‘Thor’ actor Stellan Skarsgård has had a wide-ranging career in cinema. Having starred in small indies, comic book films, blockbuster action flicks, provocative dramas, and thought-provoking science fiction, he opined that ‘there’s no distribution channels’ for mid-budget films.
During an interview with The Guardian, a reader asked Skarsgård about ‘The Irishman’ director Martin Scorsese’s harsh criticism of comic book films. While the ‘Dune’ actor declined to directly challenge Scorsese, he did share his thoughts on how theaters show movies.
“The problem is that the system that allows eight people to own half of the wealth in the world enhances the power of the market forces, so small and independent cinemas rarely exist anymore outside a few big cities,” he said. “There’s no distribution channels for all the mid-budget films that have the best actors, the best writing because they can’t throw up $3 million for a marketing campaign. When cinemas let them in, they do so for one week and if it doesn’t pay off in a week, they’re gone.”
“Remember that ‘The Godfather’ first opened in 100 cinemas in the United States –- big films now open in 4,000. They had small ads in the New York Times, but it grew and grew because it was such a good film. The people’s opinion has no chance anymore. And that is sad,” the ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ actor continued.
“I think that we should have Marvel films and more rollercoaster films. We should have other films, too. And that’s the sad thing: when raw market forces come in, studios start being run by companies that don’t care if they’re dealing in films or toothpaste so long as they get their 10% [return on investment],” Skarsgård explained.
As SlashFilm noted, “The difference in his opinions compared to folks like Scorsese and Ridley Scott is that Skarsgård isn’t hating the players, he’s hating the game.”
Skarsgård has starred in such films as ‘Thor: Dark World,’ ‘Marvel’s The Avengers,’ ‘Nymphomaniac,’ ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End,’ ‘Good Will Hunting,’ and ‘Mamma Mia!’
‘Thor’ Actor Stellan Skarsgård: ‘There’s No Distribution Channels’ For Mid-Budget Films
Restock Alert: Arm Yourself With Nerf’s Halo-Inspired MA40 blaster
Halo Infinite is coming out soon. The multi-player launched recently, and I suddenly noticed a lot of kids running around the neighborhood with Nerf guns playing Slayer. I knew the company was making soft dart weapons based on the long-running FPS, but I noticed they were perpetually out of stock.
While checking my regular beat of websites for news, I saw that Entertainment Earth would soon restock the MA40 Halo dart gun. The same can be said for the Mangler and the upcoming smaller version of the Needler.
The MA40 motorized dart gun is priced at $52.99 and comes with ten soft darts. I’m not sure if this version of the weapon has been upgraded to detect third-party darts. But, yes, that is a thing that is happening…
While Nerf isn’t usually the kind of stuff I’d cover on this site, I do know that Christmas is just around the corner, and the release of the newest Halo title is sure to bring lots of kids screaming to their parents about getting them the Nerf guns. So, I’m doing you a favor and letting you know where to get them.
Challenge opponents with this motorized, clip-fed blaster that unleashes 10 darts in a row. It comes with a removable, 10-dart clip and 10 Official Nerf darts, enough to fully load the clip. The Nerf Halo MA40 blaster includes a game card with a code to unlock this blaster’s color scheme in the Halo game.* To start playing, hold down the acceleration button to power up the blaster’s motor, then press the trigger to fire 1 dart. Press the trigger again to fire another dart. It comes with a rail riser that attaches to the blaster’s tactical rail.
Where was this cool Nerf stuff when I was a kid? We had to make do with blast caps, BB guns, and throwing oranges at each other. You know, the stuff that would leave permanent scars! Ah, those were the days. When parents thought we were not being foolish in the woods with replica firearms and other projectiles.
Oh, crap … where is my kid right now?!
[Soure: Entertainment Earth]
Go There and Back Again With This 1/6th Scale Bilbo Baggins
The road goes ever on and on down from the door where it began. The little hobbit who started it all is getting a brand new figure in the likeness of Sir Ian Holm as he appeared in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
Asmus Toys had previously made several other figures from the Peter Jackson trilogy, but up until now, we’d not seen Bilbo as we knew him during that first epic film. Bilbo Baggins marks the first halfling to join the line of 1/6th scale figures.
The traveling hobbit is priced at $184.99 and will come calling for adventures in the fourth quarter of 2022. He can be pre-ordered now through the Big Bad Toy Store.
- Bilbo Baggins figure
- Interchangeable head
- 3 Pairs of hands
- Relaxed hands
- Weapon holding hands
- Fists
- Special hand
- Smoking hand
- Patterned scarf
- Long-sleeved shirt
- Brown trousers
- Red patterned vest
- Brown traveling jacket
- Wooden cup
- Backpack with traveling blanket
- Pot
- Traveling staff
- Bilbo’s pipe
- The One Ring
The only thing I don’t dig about Bilbo’s figure is the face the artists chose to use. Bilbo looks like he is scowling. Perhaps it is the lighting used in the publicity shots of the figure, but I would have preferred maybe a smirk or half-smile. I dunno.
I think J.R.R. Tolkien would have been proud of Holm’s interpretation of Bilbo. The actor managed to capture the adventure-loving spirit of the older Baggins and even the small amounts of darkness the Ring bestowed on him on certain occasions.
If there’s one thing I’m thankful for when it comes to Jackson’s adaptation of The Hobbit, it is that he included bookends with Holm’s returning to the role of Bilbo.
What are your thoughts on the Asmus figures? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
[Source: Big Bad Toy Store]
Could You Spare $1,800 For This LotR Legolas Premium Statue?
They’re taking my money to the Big Bad Toy Store! Yes, the evil forces of capitalism are dragging all of my dollars away in exchange for premium trinkets. Well, at least I’ll get something incredible for my $1,800.
That something is a 40″ tall statue of Orlando Bloom as Legolas. But, don’t worry, and it’s the cool Legolas from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, not the one with the weird contact lenses from The Hobbit.
This statue was produced by Infinity Studios. The company makes premium-quality busts and statues of various characters from One Piece, DC movies, and DBZ, to name a few.
The 1/2 scale Master Forge Series statues are equipped with NFC chips that collectors can touch with their NFC-enabled phones to unlock more information and create more possibilities.
Would you take advantage of this feature? If not, there’s still plenty to like about Legolas:
- 40.94 inches (104cm)
- Made of polystone, fabric, and PVC
- From The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring movie
- Life-like detail
- Real fabric clothing
- Sculpted hair
Sorry, no brushable hair here. We all know who will be disappointed the most by this news. I’d be very interested to know if the outfit is hand-stitched. Call me a stickler, but for a price like that, I want to know that some genuine craftsmanship is put into this thing.
Legolas is still a ways off. He won’t be counting up kills in our homes until the third quarter of 2022.
[Source: Big Bad Toy Store]
Celebrate 50 Years of Hedorah’s Toxicity With S.H.MonsterArts
Godzilla’s grossest foe turns 50, and what better way to celebrate the slimy and toxic creature than with a new action figure? Bandai’s S.H.MonsterArts line will soon add Hedorah in multiple forms.
The sludge monster isn’t only represented here in his final form. We get Hedorah in flight, swimming, and fighting. The swimming and flying Hedorah’s coming with clear stands. If pre-ordered from the Big Bad Toy Store, the 7″ tall figure will set you back $199.99. He’ll be slithering his way State-side in July 2022.
Godzilla vs. Hedorah debuted in 1971. The King of the Monsters faced off against a feature made entirely of toxic materials. Hedorah metamorphized multiple times during the film, causing massive amounts of destruction and death along the way. Where the monster went, all living things decayed and died. Well, except for that one cat at the discotheque.
From the 1971 Godzilla vs. Hedorah film comes an S.H.MonsterArts Hedorah 50th-anniversary special figure set! The set features three figures showcasing the Smog Monster in its adult form, its flying form, and its swimming form.
Here’s what your $199.99 gets ya:
- Hedorah (Adult) figure
- Hedorah (Flight) figure
- Hedorah (Swimming) figure
- Flying mode stand
- Swimming mode stand
For the price, I’m surprised that Hedorah’s eyes don’t light up in any of the three versions. The Figuarts figures are pretty big, and the monster’s head is large enough to house a couple of button batteries and two LEDs. Maybe this is a feature that they didn’t list? On the other hand, some of the images look like they should light up because they’re molded in translucent red plastic.
Well, I’m sure we’ll see modding videos come out next year of people correcting this missing feature. It wouldn’t be that hard to do without being too destructive towards the expensive toy.
What are your thoughts on this Hedorah figure? Let us know in the comments section.
[Source: Big Bad Toy Store]
Create Your Custom Santa Figure with the ‘Naughty or Nice’ Artist Proof
We’re less than a month away from Christmas! As we inch closer to the most wonderful day of the year, Fresh Monkey Fiction has announced its newest addition to the Naughty of Nice figure line. Unfortunately, there are only four figures left to appear in this line, and this one is the third-to-last Santa variant.
The Artist Proof Santa is another Big Bad Toy Store exclusive. At $29.99, the unpainted Santa comes with a present and stocking. Unfortunately, there are no alternative heads or hands with this one.
- What to expect with this Santa:
-
- 6.50 inches (16.51cm)
- 1/12 Scale
- Made of plastic
- Designed by Arlen Pelletier
- Highly detailed
- Fully articulated
- Artist proof version
I wonder if FMF has attempted to partner with Coke in order to produce a version of Santa that matches the Haddon Sundblom‘s paintings the company uses every year. Don’t get me wrong, these Santa figures are kind of close to the artist’s works, but I’d like to see them officially licensed. So give him a few bottles of Coke and that signature jolly face!
Then again, now that this unpainted Santa is on the way, I could make my own. There are lots of AMT models out there right now with Coke decals that are useful for this type of project. Hmmmmmm.
Artist Proof figures are significant for those of us who enjoy making our variants. It’s not clear if this Santa is made out of white plastic or if he is sprayed with a primer. Regardless, that’s one less step I have to worry about. Spray him down and start painting!
I’d turn this one into a Space Marine Santa. Maybe swap his head out with a helmet from the MacFarlane Warhammer toy line.
How would you paint this blank Santa figure? Let us know your artistic aspirations in the comments section below.
And have a Merry Christmas!
[Source: Big Bad Toy Store]
This Bishoujo Felicia Statue from Darkstalkers Makes Me Feel Funny…
… in my pants. Darkstalkers’ Felicia is just one of those characters who is always eye-appealing in any medium she appears in. I don’t know if it’s the massive mane of blue hair, the cat ears, or strategically placed fur, but I love it.
OK, we know that Felicia’s main appeal is titillation. There’s nothing wrong with that. Kotobukiya knows this and is why many of their Bishoujo statues sport lots of curves and ample cleavage. Felicia’s newest statue is no different.
This latest version of the catwoman from Capcom’s horror-themed fighting game stands 10.24″ high and is made ABS and PVC. No silicon here (heh). She is priced at $140 and is currently available for pre-order through Sideshow. However, don’t expect this feline to come prowling around your place until the fourth quarter of 2022.
Her squishy toe beans and fluffy fur show off the catwoman’s cute side, while her toned muscles and the sharp claws extending from her hands and feet give you a glimpse into her ferocious side. This detailed statue perfectly captures the character’s duality.
Felicia, from the outside, may appear as just a sex symbol used to draw in players, but the lore of the character is far more in-depth than people give it credit. If you’ve not played the Darkstalker titles or seen the anime, take some time to check out the video below for a bit of her back story.
Considering that Felicia continually shows up in Capcom’s multiple non-Darkstalkers fighting games, it is fair to say that her appeal isn’t only surface level. You can bet there are probably many articles stating how “problematic” she is from people who never looked beyond her physical appearance.
What are your thoughts on the catwoman? Let us know your opinions in the comments section below.
[Source: Sideshow]
Mondo’s ‘Back to the Future’ Vinyl Features Rare Drew Struzan Artwork
The original soundtrack for Back to the Future is pretty great. While it’s not the complete score, it still features the iconic theme and two Huey Lewis and the News hits. Mondo Music is sending us back in time with this new vinyl release of the OST. It features some rarely seen alternative artwork from Drew Struzan.
Struzan created quite a few posters for BTTF that were never used, but they’re equally as beautiful as his other works for films like Adventures in Babysitting, Big Trouble in Little China, and the two Back to the Future sequels.
As seen below, the vinyl is available in two styles, either in all Delorean steel or as a tri-colored album.
In celebration of the 35th anniversary of the film, Mondo has partnered with the legendary poster artist Drew Struzan, the artist behind the original theatrical one sheet, to create all new packaging for this re-issue. Featuring illustrations and unused poster art created in 1985 for the film, this vinyl reissue has been remastered and pressed on 180 Gram Colored vinyl.
Side A
1. The Power Of Love – Huey Lewis and the News
2. Time Bomb Town – Lindsey Buckingham
3. Back To The Future – The Outatime Orchestra conducted by Alan Siilvestri
4. Heaven Is One Step Away – Eric Clapton
5. Back In Time – Huey Lewis and the News
Side B
6. Back To The Future Overture – The Outatime Orchestra conducted by Alan Siilvestri
7. The Wallflower (Dance With Me Henry) – Etta James
8. Night Train – Marvin Berry and the Starlighters
9. Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine) – Marvin Berry and the Starlighters
10. Johnny B. Goode – Marty McFly with the Starlighters
I’d buy this album strictly for the artwork alone. What do you think of Struzan’s artwork Mondo used for this vinyl? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
[Source: Mondo]
Mini-Pufts Now Included with HasLab’s Ghostbusters Proton Pack
This Thanksgiving weekend, Hasbro’s Ghostbusters Proton Pack crowdfunding campaign successfully surpassed the 11k backer stretch goal. The HasLab project now sits at 11,348 pre-orders for the prop replica.
With Class II unlocked, that means we all get Mini-Pufts and “marshmallow” goo decore to hang on the packs. If you’ve not yet seen Ghostbusters: Afterlife, there are minor spoilers ahead.
The Mini-Pufts show up during the final battle with Gozer to cause havoc for Podcast and Trevor. The tiny manifestations of Gozer act like gremlins, causing mechanical and electrical failures while the young Ghostbusters attempt to stop the destructive god.
Welcome to the new age of bustin’ with the Ghostbusters: Afterlife unlock. Celebrate the Ghostbusters legacy while at the same time looking forward to the future with this unlockable bundle that includes 3 Plasma Series Mini-Pufts figures AND 3 alternate, swappable heads, featuring NEW DECO! And because Mini-Pufts are so mischievous, they tend to get into everything. That’s why we’re including a white marshmallow goo attachment to raise the stakes. We wanted to give you that classic marshmallow good look… without that icky, gooey feeling. It’s tough bustin’ ghosts when your equipment is being tinkered with by a horde of demonic, toddler-like Mini-Pufts. Sweet.
Considering that the pack managed to pass multiple stretch goals one week after another, it may be possible that this thing reaches Class IV. That won’t happen until 15k backers join in. The Class III goal is kind of lame, and if Hasbro really wanted this thing to maximize its pre-orders, they’d combine Class III and IV together for 13k backers. Really, who wants a notebook and stickers as a stretch goal? No, thanks. I want the stand!
Did you pre-order Spengler Proton Pack? In the comments section below, let us know what you think about Hasbro using crowdfunding to produce high-end collectibles.
[Source: HasLab]
Super7 Introduces More ReAction Figures Based On Universal Monsters
Wave 3 of Super7’s Universal Monsters ReAction figures have arrived. With it comes some much needed representation. However, since the significant characters have appeared in the previous waves, no, it’s time to move on to those horror movie villains we don’t usually see.
Boris Karloff appears twice in this wave as Ardath Bey from The Mummy and The Monster, as seen in Son of Frankenstein. Bela Lugosi also returns, but this time as the misshapen Ygor from Son of Frankenstein. There is also a welcome return of Lon Chaney. This time he appears in this wave as the Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Now, when can we get his “vampire” from London After Midnight? I guess that would mean Super7 would need to get a license for MGM’s monsters. I’m all for it. That means we could get Fu Manchu and Dr. Jekyll, and Mr. Hyde.
Imhotep has risen, and walks among us as Ardeth Bey, a mysterious Egyptian historian who is desperate to resurrect his forbidden love, the princess Ank-su-namun.
Though she’ll never requite his love, there’s nothing Quasimodo, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, won’t do for his beloved Esmeralda.
If you’re Baron Wolf von Frankenstein, sure you’d like to redeem your family name, and show that the monster your father created can actually be a man, but as he learns the hard way, re-branding can be just as peril-fraught as reanimation.
While beauty (or lack thereof) may often only be skin-deep, in the case of Ygor, his twisted physique does not belie the twisted heart of a murderer.
[Source: Super7]
