It’s Alive!

Happy birthday to two of the most influential monsters of all time! 198 years ago, Mary Shelley published the novel that spawned both Victor Frankenstein and his infamous creature.

 

The subject of many a nerdy debate, is “Frankenstein” the name of the monster or the name of the man? And if it’s really the man, does one pronounce it “Fronkensteen,” as Mel Brooks would have you believe?

 

Whether you approach Shelley’s great work as a serious novel, respect Boris Karloff’s performance for setting the standard for an entire genre, or if you’re simply fond of the creature’s transformation into the caricature of Herman Munster, there is one point that cannot be argued. Pop culture was forever changed on that dark and stormy night. Here’s to another two centuries!

 

 

Deadpool, Hold The Avocado

Is there any hero — I’m sorry, guy in a funny suit — making more waves now than Deadpool?  With the power to smash the fourth wall, his movie held us tight and whispered sweet nothings in our ears during Valentine’s weekend and shows no sign of stopping.  It’s even been called the highest-grossing X-Men film yet, though Mr. Wilson has declined to comment on any underlying implications.
 
All of this post-movie excitement, of course, had us all looking for ways to possess the merc for our very own long before its release date. Soon, soon, soon… soon… we’ll be seeing the fruits of our preorders. Wrinkled avocados are fruit, right? (Technically, they’re also large berries. Thanks, Wikipedia.  All puns and innuendo fully intended.)
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The Passing of a Legend

This past week has been one of great morning as we are experiencing the loss of a great and iconic actor: Leonard Nemoy. Although everyone is talking about (for obvious and understandable reasons) his role as Spock, I would also like to point out some other roles that I enjoyed of his outside of the Star Trek universe. I personally was very impressed with his voice work of the King in Disney’s Atlantis, as well as his role of Sentinel Prime in the third Transformers film, Dark of the Moon. He was an iconic man with an iconic voice. However, ever since his death, I have read far more inspirational and insightful quotes from that man than I could have ever imagined. I spent February 27th feeling that Hollywood and the world, lost a great actor, but in the following days, I’ve recognized that mankind as a whole has lost an incredible human being!

With all of this said, we, here at Blast From The Past would invite any and all of you, our readers, to share and discuss your favorite roles of Leonard Nemoy. If your favorite role of his is Spock (not surprising at all), go ahead and share a favorite episode of his.

Movie Review May 2014

The Amazing Spiderman 2: Although the general population identifies The Amazing Spiderman 2 as a bad film, I still have to say that I really enjoyed it. And I don’t mean that I feel the pros are just barely able to outweigh the cons. I have seen this movie twice and both times found myself thoroughly impressed with the film. I found it just as good, if not better than the first film. I personally love the way that Andrew Garfield portrays Peter Parker. Emma Stone is fantastic as Gwen Stacy. I really enjoyed the moral and emotional dilemma that Peter and Gwen have to deal with in order to continue with their relationship in the wake of the death of Gwen’s father. I thought that it was a very compelling story because I found myself able to agree with both sides of the argument. On one hand, continuing their relationship would put Gwen in danger constantly, as well as the disrespect it shows towards the final wishes of her dead father, yet on the other hand, ignoring the feelings that both Peter and Gwen feel for each other would be a tragic waste of a potentially fantastic relationship. I enjoyed this film’s rendition of Electro (possibly a bit too cliché at times, but I wouldn’t say it’s enough to make the film bad in any way) and found the casting choices of both him and Green Goblin were extremely impressive. And another thing that I constantly find extremely impressive and fun with both of these films is the positions that spider man takes during his swinging sessions. It’s blatantly reminiscent of the classic comic art and I love watching the swinging scenes because of the visuals.

!!!!Spoiler Alert!!!: And when it comes to the execution of the last part of the film with the death of Gwen Stacy, I thought that was one of the most beautifully well done scenes of any comic book film ever made. I’d put that scene up there with the moment when Pepper Potts tries to quit working for Tony Stark when she finds out he’s Iron Man. And I thought that changing the cause of death from whiplash to her head hitting the ground made the whole scene deliver that much more of a gut punch.

Neighbors: I found Neighbors to be a hilarious movie. Maybe it’s not noteworthy enough to go down with the greats of comedy. However, it should definitely be a candidate if you’re looking for a movie to laugh at with friends. I can’t say I was expecting much of a story to justify and explain the shenanigans of the film outside of the simple hatred the characters have towards each other shown in the trailer, but I was pleasantly surprised that the plot was quite a lot deeper than than I suspected without trying to be too dramatic. Seth Rogen can obviously feel right at home in a comedy role, and Dave Franco has been around the block, but I was quite pleased to see that Zac Effron was able to hold his own in the role. Although I refuse to see most of Effron’s most popular films, I still feel like he is an actor with a lot of potential in the spotlight of Hollywood and I feel like he is making the transition to more mature roles extremely well. Overall, I would definitely recommend Neighbors if a crude comedy is what you’re in the mood for.

Godzilla: I thought Godzilla was fantastic. I am always happy when a movie can shock me with a plot detail I didn’t see coming. And (SPOILER ALERT) having Bryan Cranston’s killed of in the film and having it happen so early on left me absolutely dumbfounded. And the fact that there were multiple monsters in the film other than Godzilla also surprised me. I really enjoy Aaron Taylor-Johnson as an actor and I enjoyed his character overall, however, I definitely hear the complaints that his character seemed to lack good direction. However, I found the most amazingly exhilarating and exciting portions of the film were the fights between the monsters. I rarely scream in excitement the way I did when Godzilla shot energy out of his mouth. I had an absolute blast seeing this film on the big screen. And even if it isn’t an extraordinary film (I recognize that I’m usually an incredibly forgiving critic) it’s still an incredible Godzilla film.

X-Men: Days of Future Past: I find the new direction that the X-men franchise is taking to be extremely intriguing. Ever since the credits began to role on the midnight showing of X-men: First Class, my faith in the franchise has been restored in a very big way. And Days of Future Past has done more to renew my faith in the franchise than any other X-men film has. Jennifer Lawrence, James McAvoy, and Michael Fassbender turn in wonderful performances. Time travel often times leads to very intricate and intellectual story telling. I enjoyed getting to watch Wolverine having to deal with the difficulties and surprises of time travel, and getting to witness the major effects of his actions had on the overall timeline of the entire franchise. It’s safe to say the X-men franchise is heading in a new and exciting direction because of this latest installment.

Maleficent: Ever since I first heard about the concept of the Maleficent movie, I had my concerns, and when I found out that she was not only going to be the main character, but the protagonist, I had low expectations for the film. However, I still went and saw it and I’m glad I did. It’s a delightful and fun film. I found myself enjoying the chemistry between the characters as soon as they were introduced.  Now, something to recognize about this film is that it is trying to identify certain plot details of the original Sleeping Beauty story as lies that were told in order to paint Maleficent as an evil, cold-hearted, demon. At first, there were times when I found these changes to be a bit odd, but I then recognized that both stories are completely made up, and getting offended as soon as someone calls one story a lie and the other truth would be silly and disliking the film because of that would be ridiculous. Angelina Jolie was fantastic in the role and her interactions with Aurora were absolutely adorable. On top of everything else, the film was visually stunning. The flight sequences were on pare with the flight scenes of How to Train your Dragon.

This in only the reviews of the movies I saw in May. Next time we’ll be discussing June. Let us know what you thought of these movies. If you disagree, tell us why (be polite). If you agree, tell us why (still, be polite).

 

The Red Power Ranger, Steve Cardenas, At Blast from the Past!

We’re excited to announce that Steve Cardenas, who played Rocky in  The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, will be signing autographs and giving a Brazilian Martial Arts Demonstration at Blast from the Past on SATURDAY, JUNE 7th from 12pm – 2pm!

Grab up your Mighty Morphin collectables! Or snatch a few up at the store for the signing! Steve will be giving a Demonstration for his martial arts school,  FORCE BALANCE BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU .

IT’S MORPHIN’ TIME!

 

Captain America: Winter Soldier Pre-Orders!

Alright Blasters,

Captain America: Winter Soldier has arrived and minds have been blown. Now it’s time to check out what Sideshow Hot Toys has to offer!

First up is the Captain America & Steve Rogers, expected to ship in January 2015, making this a Holidays PreOrder! Two awesome Hot Toys for $339.99.

Also slated for January release is the Captain America: Winter Soldier Stealth S.T.R.I.K.E. Suit! Retailing at $219.99, check this guy out!

Contact us right away for Pre-Orders on these items! Both Captain America figures are expected to do very well in the Collectors market so don’t miss your chance to grab them up!

HAIL HYDRA.

Events and Items! It’s March at Blast!

Well it’s been a long time coming!

Blast from the Past will now start carrying some Doctor Who items! We have a few to start with, most notably Rose Tyler and K-9!

Also! We know you’ve been waiting for them and they arrive this week! Series 3 Jaeger’s from Pacific Rim. Oh yeah. Coyote Tango & Cherno Alpha are here to stomp face. 

Lastly, we have a signing event on March 15th from 5pm – 7pm!

Writer Dave Parkin will be on hand to sign copies of his graphic novel, The Devil is Due in Dreary! “Classic Cars, pompadours and rock-n-roll meet the folklore of the American Southwest in this rockabilly take on the classic western.” We’re also very fortunate to have artist Jeff Victor in attendance as well! Jeff Victor will be signing copies of his new artbook, Wicked Crispy, a collection of movie and pop culture cartoons and caricatures. Jeff’s work is both loving and perceptive in its ability to distill the essence of various popular directors, actors and characters.

Come out and see us, grab the goods and meet some great talent, all at Blast from the Past this March!

Also, STAY TUNED for Monsterpalooza Details!

Have a safe St. Patricks Day!

Blast

BLACK FRIDAY & SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY!

It’s the news you’ve been waiting for!

Yes indeed, we here at Blast will be joining the MADNESS and will be offering Holiday Deals during this, the most wonderful and financially lethal time of the year! We promise our deals will not contribute to the damage to your wallet.

What ARE our deals?

BUY ONE, GET THE SECOND AT HALF OFF on ALL T-Shirts, Theatrical Posters and Comics! This is the time to snatch up that 8.0 graded issue of The Amazing Spider Man #300 or any of the other items you’ve had your eye on for awhile now! Definitely check out our original one sheet movie posters too! We’ve gotten some highly sought after originals in (Original Ghostbusters 1-sheet in great shape, as well as an original REVENGE OF THE JEDI in GREAT shape)!

 

Stop on in and see us and grab up that truly unique gift item available only from Blast from the Past! Oh and maybe this is a good time to mention that we will be closed tomorrow (Thursday, November 25th) thanks to that lovely Caloric Gratitude ritual, Thanksgiving.

Have a happy (and sane) holidays!

SO SAY WE ALL!

– Blast

The Holiday’s Are Here at Blast From the Past

Heya Blastoids, here’s a quick update of what’s coming up!

It’s been a heckuva year and we’re not done yet! The annual Holiday In the Park is upon us and Blast from the Past will be joining up with other retailers here in beautiful Burbank to make sure it’s a memorable one.  Mark your Calendars for November 22nd (that’s next Friday from the time of this posting)! Stores all over the Magnolia Park area will be decorating their store fronts and doing their part to bring food and toys to the needy during the Holiday season.  We’ll also be holding a raffle for your chance to win T-Shirts, Comics, Action figures, Posters and more!

We will also, of course, be having Black Friday Specials as well as Small Business Saturday Sales events! Check back with us in the next week to keep up to date about pricing and promotions.

See below for a list of items we’ll be accepting as donations during out Holiday in the park event! We’ll be collecting canned foods as well as new toys for ages 4-14. Donations will be going to the Burbank Temporary Aid Center.

Lastly, if you haven’t “Liked” us yet on Facebook, you will be hunted down, bound and cast into the pit of the almighty Sarlacc, where you will be slowly digested over a thousand years. It’s not worth it. LIKE US! It’s another great way to keep up to date on new product coming into the store as well as heads up on unique collectables we’ll be making available via Ebay.

Stay tuned for more info about upcoming sales! See you tomorrow (Nov 22nd)!

Five ways to celebrate and end geek week!

What a fun summer to help you celebrate your inner-nerd! This great geeky summer is filled with events like Comic Con 2013, Geek Week, and even Shark Week (it doesn’t matter if it’s the same every year)!
How would you celebrate your own “geek week”? You’ll find our five ideas below, but we’d love to hear yours too – announce your geek week plans in the comments section or contact us with your ideas!

1- Discover your geek IQ – Just how nerdy ARE you?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2386007/YouTube-Geek-Week-Discover-Geek-IQ-test-nerdy-knowledge.html

2- Relive the magic of Harry Potter. It’s timeless, and think about it….when was the last time you read the series from start-to-finish? Do it; it will be just as magical as the first time, if not more because it will fill you with nostalgia.

3- Hunt for vintage items, particularly comic books and figures. Aside from our store, you can also check local yard sales, flea markets, and estate sales; sometimes people never know what treasures they consider clutter.

4- Never underestimate the power of a good Star Wars marathon week. Go ahead, treat yourself, everyone deserves the escape.

5- Play an MMORPG like World of Warcraft; try to play with friends if you can. (Already play?) Take advantage of the new in-game vanity items from Blizzard. Aesthetically captivating hoods are available for purchase on the World of Warcraft store. They look pretty awesome, and they’re just one of many reasons to enjoy the MMORPG!