This week on the Flix of Doom podcast, we discussed the Toy Story franchise, as this month marks the 15th anniversary of the release of the first film. In preparation, I re-watched Toy Story 3, which just came out on Blu-ray.

While researching for the episode, I came across this adorable image called Kawaii Toy Story 3 – Bonnie & Friends by illustrator Jerrod Maruyama, who created this piece for the Pixar Times site.

Check out the image here at right, and click for a larger full view. Visit the Maruyama’s Flickr page for the super-large view [...]

Rocker Bret Michaels is set to ring in the new year with a live performance at Universal Studios Orlando!

The Poison frontman and reality television star is scheduled perform a live New Year’s Eve concert at Universal’s CityWalk in Orlando, FL, part of the Universal Orlando Resort.

Tickets are now on sale for the New Year’s Eve block party event, which includes the Bret Michaels concert, as well as all-night admission to seven CityWalk clubs, all-you-can-eat gourmet cuisine, and a midnight champagne toast.

Universal CityWalk’s New Year’s Eve celebration will take place from 8pm – 2am on December 31, 2010. Tickets are $119.99 plus tax per person if purchased by Dec. 27; from Dec. 28 to Dec. 31, the price increases to $139.99 plus tax per person. Special discounts are available for Universal Orlando Annual Passholders. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.universalorlando.com/holidays and click on the “New Year’s Eve at Universal CityWalk” button on the left [...]

Scott Pilgrim Vs The World
Blu-ray | DVD
Directed by Edgar Wright
Starring Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin, Chris Evans
Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Release date: November 9, 2010

The lack of success that Scott Pilgrim Vs the World met at the box office shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone, and it has nothing to do with the quality of the movie. It’s not shocking that the studio couldn’t find a good way to advertise the movie, and it may just be that there was always going to be a small audience for this film. However, this is a film that should not be measured by its box office receipt. It is one of my favorite movies of the year and it is a joy for me to watch every time I see it. So now that Scott Pilgrim Vs the World is out on DVD and Blu-ray, I certainly hope that the film discovers the audience it deserves. Not that I gain anything from it doing well, but I feel that this is a very good film that is a lot of fun, has some fantastic music, and some great performances.

Now granted, I am the target market for this Scott Pilgrim Vs the World. I am a fan of the comic book series by Bryan Lee O’Malley, and I am also a fan of director Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz). I was very excited when I heard that Wright was going to direct it, as I knew he was a comic book fan and had a great voice for directing comedy and tragedy [...]

The very first teaser trailer for Kung Fu Panda 2 is being run in front of DreamWorks Animation’s newest movie, Megamind, which just hit theaters this past weekend and took the #1 spot with a $46 million domestic take.

The trailer was also released on DreamWorks’ official Kung Fu Panda website, and you can see it here and now below!

The movie, for as long as its existence has been known, has been called Kung Fu Panda: The Kaboom of Doom. Now it appears that they’ve dropped the Kaboom and just gone with the traditional numerical title. This saddens me a bit, as most of the sub-titles we see these days are pretty horrible and The Kaboom of Doom was actually pretty playful and fun. Just the number “2″ is boring. Bring back the Kaboom!

You can click on over to the other side now to see the teaser trailer and read a brief synopsis, and you can also hit the link above for all of your HD options. [...]

Thanks to our friends at /Film, the glorious news is out about a live-action, big budget stadium tour with Batman as the focal point called Batman Live. I don’t know about you guys, but that makes my life worth living until the tickets are available. What’s that you say? Tickets for the events in Europe are going on sale this week? Why, that’s phenomenal!

The tour dates, starting next year, were announced early Monday, but the project has been a secret project overall, so it was a little bit of a shock when they came out naming tour dates and locations in Europe leading up to their arrival in Summer 2012 in North America. In addition to the news, a “secret” Twitter page was discovered, and again, /Film did a great job of pulling together this info and were able to get the background from their account’s page, which gives a couple of clues as to who and what we will see in the project. There are couple of great things on their Facebook page as well, like a video featuring an orchestral rehearsal for the live event and the tour dates from the July shows in Manchester to the October shows in Belfast [...]

Due Date
Directed by Todd Phillips
Starring Robert Downey Jr., Zach Galifianakis, Michelle Monaghan, Jamie Foxx
Release Date: November 5, 2010

Ever see a trailer that is so good that you can’t believe the movie could possibly hold up to all your huge expectations and it turns out that it doesn’t? That in a nutshell is Due Date. Now, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. The movie, directed by Todd Philips (The Hangover), is hardly a bad film. It just a film you’ve seen before.

Due Date follows Peter (Robert Downey Jr.), a father-to-be trying to catch a plane back to his wife in Los Angeles. Peter, by chance, meets up with Ethan (Zach Galifianakis), an aspiring actor en route to Los Angeles and the two immediately get off on the wrong foot. Things go from bad to worse when both Peter and Ethan get tossed off their plane (thanks, in large part, to Ethan) and are forced to drive across country together to make their destination.

While there are some funny scenes and bits, Due Date is pretty much a by-the-book buddy comedy. Downey’s Peter is the high strung, typical straight man while Galifianakis’ Ethan, the imbecilic but sweet goof, is his foil [...]

It’s been officially announced that recently, at the Astana International Action Film Festival screenplay competition, The Weinstein Company acquired the rights to a movie called Apollo 18, written by Brian Miller.

The movie tells the story of NASA’s Apollo 18 mission to our moon, which was actually one of the many canceled missions in reality…or so we’ve been told. In the movie, the idea that the mission actually went ahead as planned is presented. It will be shot documentary style, to look as if it is proof of the mission actually happening and showing undiscovered footage from what the crew on that mission found, including “disturbing” proof of other life forms.

Apollo 18 is set to be produced by Timur Bekmambetov, the Russian director responsible for movies like Wanted and stylized vampire films, Night Watch and Day Watch. Bekmambetov is the one who founded the Astana International Film Festival screenplay competition at which the script was discovered and acquired. [...]

Well that didn’t take long!

AMC has sent out a press release confirming that their new uber-hit zombie TV series, The Walking Dead, will indeed get a second season. The first season will only run six episodes, but the first two episodes have delivered big numbers so far. The debut on Halloween night brought in record-breaking numbers with 3.6 million viewers in the ages 18-49 demographic, and 5.3 million viewers overall. The second episode last night delivered 3.3 million in the 18-49, and 4.7 million viewers overall, making the second season greenlight a very easy decision.

Senior vice president of Scripted Programming for Fox International, Sharon Tal Yguado, said of the announcement “I wish all programming decisions were no-brainers like this one. The Walking Dead is a TV masterpiece on so many levels. We want at least 10 seasons, if not more. Kudos to AMC!”

What’s even more exciting, the second season will come with thirteen brand new episodes instead of the six we’re seeing now. No word on when production will begin or when the show will premiere. [...]

The Rocky Horror Picture Show
35th Anniversary Blu-ray Edition
Directed by Jim Sharman
Starring Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwic, Richard O’Brien, Patricia Quinn
Fox Home Entertainment
Release Date: October 19, 2010

It was great when it all began
I was a regular Frankie fan

Now Frankie fans can rejoice, because The Rocky Horror Picture Show is out on Blu-ray and there’s loads of features that will make you feel like you’re back in the theater, shouting along to the 1975 cult classic.

From the beginning, fans of the horror rock musical would flock to midnight showings dressed as the characters and act out scenes along with what was playing on the screen. There was also extensive ad-libbing, as well as the 4D-type experience: throwing rice during the wedding sequence; holding up a newspaper during rain scene. It’s these little touches that have been passed along for over three decades that make the film so special.

So, you might ask, why buy the Blu-ray when the real experience is seeing it in the theater along with other fans? Aside from the obvious issue of there possibly not being a screening near you, along seeing it in high definition, there’s also so great fact that movie holds up all on its own. It’s got great rock and roll tunes, a wacky scifi/horror element, and of course, that flamboyant, yet sweet transvestite Frank-N-Furter, play marvelously by Tim Curry [...]

I used to wonder what my three cats were doing when I wasn’t around. Judging by how they behaved while with me, I assumed that they did a lot of sleeping, eating, chewing on plastic, and hitting each other. So, I set up a webcam so I could check in on the kitties while I was away and guess what they were doing? Sleeping, eating… you get the picture.

Also getting the picture is Cooper, the Cat Photographer, in his new full-color photo book Cat Cam: The World of Cooper the Photographer Cat. Yes, a cat who takes photos! But you won’t find multiple shots of food bowls or toy mice in this book, as Cooper explores the outdoors, capturing scenarios unique to his take of the world living a foot from the ground.

Equipped with a small, lightweight camera on his collar that snaps a picture every two minutes, Cooper takes a weekly photography adventure through his Seattle neighborhood, where he lives with his human family and co-authors, filmmakers Michael and Deirdre Cross, and their baby Cameron.

Trust me, once you see these photos, you will be blown away that they were taken by a cat. While some of Cooper’s vivid pictures are abstract in nature, there’s a variety of beautiful landscape shots, encounters with fellow creatures, and portraits of his family in and around their house, all from the feline’s perspective. A lot of the images are fun, especially Cooper’s shadowy self-portraits, and you can imagine what the cat was thinking while bracing for the shots; others are truly endearing, like the quiet, heartfelt moment Cooper captured between Deirdre and Cameron at home [...]

Check out Episode 19 of the Flix of Doom podcast, the official movie podcast of Geeks of Doom, with hosts Empress Eve and Justin Vactor.

Joining us for this episode is the very sexy, very knowledgeable Frank Ramblings from Tech Ramblings.

This week, we’ll be discussing the Toy Story franchise, as well as the latest news and box office results.

Click HERE to open the podcast player in a new window.

Full Episode Guide is here below, along with player.

Listen now!

E-mail us at flixofdoom [at] gmail.com
Follow us on Twitter – @FlixOfDoom
Subscribe to the Podcast: RSS | iTunes | Zune [...]

This is my boomstick!

If you know what the means, then you’re going to love this new t-shirt up for sale today.

Teefury’s t-shirt of the day is a mash-up for fans of both the film Army Of Darkness and the video game Doom.

For only $9, plus a small shipping cost, you can get this new BOOM t-shirt, designed by artist Jimiyo.

The shirt has the word BOOM in the style of the Doom logo, with a silhouette of Bruce Campbell’s Army Of Darkness character Ash holding up a shotgun in the iconic pose from the third Evil Dead film where he’s warning the medieval villagers that the gun is his “boomstick.”

The sale at Teefury began at midnight (November 8, 2010) and will continue for 24 hours, but once it’s over, it’s gone forever, so grab it now if you want it [...]

Don’t forget, the final episode of Sherlock airs tonight on PBS at 9pm EST.

The 90-minute episode, titled “The Great Game,” is the third and final installment for Season 1 of the British television series, which began airing in the United States in October. The entire Season 1, which consists of three 90-minute episodes, will be released on DVD and Blu-ray in the United States on November 9, 2010.

Also, the first two episodes are available to watch online for FREE right now at the PBS site; the third episode will be online there on November 8, 2010. All episodes will be online for viewing through December 7, 2010.

The series, created and written by Steven Moffat (Doctor Who) and Mark Gatiss, is a modern take on the classic Sir Arthur Conan Doyle detective Sherlock Holmes and stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Holmes and Martin Freeman as Dr. John Watson.

Episode 3 Synopsis: In a gripping match of wits, Sherlock solves crimes at a dizzying pace for a mad bomber who threatens to blow up innocent people. [...]

A very interesting new movie project is now in the making, and if it ends up as fun as it sounds, we could be in for a treat.

It’s being reported that the writing duo behind Zombieland, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, are now working on an adaptation of the graphic novel Cowboy Ninja Viking. The graphic novel began as a mini-series, but due to an undeniable wave of positive feedback, evolved into a full ongoing series.

Cowboy Ninja Viking revolves around Dr. Sebastian Ghislain, a psychotherapist who initiates a program in which he locates people who suffer from Multiple Personality Disorder, and trains them as a counter-intelligence unit of agents known as Triplets, who possess the abilities of three very different warriors. As is the case with anyone who tries to create a stable of super soldiers, things take a turn for the worst and many of the agents become assassins, impossible to control. This is where the deadliest of all of the Triplets comes into play, as Cowboy Ninja Viking rises up to take out his fellow agents before things go too far. [...]

It’s effective even in cases of long standing — oh, wait, that’s a different letter. Today’s letter is M…for MINIATURES!

In my previous article, I introduced you to the wonderful world of painting miniatures. I gave you a quick overview of the kind of things this column will be covering, and let you know what kind of tools you would need in order to paint your first miniature. Before you get started, though, you’re going to need to prepare your miniature to be painted. Below is a quick list of the things you’ll need for this. Several were explained in the previous article, but the rest were oversights on my part — sorry ‘bout that!

- An old, used toothbrush or nail-brush (nice to have but not completely necessary; this is explained below)

- A set of clippers or a hobby knife (X-Acto or the like; see below.)

- A long-nose plier.

- Needle files

- Primer (black, white, or grey)

- A breathing filtration mask

- Disposable (latex) gloves

- An old, empty box (or even a new box. S’up to you!) – I use an old U-haul “small box” approximately 13″ high and 16″ wide

- Your miniature

Important Note: For this first set of articles, I am assuming that you have chosen a one-piece miniature, and not one that needs to be assembled. Assembling a multi-piece miniature can be tricky, and I wouldn’t recommend it for your very first time. Besides, my How To Assemble A Multi-Piece Miniature article is still a ways off, and I wouldn’t want to leave you hanging!

So, you got everything? Good! [...]

The Horde
Directed by Yannick Dahan and Benjamin Rocher
Starring Jean-Pierre Martins, Claude Perron, Aurélien Recoing, Antoine Oppenheim, Eriq Ebouaney, Doudou Masta, Jo Prestia
Momentum Pictures Home Ent
Release date: September 20, 2010 (UK); December 21, 2010 DVD | (U.S.)

At the funeral of murdered French police officer Rivoallan, a group of his colleagues vow to get vengeance for their fallen friend. Their target is the Markudis, a notorious gang of Nigerians operating out of a condemned apartment block in a tough, long forgotten part of the city. Ouessem (Jean-Pierre Martins), Aurore (Claude Perron), Jimenez (Aurélien Recoing), and Tony (Antoine Oppenheim) storm their hideout which kickstarts a turn of events as their night goes from bad to the very worst.

As the fight begins and the gang takes the upper hand, the building is besieged by the undead. Now the surviving crims and cops must work together if they are to make their way to ground alive. The Markudis, lead by domineering Adewale (Eriq Ebouaney), his hot-headed brother Bola (Doudou Masta), and psycho scarface ‘carny’ Greco (Jo Prestia), helped by a number of disposable accomplices, are not to be trusted.

It’s true that there is nothing terribly original about the ‘we’re surrounded!’ attack by zombies and The Horde brings little in the way of originality and zero subtlety. But in a strange way I found this to work in its favour [...]

In an interview with the French magazine, TVMag, David Duchovny shared where a third film in the X-Files franchise might stand at the moment. The star also touched on the 2008 second film, The X-Files: I Want To Believe, and how it was widely considered a financial and critical failure.

After being translated, Duchovny’s quote played out to say something along the lines of The X-Files 3 “Is in the process of being written. One awaits just the green light from Fox, a little disappointed from the relatively poor reception of the second film. The error comes, in my opinion, that the authors strayed too far from the roots of the series. Moreover, the film was released in the summer. The third will be much closer to what the public expects, with government conspiracies, etc.”

While the original 1998 film wasn’t all that popular either, the TV series from which the films are based — which ran from 1992 to 2002 — is beloved by a large fanbase who have continued to support it. [...]

We’ve heard for a while now that a sequel to the 2006 video game adaptation, Silent Hill, was on the way. In fact, back in May, it was reported that the movie would begin production by late spring, but of course that didn’t work out quite as planned.

It may have taken a little longer, but now a press release has been sent out confirming that the sequel, titled Silent Hill: Revelation 3D, will begin production this upcoming winter in Toronto. The film is already in pre-production under producers Samuel Hadida and Don Carmody, who just recently delivered Resident Evil: Afterlife…also in 3D.

The movie will be written and directed by Michael J. Bassett, who has previously helmed Deathwatch, Wilderness, Solomon Kane (also with Hadida), and The Unblinking Eye, which is also in pre-production.

As for where Silent Hill: Revelation 3D may go in terms of storyline, this brief description was offered in the press release: [...]

Wolverine and the X-Men
Vol. 5: Revelations
Vol. 6: Final Crisis Trilogy
Featuring the voices of Steve Blum, Jennifer Hale, Tom Kane
Release Date: May 4/August 17, 2010

Wolverine and the X-Men: Revelations and The Final Crisis Trilogy wraps up the popular Nickelodeon series from Craig Kyle and Greg Johnson (creators of X-Men: Evolution). After a surprise attack on the Xavier School, The X-Men team is left in pieces. Professor X, the team’s leader and mentor is in a coma and Jean Grey is presumed dead, sending Cyclops into a tailspin. With the team unofficially disbanded, it is up to Wolverine to pick up the pieces and bring the team back together.

These two DVDs tie up all the plot threads left dangling from the series, answering all the important burning questions. Who really attacked the X-Men? Will Professor X finally escape the future and return to his body in the past? Is Jean Grey alive? Does Wolverine have a chance to save the Earth from an apocalyptic future, where all man and mutant kind are exterminated? All these questions are addressed and more, plus there are more mutant appearances than you can shake a stick at. Everyone from Magneto, Gambit, and Scarlet Witch to the Hellfire Club are all present, along Cyclops, Storm, and everyone’s favorite Canuck, Wolverine [...]

The Gold Box deal of the day over at Amazon today is The Mighty Boosh Special Edition Seasons 1-3 DVD box set for only $34.99 (that’s 56% off the list price of $79.98).

Note, this sale is only for today, Saturday November 6, until midnight PST while supplies last.

This 7-disc DVD set contains all three seasons of the British television comedy series, including a bonus disc of live material and behind-the-scenes footage.

The Mighty Boosh was created by comedians Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding, who make up the comedy troupe along with Dave Brown, Michael Fielding, and Rich Fulcher.

See below a list of bonus features included in this DVD set [...]