.

What’s in a name?

If you hate McG, director of Terminator Salvation, simply because of his name then your opinion is invalid. First, his real name is McGinty, “McG” is the nickname given to him by his family… it’s not a self-chosen moniker due to douchebaggery. Second, hate him because his movies are sub-par… even though to hear the guy talk it really seems like he is actually trying, just failing miserably.

Exterminators exterminate… so Terminators should… ?

If you are going to make Terminator 4, if you just can’t help but do it, and you have to make it a heaping pile of poorly constructed blandness… could you at least follow the one rule that even the hokey Terminator 3 didn’t break? If a Terminator, no matter what make or model, gets its hands on a human, don’t let the machine give a dramatic pause, don’t let the machine just “play around” with them, let them INSTANTLY kill. Terminator 1-3 never let the villains even touch the targets… why? Because they are terminators, they would terminate at all costs. Why couldn’t you at least follow this logic? Why sir?

It works in Reno, but not at the multiplex.

Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon, You were great writers on The State, and are hilarious writers on Reno 911!, so how come every time you make the leap to film its completely dreadful? Taxi (the Queen Latifah movie), Balls of Fury, The Pacifier, Let’s Go To Prison, Herbie Fully Loaded, Night at the Museum, Night at the Museum 2: Battle for the Smithsonian… Your film work reads like the listings for a multiplex in the deepest circles of hell… what is going on there guys?

There is always room for Jell-O… and more Bitterness!

Got into an argument with a young “film buff” who was saying that The Dark Knight and Iron Man are better films then The Outlaw Josey Wales, Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai, and Apocalypse Now. Is there any hope for the future?

May 27, 2009
Contest Round-Up: 2009-05-13

Welcome to our weekly round-up of featured giveaways here at Quick Stop. Every Wednesday, we’ll present a new clutch of DVDs, books, and other cool stuff you can take a shot at winning. All you have to do is click on the graphics below to be taken to their respective contest pages. And good luck!

In conjunction with Shout! Factory, we’re giving away five (5) copies of THE DANA CARVEY SHOW on DVD.

In conjunction with Shout! Factory, we’re giving away five (5) copies of MR. BELVEDERE: SEASONS 1 & 2 on DVD.

In conjunction with Shout! Factory, we’re giving away five (5) copies of SPIN CITY: SEASON 2 on DVD.

In conjunction with Walt Disney Home Video, we’re giving away five (5) copies of A BUG’S LIFE on Blu-Ray.

In conjunction with MGM Home Video, we’re giving away three (3) copies of VALKYRIE on DVD.

In conjunction with Warner Bros. Home Video, we’re giving away four (4) copies of THE BEST OF WHOSE LINE IS IT ANYWAY?: UNCENSORED on DVD.

In conjunction with Paramount Home Video, we’re giving away five (5) copies of EL DORADO on DVD.

In conjunction with Paramount Home Video, we’re giving away five (5) copies of THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALENCE on DVD.

In conjunction with Paramount Home Video, we’re giving away one (1) copy of PENN & TELLER: BULLSHIT SEASON 6 on DVD.

May 12, 2009
Weekend Shopping Guide 5/16/08: Spaced Out Panda Fu

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 Quick Stop Weekend Shopping Guide – your spotlight on the things you didn’t even know you wanted…

First and foremost, take a moment to celebrate the glorious demise of the ill-conceived American version of Spaced with the news that this July brings the release with the original Britcom that put Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Jessica Hynes, and Edgar Wright on the geek map. Loaded with bonus features from not only the UK release, but also exclusive to the US edition, this is a must-have set. Keep an eye out at your favorite online retailer or DVD emporium.

By the third season of Saturday Night Live (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$69.98 SRP), all of the classic cast was in place and running on all cylinders. The writers and performers knew exactly what the show was capable of doing, and the audience was right there with them. The clunker sketches were just as much a part of the “golden age” as they are today, but the successes have become institutions. Bonus materials this go round include the short film “Things We Did Last Summer” and a wardrobe test with John Belushi and Howard Shore.

For years now, I’ve been reiterating that you should buy, post-haste, the comedic sci-fi novels of Simpsons writer John Swartzwelder. Every one so far has been a gem, and he’s managed to keep the plate spinning with his latest tale of slow-witted detective Frank Burly, Dead Men Scare Me Stupid (Kennydale Books, $15.95). If you still miss Douglas Adams, get this book. And the rest of them. Get them now, in fact. I’ll wait here for you… And then, together, we’ll eagerly await the next installment.

With a new Indy flick in the offing, it was a foregone conclusion that we’d see some form of re-release on the original trilogy – and so we have with the Indiana Jones Adventure Collection (Paramount, Rated PG, $59.98 SRP). All three films sport the exact same prints prepared for the special editions a few years back. What’s unfortunate, though, is that despite a clutch of brand new featurettes and introductions, they somehow decided to remove the bonus fourth disc from the original set, which contained the in-depth documentaries and vintage featurettes. What the hell? I guess we’ll be seeing the proper special edition set at Christmastime, along with Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull.

Cinema geeks rejoice! Universal has seen fit to collect 10 of their catalogue’s most genre-tastic titles into one box set – The Classic Sci-Fi Ultimate Collection: Volumes 1 & 2 (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP). The flicks features in the set are Tarantula, The Mole People, The Incredible Shrinking Man, The Monolith Monsters, Monster On The Campus, Dr. Cyclops, Cult Of The Cobra, The Land Unknown, The Deadly Mantis, and The Leech Woman.

As much as I liked the “official” history found in the deluxe tome To Infinity And Beyond, it’s nice to have a complementary, unauthorized book about the early days and rise of Pixar to balance out the picture, and David Price’s The Pixar Touch (Knopf, $27.95 SRP) fills that desire perfectly.

The movie’s not yet in theaters, but everything I’ve seen of Kung Fu Panda has made me keen to do so. It’s taken awhile for rival studios that the way to fight Pixar is not to make knock-off Pixar flicks, but to realize the same thing that Warners did in their heyday – leave the heart to Disney and focus on the comedy instead. If you want to whet your appetite for this flick, look no further than The Art Of Kung Fu Panda (Insight Editions, $45.00 SRP), a lavish behind-the-scenes look packed with artwork and interviews, and featuring a preface from star Jack Black. My only regret, after seeing all of the beautiful, stylish 2-D design work, is that this is a CG film rather tan traditional animation.

I wasn’t alive to experience firsthand growing up in the 50’s, but I’m certainly aware of the shows and celebrities that made up the pop culture diet of that generation. If you’re as interested as I am in that period, you’ve got to get yourself a copy of Hiya, Kids!! A 50’s Saturday Morning (Shout! Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$34.99 SRP). The 4-disc set is packed to the brim with episodes from the shows that shaped early kiddie TV – Howdy Doody, Kukla, Fran And Ollie, Lassie, The Paul Winchell Show, Winky Dink And You (one of my mother’s favorites), Juvenile Jury, Time For Beany, Sky King, The Pinky Lee Show, Flash Gordon, and more. Get this.

It’s been 10 years since the passing of the Chairman of the Board, and Warners has seen fit to celebrate his passing with a quartet of box sets celebrating Frank Sinatra’s cinematic legacy – The Early Years, The Golden Years, The Frank Sinatra & Gene Kelly Collection, and The Rat Pack Ultimate Collector’s Edition (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP each). Frank Sinatra: The Early Years features Double Dynamite, Higher and Higher, Step Lively, It Happened in Brooklyn, and The Kissing Bandit. Frank Sinatra: The Golden Years features The Man with the Golden Arm, None But The Brave, Some Came Running, The Tender Trap, and Marriage on the Rocks. The Frank Sinatra & Gene Kelly Collection features On the Town, Take Me Out To The Ballgame and Anchors Aweigh. Finally, The Rat Pack Ultimate Collector’s Edition sports Robin and the Seven Hoods, Ocean’s Eleven, 4 For Texas, and Sergeants 3. All of the sets contain a boat load of special features, including featurettes, trailers, documentaries, and more.

Everyone’s favorite sleuthing antiquities dealer returns in the complete third season of Lovejoy (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$69.98 SRP), starring Ian McShane as the titular gumshoe. The 4-disc set features all 13 episodes, plus the third part of McShane’s retrospective interview, as well as Alan Titchmarsh interviewing McShane.

It’s not like I would have paid to see it in the theater, but Mad Money (Anchor Bay, Rated PG-13, DVD-$29.97 SRP) is an amiable little heist flick, about a trio of women (Diane Keaton, Katie Holmes, and Queen Latifah) who decide to steal a boat load of money earmarked for disposal at the Federal Reserve. Would you believe that things get complicated? Bonus features include an audio commentary, a behind-the-scenes featurette, and the theatrical trailer.

The fourth season of Mission: Impossible (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP) finds Leonard Nimoy joining the show as master magician Paris, joining Jim Phelps (Peter Graves), Barney Collier (Greg Morris), and Willy Armitage (Peter Lupus) on fantastical missions full of hi-tech gadgetry. The 7-disc set features all 26 episodes, but still no bonus materials.

Just when my nephews have nearly burned out the previous release, along comes The Backyardigans: High Flying Adventures! (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$16.99 SRP) to appease their insatiable appetite. The disc features a quartet of episodes, plus a pair of music videos.

One of my nephews is fast approaching the one-year mark, and getting him to sleep is quite a feat with all that teething going on. We’ve found that a big help in the seemingly never-ending battle is Nickelodeon’s Sleepytime Stories (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$16.99 SRP). As the title suggests, it’s a collection of cartoons geared towards getting your little one to sleep. Also available is a companion CD, Sleepytime Lullabies (Nick Records, $ SRP).

The off-color puppets are back with The Passion Of Greg The Bunny: Best Of The Film Parodies Volume 2 (Shout! Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP) – jam-packed with a slew of new star-studded interplay and cinema take-offs. Bonus materials include deleted scenes & outtakes, behind-the-scenes featurettes, the reunion special, audio commentary, a gag reel, webisodes, and more.

Have you ever picked up a book and thought “This is an idea that was a long-time coming…”? I thought that very thing when I thumbed through Band ID: The Ultimate Book Of Band Logos (Chronicle Books, $40.00 SRP). Within its sturdy cover, there lurks 1,000 of the most iconic band logo designs ever to grace drum kits, album covers, and t-shirts – everything from The Beatles to Snoop Dogg. Pick it up and see if you don’t get hooked – and wonder why Black Sabbath needed so many damn logos.

You’ll weep, you’ll awww, you’ll get plenty of points from your significant other if you pick her up a copy of the new Bridges Of Madison County (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, DVD-$19.98 SRP), featuring an audio commentary, a making-of featurette, a music video, and the theatrical trailer.

Like According To Jim, Two And A Half Men (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$44.98 SRP) is certainly not appointment viewing, but if it’s all that’s one, it certainly isn’t painful to watch. It just sort of exists in a marginal comedic limbo… And that’s fine with me. Every generation needs its Coach and Wings. The 4-disc set features all 24 episodes, plus a gag reel.

Surprisingly enough, Sean Combs acquitted himself quite well in last year’s TV adaptation of A Raisin In The Sun (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$24.94 SRP). See for yourself with the special edition DVD, containing an audio commentary and a behind-the-scenes featurette.

One of those programs that will always grab my attention if insomnia or boredom has me scanning channels at 4 in the morning is anything with forensic examiner Dr. Michael Baden. An all-new edition of Autopsy: Postmortem with Dr. Michael Baden (HBO, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP) is now available on DVD, packed with more stories of forensic detective work that put C.S.I. to shame.

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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May 16, 2008

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