Lego Movie

This is a far cry from most of what I have been reviewing lately but this flick was just too fun to pass up. Admittedly, I was going to skip on this one until I saw who was behind the story. If you have not seen CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS, you have my encouragement to find it and see it now (like right now, this review can wait). It’s probably more epic than this movie and I am not joking when I say that. Anyway, with a surprising amount of humor, not really part of LEGO’s smaller efforts, this one not only comes across as brazenly entertaining for kids, but adults as well.

Centered around a construction worker the fate of LEGO kind hangs in the balance; if “The Special” can’t fulfill  the prophecy and overcome Lord Business and his extremely structured way of keeping the LEGO verse under his wing... This one is loaded with surprises. It would take a much longer review to cover it all, but the basic message (yes of course it has a message – it’s still a kids movie also) is that structure is good when creativity is thrown in. Too much structure or too much chaos end up in basically all the disaster you can imagine. We don’t just get a big picture “buy our blocks” commercial which I think a lot of people may have expected. How good is THE LEGO MOVIE? Well at the time of this review, it’s been crushing everything else that has come out for 3 straight weeks.

From Batman to Bad Cop I can’t say enough about what a fresh view of awesome this is. In fact everything…yes everything is awesome.

I give this movie a solid 7 out of 7. I honestly can’t think of one thing I would have changed about it. Even the soundtrack is great. 

Rating Definition : SPECTACULAR GENIUS THAT MAKES OTHER GENIUS’s THINK THEY ARE UN-CREATIVE, this is a movie that if you skip it will actually shorten your life span and make your skin dry out. Yeah, I am serious. These films end up on the scale of epic-ness that even giving it a 7 out of 7 seems like a small number. It should be more like an 8 out of 7 sending it straight into the arena of mathematical impossibilities!!!!!!

Dark Horse and Bioware Unveil the Latest in the Line of Mass Effect Collectibles

All-new 6” Turian Cruiser ship to hit shelves in November!

MILWAUKIE, OR, – One of the cornerstones of both Dark Horse’s publishing and product line in recent years, has been the massive video game franchise, Mass Effect.

To date, Dark Horse Deluxe has released four different ships, as well as limited edition variant, and high end editions. Up next is the Turian cruiser, which bears some slight resemblance to the Normandy, due to the cooperative effort between the Turians and the human race in the Alliance ship’s construction. This race in Mass Effect, are members of the Citadel Council, well known for their military role, and their contribution of starships to the Citadel Fleet.

“We have been overwhelmed by the support gamers have given our Mass Effect ship replica series," Dark Horse's David Scroggy remarked, " and look forward to continuing the line with this latest release. We have been working directly with the Mass Effect game design team, interfacing with them to obtain the exact 3D design specs that ensure accuracy of detail.”

Each Turian Cruiser Replica package will contain an insert card, with a unique code, that will enhance the Mass Effect game experience for individual consumers.

For an additional sneak peak, check out the exclusive on Kotaku! 

Look for this exciting new release in Diamond’s Previews catalog shortly, with a release date set for November 6, with a retail price tag of $34.99!

Dark Horse Deluxe Partners with Toy2R to Distribute Limited Edition Hellboy Mini-Qee Vinyl Toys!

MILWAUKIE, OR–At this year’s International Toy Fair, Dark Horse revealed what is sure to be one of the year’s most-talked-about toy releases! Hong Kong’s innovative designer-toy company Toy2R will produce a new range of 5” vinyl figures in their popular “Mini-Qee” format, putting their unique design spin on Mike Mignola’s popular Hellboy character. 

Mike Mignola’s Hellboy has emerged as one of the classic comic book characters of the modern day, spawning a successful series of graphic novels, motion pictures, animation, interactive games, and toy lines. Excitement around this character is at an all-time high, as Mignola takes him back to whence he came in the smash-hit series Hellboy in Hell, currently in its third issue.

Raymond Choy’s Toy2R is recognized as being among the first companies to explore the potential of the designer/art toy movement since their arrival in 1995. Choy managed to turn his passion for collectible toys into an internationally known company, which today continues to push the boundaries of product design, art, and graphics.

“We couldn’t be more excited to be involved in this program,” Dark Horse Product Development head David Scroggy said. “We have worked with Toy2R for many years, and to see their fun take on Hellboy is a thrill. These vinyl figures will be in very tight edition quantities, so we expect a quick sellout of most of the variants.”

Toy2R’s trademark Qee format gives Hellboy a new look, altering his appearance in several ways, all of which were personally approved by Mignola. The results have already gotten comics fans and toy collectors alike talking, after they were revealed on Tomopop last week. All three were  on display at the Dark Horse exhibit booth at this year’s Toy Fair at the Jacob Javits Center.

Dark Horse Comics is the exclusive North American distributor of the Hellboy Mini-Qee line and will handle sales to the specialty market in Europe and other territories. Toy2R will be the exclusive sales entity to Asian territories.

Slated for release in July 2013, the figures will be produced in various limited edition sizes, all with a retail price of $19.99.

Rifit

Sometimes we get lucky and make just the right connections and end up having a ball with a new review. That was the case when we met the folks over at Rifit. Rifit is a brand new product, recently launched at Stan Lee's Comikaze. In fact, they've actually partnered with Stan Lee's Sportsball World, an upcoming game app. We were lucky enough to be sent not only the standard version of the Rifit but also some of the really cool Stan Lee Sportsball World characters.

Still no idea what a Rifit is? Well, that's probably because I haven't told you. Since it's easier to show you than tell you, check out this really cool video:

Roger, who agreed to be my testing partner, was super excited when we opened the box. He immediately set to work on figuring out how these worked (we hadn't found the how to video yet!). Him and I spent at least an hour flicking and flinging these all over the house. Honestly, for such a simple toy, we had the most fun. The best part? We got to invent our own games and our own rules because there is no right or wrong with these. Plus, since they're made of a soft foam, there wasn't any major risk to the breakables in the house. Now, since no cool toy review is complete without a video of it in action...May I present to you...Roger and our front yard:

and...since we actually took 7 different videos, I give you one more for the fun of it...

Bottom line? Check these out. We had a total blast playing with them. Put it this way. The kid liked them so much that he even crawled into the bushes after one of the takes didn't go as planned when the wind kicked up. If you know my kid, that's saying something. In the video, we're using one of the "plain" Rifits but check out these guys:

These are characters from Sportsball world. This cross promotion looks really cool and we're hoping to check it out as soon as it goes live. With any luck, we'll be showing you a review of that, as well.

Until next time, have you Rifit today? (Yes, it became a verb in our house, not just a toy...)

Geek-o-Rama received product for the purpose of this review. All thoughts and commentary belong to the individual author.