Although reports vary on the exact number (106 or 109) one thing is certain, the kids from Berwick, Maine, have set a new world record for the largest school group dressed as up a super-heroes in one room. The costumed heroes gathered to shatter the Guinness World Record of 103 by a university in the UK that has already announced plans to defend their title. The costumes varied from Zorro, Hulk, and Wonder Woman, to the Diva Girls.

And all my teachers even did was teach me reading, writing, and arithmetic!

Extra money to spend and in need of some new DVD’s? Sure you could grab a copy of Gran Torino (old man tells kids to get off his lawn, with shotgun), Fired Up! (jocks score at cheerleading camp, learn profound lessons about life), or even The International (Clive Owen turned down Bond for this?). However, if you’re an old school wrestling fan, there’s another option. Today the WWE is putting out Macho Madness: The Randy Savage Ultimate Collection. That’s three discs, more than 8 hours, of the Slim Jim snapping, elbow dropping, former king of the squared circle. Dig It!

Teh ‘monkey stumbled upon this little bit of internet joy earlier today. Covered allows artists to take a classic comic cover and put their own spin on it. Some are classic recreations, some are artistic reinterpretations, and some (like this slightly NSFW G.I. Joe cover) are freakin’ hilarious.

“Some years are just better than others.” That’s the tag-line, and the idea, behind this coming of age film about a nerd (John Francis Daley) from Illinois who became the first fan of a little flick called Star Wars. Austin Pendelton, Colleen Camp, Emmi Chen, and Katie Jeep also star. Looks like it may have a little more heart than Fanboys (read that review), but like that other SW-inspired flick this one has spent some time on the shelf. Currently ‘77 is still looking for a distributor, but you would have to think, with the legion of Star Wars fans out there, that it will find it’s way into a theater sooner or later.

Why? That’s the question that kept reverberating through my mind as I watched this big-budget feature based off of, let’s be brutally honest here, a pretty cheap Saturday morning TV show that hasn’t exactly aged all that well.

Don’t get me wrong, I spent some time as a kid watching Land of the Lost on Saturday mornings, and I have a warm spot in my heart for the Sleestak and the theme song. But I sure wasn’t demanding a feature based on the show, and this trainwreck of a film is exactly why.

Continue reading Sleestak? Check. Theme song? Check. Story? Not so much.

Aside from the beautiful scenery, and a few nice moments from Richard Drefus (who’s really slumming it here), there’s very little to separate My Life in Ruins from any number of braindead romatic comedies. Here’s one of those films where a character notices the love of her life under her nose, finds meaning in her demeaning job, and everything ends happily ever after for everyone (except the audience). When the film isn’t throwing out contrived plot points like candy, and simply allows the actors to give some actual weight to their characters, there are slight glimmers at what this film could have been. Sadly, these moments are few and far between.

Continue reading My Life in Ruins (after watching this movie)

Eric and guest host Trey Hock review the raunchy new comedy “The Hangover” starring starring Zach Galifainakis, Bradley Cooper, and Ed Helms. Does it live up to the hype? Will Ferrell’s TV remake “Land of the Lost” (co-starring Danny McBride) also comes out today. Click here to read Eric’s print review of “Land of the Lost.”

Last year’s summer crop of flicks kept me satisfied. This year it’s been a little lean and disappointing. Here are ten movies which will be released before the end of August which may, may help turn the tide. But if they fail, you can always go see Up again.

10. Inglorious Basterds - Word from Cannes is Quentin Tarantino’s latest tale of an American kill squad during WWII is a mess of a film, but with a cast which includes Brad Pitt and Diane Kruger, plus some trademark Tarantino touches I’m still hoping it’s worth the wait (originally scheduled for theaters way, way back in 2004). The film finally hits theaters everywhere on August 21st.

Continue reading Thursday Top Ten Remaining Summer Movies

The Tokyo landscape is highlighted, as well as deconstructed and reconstructed, in this beautiful timelapse video from Citizen watchmakers. Very cool, and worth a look.

Infinity Citizen

I was a little late hitting the comic store last night and wouldn’t you know it they were all out of the latest issue of Secret Six. Sigh. I guess these four issues will just have to do…

Batman and Robin #1 - Grant Morrison launches Dick Grayson’s role as the the new Batman. A couple of nice moments including one involving Dick’s decision to stay in the city and not move back into Wayne Manor. I can’t say I’m wild about the art by Frank Quitely or the choice of villains for this first issue (carnival freaks?), but it certainly places the focus on our two main characters and their new relationship, something a larger villain might have overshadowed. I’m also happy to have someone less than perfect in the Robin sidekick role and allow Tim Drake to move on to a new role in the DCU. Although it doesn’t have the epic feel I was expecting, this first issue is a good read and I like the fact that Dick Grayson’s personality, even under his new burden, seems to be intact. And who’s kidding who, this is a comic, even if it had been terrible, you were still going to pick up.

Continue reading Comic Rack - Batman & Robin, Spidey, Exiles, and Shazam!