PACIFIC RIM PRIMER : BEHIND THE SCENES GODZILLA PHOTOS

Pacific Rim looks like it's going to be one giant cinematic wonder, but no doubt CGI will be the way it makes it's movie magic happen. That's why it's important to remember that all the original Godzilla movie magic was just a bunch of dudes running around in suits with some wicked dance moves!

But seriously, the men behind the masks made a lot of great things happen on film with meticulously built sets (that were completely destroyed) and big rubber suits that turned whoever put them on into a sweat factory.

These images give us a glimpse back in time to see what it was like making these iconic movies and from the looks of things making these movies was as much fun as it was hard work. Which somehow makes the movies all the better...ENJOY!!!

BTW Major Tip Of the Hat to io9 and Ah Duvido for collecting these as well as Stephen Sumner for giving me the idea!

Read More

GREEN LANTERN IS STILL THE WORST MOVIE EVER, AND HERE IS WHY!!!!

We're just out to ruin everyone's Tuesday....with CinemaSins, GREEN LANTERN addition.

Enjoy!!!




Tip of the hat to That_Urban_Punk for sharing this! Original Tweet: http://twitter.com/that_urban_punk/status/339424420911280128

Read More

FAST AND FURIOUS 6: All Roads Lead to One Fun Movie!

Directed by Justin Lin

Staring Vin Diesel and Paul Walker

5 out of 5 Arnolds

     

What is a brand? A brand is a promise. When you see the golden arches of McDonalds, the prancing horse on a Ferrari, or the once bitten fruit on an Apple computer, you know what you are getting. A quick hot meal, a fast red car, and a smooth computing experience. That’s what Universal has managed to carve out with the Fast And Furious franchise. Hot people, hot cars, and crazy stunts.

Just....just don't even ask, okay?

And it delivers. Director Justin Lin manages to follow up on the surprisingly good Fast 5 with more stunts. More drama. More action. Yet the movie manages to be finely balanced. These 6 mini story lines are slapped together and they work.  The plot is hot mess strung together with a cavalcade of familiar faces from Fast 5 and beyond. 

All the stars, of which there are many, manage to pull their weight. Vin Diesel brings an unreasonable amount of presence to the movie and Paul Walker has flashes of good acting, but, at its heart, this is Michelle Rodriguez’s movie. It’s her welcome back home and she brings sincerity to the role.



Michelle Rodriquez manages to shine, shine, shine....

And the action. Oh. My. Gosh. The action. It got so intense that this movie had me clutching my seat at some points. Was it well crafted, necessarily? No. But it gets extra points for the sheer amount of blunt force trauma delivered throughout. Just….just good stuff.

Low points? Script. Editing. Blatant illogical physics. But who cares? It’s Fast And Furious 6.

ACTION A GO GO OR ACTION A NO NO? ACTION A GO GO!

                                  

What saves this movie in the end is that it goes out of its way to tie up loose plot elements and focus on the characters. All while making lots of things crash and explode.

These sequels can’t be the cultural milestone that the first FAST AND FURIOUS movie was, but they can be a promise kept.

Go see it. It will be fun.

Read More

AAGG would like to announce that we have a new SCI FI Commentator, Stephen Sumner!!!!!!

In an attempt to bring you, our readers, a more well rounded experience we've gone out and recruited someone to cover any and all things Sci Fi. And trust me, he's legit. He speaks Klingon.

His name is Stephen Sumner, and you may have already seen his work in the recently published piece Star Wars vs. Star Trek: This. Ends. HERE. This. Ends. NOW!  If not, go now, because it's full of insight, wit, and even....a reasonable conclusion! Good God, I didn't know they made people like this anymore....

Anyway, below is a short autobiography we asked Stephen to write up. Have similar interests? Let us know in the comments!!! And please keep an eye out for his work from now on. I know he'll have us talking!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Stephen Sumner. One of us. Unless, of course, an advanced race of alien beings has learned how to create exact replicas of humans.

Greetings. Having recently joined the Action A Go Go team as its science fiction commentator, was asked to do a bio. Here goes something.

Name: Stephen Sumner (that’s NOT real….or is it?)
Age: Unborn and eternal.
Sex: Yes. I have had it. Many times. And I will have it again. Seriously. I will. Why do you doubt me?
Highest level of Education:University. However, the buildings were really old and it appears they couldn’t even afford to remove the green weeds that grew up the walls.
Relationship Status: Love. Don’t talk to me about love.
Country of Birth: Right now, Rammstein is my favorite band. That’s called a “clue.”
Turn Ons: Androids, things blowing up in space, Klingon women, the pale blue glow given off by computer screens and 23^rd century environmental lighting, people that actually think, Quorra, warp travel, 7 of 9.
Turn Offs: 99.9% of everything that’s on TV, broccoli, ego, Amy Farrah Fowler, cynicism, jungle environments, vampires that “sparkle,” any activity that involves being awake between 4 a.m. and noon.
Favorite Sci-Fi TV Shows: Battlestar Galactica, Firefly, Star Trek, Eureka.
Favorite Sci-Fi Films: Serenity, Blade Runner, Star Trek (2009), The Matrix Trilogy, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Star Trek Into Darkness, Sunshine, Prometheus, Moon, Tron, Alien Trilogy.
Favorite Sci-Fi Games: Mass Effect Trilogy, Half-Life series, Fallout 3, Portal (GLaDOS….I love you!)
Favorite Sci-Fi Book: Neuromancer by William Gibson.
Favorite Real Life Scientist: Richard Feynman.
Favorite Real Life Science Text: The Demon-Haunted World: Science As A Candle In The Dark by Carl Sagan.
Book That Would Most Likely Avert World War III And Guide Humanity Closer To A United Federation Of Planets If People Actually Read It: The Moral Landscape by Sam Harris.
Franchise That Countless Geeks Seem To Appreciate Yet I don’t Get Because It Reminds Me Of The Type Of Television They Make Fun Of At The Beginning Of “V for Vendetta”: Doctor Who.
Greatest Actor Portraying The Greatest Character EVER In The History of Everything In The Entire Known Universe. Ever.: Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard.

And if I were to be hit by a Mack truck tomorrow, there is only one thing I’d want people to realize: Even when news media, school, religious leaders, government and Wall Street try to convince you there are five lights….always, always remember….there….are…FOUR….LIGHTS!!!

Live long and prosper. See you in the ‘verse. So say we all.

Cake. And grief counseling. Will now be made available. You monster.
Sumner can be followed on Twitter at Sumner@vierlights or on the Tumblr machine at NX01Sumner.

Read More

ACTION A GO GO VIXEN OF THE WEEK: #ALICEEVE

 

In today's day and age, when we are bombarded with crazy, sexy images left and right it seems like it's harder than ever to stand out. But when Alice Eve was shown off in a bikini in STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS that scene managed to spark a firestorm (I guess) of conversation about exploitation of the female form in popular media.

 

Damon Lindeloff himself was even forced to explain himself (check this out) and he admitted the offending scene was "gratuitous". I think he should be forced to admit that Prometheus was full of plot holes, but that's just me.

 

But Alice Eve is more than a Bikini shot in a blockbuster. She comes from a family with a rich acting heritage. English by birth, she has had a steady career in Hollywood for the past ten years, staring in movies as She's Out Of Your League (2010), The Raven (2012), and Men In Black 3 (2012).  But it's clear that she's still just getting started.

 

Without further ado, we present Alice Eve, our ACTION A GO GO VIXEN OF THE WEEK! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And below we have the offending...I'm sorry, what?

Read More

Star Wars vs Star Trek: This. Ends. HERE. This. Ends. NOW. #STARWARS #STARTREK

Let’s look at the facts, shall we?

Creator’s Original Intended Audience

Star Wars: George Lucas simply wanted to make movies for the young and young at heart, similar to the movie serials he watched when he was a kid. Serials such as “Flash Gordon” and “Radar Men From The Moon.” There was no intent to create a “mythos leading to a paradigm shift in global human consciousness.” Many like to think of Star Wars as being something important. And it is in many ways. But it’s for kids. And for grownups that want to keep the kid within them alive. That’s it.

Hmmmmm. Where have I heard the name “Cody” before?

Star Trek: Although presented to producers as a “Western in space,” Gene Roddenberry’s actual intent was to create a show that challenged cultural, political and religious norms. The stereotype of Star Trek being “for geeks, living in their parents’ basement, because they don’t understand the world” is absurd. Trekkies probably have a better understanding of what a truly balanced and enlightened world is, based on reason and shared humanity, than most people that claim to be “good” because of whatever religion they practice. Star Trek is for grown-ups.

Genre

Star Wars: Fantasy. With a few strokes of a pen, Star Wars could easily be converted to a realm of magic, knights on horses and wizards carrying wands. It is not science-fiction. When questions of science arise, there is one cure-all: bypass the main power drive.

Star Trek: Science Fiction. Everything in Star Trek is based on actual science. Even if flawed. Even if only a pipe dream that humankind can only hypothesize about right now. Science. Nothing mystical.

Midi-chlorians need not apply.

Body of Work

Star Wars: 7 feature length films (including the animated “Clone Wars,”) 108 episodes of the television series “Clone Wars,” approximately 23 main characters.

Star Trek: 12 feature films, five different series, over six hundred episodes (including the animated series), approximately 43 main characters.

The amount of data for either franchise is significant. Regardless of one’s background or general inclinations, there are awesome things about both. Simultaneously, there are things within both realms that just really….really….should never have been put on the screen. <coughKazoncough> <coughHaydenChristensencough>


Part of the Brain Affected? 

Star Wars: Emotion. It deals with grand, all-encompassing, archetypal themes to which almost every human being can relate. Although many sub-themes can be found, it can all be boiled down to good vs evil. Intellect not required. Which is not a bad thing.

It’s ok to explore both.

Star Trek: Reason. Consistently puts under a microscope countless moral and ethical issues. “Aesop’s Fables” for our times. The constant theme of what it means to be a “good” humanoid in a universe where grey areas constantly intersect the actions of those within it.

Final Conclusion?

Do you prefer Pink Floyd’s theme-laden concept albums that wrench your heart out? Or “Never Mind the Bullocks” by the Sex Pistols, which is short, intense and rips at the social fabric? Do you prefer Beethoven’s symphonies with their massive movements and recurring themes that hit you on a gut level? Or maybe his shorter sonatas and chamber pieces, each individually evoking specific thoughts or emotions?

Do you prefer the buffet? Or just nuking a Hot Pocket?

Star Wars is a fantasy series, addressing the grand yet simple theme of good vs evil, reaching you on a gut level. Star Trek is a science fiction franchise that challenges one to think critically about many issues that affect humanity on multiple levels.

Comparing the two, although fun, is a waste of energy. An exercise usually carried out by those who love one franchise and just might not fully grok the other.

So next time someone asks you “Which is better? Star Trek or Star Wars?” You can simply respond, “That question is illogical. They both have their flaws. They both have their strengths. They’re both awesome. And only the Sith deal in absolutes.”

                                         

Stephen Sumner is the science fiction columnist for Action A Go Go. His favorite sci-fi series include Firefly, Battlestar Galactica and Star Trek. He can be followed on Twitter at https://twitter.com/VierLights or on the Tumblr machine at http://vierlights.tumblr.com/

 

Read More

Alice Eve-gate: Pajiba's Joanna Robinson Wants To See Your Boobs AKA Why Damon Lindelof is a Chump

It seems like the Internet is rife with concerns about depictions of the female form in movies. Pajiba's Joanna Robinson, however, has a different take.
Before you start, this isn't meant to say that gender depictions in film has improved (the MPAA still needs to get over it), but that maybe some of that online venom is just rabble-rousing.
Enjoy.

Read More