In the movie world, I finally caught San Andreas. It’s about what you’d expect it to be. It’s got a lot of plotholes, and I was amazed certain people survived, but it was still enjoyable. If you haven’t seen it, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson plays an LA Fire & Rescue pilot who strikes out to save his estranged wife and daughter when The Big One hits. A series of big ass earthquakes occur along the San Andreas fault, wrecking the shit out of California. Every time Alexandra Daddario was onscreen, playing a college kid no less, I kept thinking “I’ve seen you naked! I’ve seen you naked!” I’m normally not a disaster movie type of person, but this one didn’t disappoint. When the movie ends, The Rock is all “We rebuild.” Whatever. I think we’d just condemn California and keep it moving, No Man’s Land style. Anyway, I’d recommend it.
In the toy world, the past week saw Toy Fair hitting New York City. I’ve been in the past, but haven’t been able to make the trip the past couple of years. It seems like NECA was the belle of the ball, as they debuted things like figures based on the Contra NES game. Mattel showed off a lot of figures from the upcoming Suicide Squad film as parts of their Multiverse line. My favorite debuts, however, had to be the new Marvel Legends from Hasbro. Since it’s a line that I actively collect, I’m excited about all the movie based figures that are on the way, including Scarlet Witch and the Walmart-exclusive (ugh) Falcon figure. For full coverage of the show, check out AwesomeToyBlog.
In the world of television, Channing Dungey was named the new president of entertainment at ABC, making her the first Black network president. This is interesting because it was the result of the ouster of president Paul Lee, who brought diversity to the network with Black-ish and Fresh Off the Boat, and also helped brand the TGIT Thursday night lineup. Dungey has the backing of Shonda Rhimes, meaning we can probably expect more shows like Grey’s Anatomy, making me wonder what might be the future for Marvel shows at the network.
In the world of pop culture, everything old is new again this week. First up, an eBay listing has revealed that Ecto-Cooler is most likely making a comeback. Created in the late 80s to tie into The Real Ghostbusters/Ghostbusters II, the fabled drink hasn’t been in stores since it was renamed to Shoutin’ Orange Tangergreen in 2001. People have been CLAMORING for its return for years, and it seems like the new Ghostbusters movie was just what was needed for Coca-Cola to pull the trigger. I’ve gotta be honest – I never really liked Ecto-Cooler. I really only wanted it because I was a huge Ghostbusters fan and Slimer was on the box. As far as flavor goes, however, it was not my favorite beverage. Still, I know this makes a lot of my friends happy, so more power to ’em.
Meanwhile, I grew up LOVING the Brit-com Are You Being Served?, so imagine my trepidation when the BBC revealed that the series would get getting a one-off special this summer, to serve as something like a backdoor pilot for a new series. Not much is known about the special, but the network has said it will have an “all-star cast” – necessary, seeing as how 90% of the original cast members (and the creators) are dead. If you’ve never seen it, it’s set in the fictional, Harrod’s-esque Grace Brothers department store, and focuses on the staff of the Ladies’ and Men’s departments of the store. It was a bawdy show, with a lot of double entendres and class humor. I’m not really sure it would work today, as that style of humor is a bit played out. Then again, I thought Airplane humor was dead, and here we have Angie Tribeca using it, so maybe I’m wrong. Anyway, no fan that I know of is excited about this news. We’re all just a bit scared of what this might be. All I know is that it better have jokes about Mrs. Slocombe’s pussy or I’m out. And I am unanimous in that!
Speaking of revivals of long-canceled shows, the surviving cast members of Good Times have a Kickstarter going to produce a reunion movie to catch us up on where their characters are now. This is particularly interesting because John Amos is involved, and his character was killed off in the fourth season of the show. So, I take it his character is still dead, right? Welp, looks like we’re all caught up! Anyway, they’re calling it a “docu-dramedy-comedy”, so Lord only knows what this thing is gonna be. I expect it’s just gonna have them talking to the camera, like Modern Family or something. Anyway, there are 14 days left, and they’ve only raised about $5,000 of the $1 million they’re asking for, so I don’t think this is gonna happen. Damn, damn, DAMN!
In the world of comics, we finally have more information on the DC Comics “Rebirth” plans. Basically, it’s a relaunch, with several books going on a bi-weekly schedule. They say that it’s their attempt to show they’re a legacy publisher. One way they’re doing this is by returning Action Comics and Detective Comics to their original numbering, which was lost when The New 52 rebooted everything. This means that we’ll see Action Comics #1000 in about two years. There are some interesting changes, such as Scott Snyder leaving Batman (Thank the sweet Lord in Heaven!), the cancellation of Bat books Robin: Son of Batman and We Are Robin, and I’m curious to know the fate of Bryan Hitch’s Justice League of America, seeing as how it’s in the middle of what I believed to be a 12-issue arc. There are also some switcheroos, as we lose a Black Canary book, but gain Batgirl and the Birds of Prey. We lose Starfire, but we get back Red Hood and the Outlaws. We lose Grayson (which I’ve heard was great), and we end up back with Nightwing. The last thing is disappointing to me, as I didn’t read Grayson, but I was impressed that they were willing to try something so different with the character. For him to just end up back as Nightwing again seems like a waste. It’s hard for me to get excited about DC these days because it feels like they’re constantly chasing their own OR Marvel’s tail. I…I don’t feel good about all this, and I wonder if other DC fans feel just as fatigued by all of these stunts.
Things You Might Have Missed This Week
- Quantico‘s Priyanka Chopra has been cast as the villain in the Baywatch film
- Kanye West is reportedly $53 million in debt and still losing his mind
- Actress Casey Wilson reported that some rich guy has expressed interest in financing a Happy Endings movie
I saw it last week and didn’t really like it. The world saw it and thought it was the best thing ever. So, I guess I’m the odd one. Yeah, I’m talking about Deadpool. Surprising everyone, the movie opened to $150 million in the US, despite Fox doing everything they could to bury it. They cut the budget at the last minute and they used an unproven director. I don’t get it, really. I mean, were folks clamoring for an R-rated comic book movie that badly? Whatever. Anyway, they’re already talking about the sequel, with buff, old guys lining up for the chance to play Deadpool’s sometimes partner and straight man, Cable. I’m scared of the precedent this might set, as now they’re talking about an R-rated Wolverine for Hugh Jackman’s last outing as the character. Now, if he’s truly going to cut loose, I could see an R-rated Wolverine film, but I don’t think we really need it. I’ve talked about Jackman’s portrayal before, and I don’t think his characterization lends itself to the Berserker Rage that we’ve seen in the comics. Still, the race is on for the next, mainstream R-rated comic movie. Folks seem to have forgotten that Blade, The Crow, Kick-Ass, and others have already gone down this road. I think it’s safe to say that the rating works for some properties, while it doesn’t work for others. That said, the R rating sure as Hell didn’t hurt Deadpool, as it’s more revered than any of the X-Men films we’ve gotten so far. So, to give credit where credit is due, Deadpool had the West Week Ever.
