Geek Culture & Nostalgia
Tim and Tommy are always up for talking Lego, and this week they have a lot to talk about. 2012 is a huge year for the toy company, with Marvel Super Heroes, Lord of the Rings, Dino, Friends, and Monster Hunter lines debuting, alongside additional sets in all the classic series. Throw in a few more of the collectible minifigures and you’ve got a great year to be obsessed with LEGO.
Just as the hate slowly grew in Anakin Skywalker as he turned toward the Dark Side, so too did my resentment for The Phantom Menace. The film had so much promise. Many of the right pieces were there: a spry Obi-wan and Yoda, glimpses of R2-D2 and C-3PO, a bad-ass villain with a double light saber, the exciting podracing.
For all the fun elements, there were numerous pieces that pulled it down: that whiney kid Anakin, the stale Queen Amidala, slapstick courtesy of Jar Jar Binks, the overly political storyline… I could go on. (See Red Letter Media’s thorough review if you need more examples.)
The film resurfaces this weekend in 3D. As if three dimensions could shine that turd into something worth seeing. Instead of spending an ungodly amount on premium, 3D movie tickets, I have a few Star Wars-related alternatives for you.
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It doesn’t matter whether you like sports or not, the Super Bowl is one of the biggest entertainment events of the year. The estimated 111.3 million viewers Sunday night made it the most watched television show of all time.
A big highlight from the night, at least for me, was the commercial presented by MetLife. The insurance company’s “Everyone” ad featured a bevy of classic cartoon characters.
A great aspect of the nostalgia-inducing spot was its use of B-list stars. Sure, the Peanuts characters common with MetLife advertising were present but so too were Saturday Morning heroes long forgotten. You could easily see popular ’70s and ’80s figures like Voltron, He-Man, and The Jetsons. Also on hand were lesser-knowns like Jabberjaw, Hong Kong Phooey, and Magilla Gorilla.
MetLife’s Facebook page has bios of most of them but cartoonist Mark Anderson has an exhaustive list in chronological order. Anderson even corrected MetLife’s mention of Captain Caveman to his doppelgangers Rock and Gravel Slag.
If you missed the ad, watch it below and then seek out the excellent coverage by Anderson. The Facebook page also has a few “behind the scenes” videos to check out. Oh, and see if you can find the numerous inclusions of the stripe shirt-wearing Waldo.
It’s a good week to be a Marvel fan. A few hours ago the new trailer for Marc Webb’s reboot of Spider-Man debuted and it is pretty amazing indeed. I loved the first Spider-Man movie when it came out, but then again I was a sophomore in High School and I haven’t really watched them since that time. The Amazing Spider-Man looks like a Spider-Man movie I can get behind.
Andrew Garfield looks great as Peter Parker, and Emma Stone as Gwen Stacey will be a welcome break from whats-her-face playing MJ. The tone of the film looks great. Spidey cracks jokes and displays some impressive acrobatics, and the costume and tech look awesome. All in all, this is one of the top four movies I’m most excited about in 2012, along with…
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For the average movie-goer, “Hitchcock” means Psycho, The Birds, Vertigo, and North by Northwest. Maybe Rear Window, too. But the portly, prolific director made dozens of films, going back to the silent era, so if you haven’t seen Spellbound or Notorious, it’s understandable. However, these two titles should probably be mentioned in the same breath as Hitch’s better known films, if for no other reason but the way they have helped define genres and shape feature films since their release in the mid-1940s.
