My Journey to The Force Awakens began at Force Friday

Last Friday, my journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens kicked off in style as the first wave of merchandise was made available for the first time. I decided to take advantage of this by attending one of the midnight release events so I could be one of the first to score some of the new action figures…….I mean collectibles.

One of my favorite things about Star Wars is its wide variety of space ships. The Hasbro toy company sells these vast vehicles as a part of their catalog, however, they can be a little pricey. In the upcoming film, there is an orange and black X-Wing fighter that is available for $80.00 retail.

Spending eighty large on one thing could limit the amount of items one can buy. I found a much cheaper and quality alternative courtesy of the Revell model manufactures SnapTite Build & Play kit. No glue, no tools, no paint, batteries included and easy to assemble, the finished product has great detail and makes for an excellent display piece.

I recently wrote an article about my experience on Force Friday with some pictures I took inside of the store. Click here to check out “The Force Friday Awakens” at Forces of Geek.com

Star Wars: Who is Kylo Ren?

There are 125 days until Star Wars: The Force Awakens hits theaters, and it can’t come fast enough for this life-long fan of the franchise. Last week, J.J. Abrams played with my emotions like a fiddle as he revealed some fascinating information in an interview with Entertainment Weekly about the film’s crossguard lightsaber-wielding villain, Kylo Ren.

Spoiler Alert at the jump Continue reading “Star Wars: Who is Kylo Ren?” →

Pixels is Pixelated

In the third act of Sony’s video game comedy, Pixels, Josh Gad’s Ludlow professes his love to his 8-bit crush, the deadly assassin Lady Lisa, while she has him pinned down by a pair of swords. I hoped she would run him through with the blade instead of falling for his romantic gestures because Gad’s annoying and uninspired performance represents the film’s overall tone.

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Ant-Man Crawls to Prominence

Would you be surprised if I told you that Ant-Man is a comic book character created in 1962 by industry legends Larry Lieber, Jack Kirby, and Stan Lee? Would it also surprise you to know that Ant-Man is also a founding member of the Avengers?

You probably didn’t know that based on what has transpired on the silver screen with Marvel thus far. It’s ok, though, really. The prospect of a superhero that plays with ants doesn’t sound like a financially viable project for movie executives to invest in.

However, we got a talking Raccoon in a film, and it made millions.

Ant-Man is a character that really never did it for me. That all changed as Director Peyton Reed’s theatrical interpretation lit up movie screens in the latest entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

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Avengers: Age of Ultron Review

My wife and I took in some superhero action as Avengers: Age of Ultron kicks off another summer movie season. The film under Joss Whedon’s direction showcased a lot of style and substance, although it lacks in some areas. Some of the diluted elements were easy to ignore, while others were kind of a head-scratcher. Continue reading “Avengers: Age of Ultron Review” →

Daredevil on Netflix: A Must-Watch Marvel Series

Marvel made its maiden voyage into streaming television this past Friday as the red-hooded vigilante of Hell’s Kitchen, Daredevil, invaded Netflix. Like a lot of people, I spent the weekend binge-watching all 13 episodes of the inaugural season. The journey of attorney/crime fighter Matt Murdock carries the flavor of Frank Miller’s The Man Without Fear, while EP’s Drew Goddard and Steven De Knight very much made this their own.

Daredevil is very much grounded in the street-level aspect of things like the dark side of humanity paints a pretty grim picture. The series focuses on New York City, years after the invasion from The Avengers film. There are references to events in the Marvel cinematic universe; however, they are subtle and well-placed without hitting the viewer over the head ad nauseam. This show will appeal to Marvel fans and those who have never heard of the character.

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First Photo’s of Melissa Benoist as Supergirl. (Yes, I’m Blogging about a Costume)

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I’ve received a lot of messages over the last six days with everyone asking me one very important question. What do I think of the new Supergirl costume? I found this kind of weird since its WrestleMania season, but hey, I’m game.

CBS has just begun production on a new Supergirl television show that is scheduled to air this Fall. Melissa Benoist of Glee and Whiplash fame has been cast in the titular role and the first photos of her costume has received enormous feedback.

Most people seem to like the outfit, but there are others who don’t like because it’s too dark. Seeing the first image of any actor in a superhero costume is a big deal because it’s our first glimpse into a new world.

Continue reading “First Photo’s of Melissa Benoist as Supergirl. (Yes, I’m Blogging about a Costume)” →

Spider-Man Swings Into The Marvel Cinematic Universe!

FINALLY, after months of negotiations and years of audience demand, Spider-Man is now a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Marvel has never been able to use the iconic wall-crawler in their films because Sony purchased the movie rights in 1999.

The deal was announced late Monday night as a partnership between Marvel Studios and Sony where Spider-Man will appear in a Marvel Studios film, which will see him rub shoulders with The Avengers. Also, four of Marvel’s Phase 3 films have been pushed back as a new Spider-Man movie opens in theaters on July 28, 2017.

Sony has fumbled the ball with this franchise since 2007, with The Amazing Spider-Man 2 being the last straw. An e-mail from the “Sony Hack” revealed that Marvel president Alan Fine was highly critical of Sony’s script two years before the movie’s release. Continue reading “Spider-Man Swings Into The Marvel Cinematic Universe!” →

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Movie Review: A Fun Experience

I watched the newest Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, and I was thoroughly entertained from beginning to end. The 9-year-old me who saw the original 1990 film on opening weekend would have had his mind blown by this silver screen incarnation of turtle power.

Most believed this movie was doomed to fail when Michael Bay’s name was attached to the project. In fact, his name was mentioned so often that people thought he was the director when he was only a producer. Directing duties went to Jonathan Liebesman.

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The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers at Rhode Island Comic Con

From the moment the pilot episode aired on Fox, The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers immediately captured my imagination. What was crummy for me is that the show became massively popular while I was in middle school. This meant I could never talk about the show with my friends because we all took a vow of silence, pretending we didn’t watch the show because we were too old to enjoy a kids’ television program.

I remember wanting to get the action figures, but I didn’t due to fear of ridicule if my friends came over to my house and saw a Dragon Zord sitting on my bureau. Now that I’m an adult, concerns over what people think about my geeky hobbies aren’t even a blip on the radar.

The Green Ranger, played by Jason David Frank, is my all-time favorite Ranger. I’ve always felt that the White Ranger, also played by Frank, gets a bad rap. There is nothing wrong with the portrayal or character; it’s just hard to get someone to jump on board when a concept that was a 10 is replaced with the idea that is a 9.

I attended Rhode Island Comic-Con this past weekend to cover the festivities for Forces of Geek and had the pleasure of meeting comic book creators and the original Flash, John Wesley Shipp. The highlight of the convention was the Power Rangers Q & A panel featuring the original Red Ranger, Austin St. John. There were many fans in attendance, and their passion and dedication to the franchise was an inspiring sight to behold. One person told me that he found the inspiration to lose weight because of the leadership that St. John exhibited on-screen.

I wrote an article reviewing the Power Ranger’s Q & A Panel at RICC, and you can check it out at Forces of Geek.com