Last Friday saw the theatrical release of action-packed blockbuster “The Expendables 2,” the star-studded follow-up to the equally star-studded 2010 box office smash. Directed by Simon West of “Con Air” fame and starring such no-nonsense macho men as Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Bruce Willis, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Arnold Schwarzenegger, the newly released old-school action throwback proudly pays tribute to the beloved template of the ‘80s action movie – blood, pecs, testosterone and all that jazz. But here’s a question: what are the ten greatest action flicks of the 1980s? Why, let’s find out! [Read more…]
That’s No Moon… It’s a Ping Pong Ball!
That broken sphere up there, that’s no moon. It’s a Death Star. Or, to be more specific, it’s the incomplete Death Star II, the second iteration of the intergalactic battle station, built by the villainous Galactic Empire after the smaller Death Star I was triumphantly blown to smithereens by Jedi apprentice Luke Skywalker at the end of “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope.”
Since it first appeared on cinema screens in 1977, the Death Star has become an iconic image of science-fiction cinema, initially made famous by Alec Guinness’ ominous line, “That’s no moon. It’s a space station.” Well, now it’s about to become that little bit more famous, thanks to Japanese internet user tatumaru5963. Y’see, Mr(s). tatumaru5963 has intricately created his/her own miniature Death Star II, using just a ping pong ball and card stock.
The creator of this mini masterpiece provided some commentary on his/her glorious creation, as reproduced here thanks to the wonders of online translators: “Things repeatedly cutting the ping-pong ball, plastic board was finely cut of 0.2, we reproduce the internal structure.”
Umm, yeah. Check out pictures of the mini Death Star II below. [Read more…]
Ten Hollywood Has-Beens Who Deserve a Comeback
As the age-old saying goes, what goes up must come down; the ten individuals listed below certainly know this. These ten actors are Hollywood ex-starlets whose once-glimmering careers have taken quite a tumble over the last few years or so, be this from bad role choices, box-office blunders or personal problems. They’re also actors whom I firmly believe should be awarded with the Mickey Rourke/Robert Downey, Jr. treatment, i.e. a shining comeback.
So, scroll down, take a look and see if you think any of these washed-up has-beens deserve to be placed back in the spotlight as I personally think they should be. I should probably note that they’re assembled in alphabetical order of surname, and not in order of washed-up-iness. [Read more…]
Top 10 Reasons to Shell Out 16 Bucks to See Star Wars Episode I The Phantom Menace in 3D
by Will Conley
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace in 3D hits theaters today. In case you haven’t heard of the film, it’s a remake of the hit 1999 sci-fi classic, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace in 2D.
Like the original, the remake features all your favorite characters engaging in such crackling dialog as:
“Meesa meesa!”
“I vote to impeach Natalie Portman. If you know what I mean.”
“Long ago, in a galaxy far, far away, something about trade routes, yadda yadda, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.”
We at This Blog Rules feel that this re-release is exactly what the Star Wars franchise needs, and that there will be many surprises in this new, more three-dimensional-y version of the movie you saw and previously didn’t like because you are an ignorant donkey.
But those of you who pay close attention to Things Happening Around You may be aware that Episode I gets a lot of flack from armchair movie critics who have never been in a real pod race and would therefore have no real-world knowledge on which to base their cruel and accurate criticisms of the film. [Read more…]
The Top 10 ‘Doctor Who’ Characters
When you spend your days casually traveling through the infinite reaches of time and space in a big blue police box, you’re bound to run into a fair share of weird and wonderful characters from all sorts of kooky worlds and dizzying dimensions. The Doctor certainly has in BBC sci-fi series “Doctor Who,” which has been broadcast on British television screens since 1963 and is now approaching its 33rd season and 800th episode.
Throughout its near 50-year reign on worldwide TV screens (though with a 16-year hiatus from 1989 to 2005), “Doctor Who” has presented us with heroes, villains, creatures and monsters who have wowed and perplexed us nerdy viewers since the black-and-white days of ‘63. So, let’s take a look at the top ten characters (according to me) to have ever featured in this ground-breaking series, from the very beginning to the current incarnation.
Note: I’m including certain alien species as one entry as many of their members are, frankly, indistinguishable from one another, and to not include them seems unfair.
10. The Autons
First up, it’s the Autons, who were not only the first villains to be battled by the third Doctor, played by Jon Pertwee, but also by the ninth Doctor, played by Christopher Ecclestone; they were also the first “Doctor Who” villains to be shown in glorious Technicolor. [Read more…]