Fishing in the Discount Bin - Frankenweenie

A return to Fishing in the Discount Bin, and a gaze upon one of the VHS/DVD/Blu-Rays in my collection!  Today, we get to one of the sweetest animated movies in recent years, Tim Burton's Frankenweenie.  This is dated in my notes at January 19, 2013.  

Some Samplings of the New TV Season

Well, back on Saturday, I sat down and started going through my PVR, watching and re-watching some of the season premieres I had recorded.  It's an exciting time, as it's season premiere season and all the new shows are premiering, so I thought I'd take a moment to just jot down some of my thoughts on all the stuff.

First up, had to watch one of the most anticipated new shows of the fall, Agents of SHIELD.  Disney/Marvel looks to expand the Marvel Cinematic Universe to the small screen, as we follow this series about an elite team of SHIELD agents as they jet across the globe, investigating all manner of superhuman threats.  Led by Agent Phil Coulson, whom we all thought died in The Avengers.  According to Coulson, when he makes his return, he was clinically dead for 43 seconds, but the SHIELD medics brought him back from the brink, and he's spent the past year recovering in Tahiti. 

But, eventually, we learned that this is NOT the case, and his resurrection is SHIELD top secret.  No doubt the circumstances of his resurrection will eventually evolve into some kind of myth-arc. 

But we see Coulson's team is the usual bunch.  We've got our gung-ho soldier, we've got the combat veteran who was traumatized for some reason and is reluctant to go back into the field, there's a pair of socially awkward scientists, and a quirky girl hacker.  Can they overcome their differences and become an ace team of secret agents?  Of course, or else it'd be a very short series.

The series is masterminded by Avengers director Joss Whedon.  Now, I wouldn't really call myself a Whedonite.  I mean, I enjoyed Firefly, but I'm pretty sure that's because when I first got Space, Space was showing it non-stop.  Nothing gets you into a TV show like when it's the only thing on for 18 hours straight.  And despite assurances that I would love Buffy, I always found myself wandering away bored after a few episodes. 

With all that in mind, I did enjoy Agents of SHIELD.  It successfully transferred to the small screen that sense of fun that I've enjoyed in all the Marvel films.  However, it did have a familiar vibe to it.  I must agree with one online critic I read that said it look and felt a lot like the Knight Rider reboot from a few years ago.  It was similarly slick, polished, and too clever for its own good.  I'm certain, though, that they'll find their footing, and it'll be a fun series.

I just kind of hope they'll follow Arrow's lead and occasionally bring in some well-known C-list heroes and villains from the comics for team-ups. 

And speaking of the Marvel universe, I also picked up the Iron Man 3 Blu-Ray last week.  (Look for a review on Fishing in the Discount Bin in about 6 months or so.)  And I just wanted to take a minute to talk about the latest Marvel one-shot, Agent Carter.  For those just joining us, Marvel's been doing this thing called "One-Shots" starting with the Thor Blu-Ray, where they include a little universe-expanding short film.  And the latest, Agent Carter, is probably the best.

It picks up a year after the end of Captain America, and we catch up with Agent Peggy Carter, the WW2 secret agent who was Steve Roger's girlfriend.  Needless to say, she's a little bitter about her new desk job, as she pretty much saved the world, and with the sexism at the time from "The men are coming back from war, head back to the kitchen, ladies," she's now being treated as a glorified secretary.  So, she goes rogue one night and kicks some ass.  It's fun, it's exciting, Bradly Whitford plays Carter's CO, and I forgot that he can play a really good sleazeball.  Definitely worth checking out.

And lastly on the PVR we had the season premiere of Elementary.  I kind of like Elementary, but my only disappointment with it is that I find it very...conventional for a detective show.  The season premiere dealt with one of the bigger elephants in the room, as our modern day Sherlock Holmes learns that his old colleague Inspector Lestrade is in a spot of trouble, so he and Watson go home to London to help Lestrade. 

Also notable is when they return to London, they run into Sherlock's brother Mycroft.  I thought it would be hilarious and blow the minds of Elementary/Sherlock fans if they got Benedict Cumberbatch to play Mycroft, but instead they went with Rhys Ifans, who played the Lizard in The Amazing Spider-Man.  How they changed Mycroft for the series is, rather than being Sherlock's smarter brother and working for the government in some vague capacity, he's now a highly successful London restauranteur.  So, yeah.  Mycroft is now Gordon Ramsay, only with less swearing.

But that was Elementary.  Just my usual complaint with the rest of the series...so very conventional for a detective show.  I wish with a franchise as historical as Sherlock Holmes, they'd go a little above and beyond, but they haven't. 

Fishing in the Discount Bin - Chicken Run

Welcome back to Fishing in the Discount Bin, my weekly ramble about one of the movies that I happen to own.  Today we get to what I think is one of the funniest animated movies ever made, Chicken Run.  This is originally dated in my notes at January 12, 2013.

Fishing in the Discount Bin: The Pixar Short Film Collection Volume 1

Welcome back to Fishing in the Discount Bin, my weekly look at one of the many films I happen to own in a home media format of some sort.  Today, we finish what I started last week by looking at the first collection of Pixar shorts, appropriately titled The Pixar Short Film Collection Vol. 1.  This is originally dated in my notes at January 11, 2013.

Fishing in the Discount Bin -- The Living Daylights

Time once again for Fishing in the Discount Bin, my weekly gaze upon one of the movies I just happen to own.  Today, we return to the world of 007 with The Living Daylights.  This entry is dated in my notes at January 5, 2013.  

Fishing in the Discount Bin: The Pixar Short Film Collection Vol. 2

Welcome back to Fishing in the Discount Bin, my weekly look at one of the things in my video library.  Today, we take a look at some of Pixar's bite-sized offering with The Pixar Short Film Collection, Volume 2.  This entry is dated in my notes at January 5, 2013.

Fishing in the Discount Bin - The Dark Knight Rises

 Welcome back to Fishing in the Discount Bin, my weekly rant about whatever's in my DVD player this weekend.  We finally get to one of the most anticipated superhero films of 2012, the final in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises.  This is dated in my notes at December 9, 2012. 

Quick Trip

As I've lamented in the past, the summer is a busy time for radio folk, as you tend to be live on location from some manner of festival every weekend.  This past Sunday was my first day to myself in a few weeks, so I headed off to the city with little rhyme or reason.

Well, I did have a reason.  I wanted to see Kick-Ass 2!

When Kick-Ass came out in 2010, it was a pleasant little surprise, that tried to answer the question of what superheroes would be like in the real world.  I really enjoyed it, except for the end, when it switched from mocking the cliches of superhero films to embracing them.  And it happened to be a big enough hit since we got a sequel.

It's 2 years after the first film.  Thanks to the heroics of Kick-Ass and Hit Girl, costumed crimefighters are starting to become the norm, and it's not long before Dave Lizewski is feeling the urge and once again suits up to become Kick-Ass.  Not wanting to patrol alone, he soon becomes part of a fledgling superhero team called Justice Forever, led by the militant Colonel Stars and Stripes.  Kick-Ass tries to get Hit Girl to join him, but she's in forced retirement, having promised her adopted father that she'd give up her crimefighting ways.  But she soon discovers that high school can be just as savage a battleground as the city streets, and she's using her combat training to take on the mean girls and try to take control of her changing body.

But all is not well for our heroes.  Red Mist, the son of the crimelord that Kick-Ass and Hit Girl took down in the first film, has sworn revenge!  Reborn as the Motherfucker, he sets out to become the world's first supervillain.  With some hired muscle to form his evil army, our new breed of superheroes and an army of supervillains are soon on their way for an epic showdown.

Well, what can I really say about Kick-Ass 2?  If you liked the first one....  There's a very similar humour running throughout the film, although in this second one, the humour does get a little...cruder.  And in that mold, it's also bloodier, and there's a disgusting and hilarious scene involving projectile vomiting and diarrhea that I just can't erase from my mind.

With Nicholas Cage having been killed off in the first film, this time out, we get another once-great actor who has gained a reputation for being rather eccentric...Jim Carrey.  Carrey plays Colonel Stars and Stripes, and he's pretty good.  He's actually not in it that much, and almost unrecognizable in the make-up they put on him to beef him up.

But the heart and soul of this film is Hit Girl, and her struggle to give up her superhero ways and become a normal teenage girl.  It is almost a coming-of-age film for her, as she tries to figure out her identity and where she belongs.

So, yeah.  I had a good time with it.  I give it 3 out of 4 Nibs.

The complete review is on the website.  

Aside from that, didn't do much else in the city.  Ooo, I heard that The Muppet Movie was just released on Blu-Ray, so I wanted to grab that for my library.   I love The Muppet Movie.  There's some real movie magic on display in that film.  It's one of those movies that's just impossible to hate while you're watching it.

Plus, the song "Movin' Right Along" has been one of my road trip standards since I was 7.





I'd like to sit down and watch it, but it's back to the busy.

Fishing in the Discount Bin - From the Earth to the Moon

 Welcome back to Fishing in the Discount Bin, my weekly look at one of the things in my DVD library.  Today, we tackle the epic HBO miniseries From the Earth to the Moon.  This is originally dated in my notes at December 2, 2012. 

Fishing in the Discount Bin - Brave

Welcome back to Fishing in the Discount Bin, where I get to blogging about one of the movies I own.  Today, we get to Pixar's animated epic of the summer of 2012, Brave.  This entry is dated in my original notes at December 1, 2012.  

Blackberry Subway Jam

So, a few months ago, I finally discovered the official website for the National Film Board of Canada.  It's pretty cool, as they've been posting hundreds of their legendary animated short films and documentaries for all the world to see.

And a few days ago, I was thrilled when they posted one of their animated shorts that I have very vivid memories of from when I was a kid, Blackberry Subway Jam.

Blackberry Subway Jam is based on the Robert Munsch story, Johnathon Cleaned Up -- Then He Heard a Sound.  It follows the adventures of Johnathon.  When his mother leaves him home alone one day, he discovers that the city has declared his home a subway station.  Sick and tired of all the subway passengers coming through his house, and his mother blaming him for the mess, Johnathon gets his first taste of municipal politics as he goes on a quest to get the city to move the subway station.

Why tell you about it when I can show it to you?

Blackberry Subway Jam by Robert Doucet, National Film Board of Canada

Perhaps my memories are so vivid because of when I first saw it.  I saw it on TV when I was a kid.  CBC was showing the Jim Henson classic The Dark Crystal.  The movie ran a few minutes short, so they showed Blackberry Subway Jam at the end to fill time.  And that was just the pick-me up I needed!

I tell you, The Dark Crystal was a movie that scared the shit out of me when I was a kid.  It was just so weird and dark and freaky.  But I couldn't escape from it.  Because it had the family-friendly name of the Muppet guy on the front cover, it was shown at every birthday party I went to and a fair share of elementary school lunch hours.  Ever since college, I've been saying that, now that I'm a grown up, I'm going to sit down and watch it and finally fully comprehend it, but I haven't gotten around to it.

But when I do, I'll be sure to watch Blackberry Subway Jam at the end to replicate that viewing experience. 

Muppets Most Wanted Trailer

I was kind of surprised when I got all caught up in the hype for The Muppets when it came out back in 2011.  I mean, I had fond memories of The Muppet Show and all the other Muppet movies when I was a kid, but I wasn't an outright geek for the property.  But still, the childhood nostalgia swept me away, and when I went to see it, I was pleasantly surprised at what a good, fun movie it was.

And it was a hit, so  a sequel was inevitable.

The title was originally announced as being The Muppets...Again! but that was changed somewhere along the ways to Muppets Most Wanted.  The popular speculation was that it was changed because it was too easy to make that title condescending and negative.  For example, "The Muppets?  Again?  Blech."  So we get a new title.

Pretty much all the same behind-the-scenes crew is coming back, except for co-writer and star Jason Segel.  He was instrumental in getting this franchise going again, and in interviews, he says that now that it's back, he feels his work is done.  Nicholas Stoller, who co-wrote the first film with Segel, is back to write it, and James Bobbin, the veteran Flight of the Concords director, is back directing.

But with Segel gone, that means we need some new token humans.  This time out, we get Ricky Gervais, who's a ruthless European crime lord, and Ty Burrell (the dad on Modern Family) as the Interpol agent hot on his trail.  Fun trivia fact:  Burrell's role was originally offered to Christoph Waltz, he of the Tarantino films Inglorious Basterds and Django Unchained.  Oh, and Tina Fey shows up, as well.

The plot, according to Wikipedia, follows the Muppets, who, after the successful comeback in the first film, are off on a European tour.  But the ruthless jewel smuggler Constantine -- who's Kermit's evil doppleganger and the boss of Gervais's character -- wants to take advantage of this for his own nefarious plans.  So mistaken identity hijinks abound.

Let's look at the trailer, shall we?




Is it just me, or does this just kind of...feel straight-to-video?  It's not popping, it's not grabbing me, it's not tugging those ol' nostalgia heartstrings the way the hype for the first movie did.  It doesn't help that Disney got their direct-to-movie voiceover guy to do the voice over for this trailer.  It's just...I don't know, it's not working for me. 

Muppets Most Wanted hits theatres on the first day of Spring...March 21, 2014.

Oh, I need a thumbnail for when I share this on the social networks.  They  haven't released a poster yet, so here's a new promotional still of the whole gang.

Meet #12

Well, it's been almost a week now, and I haven't taken a moment to blog about some of the biggest news in the world of geeks.

Back on Sunday, like a lot of folks, I sat in front of the TV awaiting the news.  In a live TV special broadcast around the world, the BBC was going to announce who will be replacing Matt Smith as the Doctor on Doctor Who.

(For those just joining us, Matt Smith, who currently plays the Doctor, announced a few months back that this year's Doctor Who Christmas special would be his last.)

After a half-hour as renowned British celebrities (whom I'd never heard of) weighed in with their thoughts and opinions, the man of the hour came out amid lasers and clouds of smoke, and we were introduced to the 12th Doctor....

Peter Capaldi!

And everyone outside the UK, including myself, promptly went, "Who the hell is that?"

Well, he does have some Doctor Who experience.  In that one 10th Doctor episode where they go to Pompeii, he played the Roman merchant Caecilius.  But to folks in the UK, he was best known as one of the stars of the comedy The Thick of It, where he played Malcolm Tucker, a very profane communications director for the British Prime Minister.

In fact, because his character swore so much, some are jokingly suggesting that the 12th Doctor's catchphrase will be some variation of the F-word.

Oh, and he was also in World War Z this summer, where he played a rather prophetic role.  I think Wil Wheaton's tweet summed it up the best.

Woah. pic.twitter.com/rK0Y0b6INK
— Wil Wheaton (@wilw) August 4, 2013

So what do I think of Capaldi's casting as the next Doctor?  Umm...I really have no opinion.  I'm not familiar enough with his body of work to make a judgement.  And let's be honest, the 12th Doctor is a character we haven't met yet.  So I've got to wait for those first few episodes with him before I judge.  I like that he's an older guy, though.  The first few Doctors were older guys, so it's kind of like going back to their roots. 

That being said, what do I think of the hype surrounding the announcement of the 12th Doctor?  I was watching that whole special thinking, "When did Doctor Who get so big?"  When we made the transition from #10 to #11, we didn't have any hype like this.  I think it was one week before David Tennant's final episode that they announced Matt Smith as the next Doctor.  And it wasn't some huge TV special.  It was a picture and a news release.

Patton Oswalt wrote an editorial a few years ago, saying that being a geek is dead.  He elaborated by saying that being a geek used to mean going to comic book stores and conventions to get information on your favourite franchise.  But now, just a quick Google search, and you can become an expert in an afternoon.  I forget if it was in that editorial or in one of the comments that someone said Doctor Who was the last one that was still a bit of a "geek property."  But I think with this special, those days are dead.  Doctor Who is starting to become another overhyped sci-fi franchise.

Maybe that's why I'm starting to feel a little let down by the franchise.  It's got hype to live up to now, and it's not quite doing it.  But still, I'll be watching this Christmas when #11 turns into #12, and we'll see where we go from here.

Fishing in the Discount Bin - The Amazing Spider-Man

Welcome back to Fishing in the Discount Bin, my weekly series blogging about one of the many DVDs, Blu-Rays, and, on some occasions, old VHS tapes that I own.  Today, we get to last year's reboot of the Spider-Man franchise, The Amazing Spider-Man.  This is dated in my notes at November 18, 2012.

Thor: The Dark World Trailer

Well, Phase II of the Marvel Movie Universe seems to be cruising along at a good pace.  It all kicked off with the pretty good Iron Man 3 back in May, and it continues with Thor: The Dark World coming this November.

As we saw with Iron Man 3, the effects of The Avengers is still reverberating throughout the Marvel Movie Universe, and that's quite evident in the trailer, as we see Loki in Asgard prison for his crimes, and gotta love Jane Foster slapping him across the face with, "That's for New York!"  And we have been told that Jane's absence during The Avengers will be explained.

We're going to be spending a lot more time off-Earth this time out, as a mysterious new force threatens to plunge the universe into darkness, and Thor needs to pursue it across the Nine Realms in order to stop it.  Of course, Jane gets to come along for the ride, and they're forced to team up with Loki along the way.

Pretty much all of the original cast is back...Chris Hemsworth returns as Thor, Natalie Portman is back as Jane, Tom Hiddleston returns as Loki, and Anthony Hopkins as Odin.  What's piqued my interest is the villain, the Dark Elf Malekith the Accursed, is being played by the Ninth Doctor himself, Christopher Eccleston!

Behind the cameras, Kenneth Branagh is not back as director.  Replacing him is Alan Taylor, a veteran TV director who's done episodes of The Sopranos, Mad Men, and, what no doubt landed him this gig, Game of Thrones.

Anyway, here's the trailer!





Looks pretty good to me.  It looks like this one's going to be bigger on superheroics and spectacle, which I felt the first Thor was kind of lacking...got too caught up in powerless Thor stuck on Earth.  And I love that bit at the end with the giant rock monster.  Put me down as cautiously optimistic.

Thor: The Dark World hits theatres on November 8.

Ooo, but before I got, in case you haven't seen this yet, here's some Thor: The Dark World concept art they released a few weeks ago at the San Diego Comic Con.  I think it would make a pretty good movie poster in and of itself.  Ya know, a classic, 1980s-style, hand-painted poster.

One Day Spread Out To Two

The staycation continues, and it will soon be drawing to a close.  Back on Thursday, the true reason for this staycation finally came to pass:  I had a dentist appointment.  Some day, I'll have enough money that I'll be able to take a real vacation instead of just going, "Hey, I've got a doctor's appointment coming up.  How about I take the whole week off to sit around and the house and fret about it?" 

So, I was glad then, that everything went fine at the dentist.  No cavities, Mom!  The dentist, however, did give me his usual sales pitch that I should have my wisdom teeth removed.  I'm reluctant to get them out because, as my dentist informed me, my wisdom teeth are buried pretty deep and close to the nerve, so to get them out will constitute major oral surgery.  Since they're not causing me any pain, and even the dentist says that having them removed would be purely a preventative measure, I figure I'll just live with them.

One hitch with the dentist, though.  My appointment went longer than I expected.  The dentist looked at my file and noticed that it had been a while since I'd had the "complete check-up," so that took longer.  Which meant then that I couldn't see The Wolverine.  I missed the early afternoon shows, and if I stuck around for the late afternoon shows, I wouldn't make my hair appointment back home in Westlock.  Since I'm on vacation with no real plans, I thought, "Well, then, I guess I'll just have to go see The Wolverine tomorrow!" 

But now it was time for lunch.  Rather than my usual fast food haunts, I thought I'd try something new.  A new burger chain from the States is starting to make inroads into Canada, and I'd heard good things about it.  It's called Fatburger.  And, low and behold, there was a Fatburger just down the road from my dentist's office!

I was a little taken aback by Fatburger.  I was expecting a fast food place, but it is more of a sit-down restaurant with waiters and such.  I asked the waitress what she'd recommend for a first-timer, and she suggested the Original Fatburger.  And I got that with bacon and cheese, and made it a combo.  I was not expecting the burger to be that thick.  It was a big burger.  But it was really good.  They had good fries, too.  Again, nice and thick, and not too salty.  I was generally impressed.  Definitely worth a second visit.

Then there were a few places where I went window shopping and browsing.  Popped in at the craft store, Michael's.  I'm not a very crafty fellow, but I am at the age where I figure I should stop taping my posters to the walls like a teenager, and instead framing them and hanging them up.  I've got a stockpile of posters that I'd like to hang, and since Michael's is one of the better places to get poster frames, I stop in from time to time to see if they're having a sale.  Lucky me, they were.  Poster sales were on special, 2-for-1.  And I had two back home that I'd been dying to hang!  So what's now hanging on my wall?

First up, we've got my souvinir poster for Star Wars Identities, when that was at the Telus World of Science back in the spring.

Yeah, at Star Wars Identities, I got the Yoda poster.  I originally wanted the Darth Vader poster, which must have been the most popular, because it was sold out the day I went.  That one had Darth Vader's face formed out of all the various Imperial starships we see in Star Wars.

And the second poster that's now framed and hanging on my walls is this souvinir poster from the London 2012 Olympics.  I'm fond of the Olympics, despite not being a sports fan, and when a friend of mine visited the UK last year, she sent me this poster.

And then from there, I went over to Staples.  I'm in the market for a new printer.  If you're my friend on Facebook, then you've probably seen me lament for the past few months about my printer.  Don't get wrong, it's still a good printer and prints pretty good, but it's now more than 10 years old and they've stopped making the ink cartridges for it.  So I'm being forced to upgrade.  I've had my eye on one of these sharp little 3-in-1 units, that are a printer, scanner, and photocopier all in one.  They've got some pretty good ones for around $80, and I was very, very close to buying one, but I stopped myself.  With all these trips to the city and purchasing of DVDs and such, I figured I'd spent too much money on this staycation.  In fact, my plans for the next few days are to just stay in bed, softly weeping about how broke I am.  Lying in bed and crying is still free, right?

With enough time sufficiently wasted, I was ready to go home and get a haircut.  And then, the next day, one last trip to the city to see The Wolverine!

I rather enjoyed The Wolverine.  Curious about it, too.  Hugh Jackman has made it clear in interviews over the year that the Wolverine solo comics depicting Wolverine's time in Japan are his favourites, so this is the Wolverine story that Jackman has been dying to tell.  And for the most part, the film is pretty good.  It's a lot quieter than the other superhero films out there.  There's more character stuff going on, and with Wolverine's hand-to-hand combat skills, there's not much in the way of big, splashy superpowers on display.  Even the whole "mutant" angle is downplayed, with really, only one other mutant in the film. 

Sadly, though, it does fall victim to a few superhero film cliches, especially at the climax.  Other than that, pretty much liked it.

I've got the complete review on my website, so click on over and check it out.

It was not one of my better moviegoing experiences though.  Like Mr. Loud guy behind me.  The Marvel logo pops up, and he exclaims to his buddies, "Oh, wow!  I didn't know Wolverine was a Marvel character!"  And I guess being surprised by that fact gave him license to offer loud comments on the film for the rest of the running time.  And the two little old ladies in front of me, who didn't quite know what Wolverine's deal was and burst out in hysterical laughter every time Wolverine popped his claws.  "That's so ridiculous, Edith!  He's got knives in his hands!"

And that's how I spent my last couple of days.  I've got a whole long weekend now to bring things to an end, so as long as the sunshine holds out, I may crawl out of bed for some of it.

Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox Review

Hey!  Being on staycation means I've got lots of free time!  And lucky for me, DC Comics and Warner Brothers released their latest DTV animated movie this week!  Let's take a look at...

Justice League:  The Flashpoint Paradox

Directed by Jay Olivia

Starring the voices of Justin Chambers, C. Thomas Howell, Michael B. Jordan, Kevin McKidd, Sam Daly, Dana Delaney, Carey Elwes, Nathan Fillion, Vanessa Marshall, Ron Perlman, and Kevin Conroy.

Backstory:  As I've lamented for the last few movies that DC/WB has pumped out, I'm getting rather sick and tired of all the Superman and Batman stories.  Yeah, I know, they're the only ones that sell well, but give some more of the DC Universe a chance!  Give us another Wonder Woman film!  I've always had a fondness for Captain Marvel...where's his movie?  So when they announced The Flashpoint Paradox as the next film, I was thrilled.  It's based on DC's recent Flashpoint crossover, which led to their New 52 reboot.  And it is very much a Flash-centric story.  I've always had a soft spot for the Flash.  While most DC heroes are getting lost in dark, serious, realistic territory (see Man of Steel and The Dark Knight Trilogy), I've always found the Flash to have that much-lacking sense of fun.  Plus, perhaps the most quirky rouges gallery in the DCU.  So it looked like The Flashpoint Paradox would be the closest we're getting to a Flash movie so far.  Bring it on!

Plot:  Barry Allen wakes up at his desk one day, but the world around him has changed.  Superman doesn't exist, and Cyborg is now the champion of truth, justice, and the American way.  The mugger known as Joe Chill gunned down the young Bruce Wayne, driving his father, Thomas Wayne, to become a darker, gun-wielding version of Batman.  And Europe is currently gripped in a war that threatens to destroy the world, being fought between the Amazons, led by Wonder Woman, and the Atlanteans, led by Aquaman.  Worst of all, Allen realizes that he doesn't have his superpowers, his mother is still alive, and he never became the Flash.  Allen deduces that his arch-enemy, the Reverse-Flash, must have somehow gone back in time and changed history, creating this alternate timeline.   Can the Flash regain his powers, re-unite the Justice League, and set the timeline right?

What I Liked:  Yay, a Flash movie!  Nice to see him taking centre stage.  Justin Chambers, who's apparently one of the sexy doctors on Grey's Anatomy, does a good job of voicing him.  As does his fellow Grey's Anatomy doctor Kevin McKidd, voicing the alternate timeline Thomas Wayne Batman.  And the scale of this movie is huge, as we see the devastated Europe.  Great opening sequence with the Flash fighting his rogues, and a great ending sequence between the Flash and Batman.

What I Didn't Like:  Well, given the stakes in this film, the fun-loving Flash I was hoping for isn't in there.  And at some points, there's almost too much going on to fully process it.  I feel if they cut down on the war stories a little more and focused more on the Flash and his journey, it would have been a little tighter.  And it's bloody!  Ye gods, it's bloody. 

Final Verdict:  A worthy addition to the DC/WB series of films.

3 Nibs

Bonus Features:  Bonus stuff on the Blu-Ray, you get a running commentary with the writers and director, a featurette on the Flash's Rogues Gallery, a featurette on the Flash's use of time travel, four bonus episodes of various DCU cartoons, focusing on the Flash, a digital comic of Flashpoint #1, and a preview of the next film, Justice League: War.

And speaking of the next one, the next trinity of films has been announced:

Justice League:  War - Based on the Justice League storyline "Origin," which the New 52 rebooted origin of the Justice League.

Son of Batman - Based on the Batman storyline "Batman & Son," which introduces Damien Wayne, the long lost son of Bruce Wayne and Talia al Guhl, who eventually becomes the fifth Robin.

Batman:  Assault on Arkham - Based on the best-selling line of Batman: Arkham video games. 

Fishing in the Discount Bin - Star Wars

Welcome back to Fishing in the Discount Bin, my weekly look at one of the many, many films in my movie library.  Today, we get to the most difficult Fishing in the Discount Bin I've ever had to write...Star Wars.  Why is it so difficult?  There is literally nothing to say about Star Wars that hasn't already said.  But still, I try.  This entry is dated in my notes at November 3, 2012.  

Of Little Legos and Giant Robots

Just because I'm on staycation right now, doesn't mean I'm going to stay home the whole time.  I wanted to see the city!  I love how quiet and deserted the malls are on a weekday afternoon, so of course I had to take advantage of it.  But this time out, I was not content for my usual old West Edmonton Mall.  I wanted to see new sites!  I wanted to see new stores!  I was once again making the perilous journey...to the south side!

For those who remember, about a year ago was when I made my last disastrous journey to Edmonton's south side.  I went to a comic book store I used to love, only to find that it had closed down and moved.  By the time I got back to my car, I saw I got my first parking ticket.  So it just sucked all around.  But, there's a notable new shop at Edmonton's Southgate Centre that I wanted to see.  I gathered up my courage, and once again, I was off to the south side.

I've blogged before about how, now that I live closer to the city, I'm still adjusting to the new travel times.  When I left Westlock, I figured I'd be arriving at Southgate Centre just as it opened at 10AM.  But, lo and behold, I got there at 9:30.  I considered waiting in my car and listening to the radio, but when I saw that the mall's doors were open, I figured I'd wait inside.  So, I just hung out in the mall, waiting for all the stores to open.  It was really interesting being in the mall for that half  hour.  There were janitors cleaning up the place.  There were people rushing off to work and getting their stores open.  And there were people just like me, hanging out, waiting for the stores to open.  Most surprising was there was a tai chi course being taught in the mall's halls.  Wandering around, I accidentally stumbled into one.  Such a lively place so early in the morning. 

But the magic hour soon came, and at 10AM, there was clatter throughout the mall as hundreds of stores threw open their shutters.  The shopping was ready to begin!  But before I went to the one shop I wanted to see, there was some other shopping to do.  First stop was HMV.  It was Tuesday, after all...new DVD day.  My planned purchases for that day were G.I. Joe: Retaliation and the latest DC Comics/Warner Brothers straight-to-DVD movie, Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox.  Just perfect for spending the rest of my vacation in front of the TV.

Another thing I recently read about was the Shaw store.  Shaw, the cable TV/satellite/Internet provider, is launching their own chain of retail stores.  Getting my cable TV and Internet from Shaw, I thought I'd stop in and see what this store is all about.  Right away, I was greeted by a very friendly clerk.  After I informed her that I was already a Shaw customer, she started asking me about Shaw's Go Wi-Fi service.  Apparently, what Shaw's doing, is they've created their own network of Wi-Fi hotspots all across the country.  And if you're a Shaw customer, it's free to access these spots.  So the friendly clerk showed me how to get my iPhone on their wi-fi network, and to download their special app to locate the hotspots.  It's pretty neat.  I see most of Westlock's downtown is covered, too, so free wi-fi when I'm out walking.

But with that happy little bonus, it was time for the main reason of my journey.  What brought me back to the south side?  The LEGO Store.

Like many corporations these days, LEGO, the world's favourite building toy, now has their own chain of retail stores.  Edmonton's first, and Alberta's second, opened up in Southgate last month.  Having fond memories of LEGO from my youth, I wanted to check it out. 

Licensed properties really has become LEGO's bread and butter over the past few years.  Basic blocks seem to be non-existent.  The old days of three LEGO themes -- Town, Space, and Castle -- are long gone.  Every LEGO set seems to be based on a movie now.  I was looking at the display of Marvel Comics/Iron Man 3 LEGO sets when one of the friendly clerks approached me and asked if I was a Marvel or a DC guy.  I admitted I was more of a DC guy, and she started directing me to the Man of Steel and Batman LEGO sets.  I told her that I was just there to see the shop out of curiosity, and she let me browse.  Very friendly clerks. 

And of course, I had to see their wall.  When I first heard about the LEGO Store, one of the things that caught my eye was that they sell LEGO bricks in bulk.  Their back wall is covered with bins, and in each bin is a different kind of LEGO brick.  If I remember right, it was like $15 for a small cup, $30 for a large cup, and you can just fill it with whatever bricks you need. So if you're building a scale model of Mt. Edith Cavell in your backyard, the LEGO Store can gladly give you all the bricks you need.

With these stores, they have their own set of exclusives, so I was looking at some of their exclusive LEGO sets.  LEGO really is expanding from being a simple children's building toy to a full-blown hobby, as a lot of their LEGO Store exclusives are incredibly intricate models that run a couple hundred dollars.  I guess that's my main complaint.  I was hoping to get a small LEGO set of ~$10, just as a souvenir of this trip, but there were none in that price range.  Lowest priced one I spotted was $20.  I was thinking about raiding the "build your custom LEGO figures" station (a three-pack of LEGO figures you build yourself runs around $12), but being the middle of summer vacation, and this primarily being a children's toy store, the crowd of 6-year olds around it was pretty thick.  So I left empty-handed.

But it's still free to take pictures!  So I snapped some photos of their LEGO exclusives in their front window.

Here's one of their Lord of the Rings exclusives, Saruman's Tower.

And here's the upscale Town LEGO movie theatre:

And with that, I'd seen everything I'd wanted to see at Southgate Centre.  Creature of habit that I am, I was on the freeway, back to the west, and off to West Edmonton Mall.  Nothing I love more than a lunch at the food court.  Sadly, though, my food court lunches have been thrown into a lurch lately.  Creature of habit that I am, I'd usually hit the Taco Bell.  But, the Taco Bell has recently closed.  Hitting the food court is now is like the days of my youth that I once blogged about:  the freedom to have anything.  When Mom would slip me $10 and say, "Get whatever you want!"  The choices I have, now that one of my habits has died.  I was craving poutine, so I hit New York Fries.  And I had regular poutine, not their designer poutines with pulled pork or butter chicken or all that.

Made a quick stop at Chapters, as there's a book out that I wanted to get my hands on.  My hero, "Weird Al" Yankovic, is the latest celebrity who's trying his hand at writing children's books, and he just released his second, entitled My New Teacher and Me!  So, of course, I had to get a copy for my shrine to all things Al. 

And then, movie time!  What film was I off to see?  Well, who can resist the appeal of giant monsters and giant robots that is Pacific Rim?  I had one last free movie pass kicking around that I wanted to use, so I went up to the clerk and presented it.  "Are you sure you want to use that?" the clerk asked.  "It's hot ticket Tuesday.  Tickets are 40% off today."  I was taken aback.  I didn't know the Cineplex chain had brought back Hot Ticket Tuesday.  I used my free pass anyway, because if I didn't, it would get stuck to my fridge and unused for another year.

So how was Pacific Rim, the giant monsters vs. giant robots movie from the director of the Hellboy movies?  I thought it was OK.  I'm not going crazy for it the way most of the Internet is.  Near the end, I started realizing that it's pretty much just Independence Day, if giant monsters were the aliens' weapon of choice.  And on top of that, I know it makes the CGI easier, but why do all the fights take place in the rain at night? 

That being said, GIANT MONSTERS VS. GIANT ROBOTS!  It was fun. 

My complete review is up, so swing by my main website and check it out.

And that was one day of my staycation.  I'll probably be doing more stuff as the week goes on, because there's so much left to do! 

Jem and the Flintstones

So, a few weeks ago, after I discovered that I'd watched every known episode of Robot Chicken twice thanks to my PVR, I thought it was time to stop recording it and replace it with something else.  That's when I noticed that TeleToon Retro was showing the first episode of Jem.  Since the beginning is a perfect jumping-on point, I decided to start watching Jem.

For those who've forgotten this gem of the 1980s (pun completely intentional), Jem follows the adventures of Jerrica Benton, president and CEO of Starlight Music.  She also runs the charity Starlight House, a foster home for orphaned girls.  But by night, Jerrica becomes Jem, the world's greatest and most beloved pop star.  She accomplishes this transformation through Synergy, a sentient AI developed by her father that changes her appearance though highly realistic holograms, using the holographic projects concealed in her earrings.

Only three others share this secret:  her bandmates Kimber, Aja, and Shana.  (And Raya starting in season 2.)  As a "wink wink, nudge nudge" to how Jerrica transforms into Jem, they name their band the Holograms.

The typical episode follows Jerrica/Jem as she balances her dual identity and battles with rival band the Misfits for top 40 supremacy.  While the Misfits do it though lying, cheating, and all manner of dirty tricks, Jem and the Holograms do it through kindness, generosity, and fair play, and always win the day.  (I was going to say honesty, too, but because of the whole dual identity thing, that makes honesty kind of hypocritical.)

I was going to wait until I'd seen the entire series before jotting down my thoughts on it, but I saw one episode recently that's been sticking with me.  It's called Glitter and Gold.  This must be one that troubles Jem fans.  I remember back in the early days of the Internet, my best friend (a much bigger Jem fan than I) was on one of the first Jem message boards, and they were already deconstructing this episode.

The episode opens with Jerrica hard at work, supervising some of Starlight Music's new acts, and the tabloids are still posing the question, "Where is Jem?"  Apparently, Jem hasn't been seen in some time, and the Jem and the Holograms haven't put out an album in "forever," as one character puts it.  And whenever someone questions Jerrica about the whereabouts of Jem, she gets testy and quick to change the subject.

Right there, I want to see the "Jem No More" story.  I want to see what happened that made Jerrica decide Jem needed to disappear for a while. 

We do get some hints of this when Jerrica converses with Synergy for some advice.  Turns out she gave Jem a break because she was actually getting jealous of Jem and all the fame and attention she receives.  "I know it sounds strange, but I'm actually jealous of myself," she confides.  And this jealousy is personified in Rio.  Oh, did I not mention Rio?  Rio is Jerrica's boyfriend, and Jem's road manager.  While trying to stay faithful to Jerrica, Rio finds himself mysteriously drawn to Jem, especially when Jem occasionally returns his advances.  As the series goes on, you'll eventually see there's no logical reason for Jerrica to keep her dual identity a secret from Rio.  And, at this moment, she starts to think that way.  She has Synergy whip up a holographic simulation of Rio so she can practice revealing her true identity.  The simulation ends with Rio losing his shit and going on an angry rant about how he doesn't like liars.  Jerrica, assuring herself that this is just a simulation, resolves to tell Rio the truth.

Meanwhile, Kimber of the Holograms, absent-mindedly made two different dates with two different guys at the same time.  The two guys start brawling, and interrupt Jerrica and Rio's tender moment.  Once they get to the bottom of things, Rio goes off on Kimber about how he doesn't like liars, and his angry rant is pretty much exactly the same as Synergy's simulation.  Traumatized by this, Jerrica changes her mind about revealing her true identity, and this frustrates Rio and he storms off, being sure to kick over a houseplant on his way out to express his anger.

Back in the plot, this big chain of record stores has announced its annual "Glitter and Gold" contest.  Whichever band is the first to have an album go gold though this chain of stores wins.  The Misfits are already in the contest, but with Jem MIA, there's currently no other pop star that can offer realistic competition.   Jerrica and the Holograms show up to pitch some other Starlight Music bands for the contest, but before they go in, they overhear the Misfits going on and on about how overrated Jem was anyway, and how Jerrica must be a pretty crappy manager for driving the #1 pop star in the world into hiding.  Still angry with Rio, and hearing both of her good names being trashed by the Misfits, Jerrica can't stand it anymore.  She Hulks out, transforming herself into Jem, and announcing that Jem and the Holograms will be competing against the Misfits in the Glitter and Gold competition.

Jem and the Holograms quickly pump out a new album.  Wanting to make sure that they get into the competition without a hitch, Jerrica personally supervises the final shipment of albums.  But the Misfits' hired goons show up to hijack said shipment, and Jerrica is saved by Rio, leading to their reconcilliation.  And Rio assures Jerrica by saying, "Just because I get angry sometimes, doesn't mean I don't stop caring."

And see, this is why this episode is sticking with me.  I'm no relationship expert, but doesn't this just seem like all the hallmarks of an abusive relationship?  He gets mad at her, punches around the furniture, and then comes back with bullshit like, "Hey, even though you make me do these horrible things, I still love you."  Maybe that's why Jerrica keeps her dual identity from Rio:  she's developing a split personality to deal with the abuse.

And then the rest of the episode follows the Glitter and Gold contest as Jem and the Holograms and the Misfits watch the album sales to see which of their albums will be the first to go gold.  It all comes down to the wire, with all the stores in the chain selling out, and Jem and the Misfits are tied at 499,999.  Rio tries to make the grand romantic gesture by buying the final Jem album, but he's disqualified for being a Starlight Music employee.  We then get a fake-out when a customer buys one of each album.  The next album sold will be the tiebreaker.  But there's only Misfits albums left!  So Rio quickly returns his album so there's a Jem album back on the shelves.  The Misfits hard-sell tactics backfire, the final Jem album is sold, Jem and the Holograms win, and Jerrica/Jem has resolved her dual identity for another week.

This episode is just very unusual, especially in the way it tries to develop the Jem/Jerrica/Rio love triangle.  As I said, Rio just comes across as an abusive jerk, which adds a somewhat disturbing element.  Other than that, the final Glitter and Gold competition just seems, well, typical of the stuff on the show.  I don't know man, it's just...weird.

---

There's two TV shows I was literally raised on.  And what I mean by that is they were on at the same time, every day, and I watched them at the same time, every day, from my earliest conscious memories of television to when I became a legal adult at age 18.  And those two TV shows are The Flintstones and M*A*S*H. 

About 10 years ago, semi-delirious with the flu, I jotted down that The Flintstones was the greatest TV series ever made, and if they ever released it on DVD, I'd totally buy it.  So a couple of weeks ago, I saw that Amazon.ca's Deal of the Day was The Flintstones: The Complete Series, for the low, low price of $40.  I could not say no to that.  I know own every episode of The Flintstones.  It arrived back on Friday, and I spent a good portion of my weekend watching random episodes of The Flintstones.

Some of the ones I watched:

The Drive-In - Sick and tired of workin' for the Man, Fred and Barney quit their jobs and go into business for themselves, buying a drive-in restaurant.  But of course, they have to keep this from Wilma and Betty until they start making money at it, cuz they know they'd freak out.  But of course, Wilma and Betty grow suspicious when Fred and Barney start auditioning young women for Water Buffalo play.  In reality, they're hiring waitresses.  Who sing and dance.  Who doesn't love this song?



The Hit Songwriters - Another episode I remember fondly because of the music.  Fred, sick and tired of workin' for the Man, is inspired by the love poems that Barney writes for Betty, and tries to turn them into hit songs.  Bring in a cameo by legendary composer Hoagy Carmichael to help bring Fred's idea to fruition, and we do get a good song.  As Mr. Carmichael tells Fred at the end of the episode, only one out of every 5000 published songs becomes a bonafide hit.

Little Bamm Bamm - The one where the Rubbles adopt Bamm Bamm.  There's a surprisingly large amount of drama in this episode.  Jealous of all the attention the Rubbles lavish on Pebbles, Fred angrily tells them to "get their own baby."  The Rubbles head home, and have a tearful conversation in which it's heavily implied that they can't have children.  They wish upon a falling star for a child of their own, and the next morning, Bamm Bamm has been left on their doorstep.  Thrilled that they have a child of their own, but knowing that they have to do this properly and legally, the Rubbles take Bamm Bamm down to child services to see about adopting him.  Child services takes Bamm Bamm, and after all the necessary paperwork, decide to adopt out Bamm Bamm to the billionaire Stonyfellers.  Betty and Barny decide to fight this in court, but they're horrified when the Stonyfellers hire ace lawyer "Perry Masonry."  (I once read one TV critic write that what made The Flintstones so famous in its day was it was one of the first shows to do pop culture references.)  The Rubbles lose, and Barney walks away, suicidal.  However, at the end of the case, Mr. Stonyfeller reveals that his wife is pregnant.  This news causes the Stonyfellers to relinquish their claim to Bamm Bamm, leaving the Rubbles free to adopt him.  Fred stops Barney right before he attempts suicide, the Rubbles adopt Bamm Bamm, and they live happily ever after!  Seeing a suicidal Barney is somewhat shocking, and there's a lot of pathos.  And that makes it a stand-out episode.

So, yeah.  There's going to be lots of Flintstones ramblings in the near future.