TOYS, MOVIES, MUSIC, AND ALL MANNER OF POP CULTURE DORKERY
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-7mrad-c15f76
DumbShit #1: Turtle Racing
Host: Trapdoor Steve
Interview: Big Shirtless Ron
Time: Ten minutes, nine seconds
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This episode of the Needless Things Podcast was recorded LIVE at Dragon Con 2019 for the American Sci-Fi Classics Track!
Get your annual dose of nostalgia with Dave, Beth, Rebeccah Wood, Nicole Gould, Jon Carr, and Gary Mitchel! When these things are recorded live in front of a Dragon Con audience, you know they can get a little crazy. Each panelist came to the table with a few of their favorite pop culture happenings from thirty years ago. From movies to toys to music, a wide range of pop culture was covered, and with help from the Classics Track audience!
Listen in as Needless Things once again joins forces with the American Sci-Fi Classics Track to provide that sweet nostalgia fix!
Be sure to join the Needless Things Podcast Facebook Group and get in on the conversation for this week’s episode! Let us know what you think!
“Procrastibate” by LeSexoflex.com
Interstitial music provided by The Mystery Men?
You can follow Phantom Troublemaker on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for all the latest on pop culture!
Hungry for more movies, music, and pop culture? Visit the Needless Things Archives for a decade of dorkery!
Parts 1 and 2 are linked here if you need to catch up.
After another crappy nap I was trying to rouse myself for a big night. I was finally going to get to see MC Chris and Cybertronic Spree. I’d missed them both in past years due to Dave’s game shows (not that I’m complaining), and was happy for the chance to see them this year. Sharron and I made our way back to the Classic track room to meet the gang before the premiere of Troublemaker. I had been around for the Dragon Con portion of the filming two years ago, and spent several hours with filmmaker Jason C. Wilson chasing Dave around the convention area. Dave was pretty booked that weekend so what should have been nice strolls between locations was a mad dash from one hotel to the next – often with Wilson and I left behind. While I wasn’t there for his near-death experience; I saw things that weekend man, and was looking forward to the fruits of that labor. I have to admit that when Dave told me I was on a Q&A panel after the movie I was a little intimidated. I don’t have anything to do with anything (see my profile in “Who’s Nobody”). Jason and Dave did all the work here, and I didn’t do anything but run around like a jerk at Dragon Con. It was, in fact, quite a good movie. Not that I’d thought it would be bad, but it was seriously good and funny and heartwarming. Dave told me to be prepared to sign autographs after the panel, but I kind of thought he was kidding. If I was weird when I signed your movie poster I apologize. I’m just not as cool as I pretend to be. Maybe someday…
Continue reading “Beth’s Dragon Con Recap – Part 3”
Welcome to Home Again, where each and every Tuesday I’ll be running down some of the best genre releases coming to home media.
All info is from the excellent Blu-ray.com. This isn’t every genre release, just the ones I find interesting. For the full list, follow that link. Continue reading “Home Again – September’s Blu-Ray Releases”
In the time that has passed since I reviewed the other figure in this case pack, Ultimate Ronda Rousey, I have been unable to resist expanding my collection of wrestling figures.
For a long time I was just collecting Mattel’s Retros and female figures. The Retros were charming throwbacks to Hasbro’s WWF figures and for the most part I find WWE’s female performers more interesting both in the ring and visually than the males. Objectively, females tend to be more toyetic.
Now, however, I have ended up collecting Mattel WCW figures as well as a few odds and ends here and there – mostly stuff I find on clearance. How could you possibly pass up Big Strong Boi Tyler Bate with the NXT UK Championship for twelve bucks? Or Ricochet, Tommaso Ciampa, or (Mustafa) Ali for seven bucks each (due to a nationwide screw up on the part of Walmart)?
The bottom line is that Mattel is making some of the best action figures on the market, but only if you’re into wrestling toys. I’m resisting going all-in, but as a lifelong fan of action figures and wrestling, some of these releases really give me the itch. Especially these Ultimates.
The first wave of these consisted of Rousey and this Warrior, the next – which should be hitting stores soon – includes Shinsuke Nakamura and Bret Hart. I’m not sure yet if I’ll end up getting those, but Rousey and Warrior both fit into what I’m already collecting, though I didn’t realize the latter did at first.
I’ve never been much of an Ultimate Warrior fan. Body guys never did much for me. Don’t get me wrong – I admire their dedication to what I think must be a very difficult lifestyle. But I like guys who can work and who look like they’re built for ass-kicking, not for wearing a G-string and flexing on a stage. Warrior had charisma for sure, but he was the shits in the ring. He’s not a guy I’m going to collect.
But then I found out from the Major Wrestling Figure Podcast that this look is based on his time in WCW and that was a very interesting run.
Not good, but interesting.
Between my love for wrestlecrap and the fact that I am actively collecting WCW figures, I knew I had to get this guy.
Is it truly the Ultimate Warrior? Read on and find out! Continue reading “Toy Review – WWE Ultimate Edition Ultimate Warrior from Mattel”
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Part of an ongoing series – the Needless Things Irregulars gather in the Phantom Zone to provide their own unique commentary on classic genre films!
Special guests Dan Kelly and Evil Jim join the Commentary Team for the legendary 1981 animated feature Heavy Metal!
A truly magnificent feat of genre storytelling, Heavy Metal features the talents of John Candy, Joe Flaherty, Rodger Bumpass, Eugene Levy, Harold Ramis, Marilyn Lightstone, and dozens more providing voices for some of the most striking and innovative animation of the era. A phenomenal team of artists brought life to stories from Dan O’Bannon, Richard Corben, Bernie Wrightson and more; all set to a driving soundtrack that deserves its own paragraph:
As if the animation and voice acting weren’t accomplishment enough, the filmmakers compiled an amazing selection of pure rock to accompany the visuals – Sammy Hagar, Devo, Blue Öyster Cult, Cheap Trick, Black Sabbath, and Grand Funk Railroad are just a few of the bands that contributed to the aural power of the film, while the incredible Elmer Bernstein provided the score!
Listen in as Jim, Dan, and the entire team sell their souls for rock n’ roll in this month’s Needless Commentary!
Be sure to join the Needless Things Podcast Facebook Group and get in on the conversation for this week’s episode! Let us know what you think!
“Procrastibate” by LeSexoflex.com
Interstitial music provided by The Mystery Men?
You can follow Dave as Phantom Troublemaker on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for all the latest on pop culture!
Hungry for more movies, music, and pop culture? Visit the Needless Things Archives for a decade of dorkery!
If you’re late to the party you should check out part 1 of my recap.
With the main panel I wanted to see out of my reach I instead took advantage of my room, and lounged around getting ready to face the day. As well as prepared to face the public. On to my first panel of the day: Geek Year 1989 on the American Sci-Fi Classics track. It was a Needless Things presents panel so Dave, Nicole, Rebeccah Wood, and I were on with special guests Jon Carr and Gary Mitchell. Dave records everything so I’m sure you’ll get some audio on both of our panels from Friday. You can also hear Nicole and I get publicly shamed for not following through with the costumes Dave requested we bring for a “bit” he wanted to do. Dave just loves his bits. This one was tough for me since I had just done the 1989 podcast a few months ago. Two of my top picks were Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure and UHF. Not only could I not reuse my podcast picks, but I was doing individual panels on both of them for the Classic track later in the weekend. So I had come up with all new things. It was a real head scratcher, and a good way to start off my panel filled con though.
Continue reading “Beth’s Dragon Con Recap – Part 2”
SPOILER WARNING – THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR LIONSGATE’S NEW FILM 3 FROM HELL
I am a massive fan of pretty much everything Rob Zombie does.
That’s not to say that I think every movie, comic book, and album he has produced is perfect. Far from it. But I love his style and his ability to make even the most bizarre concepts seem somehow mainstream. The man is a pop culture icon; there’s no denying that.
Among all of Zombie’s creations, the Firefly family of House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil’s Rejects are particularly special to me. Not because they’re aspirational or admirable characters – they absolutely are not. They’re awful, nightmarish people. But there’s something compelling to me about these people and their relationships to one another, as well as the world that Zombie has built around them.
I saw House of 1000 Corpses in the theater on opening night. I had been following its troubled production for years at that point and didn’t really believe it would ever be released. I’ll always have a soft spot for Lionsgate just for making that happen.
The film blew me away with its over-the-top style and outrageousness, and my respect for Zombie increased due to his willingness to do seemingly anything, and damn the system.
While I enjoyed the heck out of House, I can’t say that I expected a masterpiece as a follow-up. At best I thought The Devil’s Rejects would be another ninety minutes of schlocky, gory music video. I was so very wrong.
The 2005 sequel was a fantastically shot, brutal piece of despair. With not a single virtuous character to be found, the movie relied on style and grisly action to keep the viewer engaged. For me, it succeeded. The Devil’s Rejects is one of my favorite movies and Bill Moseley’s Otis Driftwood is one of my favorite villains. I’ve dressed up as him on multiple occasions and we named our first dog after him back in 2006.
Since the release of that film Zombie has experimented with a range of other subjects. From his vision of Michael Myers to the psychedelic witchcraft of Lords of Salem to a Ralph Bakshi-esque animated feature, Zombie has dabbled in many corners of genre film. Some I’ve loved and some I haven’t, but Zombie’s name always guarantees a compelling watch.
After fourteen years away from the Firefly family I had no idea what their creator might have in mind or if he even still had the same gusto that made them so compelling in the first place. In my personal experience getting older means getting gentler, but a toned-down Otis, Baby, and Captain Spaulding simply would not work. As such, I went into 3 from Hell full of uncertainty. Beyond the characters, would Zombie even be able to harness the brutal energy of the previous films? Did he still have it in him to create that relentless tone?
3 from Hell was released as a limited theatrical experience via Fathom Events. As soon as tickets went on sale I ordered for the first night, despite the fact that I had to work the next day. Nothing less than an opening night viewing would be good enough for me, and there was no way I was missing the third entry in this series on the big screen after experiencing the first two that way.
Do Zombie and the cast still have what it takes? Was this a worthy follow-up or should the Firefly family have stayed as dead as the conclusion of The Devil’s Rejects suggested? Read on and find out! Continue reading “Movie Review – 7 Thoughts About 3 from Hell”
Welcome to Home Again, where each and every Tuesday I’ll be running down some of the best genre releases coming to home media.
All info is from the excellent Blu-ray.com. This isn’t every genre release, just the ones I find interesting. For the full list, follow that link. Continue reading “Home Again – September’s Blu-Ray Releases”
Who loves roaches?
NOT ME.
I don’t know why Mezco chose a roach as their mascot (mezcot?), but whatever the reason I have to admit that it’s a notable and immediately recognizable figure. In this case, a literal figure.
Mezco offered this Agent Edition of their mascot, Gomez, as a Toy Fair exclusive way back in February. If you ordered early enough you got actual existing stock; if you didn’t, it was a preorder. Mine was a preorder, but that’s okay because I find as I get older I have plenty of patience to wait for good toys. Better a long wait than a crappy toy.
For instance, I have no effing clue when the William Stout Collection of Masters of the Universe figures will arrive from Super 7, but I’m not sweating it because I’ve been waiting decades for them and I want them to be perfect.
But I’m not here today to talk about Dolph Lundgren and Frank Langella. I’m here to talk about this bug.
You know you’re a toy addict when you look at a figure that you not only aren’t familiar with, but are actively repulsed by, and think to yourself, “Man, that’s a really good figure. I’m going to be mad at myself if I don’t get it.” There have been a few One:12s that hit me that way so far and Gomez is the latest. With his plethora of accessories, wonderful suit body, and Chuck Taylor knock-offs I knew it was a figure that I’d regret not having on my shelf if I didn’t jump on the preorder.
Was it worth it or will I be ordering a One:12 Collective Orkin Man to get rid of this guy? Read on and find out! Continue reading “Toy Review – One:12 Collective Gomez – Agent Edition from Mezco”
NEEDLESS THINGS 