Raging Nerdgasm Movie review - Monster Brawl

I've already admitted to being a 80s and 90s wrestling nerd, I loved the outlandish characters and entertaining stories. I also admitted to being a huge dork when it comes to the classic monsters so when I heard rumblings of a movie from a few years ago that mixed those two elements together I thought, "Sounds pretty groovy, I'm down for it." Luckily my curiosity was quenched with my subscription to NetFlix and it was showtime....Monster Brawl.

 (Monsters plus wrestling? What could go wrong?)

Monster Brawl starts off looking like something just this side of a junior college film project. The shots are a little more revealing than they should be and the close ups are not clean, think SyFy channel movies from 2 years ago or more. The concept is a supernatural wrestling promotion that pits legendary monsters against each other for the bragging rights of heavy weight champion of whatever the fuck they made up. Surprisingly the star power isn't too shabby with Dave Foley, Art Hindle and Lance Hendrickson (well, in voice only but they must have paid him well for his Mortal Kombat-esque commentary). There's also a handful of wrestlers in the movie like Kevin Nash, Robert Maillet, Jimmy Hart and Herb Dean (OK, he's MMA famous but still) but I don't officially commit to calling them star acting power. According to IMDB the budget was a conservative 200K in Canadian dollars so it looks like they really spent every penny on discount Halloween props and Red Bull energy drinks.

(This is what I got the displeasure of seeing.)

The premise is 8 classic monsters face off in a battle to the death to establish who is the number one biggest badass in the supernatural world. And they do so in a wrestling ring, ala' WWF style. I'm fond of Asylum Entertainment's movies (like Sharktopus or Ghost Shark or Sharknado) but this sounds like the crap I would come up with as a little kid playing with my action figures when I decided I was bored using Macho Man to fight Hulk Hogan. The explanation isn't rushed, it's partially missing. For lack of better terms, Dave Foley trips through the exposition like a one legged man playing hopscotch in a mine field. I don't think it was his fault though, he probably couldn't do much with what script there was if it wasn't fully ad-lib to begin with.

(Once you see the amateur effects, you can't unsee the zippers and cosmetics.)

Each monster gets a rather rushed backstory and the "fights" are really slow moving. This is a premise that would have done better turned into a webisode series. The only redeeming part of any of the fights is Lance Hendrickson's commentary during the fights as an unseen entity. Think the voice in Mortal Kombat that would laugh or say "superb" or "excellent". Many of the monsters have special powers they never really explained, they mention the powers just moments before the character uses it. Did you know the Cyclops has an energy beam he shoots from his eye? Well neither did I until seconds before he blew away some hideous hag cleverly named Witch Bitch.

(I expected so much just based on the concept and these promotional posters.)

And then there's the monsters. Cyclops, Frankenstein, Zombie Man, Witch Bitch, Swamp Gut, Werewolf, Lady Vampire and the Mummy. All of those monsters I was moderately OK with until they mentioned Swamp Gut. What's a Swamp Gut? Well, take the Sasquatch and mix in Creature from the Black Lagoon and Swamp Thing. Then crap it out and look at the abomination that's been born. Needless to say I think it's a weak character that could have been easily replaced with another pseudo knock off monster. And I'm not sure who's costume was worse, Swamp Gut or Cyclops. Both characters you can see parts of the guy in the costume under the bad special effects make-up. Like I said, the movie spent the budget at a Spirit Halloween store on November 1st.

(What I was hoping for versus what I got.)

If you have 89 minutes to waste and a few beers to kill, I suggest either watching this movie or maybe doing something to better yourself. Click the link below to see a list of worthwhile movies that also last 89 minutes or less. The top one is Zombieland, which is an enjoyable Halloween-y film if that's your style.

http://www.imdb.com/list/wUQ9uZBSHQ8/

RNG Anime Review - Last Exile

by: Ana Bruja-Khayos

The first time I heard of Last Exile is was almost 8 years ago.  At the time I used to work for several studios and worked 16 hours day everyday and didn’t take breaks simply because I could not afford too. My friend Matt would keep an eye on me and make sure I didn’t work my self to death along with my friends Jeremy and Felice.  Back then, it  was the era of high hope for the 3D industry.  It was starting to become more affordable for studios to create 3D graphics and it was easily being implemented on everything from commercials, tv series, animated series, and film.  Great times... great times...

My friend Matt lent me his box set of Last Exile and said it was good.  So I took him on his offer and watched the series during the in between few moments of down time I had.  The box set had a picture of two children on a vehicle of some sort painted with great earthy tones that added to the steampunk look many of us have learned to love.  It made the corner of my mouth curl up since the the other steampunk material I’ve ever enjoyed at the time was Disney’s the Rocketeer.

About the show

As the series opens up, you see the same two young kids on the box set name Claus Valca and Lavie Head flying what you quickly come to learn is a vanship.  Their job as sky couriers is the most reliable and fastest form of communication followed by the courier pigeon.  Each job they pick up in mid air comes with different danger rating.  The higher the rating the more dangerous it is but the better it paid. Other ways these kids would pass the time is to race their vanship against other pilots and dream about following their fathers footsteps by going to the Grand Stream and cross over.

Claus and Lavie live a very average existence in this world.  You get the sense that these two young kids have a been through alot together in their young lives and have deep bond of family. Their daily life is simply full of hard work and barely getting by with little money, some food and low quality water.  Their world is currently suffering from a major division between governments fighting with giant warships and  even higher power known as the Gill. As these war are happening, Claus and Lavie stumble upon a dangerous mission to protect a little girl called Al.  She seems to be of great importance and simply holds the key to discovering what Exile really is. 

With Al as their cargo they go beyond their borders to discover a whole new world where the battle is real on a day to day basis. Alongside the Captain and the crew of the Silvana, Clause and Lavi find themselves fighting to bring down the evil force oppressing most of the word called the Gill all while protecting Al and learning about themselves, the value of their relationship, what is truly important to them.

About Last Exile

Last exile is one of the those series that if I understand correctly it was not a manga first developed into a series.  The manga was developed much later on.

Gonzo Studios compiled an experienced crew that had a unique history for this project.  Director Kichi Chiira, production designer Mahior Meeda, and character designer Range Murat had worked together in one of the first CG anime series produced called Blue Submarine No. 6. With all the FX needed for the show you can see why they were a unique fit for this series.  The 26 episode show Last Exile first aired in April 7,2013 till September 29,2013.  The show was so popular a few months after it first aired it was dubbed in English and distribute in Europe where it also became very popular.

After 9 years from it’s original day view, Last Exile was brought back in both Manga style and in another short anime series called Last Exile: Fam, the Silver Wing.  The manga was launch on 2011 and is still ongoing today, however the anime series aired from October 15, 2011 to March 23, 2012 and is now dubbed in English as well.  Fam, the Silver Wing has the same director from the original series which make me very excited about seeing the new series.  There is another Manga series being produced under the name Last Exile and that is Last Exile: Travelers from the Hourglass.  The series was also started in 2011 and is still ongoing today.

Last Exile: Fam, the Silver Wing

Final thoughts

Last Exile is a show that in my book goes into the classic list. The world has a 1900’s to 1920’s look to it with hints of Art Deco Movement implemente in some of decor of the ships, vehicles, and some of their structures. It is visually pleasing and is great series to watch.

Stink Egg Known as Cartoon Networks - Robotomy

by: Ana Bruja-Khayos

As I’m navigating my way through my Netflix account I often find myself watching stuff I’ve never seen before.  Some of the times it is a very good experience but some of the time it is just not a great experience.  Robotomy was one of those series that I vaguely remember seeing ads for back when I had cable but I also remember it being gone just as quickly as it appeared. 
At the time I thought the art style was interesting but it was nothing that I wanted to watch until now.

The first thing that I noticed is that the series was incredibly short.  It was only 10 episodes compared to the standard 13 or 22 episode per season I’m used to seeing.  That got me thinking... ok what do I have to lose?  Put it on the background and is only going to be on for about 4 ½ to 5 hours tops. What could possibly go wrong with this?

Oh boy...

The show follows these two robots that are in robot high school a name.... you know what who cares.  In this world being a heinous evil robot is the norm, while being nice is completely off pudding.  While you follow Thrasher and Blastus through the school you will be shown incredibly odd and at unrelatable situations that simply fall flat and are simply not funny.  As you watch the show you get the sense that just like it’s main characters it was trying too hard to be the next big thing and simply filled the show with stupid unfunny fart jokes, and imagery that only Ah!!! Real Monsters could have pulled off back in the day.  Both the main cast and secondary characters have very 2D personalities like school princess, jock, nerd that have a very cliche fell to them.  After the first 3 episode I simply blurred out the show and it was just moving pictures with noise.

I’m sure someone out there likes the show, but is just not me. If you like it, let me know in the comments. Maybe I’m missing something, where’s the jokes?

About the Show
Seeing how bad the show was got me thinking what happened here.  How did this get made and why.  It turns out the show was created after a long losing streak of rejected production ideas.  The show was in and off production for a few years due to changing management, and finally was finished in 2009 pushed out to be aired in 2010. Needless to say it didn’t go well. The show only lasted a measly 4 months on the air before it was cancelled.  The show is the shortest running Cartoon Network original series along with the least episodes ever made by them.  The show was so bad it was finally also completely removed from the CN website around 2011 as a listed show.  I’ve rarely seen any network do that.  Talk about sweeping it under the rug.

What really made me sad is that this show was directed by Christy Karacas who is known for his other project Superjail.  I love Superjail.  All in all you can’t win them all and this is one of those shows best left forgotten.

Final Thoughts
Only watch if you are severely intoxicated and looking to kill brain cells.  Best recommendation is to skip it completely. 

Couch Day Anime - "Desert Punk" Review

By: Ana Bruja-Khayos


Ah Netflix... what would I do without you.  If you are like me and work behind a computer all day you probably run into the problem that you must have either music or a video you have seen tons of times playing in the background in order to make the time more bearable. In this line of work I often find myself looking for new series to watch.  I will say that I’ve always been a Disney kid but in the recent years I’ve been migrating to more and more anime. Not because I love the art style but simply I love to watch giant robots and more adult based stories.  Something Disney just can’t do or simply are not willing to do anymore.  So I realy on my Netflix to suggest something to watch.  Low and behold here comes “Desert Punk”

Desert Punk is what I like to call “couch day anime”.  Meaning you can literally watch the entire series in one day just slacking on the couch and you don’t feel unsatisfied when you are done. The series only has 24 episodes, but you will laugh you buns off.

The Story

When I first saw the intro of the show I was worried that I might have started watching something that looked like Power Rangers. There’s nothing wrong with Power Rangers but I simply was not in the mood to watch people fight in monster costumes. The intro was gritty and looked like something that a college film student made but it really added to charm and I’m sure it helped cut down cost on the animation budget.  The music is catchy and after awhile you find yourself humming it as you continue to watch the show.

The story takes place in the very distant future after a horrible catastrophe left most of the humans roaming around planet full of sand and little water.  Our lead character is a reflection of the harsh conditions people face in this world.  A young teen boy name Kanta Mizuno, has earned the nickname of “The Desert Demon” but his reputation follows him under the name of mercenary “Desert Punk”.  Just like many others he must wear heat protection suites, carry weapons, and supplies not only to survive but to do his job as a mercenary.  The ruthless desert has truly pushes people of all ages to do whatever needs to be done in order to survive including stealing, blackmailing, double crossing and killing friends, family, and associates.  No one can be trusted, not even toddlers.

Desert Punk is involve with several other rivals mercenaries for hire in the area such as The Machine Gun Brothers, and Rain Spider.  Each group very deadly and merciless but they all untruthfully rely on each other when things get tough.  Just like most young boys Desert Punk really doesn’t have any long term goals since he lives in a world where you can die at any moment, however is very intelligent and is often underestimated which becomes his greatest and deadliest weapon in the harsh desert.  His goals are simple “guns”,”food”, and  “chicks with big tits”.  The first two is not so bad but the third one gets him in a world of trouble when he meets another mercenary known as Junko Asagiri, followed by a little girl name Kosuna who quickly becomes his future apprentice.  Between Junko’s tit’s and Kosuna’s miss haps Desert Punk goes through some funny and hard scenarios that make this show so funny.  

Story Origins

At the time the 13 volume manga was written and illustrated by Usune Mastoshi back in 1997.  His previous manga work involved other works such as “Killer Boy” (1987), “Metal Box”(1989), and “Eater” (1991).  The series was produced by Gonzo Studios and directed by Takayuki Inagaki who has an extensive resume as a director, assistant director, animator, storyboard artist, key animator in series such as “Naruto”, “Space Travelers”,  and “ Princess Tutu” to name a few. The series originally ran October 4th,  2004 to March 30th, 2005 and was mainly aimed at Seime (young men of 18-30) demographic.

Final thoughts

All in all this was a very fun series, however I would not show this to young children and definitely not to a hard core feminist since the main focus of the main character is chasing after women like a horny dog chasing after meat.  Hey the guys is around 14, what do most teen boys think about around that age... exactly. All in all the show was full of action, funny moments, and twist and turns that will keep you entertained for the entire 24 episode run.  All in all this is a must re-watch in my book and will recommend to others to watch.

Hidden Gem known as "Dan Vs." Animated TV Show

By Ana Bruja-Khayos

If you are like me you probably no longer have cable service and have switch to mainly online streaming sites like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon.  So unless it gets a lot of internet over hype you have no idea what is going on in the world of Cable TV.  This is what happened to me when it came to show “Dan Vs.” .  Normally I have a very good idea of past cartoon shows and upcoming cartoons shows since I’ve had to work in the world of animation and graphics for almost a decade now. However “Dan Vs”. must have fallen between the cracks because I never heard anybody talk about the show nor did I know that many people that watch the HUB except for people that loved “My Little Pony” or “Transformers Prime”.

I stumbled upon the show as I was wondering the isle of Movie Stop box set sections. Shove between top well know show was “Dan Vs.”  The case was a nice silvery color with a picture of a very angry looking character I could assume was Dan.  I asked the store employee if he knew anything about the show and sadly he did not.  It was a big risk to take by buying a box set nobody knew anything about but for $4 for the entire season 1 I had nothing to lose.

About the show.

The show follows a short guy called Dan. Dan suffers from severe anger issues to say the least. He’s very intelligent but his intelligence is shadowed by his paranoia and obsession with basic and mundane things that don’t make any sense to most ordinary people.  His anger is mainly triggered by some mesele personal experiences, or if something was done to his pinto car.

Dan is accompanied by his childhood friend Chris who is not stupid but he simply a laid back guy who likes to eat.  At this point in Chris life he is married to woman name Elise that is the total opposite of Chris. She’s very very smart but comes with a secret live as an undercover government field agent.  There’s always this strange dynamic and multiple relationships layers that comes with this trio.  Dan just want to have Chris do everything he says regardless of how absurd it is and to leave Elise; Elise loves Chris regardless of how simple he is and really wishes he get’s a new best friends; and Chris just wants everybody to get along, on top of enjoying time with Elise and food.

The Flash or Toon Boom base show will have you at times scratching your head but it does come with many witty moments that will make you grin eye to eye.  So far my favorite episode is Dan Vs. Stupidity.  If you love Idiocracy you will love this episode as well. Through the show, Dan has crazy rivals like Dan Vs.: New Mexico, The Wolf-Man, The Dentist, The Ninja, Animal Shelter, Canada, Traffic, Dinner Theater, Baseball, Salvation Armed Forces, Beach, George Washington, Technology, Barber, Art, Elise’s Parents, Fancy Restaurant, Dan, Family Camping Trip, Brugerphile, Magicians, Lemonade Stand Gang, Thanksgiving, Mall Santa, Neighbors, Dancing, Bank, Monster Under the Bed, Golf, … the list goes on for another season and half.

The show also comes with a great secondary cast that makes the show even funnier and even more relatable at times.  Characters like Mr. Mubels, Elise’s Parents, Crunchy, and Ninja Dave that remind you of people  in your life or people you have meet in your life.

The Production, Cast and Crew.

The show was created by Dan Mandel and Chris Pearson. At the moment they are not very well known for their work but in time I’m sure they will do fine.  The show was produce by Film Roman Productions - “a starz company” (that worked on 2D and 3D shows like the Simpsons, King of the Hill, Avengers, Beavis and Butthead, Kugn Fu Panda), The Hatchery (that worked on Young Blades, Care Bares, and R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour), and was distributed by the Anchor Bay Entertainment and The HUB.

Their main cast include voice actors like Curtis Armstrong who worked on projects such as Locker 13, Supernatural, American Dad, New Girl, Bones, Reaper, Smokin’ Aces, and Ray to name a few.  Dave Foley as Chris who worked on projects such as Monster University, Robot Chicken, Eureka, Monster Brawl, The Batman, Cars, Employee of the Month, Monkeybone, Toy Story 2, Bug’s Life.. the list goes on. Finally Elise is played by Paget Brewster who worked on projects such as Criminal Minds, Venture Brothers, Modern Family, American Dad, King of the Hill, Harvey Birdman, and yes even 1998 Ghost Cop.


Final Thoughts.

Dan Vs. is one of those show that should be experience at least once.  I personally love watching the show several times over because they touch on subject matters that I at times encounter and Dan simply yells out loud what I wish I could say my self. Believe it or now the show has ran for 3 seasons now, so someone out there is watching it but for whatever reason is not picking up enough buzz behind it.  The show was rated PG and was aimed at kids to tween demographic by airing on the HUB when it should be aimed at the teen to young adult demographic like Adult Swim. I personally think that the fall of the show is simply that they miss their demographic and they are not streaming the show on Netflix which is still very popular with younger and more modern adults looking to trend away from high cost of cable. But you can catch season 01 and 02 on Hulu Plus if you can withstand the all the adds they shove in your paid subscription.  But that is just my opinion take it as you will.

But all in all I give they show 4 out of 5 stars. I love it but it will have make a banging 4th season to beat Gargoyles, Exo Squad, and Batman the Animated series out of my top 3 animated series.