Tag Archives: Action

Nobody Ever Said No. 6 Can’t Be Kickstarted as an Action Hero, er Figure!

19 Apr

“I will not make any deals with you. I’ve resigned. I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed or numbered. My life is my own. I resign.”

Prototypes of No. 6 and 2 from “Free foe All” – (c) Wandering Planet Toys

… and ready to show how Patrick McGoohan can be imprisoned (well, his character of No 6 actually) is with Wandering Planet’s Kickstarter campaign to fund the first-ever officially licensed action figure line based on The Prisoner! This cult classic television show starring and created by this actor/producer still continues to influence to this day. The campaign will run from Monday April 19th until Wednesday, May 26th at 6:06 PM PT.  

In 1967 the cult classic TV series, The Prisoner burst onto the screen. The series, about an unnamed British intelligence agent who awakes to find himself trapped in an idyllic seaside village, was not only an instant hit with viewers at the time, it went on to be watched and re-watched obsessively by fans, quickly gaining cult status. And while there have been several collectables released over the decades, The Prisoner has never received a line of officially licensed action figures… until now. Wandering Planet Toys, appointed by ITV Studios, will bring to life 4-inch retro style action figures that celebrate Patrick McGoohan’s brilliant series. 

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Star Wars: A Bad Batch Psychoanalyzed!

30 Mar

STAR WARS: THE BAD BATCHBy Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Disney+
May 4th, 2021

Star Wars: The Bad Batch will debut with a special 70-minute premiere, and this team may well prove to be the new “Rebels” to join a growing Alliance. That’s my take on this renegade team of Clone Troopers with genetic defects who have broken their programming. They are the only warriors willing to take on dangerous missions, ala Mission Impossible, for the glory of the Empire. This tale takes place in the aftermath of the Clone Wars. Somewhere along the line will be a breakdown of their conditioning so they can be totally independent, true to the spirit of this franchise.

The action is more in line with Fast and the Furious, but for the characters involved. They’re generally well adjusted-well sort of. Whatever’s wrong with their neural pathways can’t be fixed in Kamino since being activated. I’m betting there was subterfuge to cause this group to be what they are. That’ll be revealed in later episodes when we look to their past. Hunter, Echo, Tech, Wrecker and Crosshair aren’t Transformers. They’ve earned their nicknames because each member is talented in their own unique way.  

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Godzilla and Kong in Print; The Clash of the Prequels

28 Mar

 

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Legendary Comics
Release Date:
April 6, 2021

Godzilla vs Kong is a tale of two titans that one movie cannot fulfill alone. The previous films show how terrifying they are separate, and these beasts will clash. It’s been foretold! We’ve seen this in King of the Monsters, in a very short act where Dr. Ishirō Serizawa and his pilot found an Atlantean-like ruin depicting a time where the titans ran amok, and the humans back then disappeared. 

The graphic novels Godzilla: Dominion and Kingdom Kong add a layer of lore. Both of the works serve as a prequel to the showdown coming to select cinemas and HBO Max. It’s amazing that Godzilla faced many creatures in the past, but yet they don’t hold a candle to the mightiest ape. 

Godzilla: Dominion is a huge exposition. What readers get is a fantastic look back at how long he survived the epochs and who he once fought. We are presented with monsters who may have been creatures from myth once. The biblical leviathan is one, and Tiamat is another. While they are nothing like the myths paint them as and if the film series can continue, I’d love to see how past civilizations worshipped or feared these titans.

Writer Greg Keyes delivers a nicely written wrestling ring style narrative that captions over the action and artist Drew Edward Johnson imagines the beast just like the last movie. Allan Passalaqua‘s colours highlight the titan’s might as the veritable demons they are. Much of the work is done with the creative team of Barnaby Legg, Josh Parker, Katie Aguilar and Brian Hoffman handling development of the lore in this Monsterverse to ensure continuity. 

The pinups and concept sketches by Johnson in this book look better in black and white than in colour. The designs are terrifying! I can only dream of having the action figures, but I doubt they will be made. Not every fan will be aware of this extension to the Monsterverse. If you’re one, I recommend it for the cover art by Art Adams alone. He’s a long time devotee, and any product with his endorsement is worth obtaining.

PREVIEW

 

(cont’d on page two)

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When LEGO Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu says, “Enter the Titans!”

14 Mar

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Teletoon First Broadcast
March 7 & 14, 9:30am-10am

Spoiler Alert
Please check local listings for repeat schedule.

The Masters of Spinjitzu has an entirely new makeover with The Island. Not only do we see it in the costumes the team are wearing but there’s also a reintroduction to a few fond favourite characters (or should I say beast?) which defines this martial arts fantasy.

This season is the shortest since changing over to the 15 min air format. It helps for even tighter storytelling, but ultimately, it’s as Tommy Andreasen (co-creator of this universe) described–this chapter is “a 44 minute episode” broke up according to acts. Misako, Master Wu, and Clutch Powers are on a quest. The explorer’s club that Ms. Garmadon belongs to cancelled her membership since she never returned from trying to navigate the storm belt off the Southern Coast plate of the continent and it’s up to the gang to find and rescue that expedition.

Th second and third parts tell more about why this location is a threat than the others, and the fourth is the denouement to establish a greater threat.  “Seabound” is the next unit of the grander story arc it will explore the origins of how the Water Spinjitzu Master, Nya, gained her powers. I surmise it’ll reintroduce the dragons and other mighty creatures to this world.

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Will the Chase Ever End in Tom & Jerry, The Movie?

28 Feb

Tom & Jerry (Official 2021 Film Poster).png

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Playing at select theatres (where open) & HBO MAX

SPOILER ALERT

Let’s face it, Tom the Cat can’t catch Jerry the Mouse no matter how hard he tries. Over the decades, these miscreants of their animal genus should be ashamed of themselves. Not even their own kin look kindly at them. Well, maybe the rodent might fare better. The two are rivals. The early cartoons are often about one trying to annoy or outsmart the other.

Their antics can’t carry a movie, and the shorts from long ago are far more effective than any feature length attempts. Those pieces are essentially Mack Sennett slapstick comedies, and the reason we love to watch them is that observing others beat up on one another is therapeutic.

Life is not a bed of roses either. The star is Kayla Forester (Chloë Grace Moretz), out of work and needing a new job. She’s certainly a smooth operator and fibs her way into a hotel management position, and pretty soon these cartoon characters get involved.

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