Angry Birds? 

****Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

I'm passing on the whole Saga Legends line unless there's a figure that goes above and beyond.  Given what Hasbro has publically said about this line, I don't think that's going to happen. 

For years Hasbro has been trying to make Saga Legends/Movie Heroes/Etc a kid focused line.  But they were doing that by re-issuing figures that had originally been offered to collectors.  I think that methodology probably led to a good deal of confusion over Hasbro's plans/intentions for that line. 

This designs of the figures in this new Saga Legends line seem poised to clear up the confusion from previous year's lines.  The 5 points of articulation on completely new figures spell that out plain as day.  These figures are disposable.

And then, take into account the play patterns of kids now.  Kids today do not play like the kids of the 70's and 80's.  They generally do not focus on a toy that they've had for 1 or 2 years, but 1 or 2 months.  That short attention span is something that the toy industry recognizes.  Witness some of the movie offerings from both Hasbro and Mattel over the past few years.  A lot of those figures are very basic in presentation.

As with any new product offering, you can always state your position at retail.  And if a product isn't to your liking, not buying it speaks volumes.

I've actually seen kiosks in the mall where a guy will replace the glass on your iPhone or other smart phone with a large display.  Not sure about the cost, but I'm thinking that since that's what these guys do all day, they're probably pretty good at doing the replacement.

Box office results from Thursday early shows came in good  > $3 million.  That points to a fairly successful weekend.  I think this is a film we sci-fi geeks should support.  Del Toro indicated he'd like this to become a franchise, and given the great reception this has received I'm gonna pony up my cash to help that happen.

I think that the international numbers for Pacific Rim will probably be very big.  The concepts are very much an homage to classic Japanese monster movies like Godzilla and Anime movies.  Some of the cast looks good.  And Guillermo del Toro has done some awesome work from a purely visual standpoint.  He also understands that those visuals should serve the story, and not the other way around.

Mid-Atlantic? Wikipedia says that applies to upper class types,  film actors from decades ago and theater actors. It's very noticable to Americans when someone talks like, say Cary Grant.

Uh...

You do know that Cary Grant was English, right?

Hmm, a new Boba Fett mini-bust.  Has anyone else noticed that with some of the recent character choices, that Gentle Giant has been revisiting some of the hottest characters/pieces in the history of their Star Wars license?

-Boba Fett mini-bust
-Snowbunny Padme statue (this time it's movie-realistic and not animated)
-Blue Clone Trooper (statue instead of mini-bust)

That photo of Vin Diesel made the rounds today.  Just him standing in front of that issue of Avengers with Giant Man on the cover got me thinking "Hmmm, Vin Diesel as Giant Man"?  But then that might fly in the face of the 2015 Ant-Man project.

I saw the movie.  Generally, I liked it.  And that's due in large part to the fact that it was a complete departure from the Donner films, which I really think needed to happen in order for the Superman character to be able to grow.  Where Superman Returns failed (for me) is that it was a love-letter to the Donner films.  I'm glad for the re-boot.

Were there plot holes?  Absolutely.  I think they tried to write around them somewhat, especially with the atmosphere issues for the Kryptonians.  But that doesn't totally explain away Faora and the other Kryptonian's fighting abilities and powers in the battle in Kansas.

What I'm most shocked about?  All of the hate for the movie from a lot of the comic community.  From my own standpoint, I don't have a vested interest in maintaining this image of Superman like a complete boy scout.  Apparently that's a huge bone of contention for a lot of hardcore Superman fans.  I think what Zack Snyder and Christopher Nolan were attempting to achieve was a look at how Superman might really have to conduct his life in this modern world.  And a big part of that includes how the real world would react to having a super-powered alien with almost God-like abilities living among them.  I think having Zod and the Kryptonians as the antagonists was a good way to proceed if the ultimate goal is to build this franchise and a universe where Superman isn't all-powerful.