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ae_productions

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  1. You want to know something weird? My mom and dad have a taped VHS copy of TWOK they got off the TV. It has several scenes that differ from the theatrical or DVD SE cut. One scene in particular, is the elevator scene with Kristie Alley discussing her performance on the Kobyoshi Maru with Kirk. It's a 3 camera scene (cu of kirk, cu of Savvak), then wide with both. It's cut completely different. So, there are at least 3 versions of TWOK that I know of.
  2. Just when I thought Mospeada was dead. Not too keen on the small size. But still, if enough of us buy this guy, we just may see some future Legioss or Tread releases. Or even enemy mech. One can dream... Still, for the size, this is going to be an awesome little kit.
  3. I'm a huge ROBOTECH fan. Yes, I know it's a felony on this site. But I also love Macross. To me, they are a separate entity. And yes, I can be a fan of both. In fact, It frustrates me to no end that we can't have both. Cause we can. But HG likes to make it DIFFICULT to be a Robotech fan. There I go, off subject again. A US Company doing Robotech toys? Yes, I think it will happen soon. But I also think it will be a bad idea. Robotech fans have been plagued with mediocre toys since the mid 1980's. Toynami? Matchbox? I mean, sure, Toynami makes the coolest boxes in all of toydom (I really love their "book" boxes), they have great statues and bookends, and a few of their low end toys are cool, but we we also got fed the MP Veritechs and Alpha fighter line. There is a Live Action Robotech movie in the works, that allegedly will be some kind of sequel to the original 1980's animated saga. If the movie ever gets green lit (it's in development hell at WB), I think Robotech toys will be inevitable. Who should do them? I agree with the statement that no one would handle the IP the way Yamato and BanDai do here in the states. It will be difficult for me to see Hasbro quality Robotech toys. The Yamato and BanDai are toys, but they are aimed for "adult collectors," whereas Transformers are aimed for kids. Transformers just look so elementary compared to a Valkyrie or Legioss. I meant Veritech or Alpha Fighter. But that's comparing a "kid's toy" to an "adult collectible." Realistically, Yamato and Bandai valks stateside will never happen. Especially with this economy. The name of the game with Hasbro is quantity. They'd rather produce 10 15 dollar toys than one 40 dollar toy. A 10 dollar Robotech toy? We'll get something like the Classics Jetfire. Which was a 20 dollar toy, but it just looks so...kiddish. But yeah, when this Robotech movie comes into fruition, the toys will end up being something similar to GI JOE or Transformers. The "adult collectors" will get the shaft, and we'll still have to get our fix by importing the cool new Macross toys. Did I say Macross? I mean Robotech.
  4. I loved all the original Trek TV shows and movies. And I even loved the Abrams verse. (His casting choices were dead-on). The originals were getting difficult to keep up with. Split timelines is the only way to deal with this situation, since it is the fans who kept the show alive since the 1960's. They still have their universe to play around in, and the newer generation has the Abrams verse. Just like the Federation, it's keeping the peace between the two sets of fans.
  5. I think Cameron was trying to show the Audience how hectic and populated LV-426 was at the beginning of the film. It also shows us what Rebecca (Newt) lost. This sets up a stronger connection between Newt and Ripley, as we discover her own daughter had died of old age while she was lost in space. It creates a different tone all together, as the theatrical cut is more of a mystery. We don't see LV-426 until the Marines arrive. The connection with Ripley and Newt is more implied with a little less force. But we (the audience) get it. The scene with the sentry guns just rocked. It showed how ruthless, maniacal and determined the Aliens are to get the humans. Makes the surviving Marines hopes seem to fade. I don't know. I think I prefer the Director's cut of Aliens over the theatrical. It feels more of an epic film. Same with the Abyss. The Director's cut of the Abyss is actually quite a different movie all together with the few scenes they added. Some movies, like Star Wars, I prefer the Theatrical cut. Am I being nostalgic? Maybe. Lucas is a great storyteller, but he's no fine wine. I think each "tampering" he does of the original trilogy degrades it ever so slightly to the lower levels of the prequels. Solo shot first. Directors cut vs Theatrical? It depends on the filmmaker and the movie. And, it's also personal preference. As a movie fan, I dig the extra stuff. So, overall, I say I prefer the Director's cuts (and unrated).
  6. Good thing Homer put them in their wannabe fanboy place!
  7. You know, it would be interesting to explore an "alternate" side to the stories you mention above. Khan of course, is a fan favorite. I just watched it on BluRay a few nights ago, and man. That is just the pinnacle of Trek for me. Yes, I know Rodenberry wanted Trek to be about space exploration, and Khan deviated a bit from this formula, but it is just solid. The power of Trek 2, for me, came with an ex girlfriend of mine. She hated Trek, cause she hated Kirk's Womanizing ways. I know, I know. We had many dorky debates about this fictional character. She thought he was setting a bad example to young boys, ect. Yeah, yeah, whatever. Anyhow, I finally manage to get her to watch Trek 2. And, she was crying at the end. For someone who despises a character like Kirk, who boycots an entire show, nay, an entire icon of a culture...to get her to care enough to cry? That's one damn powerful movie. If you don't appreciate Kirk's character prior to seeing Trek 2, then TWOK really forces you to at least respect him a bit. The whale probe? Meh. I can do without revisiting that story. As far as time travel in Trek, I think it's been over done. Hell, Abram's last film was all about that. A new Trek show would be amazing. But sadly, I don't see it happening. I know for a while, Johnathan Frakes was trying to get a new Trek show going. There were even rumors of Shatner trying to do the same. From what I read, Enterprise's performance really hinders that possibility. In this business, you're only as good as the last project you've done. To the suits, Trek on TV ended with Enterprise. Although it's not fair to just say Enterprise failed. It was on UPN, it got bad time slots, poor to no advertising. Hell, it even competed against BSG for airtime. Not a smart move by UPN. Some say Enterprise was just a bad show, and I have to disagree. It was different. And that too, lost viewers. But it was that attempt of doing something bold that I really enjoyed. Plus, it was fun how they explained the different looks of the Klingons throughout the different Trek shows, the evolution of the Vulcan government and their position as Earth's greatest alley. I would have liked to see Enterprise go on for another 3 years, as originally planned. (a 7 year arc). But I digress. Enterprise may have thwarted any immediate plans for a TV show to air, but if Abrams keeps pumping new life into Trek (like it or hate it), maybe a new show will be a remote possibility one day.
  8. No, I have not seen any print nor media about the new Voltron. Just read "there is a Voltron reboot coming." That's all I know. I doubt it would be the quality of the new T-cats. That show is in a class all in it's own right now. But still excited about seeing Voltron. (hoping for the best, fearing the worst). More out of nostalgia than anything else. Back to T-Cats, the amazing thing to me, as a writer, is the spectrum of demographic writing with this show. The new Thundercats literally can appeal to adults who were fans of the original, who want more intelligent character driven stories. On the other side of that spectrum, it appeals to the kids with the antics of the brother and sister, and Snarf (who is toned down a lot from the original series, thank God). Many shows dance around this idea and fail miserably. The great thing about Thundercats is that is DOES this successfully WITHOUT overdoses of either that will lose the other demographic all together. In other words, adults and kids can both watch this show and enjoy the hell out of it. Pure brilliance.
  9. That would be crazy since the movie takes place in 1980, and the iPad wouldn't have been invented for another 30 years. Yeah, I get the point. They seem to be doing that more and more with movies across the board. "...he was also charged with being the second gunman on the grassy knoll. When we asked the police how an 8-year-old boy could be charged with a crime that happened over thirty years ago, the police responded with, and I quote, 'He's very clever.'" (Beavis & Butthead)
  10. That has to be in one of my books. I'm so stealing this! Ha ha! Too damn funny! Like that flashback episode of "The Simpsons," where Homer and Marge are leaving the theater after seeing "The Empire Strikes Back," and there is a line wrapped around the theater waiting for the next showing. Homer turns to Marge and broadcasts in front of all the fanboys, "Can you believe Darth Vader is Luke's father?"
  11. I am really digging this new Thundercats show. I told my wife I strongly felt the pilot was one of the best pilots we've been graced with for a long time. It was very tight, well shot, great characters, the pacing was excellent. It's a great time to be a thundercars fan! Makes me excited for the Voltron re-launch.
  12. I agree. It wasn't just the soundtrack that was a throwback to Heat, but the cinematography as well. The bird's eye view of LA set a pretty ominous tone, kinda like the city was almost a character itself.
  13. Speaking of THE THING score, I hope they re-release it for the new movie. I've been trying for over 2 decades to get my hands on it! The score for the Carpenter's THE THING is simple, but so damn haunting. I remember long after I had seen the movie, that song would just randomly pop into my head. The composer for the new film has a difficult task ahead of him. He has to try to mimic the original score, yet have it be fresh and new. A lot rides on the score. The very tone of the film will drastically change depending on what the composer does. Curious to see how this plays out.
  14. It's going to take FOREVER to get through the entire bluray set. You have six movies. Then two sets of commentary tracks, times six movies. Then 40 hours of extra features. You will need a LOT of time of work! So cool, though. This is one of the must own blu-rays. Lots of cool stuff.
  15. Titanic originally got an "R" rating by the MPAA. (Which is BS, because one of the rules for the MPAA back then was, if a woman's breasts were shown on screen, it would automatically get an R. Titanic for some reason didn't get an R, even though it violated this rule. The MPAA is a broken, hypocritical system. But that's another argument for another day...) Back then, Jame's Cameron's Titanic was the most expensive movie ever made, and by far the biggest gamble for any studio to take. (Or technically, two studios, since another studio was brought it to share the rights and financial burden of the film). Long story short, some strings were pulled, and Titanic wound up with a PG-13 rating. Why? The studio knew the only way it stood a chance of making back "some of their money" (It was thought back then that Titanic would be the biggest losing revenue film since WaterWorld), it would need the "pre-17" crown. An "R" rating is limiting your audience. The ONLY goal (from the studio's standpoint) is to put as much butts in your seats (make as much money) as possible. Remember, movies are a business. The point of a business is to make profits. The studios were actually wise enough with Titanic to know who it's target audience was, and aimed for a rating to fit that demographic. Now, back to The Mouth of Madness. This movie cannot be made (or translated) correctly with a PG or PG-13 rating. Nothing less than an R rating would be straying from the source material so far removed, that the film would be In The Mouth of Madness by name only. But again, studio's do NOT care for art. They care about PROFIT. From a marketing standpoint, a large bracket of movie goers for the horror genre are teens under 17. With dwindling box office numbers (if you subtract the increase of 3D revenue), studios are paying more attention than ever to trying to squeeze every penny out of a movie, even if it pisses off the over 17 fan boy audience. If it comes to making money or making the fan boys happy, the fan boys will loose every time. It sucks, but that's the way it is.
  16. Don't have this toy, don't mean to insult anyone either, but have you tried the old clear nail polish trick to add friction to the ball joints? In MOST (not all) ball joints you can use clear nail polish or super glue (if you're brave) to tighten those joints. I have even seen this trick work on "stripped" plastic parts.
  17. Damn. Were those blueprints from the RPG? If so, I have to pick those up!
  18. Ha ha! Poor Kakizaki! Never got to finish his last meal. Kakizaki gots to eat!
  19. Bay's Transformers films were an absolute train wreck mess. I haven't seen Battleship Yamato all the way through. But I did get to see about 20 minutes of it, and those twenty minutes alone had more redeeming qualities than perhaps ALL of Bay's films together. :-) But my opinions aside, BOTH of these franchises were difficult adaptations. I think Yamato had it a bit easier in that department. Taking something with the source material being around for so long, with so many devoted fans, well, as Ackbar screams, "It's a trap." You do something new, you upset the old school fans. You try to remake what has been done, you upset the old school fans. You try to do both, you just piss off everybody. Battleship Yamato is on the top of my list of movies to watch. I commend them for making such a valiant effort. But from what I've seen, there was some changes that probably should have been made prior to filming that just weren't. Again, I've only seen twenty minutes of it.
  20. Pure win. Or, as Anakin would say.... "Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!"
  21. I agree. And from the toyline perspective, I feel the live action Joe movie kinda killed the toyline. The vehicles, the action figures, they either felt like regurgitated versions of previous toys, or just a complete, uninspired mess.
  22. It's interesting that Abrams' Trek voided everything before it (or after, if you go by the timeline, excluding UPN's Enterprise). There is a clean, fresh slate for a new Trek TV show. Maybe something that is a spinoff from Abram's film, but gets back to the essence of some of the older TV shows that wasn't in the Abram's films. I always thought it would be interesting to do a Star Trek TV series told through the POV of the Klingons, or Romulans. Tell their side of the story. Or, you can go the extreme route. Do a series hundreds of years after Voyager (which I believe was the FINAL Trek show chronologically). In that sense, you can still keep things fresh and new. But do something with it. Maybe the Earth was destroyed, and they're on the run. Maybe searching unexplored space for a new world to start over. The last of the Federation ships. So it's back to exploring, but will have the sense of danger and excitement of the newer series. But again...that sounds a lot like BSG to me too. In short, doesn't matter. I love Trek and would LOVE to see a new series.
  23. There are some greats noted here. But I love me some Art Adams. That man can DRAW.
  24. If you are a fan of the comic, and if you allow yourself, Captain America can be a real fun ride. My wife really loved it. And she doesn't like comic book movies! That's saying a lot! And Thor was good. Honestly, I didn't think Thor would translate to live action well, given the source material. But I felt they did a good job with it, too. Bring on the Avengers! :-)
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