“AND NOW BACK TO G.I. JOE!”

Posted by Metal Misfit on July 28, 2020
Posted in: G.I. Joe, Movies, Toys, Video Games. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

After years of dormancy, 2020 is the year that Hasbro finally relaunched their G.I. Joe brand. Outside of various G.I. Joe comic book series from various comic book publishers, Hasbro has left hungry Joes fan starving over the last few years. G.I. Joe toys haven’t been on the retail shelves since 2016 (the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club continued to get exclusive direct-to-consumer figures up until 2018), there hasn’t been a new G.I. Joe cartoon since 2011 (G.I. Joe: Renegades), and the last G.I. Joe live-action movie was released back in 2013 (G.I. Joe: Retaliation).

This year, that’s all changing. Here’s the rundown of what’s coming and what’s already out there for fans of G.I. Joe:

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G.I. JOE ORIGINS: SNAKE EYES

The news had been out for awhile that Hasbro & Paramount Pictures were developing an origin story starring Snake Eyes. Then casting started to leak, then a release date… Supposedly the movie will arrive on October 23, 2020, but with the COVID-19 pandemic still going on, who knows if that will even happen. Oh well, the machine is in motion as Hasbro is going all out with a merchandising blitz to help rebuild the G.I. Joe.

Referred to as both G.I. Joe Origins: Snake Eyes and simply Snake Eyes in the press, this is the focal point of Hasbro’s relaunch and where they hope to expand the popularity of G.I. Joe and capture mainstream success again. Snake Eyes is not a sequel or spin-off to 2013’s G.I. Joe: Retaliation, but instead will serve as a reboot of the live-action Joe universe, with the next step logically (and hopefully) being a movie featuring the full G.I. Joe team. Let the debate begin over which characters should appear in that film…

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G.I JOE CLASSIFIED SERIES

Already on the shelves… I guess… depending on where you live and which store you visit… is a brand-new six-inch line of Joe figures. $19.99 is the price point just like Hasbro’s Star Wars Black & Marvel Legends lines. Highly articulated with modern design updates (that are getting a mixed reaction), a six-inch line of Joes is what fans have been begging for for years. I haven’t been able to get my hands on any yet, but some look great and some not so great.

The initial wave is Destro, Duke, Roadblock, Snake Eyes and Scarlett. Upcoming waves (and some of these are exclusives to various retail stores/websites) will include two versions of Cobra Commander, a second version of Destro, Baroness w/ Cobra C.O.I.L motorcycle, Red Ninja, Gung-Ho, Storm Shadow, a ridiculous-looking second version of Roadblock, and Beach Head.

I’m disappointed in Duke (one of my favorite Joes), so I’ll wait to see if that one ever goes on clearance. Destro, Storm Shadow & Beach Head all look great. I can’t wait to get my hands on those. Snake Eyes, the Baroness (although I don’t care about the motorcycle) & both versions of Cobra Commander look nice. The rest I will skip.

I am a little confused on who this line is for. Like others, I’m not too fond of the “modern” look of some of these figures. As many have pointed out, they look a little “Fortnite-ish”. What’s with the metal shin guards and knee pads? Yes, the Joe community was asking for 6-inch figures, but we were also asking for them to be based on their original 1980’s versions. Hopefully we can still get that at some point.

I suppose some of the designs might appeal to a younger audience, but let’s get real. Kids don’t buy toys anymore. Middle-aged men trying to recapture their youth by surrounding themselves in nostalgia buy toys. A $20 action figure is a hard sell to a younger audience, even if you “update” their look. What’s also a hard sell is bringing back a beloved franchise in today’s most popular action figure size format and then eschewing the “classic” look of those characters. It’s one thing if we’d already had years of a 6″ Joe line and it was time to shake things up, but I really think Hasbro should’ve come out laser rifle blazing with figures from the original 3 3/4″ line essentially blown up to 6″ with today’s modern sculpting and articulation.

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G.I. JOE at WALMART

Well, in addition to the launch of the six-inch G.I. Joe Classified line, Hasbro will be releasing a “retro”-inspired G.I. Joe four-inch line exclusively at Walmart. These are not done in the classic 3 3/4″ O-ring style. These figures are the “modern” four-inch figures that Hasbro introduced with 2007’s G.I. Joe 25th Anniversary line and ran with on retail shelves until 2017. The figures are fine, but a lot of us really wanted O-ring style figures, but apparently Hasbro doesn’t have those original molds anymore and doesn’t want to spend the money to recreate them.

There have been a lot of complaints about this line already: figures don’t match the retro card art, figures are re-releases from previous years of the modern line, too many accessories (I think that’s a silly complaint!), “A Real American Hero” is missing, Walmart.com pre-ordering was a mess, etc. Personally, I think the line looks nice but I am disappointed they are not O-ring figures. I will still pick up a few here and there if they are based on characters I like. I would love to get the A.W.E. Striker and managed to pre-order the Cobra H.I.S.S. I did not have any of the major vehicles growing up, so I’d love to get my hands on any vehicles that come out with this line.

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VIDEO GAMES

We have a few G.I. Joe video games to discuss!

G.I. Joe: War on Cobra was released as an app for mobile devices in January 2020. I played a little of it and it was okay. It’s one of those typical app games where you aren’t going to get very far without spending real money to buy fake money so that you can upgrade your weapons, characters & defenses, which I’m not willing to do. I think I played it for about a week before deleting it!

Coming in October 2020 is G.I. Joe- Operation: Blackout for PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch & Xbox One. It will received a physical release and priced at $39.99. Character designs appear to be based on the Classified toy line. It looks like it might play similar to Transformers: Devastation (2015) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan (2016), although this Joe game doesn’t share the same developer or publisher.

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Last, but definitely not least!

Hasbro’s official YouTube channel started live-streaming episodes of the classic ’80s Joe cartoon a few weeks ago. As of this blog posting, episodes were being live-streamed 24 hours a day in series order. Hasbro has also uploaded select episodes for individual viewing. It seems like every week or so they add a handful of new episodes to the stream, and just recently started adding season two episodes. Of course, I own the series on DVD, but it’s nice to fire up the live-stream whenever I’m bored and get warm ‘n’ fuzzy feels.

I wonder if they’ll ever upload the two seasons that DIC produced?

Gotta love technology. 20 years ago I was pining away to watch G.I. Joe cartoons again, back when all that was available were old VHS tapes (and they weren’t cheap!). Then we finally got a few DVD releases and now it’s all being streamed for free online 24/7!

Honestly, I care about the cartoon more than anything else. I’m happy it’s still out there to be consumed. In a perfect world, we would get a third season of the Sunbow Productions era (completely ignoring the DIC series) that follows the events of G.I. Joe: The Movie, and it would have a slightly more adult feel.

Hasbro’s G.I. Joe livestream

Concert Review: Tesla / Bad Marriage / Foundry (February 14, 2020)

Posted by Metal Misfit on May 19, 2020
Posted in: Tesla. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

(Okay, I actually started writing this up back in February, but since I’m so lazy, I never finished it. Well, better later than never!)

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Tesla
w/ Bad Marriage & Foundry

Saenger Theatre
Pensacola, Florida
February 14, 2020

My fourth time going to the awesome Saenger Theatre in beautiful Downtown Pensacola did not disappoint! I immediately bought a ticket to this show as soon as they went on sale last year. Even more cool is that this was the first night of the tour.

I figured it would probably be a two or two-and-a-half hour show featuring Tesla only, but the day of the show I saw the Saenger’s website list Bad Marriage as the opening act. Didn’t have a clue who they were, but cool, more bang for my buck. Then once showtime came around, yet another band was on the bill… Foundry!

I wasn’t familiar with Foundry either. Featuring Mark Boals (ex-Yngwie Malmsteen vocalist plus tons of other bands), they were decent but somewhat generic sounding with their modern rock/metal radio sound. Mark sounded good, though.

Looks like the Las Vegas-based band originally was a three-piece featuring Baton Rouge vocalist Kelly Keeling. In addition to Boals, the current lineup features guitarist Chris Iorio (ex-Adelita’s Way) and drummer Marc Brattin (couldn’t find any info on who else he’s played with!). Bassist Scott Griffin (ex-L.A. Guns/ex-Ratt… the Bobby Blotzer version) performed with them, but all of the band’s social media pages say Bjorn Englen (Dio Disciples) is their bassist.

Looking at the resume of these guys, I’m guessing Chris Iorio is calling the shots on the musical direction of the band as Adelita’s Way was a pretty generic modern hard rock/heavy metal band itself, despite achieving some minor success in the late 2000s/early 2010s.

The band had a few technical and timing issues. Given that it was opening night and it seems like almost all of these guys are journeymen that are constantly busy with other band projects, there’s probably not a lot of time for Foundry to gel together. I don’t mind. It’s a rock ‘n’ roll show, it’s not supposed to be perfectly polished and shiny!

Next up was Bad Marriage, a group based out of the Boston area. I skimmed over their bio online earlier in the day and the description touted them as students of ’70s and ’80s classic hard rock (inspired by AC/DC, Guns N’ Roses & Aerosmith) that often threw in a number of cover songs from that era into energetic their set. That sounds about right. Some people in the row behind me knew of them already, had seen them previously and were excited to see them again.

I thought the visual of the band was a bit strange. Vocalist Jon Paquin looked like he stepped out of the 1970s with his tan slacks, dress shoes (or boots?), button up big collared shirt, scarves and a white fringe jacket (he would later don a sailor’s cap as well, completing the yacht rock look). Granted, he looked cool, but the drummer was smartly dressed in a sensible black dress shirt (in music videos I’ve seen him wearing a tie and a blazer!) while the other three members of the band were dressed like sleaze rockers. Maybe that’s why they call themselves Bad Marriage… because they don’t look like they belong together!

The performance itself was good and energetic. By the time Bad Marriage took the stage, the theater was just about full and everyone seemed to love them. The crowd especially went nuts when they performed their version of Aerosmith’s “Toys in the Attic”. They also did a cover of Tom Petty’s “Honey Bee”. Paquin comes across like a star and is very charismatic with his mannerisms and dancing onstage. Their original music is decent and is much more in line with what I like to listen to.

Next up were the headliners… Tesla!

Continue Reading

THE METAL MISFIT AWARDS 2019: The Best of Music & Movies

Posted by Metal Misfit on April 10, 2020
Posted in: Movies, Music. Tagged: , , . Leave a comment

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Continuing to catch up on mentioning what I think was the best in recent years…

Top 10 Albums of 2019

  • Sammy Hagar & The Circle – Space Between
  • Tesla – Shock
  • Buckcherry – Warpaint
  • Ninja Sex Party – Under the Covers, Vol. III
  • Shark Island – Bloodline
  • Jeff Lynn’s ELO – From Out of Nowhere
  • Power Glove – Playback
  • Whitesnake – Flesh & Blood
  • Animal Drive – Back to the Roots
  • Down ‘n’ Outz – This Is How We Roll

My 25 Most Played Songs in 2019 (according to Spotify)

Spotify is primarily what I use with I’m at home on my computer. I used Amazon Music a lot on mobile, so I know there’s stuff like Black Sabbath and Red Hot Chili Pepper’s “Zephyr” (I got hooked one on that one during the summer) that would be on the list if I could somehow measure beyond what I listened to on Spotify!

  1. Long May They Haunt Us – Lizzy Borden (My Midnight Things)
  2. Phantom of the Opera – Impellitteri (Nature of the Beast)
  3. Hey You (You Make Me Rock) – Whitesnake (Flesh & Blood)
  4. We Belong to the Shadows – Lizzy Borden (My Midnight Things)
  5. Last Man Standing – Down ‘n’ Outz (This Is How We Roll)
  6. Bent – Buckcherry (Warpaint)
  7. Taste Like – Tesla (Shock)
  8. Helpless – Buckcherry (Time Bomb)
  9. Shock – Tesla (Shock)
  10. Dirty Livin’ – KISS (Dynasty)
  11. Half As Lovely (Twice As True) – Seth MacFarlane (Once In A While)
  12. No Easy Way Out – Beast In Black (From Hell with Love)
  13. Can’t Hang – Sammy Hagar & The Circle (Space Between)
  14. King of the World – Kane Roberts (The New Normal)
  15. Obsessed With You – Lizzy Borden (My Midnight Things)
  16. Time Bomb – Buckcherry (Time Bomb)
  17. I Was Made for Loving You – Steve ‘n’ Seagulls (Grainsville)
  18. Uncle Tom’s Cabin – Animal Drive (Back to the Roots)
  19. Amanda – Boston (Third Stage)
  20. Porno Star – Buckcherry (Time Bomb)
  21. Who’s Laughing Now – Hollywood Vampires (Rise)
  22. The Deeper The Love – Whitesnake (Slip of the Tongue)
  23. Monkey Business – Animal Drive (Back to the Roots)
  24. The Vacuum – Buckcherry (Warpaint)
  25. Affirmation – Sammy Hagar & The Circle (Space Between)

Top 15 Movies of 2019

Okay, I had to do a Top 15 here. Looking back, 2019 was a pretty good year for movies. Much better than 2018, I think.

  • Happy Death Day 2U – A nice twist to the series. The first movie was a thriller/dark comedy version of Groundhog Day, while the sequel takes the series into a not-as-dark comedy/sci-fi direction.
  • How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World – I loved the first one. Wasn’t impressed by the second one, but the third movie was a great story with beautiful scenery.
  • Shazam! – A movie so nice I watched it twice in the theaters!
  • Avengers: Endgame – More dumb fun from Marvel.
  • Godzilla: King of the Monsters – This was GREAT. Major improvement over the first one.
  • The Dead Don’t Die – Thoughts in the link.
  • Yesterday – One of my favorite movies in years. Very clever premise. Great soundtrack, of course.
  • Once Upon a Time in Hollywood – Probably the “nicest” movie Tarantino has ever done. Not perfect, but filled with an amazing cast that keeps you enthralled.
  • Blinded By the Light – A coming of age story with a character inspired by the words & music of Bruce Springsteen. Great soundtrack, of course.
  • Joker – The performance by Joaquin Phoenix is one of the best I’ve ever seen.
  • Little Monsters – I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this one. A zombie movie featuring children that takes place at a safari in Australia!
  • The Irishman – I didn’t think there was a whole lot in the way of plot, but it was just so nice to see De Niro, Pacino, Pesci and Scorsese together, for what I assume will probably be the last time.
  • A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood – Not exactly what I expected (I thought it would focus more on Mr. Rogers), but still a heartwarming tale based on true events. A good look into who Fred Rogers was.
  • Knives Out – Didn’t live up to all the quirky, clever fun that the trailer promised, but this was still a refreshingly fun movie.
  • Bombshell – An entertaining, but glossy and somewhat fictionalized account of the misogynist culture that exists at Fox News.

    Okay, I think I’m all caught up now. :)

THE METAL MISFIT AWARDS 2018: The Best of Music & Movies

Posted by Metal Misfit on April 7, 2020
Posted in: Movies, Music, Year End Awards. Tagged: , , . 2 Comments

 

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I realize I am extremely late on talking about anything from 2018 and 2019. Heck, I haven’t posted on this blog in six months! That’s a new record for me! And while I am considered “essential” and not sitting at home out of work due to COVID-19, I am still quite bored, so I got the urge to do some blogging during my downtime.

I got busy, I got lazy and I became uninspired to write or post about anything over the last two years. Lots of things have happened in that time. I’m not on social media anymore, and basically became antisocial media. I’m still plugged into the internet like everyone else in the world that owns a smartphone, I just choose not to socialize online or use it as an outlet anymore. UNTIL TODAY WITH THIS POST (but I’m still staying off social media)!

Maybe I’m back to blogging, maybe I’m not. Maybe I’ll start some rapid-fire posting or maybe I’ll disappear for three years after this. Who knows? Who cares? I showed up today at least!

And since I don’t really pay attention to many new releases anymore (for the most part, I’d rather listen to familiar tunes that I know will already evoke emotions), I’ve decided to take my music awards post in a new direction… It’s now a catch-all for various forms of entertainment!

Just for fun, I decided to tack on my favorite movies of 2018 as well.

Okay, let’s get on with it, and be sure to stay tuned for a similar post about 2019 (I think)! Continue Reading

The Dead Don’t Die / Body at Brighton Rock [Horror Movie Reviews]

Posted by Metal Misfit on October 1, 2019
Posted in: Movies. Tagged: , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

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The Dead Don’t Die
2019, Focus Features

A zombie comedy starring Bill Murray and Kylo Ren? I was IN as soon as I saw the trailer online. I intended to see it in the theater, but didn’t get around to it. I finally was able to check the movie out on Redbox.

First off, the cast is pretty interesting and diverse. Bill Murray and Adam Driver co-star with a number of interesting casting choices for supporting characters. Steve Buscemi is especially great as a racist local farmer (complete with “Make America Great Again” hat). He wasn’t in the movie enough, in my opinion!

The humor is very laid back, but clever. I guess it’s pretty close to what you could call slacker humor. The entire world is falling apart and the dead are rising (thanks to fracking at the poles throwing the planet off its axis) and no one seems particularly panicked about it. It’s more of a “oh… well, this sucks” vibe. Even in the face of a few gory scenes and fighting for their lives against zombies, the lead characters seem to be puzzled and slightly concerned, at most.

Also of note is the fact that the lead characters KNOW they are in a movie. In one scene, Adam Driver’s character tells Bill Murray’s character that he knows things are going to end poorly for them. Murray’s character asks how he knows that and Driver’s replies, “because I read the script”.

Another funny bit is the continuous use/promotion of Sturgill Simpson’s “The Dead Don’t Die” song. It’s played on the radio at the beginning of the movie and Murray’s character asks what it is and Driver’s character replies, “it’s the theme song”. And it’s actually a pretty catchy song.

Overall, I enjoyed the movie. It isn’t laugh out loud funny, but it’s clever and humorous. If in the future the movie ever turns up on any free streaming network I’m subscribed to, I’d probably watch it again.

The only thing that really fell flat with me was Tilda Swinton’s character arc. A sword-slinging Irish mortician that walks through a horde of zombies just to get taken away by an alien spaceship? It seemed like they were setting her up as some sort of mysterious bad-ass to help turn the tide against the zombies, but then… she didn’t. She left and joined the aliens instead just as the entire town was being overrun. I don’t get it. Was she an alien herself? Did she know the zombie apocalypse was coming? I wasn’t clear on any of that.

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Body at Brighton Rock
2019, Magnet Releasing

Okay, this isn’t about zombies or a demon clown preying upon children, but it’s a nature horror/survival flick so I’m reviewing it for the month of October. Like shark movies, I’m drawn to movies that feature the threat of a killer bear. There’s just something about both scenarios where you are isolated, helpless, vulnerable and you have to pull yourself together to make it through. The basic premise could happen in real life! I’ve seen a number of “alone in the forest against a bear” movies over the last few years (so many that I think it needs to become it’s own sub-genre) and while Body at Brighton Rock isn’t the best of those, it’s entertaining and interesting enough.

The plot revolves around a poorly adept forest park guide that becomes lost, stumbles across a dead body, and has to stay overnight in the forest to the preserve the scene before help can arrive in the morning. Also lurking deep in the forest is a bear (there’s a cave nearby her location) and a suspicious park visitor.

A solid effort with a good bit of mystery, intrigue and tension.