AndrewTS

"The fights where pretty bad, it seemed like a three year old was playing with wrestling figures and just mashing him together. " That's what I said in the spoiler section, but damn if it isn't true.

*crosses fingers* Punch Out, Punch Out, Punch Out... *reads* **** YOU NINTENDO!!! Metriod NES is on Zero Mission already. Unless they put an auto-mapping feature in this they can shove it. Dr. Mario is on Game Boy already, and Dr. Wario is in WarioWare Inc. However, Dr. Wario is only 1P, so only get the NES Classic version if you have to play 2P. Zelda II is okay I guess. Castlevania was cool at the time, but strictly stone age now, due to the crappy control. They should have given us III. Ghey, ghey, ghey, ghey, ghey, ghey. What's next? The already-out-in-Japan revival of the original NES Mario Bros.? (Which they did put in all the Mario Advance titles and Superstar Saga for free). Pick up Metroid Zero Mission and Wario Ware Inc. You get both and two other good games besides for (if you go used) the same price.

I've seen it. Friend liked it, I hated it. When those GINO-esque digital green subtitles popped up, I was thinking "uh-oh." It's such a simple, harmless thing, but so many times it is a harbinger of crap. There's plenty of things in the movie that simply do not logically follow...or if they did logically follow, no explanation was made about it. Despite this movie being seemingly aimed at A/P neophytes, they did little to actually explain the Predator code of honor. Those of us only familiar with the movies who were unsure about the Predator's recognition of our lead female as an ally rather than prey is just one example. Also, the fact that the movie practically puts a glowing red neon sign over her that says FINAL GIRL really hurts any suspense. The expedition heads in COMPLETELY UNPREPARED on the flimsy premise that they have to be the first ones there. Of course, rather than simply establishing a base camp and working from there, Bishop insists they head on in, against all logic. Assuming the heat signature was a deliberate lure to get the humans to enter the temple...isn't it a bit of a leap to hedge bets on the humans reacting that way? How would they know how many would enter--how would they be certain that they didn't have too many or not enough humans to breed the adult aliens? Maybe the Predators had some reason for the humans being lured there rather than putting them there themselves, but since the ancient human sacrifices did it without fighting off the aliens, it doesn't make much sense why they couldn't just abduct some humans for the purpose. Didn't anyone think to refreeze the Alien Queen when she laid enough eggs? The Predators could do that from their ship, right? The shoulder cannons--why would the young Predators HAVE to use *those*, and didn't bring their own? Aside from having some special religious significance from maybe being specially designated (which I have not heard anything about), there seems to be little reason for the Preds to blunder in there, unprepared to actually fight the Aliens. A big deal was made about the Aliens not getting to the surface...even though no more full-grown aliens could be bred than there are hosts. The aliens likely wouldn't be able to swim thousands of miles to land in freezing waters, and face huggers wouldn't be able to do it. Okay, MAYBE we'd have to worry about Penguin Aliens, but I don't know if penguins would be large enough to be able to breed Aliens, and if so, I don't know if the resulting Alien would live long enough to be any threat. PG-13 rating...ugh. Yes, it was very watered down and very lame. The only actual splatter of human blood is barely more than if you cut yourself rather badly shaving. The human characters were rather ho-hum. The female lead did well with what she was given, but she doesn't come across as the Ripley-type the movie needed, since she seemed luckier than skilled. The fights sucked. The major one-on-one human Alien/Predator fight we see is...well, take an Alien figure and a Predator figure. Smash them together as you shoot an XTREMECLOSEUP of the "auction." Do this in almost complete dark. That's what that wonderful fight scene looked like. Despite two of the Preds being total greenhorns, one of them was pretty badass. In my favorite scene in the movie, we get that cliche-but-still-awesome scene where the Predator slices at the Alien with his razor disc...delay...and the bisected Alien head slides apart. YEEEEAH!! Too bad it was so difficult to tell the Preds apart, since you could barely tell which was which, who was where, what was what, and so on. A lot of the flash was promising, but in the substance it was severely lacking. The quick running time also left me wondering "already? Geez." So there's very little action and payoff compared to what there could have been. If the in-action, building up, and capping off had been well done, that wouldn't be a problem. However, that's hardly something Anderson is gifted at depicting. So while there's been arguably worse movies this year, AVP is a tremendous letdown, but I'd say it's far better than I actually expected. So, meh. I did pick up the 1st Batman vs. Predator trade paperback, and it looks awesome so far. Plus in the back they have all the covers of the individual comics. I found it at Barnes and Noble, for those having a tough time finding it. Sadly, they didn't have the 2nd BvP one.

Agreed. So as far as I'm concerned, any half-decent replacement will be acceptable. However, if Stewart took it I'd at least be able to see the show. I'd like to see Carrell get it, but isn't he starting a movie career now, as Inspector Clouseau in the Pink Panther remake?

I'm not too sure about that. First off, getting a movie made cheaply and (fairly) competently is really PWCA's only strengths as a director--well, that and he does screenplays too. However, once you begin employing moderate CGI, usually the budget heads closer to the triple digits. Even then, production budget doesn't including marketing budget. AVP has been pretty heavily marketed, after all. Although to get a better idea, I'd need to know the production/marketing budget for AVP. Another message board discussed the possibility of an "unrated" DVD version being put out. Meh.

"Peter Howell in the Toronto Star put it best (in lieu of an actual review) - it doesn't matter what he and his fellow critics will say, it'll still be number 1 come Sunday. " ...unless Princess Diaries 2 beats it. Also, doesn't mean it won't be a bomb financially. Van Helsing had a strong first week, but wasn't actually very profitable in the long run (of course, when it comes to video it'll make a little more, despite how crappy it is). The Hulk was successful for a weak or so, but because of the huge budget it still was a bomb in theatres, failing to recoup all those losses by a huge margin. Anderson should stick to Mortal Kombat movies... Then again, MK: Annihilation, which Anderson didn't helm, likely is far more entertaining for all the wrong reasons than AVP is. I'll find out tomorrow, I suppose...

Thanks for clearing that up, Corey. At least there were some consistencies there. Oh, recap of rottentomatoes' roundup: Reviews counted: 31 Fresh: 3 Rotten: 28 Average Rating: 3.5/10

"I mean, what do I criticize? Anderson giving the fans what they wanted? (edit)The shoulda said *trying* to give fans what they wanted. Hey, I was tired... " I don't think you speak for all the fans, and I don't think "the fans" wanted PWCA on the project in the first place. He's no hack (despite what some may say), but he's far from gifted and lacks vision, and I wouldn't consider him a good candidate to handle such a difficult-to-do project. Anyway, FYE has the Predator DVD special edition for a red-tag $14.99. I picked up the full-screen, but it was the last one. A friend really wanted the full screen, so I gave it to him for the same price. Ah well. I guess I'll try to pick it up somewhere else, hopefully before we see AVP tomorrow. Heh--anyone seen the Batman/Predator or Batman/Aliens crossover comics? How were they?

"I thought Smackdown was Ok, but for a pre-PPV-hype show, it sucked." Pre PPV shows always suck, since they want to keep everyone healthy and focus on plugging the PPV. So I don't know about that. For the record, I watched only half of Raw and didn't feel like it was worth it either. Nothing on SD makes me care but Angle/Eddy, and they screwed up the revival of that angle already.

6-8 months? Perfect! Matt can be the mother of Kane's baby.

What was it? Oh and the Batman story you were thinking of Andrew was PERCHANCE TO DREAM. One of the best eps in the series and easily the best Mad Hatter story of all time. Thanks. Yes indeed it was awesome--glad it should be on the next DVD set. Can't find that Alan Moore online so going to have to special order it. Is it just me or does anyone else's book stores have a ton of Marvel stuff and little DC (in the trade paperback, graphic novels, etc section)?

"I read the spoilers every week....the show just doesn't seem interesting to me. at all. *shrug* " Ditto. I was watching the Benoit DVD and playing War of the Monsters.

Anyone else think this is very physcologically unhealthy? What the hell does it even mean? She's been drawn differently, right? Does she mean off of Lynda Carter? Isn't Trish actually too short anyway to really duplicate that regardless? Eh, slow news day. Don't worry about it.

I hate when people use phrases like "popcorn muncher" and "leave your brain at the door." Just the sort uninformative, fence-straddling, unopinionated review that annoys me the most. Well, I guess that means Ebert will give it ***. (No offense, I just would like a more thorough and critical review. )

They could have him job to Randy Orton. Especially if they want to counteract the face pops he's getting. Not that *I'd* want to see that program, but it would make some sense. Just tell Hogan "you'll get the job back later" (and then try to keep a straight face). Orton doesn't need it now, though. Beating Hogan (and roughing him up) helped Brock get over, but Orton's past that difficult acceptance stage and is drawing decent heat. It'd just be a waste to pay Hogan just to do that match/feud. I'd say that, unfortunately, JBL would be a better opponent for Hogan. Well, at least it would be more like what Hogan is used to, anyway.

"It's not a double-sided disc. It's a two-disc set that's available in either widescreen or fullscreen. The cover art is identical for both versions, which can cause some confusion. " Yeah I know, just saying it's preferable to do a one-sided disc over a two-sided disc, because 2-siders get scratched really easily. "It was only $14.99 at FYE. If you factor in the AVP MovieCash, it's a pretty good deal." Thanks. I'll try FYE for it.

They're in the same class as "Bret Hart coming in to lead the Invasion," "Yokozuna making his return," and "the 1st Ultimate Warrior is dead." They pop up from time to time regardless. First off, I don't like Hogan at all. Never did, his returns haven't enticed me, and I really wouldn't want to see him more than one more appearance where he jobs. That being said, Hogan has great timing, in that he comes back, stays until he gets stale, then goes away for a bit, coming back at the *right* time. I don't think the time is now or soon, but he'll be back. Hogan and Vince are too much alike to never see eye-to-eye on a situation where they think they'll be making money. Allegedly Hogan/Austin didn't happen because Austin didn't want to do it, and it's improbable that it will ever happen, so get over it folks. There's really no one I'd like to see Hogan have as an opponent in the current WWE anyway. Nobody really "fits" against him much anymore.

EDIT: SpiderFan already listed the extras. If you plan on picking it up, be sure to check the back of the packaging. The DVD is available in both widescreen and fullscreen, but you can't tell just by looking at the cover. I saw a version at my Wal-Mart--but it was 19.99. Blah. Since I already have the first DVD release of Predator, despite all the extras, I'll pass for now. I've splurged too much thanks to EBGames' Buy 2 get 1 free sale, and I already have a free movie pass for *any* movie I want to see. Too bad though, because those are some wicked extras. Sucks about the widescreen/regular versions, although I don't like double-sided discs myself. Thanks for the info. Going by your rundown, it doesn't appear as if PWCA's Predators follow the comic conventions at all. Big shock there.

Funny thing from 411... I'm still laughing at the part where she says WWE don't hire men on looks. Most of the rest sounds very disingenuous, considering the source. I agree with a lot of it, don't get me wrong, but she's just sounding like a hypocrite saying it.

Pedophilia is in all anime? Not true, but a lot of overtones of it exist in a lot of anime, due heavily to the Japanese buru-sera fetish. However, most of it has always seemed to me the "borderline" type; younger teens, like 13/14, are far more sexualized in anime than you'll see on American TV or movies (i.e. Evangelion or Sailor Moon).

Especially considering they are packaging a free ticket to see AvP in the new Predator dvd release. I bought the movie just for that reason, I mean $15 for a dvd and a free movie (gotta love Walmart) I'd go see more movies if dvd's came with free passes I saw a commercial for that. ARGH--I already got the original release of Predator on DVD. What are the extras on this one? Oh, a CINO pass came packaged with the Batman/Super Friends box sets, but that didn't really help the movie all that much.

If only there was a publishing gaming company taht was willing to do so, we might actually see them Stateside. Sadly, until it shows up, we never will. Spike has already published the two GBA Fire Pros here. Yeah, we didn't get KOC1, but it's still possible. Anyone who has played it, how does it stack up to VPW2/Revenge/etc? I'd import it, but the PS2 is such a royal pain to play imports on. It'd probably be cheaper and less frustrating to see if anyone sells a modded PS2. However, I think Ebay's been clamping down on those, so you'd probably have to brave a site like Lik-Sang or something.

She was in Slaves of the Realm, The Final Victim, Ariana's Quest, AND Corky Romano!!

Or Ron Perlman as Matt Hagan? Although, if Perlman can go from TV's Beast (in Beauty and the Beast) and a ton of voice acting roles to a live-action star of Hellboy, you never really know. Also yeah, when casting a voice actor, first and foremost casting looks for some one with the right voice, and the hell with the actual look. Although, Tommy Lee Jones obviously was trying his best Richard Moll Two-Face impression in Forever. Also, yeah, often you can name ones where the situation happened in reverse, but that's the tricky part. I'm sure there's some low, low, low budget cartoon-turned-movie where it actually happened.

...been a voice actor/actress to voice a part for an animated TV series/movie, who afterwards ended up resuming that same role for a live action TV series or movie? The question came up when a friend and I were wondering about, when Joker enters the new Batman movie series, who would play him. I haven't seen the guy lately, but Mark Hamill's name came up, who mostly does voice acting these days. Of course, hiring him would be viewed as signing a has-been by a lot of people, regardless if he could actually pull off *looking* like him. I don't think he'd be able to even look the part, but it made me wonder if something like that has happened. Obviously, with him being older and the tendency of voice actors not being viewed with the same respect as Hollywood headliners, such a situation is rare, particularly in that order. Of course, it doesn't have to actually be a major Hollywood movie, just a case of a character's voice actor in an animated show playing the same character for live-action. Neither do "guest" voice overs for stuff like The Simpsons count, which usually have actors playing themselves anyway. Oh, if the voice actor is voicing the role for a live action character, but isn't actually physically playing that person, it doesn't count. How many can we name, folks?