A bunch of Joe news

Over the past little while there has been a bunch of great G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra news and I simply haven't had time to share it with you. But trust me this is all just awesome stuff.

Especially the biggest most awesomest news of all. There's a new G.I. Joe animation on the way!!! No word exactly on whether the series will be on tv, on the web, or just sold on dvd but it sounds fantastic! Taking a cue from Clone Wars, this Joe series, called G.I. Joe: Resolute, will be a microseries, consisting of ten, 5 minute episodes, and one, 10 minute season finale episode. So all told we're talking about 60 minutes of Joe action. As you can imagine this might be a difficult product to find a place for on regular television. But honestly I just don't care because it sounds great. The always excellent Joe resource Hisstank.com has a great breakdown of the sneak peak that was recently shown at the New York Licensing Fair. The show will be PG-13 and aims to be exactly what we've always wanted from our Joe cartoon. The action will be intense, people will die, and the characters will be badass. Read the full report at Hisstank.

I am very excited by this news if you couldn't tell. The past few Joe outings in animation haven't been too great. I am decidedly NOT a fan of Sigma 6, and as for the direct to dvd fare, while Spy Troops was alright (mostly due to the awesome Shipwreck centric story), Valor vs Venom was extremely weak, and if anyone out there other than me has seen Ninja Battles, you know it was like they weren't even trying... Hasbro claims that this new series isn't about trying to make a ton of money for the company, its about being creative, doing something we all want, and increasing the brand presence before the live action movie gets into gear next summer. Great stuff.

The next piece of Joe news is also awesome. Remember back at the beginning of the year when they were just starting to cast the Joe movie? It was reported then that veteran British stage actor David Murray would be playing Destro in the film, but then quickly due to some VISA issues he had to drop out and was replaced by everyone's favorite 9th Doctor Who, Christopher Eccleston. Well it now appears that Murray is back in the film, and no he's not replacing Eccleston, he's actually in the film playing another Destro! The original Destro to be exact, According to IESB, he will portray the character James McCullen the 1st, the ancestor to the current day tyrant and arms dealer. He will be the first of the clan to wear the iron mask.... Which means, that we are definitely going to be getting flashbacks into Destro's family history! Awesome. I only vaguely remember that episode of A Real American Hero where they told this story, but it always stood out in my mind as extremely cool. And everyone knows Destro is the most badass of all the villains. This is exactly the kind of thing I want of my G.I. Joe movie.

In other Joe movie news, it seems that Brendan Fraser was not exactly clear before when talking about his cameo role in the Joe film. Instead of playing Gung Ho, Fraser recently told the Winnipeg Sun that he is actually playing Rock & Roll. AND he'll be riding by us on the classic Joe vehicle, the three wheeled motorcycle called the RAM.

Next up is a bit of ancillary news that's sure to make some people very happy. As you probably know, IDW recently got the license to make a new G.I. Joe comic book line. The question among the fan community was how would they handle the original Marvel continuity or the more recent and affecting Devil's Due stories? Also, what about the rumors that Joe comic legend Larry Hama himself would be involved... Well IDW editor-in-chief Chris Ryall has directly answered the fans questions on their message board, check via IESB, and he says they've made the decision to start fresh in terms of continuity. He gives a long and very well thought out response to the question though, and I think brings up valid points. They respect everything that's come before of course, but they will treat this as something of a reboot, he calls it G.I. Joe: A New Beginning, which I think is kind of sweet. Also he confirmed that Larry Hama will in fact be working on the book, which is simply the best possible news for everyone. And he even notes that IDW will now have republishing rights to the old Marvel and DDP stories, so hopefully we'll get some more of those hard to find trades on the shelves. The first issue #0 will come out this October, followed by #1 in January.

Finally, onto the bread and butter of the Joe franchise, the toys. Well, in a somewhat historic move, Hasbro is finally letting an outside company take a crack at a 12" Joe line, and thankfully it's Sideshow Collectibles. After the notable work they did over the years on the 12" Star Wars figures, really bringing that size of doll back into vogue there's really no one else I would think of for this kind of job. Check out Sideshow's two excellent behind the scenes videos on the making this new venture and what approach they're taking, followed by a look specifically at their Snake Eyes figure, here and here. So far Snake Eyes is the only one on sale, and the exclusive version is sold out, but you can own the regular version yourself for a mere $120... ok, maybe that's a bit steep, but he is pretty damn cool.

Remember everyone, G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra hits theaters August 7th, 2009. It's gonna be big! And hopefully we'll get more details on the new series soon as well. Stay turned. For a little final Joe fun, check this out :)
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G.I. Joe broad strokes hint at detail

The G.I. Joe movie has started filming and I for one couldn't be happier. The cast looks great, and it's one of the few properties from my childhood that I feel has really legitimately held up to the test of time. Granted some of the updates are a bit silly, if you read in my Wondercon post, I recently picked up a bootleg of the G.I. Joe Extreme 90s cartoon, and it is hilariously bad. Still, that aside, as you should all know, I love the property and I think this film will be great. Just look at that sweet revamped logo up above. Nice work :)

While at New York's Toy Fair '08, Hasbro's COO and exec producer on both the Transformers, and G.I. Joe films Brian Goldner, talked with MTV about some of the broad strokes involved with the film. But those broad strokes hinted at much more. Check out the full interview here if you like. He mentioned a number of interesting things about the film. The following is minorly spoilerish stuff, nothing too bad but you have been warned...

First and foremost, while Goldner made a point to reference and note specifics from the Real American Hero tv series, as well as the even older original 12 inch line of Joe toys, this story, which he claims will chart the rise of Cobra Commander will be mostly based on the initial 155 issue Marvel comic run on the franchise. To that end Goldner confirmed that Joe godfather Larry Hama is indeed working on the film in a hands on consultant capacity, and will be even making a cameo in the film.

He also really wanted to address how the American patriotism angle has not, as was reported, been dialed down. Duke is going to be the archetype. He is as American as the original grunt with the kung fu grip. This will be about an American team, and yes it will feature The Pit; but it's not just a story about that. This is a sweeping, globe trotting adventure, that takes place as Goldner mentioned in as varied locations as the deserts, mountains, cities, and even underwater. And of course, this is why Stephen Sommers is such a good choice for the film. His track record on The Mummy franchise follows that same adventurous spirit. That same, classic 1960s James Bond vs Spectre feel.

That was about all he said, but hey what could you expect. From there though I stumbled across an actual account of the sneak peek presentation Goldner was giving at Toy Fair. The report, which is moderately spoiler filled, can be read HERE. As should be expected from a Hasbro executive, it focused more on the toys than the film itself, but there were definitely some really interesting details in here too.

Firstly, the Joe toys based on the movie will be the 3 1/4" size of the Real American Hero line, that I grew up with. So thats great news in my books. But also, most of the vehicles we will see in the film, and in toy version, are not exactly as you remember them. During his presentation Goldner reminded the audience how G.I. Joe was always trying to be about 10 years ahead of current military technology, just slightly into the realm of science fiction. Well despite the unfortunate lack of BATs or lazer guns in the everyday world, the filmmakers, and consequently toy makers have kept that 10 year rule of thumb alive with both new vehicles and updates on the ones we remember and love.

For a full list just go check out the report, but there are a few I wanted to mention specifically. Sharcs play a major role in the film, which is great because it was by far my favorite everyday vehicle used on the tv show, and this makes sense as from whats been implied there will be a major fight sequence underwater in the movie. Of course speaking of classics, the Night Raven has to be in there too. The last big one to me is finally seeing Destro's M.A.R.S. base, which sounds like an awesome location that I'll be really excited to see on film.

The report continues with it's interpretation of what Goldner presented as the story for the film. According to him, "The film centers around a speechless Snake Eyes (Ray Park) and Storm Shadow (Byung-Hun Lee) and the female roles of The Baroness (Sienna Miller) and Scarlett (Rachel Nichols) play huge roles equal to if not more important then Destro (Chris Eccleston) and Duke (Channing Tatum)." Interesting eh? Makes me wonder if maybe that recent blonde haired picture of Sienna Miller as The Baroness was from a flashback or something. And if they're going so far into her backstory that we will really get to see that kind of thing.

The film is being designed to be as accessible as possible, with time given to develop backstory for the Joe team, Cobra, and M.A.R.S., which obviously makes sense. The studio wants this to be the start of a long and lucrative franchise, with most of the actors already signed on for 3 picture deals. Relying on nostalgia and he very specific and targeted group of people like me, probably won't make them boatloads of cash...

Finally despite Dennis Quaid 's contention in recent interviews that fan favorites like Shipwreck, Wild Bill and the Crimson Twins would not be in the film, the report says that there will be LOTS of opportunity for these fan favorites to pop up in any of the numerous large scale battle scenes in the background. Just because they're not focused on in this film doesn't mean they can't play a bigger role in the next one.

So I guess we're looking at some pretty solid continuing developments on the G.I. Joe front. Its great news that the film is rolling, and I'm definitely looking forward to more on this as it develops. G.I. Joe is scheduled to release on August 7th, 2009.
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Hasbro partners with Universal

Just this past week, Hasbro signed an exclusive deal with Universal Studios to bring a number of it's properties to the big screen. No not Transformers, or G.I. Joe, those are already taken, but a heap of other stuff has fallen into Universals grubby little paws with this deal. Whether they can actually make something of it is another story.

With a first film proposed to hit theaters in 2010 or 2011 Universal will release at least one Hasbro film a year thereafter. Universal is still working out which property will be the first to hit theaters, but speculation is leaning towards a Monopoly movie, or perhaps something tied into Ouija. Already somewhat in the works, Michael Bay's Platinum Dune company has signed on as producers for the Ouija film, and Ridley Scott is currently in negotiations to be involved in a Monopoly movie.

I know, sounds kinds crazy right? I mean yes I understand there was a pretty funny Clue movie made once upon a time, but really?! I mean really?!!? is this what we've come to... I get that you can probably make money off of most anything, but for every Pirates of the Caribbean, there's also a Haunted Mansion or a Country Bears. Are we really going down this route with Hasbro?

Lets just have a gander through Hasbro's property catalog shall we... These are one that stand out to me as popular, interesting, or things that would be just funny as a film. Obviously there are some things like Spider-Man which Hasbro makes toys for that are licensed properties and probably aren't included in this deal. That said Habsro owns A LOT, with Kenner, Tonka, Galoob, Playskool and more as various subsidiary companies. Battle Beasts (you know how I feel about this, might be a license though), Easy Bake Oven, Jem and the Holograms (maybe licensed), Lite-Brite, Mr Potato Head (you know this one is definitely coming), and Spirograph, Of course, most of the articles I've read on this mention specifically the Stretch Armstrong property... and a number of board games. As Hasbro is the worlds biggest board game manufacturer, owning the Parker Bros, Milton Bradley, Avalon Hill brands. Some of their most popular agmes include: Candyland (I would let Tim Burton direct this one), Magic: The Gathering, Risk, Battleship, Scrabble, Jenga, and the Dungeons & Dragons franchise.

Crap, they really own a ton of properties.... Well, maybe this isn't such a weird deal, it just sounds weird. I think maybe we'll just have to look at this on a case by case basis. Does the world really need Play Doh: the movie? Maybe I'm not the one who should say... One thing is for sure though, we can look for developments from this deal to hit screens for years to come.
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Cloverfield monster up close

Did you see Cloverfield and wonder, how the fuck does that thing actually move? I mean yes the monster is fast, and you can tell its got legs, and a lot of mouth and a big asss body, but even though I personally felt pretty satisfield by the end of the film, that I had actually seen enough of the monster, thats still a ways off from having a firm grasp on a full picture...

Well here's your chance now. The online Hasbro toy shop has a number of pictures of their $99 Cloverfield monster toy for your viewing pleasure. Although I'm not sure why the heck the toy is all white grey color when throughout most of the film it seems more brown grey. Regardless, you still get that final full body shot you've been looking for.

In case for some reason you still haven't seen the film, and don't want to be spoiled. Not that I think its in theaters anymore, I won't actually post the picture here. But please CLICK HERE to check out the pics, and of course if you so desire: purchase.

In case you don't want to look, but would like to know, the figure features:

• - 70 points of articulation and incredible life-like detail
• - Authentic sound
• - 14” tall
• - 10 parasites
• - Two interchangeable heads
• - Statue of Liberty head accessory
• - Special Cloverfield collector’s edition packaging

I think it looks pretty sweet... too bad it's so pricey.
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WonderCon returns

The time for WonderCon has once again come upon to San Francisco, and since I'm not planning on attending Comic Con in San Diego this year I had intended for WonderCon to sustain me. Unfortunately due to a few scheduling blunders which I am not thrilled about it looks like I might only get one full day at the convention. As usual the con is held over a weekend, (this one the 02/22 - 02/24) but I can't get the Friday off of work, and we already have plans for Sunday, including I hope an Oscar party. So it looks like Saturday might be my one big shot. Granted the program for Saturday Feb 23rd, looks pretty darn sweet.

Here's what I've picked out for Saturday that caught my eye. Obviously I can't go to everything, and most likely will stick mostly to the Hall A film panels, but I also intend to do a little shopping, my goal is to get a couple of books I've been missing for a while. And spend a little time just wandering the convention floor. So check out what I've got to work with:

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12:00-1:00 Warner Bros.: 10,000 B.C., Get Smart - Warner Bros. presents two of its most eagerly awaited films in this exclusive panel only at WonderCon!

10,000 B.C. is the epic adventure of a sweeping odyssey into a mythical age of prophesies and gods, when spirits ruled the land and mighty mammoths shook the earth! Director Roland Emmerich and stars Steven Strait and Camilla Belle appear live on the WonderCon stage to discuss this fantasy film, which opens March 7.

Get Smart features Maxwell Smart on a mission to thwart the latest plot for world domination by the evil crime syndicate known as KAOS. Director Peter Segal is joined by stars Steve Carell (Maxwell Smart), and Anne Hathaway (Agent 99), to talk live about this highly anticipated comedy, coming to the big screen on June 20.
- Hall A

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1:00-2:00 Disney: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian and WALL•E - One year later for the Pevensie siblings. 1,300 years later in Narnia. The enchanted characters of C.S. Lewis' timeless fantasy come to life again in this second installment of the beloved book series, where a thrilling, perilous new adventure and all-new creatures and challenges await the Pevensie siblings. Watch exclusive new film footage from this epic adventure series! A very special guest will be on hand to introduce the footage and participate in an audience Q&A.

In WALL•E: The year is 2700. WALL•E, a robot, spends every day doing what he was made for. But soon, he will discover what he was meant for. From Academy Award®-winning director, Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo), WALL•E is the story of one robot's comic adventures as he chases his dream across the galaxy. Meet director Andrew Stanton as he presents exclusive new footage of Disney-Pixar's next adventure!
- Hall A

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1:30-3:00 Comics Podcasting Extravaganza— Want go behind the scenes of the most innovative and new form of comics entertainment? Podcasts are the new way to get all the latest scoops, interviews and opinions in and about comic books. We've got a star-studded lineup featuring some of the leading podcasters to tell you what it's really like to churn out hours of podcasting entertainment on a weekly basis. Comics writer/artist and panel moderator Rick Remender (Fear Agent) talks with panelists Lene Taylor and Logan Hall (I Read Comics), Ron Richards, Josh Flanagan and Conor Kilpatrick (iFanboy), Bryan Deemer (Comic Geek Speak), Jimmy Aquino (Comics News Insider), and Christopher Neseman (Around Comics).
- Room 220

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2:00-3:15 20th Century Fox: The X-Files and Shutter - The truth is out there, again—finally! A new motion picture based on the phenomenally popular, award-winning series The X-Files is in production. David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson—making their first-ever joint convention appearance—join director-writer-producer Chris Carter and writer-producer Frank Spotnitz to share their thoughts about the long-awaited film, and answer your questions.

Next, Joshua Jackson, Transformers' Rachael Taylor and Heroes' James Kyson Lee bring you a first look at the new horror/thriller Shutter, from executive producers of The Grudge and The Ring. They'll present special footage and answer your questions about the film, which, through its portrayal of the underground world of spirit photography, reveals that the most terrifying images are the ones that are real. Shutter opens everywhere March 21.
- Hall A

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2:00-3:00 Cartoon Network: Chowder - Join Carl Greenblat, the creator of the hit animated show Chowder, as he screens a very special episode and takes questions from the audience. It’s almost a full hour of culinary goodness, so you don’t want to miss this opportunity to ask such questions as, "What’s it like working for Cartoon Network?", "Aren’t you the voice of Fred Fredburger?", and "Just what the heck is Chowder, anyway?"
- Room 204/206

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3:00-4:00 The Spectacular Spider-Man: First Episode Premiere and Panel - Be among the first to see the series-opening episode of The Spectacular Spider-Man, a Culver Entertainment production coming to Kids' WB! on The CW on March 8. Get the Spidey sense behind the creative vision of the series from supervising producer Greg Weisman (Gargoyles), producer/supervising director Victor Cook (Hellboy: Blood and Iron), character designer Sean "Cheeks" Galloway (Hellboy animated films), and the new voice of Spider-Man, Josh Keaton (The Young & The Restless). Michael Vogel from Sony Pictures Television Animation will moderate.
- Room 104

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3:15-4:00 New Line Cinema: Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay - Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay marks the triumphant return of the two hilarious, slacker anti-heroes. The movie stars John Cho (as Harold) and Kal Penn (as Kumar), on an irreverent and epic journey of deep thoughts and a wild trip around the world that is as "un-PC" as it gets. New Line Cinema will show exclusive footage from the film and star John Cho, along with writers and directors Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, will be there to discuss the film.
- Hall A

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4:00-5:00 Paramount: Iron Man - Paramount Pictures and Marvel Entertainment present Marvel Studios' Iron Man, starring Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges, Shaun Toub and Gwyneth Paltrow. The film's director, Jon Favreau, will appear live on the WonderCon stage to discuss bringing the Marvel Comics superhero to the big screen.
- Hall A

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4:00-5:00 Spotlight on J. Michael Straczynski - Writer, producer and director—and WonderCon special guest—J. Michael Straczynski comes off a busy year that saw him end a ground-breaking run on Amazing Spider-Man, and start his news series, The Twelve in comics. He wrote, produced, and directed the latest installment of the Bablyon 5 saga, Lost Tales, and he wrote three movies in 2007, The Changeling, Goliath: The Story of David, and World War Z. We’re guessing he’ll have LOTS to talk about and you’ll have just as many questions!
- Room 104

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4:30-5:30 TOKYOPOP and the Jim Henson Company Present Legends of The Dark Crystal and Return to Labyrinth - Last year, TOKYOPOP made waves among Jim Henson fans with their release of the debut volume of Legends of The Dark Crystal, an exciting manga prequel to Henson's classic fantasy film. Last year also saw the release of the second volume of Return to Labyrinth, TOKYOPOP and The Jim Henson Company's acclaimed manga sequel to Labyrinth. Join editor Tim Beedle and Return to Labyrinth writer Jake Forbes as they discuss the future of these two exciting series, provide insight on expanding Jim Henson's fantasy universes and preview art from upcoming volumes. As a special bonus, all panel attendees will receive a free Legends of The Dark Crystal poster.
- Room 220

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4:30-5:30 Animation Story Break ("Wait, does it HAVE to be a story?") - Go behind the scenes as writers take an idea for an animated superhero story from one-sentence premise all the way to a full-blown beginning, middle, and end. Then the real fun begins with audience participation! The crack writing staff features Charlotte Fullerton (Kim Possible), Michael Jelenic (The Batman), Dwayne McDuffie (Static Shock), and Matt Wayne (Justice League Unlimited). Moderated by Eugene Son (Storm Hawks). Expect laughter and tears - mostly the latter.
- Room 236/238

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5:00-6:00 Inside Lucasfilm with Steve Sansweet - It’s not over yet! With Star Wars: The Clone Wars television series hot on the horizon, not to mention all the other events and projects in the works at Lucasfilm, Steve Sansweet, the entertainment company’s head of fan relations, will have much to share at WonderCon. Sansweet’s presentation will be the first on his 2008 convention circuit, so look for fresh news and glimpses into all the Star Wars excitement to come.
- Hall A

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5:00-6:00 VERTIGO: Edgy and Evocative - With books like Fables, DMZ, American Virgin, Northlanders and more, VERTIGO continues the critical success of its monthly books with even more surprises up its sleeve in 2008! Come hear Bob Schreck, group editor—VERTIGO, Becky Cloonan (American Virgin), Steve Leialoha (Fables), Bill Willingham (Fables, Jack of Fables), and Brian Wood (DMZ, Northlanders), discuss their books and find out why VERTIGO is THE imprint for discerning readers.
- Room 104

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5:00-5:30 Sneak Preview of Starship Troopers: Marauder - The bugs are back! Writer/director Ed Neumeier (Robocop) and action star Casper Van Dien (Starship Troopers) host the world premiere of the trailer from the action-packed continuation of the Starship Troopers franchise, coming this summer from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment!
- Room 204/206


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5:30-6:00 Sneak Preview of Gabriel - First-time writer-director-producer Shane Abbess and leading man Andy Whitfield ("All Saints") introduce the Australian sci-fi thriller Gabriel to American audiences. Filmmaker and star will screen clips and answer questions from the crowd on this upcoming release from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
- Room 204/206

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6:00-8:00 WORLD PREMIERE! Justice League: The New Frontier - Witness the formation of the greatest fighting force in the history of comics at the WonderCon exclusive world premiere of Justice League: The New Frontier, the highly-anticipated DC Universe made-for-DVD release presented by Warner Premiere, Warner Home Video, Warner Bros. Animation and DC Comics. Inspired by Darwyn Cooke's best-selling DC Comics graphic novel, Justice League: The New Frontier features an all-star cast of characters and their all-celebrity voices, including Green Lantern/David Boreanaz (Bones, Angel), The Flash/Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother), Superman/Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks, Desperate Housewives), Wonder Woman/Lucy Lawless (Xena, Warrior Princess), Batman/Jeremy Sisto (Law & Order), Martian Manhunter/Miguel Ferrer (Bionic Woman), Carol Ferris/Brooke Shields (Lipstick Jungle) and King Faraday/Phil Morris (Smallville, Sarah Connor Chronicles). The film is rated PG-13 for action violence, and will be available to own on February 26. Immediately following the premiere, DC Comics' Gregory Noveck will moderate a panel that includes story originator Darwyn Cooke, executive producer/director Bruce Timm (Superman Doomsday), director David Bullock (Legion of Super Heroes), supervising director Michael Goguen (The Batman), writer Stan Berkowitz (The Batman), voice director Andrea Romano and, with a little luck, members of the voice cast. And remember … DC Universe animated film panels usually end with a glimpse of the future … and this time, it's an altogether new vision for a fan favorite!
- Hall A

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So thats all I caught on the programming schedule for the Saturday, what do you guys think is essential? Any one of those that I just absolutely should not miss?

I'm pretty annoyed that I'm not going to be there on Friday, as I'm missing a Bill Willingham talk, a Farscape panel (like seriously one of my favorite shows ever), a writing panel with JMS, the Wanted panel with guest James McAvoy, and the New Line panel featuring the new Journey to the Center of the Earth film. On Sunday it looks like I'll be missing out on such gems as a Tim Sale panel, 'from fan to creator' a goal setting workshop, the Fables panel, and a Terminator Sarah Connor Chronicles panel... sigh...


I should just be happy with all the cool stuff I will get to see, and try not to stress about the stuff I can't. besides having an Oscar party is a good idea. And hey, from what there is listed above I'm sure it will be a really fun day no matter what.
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Abomination: the toy

While this isn't exactly the same as a sneak peek of the character from the actual film, it definitely gives you a solid idea of how the Abomination, played by Tim Roth, will look in this summers upcoming Incredible Hulk film.

Care of Superherohype! check out this picture of some action figures planned for the film. Click to enlarge...

The Incredible Hulk opens on June 13th '08.
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A final Cloverfield update... for now

It seems despite my strange and slightly hesitant enthusiastic endorsement of Cloverfield it looks like the masses have spoken. This film is a hit. Unqualified success. A monster movie smack dab 'on the map' as it were. ComingSoon reports that Cloverfield earned a whopping $46 million in it's four day opening weekend, shattering the previous MLK holiday weekend record set by Blak Hawk Down of $33 mil, and ultimately went on to score the biggest opening in January ever. And Paramount is thrilled lauding Cloverfield, and specifically its viral marketing campaign, as Vice Chairman Rob Moore said "this movie defines what we want to do at Paramount." High praise, but considering these are the kind of numbers any studio would be proud of in the summertime, it's well earned.

And what of the future? Are we going to get more Cloverfield? A sequel perhaps? I mean, I know the movie just came out, but I have to think they're considering it in light of its success. I'm sorry I can't find the interview now, but I know I read somewhere J.J. Abrams or director Matt Reeves saying how they'd kicked a few ideas around during post production, but nothing has been set in stone yet. If I remember correctly they were talking more about what it would be like to film the same attack, and tell the same story from another group of characters perspectives. Anyhow, I'm sure Paramount will be on top of that as soon as humanly possible.

One thing I didn't mention in my review is that if you do go and see Cloverfield there is one little easter egg sitting right at the end of the credits. So if you are going, I encourage you to stay until the very end. For me though I went and saw the easter egg and was still confused. So if like me you wanted to understand that treat better, just click on this link to reveal the BIG SPOILER. I encourage you not to look if you haven't seen the film yet though.

As a well timed license, probably with the dvd release, Hasbro has listed on their toyshop webpage that they will be offering what sound like a fantastic Cloverfield movie monster toy featuring a huge 70 points of articulation. The 14" tall toy will also come with some great accessories like the Statue of Liberty head, and should be available around the beginning of October. Just in time for Christmas, which is maybe a good thing as the one downside to the toy is the hefty pricetag of $99... anyone up for a group gift?

My final note on Cloverfield, is regarding the Slusho video contest. I have to suspect that I did NOT in fact win one of the top 5 spots, as no one has called me and the contest winners should've been notified by this past Friday. The Slusho website has been updated to say that the winners have been chosen and we should await their appearance online soon. The only odd thing about the whole shenanigan is that no one has stepped forward to tell the waiting throngs of fans that they have won. Or at least no one has said anything on the two best fan sites I visit, cloverfieldclues.com, and cloverfieldnews.com. That seems odd to me. Anyhow, I'm sure they would've told me if I won, so I'm going to assume I didn't :( I did however have a good time making my Very Slusho Xmas video, and have to admit that currently sitting on 2,359 Youtube views isn't such a bad place to be.

I will probably be back with more on Cloverfield one day, but for now I'm done. That is, until the sequel...
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Flashback 02 - Battle Beasts

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Oh how I love you Battle Beasts. Little did I know when I was a kid that these little anthropomorphized cyborg warrior animal toys were actually a part of the Transformers universe. In fact they were. I just thought the Battle Beasts were kick ass little figures that provided me with a really solid amount of play time. There's not too much to explain here. These toys simply ruled. And they hold a place in my childhood alongside the likes of G.I. Joe, He-Man, and Transformers as some my absolute most favorite toys ever. Click on the images to make them bigger :)

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If you never had a Battle Beast, or just don't remember, the figures weren't very big. Only around 2 inches tall, and had only two points of articulation (at the shoulders). They still managed to have a lot of life to them though. Their design was great, vicious animals like panthers and... um penguins only suped up with sci fi armor and weapons! seriously whats not to love? On top of that, there were tons of them. In terms of small figure from back in the day, there was M.U.S.C.L.E. men, and there was Battle Beasts, and by all accounts (ok, by my account at least) these were the superior product. For my money the Black Panther was my best figure, because firstly he's a panther, and secondly, he's black. Really he was the lead in most of my Battle Beast missions.

Now that I'm looking into it, it seems that most of my figures were from the third series (or wave) of figs. Not that thats bad, I just wish I could've gotten my hands on some of the early ones like Saw Tooth Shark, or Web Slinging Spider. The ones I did have we're pretty sweet though, even though the 'official' names were all pretty lame. The gimmick with Battle Beasts was that each figure had one of those heat sensitive stickers on their chest, like how the Transformers revealed Autobot or Decepticon alignments. The Beasts stickers though, when rubbed would reveal either Fire, Water, or Wood. There was a conceit that gave itself to a rock, paper, scissors game where Water beats Fire, Fire beats Wood, and Wood beats Water (i think cause it can float or something). When you bought the figures you didn't know what alignment they would be until you got them out of the packaging and rubbed the sticker. The only problem with this randomization was that I remember having things like my penguin being a Fire creature, and my crab being Wood, when obviously that wasn't the right alignment for that animal. Also, I had a few doubles. Why would two pigs, brothers in arms, born in the same cybornetically enhanced test tube be on different teams?! it just didn't make sense. Before I'd play battle Beasts I'd generally pick team captains, and have them one by one pick their best possible teams for the coming onslaught. Species matters far more than some stupid elemental alignment. Anyhow, I tried rubbing the stickers of my newly recovered, from my parents attic, Battle Beasts, but found that most of them didn't want to work anymore. Maybe I ddn't try hard enough though...

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You know, now that I'm thinking, I'm positive that this isn't all of the Battle Beasts I had. I know I had the Blitzkrieg Bat, and I'm positive I had the Wood Beatle playset, and I think the Tearin' Tiger Chariot. I wonder what happened to them.

Maybe two or three years ago I tracked down a (very poorly dubbed) version of all the Transformers: Headmasters episodes, which shouldn't be overly hard to find if you're interested, and saw the episode which introduced the Battle Beast; "Rebellion on Planet Beast". I don't really remember it being a very good episode. Not as bad as some of those awful Blurr episodes, but nothing special. Then again the entire Headmasters series was kind of junky. stupid Wheelie... Anyhow, I really like the idea that these guys are really a part of the Transformers universe, it's a solid tie in.

Here's a final pic of all my collection, at least all the figures I managed to find. I know this was a long post, but I really had fun with these toys as a kid. Even today they're pretty damn cool. If you had, or remember the Battle Beasts please feel free to leave a comment below. And stay tuned for more of these Flashbacks. Next week I think I'll just tell you a story or something easy.

For even more pictures and info you can go check out this cool online guide/gallery at Beastformer, look through the Virtual Toychest's wiki, or even read up on the toy's history on the Wikipedia.

Peace out all...

Top Toys for X-Mas - a buyer's guide

With Halloween over it's finally time when we can start looking forward to Christmas. Hooray for Christmas! Ok, I know that there's Thanksgiving first, but that doesn't get commercialized in anywhere near as fun a way as Christmas does. Also aside from any religious connotations, that I'm not prepared to get into at the moment, the thing I always loved most about Christmas is something you just don't get for Thanksgiving; presents. So maybe I'm not really saying hooray Christmas, maybe what I'm really saying is hooray presents!

This past weekend, I received a flyer in the mail which was unfortunately recycled before I had a chance to read it, The Toys R Us Big Toy Book Christmas catalog. I loved toy catalogs. When I was a kid, they we're the kind of thing I could pour over for hours. Sears had a good one, as did Simpsons, and of course The Bay both of which are Canadian department stores. As you might have guessed, I always went for the action figures first, but I really tried not to be discriminatory on the whole. I liked all the toys and would spend time looking through the entire catalog: baby, to toddler, to girls, to boys, to family and games, to sports equipment. Weird how toy catalogs have basically the same set up all the time. Anyhow, it was the action figures I think I liked best because especially back in the day the product shots often had tons of different figures in a single 'scene'. Nowadays its odd, toy companies only seem to advertise the two or three hottest and newest toys of a given line and then leave the rest of the line, or older toys, for you to find when you go to the store. I always loved it when they would show all of the toys of any given line together, and best when they were interacting. I think it had something to do with my collectors mentality, and a small level of obsessive compulsiveness. I just really like the idea of having everything together. Heck it really didn't have to be action figures, If I had a good product shot of ten different My Little Ponies hanging out at The Dream Castle, I would totally love that too.

So without further ado here are my top picks from the '06 Toys R Us christmas catalog for the best toys of the season. Follow along in The Big Toy Book online if you like. This is my Buyer's Guide.

Fisher-Price Kidtronics Digital Camera - $59.99

I know this may be in the preschool section but seriously, what kid doesn't want a digital camera! this is super sweet. I want this. This is one of those 'toys' that's so great because it's so versatile. It includes 8MB built in memory, has an SD slot, USB connection, and fun editing software. It also comes in blue and pink! The only negatives I can see are that the picture quality is apparently pretty bad, and there are a few reports of buggy systems. I think kids will really love this though. I know I would've loved it when I was a kid.

Snugglers - $19.99

Snugglers are basically pillowcases with heads and limbs attached. This is seriously a fun idea. I'm actually tempted to get one myself, so simple and so cool. When I was a kid I definitely would've wanted a huge Spider-man pillow buddy. Also it comes in like 17 different variations, from Power Ranger, to Superman, to cows, and pigs, cats and dogs, to a host of the Disney Princesses. very snuggly cool. and cheap.

Leapster Portable Learning System bundle - $74.99

I really love the toys Leapfrog makes. They're a great company and make (on the whole) very solid learning products. This is their ever popular portable gaming/learning system, I think they try to skew it a bit older than it really plays for but thats ok, kids 4 and up seem to love these. things. They've got a game catalog that is good for preschoolers up to I believe grade 3. And additional games range from $19.99 - $24.99. This is the portable system bundled with their hot new title, Cars, at a pretty decent price. Also, while Leapfrog does make a home console system to play the games, the portable version is the far superior product, and can also be plugged into your television.

Marvel Heroes Ani-Movie Studio - $49.99

This is one of the coolest toys out this Xmas in my opinion. Yes I know that technically its just a mounted digital camera, with some simple software, and cheesy Marvel themed background cells, but I would be all over this as a kid. Basically this is a cartoon making studio, and I don't think you really need to explain much more. Creative and fun, it only requires a bit of patience, but honestly for the sake of my own personalized spider-man cartoon, I would do just about anything.

Play-Doh Creativity Center - $24.99

Play-Doh is always in fashion. This is a pretty good set containing 48 different accessories, including cutters, shapers and extruders. Its also got good storage area inside it, and comes with a full 10 cans of Play-Doh. What pushes this set over the edge from the Mountain of Colors set, or the Big Barrel set, is that it comes with a bonus case of 10 more cans of Play-Doh for free. now that's a good deal.

LEGO Batman: Arkham Asylum - $59.99

Woah! LEGO Batman. This is sweet! I can't decide what's awesomer, the fact that this amazingly cool playset actually exists, or that toy's r us is selling you an exclusive playset of a MENTAL ASYLUM FOR THE CRIMINALLY INSANE as a toy for children. The set comes comes complete with fairly horrific conditions for it's inmates (The Scarcrow, The Riddler, and Poison Ivy) as well as Lego versions of Batman and Nightwing! Actually, I'm not sure if this is really cooler than their other new Batman playset for The Batcave, but Arkham is a TRU exclusive and on sale for $30 cheaper than the other one, so I'd go for this. Definitely for the older kid on this one though.

Dora the Explorer plush - $19.99

Ok so technically this plush Dora isn't in the '06 Christmas catalog, but Dora is so crazy huge I felt I'd be remiss if I didn't mention her. Toys R Us lists a whopping 177 products branded after her. Unfortunately a lot of those products are overpriced garbage. There are a number of battery operated talking and singing versions of Dora dolls for this Xmas and from what I can tell they are all pretty bad. I'm talking worse than Teddy Ruxpin bad... actually now that i think about it Teddy Ruxpin was pretty awesome. Anyhow, why not go for this simple cheap Dora plush instead. She's cute, and this doll would totally hold up to the rigors of childhood. now if only there was a Boots plush.

Disney Fairies Sparkling Tinkerbell Dress -$24.99

Normally I'm definitely not down with little girls dressing up as princesses. Firstly it seems a bit too precious, but also I think it promotes some bad ideas in kids, and bad images for girls. Not as overtly manipulative as something like Bratz or Barbie, I think that the whole 'disney princess' concept can make girls at the worst bratty and self-involved, and at best an avid consumer. I don't really think Disney is evil, I just think they are exceptionally good business people, and if you let them get a toehold on your child it could very well be all over. That said, this Tinkerbell fairy costume is pretty darn nice, as long as you explain that fairies really aren't the same as princesses. Then again little girls probably know this better than you already. This would also apply to this cool Little Mermaid costume. Neither of these are too bad, and I think girls would have a lot of make believe fun with them.

Lifestyle Dream Kitchen - $139.99

Ok, so not only does this play kitchen come with a whopping 27 piece set of accessories, plenty of storage space for play food and other sundries, and real lights and sounds for the appliances, not only all that, but it is just fantastically stylish. I mean come on. I wish my real kitchen was as nice as this. Honestly the only downside I see to this toy is the price tag, which I admit is a bit steep. But hey, some kids are really really into playing like they're in the kitchen. I think this is a very cool playset.

Slurpee Machine - $24.99

I don't think this needs any explanation. It's a slurpee machine. Everyone wants one of these.

Cranium (various games) - $16.99

Cranium is one of the few companies really bringing family fun back into board games. Sure there's a lot of great complex new games for adults coming out of Europe, but in terms of something that can appeal to the young and old, these guys know where it's at. Their games for the most part require only one thing, that you be willing to be a little goofy... and as soon as you do, you'll have no end of fun. These specific games are their ones specifically geared towards parent and child play, but their entire lineup is definitely worth a look.

X-Games 20" Moto-bike, Flybox Ramp - $149.99, $49.99

This is just plain awesome, and any kid would thank you for the coolness points associated with this sweet bike and ramp set. Admittedly once you get this stuff for your kid they'll probably get a bit crazytown on you, and possibly start wanting 'real' and expensive gear. Until then though, I think this is a great starter set into the world of extreme sports. Which of course is where I know I plan to push my children.

Don't buy the helmet or pads; that's for chumps...

Action Figures - Really whatever strikes your fancy. It's weird with the action figures this year. I mean action figures are really all about the licenses. The big ones this year are the obvious one: Justice League, Batman, Ben 10, Avatar the Last Airbender, Ninja Turtles, and Spider-Man. Despite the moderate success of Cybertron, Transformers have a pretty weak showing this year, Not that they don't have toys, just crappy toys. Next year after the movie comes out I'm sure they'll be on top of the world as will Spider-Man probably once again. Some of the standby classics like Star Wars seem a bit flat to me this year. Really for my money I'd say skip the figures this year. But that's just me.

Matchbox - Mega Snow Rig Monster Mission - $34.99

Matchbox still makes some lame-o toys, just look at their "pop-up" series. But I think, or at least hope, that maybe they're finally going to stop trying so hard to be Hot Wheels. Seriously guys, face it, you'll never be Hot Wheels. So when I see something like this Mega Adventure set start to show up I think its a very good sign. It's kind of like a cross between the Fisher-Price Rescue Heroes series, and 80s G.I. Joe. I just think this looks super fun to play with. And for added bonus, the vehicle all comes apart and can be reassembled differently. Fun.

Hot Wheel's Radar Gun - $24.99

It's a Radar gun... it reads speed up to 100 MPH. What wouldn't you do with this...

Nintendo Wii - $249.99

I honestly think the Wii is the toy of the season. Granted I don't think you'll be able to get one. EB Games, Wal-Mart, Target, everyone has sold out of pre-orders. Be careful if you are actually pre-ordering it, cause you might not (ie probably won't) get it by XMas. The Wii, along with the PS3 WILL be sold out everywhere. I'm personally not even going to bother trying to get this until Februrary-March. For a whole slew of reasons including the price, the virtual console, the motion sensitive controllers, the overall fun factor, the degree of 'casual games' that are going to be offered for the Wii, and much more, I think it will be the most fun new console to play with. I'm very excited to get my hands on it and I think you should be too. I don't know if this really is the game system to break that wall between children and adult gamers that industry people have been trying to tear down but it's definitely a step in the right direction.

Check out more information on the Wii here, and here. When you buy it you'll want an extra, Wii-Mote ($40), extra nun-chuck ($20), possibly the classic controller($20), at least one new game ($50), and probably a virtual title or two ($5-$10), so try out this handy online Wii calculator to see how much you'll be set back. For me, it's less than $500 for everything, and that's a heck of a great deal considering how much fun I'm expecting to have.

So yeah, maybe it's not technically a Xmas deal, as you almost assuredly won't be able to get one, its still part of my holiday picks for '06.

Nintendo DS Lite - $129.99

The DS has, to me at least, proven itself to be an incredibly robust and innovative game system. I sometimes get to play my girlfriends DS, and I always have fun. There are some great games out for it now like Animal Crossing, Nintendogs and Mario. But if that's too much there's always the Gameboy Advance SP (now with a brighter screen) which is running at a very reasonable price of $79. Anyhow, I'd go for the DS if you are thinking about the Wii, but not sure you want to spend the cash until a few more hands on reviews are in.

This will make a super great gift for any kid.

MiJam Drumsticks - $22.49

Ok, admittedly I have no clue whether these work well or not, but they definitely look like they'd be fun... sadly I suspect they're utter garbage. Ah well, at least they're pretty ipod white. And frankly if they did work really well, you'd be driven crazy by some kid playing them ALL the time. Let's be thankful that they probably will break in a week.

Ok, so there you go. Finally at the end of the Toy's R Us Big Toy Book catalog. Note that the prices I mentioned are pretty much all the TRU Sale price valid until Nov 22nd. I'm not trying to make this a big TRU advert either. Obviously go around a check out other stores for prices or sales, I just found their Xmas catalog pretty handy, and they really are a one stop shop. So all done, and I only ended up with what? like 17, or so recommendations. Hmm, well that's just my take on the toys of the season. Obviously this isn't necessarily the predicted best sellers of the season. No where on this list did I mention TMX Tickle Me Elmo.. ok, no where unitl right there. Also things like Power Wheels, while always super sweet, aren't really realistic toys, no kid really ever gets a Power Wheels for Christmas. Well, no kid except that one down the street who you all secretly envy and hate. Honestly if you're a parent, don't make you're kid into that one spoiled kid on the block. I'm fine with a degree of consumerism, but avoid Power Wheels. There's more to say of course, always so much more, but this is where I stop.

This post is getting dangerously past feature article length and into ridiculous territory so I'll stop. I hope everyone enjoyed my '06 Holiday Buyers Guide. Maybe I'll do it again next year. Later Gators.

Optimus and Starscream toys, and more

On the Transformers side of things from the new movie two of the toy prototypes have surfaced on the web today. These are of Optimus and Starscream BEFORE they get their earth vehicles mode. So they look much more alien than they will for most of the film. If that makes sense. Personally I always loved the alien shaped Transformers. In that first episode of the old G1 cartoon series where Bumblebee is like this sweet spaceship looking thing. Anyhow, check the pics below and the links to the two sites where I got this info.

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These are just too cool. Optimus, and Starscream rock hard. So sweet.

I found these images through AICN, but they credit it from ACtoys.net

Back in this post I linked to some pics of Megatron from the new movie. Well apparently those images are NOT in fact what Megs will actually look like in the film. Those leaked pictures were early designs that have since been changed. Or at least that's what producer Don Murphy is saying.

You know the 20th anniversary TF the movie dvd? Well if you go over to the Amazon.com web page for the disc (pre-order for a mere $15.39, release Nov 7th) you can watch one of the new bonus features from the dvd. It's a short little featurette on the Death of Optimus Prime, and I challenge you to go and watch it, and not want to immediately watch the movie again. Man what a great scene, in such an awesome film.

According to this post on TheTF.net forums looks like Cartoon Network is going to be making a new Transformers cartoon show to coincide with the movie next year. This is hardly surprising, but I'm really happy to hear that its being made by and for Cartoon Network rather than Fox or some other more kids oriented station. I've been a pretty avid Transformers fan in all of their incarnations, from Beast Wars (the best), and Beast Machines, to Robots in Disguise, to some of TF: Armada (although the comics are way better), and I'm Tivoing TF: Cybertron everyday now, just waiting for enough episodes for a good marathon. I'd like to see a more adult take on the characters, or at least more realistic, which if based off the movie I'm sure will happen. I'll definitely keep my ears and eyes open for any more news on this front. Should be a sweet show, no matter what.

To keep up with all your most current TF news regarding the new movie, I'd really recommend you keep your eyes on the TFW2005.com boards. They are always the absolute best. Talk with you heaps of slag later...