New Avatar Figures!

November 20, 2009

James Cameron has all but promised that the upcoming sci-fi fantasy, AVATAR, will change the face of cinema as we know it. Though he has offered very few clues about the film itself or the story it tells, his words have made many a critic doubt him and many a fan drool at the prospect of a revolutionary tale from the Terminator creator. Personally, I’m a little on the fence about it as the hype has reached such incredible heights that almost no film could ever hope to live up to it in the eyes of the future watchers. But we’ll see, right?

The film stars Sam Worthington (Terminator Salvation, Clash of the Titans), Zoe Saldana (Star Trek, Vantage Point), Michelle Rodriguez (LOST, Resident Evil), Sigourney Weaver (Alien, Galaxy Quest) and a cast of other top-tier talent.

Before the opening in December 18th, you can already grab some action figures from the film, including a number of strange and wonderful creatures alongside the more mundane humans. Those avoiding spoilers will likely be very confused by some of the items included in Mattel’s toy collection, but it’ll all become clear soon and, until then, just enjoy some very cool-looking items.


Two pieces of Hobbit News

November 20, 2009

The One Ring (theonering.net) is a little concerned that Hellboy director Guillermo Del Toro could go kid-oriented when he directs the upcoming Hobbit movies. Personally, I don’t think anyone who’s seen The Devil’s Backbone, Pan’s Labyrinth or even Hellboy 1 or 2 would think Del Toro the type to go that way, so it’s clear TheOneRing is playing this one tongue-in-cheek, but the list it’s come up with is awesome. You can read the whole thing here, but here’s an excerpt…

3. Keep Leonard Nimoy Away From the Soundtrack!
Yes, Nimoy’s version of “Bilbo Baggins” is the greatest music video in history (except perhaps for the DaVinyls “I Touch Myself”). But it’s also exactly the wrong note for the new Hobbit movie.

 

This is exactly the light-hearted silliness that makes The Hobbit fun to read as a child, but hard to sit through in a feature-length film. Unless Nimoy plays Gandalf. No offense to Ian McKellen, but that would be awesome.

 

Naturally, they include this video as a chilling reminder…

And in other Hobbit news, remember those bones that were found a couple years back? Small and humanoid, they were dubbed ‘hobbits’ and had even archaeologists and their ilk scratching their heads. Well, a little bit of the mystery has been solved: They weren’t humans at all! The Mirror explains…

Hobbit-like creatures who lived 18,000 years ago were a lot less like us than we thought, say scientists.

Researchers have decided the 3ft 6ins tall tribe from the Indonesian island of Flores are an unknown sub-species of modern man. Their remains caused a sensation when unveiled five years ago and they were dubbed Hobbits after the elf-like creatures in JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings.

Some researchers argued they were modern humans with a disorder called microcephaly accounting for their tiny brains.

But analysis of the most complete skeleton, of a female called Flo, suggests she was a different branch of human. Anthropologist Dr Karen Baab said: “Dwarfing syndromes and microcephaly bear no resemblance to the unique anatomy of Homo Floresiensis.”

It is thought the little folk were wiped out 12,000 years ago by a volcano.

And that’s all, it seems, for real-life Hobbit news and the fantasy Hobbit-news we’ll of course be keeping up on–especially when WETA starts sending out the merch! ‘Til then, we do have a wide selection of Lord of the Rings figures and collectibles still available, which of course feature a couple Hobbit/LOTR crossover characters. Look out for ‘em.


New Moon: The Reviews are in! Plus, Figures!

November 20, 2009

We’ve got all four of the New Moon figures in-stock and available for sale. Check out Edward Cullen, Jacob Black, Bella and Alice over in our Twilight and New Moon section. The figures stand about 6 inches tall and feature some great sculpting that makes them very loyal to the iconic looks of their film counterparts. They’re made by NECA, so don’t expect much in the way of articulation, but the scultping and design will more than make up for what it lacks in movement. These will look great on the shelf of anyone who loves the books or the films.

But if you’re a true Twi-hard, you probably already had those on pre-order and have seen the film at least once. But for everybody else, MTV.com brings us the lastest from fans and critics who have now reentered the world of Twilight for the second installment, New Moon.

It’s Friday morning, and the opening midnight screenings of “New Moon” have come and gone. But it’s not just devoted vampire lovers and werewolf fiends who got early looks at the film. Premieres and screenings have taken place across the country, and loads of folks have already been able to see this sequel to Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight” vampire series.

Now, let’s be honest, if you’re a committed Twilighter, you surely already plunked down some cash for an opening weekend trip to the cinema and are counting the minutes until showtime. Or maybe you’re sitting on the “Twilight” fence, unsure if all the breathless enthusiasm for Edward and Bella can possibly live up to the hype. Well, the “New Moon” reviews have flooded in to help you decide. Agree or disagree, here are what the critics are saying about the film.

Perhaps the most notable difference between “Twilight” and “New Moon” — aside from Taylor Lautner’s new muscles — is the look and style of the film after a new director came on board the franchise. “Director Chris Weitz (‘The Golden Compass’) has crafted a film with visual flair and polish, particularly in the action sequences of werewolves vs. vampires,” writes USA Today’s Claudia Puig. “Fortunately, he is more sparing with the tight close-ups and swirling shots that typified ‘Twilight’ director Catherine Hardwicke’s dizzying style.”

And then, of course, there are the film’s three leads. Not all critics were taken with their performances, but many gave them props. “Kristen Stewart is a little twitchy (‘Can’t she get through one scene without playing with her hair?’ a friend of mine sniped afterward) but her antics and moody moping are perfectly appropriate to the troubled-teen character,” declares Stephen Whitty of the New Jersey Star-Ledger. “As for her co-stars — well, they do exactly what they need to do, which is embody two separate kinds of wish-fulfillments for the fans. A newly buff Taylor Lautner is hunky, often shirtless — and very much the Bad Boy (complete with motorcycle and delinquent friends) every girl is warned about. And Robert Pattinson — all tousled locks and malnourished torso — has all the troubled anguish of the Sensitive Soul No One Understands.”

Our own Kurt Loder was thrilled to see Lautner take over from Pattinson for the large part of the movie. “Last year’s sensitive hunk, with his pasty face and glum, mopey demeanor, is no match for this year’s actual hunk; and Jacob — vibrant, funny, and madly muscular — romps off with the picture,” he says.

The supporting cast come in for especially high praise. “Michael Sheen takes a break from playing historical figures like David Frost and Tony Blair and gets to overact shamelessly as Aro, the head of the vampire council known as the Volturi,” says the Boston Globe’s Ty Burr. “Better yet, there’s Dakota Fanning, God bless her, showing Stewart how it’s done in one nifty scene as a vampirette with sadistic mental powers and old-school movie presence. Anna Kendrick also walks away with her one scene as Bella’s tart high school pal, Jessica.”

While many critics acknowledge how the film serves its base, they argue that “New Moon” won’t hit home for those less familiar with franchise mythology. “[E]xpect this film to satisfy its fans,” explains Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle. “Everybody else, get ready for a bizarre soap opera/pageant, consisting of a succession of static scenes with characters loping into the frame to announce exactly what they’re thinking. Then they spell out their personalities for us. Here is an emotionally tortured vampire. Here is a perky, friendly vampire. And don’t forget the vampire who is a dedicated physician.”

So while not every critic may get the “Twilight” phenomenon, fans undoubtedly will. ” ‘New Moon’ is not all love and hisses,” says the Toronto Star’s Peter Howell. “Although tangled romance is more the emphasis this time out — ‘Romeo and Juliet’ allusions are driven home like a stake through the heart — there are action set pieces designed to thrill genre movie lovers. They’ll likely scare the daylights out of everyone else.”


Top 10 Internet Moments of the Decade

November 19, 2009

The birth of Wikipedia, the death of Napster, the iPhone, Facebook and Twitter have been named by the Webby Awards as among the top 10 Internet moments of the decade.

Other events singled out by New York’s International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, which bestows the annual Webby Awards, were Iran’s election protests, Craigslist’s expansion and the launch of Google AdWords.

The recurring theme among all of the milestones on the list is the Internet’s capacity to circumvent old systems and put more power into the hands of ordinary people.

The Webby Awards list of the 10 most influential Internet moments of the decade:

* Craigslist online classified site expands outside San Francisco (2000)

* The launch of Google AdWords (2000)

* The launch of online encyclopedia Wikipedia (2001)

* The shutdown of file-sharing site Napster (2001)

* Google’s initial public offering (2004)

* The online video revolution led by YouTube (2006)

* Facebook opens to non-college students and Twitter launches (2006)

* Apple’s iPhone debuts (2007)

* The use of the Internet in the US presidential campaign (2008)

* The use of Twitter during the Iranian election protests (2009)

Have anything to add?  Go ahead and comment….


Sexiest Man Alive: JOHNNY DEPP

November 18, 2009

On Monday, a terrifying post was made on the amazing celebrity gossip blog, OhNoTheyDidn’t!. Linking back to a relatively unknown blog, it claimed that the cover for People’s annual “Sexiest Man Alive” had been leaked and it had gone to none other than Twilight’s Robert Pattinson.

Terror and rage ensued as literally thousands of comments came in to protest the choice. It was sheer madness and anger expressed through animated gifs.

But more astute members soon realized that it was all for naught. The cover showed some very poor design choices and a blurred font that the folks at People were probably a little too practiced to use without fear of losing their jobs in the graphics department. It didn’t take long for everyone to then see that the leaked cover was nothing but a slap-dash photoshop made either by a nutty fan or someone who knew exactly what kind of reaction a Twilight cover would get!

It almost makes you feel bad for the real cover boy, Johnny Depp, whose win (his 2nd) was met with fewer cheers than relieved sighs. Anyone but RPattz!


Titans Will Clash: The Clash of the Titans Trailer!

November 13, 2009

The Clash of the Titans remake is still a long way off–it’ll be released in March 2010 and while I’ve no doubt it’ll pull some huge numbers, it remains to be seen whether it will live up to the 1981 classic.

The remake stars Sam Worthington, last seeing in Terminator: Salvation alongside Christian Bale. He takes on the role of the Pegasus-riding hero Perseus, who finds himself in the middle of warring gods–and brothers–Zeus and Hades, played by Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes respectively. Leading lady Gemma Arterton portrays Andromeda in what will be her first of two epics of 2010, the other being the video game based Prince of Persia with Jake Gyllenhaal.

Little is being said about the intricacies of the Titans plot, but I think that the tagline, ‘Titans Will Clash’ provides an admittedly simplistic but probably pretty decent summation of what we can expect.

And so, set to the Used’s Bird and the Worm, check out this trailer!


Spirit Tracks: Nintendo Makes it Official!

November 9, 2009

If you checked out this post this past summer, then you’ve already seen the trailer for the upcoming Legend of Zelda game for the Nintendo DS. Entitled ‘Spirit Tracks’, its development and release were very hush-hush. But fortunately, Nintendo has thrown away the veil and given out some more details on the hotly-anticipated adventure!

In my humble opinion, the most interesting new piece of information is definitely the player’s ability to control the eponymous Princess Zelda, who is transformed into a Spirit and can use her new powers to control some of the villains Link faces. It’s a very cool addition to the plot and should add a new twist to the franchise.

You can watch an updated trailer here to see what ’s being brought to the newly revised land of Hyrule.

And if you’re really itching for the new game, we might be able to tide you over with a pretty decent selection of figures and toys from The Legend of Zelda section of CmdStore.com.

And for those just looking to get their hands on some of the previous LoZ adventures or pre-order the new one, Amazon.com’s got what you need.
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass


Dr. Horrible Fan-made Prequel!

November 6, 2009

Fan fiction has been around almost as long as there’s been fiction at all. People who don’t necessarily have their own original characters or settings try to build their own stories with someone else’s properties. Most of the time, fans are stuck with self-insert stories that simply play into the desires of the writer or maybe just empty, boring tales where the characters are so far from their canonical personalities that you wonder why the author didn’t just create their own. But every so often, you end up with some real gems that don’t just rip off the canon, but take it and make something wildly different, fun and truly respectful of the original. That’s the case with Horrible Turn, a Dr. Horrible prequel made by some die-hard fans and scheduled to be released November 10th, 2009.

Not only was it clearly made with love for the source material, but was endorsed and called ‘cool’ over on Dr Horrible’s OFFICIAL Twitter With that kind of press, it can’t fail! For excited viewers, Horrible Turn is an hour-long musical that, along with that Horrible interruption at this year’s Emmys, might help tide fans over until the promised Dr. Horrible sequel finally comes to fruition. And how’s that going, anyway?

The answer is in an article recently posted over at TV Over Mind, where Nathan Fillion (Captain Hammer) was quoted as saying:

“There are plans. The media for the sequel has not yet been decided, but there is a title.” Naturally Fillion wasn’t about to reveal that title, but he did also confirm that along with the writing of the script, at least a song or two had also been written.

“Joss, I was talking to him right before we won the Emmy,” said Fillion. “He said that he’s finished writing a song or two. He told me a couple of verses to the song.”

There’s still no date set for the production of the sequel, but I personally can’t wait to see it. I’ve still got the original and its soundtrack on my iPod and still loving it.

For those who haven’t joined the club, head over to Amazon.com to grab your copy of Dr. Horrible.

Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog DVD
Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog Soundtrack
Dr. Horrible 2010 Wall Calendar


Wii Sports Resort: $7 million sold!

November 2, 2009

The original Wii Sports was a free game that came with the Wii. It was was easy and concise and gave new players a chance to really get into the controls before they started up with Link or Samus in one of their bigger, badder games. But the surprise was how much fun it was. It might have been simple, but it was well-crafted and new enough that it merited a sequel.

When I first heard about Wii Sports Resort, I honestly didn’t see the point: giving a free, low-budget game a sequel with a real release? And doing so in a sea of licensed games or huge franchises carted out by Sony and Microsoft? Apparently, I was wrong to doubt. As you can read in this article from Cubed, sales of the game have been stellar.


Despite lower sales for Wii hardware, the follow-up to Wii Sports (which itself has now slipped past 50 million) has now sold 6.97 million copies worldwide, giving a fairly solid install base for MotionPlus-enabled owners.

Fellow software in the Wii range has also performed exceptionally well, with Wii Fit selling 22.5 million with the balance board, the expansion, Wii Fit Plus creeping past the 2 million mark and Mario Kart still hogging the charts at 18.4 million. The mini-game compilation bundled with Wii Remote, Wii Play knocked up 24.4 million.

Nintendo has also performed continually well with DS software, the classic 2D revival, New! Super Mario Bros selling 19.94 million copies, Mario Kart DS 16.1 million and Professor Layton and [the Diabolical] Box is at 1.26 million. The much desired Pokémon Gold and Silver remakes, Heart and Soul, together shipped 2.27 million, with Platinum topping 6.39 million.

And if you’re looking to get your hands on Wii Sports Resort or some of the other games mentioned above, check out Amazon.com!

Limited-Edition Wii Sports Resort Bundle with Two Wii MotionPlus
Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box
Mario Kart DS


Mario Collectibles and a Brand New Game!

October 28, 2009

One of the biggest and best video game franchises belongs to Nintendo’s adventurous Italian plumber, Super Mario. Though the hyper-realism and violence of modern games is as far as you can get from Mario, he continues to be at the center of dozens of hugely popular games. Which makes it surprising that there has been remarkably little real Mario merchandise until recent years. But now that it’s arrived, CmdStore’s got a ton of it right here. Plush toys, Mario Kart vehicles, Gashapon mini toys, keychains, the whole nine yards. Definitely something Mario fans will want to check out.

And something else for fans is the upcoming Super Mario Wii. Check out the trailer and this blurb about its difficulty level from Co-Optimus.com

 

After complaints that the previous 2D Mario Bros. title on the Wii was embarrassingly easy, series creator Shigeru Miyamoto kicked New Super Mario Bros. Wii up a notch or 3. Instead of the cake walk we had in 2D before, expect a solid challenge with New Super Mario Bros. Wii, even in co-op – maybe the Demo Play feature will come in handy after all.

When asked about the game, Shigeru Miyamoto simply said it’s “pretty difficult” and we now know that New Super Mario Bros. Wii celebrates the hardcore fans that grew up with Mario. You and your co-op buddies will need to use all of the “Super Skills” in your arsenal, as well as avoid jumping on each others heads too often, to win this one.