I was pretty sure Jon M. Chu’s 2015 live-action Jem and the Holograms had killed off any possibility for the 1980s franchise to come back. It turns out I was wrong. The IP is still alive but in the form of a limited-edition statue. Unfortunately, said statue also comes at a truly outrageous price, depending on where you buy it.
Jerrica Benton, in her Jem disguise, stands 11″ tall. She’s clad in her typical pink ensemble, complete with matching high heels and makeup. In the background, we can see the sophisticated hologram-generating supercomputer Synergy. Though they’re sort of hard to spot, thanks to the big hair, Jem is sporting her red star-shaped earrings. Sadly, the statue does not have LED lighting to replicate the cartoon’s and doll’s light-up effects.
The Jem statue is slated to release in July 2023 and will cost you either $200 from Diamond Select or $164.99 from Entertainment Earth. And remember, Jem is excitement … Jem is adventure. She is friggin’ expensive!
“Jem and the Holograms was one of the 1980s greatest creations, an animated series about an all-girl rock band that became a hit among the shows of the decade. Now, iconic lead singer Jem is the newest Premier Collection Statue! This approximately 11-inch statue depicts Jem singing one of her hits in front of the Synergy computer, and is limited to only 1000 pieces. It comes packaged with a numbered certificate of authenticity in a full-color box.”
The original series lasted for three seasons. The relatively short run was partly due to the franchise’s lifeblood, the toys, which didn’t catch on. In the 1980s, it was hard to compete with Barbie. However, as far as pop culture relevance goes, it’s hard to forget Jem‘s theme song.
Were you a fan of this high-concept animated series and toyline? Let us know in the comments section.
Gamers and the F.T.C. are taking action against Microsoft as it attempts to absorb the powerhouse known as Activision Blizzard. In its battle with M.S., the F.T.C. had decided to take legal action to block the purchase, saying that the merger would harm consumers and competing console manufacturers, according to Bloomberg.
The most significant point of contention appears to be Call of Duty. The title is available on both major competing platforms from Sony and MS. Knowing that this is a hot-button issue with the regulatory body, Microsoft threw the PlayStation maker a bone by allowing Sony to have access to the franchise still, but only via PlayStation Plus. However, this “charitable” act was not enough to sway the F.T.C.
According to documents found by Reuters, a handful of gamers have banded together in California to launch a lawsuit against Microsoft, stating antitrust as the main point of concern. In court documents filed on 12/20/22, the Alioto and Joseph Saveri Law Firms of San Francisco will represent ten plaintiffs against Microsoft Corporation. The first eighteen points of the introduction point out that the acquisition of Activision Blizzard will violate the Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914:
“This is a private antitrust action seeking an order of the Court prohibiting the proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Inc. by Microsoft Corporation as a violation of Section 7 of the Clayton Antitrust Act (15 U.S.C. § 18). The threatened loss or damage to the Plaintiffs and to the public at-large by the merging of two giants in the video game industry is extensive and broad.”
According to Yahoo Finance‘s Daniel Howley, Sony is raising concerns that the acquisition will give Microsoft “too much power.” This is quite possibly the case if you’re strictly a Playstation owner. However, it is doubtful Microsoft would keep Activision Blizzard titles solely on the XBOX platform. If this transition goes forward, P.C. Gamers are ultimately the winners in the consumer market. Over the past couple of years, we’ve seen several Playstation exclusives enter the P.C. space, and Microsoft’s titles are often available to that crowd on launch day, too.
The 2022 holiday season is finally coming to a close. There was something off about this year’s festivities. It’s hard to put a finger on it. There’s no name for this malaise, but it reminded us of all the bad Christmas movies that have come out over the past several decades. Whether animated or live-action, our writers Sarah Leone and Mike Phalin dug up their Top Five picks of the most personally offensive pieces of holiday fiction.
Sarah’s picks:
Photo Credit: Disney
In keeping with the never-ending reboots and remakes, last year Disney released another Home Alone movie called Home Sweet Home Alone. On the surface, it’s basically the same plot line. The rowdy family leaves behind a boy in a frenzy to make it to their scheduled plane ride just before Christmas. It’s a Christmas miracle for the boy until two henchmen try to invade his home, and it’s time to craft a master plan of attack. Ending with the return of his family just in time for Christmas.
What works for the original movies does not work for this one. In the first two movies, the bad guys were clearly the Wet Bandits. They were cartoony versions of thieves looking to take any easy opportunity they could find to score the next big steal. In the 2021 movie, the two “bad guys” are way more sympathetic people, a married couple just trying to find a doll that could save their house, their careers, and their lives. It’s rightfully theirs, and they go through similar torture you see in the first two movies.
At the end of the Home Battle, it all turns out to be a complete misunderstanding. Max never had the doll. In fact, it had been in the married couple’s home the whole time. You almost feel sorry for them instead of rooting for the bad guys to be stopped. What’s the point of having an actual bad guy anyways? And the way the couple is able to find the house feels so forced when the mother calls Max by his full name, and Max calls his own mom by her full name, which feels super awkward. This exchange happens right in front of one of the married couples… in their home. How convenient.
Home Alone 1 & 2 had the heart that this one did not. They balanced the crazy characters with heartfelt side characters. The first being with the elderly man mistaken as a killer, and the second with the homeless woman. If you want something with more heart and soul, skip Home Sweet Home Alone. Stick with the classics
Photo Credit: Disney
When you go to watch a play or movie called The Nutcracker, you expect it to be about…. Well… the Nutcracker. You’ll certainly not find that in the 2018 live-action Disney movie The Nutcracker and the Four Realms. This movie rendition is all about subverting expectations. This movie makes good use of showing the traditionally bad guys are actually the good guys, and the traditionally good guys are actually the bad guys. What a twist no one asked for!
Having a twist in a classic story can sometimes work. But because a family member is killed off before the start of the movie, the movie shifts focus on life, death, and grief. It becomes far less about breaking the curse of the Nutcracker because, in this movie, that doesn’t exist. The focus is on Clara trying to understand this mysterious message left behind by a dead family member, behaving rather selfishly towards a clearly grieving parent who is just trying to do the best they can.
The original story was a magical adventure of a girl meeting a boy who’s under a curse, full of dancing and scary creatures out to put a stop to this Nutcracker. The only good thing about the Four Realms movie is, of course, the graphics and special effects. They chose a beautiful actress to play the lead role in a movie that should have easily done well for the story. But no, she has to learn to be her own, to be the leader and the smart one in the bunch. The only dancing she does is with her father at the end of the movie. And it’s not even ballet dancing.
This was a pretty looking movie that left one feeling underwhelmed and as though something was missing. If you want an actual story of the Nutcracker, check out the animated movie “The Nutcracker Prince”, which is considered one of the closest movie adaptions of the original story. It’s not perfect, but it’s way better than “The Four Realms”.
Mike’s picks:
Photo Credit: J Rose Productions
The history of the Rapsittie Street Kids is a rabbit hole we’re not going to dive down today. What’s important is that this 2002 CGI eyesore is god-awful in every aspect. From sound design to character design, voice acting to songwriting, the Rapsittie Street Kids: Believe in Santa movie is 42 minutes of Hell.
The story, if you can call it that, is as thin as a razor’s edge. It’s full of contradicting plot points and nonsensical world-building. I’m still trying to figure out why teenage-looking characters are attending an elementary school. If these are 10 or 11-year-olds, why is one wearing a shirt showing off her midriff? Do we need to call child services or get Chris Hansen involved? Is Rapsittie Street Elementary a safe place for minors?!
The animation looks like something that came out of the mid-1980s, with character models looking ugly and about as functional as paper cutouts. Hell, some of the assets in Rapsittie Street Kids are 2-D, including some of the main characters in certain shots! Worst of all, the team behind this mess made Paige O’Hara sound terrible! The voice of Belle! The woman whose personality and vocals sold us all on Disney’s greatest film (Beauty and the Beast) gives a performance in Rapsittie Street Kids: Believe in Santa like she was under duress and an incompetent director.
What’s so strange about this movie is that it has big names behind it. OK, Mark Hamill isn’t exactly a big name, but he is when it comes to the voice acting part of the entertainment industry. Hell, even The Simpsons’ Nancy Cartwright lends her voice to the production, of which she is also listed as a producer. As I said, the backstory of this movie and the production studio behind it, Wolf Tracer Studios, is full of strangeness and possibly some shady dealings.
There are several Hanna-Barbera animated Christmas specials. Some are one-offs, and others tie in well-known characters from the studio’s massive catalog of anthropomorphic animals and humans. But the one that always offended me the most was the misuse of Pac-Man.
I’m a Pac-Man purist. My office is filled with Pac-Merchandise. I’ve played all the games. I know all the moves. So, when Hanna-Barbera overdosed on power pellets in the ’80s and crapped out a Christmas special featuring the yellow puck and his family, I was overjoyed. That is until I actually saw Christmas Comes To Pac-Land. It is obvious that Pac-Man and his kind aren’t true Christians. They want to culturally appropriate the season but never once recognize what it stands for. Disgusting.
Even though the citizens of Pac-Land sing Christmas songs, they have no idea who Santa Claus is when he accidentally crashlands. In fact, Santa states he has never heard of PacLand. What sort of shoddy writing is this?! Is PacLand in a pocket dimension, and Santa was sucked into it via some occult spell? My goodness! I don’t think the All Mighty would approve of this at all, especially when this tale includes things like Ghost Monsters.
OK, that’s enough of the Church Lady schtick. Christmas Comes To Pac-Land is exactly what you’d expect from Hanna-Barbera in the early 1980s. The animation is dodgy, and the plot is by the numbers. Santa gets stranded, and there may not be a Christmas unless some miracle happens. Also, the jolly old Saint Nick explains Christmas to Pac-Landians without mentioning any of the religious parts. I always found that odd, even though I’m not religious. What was it about Christ’s birth that was so taboo?
This special pretty much is the accumulation of all the animated Christmas cartoons I disliked as a kid. They came off as cheap and hollow, similar to Buttons and Rusty. Where’s the magic? Where’s the heartfelt story? I guess not everything can be as amazing as The Bear Who Slept Through Christmas.
Christmas Comes To Pac-Land is out there if you want to see it. You can find the special on the Internet Archive.
There’s one film both Sarah and Mike picked, and that fifth terrible holiday-themed piece of media is Robert Zemeckis’s 2004 CGI trainwreck known as The Polar Express.
Photo Credit: Warner Brothers
Mike’s take:
I’ve never been disappointed by a film as much as I have been with The Polar Express. Animation in all its forms is a medium that I love the most, be it stop-motion, cel-animated, or CGI. There was so much leading up to Robert Zemeckis’s major theatrical Christmas event that you would have thought the entire world of animation was going to change. Well, in a way, it did. The Tom Hanks vehicle showed us all that you can make a computer-generated character look as realistic as possible, but you cannot replicate the window into the soul: the eyes.
A character’s eyes tell us much, even if they’re flat 2D heroes or villains. Yet, The Polar Express, with a budget of around $170m, could not deliver a single character without vacant dead eyes. The saddest part is that there is much to enjoy about the film. The visuals, mainly the world and cinematography, are amazing. It’s too bad that the world is populated with these odd automatons pretending to be human adults and kids. The entire experience comes off like a grand technical demonstration rather than a fully fleshed-out cinematic experience. The Polar Express is akin to something you’d see in the early days of IMAX in the 1990s. A demo reel of impressive visuals to get you ready for the possibilities ahead.
The blame cannot be pinned on Tom Hanks, either. He tries his damnedest to breathe as much life as possible to the multiple people he is tasked with playing and mo-capping. Hell, even some of the musical numbers are good. It all comes back to the characters. They don’t feel like they deserve my attention because they come off so artificial and, at times, downright creepy. Consider how easily we can make a connection to a Rankin/Bass stop-motion puppet and compare that to the pit that forms in the stomach when Eddie Deezen’s Know-It-All looks directly into the camera.
I think, at that time, we were all hoping for a new Christmas classic to add to the catalog. The Polar Express is a hit with kids; my child loves it, but the connection adults want to make to ensure a longstanding holiday movie tradition is harder to snap into place.
Sarah’s take:
The Polar Express sounds like it would be a magical Christmas tale. A kid wakes up one night and goes on an adventure of a lifetime on an amazing train ride to meet Santa himself. But what works for a children’s illustrative book story does not always translate well to a movie, especially when it’s trying hard to be as realistic in animation as possible. This was originally meant to be a live-action movie, but that would have been too costly, so it seems they tried to go for a semi-live-action-looking movie in animated form instead.
This 2004 movie would become the first all-digital motion capture film. And though this is an impressive record to have in the 2006 Guinness Book of World Records, with how much that has changed in motion-capture quality, it doesn’t feel like it’s aged well. There is too much uncanny valley going on. And for that, I could not get entirely sold on this being a yearly “rewatch” value for my yearly Christmas movie traditions.
Suppose you’re cynical and burnt out on all the holiday cheer encountered during December. In that case, you’re probably not in the mood for interchangeable Hallmark Christmas movies or the endless slew of Rankin/Bass specials. But, like me, you probably need something with a little more “oomph” to get you into the spirit of the season. If that’s the case, check out my list of off-putting, obscure, and weird Christmas-themed videos.
My first pick is an animated version of A Christmas Carol. This 1971 truncated adaptation of Charles Dickens’s redemption tale sees Alastair Sim returning to the role of Scrooge, whom he had played in Brian Desmond Hurst’s 1951 film. The 25-minute movie makes good use of the animation medium, showing humanity’s light and dark sides in ways no other take on Dickens’s work has since. Unless you count the unintentionally creepy Uncanny Valley nightmare Disney produced with Robert Zemeckis in 2009. Ugh…
The masterfully drawn film was directed by Richard Williams, narrated by Michael Redgrave, and produced by the legendary Chuck Jones.
Tingles the Christmas Tension appeared during the Christmas episode of the criminally underappreciated TV Funhouse. The classic Hardcock, Coco, and Joe inspired the stop-motion short.
Perhaps you don’t want to spend the Yuletide in our reality. Instead, take a trip to the Discworld that sits atop the great A’Tuin and hear the story about Death (that’s Death with a capital ‘D’) saved a holiday that’s remarkably like our Christmas. The adaptation of Terry Pratchett’s Hogfatherdebuted on Sky 1 in 2006 and has become my go-to movie every year, along with Bob Clark’s A Christmas Story.
The two-parter stars Downton Abbey‘s Michelle Dockery as Death’s granddaughter and David Jason (the voice of Count Duckula) as Death’s servant, Albert. The 189-minute story sticks to the original book pretty well with the expected changes made to reduce the runtime and to help newcomers better understand Pratchett’s Discworld. However, it may be seen as a surprisingly violent story for those unfamiliar with Ankh-Morpork. This massive city has a guild for just about everything, from clowns to beggars and even assassins.
Sometimes, you have to say “f’ it” and dismiss the entire month altogether. I’d suggest listening to Denis Leary’s Merry F’ing Christmas in those cases.
The final entry on my list is a short that appeared in Something Awful’s Flash Tub series many years ago. Christmas in Essex summarizes the nonplussed feeling we all encounter after overloading with holiday cheer and terrible office parties. The closer the 25th gets, the more we hope it’s all over with. F’ all ya’ll. Go Gators!
‘The Girl from the Other Side’ is a gothic manga created by the Japanese author known as Nagabe and published by the Tokyo-based Mag Garden for their ‘Monthly Comic Garden’ magazine from 2015-2021. The Musashino-based animation studio Wit Studios picked it up an anime series that was released on DVD in 2019.
Crunchyroll announced that they had acquired the license to release the series in December 2022 on their streaming service which will include an English dub.
Shiva voiced by Sarah Wiedenheft (Alas Ramus in The Devil is a Part-Timer!)
Teacher voiced by Gary Furlong
Outsider voiced by Ian Sinclair (Sugimoto in Golden Kamuy)
Soldier voiced by Jason Liebrecht (Zeke in Attack on Titan)
Hunter voiced by Jerry Jewell (Kyo in Fruits Basket)
Emily Fajardo works on the project as the ADR Director with Tyler Walker joining on as the scriptwriter for the dub release.
You can watch the trailer below:
Wit Studios released a feature length film version of the anime in 2022 directed by Yūtarō Kubo and Satomi Maiya with music composed by Schroeder-Headz.
“Once upon a time, in a land far away that was divided into two realms… The Outside was roamed by teratomorphic creatures who had the power to curse whoever they touched. Humans could live safely only in the Inside. But when a lost little girl from the Inside named Shiva, and a demonic beast-looking Outsider simply known as “Teacher” initiate a quiet coexistence on the same side of the forest, their bond seems to transcend their incompatible natures. It is the beginning of a folktale about two outcasts -one human, one inhuman- who linger in the hazy twilight that separates night from day.”
Seven Seas Entertainment acquired the license to release an English version of the manga in North America.
‘Tomo-chan Is a Girl!’ was a teen romantic comedy manga created by Fumita Yanagida and published by Kodansha from 2015 to 2019. The Japanese animation studio Lay-duce picked up the series for an anime adaption which is set to premiere in 2023. Crunchyroll has announced that they have acquired the license to release it in North America and will also be producing an English dub with a same-day release of the pilot.
“Tomo Aizawa and Junichirou “Jun” Kubota are the tightest bros you’d ever see. They roughhouse and spar, but through thick and thin, they’ve got each other’s back. Yet, there’s just one small problem: Tomo is in love with Jun!
Since she was young, tomboyish Tomo has been just another one of the guys; due to his extreme muscle-brained nature, Jun doesn’t notice any of her advances—not even when she explicitly confesses. To add insult to injury, for the longest time, he didn’t even realize that she was a girl.
Tomo-chan wa Onnanoko! follows the comedic hijinks of Tomo and her friends as she tries to catch Jun’s eye and escape the infamous brozone.”
Seven Seas Entertainment has the license to release the manga in North America.
One of the most frustratingly hard arcade games lives again on consoles with Ghosts ‘N Goblins Resurrection. Sir Arthur again must run around and kill non-stop waves of ghouls, ghosts, goblins, and devils. He must do all of this while wearing the world’s flimsiest armor. His heart print boxers are the only things that stand between him and certain death.
Fans of Arthur’s seemingly neverending quest to save Princess Prin-Prin can now own the brave knight in various states of dress thanks to Dream Figures. The collectibles company currently offers three statues based on Ghosts ‘N Goblins Resurrection. So whether you like Arthur in his boxers, his standard suit of armor, or in the legendary golden suit, Dream Figures has what you want.
The most expensive of the three statues available is Sir Arthur in his gold armor, €399.00. The silver armor version is €371, which is also the same price as the nearly-naked Arthur. These collectibles are made from polystone and PU resin. Each statue is 44.3 cm tall and ready to ship in the UK. If you’re in the US, these are expected to ship during the third quarter of 2023.
Despite what the previous two films did, the ALIENS franchise is far from dead. After Disney bought up 20th Century Fox, we all knew that the Mouse would find a way to mine the property in any way possible. That means multiple movies and TV series. It has come to light that a film from Evil Dead (2013) by director Fede Alvarez is about to move forward early in 2023.
Superhero Hype found this info out by checking out the Film & Industry Alliance website. Unfortunately, the details are incredibly sparse, only telling us that the shooting will kick off on February 6th, 2023, in Budapest, Hungary. However, there is a single-sentence plot summary:
“An original standalone feature based the original sci-fi horror movie released in 1979.“
Other details revealed in the production notes tell us that Ridley Scott will serve as a producer, and Fede Alvarez shares scriptwriting duties with Rodo Sayagues, with whom Alvarez co-wrote Evil Dead. Cailee Spaeny from The Craft: Legacy is listed as the sole actor attached to the project so far.
The working title, which is subject to change after the film wraps, is ALIEN: Romulus. As much as I’d love for this to be an official Star Trek crossover with the xenomorph universe, the title may refer to the mythological Roman brothers or possibly an allegory to the fate of the Sabine Women. After all, the xenomorphs’ lifecycle starts with, typically, nonconsensual assault and impregnation. Since this film has no established timeline, it could take place long before the derelict is discovered on LV-426 or years after the murderous creatures find a way to Earth.
It may be a blessing that Ridley Scott is taking a backseat to the property he helped create. Ultimately, his attempts to tell a backstory regarding the Engineers and early versions of the xenomorphs did more harm than good to the mythos. As a result, we’ll probably never see a conclusion to David’s quest to create his perfect queen, and that be for the better.
I know. There are only three days until Christmas, and you’ve no idea what to get your gamer buddies, husbands, wives, girlfriends, or mistresses. You don’t want to be lame and give them a Steam gift card, but you can’t figure out what unique gift would make them not instantly return it for store credit. Don’t worry. I’m here to help.
Women love gems. Or is it Jem? Or germs? Maybe I’ve been hanging out at the wrong strip clubs because everything is starting to run together. If it is, in fact, gems, then head on over to Bethesda Gear and grab the Elder Scrolls Skyrim Conjuration Loot Book Bundle. Good grief. Is that seriously what they’re calling this thing? It’s just a cut amethyst crystal and a keepsake box that looks like a journal.
Regardless of the long name, the crystal and box make for a decent $60 last-minute Skyrim-themed gift. The spell book box measures 6.35″ x 5.15″, and the Black Soul Gem is roughly 2″ x 0.5″ and includes a black cord with an adjustable strap.
Photo Credit: Bethesda Gear
Photo Credit: Bethesda Gear
Photo Credit: Bethesda Gear
“If you pay attention to the popular fads and fashions of spellcasting in your guild halls, you’d have doubtless noticed the recent sudden interest in the discipline of Soul Trapping. Opinions are split on the ethics of this practice, so you’d want to be careful with whom you show this bundle to.”
Alright. Say the particular person in your life is one of those unicorns who hasn’t purchased Skyrim 10 times across multiple platforms. Say your loved one is into demon slaying and fast-paced shooters. Then pick him or her up a Mini Pinky. This $45 collectible is made from polyresin and stands 3″ tall. These Pinkies are hand-painted and hand-numbered.
Show them you care with the gift of a brightly colored demonic entity. Unfortunately, there are only 900 of these little guys lurking out in the world.
Photo Credit: Bethesda Gear
Photo Credit: Bethesda Gear
“Can you imagine a demon that’s in equal parts adorable and ferocious? Meet the DOOM Eternal Pinky Mini Collectible Figure! You may recognize it as that little guy you found while exploring secret locations in between all the demon slaughter. Now that you’ve found its real-world location, you can let this mini terror hang out on your desk or display shelf.”
What do you think of these Bethesda gift ideas? Let us know below.
‘Reincarnated as a Sword’ is a fantasy isekai light novel series written by Yuu Tanaka, illustrated by Llo, and published by Micro Magazine in Japan and Seven Seas Entertainment in the United States. In 2022, the Japanese animation studio C2C picked it up for an anime adaption and released a first season of twelve episodes. HiDive announced that they would produce an English dub.
“A nameless sword wakes up to discover he has been reincarnated from his former life as a human. With his power of telekinesis, he moves around this new world, acquiring several skills and abilities. When the sword comes upon a forest filled with monsters, he meets a young girl fleeing from a beast. Grabbing the sword, the girl easily defeats the monster. After introducing herself as Fran, she names the sword “Shishou” and officially becomes his wielder.
The two set out to become adventurers, but unfortunately for Fran, she is a member of the Black Cat Tribe—a Beastkin group with a bad reputation. No member of this tribe has ever evolved into a mightier beast, but Fran plans to be the first and achieve her parents’ dream. As Shishou promises to remain her sword until she attains her goal, they form an unstoppable partnership of impressive strength.”
‘Reincarnated as a Sword’ has been renewed for a second season.
