Showing posts with label Movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Movies. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Kung Fu Fortunes

I don't know much about the Kung Fu Panda franchise.  While I've heard the original was enjoyable, the only thing I've actually seen was a very charming Christmas special.  I was aware that a third movie was in theaters but I was still very surprised when I went to my local Chinese restaurant and wound up with Kung Fu Panda fortune cookies.


Such simple marketing and it was done perfectly.  A takeout order of shrimp fried rice is certainly a more appropriate tie-in than a cheese burger at one of the big chains.  It works because of how big a surprise it was too.  How often do you see anything different on takeout packaging.  Honestly it made me laugh.  In fact I said to my co-worker that I hoped my fortune would be something like blatant like, "Go see Kung Fu Panda 3, in theaters now!".  I didn't really expect that actual fortune to be movie related though.


Turns out it totally was!  Really there is only so much more I can write about a fortune cookie.  I thought the whole thing was a cute, unexpected promotion.

Thursday, January 14, 2016

RIP Alan Rickman

It's being reported that the actor Alan Rickman has passed away at the age of 69.  He'll forever be Snape to generations of Potter fans.  To people like me, he'll always be Hans Gruber.  His IMDB is just a list of wonderful roles; Dogma, Michael Collins, etc...  Hell he was even the only thing anyone really remembers from Robin Hood Prince of Thieves.


It's being reported that he lost a short battle with Cancer.  Fuck Cancer.

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Star Wars Hype

Star Wars is a huge topic of discussion lately.  Disney’s D23 convention has really sparked conversation with the news of a Star Wars Land in their parks and an army of new Star Wars products.  The Force Awakens is showing up everywhere.  We’ll be talking about what this means for Fantasy Flight’s X-Wing game tomorrow, but that isn’t the only place that is getting a big shakeup.  This week end also showed the first two Disney Infinity Figures for the Force Awakens playset. 


The thing I find the most interesting is how quickly people have come to re-embrace Star Wars.  There will always be and have always been that people that love the franchise, but the prequels did a lot of damage.  The hype around these new trailers matches the buzz that was going around during the Phantom Menace.  People are excited about Star Wars again and that’s a pretty wonderful thing.  I can still remember taking the day off to see Phantom Menace.  I was stationed in a small enough city that I didn’t have to camp out or anything, but I did arrive to the theater like two hours early.  Everyone was so excited in the theater when that opening crawl came up. 


I suppose time heals all wounds.  I like to think that the Clone Wars and Rebel cartoons helped.  Including the original cast makes it feel like the new films will be good.  I mean it’s not like Harrison Ford would sign up for a bad movie in a beloved franchise….  In addition to that, there is a generation who grew up with the prequels as their first Star Wars movies.  I’ve met people who count those as their favorites.  That seems crazy to me but I suppose like with James Bond, the first one you see is probably going to make the biggest impact on you.  And to be honest, while there is a lot I don't like; there is something about each of the prequels that I enjoy.  


I won’t lie, I’m hyped about Star Wars.  The first time I saw the X-Wings skimming over the ground in the trailer I knew they had my ticket money.  When I saw that the droid BB was an actual physical creation and not just some cgi thrown into a scene I fell in love.  Then I saw a spoiler picture of an X-Wing that wasn’t in the trailer.  That picture cemented it for me; I need to see that thing in action.  I don’t want to post spoilers here, but damn that thing is so pretty.  I want to lick it and claim it as my own.  Anyway, there will be a lot of Star Wars talk coming up in the upcoming months and I’m really looking forward to it.

Today’s images were provided by Carlos Cabaleiro and are all currently available up on the ebay’s.  Check them all out by clicking HERE.

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Glove and Boots: Ten Alternate Ghostbusters

Glove and Boots is one of my favorite YouTube channels.  That says a lot considering I'm usually happier watching YouTube than I am watching actual television.  I could seriously update the blog here every time they upload a new video.  The most recent video is really in our wheelhouse though, because it is talking Ghostbusters.  Really it's talking about the fact that there are two new Ghostbuster movies being made; one with an all male cast and one with an all female cast.


Personally I think they should just re-release the original in theaters and call it a day.  I might own it on BluRay but I'd happily go see it in a theater again.  I'd also accept a passing of the torch movie with a mixed cast.  Why do they have to be all men or all women?  That part seems really strange to me.  Anyway check out Glove and Boots' ideas for alternate Ghostbuster movies.

Monday, July 27, 2015

WWE 2K16 -Terminator Pre-Order Reward

WWE 2K16 just announced a new pre-order reward today and the commercial for it is amazing.  I can't remember the last time a non-wrestler was included in a WWE video game.  With the create a wrestler feature the game's servers are full of unofficial characters based on comic books, television shows, and movies.  Adding the Terminator is pretty cool.  Arnold is a part of the WWE Hall of Fame and the last Terminator was featured pretty prominently at the last Wrestlemania.  It looked absolutely ridiculous, but it was featured.


That video isn't enough to make me pre-order though.  WWE 2K15 cut a lot of create a wrestler features and there hasn't been any indication that those cut items are returning this year.  I have to wait and see before they get any of my money again which is disappointing because I'd really like to have a good wrestling game on my X-Box One.

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Dark Dungeons: The Movie

It’s time for a history lesson!  I started playing Dungeons and Dragons in the 80s.  I wasn’t even in my teens when I started so I had to have my parents take me to game stores.  I was lucky too; there were a few really good ones around us at that time.  So my parents were aware of what I was doing with all the dice, notebooks, and miniatures.  It was also around that time I first saw all of the religious warnings about how dangerous Dungeons and Dragons was.  The most famous of these is the mini comic from Jack Chick called Dark Dungeons.


That comic was released way back in 1984.  Now it is becoming a licensed movie.  Sure it’s a low budget movie that is premiering at GenCon but it is still official.   The movie started with JR Ralls winning 1,000 in the Oregon lottery.  After that he wrote to Jack Chick and somehow was given the rights to make this movie.  Finally Ralls took the idea to Kickstarter to round out his funding. 

The movie can be preordered at darkdungeonsthemovie.com.  This is really a must own for anyone who has spent time around a table throwing funny dice and pretending to be fantasy warriors.  The movie is going to be a faithful adaption of Chick’s original comic; which means it is going to be so over the top insane that I can’t wait to see it. 

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

What We Do in the Shadows

What We Do in the Shadows is a mockumentary about three vampires living in a flat together in New Zealand.  The movie is loosely based on a short film that Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi made in 2005.  The duo have co-written, co-directed, and co-star in the 85 minute full length version.  The trailer below explains the premise far better than I can.

The movie already looked amazing and then Rhys Darby showed up.  I can’t wait.

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Metal Beard's Rules of the Sea

So lets say you've seen the Lego movie, fallen in love with Metal Beard, and want to follow his Rules of the Sea.  The problem with that is the movie only showed you one of those rules, "Never place your rear end on a pirate's face."  What are the other Rules of the Sea?  Thankfull the Lego Movie Facebook page posted all of Metal Beard's Rules of the Sea.  This is probably to get people excited for an upcoming BluRay release but they're too much fun not to share.






Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Warriors Autographs

Yesterday I spent some time talking about one of my favorite movies, The Warriors.  I also showed off my collection of Warriors figures.  That battle scene is happening safely on the bottom shelf in a Detolf cabinet for everyone to see.  Some of the other Warriors items in my collection are waiting for me to figure out a place for them.  The item I’m showing off today is one of those things. 

 
 
A few years ago the FX convention in Orlando had a mini-Warriors reunion.  I wasn’t planning on getting four autographs that day; I was there for Deborah Van Valkenburgh and David Harris.  When I arrived at the convention I discovered how hard that would be.  All four actors were sitting at two tables pushed together.  It wasn’t exactly a busy table either; I had plenty of time to talk with everyone.  So my photo and two autographs turned into a photo and four autographs.  In hindsight I’m very happy it happened that way.  All of the actors were extremely kind to me and I got to spend quite a bit of time talking to them. 

I haven’t framed the photo yet.  While I have Mercy, Cochise, Snow, and Vermin’s autographs I’m still hoping that I’ll run into Michael Beck (Swan) and Tom McKitterick (Cowboy) at a convention somewhere.  Sadly Marcelino Sanchez (Rembrandt) passed away in 1986.  James Remar isn’t even in this picture, but he’s done so many other things I figured I’d never end up being able to get his autograph anyway. 

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

The Warriors versus the Furies

I was lucky enough to see one of my favorite movies on the big screen at the end of August.   I was alive during 1979 but considering I was three I don’t think I had many chances to get to the theater and check out movies about gang violence.  I know I fell in love with by watching it on HBO as a kid.  Over the years I’ve picked up a few different pieces of Warriors related memorabilia that I wanted to share.

 
First up are the Mezco Warriors figures.  Mezco released two different lines of figures.  The first set were 10 inch figures that looked a little cartoonish.  Each figure came in a dirty and clean variant.  The figures available were Cleon, Swan, Cochise, Ajax, Luther, and the Baseball Furies.  There were multiple versions of the Furies, mostly just changing their facepaint.  I regret not picking up the Cochise at the time, but I didn’t mind skipping Cleon and Luther.  What I really wanted was a Snow and Cowboy to finish out the Furies battle scene.

Instead of continuing the line Mezco followed that up with a line of 9 inch figures.  They looked far more realistic, had better articulation, and actual cloth clothing.  There were two Furies, Cyrus, Sully (The Orphans leader), Swan, and Ajax.  These are really nice looking figures.  When they were released I was too angry to purchase them.  I had already bought 5 Baseball furies and 2 Warriors, I wanted them to finish out the first line instead of launching a new one. 

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Pop! Goonies

Funko is at it again.  They are turning everything and everyone into squat vinyl figures with shark eyes.  And, you  know, the thing about a shark…he’s got lifeless eyes.  Black eyes.  Like a doll’s eyes.  When he comes at ya, doesn’t seem to be living…until he bites ya, and those black eyes roll over white…  Sorry about that, I’m moderately sure that if you buy a Funko Pop! figure that it doesn’t have the ability to bite you or roll its eyes back. 
 
Anyway Funko’s newest line is celebrating the 80’s classic Goonies.  The star of the line is most likely going to be Sloth.  Somehow the Pop! line works even better when the character isn’t supposed to be cute, so the misshapen Sloth is adorable.  I have no doubt he will sell better than all of the other Goonies figures. 

 
I’m more excited about Data but that’s because the actor who played Data also played Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.  I’ve mentioned it before on That F’ing Monkey, but Short Round makes me ridiculously happy.  This makes me want to buy one so I can convert a Data to Short Round.

Monday, September 9, 2013

Some Movies Have It Coming

I would like to introduce you to Rifftrax. If you already know Rifftrax, then you know just how awesome it is. If not, click on that there link and lose a few hours. Rifftrax is Mike (Mike) Nelson, Kevin (Tom Servo) Murphy, and Bill (Crow) Corbett. Also known as the stars of a little show called Mystery Science Theater 3000. What they do is create a "riff" that you download and sync up to the movie you want to watch. This is how they avoid those pesky lawsuits. It is fucking brilliant. I would suggest you watch one as soon as humanly possible. 


Might I suggest "Predator"? Yes I might.

Another thing that Rifftrax does is some shorts. These things are hilarious and well worth the few bucks they cost. Once again I have a suggestion. Goodbye, Weeds. In this short you learn valuable lessons. Like did you know there was a product that makes weeds commit suicide? Yep. Don't think too hard about it.

Plus this week there is a encore of their riff of "Starship Troopers" on the big screen near you! Go. It is well worth it. In October they are rocking "Night of the Living Dead"!



So grab some beer, curl up on the couch, and watch some awesome. Tell them F'ing Monkey sent ya. They will have zero idea what the hell you are babbling about!

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Top 10 Giant Robots

Last week Michael May and Siskoid ran a top 10 list of his their top 10 giant monsters.   One  of the rules when creating this top ten is that robots aren’t monsters and would require their own top 10 list.  Just like last week I had to get in on the action, so today we’re going to be talking giant robots.  We are also including mecha into this list, figuring that giant machines controlled by pilots are going to be close enough to robots that it will still count.  Make sure you check out Michael’s AdventureBlog today for a list of other blogs participating in today’s robot countdown. 

10. Voltron

I was going to use the Vehicle version of Voltron just to enrage a friend of mine, but the majority of people who recognize the name Voltron immediately think of the lion version when they hear that name.  There is a good reason for that to, the Lion Force robot is extremely cool looking.  So you’re asking if Voltron is iconic and has such a great design why is he only number 10 on the list?  It’s because watching a Voltron cartoon is excruciatingly boring.  All the archetypes are there, but nothing interesting is ever done with it.  That makes it even worse, it has such potental to be amazing and it's just bland.  I’m including all the re-launches in that statement too. 

9. Emperor Titans (Warhammer 40K)

No setting in existence does over the top better than the Warhammer 40K universe.  The armies of man have giant war machines called Titans, the largest of these are the Emperor Titans.  Standing 166 feet tall the Emperor Titan towers over everything else on the battle field.  As you’d expect the Titan is loaded down with weapons with equally over the top names like Hellstorm Cannons, Apocalypse Missle Launcher’s, and Vulcan Mega Bolters.  I almost forgot to mention that it carries a cathedral dedicated to the God-Emperor on its shoulders.  It's a massive warmachine and a walking church. 

8. Liberty Prime (Fallout 3)

If you remember the Journey of Thall Faceshooter you know I had a great time playing through Fallout 3.  There are some issues with the setting of the game when compared to the rest of the series; some of the lore just doesn’t fit as well.  Liberty Prime though is awesome.  Originally built to liberate Anchorage, Alaska from the Red Chinese this robot was dug up by the Brotherhood of Steel.  Liberty Prime eventually is set upon the Enclave and causes massive destruction by shooting dual energy beams from his head and throwing mini-nukes like footballs.  All the time he’s wrecking face he says things like “Communism is the very definition of failure,” and “Democracy is non-negotiable.”

7. Volfogg (GaoGaiGar)

One of the Super-AI robots in the GGG is the definition of cool.  His vehicle form is a police Ferrari and his robot form is pretty much a ninja.  He carries tow Silver Moon throwing blades that can be combined to form a giant throwing star known as the Silver Cross.  He is also equipped to create holograms, create smoke screens, and to use his Mirror Coating to turn invisible.  When he needs a power upgrade he can join with a non intelligent motorcycle and helicopter to form Big Volfogg.  He looks significantly less ninja-like when it Big Volfogg mode though.

6.  Lockdown (Transformers)

Transformers Animated introduced one of the coolest Transformers of all time.  It’s heavily implied that this faction-less bounty hunter was once an Autobot.  Lockdown has a habit of collecting trophies from his prey, usually it’s a weapon or upgrade that he can use for himself.  This is how he came to own Ratchet’s EMP generator.  Lockdown’s alt form is a nasty spiked racecar with an exposed engine block and a cow-catcher on the bumper.  Oh and in the cartoon he is voiced my Lance Henricksen. 

5. Megas XLR

With a theme song that told the world that “Chicks dig giant robots,” it was obvious that Megas XLR was going to be different than most cartoons.  Produced by Titmouse, Inc, Megas XLR only lasted one season (just like their amazing cartoon Motorcity).  In the future the Earth is losing a war with an alien race called the Glorft. The humans steal a prototype giant robot and modify for our use.  Megas and its pilot Kiva are going to be sent into the past hoping they can stop the invasion.  All sorts of craziness happens.  Megas is damaged and sent to the wrong time.  The damaged Megas is found in present day by Coop , who repairs the robot and replaces the damaged head with a muscle car.  He calls the robot XLR.  Kiva finds Megas but is unable to pilot it anymore because of Coop’s modifications.  Megas XLR makes fun of every giant robot trope in existence and then moves on to anime tropes in general.  The series was smart and funny as all hell. 

4. Iron Giant

Iron Giant is the best Superman movie ever made.  If you haven’t seen it you should stop reading right now and go see it.  Nothing else really needs to be said about it.

3. Veritech (Macross/Robotech)

The VF-1 Valkyrie is a classic.  It goes from from jet mode, to guardian more, to battloid.  There are numerous different versions just in the first series alone.  The design has been copied across all different sorts of media.  Roy Focker’s Veritech looks the best of course.  The black and yellow scheme stand out on the white body and the skull squadron symbol just makes the whole thing look cool.  The Robotech cartoon had a huge impact on me when I was a kid and this design will be with me forever.

2. Springer (Transformers)

I’ve talked numerous times about Springer on That F’ing Monkey.  My all time favorite Transformer.  In the cartoon he was a sarcastic asshole who got shit done.  In the comics he’s the lead of the Wreckers.  Springer is named because he’s legs are so powerful that he is able to leap across battlefields.  Considering he also turns into a helicopter you wouldn’t think that would be an issue.  He goes from sports car, to helicopter, to bad ass.  This triple changer first debuted in the Transformers movie and I’ve been obsessed with him ever since.

1. GaoGaiGar

GaoGaiGar could be placed on the top of this list for his theme song alone.  For those unfamiliar with this awesomeness let me explain what it takes to transform into GaoGaiGar.  A cyborg leaps into a giant robot lion's mouth.  This causes the lion to transform into the robot GaiGar.  That robot is then joined by a drill tank, a bullet train, and a stealth fighter.  All four of these machines then take on the form of GaoGairGar.  You want a giant robot anime that takes it over the top?  This is it.  GaoGaiGar protects the world from the Zonder threat and while I had just mentioned his basic transformation as the series went on he was outfitted with more equipment to battle the aliens.  The most famous is probably his Goldion Hammer, a gigantic hammer that contains an artificial gravity well.  Another robot had to be introduced so it could turn into an arm attachment strong enough to even hold the hammer.  Most of the foes GaoGaiGar faces end up be completely disintegrated.  There is a reason GaoGaiGar is the King of the Braves. 

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

The Warriors

Today we’re going to talk about one of my favorite movies ever, The Warriors.  It all started with a workplace discussion on movie remakes when I complained that since VHS/DVD/Blu-ray that it’s rare for movies to be re-released anymore.  I didn’t want to see someone else make their version of a movie I loved; I want to see the movie I loved in a theater setting.  It was after saying that I remembered one of the independent theaters in my area did rescreen classic movies and they put up their schedule months in advance.  So way back in June I saw that on August 27th I saw the Enzian Theater was showing The Warriors.  I didn’t wait, I didn’t see who else could go with me, I bought four tickets immediately.


I’d never seen the movie in a theater.  My first introduction to the movie was through HBO.  The film print was grainy and scratchy but that just seemed to add to the whole experience.  The theater was sold out, so I wasn’t the only one excited to see the movie.  Before the movie started there was a small talk about the other movies coming to their cult classic showings and then some basic trivia about The Warriors.  I won't really go into the movie itself, there is a lot about it I want to say and sadly I don't have the time to do that today.


I couldn’t even begin to guess at how many times I’ve seen this movie.  Besides the countless times I’ve seen it on television, there was a long period of my life without cable.  I watched a lot of DVDs then and The Warriors was one of the movies that was always in my rotation.  It was different last night.  Sharing the experience with people was amazing.  Seeing the movie’s surreal characters on the giant screen just made me happier than I can really express. 

If you haven’t seen the movie the movie I want to give a quick word of warning.  There are two versions of the movie out; the original version and the Ultimate Director’s Cut.  Stay as far away from the Director’s Cut as you can.  That version adds horrible zooms and freezes in addition to changing some scenes into comic book panels complete with thought bubbles.  The additions slow down the movie and actually break the tension in most scenes. 

Friday, August 23, 2013

Top 10 Giant Monsters

Yesterday our good friend Michael May ran a top 10 list of his favorite giant monsters over at his Adventure Blog.  After reading his list I knew I wanted to play along and started making my own list.  The first couple were easy, but it was harder than I thought it would be.  What constitutes as a giant monster, how big does the monster have to be?  Does Jaws count?  The shark’s size is so inconsistent in Jaws 3 I think that argument could be made.  How about the Zentradi from Robotech?  Being able to add Khyron to the list would certainly alter the results. 

The other big note to add here is that Michael made it a point to mention that he isn’t including giant robots because that should be a separate list.  He’s right and sometime next week I’m going to post up my top ten favorite giant robots.

10. Alligator (Alligator, 1980)

I was still living in Detroit when I first saw this movie. I know I was very young when I saw it, so it must have been on HBO or something.  An alligator is flushed down the New York sewer where it ends up eating the carcasses of animals that were test subjects of a growth formula.  Of course the alligator becomes a giant eating machine and eventually escapes the sewers.  A fun movie, but the alligator makes the list because of one scene that is forever burned in my memory.  There is this kid’s party and the party goers are going to force one of the kids into the pool.  None of them know the gator is hiding in the pool.  I don’t think I’m giving anything away by saying it doesn’t end well for the kid.

9. Giant Gila Monster (The Giant Gila Monster, 1959)

I might love this movie more than the actual monster.  The special effects are mostly a real gila monster walking through scale models.  It’s fun, but hardly enough to make it on the list.  The movie stars Don Sullivan as a mechanic and hot rod racer with a heart of gold.  There are French girls, younger sisters in need of surgery, and a bizarre subplot with a disc jockey.  The whole experience borders on surreal, which is why I’m always happy when I see it.

8. Mothra

First appearing in 1961 Mothra is the most famous of the good kaiju.  Mothra is pretty amazing because the character is so different that most other kaiju.  Mothra first appeared in her own movie before joining the other Toho kaiju in Godzilla’s movies.  Usually once a monster joins Godzilla’s stable they are stuck with him.  Mothra is the only monster to get her own movies after being in Godzilla’s.   All of this is well and good, but I’d be lying if I said these were the reasons I liked Mothra.  No, it’s all because of the Tiny Beauties.  These little ladies (seriously they are tiny) speak for Mothra.  They were originally played by Japanese twin singers The Peanuts.   

7. Rancor (Star Wars)

You weren’t expecting Star Wars were you?  First, let’s forget all the Expanded Universe here.  I’m not worried about Dathomir or their witches, this is about the big monster under Jabba’s palace.  The beast fed on anyone foolish enough to cross Jabba and stand on his trap door.  The first time it stepped out of the shadows it was amazing.  We all know how a meddling Jedi killed this poor beast, but the Rancor’s few scenes still made a big enough impact on me to put him on this list.   A while back during the Tamagotchi craze there were Star Wars versions.  The Rancor ate Gamorians for food and dancing girls as treats. 

6.  Thresher Maw (Mass Effect)

Picture the scene.  You’re Commander Shepard responding to a distress beacon on a planet’s surface.  You’re driving across a big stretch of desert when the whole ground starts rumbling.  There is a scream, your vehicle is tossed into the air, and you’re facing a giant snake/insect thing that spits acid.  One of Shepard’s histories can even be tied to humanity’s first run in with a thresher maw.  In Mass Effect 3 you even run into Kalros, the legendary thresher maw known as “the mother from which all other thresher maws spawn.”  I realize they are very similar to the sand worms in Dune, but I prefer this version. 

5. Godzilla

King of the Monsters and Godzilla only ranks number five?  I realize I’m strange.  If we’re talking cultural impact or importance to a genre Godzilla would be hard to not place at number one.  But this list is talking about my favorites and the big guy is at number five.  If it wasn’t for his iconic roar I might have even place him lower, but every time I hear that noise I just smile.  I also want to point out here if you’ve never actually watched the first Godzilla movie I really recommend you do.  It is a far deeper movie than just a guy in a rubber suit knocking over buildings.

4. King Kong

A giant monkey falls in love with a beautiful woman.  It’s the story of my life; minus the dinosaur fighting and building climbing.  I love both the original and the latest remakes for different reasons.  What’s not to love about his movies?  You can watch Kong stomp on people, crush them between his teeth, and still for sorry for him as he falls to his death.  Kong is a classic in the truest sense of the word. 

3. SpaceGodzilla (Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla 1994)

My top three giant monsters are probably going to be vastly different from most peoples.  I prefer SpaceGodzilla to the original.  So some of Godzilla’s cells get sent into space; either from Biollante or from Mothra. Once these cells are in space they enter a black hole, become altered, and returns out of a white hole.  SpaceGodzilla looks like a blue version of Godzilla with giant crystals growing out of his shoulders.  SpaceGodzilla has all over Godzilla’s powers plus a new set granted by the crystals.  There is also no doubt that SpaceGodzilla is evil to the core.  I love his look, I love his powers, and I love SpaceGodzilla.

2. Mighty Joe Young (Mighty Joe Young 1949)

Is this one cheating?  Joe should be about 12 feet tall, is that a big enough gorilla to be considered a giant?  Anyway, Mighty Joe Young is on my list as more enjoyable than King Kong.  I know it’s blasphemy.  Traveling to Africa to find animals a smooth talking business man meets up with a beautiful woman and her giant trained gorilla.  They take them all back to the states where the craziest nightclub ever is opened.  There are lions and running around in glassed off areas.  The club is amazing.  Joe is turned into a spectacle.  He ends up getting drunk, fighting the lions, and trashing the club.  Then it’s a race to get Joe back to Africa before the police kill him.  There are car chases, a burning orphanage, and actor Ben Johnson (one of the best cowboys ever).  This is one of my favorite movies of all time and I had to include Mr. Joe Young on the list.

1. Gamera

I’ve said it on this site before, Gamera is my favorite giant monster.  He’s a fire breathing giant turtle that can fly by pulling his legs in and shooting jets of fire out his leg holes.  It’s no surprise that Gamera was created by a rival film studio trying to cash in on the Godzilla craze.  The series became more popular with children as it went, so the original run of movies (1965-1971) get sillier as they go.  The second run of movies (1995-1999) are simply amazing.  Seriously if you like giant monster movies you need to see them.  How much do I love Gamera?  I own the original Japanese run, the 90s reboot, and the MST3K Gamera box set.  MST3K was the reason I was introduced to Gamera and I’m forever thankful to them and Sandy Frank for bring Gamera to America.

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Ghost Shark

Somehow Sharknado became an overnight sensation.  People were talking about it everywhere and it got better ratings every time Syfy aired it.  Somehow it was absurd enough to catch on where other movies like Pirannahconda failed.  I think I’ve seen every one of Syfy’s original monster movies.  The CGI is bad, the acting is worse, and I love every wretched second of it.  Tonight is the premiere of Ghost Shark.


I’m not going to lie; I think the premise is brilliant. I don’t like it ironically or any of that bullshit either; I genuinely think the core concept of the movie is a good one.  Someone there is a spectral shark out there that can only attack people in water.  Pools, bathtubs, rain; no where wet is safe.   If someone doesn’t get attacked while sitting on the toilet I’m going to be disappointed.   I’ve avoid the how and why the shark is a ghost because I’m eager to see how the movie handles it. 


The movie stars Mackenzie Rosman and Dave Randolph-Mayhem Davis but I’m far more excited to see that Richard Moll is in it.  Moll is best known as Bull from the old TV show Night Court.  He was also in the movie House as Big Ben and the voice of Norman from the Mighty Max cartoon.  You might not remember the Might Max cartoon, but let me tell you, Norman was THE SHIT.  Moll is playing what appears to be a lighthouse keeper who I am sure is going to be all sorts of surly.

While it isn’t Ghost Shark related I also want to mention that we’ll be getting two Sharktopus sequels in the future.  Sadly Syfy didn’t take any of my ideas, but I’m still holding out for that animated series pitch.  Instead we’ll be getting Sharktopus versus Pteracuda and Sharktopus versus Mermantula.  I don’t know if there is a way to express that and not sound like I’m joking.  I’m honestly thrilled and I can’t wait to own the whole Sharktopus trilogy.  I’ve never wanted to be an actor, ever, but I wish I could be in a Sharktopus movie.

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Muppets Most Wanted

This is the last update for the week.  I'm going to enjoy my birthday and try to stay away from the computer for a few days.  I do want to share the new trailer for the Muppet's sequel because it's the Muppets and I'm excited.

 
The strange thing is that I don't really need a story for a Muppet movie.  I'd be happy with an hour and a half of their skits and backstage stuff.  I've missed Veterinarians Hospital and Pigs in Space; it'd be nice to see them again.   


Thursday, July 25, 2013

James Bond Lotus Submarine


James Bond has had a lot of famous cars.  My personal favorite will always be the white Lotus Esprit used in “The Spy Who Loved Me.”  The car meets an explosive end during an early scene in one of my favorite Bond movies, “For Your Eyes Only.”  At that point it is replaced with a red Lotus, but there was something about the look of the white one that I loved.  And that was before it turned into a submarine.  On September 8th the submarine version of the Lotus will be auctioned off by RM Auctions.
 

The Lotus submarine is expected to go for close to a million dollars.  While it wasn’t the only car used in the underwater shots it was the most important one.  When Bond drives his car under water the Lotus’ wheels retracted (that was one car) and then fins extended out of the wheel wells (that was another car).  The car up for auction is the third underwater car, the one that actually drove.  The Lotus sub didn’t actually keep water out, so the person really driving it during the filming had to wear full scuba gear.  It also doesn’t convert.  Despite its looks it’s strictly an underwater vehicle. 

The craziest thing about the story is the owner of the car bought it in a storage locker auction way back in 1989.  He paid 100 dollars for it. 

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Joel Carroll Draws My Favorite Things: Part 3

This week we’re doing something a little different here at That F’ing Monkey.  While looking through my things the other night I realized I’ve been sitting on some amazing art work from Joel Carroll.  I’m lucky enough that I live near Joel, so I get to see him at a lot of conventions.  Every day this week I’m going to showcase another piece I’ve had commissioned from him.  Some are personalized pieces he did in his sketchbook others are character designs, etc.  When you’re done here make sure to go to www.joelcarroll.com and check out even more of his work.


Today’s Joel Carroll update was done inside another of Joel’s sketchbooks, A Sketchbook Filled with Little Things.  You can’t talk about my favorite things without mentioning Sharktopus.  The strange concept, the horrible CGI, and the amazing theme song are all things that I just can’t get enough of.  I chose Sharktopus for today’s update to remind everyone that SyFy’s most recent shark movie, Sharknado has an encore showing tonight at 7pm. 

I’m always torn by cheesy shark movies.  I love sharks; I don’t want to see them vilified.  On the other hand, I can’t get enough of seeing them take down people.  I think Discovery has lost its way with their Shark Week programming.  That conservation message is still there, it’s just getting harder to see through all of the Great White programming. 

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Joel Carroll Draws My Favorite Things: Part 1

This week we’re doing something a little different here at That F’ing Monkey.  While looking through my things the other night I realized I’ve been sitting on some amazing art work from Joel Carroll.  I’m lucky enough that I live near Joel, so I get to see him at a lot of conventions.  Every day this week I’m going to showcase another piece I’ve had commissioned from him.  Some are personalized pieces he did in his sketchbook others are character designs, etc.  When you’re done here make sure to go to www.joelcarroll.com and check out even more of his work.
 



I’m cheating on the today’s entry; it’s a piece that has already been on That F’ing Monkey.  This is a page from my Brain Jar sketchbook and features Indiana Jones and Short Round.  In all seriousness I’m a huge fan of the Short Round character.  Before the Crystal Skull a lot of people gave Temple of Doom crap for being the worst of the Indiana Jones trilogy but I never saw it that way.  Keep your Sean Connery I’ll take Jonathan Ke Quan.  Anyway, Joel had done some sketch cards for an Indiana Jones card series.  When I saw the characters stylized like this, I knew I had to have one with Short Round. 

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