Skyfall Poster

I’m so excited! What do you all think? Success or Failure?

2 New Amazing Spider-man Posters

Nostalgic Gamer Podcast

podcast103(Retrogaming)

Awesomesauce this weekend at the Nerdmelt!

Hey dear Babblers! If you are a nerd and in the greater Los Angeles area, have we got a deal for you! This weekend has some amazing events from Nerdmelt at the famed Nerdist Theatre!  Here is the link.  Also special thanks to Nerds in Babeland, because I had almost forgotten about this until I checked their site! Hope to see you there!

Deep thoughts on the Avengers…

 

Congratulations to the Avengers for setting back-to-back weekend records! I have to admit this is really, really cool. Growing up, there were two types of nerd, DC Comic and Marvel Fans (or Star Trek vs. Star Wars). I was a Marvel fan (with the exception of Batman, who is universally loved.) The old Marvel G.I. Joes written by Larry Hama were the first comic books I ever got into and it wasn’t before long that it spiraled into X-Men, Wolverine and other random assortment of Marvel properties.

Not only that, I loved watching the Marvel themed TV shows. I loved the old 1960’s Spiderman cartoon with the hit song, “spiderman, spiderman, does whatever a spider can…”, the old Incredible Hulk TV show with Lou Ferrigno, and of course, Spiderman and His Amazing Friends, with Iceman and Firestar. Spiderman and his Amazing Friends was one of the more popular 80’s cartoons and for its time featured good animation and decent plots.  We used to play like we were these characters all of the time.

But there was one Marvel property I wanted desperately to like, but just couldn’t do it because they were well, just too cheesy (even by my 80’s elementary school standards) and that would be the Avengers.  You can’t deny their place and history in the comic book world, but by the time I was a kid they were pretty second rate. I wanted to like them, I wanted them to be good, but they just weren’t.  That is, until now.

It really started with the Ultimate series, where Marvel reworked them into a tougher, grittier and more realistic series of characters. Then the movies starting coming out, and the characters became popular again.

There has never been a movie like the Avengers. They have been building up to this movie with a series of FIVE other movies for years now.  The stakes for Marvel, Disney, and director Joss Whedon were huge and many questions were raised as to whether or not they could pull it off, and they did, with amazing results.

Think of it this way, Iron Man 1 & 2, Thor, Captain America, and The Incredible Hulk were all on some level, decent movies that did well. Sure Iron Man 2 wasn’t nearly as good as the first one,  and Hulk wasn’t as good as Captain America, but for all intents and purposes, all of those movies were decent, if not great, on one level of another. If you are a movie production company, say DC, wouldn’t you take those results any day? Look at Superman, Catwoman and the Green Lantern.  (Dark Knight is all they have had.)

“Spider-stan, Spider-stan…”

It’s great to see these old, classic characters be given a chance to shine.  Did you ever think the Avengers would outsell X-Men comics?  As a Joss Whedon fan I am thrilled to see him finally cement his place as one of the new talented directors. More importantly, as a Stan Lee fan I am thrilled to see the Avengers do so well.

I have to think the ole’ Generalismo has got to have a grin on his face. These last few years have seen the smash success of his greatest creations, from Spiderman, to the X-Men and now the Avengers.  I hate to say it, but he is getting up there in age, and we don’t know how much longer he will be with us.

I have to think that as a writer and creator these films and comics will go down as a lasting tribute to his legacy. That when his time does finally come, he can rest in peace knowing he will always be remembered. Not just by comic fans and nerds, but by the greater population of movie going America, and the millions he inspired.  And of course, by a young, red headed kid with whom it all started by staying up late at night and reading G.I. Joes. Here’s to you Stan, Excelsior! And we salute you.

A Creepy WonderCon Encounter with Lloyd Kaufman

So here is a creepy little story I have been saving for just the right time, and dear Babblers, the time is now.  I already wrote about how much I enjoyed WonderCon but there was one little incident I failed to report. Ironically enough, the same weekend the Anaheim Convention Center hosted WonderCon, it also hosted a high school cheerleading contest AND a high school volleyball tournament, so there were many high school girls running around, and many jokes being made about the new cosplay, how this was the same group of girls who used to pick on us, and how this is the safest place they could possibly be.  That is, until this little incident occurred.

Friday night fellow Babblers Johnny, Tony and I were standing in the hotel lobby waiting for the elevator and this wiry old guy walks up. He is wearing a sports jacket and bright tie and I had the feeling he was somebody but couldn’t place him. Tony leans over and whispers in my ear,” that’s Lloyd Kaufman. “ Ah cool, I thought to myself.

Lloyd Kaufman is a Hollywood writer, producer, director and occasional actor. He did some freelance work on Rocky and Saturday Night Fever, but he is most well known for starting the Troma Entertainment company. If you aren’t familiar with Troma, they are famous for making super cheesy, super sexual and super violent horror films that often pull from 1950’s and 1960’s genre flicks while usually adding a bit of social satire and commentary as well. Their biggest film was The Toxic Avenger (which inspired a cartoon and several sequels) but others like Class of Nuke ’Em High went on to moderate success. Troma is also where James Gunn got his start as a writer.

Back to the story: We get in the elevator with Kaufman and go up. It stops on the 5^th floor, the pool floor, and this high school girl in a bathing suit, flip flops, wet hair and towel wrapped her gets in. The door closes and a moment later, from behind me and to the left I hear a gravelly voice say:

This is a pretty standard face he makes..google and see.

“Very nice.”  Our eye brows lifted as we tried to pretend this didn’t just happen. The poor girl tensed up.

Again. “Oh yes, Mmmm.” Now it is getting awkward as we make eye contact with each other, wondering if it could get worse. The answer was yes.

“Oh yes, very, very nice,” he said.

Fortunately, at this point the elevator stopped and the girl hurried off.  A couple floors later Lloyd got off. I wanted to say “Lloyd you are a dirty, dirty man,” but he probably would have just laughed and agreed.  After he got off (the elevator that is)we all sort of took a deep breath and universally agreed that was just plain stalkerish.

Lloyd is a Hollywood guy and is probably used to young little starlets throwing themselves at him in hopes of getting any role they can. Still I always remember our creepy encounter with him and hope that from now he stays at a court ordered 100 feet away from all conventions.

Avengers, Imax/3D, Childhood memories and April O’Neil dolls

http://babbleon5.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/podcast102.mp3

BabbleOn 5′s Noob Guide to the Avengers

Marvel’s The Avengers is only days away and while die-hard fans are more than ready for the latest addition to the ever expanding Marvel cinematic universe, it’s safe to assume that majority of moviegoers this weekend will be casual fans or even complete noobs (gasp!) to the overlapping story arcs and intricacies of the Avengers’ world. Marvel’s The Avengers is the culmination of five previous tie-in films (Iron Man, Iron Man 2, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, and Captain America: The First Avenger), so whether you’re one of the uninitiated, or just need a quick refresher, here’s a guide that will help you keep up with the action when you see the movie this weekend:

**SPOILER ALERT** This guide contains spoilers for the aforementioned tie-in movies. It is highly recommended that you watch those films before seeing Marvel’s The Avengers to fully appreciate the film and well because they’re all awesome.

***It should also be noted that this is a guide for the Marvel cinematic universe, not the comic book universe, so back off comic book experts.***

Iron Man
aka: Tony Stark
Portrayed by: Robert Downey Jr.
Previous appearances: Iron Man, Iron Man 2, The Incredible Hulk (post credits)
Abilities: genius level intellect, flight (in-suit), superhuman strength (in-suit), energy repulsors (in-suit)

What you need to know: A self described “ genius, billionaire playboy, philanthropist, that doesn’t play well with others.” Tony Stark is the CEO of Stark Industries, a weapons development company. The Iron Man suit (also known as the Mark VI armor) allows him to fly, have superhuman strength, shoot energy repulsor beams, and is equipped with a variety of weapons gadgets he designed himself. The suit is powered by a mini arc reactor, which provides virtually endless energy and keeps him alive by keeping shrapnel embedded in his body from entering his heart. He’s also known for his narcissism, penchant for cracking witty one-liners, and disregard for the rules.

Captain America
aka: Steve Rogers
Portrayed by: Chris Evans
Previous appearances: Captain America: The First Avenger
Abilities: Superhuman strength, rapid healing, hand-to-hand combat, field/war tactician, vibranium shield

What you need to know:

As the only successful result of a World War II super soldier experiment, Captain America was the first Avenger and hero of World War II. His iconic shield is made from the rare element, vibranium, and is capable of withstanding any impact. He is driven by strict sense of morals, justice, and duty as a soldier. To save New York from certain destruction, he crashed an enemy aircraft loaded with missiles into the Arctic and his body was lost for over half a century until it was recovered by SHIELD. However, because of his superhuman abilities, rather than dying, he remained frozen in a coma until awakening in the modern world.

The Hulk
aka: Dr. Bruce Banner
Portrayed by: Mark Ruffalo
Previous appearances: The Incredible Hulk
Abilities: genius level intellect, superhuman strength, speed, stamina, regeneration, durability . . .overall indestructibleness.

What you need to know:

Bruce Banner’s alter-ego, The Hulk, is the result of gamma-radiation poisoning due to an experiment gone awry. An expert scientist, Banner is normally mild-mannered and polite, but his transformation into The Hulk is triggered by physical excitement and anger. As of the end of The Incredible Hulk, he is in hiding and learning to control his transformation rather than repress it.

Thor

aka: The God of Thunder
Portrayed by: Chris Hemsworth
Previous appearances: Thor
Abilities: Superhuman strength, speed, endurance, healing, flight, lightning manipulation

What you need to know:

A demi-god from the realm of Asgard, Thor is the son of Odin and Loki’s (see below) adoptive brother. His Asgardian heritage gives him god like powers and he is the only being capable of wielding the hammer, Mjolnir, a weapon of legend from his home world. He was rendered powerless and banished to Earth by his father for his arrogance. After redeeming himself, he returned to Asgard to stop the machinations of his jealous brother, Loki, but remained trapped in Asgard, unable to return to Earth.

Black Widow
aka: Agent Natasha Romanoff
Portrayed by: Scarlet Johansson
Previous Appearances: Iron Man 2
Abilities: elite assassin, espionage, martial arts and hand-to-combat

What you need to know:

An agent for SHIELD, Black Widow is a world class spy and assassin. Little is known about her background (in the Marvel cinematic universe). She is an expert martial artist and also uses a variety of weaponry including mace, knockout gas, knives, and most notably distinctive wristlets that allow her to deliver an electric shock in close range combat. In Iron Man 2, she was tasked by SHIELD to go undercover to keep an eye on Tony Stark.

Hawkeye

aka: Agent Clint Barton

Portrayed by: Jeremy Renner
Previous appeances: Thor (uncredited cameo)
Abilities: master archer, weaponry, espionage, assassination, field combat

What you need to know:

Of all the Avengers characters, Hawkeye has had the least screen time and only appeared briefly during Thor. All that is known is that he is a high level agent for SHIELD and a master archer equipped with a variety of specialized arrows.

Nick Fury

Portrayed by: Samuel L. Jackson
Previous appearances: Iron Man (post credits), Iron Man 2, Thor (post credits) Captain America

What you need to know:

Nicky Fury is the director of the SHIELD and has been working to unite assemble a “group of remarkable people” to work together to protect the world. On occasion, he has contacted Tony Stark, at first to recruit him to the Avengers, and later as a consultant to SHIELD.

S.H.I.E.L.D.

Short for: Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics

Division
Previous appearances: Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Captain America: The First Avenger

What you need to know:

SHIELD is a secret government agency tasked with the protection of Earth and mankind. SHIELD is lead by Director Nick Fury and has been monitoring the activities of the Avengers as well as their enemies. SHIELD has also been researching various artifacts, most notably, the Tesseract (see below), presumably to harness its powers for the defense of Earth.

Agent Phil Coulson
Portrayed by: Clark Gregg

Previous Appearances: Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, The Consultant (Short film), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor’s Hammer (Short Film)

What you need to know:

An agent for SHIELD, Coulson is Director Fury’s go-to guy. He has interacted mostly with Tony Stark (and Stark’s right hand and girlfriend, Pepper Potts), as well as Thor. He is often the first person sent to deal with a SHIELD emergency. He is also an avid Captain America fan.

Loki
Portrayed by: Tom hiddleston
Previous appearances: Thor
Abilities: mystical powers, superhuman strength and speed

What you need to know:

Raised as a prince of Asgard, Loki is the adopted brother of Thor. Forever in Thor’s shadow and jealous of his brother, he schemed to prevent Thor from becoming King of Asgard. After discovering his true parentage he attempted to seize the throne of Asgard and destroy an enemy realm, but was stopped by Thor’s return. During their struggle, he falls through an abyss into an unknown realm. His fate and whereabouts remain a mystery.

The Tesseract
aka: The Cosmic Cube
Previous appearances: Captain America, Thor (post credits)

What you need to know:

The Tesseract is a relic of Asgard (Thor’s home world) with limitless cosmic power and energy. In Captain America, the Red Skull harnessed the Tesseract’s energy to power his army and weapons. During a struggle with Captain America, the Tesseract disappeared and was later recovered by SHIELD. It currently remains in SHIELDs possession and is being researched by Dr. Erik Selvig.

Avengers Pre-show and The Cabin in the woods review

Pixar’s Brave Trailer #3

I have a feeling that this one is going to be emotionally heavy like every other Pixar movie. I’m sure looking forward to seeing it!

the Bourne Legacy

How do you think Jeremy Renner will do filling the shoes of Matt Damon as the next ‘Bourne’ agent from treadstone?

Wonder-Con vs. Comic-Con: Random Thoughts

So I have been to Comic-Con the last 5 years in a row, hanging with my friends at Comic-Con (our Contourage as we call it) is one of the things that convinced me to move to California. The last two years I have been to Wonder-Con as well. Nothing can top Comic-Con, but in some ways, I really enjoy Wonder-Con more. Here is why.

1. First of all, the crowds aren’t out of control. Let’s face it, Comic-Con is just too crowded and you can tire yourself out just by trying to get through the sales floor. Additionally it is absurd having to wait in a line for 5 hours just get a seat in Hall H or Ballroom 20. At Wonder-Con you easily get into any panel you want without spending half the day in line.
2. The atmosphere is a lot more relaxing as well. Comic-Con is four days of constantly being on the go (when you’re not waiting in line.) It’s a  nonstop whirl of people, hype, costumes, panels, celebrities and venders that can leave you feeling a bit overwhelmed by the end.  Wonder-Con you just relax and enjoy. You can take your time on the sales floor, hang out with people and just soak up the nerdiness.
3. There is also a lot more focus on comics, writers and artists. Comic-Con has little to do with comics anymore (which is fine) but at times it feels more like one big advertisement whereas Wonder-Con is really more about developing and promoting the creative side of things. They even have the connect event each night where writers and artist could meet each other.
4. The venders were better as well. Except for the huge displays put on by the big names, Comic-Con kind of feels like a flea market as times. Large, obnoxious shirt venders, cramped booths filled with random action figures and some things that probably shouldn’t exist at all. The venders at Wonder-Con were less junky and more unique, with a wider range of original, unique items. It was also a lot of local venders. Comic-Con could stand to clean up the sales floor a bit. Sadly, these other venders will never get into Comic-Con. The wait list is too long and nobody in their right mind is giving up their spots.

Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love Comic-Con and wouldn’t miss it for the world. I love the panels, the celebrities, the culture, the people, the costumes and everything else associated with Comic-Con. Jews go to Jerusalem, Muslims go to Mecca, and nerds go to Comic-Con. This is really more of a critique or comparison of the two.  Think of Wonder-Con as a magic time machine that takes you back to what Comic-Con was 15 years ago. Fun times.