League Assignment #1: It takes an assignment to bring out the writing muse
“Oh the year was 1776
How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now…”
Wait a minute… The year is 2012, I’m not Stan Rogers, and this is not a folk blog. But you wouldn’t know it from my most recent absence. After a smattering of blogginess at the beginning of the year primarily concerning the event called Botcon, I disappeared again, the victim of work assignments, training and extracurricular activities of a non-toy variety. I extend (again) my apologies to you, regular and faithful readers.
But let’s put my absence aside. This is a a toy blog after all - open, dammit, open! - so let’s get back to it.
Recently, I had the opportunity to make another appearance on my friend Steve’s Roboplastic Podcastalypse to discuss Robotix, a construction toy of the mid-1980s that tried (and failed) to contort itself into the action figure toy premise so common at the time. For a bit of a nostalgia walk down Skaloor lane, and to hear Steve’s latest revelations of the fate of the proposed second year run on Roboforce, go get the postcast here.
In other news, as you may know from a more active twitter feed, I’ve recently joined The League of Extraordinary Bloggers. I mean, how could I refuse the call to arms of Brian at Cool and Collected to assemble a group of dedicated bloggers who would discuss, muse and debate a variety of topics on a regular basis. Like livejournal’s writers’ block, except way less lame.
Forced inspiration - just what an infrequent toy blogger needs! So here I am for the first installment.
What movie is, or was, your “go to” Saturday matinee — the comfort movie you always popped into the VCR on a rainy Saturday afternoon, the movie you watched over and over again, driving your parents crazy while you recited the lines along with the characters on the screen?
Of course, we’d have to start with a subject on which I do not have a ready response.
Strange as it may sound, I really don’t have a “comfort” movie. Sure, I have a list of favourite films, and films for multiple viewings, but there isn’t (or wasn’t) a film that I completely destroyed with multiple viewings. Honestly, there are so many new (or old) programs that I want to see (hello Doctor!), it almost feels reckless to spent time on multiple repeats. Currently, we going through Star Trek: The Next Generation, episode by episode, and hope to get to the second series of the new V and the (finally!) officially released Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future soon. I’d also like to go back and watch through the recent Battlestar: Galactica (at least until the middle of season four) and Buffy.
What I do throw in when I am at a loss are old episodes of Beast Wars and Beast Machines. Don’t get me wrong, I am a huge G1 fan and the dialogue and stories hit me in the old nostalgic part of my brain (in a way that most of GIJoe cannot). But Beast Wars and Beast Machines are both visually beautiful and tremendously well written that it’s hard not to be drawn back to them. Strangely the collected serialized Robotics that I have for my Region 2 player can also get thrown into the mix. But even if it is marketed as a movie, it really isn’t quite as advertised.
I doubt that on my list of favourite movies, I’ve sat through any of them more than a dozen times. Strangely, the single film I went to see on more than two occasions was Michael Bay’s 2007 Transformers. I say strangely because, as regular readers of this blog know, I was (putting it mildly) not enamored with its sequels, Revenge of the Suck or Suck of the Moon. And despite these viewing, Transformers does not have a place on my 10 ten list.
But back in 2007, when I first saw the film in Providence, Rhode Island with 500+ Transformers fan, I completely fell in love with it. It was to me what Transformers fans claim its two sequels were - a beloved popcorn film. It really was a classic example of a film that divided its three acts into very distinct styles:
- Suspense / horror - the weird artifacts, the building mystery of strange vehicles and machines and the initial confrontations with the Decepticons, there was a sense that Bay was actually capturing how the world would interpret giant changing robots from another world - with fear and apprehension.
- Comedy - almost from the moment that Optimus Prime begins introducing his teammates, right up until the unfreezing of MBE 1, the whole film plays almost like a juvenile comedy. Sex jokes, fire hydrants, oblivious parents, urine - it’s like these thousands of year old machines arrived to turn the planet into animal house. And the film would have been damaged had things not changed gears again.
- Action / adventure - once Megatron is loose, we get back to a semblance of a movie. These autonomous robotic organisms from the planet Cybertron were not wisecracking friends, they were galactic gladiators whose arrival heralded a terrible threat to all existence and our chance for survival.
Five years ago, how could anyone know that this film would be followed by two sequels, each of which would be the second highest grossing films for their year of release? Or that Bay would take the “comedy” style from the second act of the first film, already sprinkled lightly throughout the other parts of the film, and decide that gay jokes and dog humping should trump subtlety every time? Or that the subsequent films would muddle the identities of both Prime and Megatron to the point that they were no longer recognizable - the hero a cold blooded killer, the villain a pathetic second banana. Or that he would take the somewhat problematic but completely understandable premise of the first film - Optimus Prime and Megatron were shared guardians of their home world until a quest for power led Megatron and his followers to try and seize the soul of their world - and then add contradiction after contradiction into Revenge of the Fallen (the arrival on earth of the Prime and their betrayal by the Fallen millions of years after the war for Cybertron had begun and the Prime were already extinct) and Dark of the Moon (the crash on the moon in the early 1960s of Sentinel Prime in league with a Megatron who had disappeared from Cybertron millions of years before in a vain attempt to retrieve the All-Spark from space). Or that despair and disgust at the last two films would lead me to question what I liked so much about the first one (to say nothing of leading to very very long sentences like the previous one?) At the time, given modest expectations and hopes, Transformers was a somewhat imperfect film that hit enough touchpoints to be worth eight separate viewings in the theatre. Eight.
I saw the second and third film a total of once each. Just enough to know how wrong things went.
So that’s my entry on the topic of “comfort” movies. Not exactly on topic. But an interesting chance to talk a bit about the first film for a change. And of course bash the sequels.
And, in case you are interested, this is my list of favourite films:
- Fight Club
- Shawn of the Dead
- John Carpenter’s The Thing
- Superman Returns
- 28 Days Later
- Usual Suspects
- Shawshank Redemption
- High Fidelity
- The Empire Strikes Back
- Run Lola Run
A sampling of what other members of the league had to say:
- Geek Show Ink on Raiders of the Lost Ark
- Shiftin’ on the tremendous Superman II
- General Joes talk about the live action Spider-Man show of the 1970s. Yes, it’s real!
- Geekchunks remember the first film for which I ever won a free pass, Weird Science!
- aieouwhy talks about one of the only great wars, the Star Wars trilogy
- doubledumbassonyou thinks the best lazy day film is in fact Transformers (the animated movie of course!)
[...] Another fan of those fighting robots: Fairplay Things: (Transformers) [...]
Pingback by Grab the popcorn and let’s watch a Saturday Matinee! — Cool and Collected - collecting pop culture memories and memorabilia — February 13, 2012 @ 9:29 am
Wow, choosing a Michael Bay movie for this topic sure is different!
Transformers fans can hate on the movies all they want, but I actually enjoyed them. sssshhhh.
Comment by Brian (Cool and Collected) — February 13, 2012 @ 11:08 am
The first movie isn’t terrible, the third is okish. I hate Revenge of the Fallen more and more the more I watch it. I actually enjoy the other two LESS when considering RotF and MORE if I pretend revenge doesn’t exist.
I commented to my brother I think before he watched it the first time that “you can tell, the exact moment, when the writer’s strike began, Exactly the moment. It’s around when they meet up with Jetfire. The plot is not Shakespear but it’s ok up to around this point, then suddenly, the Strike. The bottom falls out and the whole thing becomes a jumbled confusing pointless anger inducing mess.
Also the whole thing is better when you just accept that Optimus Prime is not the John Wayne Prime of yore but a whole new completely new Psychotic Prime. Hell, if you consider Dark of the Moon from the robot perspective, the Autobots are the villains, and the Villain wins. Guess what, you’re a powerful alien race in need of energy, Screw the insect humans. BUT HUMANS R OUR FRIENDS LETS DESTROY OUR HOME PLANET BY LETTING IT GET TRAPPED IN A BLACK HOLE WARP THINGY…
Think about that happening to Earth with an all human cast. Oh snap, the Earth was destroyed but these ants were saved!
Comment by Josh Miller — February 21, 2012 @ 11:52 pm
[...] Another fan of those fighting robots: Fairplay Things: (Transformers) [...]
Pingback by The League One Year Anniversary. | Team Hellions — February 24, 2013 @ 7:15 pm
[...] a blog post by someone that has a picture of the set this guy came with and a little information: fairplaythings.com ? League Assignment #1: It takes an assignment to bring out the writing muse Robotix, a construction toy of the mid-1980s that tried (and failed) to contort itself into [...]
Pingback by Please Help Identify Figure — December 31, 2013 @ 6:56 pm
impotencia életkor
Comment by prostata beschreibung — May 1, 2022 @ 2:48 pm
Buy Folding Glock online
Comment by Buy Hornady 6.5 Creedmoor 140 gr ELD® Match — November 15, 2022 @ 3:01 am
Hello there, just became alert to your blog through Google, and found that it is truly informative. I am going to watch out for brussels. I will be grateful if you continue this in future. Many people will be benefited from your writing. Cheers!
Comment by melhores cursos de power bi — February 5, 2023 @ 7:01 pm
tele entulho cocal do sul
Comment by tele entulho içara — August 13, 2023 @ 5:42 am
Do you want find other ways to get more social media engagment? If you are intrested visit: https://smmsupreme.com
Comment by Cheapest-SEO Services-on-Market — August 13, 2023 @ 5:57 am
Best social media services 2023: https://smmsupreme.com
Comment by SEO Services — September 7, 2023 @ 8:50 pm
Best social media services 2023
Comment by SEO Services — September 7, 2023 @ 8:59 pm
Best advertising services with a cheap cost: https://smmsupreme.com
Comment by SMM Services — September 7, 2023 @ 9:17 pm
Xfe45fdfhgfhjki7
Comment by Xfe45fdfhgfhjki7 — October 20, 2023 @ 6:16 am
keyXmSK94jfdsjugerhjg…
conXmSK94jfdsjugerhjg…
Trackback by keyXmSK94jfdsjugerhjg — October 21, 2023 @ 5:36 am
Your website is essential reading for anyone curious in learning more about these topics.
Comment by Research unknown caller — November 8, 2023 @ 1:06 pm
Needed to put you the very small word to help thank you once again for your magnificent techniques you have shown above. It has been quite wonderfully generous of you giving freely exactly what a number of people might have marketed for an e book to help make some profit for themselves, notably considering the fact that you could possibly have tried it in the event you considered necessary. Those ideas in addition served like a great way to recognize that many people have similar passion similar to my very own to figure out whole lot more around this problem. I’m sure there are a lot more pleasurable occasions ahead for many who browse through your blog post.
Comment by adidas yeezy — November 22, 2023 @ 12:01 am
where can i get accutane
Comment by JackBab — December 3, 2023 @ 8:41 pm
I simply wanted to compose a small note to be able to appreciate you for all of the lovely steps you are writing at this website. My time consuming internet look up has finally been compensated with good tips to talk about with my companions. I would believe that many of us site visitors are unquestionably blessed to live in a magnificent network with many awesome individuals with insightful secrets. I feel truly blessed to have seen your webpages and look forward to really more fun times reading here. Thanks once again for all the details.
Comment by hermes bag — December 7, 2023 @ 7:51 pm
albuterol 90 mcg
Comment by Josephket — December 11, 2023 @ 4:29 pm
Thanks for your blog post. The things i would like to make contributions about is that computer memory ought to be purchased but if your computer can’t cope with whatever you do by using it. One can install two random access memory boards having 1GB each, as an illustration, but not one of 1GB and one of 2GB. One should check the maker’s documentation for one’s PC to be certain what type of memory is essential.
Comment by Rateio Material Concurso — December 13, 2023 @ 1:24 pm
where to buy amoxicillin pharmacy
Comment by MichaelNup — December 15, 2023 @ 6:39 am
prescription augmentin 1g
Comment by MaryBab — December 20, 2023 @ 1:04 pm
I precisely wished to say thanks once again. I do not know the things that I might have taken care of without these solutions provided by you concerning that industry. This has been a real terrifying scenario in my view, but encountering the very specialized strategy you solved that forced me to leap over joy. Extremely happier for the service and in addition trust you recognize what an amazing job that you’re getting into training the mediocre ones using your webblog. Probably you’ve never got to know any of us.
Comment by golden goose glitter — December 25, 2023 @ 11:28 pm
I would like to show my thanks to the writer for rescuing me from this instance. Right after exploring throughout the online world and coming across tips that were not powerful, I assumed my entire life was done. Existing minus the approaches to the problems you have solved by way of your good write-up is a crucial case, and the ones that could have in a negative way affected my entire career if I had not come across the website. Your actual training and kindness in maneuvering everything was excellent. I am not sure what I would have done if I hadn’t encountered such a stuff like this. I am able to at this moment relish my future. Thanks for your time so much for your reliable and amazing guide. I won’t hesitate to suggest the blog to anyone who needs and wants direction on this problem.
Comment by hermes bag — December 27, 2023 @ 4:38 pm
A lot of thanks for all your work on this site. My mom really loves participating in research and it’s really obvious why. Most people learn all relating to the lively method you produce precious steps through your web blog and as well attract response from other ones on this content plus our favorite princess is without a doubt studying a lot. Take pleasure in the remaining portion of the new year. You’re the one doing a glorious job.
Comment by nike dunks — December 28, 2023 @ 8:10 pm
Kontennya manis banget! Seperti otakku menikmati cupcake kebijaksanaan. ???????? #IndosneioCupcakeKebijaksanaan
Comment by goltogel — December 29, 2023 @ 1:14 pm
Hey! I simply wish to give an enormous thumbs up for the good info you might have here on this post. I might be coming back to your blog for extra soon.
Comment by golden goose — December 29, 2023 @ 3:04 pm
Perjalanan epik! Seperti otakku mengembara ke seluruh alam semesta pengetahuan. ???????? #IndosneioVoyageIntelek
Comment by goltogel login — December 29, 2023 @ 6:44 pm
I intended to draft you one little bit of remark to help say thank you yet again over the lovely guidelines you’ve provided at this time. This has been simply unbelievably open-handed of you to supply openly just what a number of people would have distributed as an e book to generate some profit on their own, certainly seeing that you could possibly have done it in the event you considered necessary. Those guidelines as well acted to become fantastic way to understand that some people have a similar passion just like mine to realize much more pertaining to this condition. I know there are a lot more fun situations in the future for those who find out your site.
Comment by palm angels outlet — December 29, 2023 @ 10:06 pm
accutane rx
Comment by Josephket — December 30, 2023 @ 2:54 am
Thank you a lot for providing individuals with remarkably splendid opportunity to read in detail from this website. It is always so brilliant and jam-packed with a lot of fun for me and my office fellow workers to visit your website at minimum thrice in a week to read the newest guides you have got. Of course, I’m certainly fascinated concerning the eye-popping tricks served by you. Some 4 points in this post are certainly the very best we have all ever had.
Comment by fear of god hoodie — January 2, 2024 @ 9:08 am
I happen to be commenting to make you know of the beneficial encounter my child had going through your blog. She picked up too many issues, with the inclusion of how it is like to possess an amazing giving mindset to let the rest very easily grasp some impossible subject areas. You undoubtedly surpassed visitors’ desires. Thanks for showing these interesting, healthy, revealing and as well as easy tips about this topic to Jane.
Comment by goyard bags — January 3, 2024 @ 5:28 pm
The article was quite comprehensive. To further improve it, more visuals could be added, and my website can provide some examples.
Comment by link alternatif goltogel — January 4, 2024 @ 6:02 am
Good presentation! To take it to the next level, more visuals could be beneficial. My website has some great examples.
Comment by goltogel — January 4, 2024 @ 11:02 am
The article was brilliantly written! I’m eager to offer my writing services.
Comment by goltogel — January 4, 2024 @ 11:44 am
Hi there! I just wish to give a huge thumbs up for the nice information you’ve got here on this post. I can be coming back to your weblog for more soon.
Comment by golden goose purestar — January 4, 2024 @ 4:34 pm
I enjoy you because of your own efforts on this blog. Kim delights in making time for investigation and it’s easy to see why. A number of us notice all regarding the dynamic manner you make rewarding items through the web blog and in addition foster response from others on this topic while my daughter is undoubtedly understanding a lot. Take pleasure in the rest of the new year. Your performing a powerful job.
Comment by Jordan Travis Scott — January 4, 2024 @ 11:39 pm
I know this if off topic but I’m looking into starting my own blog and was wondering what all is
required to get setup? I’m assuming having a blog like yours would cost a
pretty penny? I’m not very internet smart so I’m not 100% sure.
Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated.
Kudos
Comment by Filmes Online Gratis HD — January 6, 2024 @ 6:24 am
I happen to be commenting to let you know of the exceptional encounter my friend’s princess developed going through your site. She learned so many things, most notably what it is like to possess an awesome helping spirit to let other individuals completely thoroughly grasp several hard to do subject matter. You really exceeded people’s desires. Thanks for displaying the good, dependable, informative and unique thoughts on that topic to Gloria.
Comment by kyrie shoes — January 6, 2024 @ 6:26 am
I simply needed to say thanks yet again. I am not sure the things I could possibly have taken care of without the basics provided by you about such question. Entirely was a frightful case in my view, but being able to view a new expert strategy you treated the issue made me to weep for contentment. I am happy for the help and hope you really know what a powerful job you happen to be accomplishing teaching others with the aid of your blog post. Most likely you haven’t come across all of us.
Comment by fear of god — January 7, 2024 @ 2:55 pm
I in addition to my guys ended up examining the nice information from the blog and before long developed a terrible suspicion I never thanked the website owner for those techniques. My young boys are actually as a result very interested to learn them and have in effect extremely been loving those things. Thank you for turning out to be quite considerate and for finding this sort of important useful guides millions of individuals are really desirous to understand about. Our own honest apologies for not expressing appreciation to sooner.
Comment by off white outlet online — January 8, 2024 @ 9:30 pm
I simply wanted to construct a remark so as to appreciate you for all the nice tactics you are giving on this site. My time consuming internet look up has at the end been compensated with reasonable knowledge to exchange with my companions. I ‘d declare that we website visitors are really endowed to be in a good site with very many awesome individuals with valuable things. I feel rather blessed to have seen the web pages and look forward to many more exciting minutes reading here. Thank you once again for everything.
Comment by goyard — January 11, 2024 @ 8:44 am
Windows 10 Activator 64 bit is definitely the most suitable course to permanently activate your Windows 10. On top of that to it its easy to use and doesn’t call for knowledge to bring the activation keys to use when trying to activate this system. Windows 10 Activator ultimate serves as a method that finder for mak and retail key in different servers
Comment by Windows 10 Activator Download — January 13, 2024 @ 11:56 am
I must express appreciation to you for rescuing me from this scenario. Just after searching throughout the world wide web and seeing recommendations that were not beneficial, I assumed my life was done. Being alive without the presence of solutions to the problems you have sorted out by means of the article content is a critical case, as well as ones which could have in a wrong way affected my entire career if I had not come across your site. Your personal natural talent and kindness in taking care of the whole thing was very helpful. I don’t know what I would’ve done if I had not discovered such a solution like this. I am able to at this time look ahead to my future. Thanks for your time so much for this impressive and result oriented help. I will not think twice to refer your web blog to any individual who ought to have direction about this area.
Comment by curry 6 — January 13, 2024 @ 7:58 pm
Thanks so much for providing individuals with remarkably remarkable opportunity to read critical reviews from this site. It is usually very sweet and jam-packed with a good time for me and my office mates to visit your blog a minimum of thrice in a week to see the newest issues you have. Of course, I am also actually fulfilled concerning the perfect advice you serve. Some 1 areas in this post are certainly the finest we have ever had.
Comment by golden goose — January 15, 2024 @ 1:06 am
I’m typically to blogging and i actually admire your content. The article has actually peaks my interest. I’m going to bookmark your site and maintain checking for brand new information.
Comment by golden goose running sole — January 15, 2024 @ 6:13 pm
Thanks so much for giving everyone such a remarkable opportunity to read from here. It’s usually so kind and also jam-packed with a good time for me and my office co-workers to search the blog at a minimum 3 times weekly to see the new stuff you have got. And of course, we are always amazed with your outstanding concepts served by you. Certain 3 facts in this post are undeniably the very best I have ever had.
Comment by off white hoodie — January 16, 2024 @ 3:19 am
I am also commenting to make you understand of the great experience my cousin’s girl experienced reading through your blog. She mastered some things, which included what it’s like to have a marvelous helping spirit to let men and women completely thoroughly grasp several specialized things. You actually exceeded readers’ expectations. Thank you for distributing such powerful, dependable, informative and as well as cool tips on this topic to Lizeth.
Comment by golden goose outlet — January 17, 2024 @ 3:31 am
generic synthroid cost
Comment by Josephket — January 17, 2024 @ 11:45 pm
I simply wanted to thank you very much once again. I’m not certain the things I could possibly have undertaken without the type of tactics revealed by you over my concern. It has been a scary dilemma for me personally, however , viewing your specialized manner you dealt with it made me to leap for happiness. Extremely happy for your assistance and then expect you really know what a great job you have been providing teaching most people through your blog post. More than likely you’ve never come across all of us.
Comment by kyrie 7 — January 18, 2024 @ 4:11 am
I needed to draft you one very little observation just to give many thanks the moment again considering the pretty ideas you’ve provided above. It’s so wonderfully generous with people like you to allow without restraint all that a lot of people would have marketed as an e-book in making some dough on their own, certainly seeing that you might have tried it if you considered necessary. These smart ideas likewise worked to become a fantastic way to be sure that other people online have the same dream like mine to know the truth more and more with regard to this condition. I’m sure there are lots of more enjoyable moments up front for individuals that looked at your website.
Comment by nike kyrie 7 — January 19, 2024 @ 6:09 am