Now wouldn't this be awesome?
Friday, April 12, 2013
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Reviewing G.I.Joe Retaliation
From the get-go, G.I.Joe Retaliation had a tough hill to conquer, what with the dismal "Rise of Cobra" shadow hanging over it, and the delay of the premiere (regardless due to 3-D conversion, the public sees it being buffed up with more Channing Tatum), and not to mention the expectations and comparisons to decades of cartoons and comicbooks that fans grew up with. I don't envy them one bit, in converting skepticism into bums-in-cinema-seats … but I for one, thoroughly enjoyed the movie!
Maybe my tolerance of films has slid down thru the years, maybe I am being utterly lenient to a concept I had held close since my childhood, either way, G.I.Joe Retaliation was a swell ride, and I applaud the filmmakers for going thru with this!
I love it when folks coin this a "big dumb movie" (affectionately or not), because comparatively, what is a "smart movie"? Nolan's "Inception" - in it's myriad mindfcuks and plot loopholes that talk down to you? But then again, you really cannot refute that it can be pigeonholed as a "Big Dumb Movie" - because simply it does not take itself too seriously (and yes it does, not like "Rise of the Cobra") and is so much darn fun! And you know what folks say about "fun"?
Watching Retaliation felt like reading a comicbook of the same title. The twists and plot-turns weave thru it like a head-on freight-train collision, and the loopholes are like a donut's, put right over your eye as a comicbook in the 90s would (heh) and that's okay! It is guilt-free exposition and explosions for the uninitiated, and for the fanboys, nods abound, but not a whole lot of "hi-fives", because we all know how this film is going, and who pays the bills, so let's not delude ourselves how much this film is FOR the fandom, yeh?
If I were to pick a fault, it would be the extreme closeups of the fight-scenes, veering into Michael Bay/Transformers' territory in more scenes than one - fights between roadblock and Firefly were victims to this - in BOTH scenes! But I have to admit, the fight between Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow in the cliffside temple had me holding my breath!
On the upside, this was a splendid popcorn-flick to be had, and the stand-out was Storm Shadow without a shadow of a doubt (yes, oun intended, HAH), while others cruised thru - and generally had fun, which is a good thing, except for Bruce Willis who wasn't even phoning it in!
But what's up with Jinx's accent? Dafuq was RZA in this? Lady Jaye is HAWTness. Flint was blink-n-missable. I actually missed a wheezy Cobra Commander. Sorry Snake-Eyes, "dialog" does make a difference (although the scene where you passed your *** to Storm Shadow bathed in silhouette, was AWESOME). Duke was okay, but "team leader"? Roadblock was … awesome. But The Rock always is, especially when he starts shooting and punching shit anyways LOL
Funnily, the scenes and camaraderie between Duke and Roadblock, is the only "RomCom" aspect of this film lol
One irony of this film experience, was me stepping out of the cinema in Tampines Mall on the 4th floor, and heading straight to Toys'R'Us a floor below, and not being able to find a single merchandize from the movie. And while I understand toys from Hasbro were released last year, it is such a "waste" not to find them when the film is actually released. TOY FAIL.
I would've been perfectly happy with a Storm Shadow figure, or even a Roadblock, actually :)
So is this movie a "Hit"? Or Miss"? I'd rather like to say it is a pistol aimed at a caricature of a Cobra Commander from the cartoons, and that I am hoping the bullet doesn't hit the mark, because that would mean the end of the franchise, and "fun"!
The "fun" is not in having a perfect G.I.Joe movie, but in the road it choose to tread, IMHO.
Go watch it if you're a fan (but try top leave your fandom at the main door), and watch it if you like bullets and explosions
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Reactions to G.I.Joe Retaliation
"GI Joe 2 was a lot of fun. Kinda loved the first two thirds of the film. Ninja action sequence is worth price of admission alone. That said, the last 40 minutes of the movie got wayyyyy too ridiculous for me. Conflicted but there was a lot to enjoy." ~Peter Sciretta (@slashfilm)
"G.I. Joe Retaliation is big, dumb fun. But in the realm of big, dumb fun movies, I’ve seen much, much better." ~Germain Lussier (@GermainLussier)
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
4-Minutes Fight Scene for G.I.Joe Retaliation
4 minutes of the (*Spoiler*) sequence where Storm Shadow fights Snake Eyes, and the relation of said fight to the cliffside battle with the Red Ninjas. Makes more sense now, and yes, I can't wait to watch G.I.Joe Retaliation! LOL
Friday, March 15, 2013
Official Vignette for Director "Jon Chu"
The Director for "G.I.Joe Retaliation", Jon Chu lives out his kid's fantasy dreams. And as he mentioned, this is his first "action movie" (previous films include "Dance"-themed films like "Step Up 2: The Streets", "Step Up 3D" / IMDb) ... Hopefully it'll entertain us.
'G.I.Joe Retaliation' Poster in Singapore
'New' G.I.Joe Retaliation poster image spotted on the STGCC-Facebook, which also includes a giveaway contest to win movie tickets for the Singapore 26th March premiere of the film.
New COBRA-ccentric Stills for 'G.I. Joe: Retaliation'
A series of COBRA-ccentric promotional stills turned up online yesterday (via Superhero Hype) with my fav being the above of Cobra Commander (which I wished someone gave him tighter pants or something) and Storm Shadow, flanked on both sides by Cobra Troopers (looked like the "recruitment video" worked, huh?) who ditched their blues for urban-camo-gear, and the Red Ninjas behind them, looking very Imperial Guards in Star Wars LOL
Redecorating The White House.
Dude is getting a whole lot of promo-time, especially with his bare-bod, impressively standing up right next to The Rock's lol
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Character Profile - "Flint" (G.I. Joe: Retaliation)
Truth be told, I had zero idea, nor even bothered to know "who" this guy was, until this "character profile" above that I found out he was actually "Flint". My bad perhaps … he just looks to be 'cannon fodder', ya know? Hoping he'll prove me wrong in the big screen :p
Monday, March 11, 2013
Character Profile - "Lady Jaye" (G.I. Joe: Retaliation)
"Lady Jaye" is HAWT. Sorry Scarlett, you're off the desire-pedestal for now. C'mon, a gorgeous gal with a penchant for weaponry, and kicassery, is a
Character Profile - "Duke" (G.I. Joe: Retaliation)
Channing Tatum's "Duke" gets his own "Character Profile" in this clip, which features 2 sequences in the movie, perhaps? I've absolutely no problem with more or less "Duke", and am just thankful "Ripcord" is not back … heh.
"Re-Enlisting" + Character Vignette for "Joe Colton"
Bruce Willis plays a deadpan "Joe Colton" straight and stoic (nice way to say "expressionless" and "telephones in spoken lines"), bolstered by actors around him - which frankly isn't saying too much innit? LOL But hey, I'm not looking for "Shakespeare" here, yeh? LOL Lock-n-Load, Soldier!
Official Clip - "Cliffside Battle"
Nearly a minute's worth of Cliffside Battle featuring Jinx and Snake Eyes against a slew of Ninjas, who can't fight for crap but can glide across cliffs beautifully ... well, most of them anyways LOL
Looks to be the proceeding sequence before Snake Eyes confronts Storm Shadow within the temple grounds/corridor, perhaps?
Official Featurette for "Storm Shadow" & Official Clip for "Storm Shadow vs Snake Eyes"
"Storm Shadow" gets his own featurette (above) and we get to see an Official Clip of the "Snake Eyes vs Storm Shadow" sequence. Good to see Korean-actor Lee Byung-hun getting the opportunity to unmask and to showcase his work (no small debt to Psy and his "Gangnam Style" phenom, I reckon), and looking like "Storm Shadow" might be the standout in the sequel to G.I.Joe!
So seems Storm Shadow was "framed" as the killer for his master? Lends credence to the "rumors" that SS is not the total villain as seen in Part 1...? hhhmmm
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
The Reveal of Storm Shadow 1/6 by Hot Toys (for 'G.I.Joe: Retaliation')
After the announcement of their eye-bendingly awesome Snake-Eyes in 1/6th-scale, Hot Toys reveals yet another beauty of articulation from the upcoming movie "G.I.Joe: Retaliation': STORM SHADOW! We've Seen magazine previews earlier, now the figure is revealed in full, with the facial-image based on Korean hunk Lee Byung Hun, this looks to be indeed a splendid sculpt! Now you NEED both Snake and Storm to be in the same display shelf, no?
Check with your fav retailers/vendors for price and availability. I will update more product info when I have it! Check out THIS FB-album for more mirrored images!
HOT TOYS PRESS RELEASE: 'Following the firstly launched character of the Snake Eyes Collectible Figure from the upcoming G.I. Joe Retaliation movie, Hot Toys is thrilled to present the white ninja - the Storm Shadow Collectible Figure who comes from the villainous Cobra organization.
The movie-accurate collectible is specially crafted based on the image of Lee Byung Hun as Storm Shadow in his white ninja bodysuit in the movie, highlighting the new developed heads, highly detailed costume and weapons. Let’s continue the ninja battle between Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow in this sequel!'
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Recruitment Video for "Cobra Special Forces" (G.I.Joe: Retaliation Promo)
An "army recruitment"-styled commercial, for COBRA = awesumsauce! I certainly like the promo-direction for the upcoming "G.I.Joe: Retaliation" movie. And seems activities has ramped up at the "Cobra Special Forces" viral website @ www.cobraspecialforces.com, and they even have a Facebook page (Yahoo!Movies got the scoop).
Thursday, January 24, 2013
New Ninja-tastic G.I.Joe Retaliation Teaser
More ninja-action in this new teaser for 'G.I.Joe Retaliation' - heralding the upcoming 4-minute trailer to be presented at the screening for "Hansel & Gretal".
(via Topless Robot)
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Hot Toys Previews 2013: G.I.Joe Retaliation
From the live action "G.I.Joe Retaliation", on show here are previews of Cobra Ninja "Storm Shadow", with the "original G.I.Joe" "Joe Colton" in the background.
Featuring the facial likeness of South Korean-actor Lee Byung-hun, this Storm Shadow cuts a dapper figure in his white pleather duds. From the trailers seems he goes up against his blood-brother Snake Eyes again (I wonder why they do not play up that more, than the cursory back-story in Part 1), and with the upcoming release of Snake-Eyes in 1/6, this is a no-brainer, IMHO.
As for Joe Coltron with muscles? I'd rather see a Dwayne Johnson / "The Rock" as the massive RoadBlock instead … but that's probably just me. Nevertheless, with Hot Toys's earlier track record with military-releases, and extreme-likeness to actor's headsculpts, this looks exciting!
Images from Mark OSR (from William Lau) / Hot Toys Community (from On.Cc)
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
G.I. Joe Retaliation: 1/6th scale Snake Eyes Collectible Figure from Hot Toys
I had absolutely forgotten that Hot Toys would be releasing 1/6 versions of G.I.Joe - specifically from the "G.I.Joe Retaliation" "live"-action film (yes, THAT postponed one), and the first salvo goes to SNAKE EYES! And gosh does he look "gorgeous" here! The last time we saw a Snake Eys 1/6 was the mass market version from the first film (*shudder*) and the "Classic" version from Sideshow Toys. Seeing HT's past shining record of producing military figures, this is a serious no-brainer. I expect a whole lot more exciting releases to come from this series - if indeed it will be a series more than one release!
LOOKING-FORWARD-TO (if any of this will exist anyways, I wouldn't know otherwise ;p): Cobra Commander and RoadBlock ("The Rock" as an action figure rom HT? Would be utterly awesome!)
Here be some pics to get you sorted out for 2013! No price points yet, but be sure to bug your fav retailers for availability soon! Individual images mirrored HERE on my Facebook album!
HOT TOYS PRESS: 'In view of the popularity of the G.I. Joe series and the launch of the G.I. Joe Retaliation movie in early 2013, Hot Toys is proud to present the Snake Eyes Collectible Figure from the G.I. Joe Retaliation movie as the first collaboration with Hasbro. The movie-accurate collectible is specially crafted based on the image of Snake Eyes in his black “military ninja” bodysuit in the movie, highlighting the character’s image, highly detailed costume and weapons.'
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