It’s been almost 72 hours since I left the theater, and I can’t stop thinking about Spider-Man: No Way Home. The film is a wonderful cinematic experience that rivals Avengers: End Game. It’s an emotionally crafted love letter to the titular character that is chockfull of hilarity and insight about the consequence of choice and the power of responsibility.
Continue reading “Spider-Man: No Way Home (Spoiler Review)”
Ringside Logic got some publicity on WWE television, courtesy of NXT.
A video package aired highlighting their newest star, Bron Breakker. Graphics of various websites with articles about Breakker were shown.
One of them was this very site! (Click here for the article)
I would have missed it if not for the colorful logo sticking out in my periphery. The demands of a Chihuahua Dad require many belly rubs.
Rewind, double-take, and complete shock emerged as messages came flooding in. I couldn’t believe it. WWE usually only mentions the major websites on television.
My little corner of the internet getting a shout-out is a testament to all the readers of this site. I can’t thank you all enough for taking the time to read something I wrote.
Thank you! Your support means the world to me.
I’m late to the party on this one.
The season 2 finale of The Mandalorian titled “The Rescue” culminated with the ultimate surprise. Luke Skywalker made his triumphant return to answer the call put out into the universe by Grogu (Baby Yoda).
Continue reading “The Return of Luke Skywalker Made Me Weep”
Hello,
I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy during these crazy times. With so much evil in the world right now, I wanted to do a quick write-up about something fun. Then, I remembered that today is the one-year anniversary of Avengers: Endgame. Continue reading “Looking Back at ‘Avengers: Endgame’ One Year Later”
Welcome to my much-delayed review of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. I needed a lot of time before penning my thoughts on the film. Some people love the movie, and some people hate it. However, after multiple screenings, it ultimately came down to three things for me. Continue reading “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (Review)”
The final trailer for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker dropped on Monday, and everyone has an opinion about it.
The first and second trailers each had that money shot moment with the reveals of Emperor Palpatine and Dark Rey. This trailer didn’t have that holy s— moment; however, it still gave me that epic feel of something special. Gorgeous imagery, powerful music, and what could be a sad goodbye from C-3PO latched on to the heartstrings like a vice grip.
One of the big questions surrounding the film was answered in the trailer as it was confirmed that it is the ruins of the second Death Star that will be explored in the movie.
Spaceships, spaceships, and more spaceships filled out the trailer, which hinted towards the space battle to end all space battles. I was delighted to see this because if this film is the end of the Skywalker saga, the climactic battle needs to be bigger than what we saw in Return of the Jedi.
It was kind of a bummer that absolutely nothing about the plot was revealed. Besides 3PO, there is no exchange of dialog between any of the characters. In fact, there was nothing revealed about the new characters and no footage of the much talked about Sith Troopers and Knights of Ren. There are a lot of quick cuts throughout the trailer, which leads me to believe Disney is keeping their cards close to their chest.
It’s risky move to hold back necessary information from a marketing perspective. Especially since The Last Jedi was incredibly divisive. Director JJ Abrams said the film will answer as many questions as possible. If that is true, the studio doesn’t want any of those answers revealed until the movie is released.
Overall, I liked the trailer. There were some missed opportunities, but it still got me super excited and counting down the days until December 20th. I really wanted to learn SOMETHING about the story. However, Star Wars is the only franchise in cinema that can release an all imagery trailer and still get people more excited than they were going in.
I already bought my tickets!
When I was seven years old, I had a heartfelt conversation with my Mom at the dinner table. I told her I didn’t want to grow up with tears in my eyes and that I always wanted to be a kid. The idea of not being able to play anymore made me sad.
Disney’s newest entry into their live-action adaptations, Christopher Robin is a 104-minute reminder that growing up is hard; however, taking time to smell the roses is necessary. Continue reading “Christopher Robin: Review”
Christmas of 1985 is one of my fondest childhood memories. Not only is it the first holiday that I can remember, but the cornucopia of presents under the tree was comprised of Masters of the Universe toys. Man-E-Faces, Hordak, Roboto, Mantenna, Leech, Mekaneck, Beast Man, Horde Trooper, Grizzlor, Spikor, and my Dad’s favorite, Stinkor. Even with the overwhelming roster of bad guys in the collection, Santa Claus had oriented me on all things, He-Man. So I naturally gravitated towards the first ever feature-length documentary on the most pivotal aspects of the He-Man franchise.
When watching Toy Masters, it’s apparent right from the start that the subject matter is a labor of love for filmmakers Roger Lay Jr. and Corey Landis. Their experience with the Power of Grayskull inspired the journey to document the origin of the phenomenon that inspired a generation. However, this fun-filled childhood adventure that generated billions of dollars comes with a 30-year battle for credit over He-Man’s creation.
Right off the bat, there is no simple answer to who deserves the credit for creating He-Man. That doesn’t stop Lay and Landis from digging to find one clear answer. Most documentaries eventually discover the mastermind behind the curtain. However, every comment, explanation, denial, and/or exhibit of proof to substantiate a particular claim of creation makes a strong case that the sum of its parts is greater than the whole.
This revelation forces the film to shift its exploratory tone from finding the creator to discovering who fashioned each facet of the operation that made the franchise a massive success. Of course, all while holding out hope that a sole proprietor will be revealed.
Preliminary designer Roger Sweet believes his creation of the initial prototype figures birthed all things Eternia, while production design artist Mark Taylor believes his He-Man style drawing four years before the toy line was launched spawned Masters of the Universe. Paul Cleveland, a former vice president of marketing at Mattel, believes that what he brought to the table makes him the inventor of the property.
Everyone who lays claim to the sword of power makes a good case for themselves. Then you have Roger Sweet, who presents solid facts woven with what sounds to be head-scratching fiction. The documentary doesn’t immediately jump on what was probably a tempting opportunity to cast Roger as the film’s villain/outcast.
Roger was given every opportunity to respond to any claims against him and clear up contradictions in his story. Unfortunately, he goes down the rabbit hole of negativity while making some crazy demands that make it impossible not to look at him as a quack that rules him out as the man responsible for the Thunder Punch He-Man I got for my 7th birthday.
The original 80’s Filmation cartoon, the critically panned 1987 motion picture starring Dolph Lundgren, the loathed and short-lived The New Adventures of He-Man animated series, and the acclaimed 2002 reboot are all examined with everyone pointing to one principal antagonist…Mattel. Their final say over all forms of production being driven by toy sales revealed a permeating stench of greed, inevitably dooming the franchise at every turn.
The Filmation crew really had a passion for creating a quality show and believed MOTU was that show. However, being forced to put more emphasis on the Bashasaurus toy vehicle being released as opposed to the story ultimately produced a lack of quality control on all fronts. Mattel doesn’t comment on the matter, and wisely so on their part. Any carefully crafted statement could inadvertently open the door to a fleet of lawsuits and massive payouts.
Despite the enormous ground that the film covers, Toy Masters is aptly named because it was the toys that drove all things, He-Man. Lay and Landis do an efficient job of detailing the facts and accounts while never losing sight of the task of discovering a creator, even with some detours along the way. While we don’t get one definitive answer, we do get several admissions of contribution that takes the viewer on a journey within a journey, which is equally as satisfying. Truth tends to be stranger than the fictional adventures of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.
***Reportedly, problems behind the scenes along with the release of the Netflix series The Toys That Made Us, has stalled out the release of Toy Masters. The movie was sporadically screened at various film festivals and pop culture conventions, beginning in 2012, with the intent of hyping a future full release.
I saw the movie a year ago, and my review was shelved since the release of the film was pushed back once again. After making some of my inquiries on the matter, all roads point to the Toy Masters being locked in the toy box, permanently.
Speaking as a lifelong Masters of the Universe fan, it’s a real shame that Toy Masters will apparently never get the audience and recognition it deserves. Publishing my review is my own small way of paying tribute to a lost labor of love.***
Solo: A Star Wars Story tells the tale of a young Han Solo who finds his footing as a smuggler in the midst of a journey that includes friendship, betrayal, and adventure. Solo is a fun ride that connects outside cannon material (books, animated series, and comics) more than any other Star Wars film to date. Still, despite all the positives, the negatives weigh the movie down past the point of no return. Continue reading “Solo: A Star Wars Story – Review”
Ten years and eighteen movies within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) have led us to the moment fans have been waiting for as Avengers: Infinity War hits theaters this weekend.
The trailers have revealed glimpses of all-out war, hence the title, along with the powerful infinity stones and the big purple bad guy who has been the looming threat over everything that has occurred in the MCU. Thanos is coming, and he is the ultimate evil in the universe.
However, Marvel has only produced a small handful of compelling antagonists. That can’t happen with the extraterrestrial warlord; Thanos needs to be the villain of the ages.
The entire column is up at Forces of Geek.com
RingsideLogic.com 
