I’ll admit, I had no interest in seeing Oz: The Great and Powerful when it came out. I thought it looked pretty dumb, and I’m not the biggest Wizard of Oz fan around, so I skipped it when it was in theaters. Disney reached out to see if I wanted to review the Blu-ray, and I thought I would give it a shot, and I’m glad I did. It was better than I thought it would be.

It’s no great film, but it gets an A for effort and it was pretty enjoyable to watch at home. Sam Raimi’s directing style still shines through the CGI occasionally and reminds you that a pretty accomplished filmmaker is behind it all. Odds are that Oz is a much better movie than Lone Ranger, which is currently bombing hard at the box office.
Read More

I promise I don’t care about a TMNT movie produced by Michael Bay and starring Megan Fox, but since I’m completely obsessed with the Turtles I’m at least keeping an eye on the news. Set photos recently pegged Arrested Development’s Will Arnett as playing the whiny cameraman Vernon Fenwick from the 80s cartoon, which is actually kind of cool casting. Still, Megan Fox?

For a movie that is already shooting and supposedly comes out next summer, there is a surprising lack of casting and plot details. The no-name actors that were revealed as being the Turtles could be voices or motion-capture only, but no one has said. Weird.

I was checking IMDB to see if anyone else had been announced and saw this plot logline that I hadn’t seen anywhere else. If this is official, it kind of explains Bay’s dumb comments about the Turtles having extraterrestrial origins in the movie.
Read More

When I was a kid, we had a Betamax copy of a making-of documentary that played on PBS just before Return of the Jedi debuted in theaters.  I couldn’t tell you how many times I watched that tape, but I do know that when it was included on the DVD extras a few years back, the memories came flooding back.  I can recall the early concept sculptures for Jabba the Hutt, where the could-have-been crimelord had four arms.  There were drawings of long-legged, almost bird-like ewoks.  And the early designs for the AT-ST (AKA “The Chicken Walker”) were just as cool as the final vehicle turned out to be.  The show had a lasting impression on me because it showed me that there was a process to creating the iconic images I would grow to know and love.  Since then, I have been obsessed with concept art for movies.

If you’ve read my review of Hotel Transylvania, I think it’s unlikely that the film will ever be considered as iconic as any of the Star Wars films (including the prequels), but that doesn’t mean that it was thrown together without any thought whatsoever.  And thanks to The Art and Making of Hotel Transylvania from Titan Books, the most impressive part of this otherwise underwhelming film will not go unnoticed.
Read More

In 1978, the first example of an expanded universe Star Wars novel was published by author Alan Dean Foster. Foster had previously written the novelization to Star Wars, and his contract required him to write a book that could serve as a low-budget sequel in the chance the film was not a huge success. He couldn’t use Han Solo, but was told to reuse props and keep the scenery to a minimum, and out of this direction came Splinter of the Mind’s Eye. Tim, Tommy, and Rob discuss the book, what it would have been like as a film, and whether or not it’s a good read for modern Star Wars fans.

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.