Spectacular Spider-Man's Saturday Morning Debut

Ultimate Spider-Man: Animated.

I woke up early, well earlier than normal, on Saturday to catch the first two episodes of The Spectacular Spider-Man on the Kids WB. The show, which is being produced by Culver Entertainment, features a young Spidey on a timeline similar to that found in Ultimate Spider-Man. It also happens to be pretty good.



From what was shown in the first two episodes it looks like The Spectacular Spider-Man is going to stick around for the long haul. This is mainly because of aspect; connectivity. There seem to be quite a few subplots running through and fusing together each episode. Even after only an hour of animation I felt as if enough seeds had been planted to feed another three or four future stories. We may have only seen Vulture and Electro in action but Eddie Brock, Kurt Connors, and Dr. Octavius have all been established thus far. The one thing that bothers me the most with a show like this is when each story is self-contained. It looks like that won't be a problem with The Spectacular Spider-Man.

I'm also quite a big fan of the action scenes in the SSM. You really get a sense of movement when Spidey is in action as the camera swings and cuts quite a bit. The feeling is very cinematic and sets itself apart from other Saturday morning cartoons.



If I have one complaint about The Spectacular Spider-Man it's that it can get rather cheesy. Both episodes seemed to have a morale message tacked on that didn't really tie into the story. There's nothing wrong with sending a good message, I just felt that it was situationally unnecessary in both episodes.

Did any of you guys catch the first two episodes of SSM? What did you think? Post a comment and share your thoughts. If you haven't you can check them out on YouTube.

The Spectacular Spider-Man airs Saturdays at 10:00am on The CW.

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Righteous Kill Teaser

The pair you've been waiting for. De Niro and Pacino team up for Righteous Kill.

It's hard to believe that Al Pacino and Robert De Niro have never acted alongside one another. Sure, the two were both in The Godfather: Part II and Heat but only shared one scene across both films. That stat will be thrown out the window this September as the two Oscar-winning actors are detective partners in Righteous Kill.



Today Overture Films released the first official teaser trailer for the film. Check it out below or visit Yahoo Movies to watch it in HD.



I quite enjoyed this teaser. The chemistry between De Niro and Pacino is evident from the get go and this film looks like it'll be a lot of fun. The two legendary actors have been mailing it in lately with simply average performances and I hope this film can be a return to what made them so special earlier in their careers. I'm not so sure about Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson though as he's quite annoying, hopefully he's offed fairly quickly. I had also completely forgotten that Carla Gugino was in this flick and seeing her in the teaser was a pleasant reminder.

However, I have heard quite a few bad things about the script and the way director Jon Avnet (88 Minutes) has handled the film. Many are saying Righteous Kill will be a failure and that it's a surprise both Pacino and De Niro signed on to such a bomb of a project. This is all currently speculation and rumours, we won't know until September whether or not Righteous Kill will be any good.

Check back to MediaZEALOT for information on Righteous Kill leading up to its September 12th release date.

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Jeff Smith's Bone Optioned by Warner

The Eisner Award Winning comic series has a date with the silver screen.

According to The Hollywood Reporter Jeff Smith's Bone is set for a film adaptation. Warner Bros has optioned the movie and brought in producer Dan Lin to supervise the project. Lin is one of the executives involved with the Thundercats movie and has also worked on The Doom Patrol and Masters of the Universe. A director has not yet been attached and there have been no details on what style of animation the film will employ.



I'm not too excited about a Bone adaptation. While I'm a big fan of the comic series I can't see the film sharing the same tone as the books. Bone is great because Smith blends light and dark and isn't afraid to take risks. The film would no doubt be geared towards a children's audience and would have to gear down and play it safe. There are some characters and situations in the comics that would have to be removed or changed in the adaptation to keep this film kid-friendly.

Warner has brought Smith on board as executive producer allowing him to overlook the project. Hopefully he can help maintain the integrity of his comic book creation.

I am skeptical of this project and will continue to be so until I hear more about it. Bone has the potential to be an amazing animated film. However, I'm not so sure it will happen.

Can Warner Bros put out a solid Bone adaptation? Who would be the best choice to direct? Who would you cast as the voice of Fone Bone? Post a comment and let me know what you think.

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Tropic Thunder Teaser Trailer

Shit blows up.

Two days ago we brought you details and the first picture from Tropic Thunder featuring Robert Downey Jr in blackface. Today a red band teaser trailer for the Ben Stiller directed war comedy hit the net. Click HERE to skip age verification and check it out (unfortunately it can currently only be seen on the official site).



The teaser isn't anything special but showcases what looks like some pretty funny footage. Who would have guessed Robert Downey Jr looks even funnier as a black dude while moving? It's also cool to see Danny McBride and Jay Baruchel get trailer credits.

I'm looking forward to seeing more footage from Tropic Thunder. While Ben Stiller has a track record of garbage this film looks like it has the potential to be pretty funny. Apparently Ben Stiller got the idea for this flick while on the set of Spielberg's Empire of the Sun back in the 80's.

What do you guys think of this teaser? Did you think enough footage was shown to get a buzz going for this flick? How do you feel about the influx of red band trailers hitting the net recently? Post a comment and let me know.

Tropic Thunder hits theatres August 15th.

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McFarlane's Halo Figures are Pure Gold

McFarlane Toys has raised the bar with their most recent video game action-figure line.

I am not the type of person to get excited by an action-figure. Toys are cool and I'm definitely a collector but I almost never obsess over what many consider small pieces of plastic. Sure, I'll occasionally buy what I consider to be a good looking figure or statue but rarely do I find myself infatuated with the hobby. McFarlane Toys has changed all that with their recent Halo action-figure release.



These figures are awesome. While they may be smaller than your usual action-figure at 5" scale the Halo figures are highly detailed and look amazing. They also feature a ton of practical articulation resulting in super-poseable action-figures. McFarlane Toys hasn't ventured into the land of articulated figures for years but they have with this series and it's a complete success.

I'm usually not a fan of articulation on figures. The ball-joints used for movement are usually far larger than they need be and completely take away from a figure's look. For example, I could never get into the Marvel Legends series simply because I couldn't look past the overly large joints on the shoulders and hips. This is where McFarlane's Halo series really shines. The articulation is excellent providing a huge range of movement but it's sleek and extremely well hidden. The joints are disguised on each figure and don't take away away from the look of the character.



The articulation also doesn't have very many limitations. Unlike other poseable action-figures the Halo toys are able to stand in a very wide range of poses and stances. My current set-up showcases Master Chief running and gunning after a Grunt who has turned to flee the scene. It looks great and doesn't feel static like many other action-figure lines.

Another thing that has gotten me hooked on these action-figures is the ability to accessorize. Almost every figure in the series comes with a gun from the Halo universe, some even ship packaged with a grenade. This isn't anything revolutionary. However, what does get me excited is the possibility of a full range of weaponry. As with most first person shooters guns in the Halo universe are interchangeable. If the Master Chief kills a grunt he can pick up the gun of his fallen victim and use it in combat. This is where things get cool. Each gun has a peg that allows the accessory to be pinned to Master Chief's back or hip similar to what's seen in Halo 3. I can therefore customize the action-figure with a ton of different weapon combinations. Hopefully McFarlane chooses to release a few Halo weapons packs in the near future.



I've really enjoyed what McFarlane Toys have done with this action-figure line. The first series of Halo toys has some great looking figures and I can't wait for series 2 and 3 to hit stores soon.

These figures are selling out all across North America at lightning speed. Click HERE to secure your McFarlane Halo action-figures over at Amazon before they disappear.

Did you pick up any of the new Halo figures? What do you think of them? Have you created any interesting dioramas or set-ups with them? Post a comment and tell us about it.

Cheers.

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Final Two Iron Man One-Sheets Revealed

Paramount has released images of what is to be the final two posters in the film's campaign.

The final two Iron Man one-sheets have been revealed and it they look terrific. Paramount's marketing team has done an amazing job with the film's posters so far and these two continue that trend. Check it out below.



I'm really digging the first poster's dark image of Iron Man offset by the floating heads on the right. The poster has a great natural sense of balance and looks great. Robert Downey Jr and Terrence Howard have a very stoic look about them and Jeff Bridges is just too intense to ignore. This is one of the best one-sheets I've seen so far this year. Hopefully I can pick one up on eBay to add to my collection.



The second poster isn't as strong but is still quite effective, albeit very similar to the first. Why Paramount would release two almost-identical posters is beyond me. If I were the movie studio's marketing team I would have chosen to use only one of the above one-sheets, not both.

What do you think of the final two Iron Man movie posters? Post a comment and share your opinion.

The Jon Favreau directed Iron Man hits theatres on May 2nd.

Cheers.

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