Disney/Star Wars

October 30 2012

Disney Buys Up More Gen X Properties

Lucas-films for 4.05 Billion dollars!!!

by A T Folino

I feel a strong disturbance in the Force are the words on the minds of many members of Generation X today. It was announced that the Walt Disney Company has bought Lucas-films for four billion dollars and with that the rights to all owned properties including “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones”. To me this situation is truly a double edged light saber as this can be a bad thing or a great for the fans. In this article I will state my opinion on the good and bad but first lets look at the Walt Disney Company.

The Walt Disney Company has been a media powerhouse since the late 1920's and their mascot Mickey Mouse has been a pop culture icon for over 80 years. From movies and television to video games and theme parks the Disney name is known worldwide for being the cream of the crop when it comes to family entertainment. This is where the paradox lies over the past fifteen years or so Disney has bought up many major media outlets and franchises from ESPN to the Muppets and Marvel Comics. As a child of the 1980's these outlets have been a major part of my childhood and adulthood.

Let me compare the good and the bad the way I see it.

1. The Bad

I don't know about the rest of you fans out there but the day I see Darth Vader in mouse ears is the day I revolt and start the revolution. Just Kidding but I am worried about two of my favorite movie franchises going the way of Disney and being simplified for today's movie goers. We could be one step away from seeing “A New Hope” remade with Justin Bieber as Luke and Chewbacca acting like Jar Jar Binks. Even worse Indiana Jones fighting undead pirates and looking for the golden Mickey Idol I got a chill just thinking about that. With that being said I was wrong about the Muppet’s the new movie was as funny and enjoyable as it was when I was a kid. For the most part the new Marvel Comic movies have been good I am a major fan of the Avengers movies. But that was puppets and comic books not the damn Sith and Jedi. Enough ranting now on to the good.

2. The Good /Awesome

For a second I will suspend my nerd hate and I think you should to. Imagine this “Star Wars the Clone Wars” a Pixar production tell me that does not sound cool. Indiana Jones adventures backed by Disney Imagineering and ILM. The Rocketeer fighting the likes of his bounty hunting doppelganger Boba Fett. Most of all we may finally get a Star Wars theme park where it would be like the Celebration weekends all the time. For the crossover appeal with the rest of the Disney owned properties makes this a very interesting time to be a fan of the works of George Lucas. But if Disney does completely mess things up we will always have Warner Brothers/DC and their great movies like the Batman movies. In closing I just hope my childhood heroes don't get disneyfied too badly. Do you agree? please comment

Super Wheels

Throwback Theater

Super Wheels 1975

Throwback Theater

Super Wheels 1975

By A T Folino

Today’s review is for the 1975 comedy “Super Wheels” starring the Herbie the love bug of Germany Dudu. Let me say right from the start this movie is bad with more bad acting and special effects than you can shake a bratwurst at. Our star Dudu is a banana yellow talking VW superbug that can talk, fly and perform basic dentistry. Dudu is driven by Jimmy Bondi the eastern European Dean Jones. Rounding out the cast we have two bumbling henchmen, an evil monarch, orphans, nuns and worlds cheapest Burt Reynolds impersonator.

Super Wheels begins like any other movie with Jimmy Bondi driving and old steam powered train into the local train station that doubles as the local orphan home. Jimmy is greeted by a whole slew of badly dubbed kids and worse dubbed nuns. From here we meet the star of the movie Dudu the gadget loaded VW bug that tells corny jokes and tries to run over nuns for a hobby witch is fun for those of us who went to catholic school. Next we meet the local evil monarch and his stupid henchmen who will stop at nothing to close the orphan home. Back at Jimmy’s garage we meet the cheap German Burt Reynolds whom is sneaking around to see what makes Dudu tick.

From the outside Dudu looks like the standard VW bug but under the hood he is a technical marvel with a computer built from an Erector set, an Super 8 camera and the super deluxe 8track player. If this movie was made south of the border it would have been an EL Cheepo production. Dudu is what you would get if Pops Racer was hit on the head and made to build the World’s cheapest super car with gadgets. Another car to watch for is the double front ended Nun Mobile that can split into 2 separate cars.

Dudu and the Nun Mobile both enter as quoted in the movie and not by me “The Goofiest Rally Race in the World” that as far as I can tell is made up of Le Mans racing stock footage and RC Cars. This movie has it all bad acting, bad effects, bad dubbing and the worst plot I have seen in years. One saving grace is the beautiful Evelyn Kraft as one of the rally driving nuns. Cannonball Run anyone? Please do not watch this movie if you do please seek mental help because you are crazy!!!!

Things to Avoid

1. The Whole movie.

2. Jimmy Bondi’s mountain top death dive.

3. Dudu removing one of the henchmen’s teeth.

4. Dudu can fly.

Elvis Found Alive

Roku Theater

Midnight Pulp Channel

“Elvis Found Alive” 2012

By A T Folino

Did you know that after 35 years Elvis Presley has been found alive and well in California? He has spent the years since his “death” as a DEA agent battling the likes of the Weather Underground, Mafia, Drug Cartels, and terrorism at home and abroad. After so many years Elvis has decided to give this first tell all interview about his life, death and return to the public eye after so many years.

“Elvis Found Alive” is a movie I had no expectations from what so ever and I am happy to say I was wrong. Found on the Roku box under the Midnight pulp free channel I decided to watch this movie one night on a whim and I enjoyed every second of it. Our movie begins at a small studio near LA with a group of filmmakers doing research on the death of Elvis when a package arrives from the FBI containing all the declassified files on Elvis Aaron Presley. When they open the package they can smell wet ink the FBI attempted to use to keep some information secret. The film crew goes to work on cleaning off the ink the best they can. As they clean the pages one name keeps coming up John Barrows witch was a well know alias Elvis used to book hotel rooms when he was on the road. Eventually they find a local address for John Barrows so they decide to go and look Mr. Barrows up.

The film crew travels to the address of John Barrows and are greeted by a late 1950’s pink Cadillac convertible full of Elvis 8 track tapes. Upon knocking at the door they are greeted by “Mr. Barrows” whom we quickly can deduce is Elvis Presley alive and well. After a few minutes of chit chat Elvis grants the crew an interview the next mourning. From here the Docudrama gets interesting as we are treated to an interview that blends the truth and fiction to give insight on what might have happened if Elvis did fake his death. Hearing Elvis talk of the parallels between his life and that of Captain Marvel Jr. down to faking his own death. Hear stories of his time in the US Army and meeting a young Priscilla. Also hear of his lost loves and battles with extremists and criminals. Hear about the origins of TCB, and all of the details of how he faked his own death right under the public’s noses.

Overall “Elvis Found Alive” is a fun watch for fans of Elvis and fans of conspiracy theorists alike. Watch this movie and more for free using the Midnight Pulp channel on Roku.

Gear Review

October 16, 2012

Gadgets on a Budget

The Aeropress Coffee Maker

By A T Folino

Once in a while here at Steel City Underground we sometimes get thirsty and tired and that is what this review is all about. When I was in my early twenty’s I worked as a barista for a local coffee company and was taught how to make coffee using professional brewers and espresso makers. Over the years I have used every type of home brewer under the sun from a percolator to a coffee pod system. My personal favorite was the French press while yielding a strong cup of coffee it was also a gritty cup of coffee. Just when I was about to give up on finding a good affordable coffee brewer I saw an ad for the Aeropress manual coffee press and at fewer than Thirty dollars I figured what the heck and took a chance and ordered one.

The Aeropress was the invention from the same man who brought us the Aerobie Flying Disc. Consisting of 2 plastic cylinders and a filter holder it looks more like a syringe than a coffee maker. It also works like a coffee syringe using gravity and pressure to make a clean rich tasting cup of coffee. With that being said this is the best single serve coffee maker I have ever used and gives the best tasting cup.

Contrary to what you may read online this is not an espresso maker the downward pressure is not enough to brew true espresso, but it does come close. With the Aeropress and inexpensive milk frothier from a certain Swedish store you can have your own portable inexpensive coffee bar. By dong this you can save some money by making your own coffee drinks. I recommend this product 100 percent to anyone who likes a great cup of coffee. When using the Areopress I like to brew a fresh ground medium roast coffee slightly finer than drip. Café Bustello espresso is always another great choice for the maker. For a price under thirty dollars you can’t go wrong.

For Y'ur Height Only

Throwback Theater

9/24/2012

Weng Weng as his bad self!!!

“For Y’ur Height Only” 1981

By A T Folino

“Hmm what if James Bond was a three foot tall Filipino kung fu expert?” Yes my friends I to have pondered this question myself until one day I came across and watched “For Y’ur Height Only” and all my questions were answered. On that day I knew I could die a happy man!!!! If this over dramatic and silly start to this paragraph made you chuckle just a little then you are in the proper mindset to watch this cult classic starring the ever popular Weng Weng in his first lead role as the dashing Agent 00 an Interpol agent fighting the likes of the evil Mr. Giant.

I have to say right off the bat this is one of my favorite movies if for nothing else just the sheer weirdness of it. Shot in the Philippines in the late 1970”s “For Y’ur Height Only” blends slapstick and parody into a must see action comedy. Agent 00 is smooth as glass weather fighting or chatting with the ladies he is always just the man. That is also where most of the comedy comes from seeing a three foot tall spy smooth talking the ladies. The action scenes are also so surreal and crazy watching Agent 00 hit his patented move of ducking between a villain’s legs and then kicking them in the groin is a sight to see.

This was followed up by a 1983 sequel called “The Impossible Kid” that contains more of the same silliness. Unfortunately Weng Weng died in 1992 at the age of 32.

We as fans can always watch his cult classic movies and wonder what might have been.

Please watch and enjoy!!!

Look Ma I can fly!!!!

Things to watch for!!!

1 Weng Weng's use of his spy issue straw hat.

2 The fight at the bakery.

3 The creative use of an umbrella.

4 The unveiling of Mr. Giant.

5 Dwarf fu!!!!!!

ROH Booking

Recent reports suggest that legendary manager and one of the most outspoken people in the wrestling business, Jim Cornette, will not continue to assist booking the Ring Of Honor promotion with the head trainer of the ROH, Delirious. The decision comes after much criticism towards ROH for the direction of the promotion and backlash because of technically problems for a recent Internet pay-per-view. So, what does this mean for Cornette and ROH?

Cornette has proved to be one of the most brilliant and insightful minds in the wrestling industry, while sounding bitter with an unrealistic view of what he thinks the wrestling business should be. His tirades against Vince Russo, TNA, and the WWE have been completely over done. His once informal interviews have become bitter rants towards some of his former employers and in some ways, I think it tarnishes his legacy, as he's become more known for his hatred of main stream wrestling than his outstanding career. Yes, Russo is an idiot and yes, TNA booking can be ridiculous, (although it has improved drastically in recent months) but those statements from Cornette have been heard multiple times while he suggest an old school style should be used today. As far as that goes, wrestling has been exposed as entertainment and the bottom line is the wrestling that Cornette praise from the territory days does not translate to the main stream of today. Does that mean everything the WWE does to attempt to seem current works? Absolutely not, but wrestling evolves and judging from interviews, Cornette seems to think you can present an 80s product to an audience in 2012 and draw money. Proof of this not working is Cornette's own Smokey Mountain Wrestling promotion from the early 90s that ran old school shows in small towns and only survived a few years. I'm not claiming to have the answer to ROH's problems, even though much of their die hard fan base makes such claims, but obviously, SMW showed you have to stay current for a promotion to expand. Cornette's dismissal from the ROH booking staff does not speak well of him, as even the promotion he claims uses his booking philosophy, seems to have realized Cornette is too far behind the times to know how to expand a fan base. However, Cornette will remain apart of the company in a production aspect, which is great considering they need a major production upgrade for the product. Don't get me wrong, this isn't an attempt to bury Jim Cornette and I think he's probably the second greatest manager all of time, just behind the legendary Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, who Cornette has said is the greatest manager in the history of wrestling. That being said, Cornette working on production, while not booking is probably a good decision for the promotion.

As far as what ROH needs going forward is really anyone's guess. They have a tremendous talent roster, in terms of in ring action, but they don't promote or book those stars effectively. For example, Eddie Kingston was brought in to challenge for the ROH title a few months ago and I think Kingston is one of the most underrated talents in wrestling today. His matches are good and his promos are great, but he was booked in the main event of an iPPV with almost no build up and he hadn't wrestled in ROH for years so the match was actually minimized compared to what it could have been if it was given the chance to build to a decent storyline. It seems as though ROH just doesn't know how to make stars and the lack of overall promotion for the company doesn't help either. Sinclair Broadcasting, a TV network, owns ROH, yet there's not many advertisements for the company during network shows. The iPPV debacles haven't helped matters and again, how does such a thing happen when a TV network owns the promotion? Further more, how does ROH expect people to pay to watch the show online when there has been numerous incidents where fans that paid to watch the stream of the event couldn't watch it because of technically difficulties? Hopefully, the shift in booking direction will help improve the ROH product, but considering they've struggled since WWE and TNA signed many of the wrestlers that helped built ROH, it seems like Sinclair Broadcasting will have to improve the production before fans will pay to watch another ROH Internet PPV.

Low Ki Music Video

From The Vault:William Regal vs. Marty Jones

Too Many "B shows?"

Despite just adding an extra hour of Raw just a few months ago, the WWE has added two new shows to their TV schedule recently, Saturday Morning Slam and Main Event, which debuted this past Wednesday on the Ion channel. The debut show featured a champion vs. champion match, which was obviously booked to get people to tune into the premiere of the show, but within a few weeks you will probably see a cast of mid carders that don't get TV time on Raw. So, what's the problem with that this? Underutilized talent getting the chance to showcase their skills on TV is usually a good thing, but when you consider the overall landscape of the WWE, another hour of WWE programming is completely unnecessary.

This experiment of a mid week, one hour show was tried before and it made air for two years before being demoted to WWE.com, "WWE Superstars." The show debuted on the WGN network in April of 2009 and was moved to WWE.com in 2011 after not doing much to elevate the talent that was featured on the show. Similar to Main Event, when "Superstars" debuted, it featured some top talent, including The Undertaker, but it seems to be a matter of time before  the top talent that were featured this week, CM Punk and Sheamus, won't wrestle on Main Event, while being replaced with Drew McIntyre and Brodus Clay. The point being, Main Event will eventually become a pointless show with a few mid card matches that do nothing to actually establish the talent or advance storylines. The argument could be made that another show gives more talent the chance to wrestle on TV, but why not add those competitors to Raw? The three hour show has been rather lackluster, mostly because of the amount of video packages and pointless promos that have been used to take up the extra time so why exactly does the WWE need another hour of TV? Don't get me wrong, the tag team tournament match that was featured was a good way to show case the tag division, but when there's a three hour show, why not put the match on Raw where more of an audience will watch it?

The Saturday Morning Slam show has it's own agenda and is something different than Raw or Smackdown, but what's exactly the point of Main Event? The bottom line here is that WWE just has too much TV time on their schedule and in some ways they could be shooting themselves in the foot if there are too many shows on WWE TV. Just on TV, the WWE has nearly 7 hours of programming a week and that is while the ratings have dipped because of Monday Night Football. There's also a few shows that are Internet exclusive shows on WWE.com so how many people are really going to watch B-level shows when there are low ratings for Raw? It's great to see Zack Ryder, Justin Gabriel, and Santino to get some TV time, but it makes more sense for them to be seen on Raw because Raw has an extra hour and more of an audience than the Main Event show.