It’s Halloween season, and no WWE Superstar embodies the holiday like the Undertaker. So this week on Movie Mania, Chad Smart and I are covering the Netflix special Escape from the Undertaker. Besides the Deadman, the current WWE Champion Big E and his New Day brethren, Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston co-star. It’s a choose your own adventure style production and a fun concept.
I’d love to know what you think about this show. Please leave a review and send me a screenshot of it! Check out My 1-2-3 Cents on social media: Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@my123cents). Also, head over to the My 1-2-3 Cents Facebook group. You can also subscribe to the My 1-2-3 Cents blog and YouTube channel. And follow the Jittery Monkey Facebook page for updates too. Thanks!
Remember, check out the Pro Wrestling Tees store. Proceeds from the sales of Stride Pro Wrestling shirts go to support the company. And shop COLLARxELBOW with promo code MY123CENTS. Right now, you can save at least 10 percent on items. Also, check out Thigh Huggers. Click here to shop with promo code MY123CENTS.
Don’t forget to leave a review. I’d love to hear YOUR 1-2-3 Cents about My 1-2-3 Cents.
Greg and Chad’s Power Half Hour Episode 22: Can We Go Back To The Past?[ 30:00 | 41.15 MB ]Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (777)
AKA “Get Off My Lawn!”
Nostalgia is a funny thing. We can often look back at our youth and say, “things were better then” when compared to today. With that attitude in mind, on this episode Greg and Chad talk about what items we have today that didn’t exist during their childhoods they would delete if possible. Even though the item might make some part of life better, the negative effect it’s had might be greater the good.
This week on the show, Greg and Mike wax nostalgia and talk about olden times, bring back a long-lost segment of the show, and talk about some of the various news and notes making the rounds this week.
And if you make it to the end, the guys run down some of the offerings on the Disney+ streaming app.
Positive Cynicism EP. 96: Binging and Purging Television[ 49:14 | 67.63 MB ]Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (587)
In the age of easily watching episode after episode of a TV show, binge watching has become an almost preferable method of viewing. On this episode of Positive Cynicism, @chadsmart and Eric Bennett discuss their habits with binge watching as well as the effects watching so much TV at once has on their viewing.
For their first episode of 2019, @chadsmart and Eric Bennett start the show discussing Eric’s most anticipated films of 2019. From there, Chad explains how the cost of going to the movies keeps him away from the theater which leads to a bigger discussion regarding the price of extracurricular activies.
Hello and welcome to a brand new Nerds United. We sure are happy you’re here.
In this week’s episode, Mike and Greg talk about their Thanksgiving weekends and their awesome families. Another of your favorite Marvel shows is leaving Netflix, which we all anticipated. Fuller House is still on the streaming service. But that Disney App is starting to look pretty inviting. However, we’re still pretty sure there’s one 1946 movie that will remain buried in the vault.
Hear Nickelback cover a Metallica song, and hear the guys talk about the Joker movie, and how Mike says the DC Cinematic Standalone Universe is still unproven.
“You’re a wizard, Harry.” Famous words from a famous giant (or giant-like man). But what are some ridiculous things that Hagrid could have told Harry Potter that would have been just as believable (if not just as odd) as telling a ten-year-old boy that he’s a wizard?
Thanks to everyone who has picked up a shirt. Want to be one of the cool kids? Get your shirt here.
Nerds United Episode 110: Drinking, Halloween, and Comics[ 1:55:18 | 158.35 MB ]Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (705)
In this BRAND NEW EPISODE of Nerds United, Greg and Co-Host of the YEEEAAARRR Mike regale each other with tales of alcohol foolishness from days gone by. We also talk about our favorite Halloween candy, haunted houses and a slew of nerdy topics. Let’s run down the list.
Marvel Civil War vs MCU’s Civil War
Mark Millar’s Huck
Marvel and Netflix
The Immortal Iron Fist
Luke Cage
Heroes for Hire…?
The Flash (aka the Scarlet Speedster aka the Fastest Man Alive)
Rejection from Pro Wrestling Tees (insert sad face here)
Support Kevin from My 1-2-3 Cents the Podcast and HIS PWT’s store HERE!
Wolverine: The Long Night – the serial podcast for ANYONE who enjoys a good murder mystery
ABCD-bagz
Tom and Jim’s Top 5
As always, friends, we appreciate your support and love those who give it. We hope you enjoy this episode and all of our episodes. And while you support us for FREE, we encourage you to support others carving their own path in independent content creation. With that in mind, PLEASE consider supporting West of Oz on Kickstarter. You have only seven more days to lend your support. This is a great project. I (Greg) have personally supported it twice in the past and have done so again. If you need a refresher of what you get with the West of Oz story, please go back and listen to Episode 109 in the archives. Here’s the link to the Kickstarter. It’s a great way to help others realize their dreams.
And since you’re such great people, please enjoy this picture we discussed in the episode about me as the illegitimate fifth member of MuDvAyNe back in 2003 when I was a wee lad of 21.
Yesterday, we received a little teaser for the Defenders series coming to Netflix, and in its simplicity, set the stage for what Marvel has been building since Daredevil debuted on the streaming video service in 2015.
It’s hard to believe it was only two years ago next week that the Man Without Fear came to life once again.
If the teaser for Defenders is to be believed, we are a mere four and a half months away from the series dropping.
Honestly, they look exhausted. And if you remember the second season of Daredevil, you’ll remember “Midland Circle” is the organization behind the giant hole (I’m going to call it a crater) in Hell’s Kitchen.
So here’s the thing. Daredevil (both seasons), Jessica Jones, and Luke Cage are pretty well loved across the board. But Iron Fist hasn’t reached that point, and likely never will. I initially wasn’t sure what to think of the Finn Jones casting. I think that of the four, he may have been the easiest to cast away from the traditional look of the character (ie the whitewashing everyone is claiming). I believe it was Kevin Smith or Marc Bernardin on the duo’s Fatman on Batman podcast that suggested an Asian-American actor be given the chance to be Danny Rand. I don’t mind the show staying more true to the origin of the character, but I do wish the actor chosen for the role had some martial arts background. Jones has a zen-like quality about him, and aside from the fighting scenes, I don’t have any complaints.
But those fighting scenes. Yeesh!
I truly think that Iron Fist was doomed from the beginning, but not from any shortcomings it has. Rather, the almost unattainable standard set by the three previous shows put the arrival of the final Defender behind a sizable 8-ball.
So when Defenders hits in a few months, I fully expect Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter) or Luke Cage (Mike Colter) to steal the show. Jessica Jones‘ first season was about a victim overcoming her past of abuse and her former abuser. We’ll get a second season of that show as well. Luke Cage was a really enjoyable show with a unique setting in Harlem. It was different to see the villain [SPOILER ALERT] die midway through only to be replaced by a more conniving, manipulative villain. And we’ll get a second season of that in the future as well.
Daredevil will also get a third season, and I’m sure we’ll see a Punisher series based on the popularity of the character from his run in Daredevil S2.
The fact is – the Marvel Netflix shows are wildly popular. Defenders will be huge when it drops, despite the lackluster reception of Iron Fist.
Now, The Defenders in the comics has a long history dating back to the 1970s, and has seen many many incarnations through the years. However, a team consisting of Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Power Man (Luke Cage), and Iron Fist has not appeared in comics, based on my limited research. Marvel and Netflix announced in 2013 that the Defenders were coming, and named four characters that would make up the team.
But if you want a solid Defenders title to read, I’m going to throw out at you the 2011 series written by Matt Fraction with art by Terry Dodson.
Otherwise, we’ll talk more about Defenders when the show arrives in August.
I’ve talked about comics and movies, video games, music. I’ve talked about my family, my life, and shaving.
I’ve sought topics from my wife and friends.
So today I fixed our Playstation 4. It wasn’t connecting to the internet. I had to watch Wrestlemania on a mix of may laptop and the PS3 upstairs in the bedroom (first world problem, I know). But we were sans network connection since sometime Saturday. So I called Playstation and they talked me through a process, and that process worked.
So now I have Scrubs on Netflix. And I went with Scrubs instead of Iron Fist because I’ve seen Scrubs a few times through, and I am on episode 4 of Iron Fist. It’s a means to an end. I know Iron Fist has been universally panned by almost everyone. That being said, the other Netflix Marvel shows set the bar rather high.
Scrubs is a timeless comedy that follows a group of young doctors as they begin their professions in a hospital (Sacred Heart). It ran for nine seasons (182 episodes) and starred Zach Braff, Sarah Chalke, and Donald Faison as the three new doctors. Honestly, while I enjoyed all three performances over the years, my favorite character on the show was the no-nonsense Dr. Cox, John C. McGinley. Actually, he and the Janitor (The Middle‘s Neil Flynn) were both great.
What I liked about Scrubs among its comedic chops and slight irreverence is that it was said to be the most medically accurate of all the tv medicine shows.
No, it’s not House, the tale of a misanthrope who happens to be a doctor. It’s not Grey’s Anatomy, a torrid romance novel disguised as a medical show. It’s not even the recently departed ER, which broke television ground with its realistic gore. It’s Scrubs.
Scrubs, or [scrubs], is a show that I could watch on endless loop. But after I finish this round of it, I’ll probably return to How I Met Your Mother, another sitcom that showed its longevity.
And I always keep Futurama in my back pocket…always.
In the meantime, I’ll just hold out hope that the Cardinals come back late tonight to beat the dreaded Cubs, and now I’m going to head to bed since I have to get up early tomorrow and have labs drawn before work.
I owe much of this post to my buddy Kenny, who told me that Amazon Prime is worth the money for parents of young kids who don’t feel like battling crowds and stores.
And he was right!
So not only do I get to avoid crowds, but I get free shipping on most of my purchases (those eligible). And I have access to Amazon Prime Video. So I have that app on my PS4 and go between that and Netflix. It’s great.
Mix that with a podcast I heard awhile back. I think it was from last fall, an episode of The Nerdist podcast. It was a conversation with Daniel Radcliffe, and in that episode, he mentioned a movie called Swiss Army Man.
Well guess what movie is on Amazon Prime Video.
So I watched Swiss Army Man earlier. The premise is that a guy (Hank, as played by Paul Dano) is stranded on a small island and he’s trying to hang himself. Then a dead body (Manny, played by Radcliffe) washes up on shore and farts and trembles. Hank then rides Manny to the mainland and the two have an adventure trying to return to civilization. Manny seemingly is coming back to life. Hank discovers that Manny’s body can do special things, a variety of feats that make him useful to the duo’s joint survival. It’s hard to explain – and honestly, it’s better for your enjoyment when I don’t try to explain it.
There are twists and turns along the way, and eventually they do make it back to civilization (oops, spoiler), but Hank quickly changes his mind and wants to take Manny back to the wilderness.
It’s a fun, irreverent movie that won an award at Sundance and is worth a watch. It’s a little weird at times, but that just adds to the big finish.
And in this episode, I have a litany of reasons why I’ve been slacking, from reading comics to watching comic book-related entertainment materials, to bringing you more award-ignored podcasts.
So here’s what I’ve missed:
Luke Cage
https://youtu.be/snJ-nRgx8o0
“Sweet Christmas!” Am I right?
X-Men Apocalypse
Or did I miss it? I don’t know!
Justice League: The New Frontier
You may remember me writing about this a few months back (back when I wrote blogs). Well, it’s topical again!
This is what I call a truck episode. Meaning I was in my truck on the way to work when I recorded it.
And like I said in the show, I am excited for my upcoming guests. It’s all about scheduling and such now. But we’ll see how it goes.
So I came across this tidbit of information this weekend. One of my favorite characters of my youth has finally hit it big:
Masters of the Universe. I was such a He-Man fan as a kid growing up in the 1980s. The first birthday I actually remember was when I turned 4, and I had a little He-Man cake. This would be a great time to pull out the picture of me with the cake from 1986…but I don’t know where it is, and I’m not about to call my mom and ask for it just to post it here. She thinks I’m weird enough.
Speaking of my mom, I owe some of my love of He-Man to her. When I was that age, mom was a night-shift nurse working in the ICU. I didn’t have daycare because mom was home during the days. And after lunch, when she would make me a microwave s’more (it was a marshmallow between two graham crackers…I loved it), we would often sit on the family room floor and she would join me for some action figure goodness. I didn’t have Castle Grayskull, but I did have Snake Mountain, several figures, and even the Battle Ram, complete with missiles and a functioning cannon. So I always attempted to known the bad guys off of Snake Mountain (to mixed success).
Skeletor and his minions were no match for the Battle Ram and a 5-year-old.
But back to the movie. It came out a month after I turned five years old. Needless to say, I didn’t see it right away. In fact, I didn’t see it for several years after that, because there was no internet telling me I had to see it. But I finally did watch it one day. I don’t remember the specifics. It was either on television or I watched it with some friends. I remember being so excited to see my favorite childhood character in a movie that I may have overlooked the quality of the movie itself. And not only that, but a few other points as well:
Let’s start with the most obvious of all. Lovable Orco was replaced by Gwildor. At best, Gwildor can be seen as a mix between two Lord of the Rings characters, Gandalf and Gimli. But there was nothing fun or entertaining about Gwildor. And not even that Gwildor was that bad, but how do you ignore Orco and rip him from the movie? Now anyone who watched the cartoon would tell you that Orco was annoying. He was clumsy and always got into trouble. He was the C3PO of Eternia. But his his missteps always ended in a lesson from the other characters, some little moral of the story.
Frank Langella, arguably the greatest actor in this movie, was stuck behind a mask. The costuming left no chance for Frank Langella to do anything besides relay the awkward dialogue he was given. It was a waste of Langella’s talents, it is a stain on his IMDb page, and I feel sorry for the guy. But then I watch this clip of Langella speaking about Skeletor and the role in the movie, and more importantly, the reason he took the role. And I get it. His reason for taking on this roll is simply astounding.
Dolph Lundren – If Dolph Lundgren didn’t have to talk in this movie, if He-Man would have been cursed with the inability to speak, this movie would have been exponentially better. I mean, let’s face it, Dolph has had the look. Tall, well-built, topped with a golden mullet. How could it possibly have gone wrong? Well, I’m guessing Dolph had a line added into his contract stating he could use firearms. My He-Man doesn’t have guns. He had the Power Sword. Man-at-Arms and Teela both used blasters. He-Man never needed them.
Eternia vs Earth – He-Man is the Prince of Eternia. Okay, “Prince Adam,” if you want to get technical. But there is very little of Eternia in this movie. Instead, you have an invasion story about the forces of evil trying to conquer Earth. Sounds like a job for the Avengers, not the Eternians. Yet here we are, dealing with Courtney Cox, her boyfriend, and the Cosmic Key. This was ten years after Star Wars. There didn’t have to be an earthly tie-in. George Lucas showed to world that you could have a successful movie if it didn’t take place on Earth.
Rumors state that we will get a new Masters of the Universe movie in the near future. Christopher Yost, who co-wrote Thor: Ragnarok for Marvel Studios, was tapped to write this new adaptation. It’s stated that the movie will be dark and serious and will not be an origin film. I’m actually okay with it not being an origin film, because we all know the origin thanks to the 130 episodes of the cartoon from the mid-1980s.
May the Sorceress bless you, Filmation. Rest in peace!
I think that a He-Man and the Masters of the Universe film can be successful a variety of ways. I’ve waited most of my life for a better He-Man movie. But it’s not here yet. So I’m left with what I have.
The kid in me wants to go back and watch this 1987 movie day after day. However, the adult in me who remembers this movie being the Batman & Robin of its time knows that I can watch it once and then remove it from my Netflix queue.
That means this decision is the first in my new weekly bit called #ToughCallTuesday!
Watch it and keep it on “My List” for future viewings?
OR
Watch it and drop it like?
I have made my decision, and based it on my genuine love of the character from an early age, the quality of the film that was made, and the knowledge that a new imagining of the character, the mythos, the “universe” if you will is heading our way.
It really boils down to this simple question. Is bad He-Man better than no He-Man at all? Would you rather sit through Batman & Robin or no Batman at all? Star Wars: Attack of the Clones or no Star Wars?
Okay, two lousy example.
Let’s face it – I saw that movie appear on my Netflix. And it was big. Big meat. It was the featured option. I popped. Despite its flaws, this one will be a “Watch and keep.”
And since my parents were kind enough to keep my He-Man toys in a box in the attic all these years, I’m excited to be able to share them with my son in the future. That, and the He-Man cartoons I have acquired on DVD.
That’s it for this week’s #ToughCallTuesday. What topics do you want to see featured in the future? Let me know in the comments.
PS – HOW COULD YOU NOT INCLUDE KRINGER/BATTLE CAT IN YOUR MOVIE?!?
Episode 35 brings with it the return of the Skyped guest, as I visit with Ross Cavins, writer of Barry vs The Apocalypse, A Novel of Epic Proportions. So naturally we talk about that, but also Ross’ days reading Terry Brooks, being inspired by Elmore Leonard, why college beats high school every day of the week, and more. Arrested Development gets discussed a LOT!
Learn about Ross’ interconnected collection of short stories, Follow The Money (inspired by Elmore Leonard himself), and about the Claymore Award. Ross also discusses why he is seeking self-publishing on Barry rather than the traditional publishing route.
AND…Ross had challenged me to an Announce Off…so we have that going for us as well. Just kick back and laugh. This one was a lot of fun.
And I can’t stress this enough…go to Kickstarter and support Barry vs The Apocalypse.
My 1-2-3 Cents Episode 361: Movie Mania [ 48:00 | 0.01 MB ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (457)
