Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Back To The Sewers

Let me start out by saying this: Yes, I do still watch Ninja Turtles. I have followed this new cartoon version of the Turtles since the debut back in 2003. I very much enjoyed this new version, where the writers actually injected the seriousness & darkness from the comics into the series. This was an amazing choice which led to some truly amazing & great story lines & episodes. I was less than enthused to see the Fast Forward season, where the Turtles went to the future. The animation became less comic-like & more like a Looney Tunes short. The episodes became much more silly & reminiscent of the 90s cartoon. I realize it was an attempt to reach younger viewers, but there were still many that disliked these unnecessary changes. It was not what a fan like me liked, especially after seeing some episodes from lost season "The Ninja Tribunal," the much darker & ninja enhanced season which upped the ante of the Turtles. 

Then this year, it was announced that the newest season would be a return to the classic Turtle formula. "Back To The Sewers" would be an attempt to keep the seriousness of the first five seasons while trying to keep some of the crazy, wacky sci-fi elements from "Fast Forward." I was hesitant for this season, because of yet another animation style change and the inclusion of some cyber adventures, with a brand new Cyber-Shredder to boot.

After having seen the first seven episodes, I am proud to say that the Ninja Turtles are back in great form. This season not only has taken in the history of "Fast Forward," but they're also taking into account the events of the Ninja Tribunal season (great season by the way. Should be a nice DVD set). The animation has taken some getting used to, as the animators are preferring to take the Looney Tunes route instead of realism. But still, the characters & setting still have that comic realism I enjoy. 

Now as for the story? The serious elements have gladly returned. The Cyber Shredder, while possessing a terrible name, is very much a dark, imposing villain. The amalgam leading to his creation is a great nod to past seasons and with the promise of two other Shredders on the way (The Ultron Shredder & Tengu/Demon Shredder), I am eager to see what this new version has to offer. Some of the episodes do indeed have the Turtles venture to cyberspace and while I was erring on the side of caution, those episodes have turned out to be much better than expected. They actually evoke elements of Tron while work out surprisingly well. Meanwhile, the Turtles have returned to their concrete jungle. These episodes are very welcome and remind us that these Turtles are indeed ninja vigilantes. The rise of a new Foot Clan & the Purple Dragons' rise to power hint at yet another City at War. The Turtles are back to their roots and I couldn't be happier. This season has been great so far & I'm eager to see where it leads.

Bubba Ho-Tep

This is a great film I just picked up the other day. As a fan of Bruce Campbell & a fan of the Evil Dead/Army of Darkness wackiness, I had heard from many people that I would enjoy this movie. And man, oh man, did I enjoy it.

The premise is this: Elvis never died. He instead traded places with a double over twenty years ago. He has cancer on his #### and he is stuck in a nursing home in Texas. His only friend there is John F. Kennedy, who never actually died. When he was shot, he was hidden away and turned into a black man by Lyndon Johnson. An ancient Egyptian mummy starts sucking the souls out of the residents of the nursing home, and Elvis & JFK are forced to fight back.

This is a completely ridiculous, yet utterly amazing film. Black humor is everywhere here as Bruce Campbell plays an old, decrepit Elvis pitch perfect. If anything, I would call this movie a spiritual successor to "Army of Darkness." Yet the monster isn't the biggest aspect of the movie. Rather, there's a surprising strong message about how our society abandons the elderly. 

Still though, this is an awesome "monster" movie with tons of great humor and characters. Do yourself a favor and go grab a copy. Just watch this movie. You won't regret a second of it.

A Hidden Gem...

While browsing the free video site, Hulu, (excellent site, by the way. Completely free, but also completely legal) I came across a new show. Called ExoSquad, this 80s cartoon is a surprisingly good sci-fi show. Set in Earth's future, it chronicles the exploits of a group of soldiers trying to take back Earth from the control of an artificially created race of slaves. 

This space opera, though a cartoon, is very mature. It kills off characters when it pleases and does not shy away from discussing the full effects of war. It also avoids having done-in-one episodes. There is a large story arc that ties all of the episodes together, I watched it for kicks & giggles, only to discover a story almost on par with Babylon 5 or other space operas. Hulu offers the complete first season of ExoSquad (minus one episode for some reason) and I'm hooked. Very few modern cartoons dare to be as good as ExoSquad was. Hopefully, by the time I finish off this season, I'll have found the next season. This show is an extremely well-done space opera that rivals others.

Star Wars: The Old Republic

Ladies and gentlemen, may I please direct your attention to one of the most amazing things I have learned this week. BioWare, the extremely talented folks behind the RPG "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic," announced just yesterday that they are developing "Star Wars: The Old Republic," an MMO set during the same time period as the first two KOTOR games. And if I may say so, I am pumped!!!

I happen to love the KOTOR games. The first one was better than the second in terms of story, yet the second still had its moments. The gameplay was good in both and the various classes and customization was great. To hear that KOTOR is being translated into an MMO is amazing. It's supposed to be set 300 years after the first games, but it'll still have the classic KOTOR elements.

Now I have played MMOs before, but I quit because I got bored. I'm more of a story guy. While World of Warcraft was fun, I got tired with a lack of story. I wanted to be working towards a story, not just whatever missions were thrown out. Apparently, the Old Republic is meant to drive the story. A massive writing staff was hired for this game. Every class & type of character will have a specific story designed only for them. Jedis will have extremely different stories from the bounty hunters. Yet meanwhile, there will still be an overarching story with the war against the Republic and Empire.

Now I am not the biggest Star Wars fan or the most driven gamer. I usually just dabble in both. Yet taking one of the greatest Star Wars stories with Knights of the Old Republic and mixing it with an MMO will drive me right into the arms of the Old Republic. I can not wait for this game.

Push Trailer

Yeah, it's been a while. Anyways...

So I heard about this movie a while ago. A sci-fi flick using telepaths, telekinetics, & other comic stuff like that. I was intrigued 'cause it doesn't look like it's based of any established comic or anything. 

Well the trailer has come out. Looks kinda fun. The government part does seem cliched & overused, but hey, there's still a chance the story won't be horrible. It's mostly the action & special effects that's drawing me in. The telekinesis scenes looked like they'll be fun to watch entirely. 

Who knows? This movie could be worth checking out when it eventually comes out...

http://www.apple.com/trailers/independent/push/

Tin Man

Ha! I got at least one post in this month. I've just been pretty lazy this month, not getting around to anything really.

So last night, I decided to check out "Tin Man," the Sci-Fi mini-series that premiered in December. I had seen all the promos from it, making me really want to see it. So finally, I got the chance. I've got to say, I was really impressed with it. The story was gripping and unique, but always kept up the pace. It was a great science fiction twist on Oz while still keeping a lot of the fantasy elements forefront. While giving too much away, let's just say that the writers truly did respect the original source material. In ways I wouldn't have imagined. This is a great mini-series and I recommend it to any sci-fi fans (or Oz fans) out there. It does not disappoint. It was long enough to get to to connect to all of the characters, but not too long to put you to sleep. And let me tell you, I was quite tired when watching this. So go support this mini-series. Go buy it or rent it. I'm planning on buying my own copy pretty soon here. I could see this as my monthly Saturday night entertainment.

Farewell old friend...

Someone once said, "All good things must come to an end." In this case, my favorite comic title is now over. "New X-Men" came to a close with Issue #46, Chapter 12 of the Messiah Complex. It has a pretty good issue, yet there are several problems I have with this.

You would think that for New X-Men's final issue, you would see a lot of the core cast. That's not the case at all. Instead, the students are shoved to the back while the core, veteran X-Men take the stage front & center. The New X-Men are only on five or six pages in the entire book. What's up with that?

Now I would not have any problems with this issue if there had been at least one more issue. An epilogue/farewell issue of sorts. Allow us New X-Men fans a glimpse at our characters Post-Messiah Complex. Ease us slowly into the new book "Young X-Men." But we are not given any of that. Instead, the entire series ends with a cliffhanger to be resolved in another X-title. Wow, that's nice.

The 'replacement' for "New X-Men" is slated to be "Young X-Men." I recently read that "Young X-Men" is to be written by Marc Guggenheim with art from Yanick Paquette. Will I be sticking around for it? Probably not. From the way things are going, it sounds like most of the New X-Men are either going to die or be promoted. Young X-Men most likely won't have my characters in it, nor will they follow the story lines planted by NXM writers, Kyle & Yost.

For those of you, like me, that did enjoy the stories written by Kyle & Yost, be sure to check out their new X-book, "X-Force." Unlike NXM, it WILL follow up on some NXM stories, like Matthew Reisman & the Purifiers. Not only do we have some amazing story telling, but Clayton Crain's art looks epic & cinematic. This may indeed be the book Kyle & Yost were born to write.

While I probably will enjoy X-Force, I bid you farewell, New X-Men. You will be missed dearly.