May The Force (Friday) Be With You!

So earlier today, I spent more than two hours driving around to different Toys"R"Us, Walmart and Target stores looking for Kylo Ren and Captain Phasma action figures to buy as a way of participating in the much-hyped "Force Friday." I worked a night shift yesterday, and by the time I drove to the Toys"R"Us store that was right next to the freeway I used to head home early this morning, it had already closed following midnight festivities that only lasted an hour (stores selling The Force Awakens stuff opened at 12:01 AM; I didn't arrive at the Toys"R"Us till a couple of minutes after 1 AM). So right when I was about to head home empty-handed this afternoon since most of the new Star Wars merchandise at the three stores mentioned above were gone (yes— I went home, got some sleep and ate breakfast before I headed back out), I decided to visit the Disney Store at my local mall to see if they had the figures I was searching for. As the photo above shows, it did! Presumably, since the Disney Store didn't open at midnight (I didn't stumble upon anything online showing that Disney's own retail outlet would take part in the 12:01 AM activities), I assumed that it would have Kylo Ren and Captain Phasma figures in stock. And yep, I was right. The fact that this um, playset also comes with First Order Flametrooper, Finn, Rey and BB-8 figurines is an added bonus! Thanks Disney! Here's hoping Star Wars: Episode VII itself will deliver the goods like you did.

Lastly— If you wanna know just how big of a geek I am, open my closet door at home. Or just check out the pic below. Yes, that's a Pacific Rim Jaeger to screen right of my General Grievious figure from Revenge of the Sith. Have a nice weekend. Oh, and Happy Labor Day to my fellow Yanks!

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers...

In an unofficial tradition that started when I was bored enough to reminisce about the old Disney animated series Darkwing Duck three years ago today, I'd like to post a quick entry talking about another show that I enjoyed watching when I was a wee little...adolescent. The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers grew in popularity in mid-1994, and was even watched by some people I knew in the 'cool crowd' back in high school. (I was a 9th grader in the fall of '94... No comments). The Power Rangers were really awesome once the White Ranger (formerly known as the Green Ranger) showed up on scene, and I'll quickly point out that I was geeky enough (moreso than now) to um, have a Tigerzord toy collecting dust in my closet. Now if only they do another Power Rangers movie—and the Zords looked like the ass-kicking Jaegers featured in Guillermo del Toro's latest flick, Pacific Rim. I have just one question about that, though: Which actress would replace Amy Jo Johnson as the Pink Ranger? Facetious question... Look at the tag words below to get a hint of who I have in mind. Oh, and here are two last words on why the Power Rangers were bad-ass: Lord Zedd. That is all.

My Jaegers for Pacific Rim (Part 3)!

Just thought I'd share a few more Pacific Rim posters that I created recently. I promise that these Jaeger images will be the last ones I blog about...for today. Carry on!

LINK: Click here to view all of the Pacific Rim Jaegers that I created

My Jaegers for Pacific Rim (Part 2)!

As mentioned in this previous journal entry, here are three more Pacific Rim Jaegers that I came up with a day after I posted five previous ones. The Warner Bros app (which I linked to in my Film Notes section) has limited options in terms of poster backgrounds as well as changing the heads, limbs and torsos of the giant robots before their designs start looking the same as each other, so I think I'll stop with this trio here. Happy Monday, everyone!

My Jaegers for Pacific Rim!

Just thought I'd share these eight illustrations that I made of my own Jaegers for the movie Pacific Rim! Visit my Film Notes section to see a fifth Kaiju-hunting robot (known as the Shadow Rumbler) that I conjured up for Guillermo del Toro's film (which I hope will become a cult classic after it comes out on DVD this October 15). I've also provided a link on the other journal entry to the Warner Bros' webpage where you can design your own monster-killing machine! Don't be surprised if I post artwork for additional Jaegers that I come up with in the near future, hah.

Pacific Rim

Check out this awesome poster for Guillermo del Toro's new film that was illustrated by Metal Gear Solid (remember that video game?) art director Yoji Shinkawa. Pretty kick-ass. Oh, and then read my review for Pacific Rim here. Cool movie... F**k Grown Ups 2.


Yoji Shinkawa

Happy New Year, Everyone! Unlike 2012, this year won't be very action-packed in terms of what's happening in space exploration—with NASA's only deep-space robotic missions set for flight being LADEE (Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer), which launches to the Moon this August...and the MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN) orbiter that lifts off for Mars in late November. Also, SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket is set to make its maiden flight from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California sometime this year (a specific launch date hasn't been set yet). And in a final milestone for NASA's retired space shuttle program, the orbiter Atlantis officially goes on public display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida this July.



In terms of movies, this May will see the third installments in The Hangover and Iron Man franchises being released in theaters, as well as the return of Star Wars prequels Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith (both in 3-D) to the big screen this fall. Oh, and this December will see the second (and originally the final) film in The Hobbit series, The Desolation of Smaug, coming to cinemas as well. Unlike An Unexpected Journey, I have absolutely NO intention whatsoever of seeing The Desolation of Smaug in the High Frame Rate (or 48 frames per second) format. Peter Jackson did a pretty good job on the 3-D, though. And lastly, Michael Bay should begin filming 2014's Transformers 4 sometime this year. Obvously... Carry on!



January 2013
-BCS National Championship Game in Miami Gardens, Florida: Notre Dame vs. Alabama (Jan 7)
-Gangster Squad (Jan 11)
-Zero Dark Thirty (Jan 11)
-70th Annual Golden Globe Awards (Jan 13)
-Broken City (Jan 18)
-U.S. presidential inauguration ceremony for Barack Obama (Jan 21)
-Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters (Jan 25)
-Movie 43 (Jan 25)



February 2013
-Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans, Louisiana (Feb 3)
-Top Gun 3D (Feb 8)
-55th Annual Grammy Awards (Feb 10)
-A Good Day to Die Hard (Feb 14)
-Escape from Planet Earth (Feb 14)
-2013 NBA All-Star Game in Houston, Texas (Feb 17)
-55th annual Daytona 500 in Florida (Feb 24)
-85th Academy Awards (Feb 24)
- First flight of Orbital Sciences' Cygnus spacecraft atop an Antares rocket (TBD)



March 2013
-SpaceX's Dragon ship launches cargo to the International Space Station (Mar 1)
-Jack the Giant Slayer (Mar 1)
-Oz: The Great and Powerful (Mar 8)
-2013 NCAA March Madness basketball tournament begins with Opening Round Game (Mar 19)
-Conclusion of the March Madness tournament prior to the 2013 Final Four games in Atlanta (Mar 24)
-G.I. Joe: Retaliation (Mar 29)



April 2013
-Jurassic Park 3D (Apr 5)
-Orbital Sciences' Cygnus freighter launches to the International Space Station (Apr 5)
-2013 NCAA Final Four basketball tournament in Atlanta, Georgia (Apr 6)
-NCAA Final Four Championship Game in Atlanta, Georgia (Apr 8)
-Oblivion (Apr 12)
-Launch of Europe's fourth Automated Transfer Vehicle, Albert Einstein, to the International Space Station (Apr 18)
-A partial lunar eclipse will be visible over Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia (Apr 25)
-NFL Draft (Apr 25-27)
-Pain & Gain (Apr 26)



May 2013
-Iron Man 3 (May 3)
-The Great Gatsby (May 10)
-Annular solar eclipse over Northern Australia and South Pacific (May 10)
-Star Trek into Darkness (May 17)
-Fast and Furious 6 (May 24)
-The Hangover Part III (May 24)
-Start of the 2013 French Open tennis tournament (May 26)
-97th Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (May 26)
-After Earth (May 31)



June 2013
-Conclusion of the 2013 French Open (Jun 9)
-Man of Steel (Jun 14)
-This is the End (Jun 14)
-World War Z (Jun 21)
-Kick Ass 2 (Jun 28)
-White House Down (Jun 28)
-Start of the 2013 Tour de France (Jun 29)



July 2013
-Croatia set to join the European Union (Jul 1)
-The Lone Ranger (Jul 3)
-Pacific Rim (Jul 12)
-Launch of Japan's fourth H-2 Transfer Vehicle to the International Space Station (Jul 15)
-2013 Major League Baseball All-Star Game in Queens, New York City (Jul 16)
-R.I.P.D. (Jul 19)
-Conclusion of the Tour de France (Jul 21)
-The Wolverine (Jul 26)
-Retired space shuttle Atlantis goes on display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida (TBD)



August 2013
-300: Rise of an Empire (Aug 2)
-RED 2 (Aug 2)
-Elysium (Aug 9)
-Launch of NASA's LADEE spacecraft to the Moon (Aug 12)
-2 Guns (Aug 16)
-Start of the 2013 World Rowing Championships in South Korea (Aug 25)



September 2013
-Conclusion of the World Rowing Championships (Sep 1)
-Riddick (Sep 6)
-I, Frankenstein (Sep 13)
-The Little Mermaid 3D (Sep 13)
-Rush (Sep 20)
-Star Wars – Episode II: Attack of the Clones 3D (Sep 20)
-SpaceX's Dragon ship launches cargo to the International Space Station (Sep 30)



October 2013
-Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (Oct 4)
-Star Wars – Episode III: Revenge of the Sith 3D (Oct 4)
-NASA's Jupiter-bound Juno spacecraft to make first gravity assist flyby of Earth (Oct 9)
-A penumbral lunar eclipse over the Americas, Europe, Africa and most of Asia (Oct 18)
-Paranormal Activity 5 (Oct 25)



November 2013
-Ender's Game (Nov 1)
-Total solar eclipse over the Atlantic Ocean (Nov 3)
-Thor: The Dark World (Nov 8)
-Launch of NASA's MAVEN orbiter to Mars (Nov 18)
-The Hunger Game: Catching Fire (Nov 22)
-India to launch its first Mars probe, Mangalyaan (TBD)



December 2013
-The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (Dec 13)
-Anchorman: The Legend Continues (Dec 20)
-47 Ronin (Dec 25)
-Jack Ryan (Dec 25)
-Comet C/2012 S1 to make close flyby of Earth (Dec 26)