I have contacted the agent, telling him that I would be thrilled to speak with someone from the show.
However... I have never conducted an interview before! Writing out text, takin' pics, and shooting vid is okay, but this is a whole other ballgame. So, I'm at a bit of a loss as to how to conduct this interview, and what kinds of questions I should ask.

So, I'm putting this out to you CDXers to help me out a little, and get your own say in as well. If you are a KR:DK fan, and would like a question asked during the interview, please post it here, and I will do my best to get it in the open for you.

Again, all of this is in preliminary stages only- contact has only been established a few hours ago, and it may be a little before we get this to happen.

This is great news, folks! CDX has reached the ears of Hollywood itself now. Are we rockin' it now or what!?

Updated on Nov 7th, 2009

It was decided that Josh will be conducting the interview, and I will be giving him the questions to field to Matt Mullins ahead of time. Since the interview will be made over the phone, Josh is planning to use Skype to record the conversation, and then we will transcribe it for all of you when we post the interview!

I have yet to receive an exact date from Josh, but I will keep you up-to-date as much as possible!

In the mean time, this is your last chance to post any questions you may have for Matt about his career in martial arts, and/or in his co-star role as Len/Kamen Rider Wing Knight. Post them in the comments below, and Josh and I will go over them before we field them in the interview. Hurry- there's not much time left!

Updated on Nov 17th, 2009

Okay, folks: a date for the interview has been nailed down for this Friday, November 20th, 2009. You have until Thursday to get your questions in; that gives you 3 days including today!

I finally got to see "Transformers- Revenge of the Fallen" (PG-13) in IMAX Digital on Saturday. What did I think of it...?

Whatever I say below, it is a given that the visual and audio effects were breathtaking, as is to be expected. Therefor, they do not weigh into my, um... "issues" with the film.

I have been raised my entire life in a household, and in neighborhoods, that do not have to deal with racism. Living in the Pacific Northwest, I like to think we are a little more forward-thinking than other parts of America, and so I have never encountered it face-to-face, save for in mixed media.

Additionally, such a concept- perhaps because of my raising- is rather alien from a social standpoint because of my lack of understanding some of society's many unspoken rules due to my living with Asperger's syndrome.

So, discussing my feelings on it may seem basic and un-evolved, with no in-depth understanding/perception of where/how it works. Nor could I hope to emulate or impersonate it correctly. ...And truthfully, do I really want a clearer understanding of such an issue?

With that disclaimer in mind...

Infamously, when "Transformers" came out in 2007, the biggest issues I heard beforehand were of, literally, trivial matters: Optimus Prime was going to be a long-nose conventional truck (in order to accommodate a larger robot mode of 28'), and he had red & blue flames along the nose and cabin of his vehicle mode (because the director thought it would look cool, and were not very noticeable in robot mode). Why- "shenanigans!", did the fans declare. They even went as far as to say, "Death to Michael Bay!" But after the film was released, those narrow-minded baka became far-less vocal when they found that these may not be as big an issue as they once thought.
Some still protest even in 2009, but they appear to be in the minority.

But, an undercurrent flowed throughout, not only the fandom, but through the public at-large which caught me completely by surprise. The first time around, I was able to see the film in the opening week (guess how often that happens to me-?), and so I was not influenced by reviews.

• There was a heavy black dude who ate a plate-full of donuts, and turned on his attractive Caucasian friend instantly when he thought he was cornered by the Feds. His Grandma is nosy and doesn't like police walkin' on her carpet.
• There was an Arabic phone operator who was too dense to recognize that US Special Forces were under fire and needed immediate help. Well- he wasn't gonna be bother by that impertinent, impatient voice on the other end of the line, was he? No.
• A man with a Spanish accent and his "clown cousin" worked at a used car lot because they couldn't do any better, and were ridiculed by the lot's owner- also a black man, with a bad, awkward laugh- when they went "Ricky Ricardo".
• An alien robot, who had never interacted with humans before one-on-one, was attempting to emulate them by using a native dialogue. His first line? "What's crackin', little bitches?" Oh yeah, and the actor who played that voice was black.
• None of the lead actors in the movie were black, not even the robots.
• There was als-- aww hell, I can't even name them all!

But for some reason, this was Michael Bay being racist right under the noses of America. Yep- he shur' got'ch'all there, din'n he?

Well, let's think here: the fat guy was considered one of the best computer hackers in the world and successfully decoded an advanced alien computer signal on the first try; the phone operator-bit was based on a real event that happened years earlier to a Special Forces team in Nicaragua, establishing that such things can and did happen in the real world; the guy who voiced the original G1 character (RIP) was also black and spoke in such fashion with no complaint and was even admired by long-time fans; and, oh yeah- the guy who coordinated the Air Forces' surgical strikes on giant robots in the middle of downtown Mission City was black.
Wow- it really sounds like these guys grew up in the Bronks, huh? Yep, shur' nuff.

I know that I try to sound like I know what I'm talking about in ridiculing these critics (I also acknowledge how awkward I am at doing such!), but I truthfully don't see what the problem is. That is not to say that I agree that stereotypes were used- just that I don't see it at all.
That may be me being ignorant.

. . .

Flash forward two years.

This is being hailed as 'the second coming of Jar-Jar Binks'. They come a-callin' from the desecrated planet of Cybertron, and there are two of them. They don't fight a lot... except with each other. They have big wide ears and large eyes like a Gremlin. They are hunched-over, and have disproportionate bodies- large arms, small legs, thick torsos. (Some say they look like monkeys- that term also being a racial epitaph- but I truthfully didn't see that.) Oh, and they both have large buck teeth- one of them has a gold tooth!

The Autobot twin brothers. Portrayed by actors Reno Wilson (the black dude who brilliantly voiced Frenzy in the first film) and Tom Kenny (not a black dude, who voices SpongeBob Squarepants and "Transformers Animated" Starscream). Disguised forms: Chevrolet Trax (concept), and Chevrolet Beat (concept). Their Autobot designations: scouts. Their purpose in the film: comic relief.

This time around, I saw the film in mid-July, almost a month after it opened. By then, these two were making headlines nation-wide, so it was inevitable I would read something before I saw the film. (I try to avoid film spoilers like the Plague wherever possible, BTW.) So, this time, I knew what was coming, though not to what degree.
Perhaps it is because I had advance notice of what was happening that I saw what the critics were saying this time. Or perhaps I now saw it for what it was- a stereotype. I am not certain which one would win out, but I did notice something... um, 'off'. But I will not speculate here on that either; the point is I noticed it.

While- as mentioned above- I am rather blind to racism unless pointed out, as was the case with the first film, I do not see this as a stereotype, nor do I agree that stereotypes were used. It may be staring me in the face as I type this, and I know some of you will bash me over the head for it, but I was not displeased with them because of the racial implications.

Squabbling alien robot brothers sounds funny, quaiaff? But- in my view of Skids and Mudflap- I was more annoyed with their presence than offended by their personalities. They were simply there. And the only time they did something significant was after Mudflap had been literally eaten by Devastator, and Skids broke down and mourned for the loss of his brother. They finally did something in the finale- they teamed up against the Constructicon gattai. Being scouts usually doesn't denote heavy firepower, but I end up rooting for them only because they are the little guys trying desperately to beat the far-bigger bad guy.

To me, simply having Mudflap and Skids in the film for so long and not really doing anything significant to their presence is annoying.
My example "A" comes from the first film, in the form of Ratchet. Here was an Autobot field doctor who rode around with Optimus Prime-tachi for [presumably] hundreds of years as they searched for the AllSpark. Whatever may have happened off-world is irrelevant. He was put in the story as a doctor to be a doctor. I was extremely irritated at the end of that movie when, all that Ratchet fixed- off-screen, no less!- was Bumblebee's "vocal processor". (So, you can imagine my rage when, come two years later, BB is still spouting lines from "Forrest Gump"!) I mean, I expected to at least see Ratchet bent over the broken-in-half Jazz at the end despite his own injuries. Or howsabout running over to BB when he lost his legs? Let's see some of that Cybertronian technology being repaired! I want to see a doctor being a doctor! The TV series "ER" is different from a soap opera in that you actually see doctors being doctors, rather than focusing on their presence in a story. What- can't afford the cost of the CGI? Then tell us in dialogue that he at least gave it a shot!

And so, I treat Skids and Mudflap with the same irritation in this film- they do nothing until they're pinned down. For the record, the only time I appreciated those two on-screen was when they started scuffling with each other in the El Deir temple at Petra (which, for at least the second time in American cinema has been moved to another location other than where it truly rests, in Jordan), and Bumblebee promptly threw them out the door. Now that was funny!

Oh, also- these two have taken the title away from movie-Bumblebee for "Face that only a mother could love", IMO. And that's saying something!

Aside from giant robots pounding the hell outta each, there are two images that stick vividly in my mind...

"Transformers" featured no real big-name actors- the robots were the stars of the show, despite having so little time on-screen (this due, understandably, to budget constraints). Shia LeBeouf and Megan Fox have since become household names for their own reasons, but they more-or-less got their big shots thanks to Steven Spielberg and Michael Bay. John Turturro (who?) and Jon Voight (the traitorous Jim Phellips in the first "Mission: Impossible" movie) were know beforehand, as well as Australian Hugo "Agent Smith" Weaving and Peter Cullen (by TF fans-only for the most part). Beyond that, no other names stick out that much. Oh, I forgot- comedian Bernie Mac (RIP) did a cameo (a role which could easily have gone to a no-name, IMHO).

Anyways, Shia is an improv genius, and Megan is... eye candy. In making a hard-edged world of Transformers for the big screen, you get things introduced that weren't really a part of it before, and end up making it more real and less cartoon-y. The only reasons, really, that the character Mikaela Banes is in the movie(s) is because the lead guy needs a girl, for... whatever. In DVD commentary and featurettes, there were only two standards for the character- laid out best by director Bay: she had to run a lot, and she had to have a nice stomach.
Does sexuality belong in a movie about giant shape-shifting alien robots? I don't think so, and when I saw "Transformers", I thought the same.

As Mikaela is bending over an unrevealed-Bumblebee's engine, the production team gives us some very generous looks at this f-f-f-fine-lookin' female. However, upon reflection, this is the only time that this happens in the entire film. It is a moment that is the entire justification of the character being there to begin with. (Driving said BB out of the danger zone could have been done by an S-7 soldier.) And it isn't brought up again in any form, even when the character is in potentially-physically-compromising positions later on. Boom. Done. Thank you for the glimpse, Michael Bay, even if it wasn't warranted.

. . .

Flash forward two years.

Ahh- college... The days of getting to know society and the world at-large beyond clicks and puberty. We no longer care about whether-or-not we are sexual beings- that has been established already, thank you. Now you're in the business of simply getting some while not advertising anything compromising or embarrassing yourself... a challenge you will try to meet for the rest of your life, I'm sorry to say.

Frat parties- woooo! A time for smokin', sniffin', drinkin', sharin', dancin', poppin', darin', bondin', and flirtin'. Big lights, big music, big parties, big headaches the next mornin', and sometimes the cops show up at 3am. And, if you're lucky, you might just get that special gift that never stops givin' too.
This is one of those time-honored- but never refined- traditions that happens on just about every campus across America if it has a co-ed dormitory. You cannot escape them, and they can always move off-campus if the admin doesn't like having fun; what do they know.

If you are a geek (or, admittedly, someone like me), this is alien territory- you are a fish outta water.

So, Sam moves to [Princeton], and gets placed with a conspiracy theorist and his little clan of techno-geeks (to make it harder for him to deny giant robots are among us, mind you). There is this little problem, though, of the fact that he now unknowingly possesses the entire stored knowledge of the Krell within his fragile ape's brain. And Megatron wants what's in his mind, yes. But, if cars aren't allowed for first-year witches and wizards, how can a Decepticon get him out into the open for a little alien probin', ya know what I'm sayin'? Simple: do not use Soundwave to triangulate his parents and persuade Sam to give himself up by taking them hostage. Do not wait a few weeks for him to leave campus since you've waited over 16,000 years for revenge. (Why are bad guys always in such a hurry at the last minute?)
No. Use another far-more vague and obscure little G1 toyline which nobody liked even back then and has not returned since... Yes, boys and girls- a Pretender. (All the boys and girls say, "A wha-?")

Newcomer Australian actress Isabel Lucas portrays the very tempting "Alice", who seems to be drawn to our Mr. Witwicky like an Orion slave girl to Captain Kirk- for no damn good reason. (*gasp* Ohh, wait-- What was that little look just then? You like palaeontologists, huh? You find those nonsensical symbols attractive in a man? That makes him worth pursuing, huh? Really...? Odd, but I guess if that's what you're into... *shrugs*)

(BTW, tell me again how Sam netted that "evil-jock concubine", ROFL...? Oh, yeah- 'cause the script said so.)

So far, so good, right? We're all on the same page now? I'm not too-far off-base?

So, Sam has a nervous breakdown right in the middle of his first class of the day. Poor kid. Seriously. He runs to his room and calls his girlfriend (who has developed quite the little booty and one heck of a tan since we last saw her). Boom- she'll be there in a few hours after catching a Decepticon and not telling him that it is attracted to her left leg because she burnt its eye out during the phone call. (Not even Security noticed the very complex and oddly-animated machinery wiggling about that metal case as it was being screened. Our post-9/11 tax dollars at work, ladies and gentlemen. No wonder the Autobots won't share their weapons technology with us, QQ.)
In a repeat of history, Sam begins writing strange symbols all over his room, and Alice and [that other guy] walk in on him in the midst of a spaz-attack. Exit [that other guy].

Now, clearly this kid wasn't a regular Tom Leykis listener, and remained committed to his little criminal friend. Good for him for standing up for what he believes. Long-distance relationships are too easy to break, but just in case, they always have a "long-distance relationship kit". Kid: you're not married, you haven't said the "L" word yet despite her begging ('atta boy, Sam!), she's a thousand miles away, and you won't have it this easy again.

Oh, by the way, did you forget that we are about an hour into a movie about giant shape-shifting alien robots intent on wiping us out? I did. Here's why:

Sam needs to relax, and Alice won't take "No" for an answer. He's just playing with her, he wants it. He's just saying "No" to temp her further. He's struggling because he likes stronger women. He says he has a girlfriend, but he's probably lying. He's just shy, and feels vulnerable. Just ignore his protests. Don't worry, Sam, she'll make it al-- WTF is THAT!?

Oh, she's just an Emaan.

No, no- while that may be a 4' tentacle sneaking cautiously out from beneath her skirt, it is definitely not biological. Oop- someone's at the door. Get back under there little tentacle... there ya go.

Aww- it's Mikaela, come to the rescue! Or, at least, she was 'til she saw her beau lip-locked with another woman.

. . .

I'm gonna let you all in on a little something. This may seem like I'm telling you more than you wanted to know about me, but it partly explains why I do not like this moment, and so feels important for me to share it.
Glimpse now into the mind of an Aspie, mwa-ha-ha-ha...

I do not mix sex and sci-fi/fantasy. I just can't do it.
One fleetingly-rare exception may be Princess Leia dolled-up as Dejah Thoris. Some of the paintings by renowned artist Martin Bower are also appealing. But, even then... Seven-of-Nine from seasons 4-7 of "Star Trek Voyager"? Sexy, certainly, but distracting. (You can tell I wasn't raised in the era of Kirk and his many women; these days I quickly roll my eyes at that soft-focus they threw on ladies in the '60s.)
In my mind, if you want to use sex in mainstream media, you have to do it tastefully (no pun intended) or else I'm out very quickly and it becomes irritating. This is why I am not a fan of the slasher films of the '80s and '90s- sex being used in moments of horror to get your blood pumping is not my idea of hotness. (Truth be told, I have a very low tolerance for gore anyways, so I wouldn't watch slasher films.)

When a woman is portrayed in a sexual light, I am in that zone and don't tolerate much variance when there; same when I'm in my sci-fi/fantasy zone.
Perhaps it is because one of the symptoms of Asperger's is poor adaptation to any transition that suddenly switching gears like this messes up my mental gearbox. But I am not quite willing to chuck it all up just to my disability yet. I don't know, and further more I will not delve into the hows and whys of what I think; that I will not discuss here.

As with Mikaela leaning over Bumblebee, I enjoyed the view, but thought it was misplaced in the film.
This time around, however, it was different. While college denotes a certain level of exploration into society, that was perhaps to be expected in "Revenge of the Fallen". But not to the level it was taken here.

I know that the film is rated PG-13, and it certainly deserved that rating just for intensity of the effects, the death of Optimus (surprising but certainly not unheard of) and Devastator's balls. (-_-; More on this later...) And not just once, but twice we got a panty-shot of Alice, which was totally uncalled for!
If you wanna have a tentacle popping out from under her skirt... I suppose you have to have female monsters be female monsters somehow, and that's okay. But the specific angle was completely unnecessary. It just felt... unnerving. Show her leaning over Sam, and don't look up her skirt as the tentacle came up, and I would have had no problem. Having tentacles on a female is not unheard of for a 'children's show'- the cecaelia Ursula in Disney's "The Little Mermaid" franchise has six o' them, and she was a very invasive creature.

It's just... that panty-shot pissed me off so badly, not necessarily that she had a tentacle!

"Transformers" establishes another TF multi-verse which is harder-edged and more dramatic than most/all previous ones. And this is to make it stick with audiences that don't buy the toys, and yet show what these things are all about. While it is said to be "G1-inspired", using the terms "Inspired by..." and "Based on..." in Hollywood can be very deceptive from the source materials in what you eventually end up with on the big (and sometimes little) screen.

There is humor in the first film, and for the most part it plays well, IMO.

• "No... No no no no no, Dad-! Aww- you gotta be kidding me!"
  "Yeah, I am- you're not gettin' a Porsche. Ha ha ha ha!"
  " -_-# "
• '76-Camaro Bumblebee smacks a yellow Volkswagen Beetle
• "Uh, I need a credit card! Epps! Where's your wallet?"
  "Pocket!"
  "Which pocket?"
  "My back pocket!"
  "You got ten back pockets here-!"
  "Left cheek! Left cheek! Left cheek!"
• "What are you talkin' about, man?"
  "Satan's Camaro, in my yard. It's stalking me!"
• "Not so tough without a head, are ya!?" (*kick*)
  (Wilhelm scream)
• Frenzy is startled by a goldfish
• giant robots trying to hide in a backyard from something called a "parent"
• "Ah, Judy? Better call the power company. Tell them we got a blown transformer; power poll's sparking all over the place. Can't believe this- what a waste. It's all gone... Trashed, gone!"
• "The 'parents' are getting very irritating--"
  "Yeah-yeah-yeah!"
  "--can I take them out?"
  "Ironhide-! You know we don't harm humans. What is with you!?"
  "Well, I'm just sayin' we could... It's an option."
• Frenzy falls off the edge of Hoover Dam

-and for the most part we all seem to agree on these points. But, the movie is still serious and dramatic. People- and 'bots- die, and good American citizens are frightened.

However, I must remind myself of some of the stuff that wasn't believable. I refer to the relatively-unbelievable stunts pulled by one Sam Witwicky within a 4-minute span in the first film:

• DVD index 00:48:31- Sam- on his stupid mom's bike- runs into a concrete bump, and flips over the handlebars, landing squarely on his back. The end result? "Well, it felt awesome." Naw, he's fine; he groans a little, tries to be funny, and pedals off again.
• 00:49:46- Sam- on his stupid mom's bike- crashes head-first into Barricade's suddenly-open door, landing on his face. The end result? "Ugh. Oh, that hurt." Naw, he's fine; a little outta breath, but he gets right back up.
• 00:50:35- Sam, running away from Barricade- gets hit full-on in the back and is flung almost 60' in the air, landing on his back and shattering a glass windshield of an abandoned car. The end result? "Ohh- it's a bad dream--" Naw, he's fine; a little more outta breath, but still conscious and able to converse with a Decepticon yelling in his ear.
• 00:51:09- In order to prevent Mikaela from getting hurt by a monster, Sam reaches his arm out and smacks her in the chest backwards off her moped moving at perhaps 20mph. They both land on their backs in opposite directions. The end result? "What is your problem, Sam!?" Naw, they're fine. Good thing she was wearing a helmet, or she coulda gotten hurt.

In each case, these are life-threatening injuries or certainly warrant a trip to the emergency room for dislocated limbs and life-altering disabilities, and yet each time they make it just fine. There are a few other instances, but nothing as intense as above.

. . .

Flash forward two years.

When chasing Decepticons Demolisher and Sideways through the streets of Shanghai, China, several Non-biological Extraterrestrial Species Treaty (N.E.S.T.) agents and numerous Chinese civilians loose their lives... (And Optimus' surprising reputation for brutally messin' up 'bots' faces is reinforced.)
When we return to N.E.S.T.'s headquarters on Diego Garcia, we see caskets draped in American flags being rolled out of the heavy C-17 Globemaster cargo planes- a reminder of the dangerous task these humans (and Autobots) face each time they go out.
An entire minute-long segment is dedicated to the sinking of an American aircraft carrier an hour-and-a-half later- the entire crew of 3000 lost- as a swarm of newly-arrived Decepticons crawl across its hull. (Creepy, that well-detailed sinking, I must admit...)

The world is a dangerous place, and people die easily.

So, Mikaela walks out on Sam after she finds him suckin' face. But when he finally manages to get out from under Alice, she still won't let him go... literally. Her tongue suddenly snakes out as a 12-foot tentacle, she grabs Sam by his neck, and she proceeds to try to smear him across two walls and various other hard obstacles for about half a minute- with that widely-spaced crouch to balance herself, and that rather nasty little grin on her lips.
This is what is known as whiplash in the extreme.

(Um, so, Alice? Need I remind you that, if you kill that boy by breaking his neck, it'll be you who's gonna be a smear before Megatr- uh, The Fallen's might...? No? Okay- just checkin'...)

No one comes to Sam's aid, he manages to hang on to the tentacle, and miraculously survives the ordeal when she chooses to let go for... whatever reason.

BTW, one of the funniest things I saw in that 4-story IMAX theater was watching a young woman sitting near me suddenly half-jump into her boyfriend's lap when Alice's face started to melt to reveal the robot within. I just wanted to turn and say to her, "Really-? After seeing a tentacle slip out from both under her skirt and mouth, you're choosing to jump now???"
(The sad part is, her reaction was funnier than some of the stuff that was in that movie.)

(Oh, and where exactly does that Pretender store those two tentacles when she's not wrapped around stuff? Five words: "I'll never do that again".

O.o?

...Um, no. That's- that's... wrong. Oh, right: "'No mass-shifting', my ass!" Sorry- had a little out-of-movie experience there.)

But, ya know what? There is another I'm leading up to here.

So, Sam, Mikaela, [that other guy], and Bumblebee all escape danger... for the moment, when Grindor plucks them outta the air and flies them halfway across town. (Yes, I know it's another MH-53 Pave Low like in the first movie, but it's not Blackout! Grindor is literally just a repaint; Blackout was killed in the first movie, and some of his parts were used to rebuild Megatron along with Devasta- uh, Brawl's.) While flying them, he never stops to make sure Sam doesn't fall to his death, or that when he drops them it's from a safe altitude rather than from 200ft up!
That also pissed me off- the complete lack of safety for human characters in this movie!

But, while that's the big problem, there's one more thing I got to mention- Sam being tortured.

Or rather, he wasn't, was he? I'm not sure.

When I was younger, I had to undergo a surgical procedure where I had a tube stuffed down my throat. Because the plastic tube would eventually irritate my esophagus, it would be difficult (but not impossible) for me to talk and swallow for a day-or-so. Certainly I wasn't feeling all that hot when I let the hospital later on.

So, here I am- about to sympathize with Sam as Scalpel (aka "The Doctor") sticks this thing into his mouth... when I see that, not only is he not choking or convulsing as his airway is blocked, but he's actually trying to talk as this thing wiggles through his face, extends to tentacles through his nose, and into his brain!

And here's my point: I don't know about anyone else, but in addition to scaring the living s*** outta me, gouging up my soft tissues beyond repair, mentally scarring me and causing great psychological damage, I don't think I'd be able to breathe or let alone be in any sort of mindset to antagonize a giant walking tank for a few days! Hell- such an experience might just kill me!

Yo, Ratchet- ya got a neuralyzer? No? Damn.

(Boy- Bay sure had a thing for tentacles in this movie, huh? Soundwave, Alice, Scalpel's probe, the interior of the [Nemesis], and Devastator... Guess that tells you more about his tastes in anime than anything else. Made me cringe each time, ughh!)

. . .

So, I guess it's safe to call Sam Witwicky 'the next coming of Neo' because nothin', but nothin', beats this guy! And it actually takes a shot from Megatron in Egypt to finally put him outta his misery... and then he comes back again! Like daisies!
Granted, having the Primes speaking to him in death was a cool kind of kind of cliche, but still-!

Megatron- if I were you, I'd stop worrying about Optimus Prime since this kid ain't goin' down so long as Michael Bay is in charge...

(Um... that field medic did declare him dead, right?)

Beyond the annoyance of the Twins, those utterly-tasteless panty shots (and general increase in sexuality), and a blatant disregard for realistic continuity in the safety and/or injury of characters (particularly the treatment of Sam), I move on to smaller matters now... assuming you've stuck with me through those rants.

(I apologize for their extended lengths, but I needed to make myself clear and set up my opinions correctly.)

My biggest complaint in "Transformers" was Sector 7 Agent Simmons. In short, I hated his character, he was an idiot in an organization where idiocy can the end of humanity! His snipes, his whimpering and winning when he didn't get his way, and disregard for new information. When he found out that the Witwickys had "direct contact", I fully expected him to sober-up for the rest of the film... but he never did. It's almost like the character- or rather how he acted- was completely misplaced and out-of-touch with the tone of the film.
I had never seen actor John Turturro before, so I know nothing about his other performances, and I didn't/won't allow that handicap to interfere with my opinion of the character he portrayed. Could it have gone to someone else? I don't know- I tend to think Simmons was all on the writing and directing side of the production rather than the acting side and Turturro's input. (Not knowing him personally, I agree with Bay that Simmons didn't really resemble him.)

But, I am of the [mistaken?] opinion that people can change if they want it badly enough. So I was positively stunned when I no longer hated ex-Agent Seymour Simmons in "Transformers- Revenge of the Fallen"! Granted the whole "I regret that I have but one life to give for my country" shtick he fed [that other guy] in the finale was cliched and annoying, but beyond that, I liked him taking a controlling stance without the attempt at intimidation and arrogance that he had the first time around.
Is Simmons a favorite character now? No. Did he need to be in the sequel? Ehh... I guess so. Did I laugh at his Frenzy trophy-head in the jar? Absolutely.

. . .

Sam's parents are idiots. While his dad couldn't see black from white in the first film, his mom is an absolute nut case- are you telling me that she didn't know what was in that bag on-campus? Are you kidding me??? I don't care if she didn't go to college or not- that was an attempt at humor that did not strike me as funny (though it did others in [my] audience).

. . .

Why did they get a second dog? Why? And WTF was up with Mojo, like, randomly humping a completely different species of dog? And that goes double for Wheelie- why should he feel the need to do that, let alone even know about that particular motion??? Bay- that was not funny. Period. Shame on you. The audience only laughed because it was awkward to watch; as a director, you should be able to recognize that specific sound by now.

. . .

Random electric appliance 'bots running about the Witwicky house = awesome. (I'm gonna try to get some of those Scout-class toys!) The reason the All Spark fragment stopped sinking? I don't know, but "no reason at all" is not good enough!

I still say we need to get a Voyager-class Dispenser from the first film- what an unexpectedly-lovable character! (I think it was the thump, thump of his Mountain Dew cans, rather than missiles or bullets, that sold it for me, ROFL.)

. . .

For the first film, Michael Bay chose someone that he had previously worked with on "The Island" (2004) to score the music for "Transformers", Steve Jablonsky. An up-and-coming talent in Hollywood, he is one of many proteges to the already-established composer Hans Zimmer (who had composed for Bay's first feature film, "The Rock", in 1996). Completely ignoring all that had come before from the Transformers universe musically (including the G1 'More Than Meets the Eye'-theme), Jablonsky created a new sound that evenly matched the action, adventure, and drama of Bay's filming style.

To me, the greatest moments in any film are highlighted by its original score, which Jablonsky delivered fully on in "Transformers".
I don't use this word very often when describing a film or elements in it, but the piece "Arrival to Earth" was magical and wondrous as the Autobots landed on our planet, assumed their disguised forms, and presented themselves to Sam and Mikaela in that alleyway. Without question, that is my favorite scene in the whole film, and it was that music specifically that compelled me to buy the CD soundtrack (I decision I have not regretted two years later).

Though his themes are inspiring, I find that he has a little trouble scoring the stuff in-between, often leading to repetitive- but certainly not boring- background material. (This can be heard throughout many of his projects, including the 2003 Japanese anime film "Steamboy"... which I also have the OST for.)
However, listening to the score for "Transformers- Revenge of the Fallen" on YouTube, Jablonsky's music takes a much darker tone than the first- using more electronic sounds for the Decepticons and The Fallen (though keeping the monotone-chanting male choir from the first film, which I loved), and condensing down established themes without being repetitive. Indeed, I find this new score to be more flavorful than the first one as far as my complaint about his being repetitive (the possible exception being the track called "The Fallen"), so clearly his talent has grown in the last two years and he has greatly expanded his range.
(Of course, this may also be due to the closer presence of Zimmer this time, who gets his name placed in the credits directly beneath Jablonsky's, but to whom the score is not primarily credited.)

In "Transformers", I can easily name which scenes were musically-attractive when I saw it in the theater- Blackout's attack on the SOCCENT-FWD base, Frenzy infiltrating Air Force One, Scorponok's attack on the stranded soldiers, the aforementioned Autobots arriving on Earth, Bumblebee finding and shrinking the All Spark Cube, the Autobots catching up with Bumblebee in the desert, and the post-climax recovery just before the ending epilogue (which was then completely ruined by sticking friggin' Linkin Park in there, booo).

But, for "Transformers- Revenge of the Fallen", I can't really name any full scenes where the music was allowed in, save for perhaps when Optimus transforms in N.E.S.T. HQ to speak with the Pentagon near the beginning, looking at some of the vistas in Egypt & Jordan, and when the US carrier was sunk by multiple Decepticons crashing through it. And these are relatively short segments & moments which are compounded with sound effects to prevent the music from coming through.

I think that Bay did a great disservice to the movie by not allowing that music to have its moments like it did the first time around.

(Will I get the OST CD for "Transformers- Revenge of the Fallen"? Ehh... I'm still undecided at this point.)

. . .

Something irked me after Optimus had died...

This CH-47 Chinook helicopter comes to take the body back to Diego Garcia, and when they get there, the pilot just, like, drops Optimus 100ft off the ground! I mean- WTF kind of disrespect is that for the dead, even if he wasn't human!? You couldn't take the extra time to set him down and let a ground team unhook him first? I- and everyone else- can only imagine the looks on the assembled Autobots' faces when that happened to their leader!
Why did Bay do that...? To emphasize to us that he was dead? I think that when you get a giant blade run through your Spark chamber, and then get your chest blown-out all over the forest, the audience pretty well knows ya bought it.

And then they turn around and attach three parachutes to him when their air-drop him in Egypt! WTH!

I don't know G1 as well as perhaps I should, but I recognized several of the nods they make in this film- the Primes being the first Cybertronians and a traitor amongst them becoming The Fallen, a human boy acting as an ambassador between the Autobots and Earth while usually being accompanied by Bumblebee, the Matrix of Leadership and its ability to restore life & upgrade, Space Bridges (though it was merely teleportation here, rather than fixed structures which jumped characters/vehicles), Jetfire originally worked with Starscream before the war and was lost on Earth for centuries before becoming an Autobot, Megatron blaming the cowardly air commander Starscream for failing yet again at something he had no control over, and Optimus dying (though didn't he only come back to life for good in "...Animated"?).

The Fallen wanted to harvest Energon by using a Sun Harvester to convert it; this process, however, destroys the solar system. The reason he became The Fallen is because he wanted to destroy a system where there was native life, and the Dynasty of Primes had a Prime Directive (pun intended) about that. This split in opinion lead to the beginnings of the conflict between the Autobots and Decepticons [in case you missed it]. In other words, the Cybertronian war did not come to Earth- it started on Earth!
(BTW, Jetfire's line about how his grandfather transformed into thee very first Earthly wheel "...but he did it with honor!" was quickly-delivered, but funny nonetheless.)

. . .

So, since the Primes were a special breed of Cybertronian, it only makes sense that trying to best one is a rather difficult thing to do [this illustrated by Optimus Prime taking on three more-massive Decepticons all by himself and more-or-less getting the upper hand]. And so, as the "last descendant" of the Primes, Optimus is truly the only one who can defeat The Fallen. This I have no problem.
So... is Optimus, like, Aragorn- where the power of a Prime is passed on through reproduction? Or is that power simply passed on to later, younger Autobots like the keys of a car? We see, shall I say, "newborn" Decepticons inside the Nemesis in those Energon pods, but what exactly makes them so small and defenseless when all these randomly-created-by-the-All Spark Cube 'bots can easily make a mess of things on Earth? Is this simply a question to be answered in a later film, or a plot hole through which bad writing is exposed? I'm not sure.

. . .

The entire second and third acts are based on the premise that a human mind can contain all the information of the entire friggin' Universe and that, when desperately needed, he could only conveniently get glimmers of that knowledge. While I can easily believe that even a tiny shard of the All Spark could be filled with its full knowledge, I find it rather difficult to believe that- even after hundreds of Sector 7 personnel had been touching and examining the All Spark Cube for 80 years- none of them developed the same cache of information that Sam did.

That the Dynasty of Primes would have an ancient language which wasn't passed on to current generations is plausible; Jetfire's line about 'entire generations of Cybertronians being wiped out' enforced this point.
Skids and Mudflap not being able to "read" may simply mean that not all Autobots need to be knowledgeable in history and literature to be fighters, and this may apply to more than just the Twins despite critics' claims to the contrary. I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt in this case. It all comes down to how these aliens exchange information between each other- "reading" text on a wall or in a book may not be how they do things nowadays- 'Write nothing down lest it fall into the hands of the enemy' and all that may be the standard; that I could believe.

But, how & why did all that Prime text end up across the world when the conflict was pretty much isolated to Egypt, and they didn't leave a primer for humans to translate it!?

Wait- is it just me, or did a few of the Constructicons appear in battle alone while Devastator was already formed? (Mixmaster changing into a gun turret by doing backflips was awesome, I'm gonna get him!) And what happened to the robot that was killed at the bottom of the ocean in order to remake Megatron? Wasn't he supposed to make up a part of Devastator too...?

Too many holes, too many holes...

I'll still get the 2-disc DVD cause I liked the battle sequences 'n such, and the toys as well (I'm in the middle of writing the text review for Leader-class Optimus Prime as I write this blog entry), but overall I was not all that hot for the second time around. I've read of/heard people saying that "Transformers- Revenge of the Fallen" is better than the first film. I disagree.

When I walked out of the theater after seeing "Transformers", I was blown away, and had a big ol' grin on my face. Awesome! But this time, I had a very confused look on my face when I walked outta that IMax Digital theater in Seattle. IMO, it's not even equal to the first film. The best and worst of the first film was expanded on here; the bad stuff more-so.

• Shinji Ikari - Spike Spencer
• Misato Katsuragi - Allison Keith-Shipp
• Ritsuko Akagi - Colleen Clinkenbeard
• Maya Ibuki - Catlin Glass
• Gendou Ikari - John Swasey
• Rei Ayanami - Brina Palencia
• Makoto Hyuga, EVA - Mike McFarland
• Koto Fuyutski - Kent Williams
• Kensuke Aida - Greg Ayers
• Toji Suzuhara - Justin Cook
• Shigeru Aoba - Phil Parsons
• Kiel Lorenze - Bill Jenkins
• Hikari Horaiki - Leah Cook
• Kaworu Nagisa - Jerry Jewell
• Yui Ikari - Stephanie Young
• Pen-Pen - Monica Rial

For those of you keeping count, though actress Amanda Wynn-Lee expressed earlier consistent interest in reprising Rei Ayanami, only Spike Spencer and Allison Keith-Shipp are returning from ADV Film's dub of the original '95-96 TV series. John Swasey, Monica Rial, and Greg Ayers performed replacement voices (Gendou Ikari, Maya Ibuki, and Kaworu Nagisa respectively) for ADV's Director's Cut, but the latter-two are playing different characters for Rebuild...

(Keith did not appear in Manga Entertainment's dubs for the sequel films, "Evangelion Death and Rebirth" and "The End of Evangelion", thus making Spencer the only consistent voice [thus far] for a single character in English dubbing. Ironically, all of the original Japanese seiyu voices returned for Rebuild of Evangelion.)

Shortly thereafter, the official dub trailer (see link below) was released on the film's English site, www.Funimation.com/Evangelion.

Um...why Spencer again??? I have always said his Eva-dub was the worst-sounding of them all! It's not that his performance was bad (and I haven't heard him anywhere else, so nothing against him for those performances), but it was just that he never sounded like a depress 14yr-old kid is all, too nasal.
I am pleased, though, that Keith-Shipp is returning. Her voice was, I thought, the closest to Misato's seiyu, Kotono Mitsuishi.
While I really enjoyed Tristan MacAvery's interpretation of Gendou Ikari with the deeper voice, I haven't had a chance to view the Director's Cut ver. with John Swasey (the latter is reprising the character for Rebuild...), so I have no opinion there yet.
And as for replacing Wynn-Lee with another, it's kinda hard to say since Rei doesn't say much anyways, and she's almost whisper-quiet when she does. My opinion there, as well, is on hold.

I can't understand why it is I'm getting no feedback on this, but I might as well bring it up since I'm still interested in it...

"Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight" is finally getting a little respect from 4Kids TV/The CW4Kids, and has been moved to an hour-earlier time slot (10:30) on Saturday mornings; something that I had hoped for since it was good enough not to bunch it up against noontime crap that could potentially preempt it.

Unfortunately, I still cannot give you official Nielsen ratings on how well it is doing since I don't know where to look for them myself! While I think it's still a good show, can someone please tell me how it's really doing, and if there is the possibility of more Kamen Rider series coming over!?

. . .

Be assured, however, that I will be covering several toys from Bandai America's line-up, mostly related to Kamen Rider Torque 'cause I like him a lot. These should be in stores anytime now...

Oh, that reminds me...

On 4Kids TV's homepage is a link to a section called Papercraft, where you can select, print-out, cut, and build your 'favorite characters' from their TV line-up. As of this posting, they now have four non-poseable figures from "Kamen Rider Dragon Knight"-

• Kamen Rider Dragon Knight
• Kamen Rider Wing Knight
• Kamen Rider Torque
• Kamen Rider Strike

Guess which one I'm gonna build...? ^_^

I have found official images of the latest mecha from "Samurai Sentai Shinkenger"...

First, a recap. The following is a map showing how all of the current [as of this posting] Origami mecha combinations work:

So far, we have the DX Samurai Gattai Shinken-Oh and three of the accessory mecha- Samurai Gattai Series #1- Kabuto Origami, #2- Kajiki Origami, & 3- Tora Origami. The three Gattai Series sets combine individually with Shinken-Oh, with each other to form the three-part bird Samurai Gattai DaiTenku, or all four sets together to form the Chou Samurai Gattai Tenku Shinken-Oh.

. . .

Now, here's the new stuff:

This is the Kyuryu Origami, which may be a dragon [or perhaps a dinosaur?]. In short, the toy itself is is a remold of the Shinkenger's individual golden Hiden Saisetsu Shinkenmaru swords which use Secret Discs to unlock their powers. The blade and hilt have been altered, but I recognize the overall shapes. The Kyuryu Origami appears far larger than any of the others, and can form a huge sword with pedestal and a corresponding helmet. With the naming convention already established, I guess that this combination will be called the Kyuryu Shinken-Oh. From the map above, it does not appear to be able to interact with any of the others Origami.

I don't have a name for it yet, but it is very obviously the squid which was hinted at earlier this year in silhouette. (The fins on the head appear to extend; I wonder why...) I suspect that this- not the Kyuryu- is the next in the Samurai Gattai Series toy line. It will combine individually with Shinken-Oh and will serve as an upgrade for the DaiTenku!
Like the previous three Samurai Gattai Series sets, it too comes with a unique Secret Disc, and it can attach- and be spun- between the five tentacles.

Last is the Dai-Kai-Oh, a larger Origami which forms a secondary robo to fight alongside Shinken-Oh. In addition to transforming into a giant lobster (interesting animal choice...), it features the first light-and-sound feature in the DX line-up. A new Secret Disc is inserted into the front of the torso, and there are four stylized faces around it. Whenever the disc is turned inside, the Dai-Kai-Oh features a new face! (I'm not sure how this is gonna look on the toy; I'm reserving judgment. I suspect that each face will bestow a different power to the mecha depending on which one is being displayed.) The Dai-Kai-Oh appears to be able to use just the squid Origami, and none of the others.
While the disc faces look odd to me, that it wields dual katana swords and appears to have a more involved transformation is refreshing.

Now, here's where it gets complicated. The Dai-Kai-Oh can fuse with the Shinken-Oh to form a super-combo [called?]. from what I can tell, I can't see either the Kami or Saru Origami [Shinken-Oh's normal pink and yellow arms, respectively] in that super combo, so they may not be used in it in lieu of it using the Dai-Kai-Oh's arms, or may be stored somewhere else un-seen in these pictures.
And finally, the super-combo can grasp the four-part DaiTenku like a giant cannon on a tripod- bumping the number of Origami involved to ten. (Recall that the record for most components in a Super Sentai mecha is twelve, which was established last year with the Engine Gattai Engine-Oh G12 from "Engine Sentai Go-Onger".)

And finally, it is confirmed that ShinkenRed, at least, is getting an armor upgrade as well as an accessory for his ShinkenMaru:

Whether-or-not this upgrade will extend to the other four Shinkenger, I don't know at this point. The black box accessory attached directly to a ShinkenMaru, can store a Secret Disc, and comes with one more new one itself.
(Anyone else think that white armor is a little too Western tuxedo-looking...? I don't like it much at this point.)

On April 6th, fans in Austin, Texas were treated to a full in-theater viewing of "Star Trek II- The Wrath of Khan" (1982) with the promise of a preview 10 minutes of the newest film afterwords hosted by writers Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman ("Transformers") & director JJ Abrams ("Cloverfield", TV's Alias).

However, about ten minutes into the 1982 film, the projector camera appeared to fail... and then an un-announced Leonard 'He of the Pointed Ears' Nimoy walked on-stage with a film canister containing the completed film! Casually asking whether the audience would rather see the newest movie before it debuted worldwide in Australia, American fans were treated to the first true screening of "Star Trek".

Rumor has it this movie is no longer rumored to be a pre-release hit...

Spoiler-free clip from "Star Trek" featuring James Kirk (actor Chris Pine) and Leonard McCoy (Karl Urban)

Unlike the earlier "Watchmen" (see- I told ya I'd never see it in theaters, damnit!), I feel good that- A: I will see it in theaters, and B: it will do well with Trekkers.

Likewise for "Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen", the countdown clock is approaching Zero Hour on June 24th.
The last full trailer is online, and does contain some new stuff we haven't seen, including tips as to what the movie may be about... other than giant alien robots invading Earth that can change shape at will that really have a thing for intricate jet engines.

This is a trailer, and does contain potential spoilers!

As expected, they're sexing-up Megan Fox's character Mikaela Banes a lot more than need-be... again. Does anyone else think there's a new agenda in Hollywood where they're trying to make giant robots and hot girls attractive in the same way that it did with hot girls getting murdered and beat to hell in slasher films? God- is nothing safe in this world from sex!? (And I mean that in only half-jest in case you're wondering.)

Another trailer containing an extended view of the scene in Sam's garage and other more-obvious spoilers is available on director Michael Bay's official site, shootfortheedit.com, but I won't post that here...

Regarding toys, I received good word from our Imperious Leader that he is allowing me to cover the new Leader-class Optimus Prime, so expect that from me just as soon as-

• I see the movie in theaters
• I can find the damned thing before the shelves are stripped clean by crazy collectors again like they were in 2007

When those two things happen, you'll be hearing from me. I found a YouTube video of him (no, I'm not gonna promote someone else's review of it!), and all I can say [again] is that I am so glad I didn't get the first one!

Another trailer catches my attention- that of "Evangelion 2.0: You Can [Not] Advance", which will debut June 27th...

Friggin' "Fly Me to the Moon"... -_-; Why? Why, why, why, why, why, why, why?

Yes- Unit-02 does get some little devil-horns. Why? I don't know, but the coloring scheme on it looks a lot better than before; so, too, do its new utility wings. I recently learned last night that Asuka's family/last name is going to be changed from "Souryu" (a Japanese WWII aircraft carrier) to "Shikinami" (a Japanese WWII destroyer). Why? I don't know- all the females in "Eva" always had Japanese WWII-ship names for their last names (Ayanami, Katsuragi, Akagi- those three also from carriers), so why Asuka's was changed I have no idea.

We also get two shots of both Unit-05 (the glowing one) and its new pilot, Mari Illustrious Makinami (named for- you guessed it- a 1942-44 Japanese destroyer). Yes, "Illustrious" is her middle name. If I had to guess, I'd say that Unit-05 is going to be fighting underground along with those tanks; perhaps intercepting the [now 15th-]Angel Zeruel when it invades NERV HQ.

One thing I'm very glad of is that after it was nearly destroyed in the previous film, unlike in the series, Unit-00 is not going to be repainted blue (which was really stupid, in my opinion) for the continuation of "Rebuild of Evangelion". Yes! While it doesn't appear to get utility wings because of this, that single shot also helps cement that we will be seeing the [now-11th] Angel Sahaquiel in the film (one of my favorite scenes from the series BTW).

Now, here's where spoilers come into play, so skip the rest of this blog entry if you don't want to see the revamped Unit-02 or the debut of Unit-05. But, to be clear, no image of Unit-04 has appeared yet...

--Spoiler Space--

. . .

. . .

. . .

. . .

. . .

. . .

. . .

--Spoiler Space--

Thanks to fellow CDXer Gareth Infinity, I have confirmed two things:

1- Revoltech figures #068 and #069 are going to be the "Rebuild of Evangelion" versions of Unit-02 and -05 respectively. Additionally, #067 is a reissue of Unit-01.
2- Unit-05 is going to be a radically different design from what we've come to expect from the Evangelion universe. Put simply, it looks like it's more machine than biological.

One of CDX's sponsors, Angolz.com, already has pre-order images for both new EVA Units. They're not very clear, but they're clear enough...

Revoltech #068 - Evangelion Unit-02 New Movie Edition Ver.2.0 Figure

Revoltech #069 - Evangelion Unit-05 New Movie Edition Ver.2.0 Figure

Yeah, I know- my jaw also hit the floor when I saw Unit-05. Since Unit-06 looked so similar to the standard EVA in the preview trailer for "Evangelion 2.0", I didn't think to question it. (Obviously hiding Unit-05 in the dark in both trailers was to keep its quadruped appearance a secret.) And, no, I don't know why it looks like that either.

Independently, via Wikipedia, I found official front/back images of both Unit-05 and Mari Makinami...

I may just have to disown that EVA before I even see the movie...

But, Unit-02 looks friggin' sweet! It was always one of my least-favorite EVAs for whatever reason (a good share of that due to its bland & awkward color pallet), but those two new sets of utility wings look awesome, and the coloring scheme is just what is needed.

Action figures have never been my thing... unless they were fighting against Cobra, or flew the flag of StarCom. (Had I been born just a few years earlier or later, I could have found myself a dedicated Star Wars collector. Thank God I was born in '82, amen!) The few deluxe-sized Zords I bought that had figures pre-packaged in them collected dust very quickly in their once-and-forever-fixed stances. I got four Revoltechs, and while I'd like one-or-two more, I'm still not big on them. And I got three figures from Pixar's 2008 CGI film "WALL•E", and a SOCSpec EVA Unit-01; but, again, those are not figures as all of them are robots in some form or other despite not being outright transformers.

Well... Josh offered me the chance to cover two- yes, two- fixed-pose figures from "Rebuild of Evangelion". They weren't Revoltech, and they weren't Evangelion Units nor Angels. It was- *gasp*- two characters from the series/movies from a small line by Sega- Misato Katsuragi and Rei Ayanami.

I told Josh, 'No one covers "Eva" like EVA', and that seemed to convince him to ship them off after he acquired the paired samples from Angolz.

"But, EVA, you just said you don't collect figures. What, then, are these...?"

^^;

Josh: I think it would be cool if some of these smileys actually stuck to the page rather than converting into HTML code...

Will I cover figures again? Eh... depends on what comes my way, but I doubt it.

'Nuff of that now.

"Star Trek" is looming ever closer- the most-recent trailers is solidifying that it will have good material both in the script and post-production. If it isn't from another movie, then composer Michael Giacchino's score sounds epic, and for me, music can raise or kill a film just as assuredly as its story and acting can.

Oh, look- another giant, impossible-to-beat heavy starship for the second film in a row that can destroy the world! At least this time, we'll be able to get better views of it than we did the Scimitar (which was cloaked or in close-up or non-viewable angles most of the time).

Again, the good stuff is always in the trailers, but now I think I'm beginning to think this movie may do well and falling for the hype. ...I can feel myself losing objectivity or what little there was for this film!

That new redesign-Enterprise, though... I'm not sure if I like it or not. Don't get me wrong- the classic Matt Jefferies design was, well, classic, but this reinterpretation is questionable in some ways.

Regretfully, I don't have any Star Trek(TM) toys. If this turns out well [for me at least], it may be time to bring both CDX and myself up to speed.

. . .

Likewise, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" has me hyped up. Like many, I hope it is refined enough that we don't all cringe whenever Optimus Prime says "Sorry, my bad" on the big screen.

Speaking of which, I peeked at the images of the new Leader-class OP. (Would he really be completely rebuilt between films??? I don't think so, Tim!) All I can say is that I am so glad that I didn't get the one from the first movie! You will definitely be hearing from me on that one when I get it!
I mean [SPOILER ALERT] dual retractable arm blades!? [END SPOILER] F'kin' awesome! I didn't see his blaster, though, but that may come with a later reissue with enough demand.

Nothing special as far as Deluxe-class Bumblebee goes- just a reissue of the one from the first movie, but with a new blaster, and a new head sculpt. Other than a few paint redecos to go with, I may skip that one as excessive since I am quite satisfied with the one I have now.

Beyond these two, I want nothing more to do with spoilers! I shall continue avoiding the scoops 'til I see it with my own eyes in theaters!

Oh, and don't think that I've given up on "Transformers Animated" just yet either. I finally got Ultra Magnus (awesomeness) and Blitzwing (blegh!), and have yet to review them; it'll take a while though before I get to them (see below). I still want Swindle, Swoop, Oil Slick, Shockwave, a few of the Starscream-clones/repaints (or maybe all of 'em!), and some of the new ones like Blackout, Spittor, Arcee (I never owned an Arcee before), and Perceptor. I know there are more that haven't been revealed yet, so I'll have to wait like the rest of ya to know if I want 'em or not.
I finally decided that I will not be covering Safeguard [with the Autobot twins Jetfire and Jetstorm]. Even though their Vehicle modes vaguely resemble Viper Mk.IIs, they look too lanky and disproportionate in either Robot or Combo mode. Unless Hasbro sends a sampler, I will not cover them; someone else can do that.

Additionally, I am continuing to cover a bit of Transformers Universe (aka Classics 2.0) with Powerglide and Tread Bolt. Neither have been opened yet, but I missed my chance with Jetfire in the Classics line, and considering the reviews I got from everyone else, the Blue Angels-livery-inspired Tread Bold was my last chance to own the toy even if not in the same colors.

. . .

Alas, I did not get to see "Watchmen" in theaters. Damn.

There are only three films I wanna see in the theaters this year that I am aware of... and these three above are it.

I am deep into my reviews for Bandai's four 1/55-scale Origin of Valkyrie reissue line.

I had really hoped that my 1990-reissue review would have gotten more positive results than it did, but I suppose my expectations for such peaked only because I was too attached to it. Not a single person said it was a good review, and considering it was my break-out on CDX for Macross, I figured I'd get a better reception than I did. My mistake. I guess you just can't project or trigger nostalgia on CDX unless it's from 1960s Japan and aired late-nite.

Anyways, expect the four OoV reviews next from me.

. . .

Yes, I did finally get Engine Jumbwhale in January- straight from the shelves of a Japanese toy store, no less! (Jose from Kicks-Hobby Japan hooked me up with that one.) I had to delay in order to get going with the Eva figures first, and then the OoV reviews.
But I am amazed at how many requests for that review I am getting both from CDXers and on YouTube. I mean, I'm even getting private e-mails from people on the matter! Have patience- you will get the review, even if late.

. . .

However, after the OoV reviews are done, I need to push forward next with "Power Ranger RPM". Yes- I said "Power Rangers". There are actually several lines that BA has produced that I am interested in.

For the record, I intend to review all four redesigned Deluxe-sized Megazords for CDX; I already have the Dlx. High Octane Megazord sitting in a box from BA on my floor upstairs.
As I have stated before, I will not be covering the DX Kyouretsu-Oh from "Go-Onger"; the three Ancient Engines do absolutely nothing for me alone, combined, or as part of the final Engine-Oh G12 'kyuukyoku gattai'. However, because they are far smaller and cheaper, I will be covering the yet-to-be-named Megazord along with the other three Dlx. sets.

Also, surprisingly, I will be covering some figures from PR-RPM. The Retrofire line is bringing back Megazords from past series and rebuilding them as poseable 3" figures with anime-styled proportions. They seem inspired by Gundam's MSiA line, and so far there are three [which in arrived in the same box as my Dlx. High Octane Megazord]:

• Mighty Morphin' Megazord (from MMPR-1)
• Wild Force Megazord
• High Octane Megazord

Each can be posed in limited ways and cannot transform, but the style of the figures and their poseability is what draws me to them most. Besides, we never really got poseable Megazords before at small-scale, and these are genuine action figures! So, I'm looking forward into digging into that line.
There's another PR-RPM line that is equally inspired by the Transformers Alternators series, which uses real car shells for their disguised forms- the Transforming Beast Zords series:

• Chrome Prowler Tiger Zord (a Toyota Prius)
• Engine King Eagle Zord (a Toyota Camry)

(Oh, BTW, in "Go-Onger", the Engine-Oh's name means "Engine-King"...)

Like when Transformers invaded McDonald's Happy Meals and the food actually changed into little animals, so too do the two sets in this line look the same in animal mode. Looks promising even if they don't pose great.
I plan to cover at least these two.

And since I already have the MantanGun blaster/sword from "Go-Onger", I'm considering covering the Nitro Blaster, which has an extendable day glo-orange blade like a lightsaber, and seems to be of equal size!

. . .

I have been carefully watching newcomer "Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight" on The CW4Kids, and I have to say that it isn't doing too badly. Even though the original "Kamen Rider Ryuuki" (2002) may be wider in scope and drama (I never wanted to see it anyways, so I'm just guessing), I think Adness Entertainment's transition of the series to the US has been quite appropriate.
Even if you may not get the same satisfaction out of watching "...Dragon Knight" as you would from "...Ryuuki", I would suggest that it is not "painful" to watch like Power Rangers usually is compared to Super Sentai.

Even though I am promoting the show "Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight" here (okay- the opening theme's lyrics are perhaps its weakest point so far), I am still wary of the toys that will be coming; nothing is striking me enough to get any them, so you may not hear from me on [them] unless I am offered up samplers from BA.

One last thing- I am totally taken right now with this online-only game: Korean-developer NCsoft's "Exteel" (which, coincidentally, I found out about through another CDXer!). It's a fast-paced 3-D third-person shooter which requires only your mouse and keyboard to play. (It will not accept joysticks, BTW.)

Basically, you play a mercenary on a distant colony planet in the distant future, which has become completely pacifist and where conflict is near-unheard-of. When settlers from other worlds begin immigrating to the already-settled planet, they bring conflict with them, and it leads to border skirmishes until the mercenaries are called in. You've been hired by the local planet-side government(s) to wage war against their neighbors and their own line(s) of mercenaries. (Extraterrestrial aliens are not part of this game, and probably won't be either.)
Your combat vehicle of choice? 30m-tall robots called Mechanaughts. Fully customizable to your personal playing style, you can participate in four player-VS-player modes (Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Territory Control, Capture The Flag), or the only player-VS-computer mode (Last Stand).
You also have a wide variety of scaled-up weapons to choose from as well- Melee (Swords, Spears, Shields), Ranged (Sub-Machine Guns, Shotguns, Rifles), mechanaught-healing Rectifiers, and the long-reaching & devastating Siege (Cannons) and Rocket (um... Rocket) classes. Mix-and-match these as you see fit; same with the body parts of your mechanaught for speed, firepower, cooldown, weight, EN Regeneration, etc. All you have to do is play to earn credits. Or if you want items faster, you can use real-world money to pay for NC Coins to get exclusive-use hardware. With 20 mechanaught sets to start with, more are being added every few months; each with unique balances in speed, health, sensor range, etc. Each is capable of using its equally-customizable backpack booster to hover quickly across the ground or short-jump.
The twelve maps available to play in (or, more like the backgrounds) are equally Star Wars-esque in their massive scale and fine detail. (At least two of them are low-gravity, which makes jumping and being hit really interesting!)

Yeah, most of the mechanaughts look like Gundam rip-offs (three of the computer-controlled Drones look like outright Zaku mobile suits!), but you'll be too busy to notice- trying to dodge incoming fire while squeezing off your own shots. (Should I mention that, with the exception of the head and legs, the Aerobolt looks an awful lot like an EVA Unit...?)

And ya know what the best part is? Exteel is completely free to download and play!
(If you want to, you can buy NC Coins with real money at 7-Eleven, Best Buy, and Target stores nationwide, or use your credit card at home to the same effect.)

I have passed 590hrs of play on the game (I started June '08), and have attained the rank of Lieutenant Colonel (Lvl62). Most of my career, however, is based more on playing Last Stand games (a great place to "farm for credits") against the computer rather than in player-VS-player games. (I don't think my brain is fast enough!)
I recently joined the currently-9th-ranked Clan Okami, and have participated in over 20 Clan Battles. (Although, by both Okami and my account, I am certainly not "A" team material when they go up against more-challenging clans. That's fine by me- so long as I still get some CB action once in a while!)

If you're interested in starting an "Exteel" profile, let me know, and I'll lead you through it step-by-step, and offer up tips and hints. (I'm an unofficial tutor in-game for newbs by my own choice, and have successfully helped at least 12 players.)

The pain, the suffering, the hesitation, the dramatics, the loneliness, the teen angst, the cruelty, the politics, the scheming, and the self-analyzing psychology are back in a whole new-yet-familiar way.

Oh, yeah- and don't forget about the Angels too!

On December 30th, FUNimation Entertainment announced that they have secured the right to release the four "Rebuild of Evangelion" films to American audiences. The four films are being produced by creator Hideaki Anno's own newer Studio Khara, as opposed to when the series and sequel films were produced by Studio Gainax.

The first film, "Evangelion: 1.0- You are [Not] Alone", was released in the last quarter of 2007 to resounding success and quickly nabbed both the fan base's approval and critics acclaim, becoming one of the biggest anime films of the year (going on to earn ¥2.1 billion / $18.7 million). While preserving locations, characters, and tones from the originating 26-episode TV series from 1995-96, the film presents the first six episodes in a new light while successfully and fluidly compressing them into 98 minutes. Additionally, the film has been written and edited to welcome in newcomers who may not be aware of the almost-unparalleled & frenzied following from the past 11 years.

. . .

New editing and painting technology allowed animation cels from the series to be directly inserted into the film but then retain high-quality film clarity alongside the new footage, and then are even subtly added to! Scenes viewed in the series were even elaborated on further with new animation carefully spliced in.

The two featured Evangelion Units- Zerogouki (aka Unit-00) and Shogouki (Unit-01)- are unchanged except for minor alterations to their armor coloring. Unit-01's utility wings are slightly altered to deploy the newly-designed Progressive Knife, and the Positron Rifle and defensive shield from Episode 6 have also been radically altered, though retaining the same functions.

Though the Angels themselves have gone relatively unchanged, their numbering system has been altered a bit- with the debuting skeletally-thin black-&-white Sachiel (previously the 3rd Angel) now being labeled the 4th Angel, and so-on down the line. However, with the use of new computer animation (previously not used in the series), the [now-6th Angel] Ramiel has also be wonderfully upgraded for the film's third act, making it far more dominating and devastating that could ever be afforded on an animated series' budget. (I'll personally attest to that last sentence!)

(For some strange-ass reason, I can't find the official 2min trailer with this song in it on YouTube... -_-; )

. . .

ADV Films- who released the TV series in the US- is not involved in this new project; nor is Manga Entertainment who released the sequel films "Evangelion: Death & Rebirth" & "The End of Evangelion".

In unofficial public statements, American actors Spike Spencer, Amanda Wynn Lee, and Tiffany Grant have all shown interest in returning to the franchise as the voices of the three young lead characters [from ADV's release of the series]- Shinji Ikari, Rei Ayanami, and Asuka Langley Souryu respectfully. For the two previous films, it was more difficult securing the same voices from the dubbed series; how that will change here is unknown as no casting has been confirmed at this time.

...Happy New Year, CDX!

It is official- the Samurai Sentai Shinkenger are on their way! This year's theme will be around samurai (1994's "Ninja Sentai KakuRanger" and 2002's "Ninpuu Sentai Hurricanger" focused instead on ninjutsu), and there will be a focus around the Japanese kanji alphabet characters and natural elements.

Yes- we are getting cell phone henshin devices... again. (Let's see now how many series we've had those with before? "MegaRanger", "GaoRanger", "DekaRanger" [sorta], "MagiRanger", "Boukenger", and the current "Go-Onger".) Enough already! Sheesh... what ever happened to the more widely-used wrist, buckle, or other item changers??? (Say- howsabout another two-part changer like we had in "Jetman", "DaiRanger", "CarRanger", and "OhRanger"? Those were cool!) These new changers, however, don't collaps down like a typical cell phone (vertically)- instead they fold around horizontally, and then act like some kind of small knife!

. . .

The connecting gimmick that will be seen throughout the series will be removable discs. These may be the Shinkenger's power source, and they seem to be treated like CDs, which can spin. These discs will be included in some of the mecha designs, and more prominently in the Shinkenger's weapons. I don't think that each disc has its own light-&-sound like the Go-Onger's Engine Souls do/did, but rather the toy they are placed into will have the electronics instead. I suspect that if the latter is true, each disc will have a unique key which each toy will then recognize and respond to differently each time [a la the cards used in the Command Voicers in the Metal Hero series "B-Fighter Kabuto" (aka the Data Bonders from "Beetleborgs Metalix")]. Each belt buckle can also store a disc (how many at one time?).

For the standard weapon, each Shinkenger will get- wait for it- a samurai katana [longsword], which can also accept those discs. (This kinda reminds me of the weapons used in "Kamen Rider Blade", where each Rider weapon could identify the specially-designed flat UnDead cards slid across them... which I thought was cool, but by now has been done many times in other series.) And each ranger will be issued a unique individual weapon which can also accept the discs (I've see up there a blue crossbow and green spear).

The Shinkenger's finishing weapon will be a long red-&-silver bazooka which can shoot the discs!
(Is it just me, or does that thing also change into a giant sword...?)

The mecha line is called OriGami (or is it just "Origami"?)- in reference to the fact that they are all triple-changing robots: animal form, a kanji/badge form, and robot-component form. The five animals will be:

• Lion OriGami (Shinken Red)
• Dragon OriGami (Shinken Blue)
• Bear OriGami (Shinekn Green)
• Monkey OriGami (Shinken Yellow)
• Kami OriGami [a turtle] (Shinken Pink)

The OriGami mecha can all change into a compacted form which then prominently displays a specific kanji symbol which is relevant to that mecha and ranger. So far as I can tell, there will also be an elemental theme to the mecha as well, delving into mythology once more- fire, water, Earth, metal, and sky- which is what those kanji symbols may be on the mecha.

The first lead robo is called the [???] Gattai Shinken-Oh. ("-Oh" means "king", BTW, so it could be read as "King of the Way of the Samurai" or perhaps "Samurai-method King".) The DX version shown above will stand 28cm (11")-tall. Like the weapons, the DX Shinken-Oh can carry a single disc on the left shoulder (one is provided), and seems to have an accessory needed to turn any disc in the series into a hand-held shield!
(Is it just me, or do the golden guards on either side of the Shinken-Oh's face close up like a face-shield...?)

. . .

We will be getting DX-sized accessory mecha again this year, starting out with at least three:

• Kabuto [Hercules beetle] OriGami
• Karini [Swordfish] OriGami
• Tora [Tiger] OriGami

They will- thankfully!- not be limb-swapping [though that is still a possibility given how the Monkey and Kami OriGami attach to the Shinken-Oh].

They will, instead act as giant helmets/backpacks- presumably bestowing their particular animal skill to the mecha as opposed to acting as a weapon/armor-upgrade like was used with the Geki Beasts in "GekiRanger". Unlike the first five OriGami mecha, however, each of these also can accept a disc (a unique one is, again, provided with each). While the dics can also spin inside each accessory OriGami, it looks like the same movement causes a part of the toy itself to move as an action feature!
It's also possible (but unlikely, I think) that because of this, they too will have light-&-sound.

(In other words, when you get the DX toys and combine them, be prepared for some seriously back/top-heavy action...)

"Samurai Sentai Shinkenger" will debut on February 15th, 2009.
Be sure to also look for the traditional hand-off at the end of "Engine Sentai Go-Onger" on Feb. 8th!

I just saw early-release photos of the upcoming Deluxe High Octane Megazord from the 2009 series, "Power Rangers R.P.M.". (For those in the know, this is the English-equivalent of the DX Engine Gattai Engine-Oh from the 2008 Super Sentai series, "Engine Sentai Go-Onger", which I covered for CDX.)

I'll be short, and to the point:

God-dammit, Bandai America! You F'ing did it again!

And Bandai Creation? Don't think that you're any-less guilty- this is being shot your way as well. Did you guys learn nothing from your poor sales from all those toys still sitting on the shelves two years after they came out because no one would buy them!?

Ya see, you badly burned a lot of your best customers in 2007 when you crowned your little franchise's 15-year anniversary with inconsistent toy lines. You failed to release the Dlx. Flashpoint Megazord (aka DX Siren Builder) because it would have meant making a brand new one to conform to the mess that you made earlier in the year- the rebuilt Deluxe Drive-Max Megazord. Then, you turned around and released the Dlx. Battlefleet Megazord (aka DX DaiVoyager) in the original scale, but it couldn't interact with the 'Gag-Max' Megazord either!
To this day, I can go into a Toys-R-Us, and I still see Battlefleet Megazords and even a few Gag-Max Megazords still sitting in pristine condition on the shelves because you attempted to deceive the customer base in order to save a buck.

But this time, things are a little different...

Now I know ahead of time because I was one of those customers you burned, and I am one of those people who knows better than the average parents who just wanna get their kid the latest thing. So, do you know what I am going to do now?
Whenever I go into a Toys-R-Us or a Wal Mart or a Target or even The Disney Store, I'm gonna tell those ignorant parents that what they're about to buy is not worth it in the slightest way.

I'll tell ya- you guys are really pissing me off now.
I gave you full marks and high recommendations on your "Transforming..." line of Zords from "Power Rangers Jungle Fury" because they were scaled down and yet remained completely faithful in both appearance & function, and in quality. I even wrote your company to say as much. I hadn't praised a PR toy like that in years- I was swayed and highly impressed with them at a mere glance!

And now, you turn around and do this!?

. . .

So, since I can't provide any pictures at this time, what did they do...?

The High Octane Megazord stands about an inch shorter than the Engine-Oh. Like the Gag-Max Megazord before it, this one is also a completely new design. New molds, new materials, new coloring, different paint applications, the whole shebang. Also like the previous Gag-Max Megazord, the proportions have been radically altered. The eyes are all squinty (like the Zords are mad at the kids who play with them!), the yellow Bear vehicle has lost its ears but gained a great big connection pedestal, the coloring on the blue Lion vehicle are no longer golden, but rather yellow and red, and what used to be shiny plastic has been replaced with dull equivalents. (It's probably that flexible-crap we saw on the Gag-Max too!) A simple shield now has enormous gaps in it because of the distortion. Ironically, you actually improved the sword by making it thinner while still being able to collapse it down... just like the Gag-Max's.

The electronics, as I suspected, were all completely removed from the Engine Soul cartridges. While I can understand that as a cost-saving measure (that's debateable either way), what I cannot understand is why it is that you then turn around and make them flat like pancakes when they are clearly not in the original footage?

Bandai America- you make me look like a fool now! I praised your work on the "Transforming..." line, and you turn around and do this! Wh- what the hell am I supposed to think now!?

...and you have the arrogance to wonder why I take my money overseas.

Attention all CollectionDX.com readers:

Do Not buy the Deluxe High Octane Megazord. I strongly recommend that you instead buy the original DX Engine Gattai Engine-Oh.

'Nuff of that now.

Good news- images are beginning to leak onto the net from the latest Super Sentai Series, "Samurai Sentai Shinkenger". I found the most damming evidence on Thai-Toku.com this evening.

The first is the five Shinkenger assembled together in a pictures which finally reveals their armor.

To me, these resemble the suits worn by both the specifically-ninjutsu-themed Hurricanger and KakuRanger (2002 and 1994 respectively), but notice the "Y"-shaped lines across their chests are reminiscent of the folds in a kimono.

The other picture is of the yet-to-be-named first lead robo:

Like the Muteki Shougun from "KakuRanger" (aka the Shogun Megazord from "MMPR-3"), it also has been influenced by the armor of samurai warriors, with highlights in gold, and ribbed black paneling. (I must say that those hard lines across its chassis are quite striking IMO, even if the color seems to be somewhat bland.) However, while the Muteki Shougun leaned more towards the samurai-style of armor, the theme of the series was based on ninjutsu instead which was better reflected in the more-agile and smaller Juushou Fighters (aka the Aquitarians' Battle Borgs).

From this second picture, we can determine two things which are not immediately clear in the first: 1)each Shinkenger will be assigned an animal; and 2)geometrical shapes will be used for identification.
At a glance, at least three of the animals seem to be a green bear, either a blue dragon or wolf, and either a red lion or tiger. If I had to guess, I'd say that yellow is based off of a bird of some kind, but I have no clue what the pink one will be.

I dare say that we may have to deal with limb-swapping again since the arms and legs separate in very convenient and well-known places. I will also venture that we will not get poseable legs or elbows... again.

I'm gonna be all over this thing when the DX toy comes out!

. . .

In other related news the henshin devices have been revealed to be cell phones yet again. But they seem to have a third form which acts as a poor dagger or some-such. (From the first fuzzy pics I've seen, unless they really pull a good rabbit outta their hat, I'm not gonna get one.)

And one of the weapons seems to be an elaborate blue crossbow crossed with an old fashioned hand-held 1920s machine gun. I doubt that this is an un-colored pic of the combo weapon, if they use a combo weapon.

. . .

Whereas ninja were secretive in their missions, samurai were commonly-seen higher-level warriors who bonded themselves to lords, and were influential in both culture & politics during Japan's earlier feudal existence. It was not until the mid-1800s where the power and influence of samurai began to wane as outside cultures began to press in on the Home Islands in more than just military might.