beforethedarktimes.com

BTDT DVD REVIEW: STAR WRECK

2009-10-13T20:18:00.005-04:00

STAR WRECK is a Finnish amateur/fan film made as a spoof to the Star Trek saga. The cast of this film includes a variety of characters who resemble many of the famous faces you might recognize from both classic TREK and TNG stardom. We even find some Star Wars plugs out there (ie the DVD reviewed is labeled the "Imperial" edition).

Fan films hold a special place in our hearts here at BTDT, for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, any person (or group of people) who takes on a project like this, and is able to see it through to a complete production status, must be truly commended. These people have to be innovative when it comes to planning EVERYTHING from costumes, to effects, to CGI (if they can find someone to even do it for them)- any movie fan who has ever dressed in costume for a "Con" knows how involved of a process that is just in itself. And that is only one small piece of the puzzle, when it comes to putting together a full-blown fan film.

Even if you manage to bring all of the effects, costumes, and even shooting locations all together, there is still one significant factor remaining: your CAST. With a fan film, more often than not, the cast are all working for free. And you know the age-old adage: "you get what you pay for". During the shooting of the film, cast members can bail at any point, leaving the remaining crew to have to find a way to fill the void (if it's even possible).

In the case of STAR WRECK however, the creators managed to overcome not only all of the aforementioned movie-making blunders, but they even managed to secure a production company here in the U.S. to get their movie out there. In the very near future, copies of STAR WRECK will be spinning in DVD players all across the States. Our hats go off to them!

From a big picture perspective, the creators of STAR WRECK have done an excellent job bringing the film to life. The effects used are creative, and their CGI is way above par.

The plot and characters have their share of cheese, but again: this is a FAN FILM. If we'd seen James Cameron's name out there in the credits as the director, we'd definitely have expected more. But knowing a dedicated group with a small budget and a big dream put this together, we definitely think the folks on the set of STAR WRECK didn't do half-bad.

The only thing beforethedarktimes would have liked to have seen done differently was in regard to the editing of the subtitles. It was followable, but definitely could have used a final review by an American editor. However, we'll say this one more time: not only is this a FAN FILM, it's an INTERNATIONAL FAN FILM! For any hardcore critics out there, think before firing.. How hard might it be for someone born in Detroit to do a fan film going to Tokyo, Japan?? We rest our case!

STAR WRECK will be available the week of November 10th, one week before the release of the 2nd generation STAR TREK on DVD. Buy BOTH and go GLOBAL!

Thanks goes out to Revolver Entertainment for allowing us to be a part of this review.

BTDT Review Of FAST AND FURIOUS

2009-04-04T10:30:00.004-04:00

This review may be a bit biased coming from a bonafide car lover- but we have to say that for a fourth installment of a series that began in 2001, this film really managed to pull through. Were some of the car scenes exaggerated? Yes. Were some of the stunts/fights lacking in logic? Yes. But hey people, this is Hollywood. If you're looking at everything through a "realism" eyepiece, stay at your house and watch TV, listen to your kids fight with each other, and talk to telemarketers on your phone. THAT's reality. 8^]

One of the true strengths of this film is the re-joining of Paul Walker and Vin Diesel. They really brought the feel back from the first movie. Did it probably cost the director a little more of his personal slice of the profit margin? No doubt. BUT, that definitely made the profit margin a little bigger than had they not included both actors in the film.

It was also great to see a total of 4 of the original cast members returning to the series from the first movie. We get a little "surprise" early on in the film (will not mention due to spoilers), however what leads up to the event seems to take place rather quickly and unexplained. That was really the thing that jumped out with a WTF Factor of 9 out of 10 on the scale. Nevertheless, the event was key to the plot of the film, so although it wasn't really mapped out as well as it could have been, its existence was required.

The movie had the required amounts of hot cars (both older and new), fine looking females, and alot of action. It was great to see a larger variety of classic American muscle in the movie as well, with the inclusion of around 10 classic Detroit beauties blended in with the Import flash.

Even though this movie had a PG-13 rating, I personally felt there were some scenes present which really should not have been there for young adults of that age bracket. However, an R rating would have missed the whole target audience for this type of film. That being said, the movie was a fun movie to see on a Friday night, and it definitely had the theatre packed. And, as always, the ending left room for yet another sequel. Should they do it? Only if they bring back the Vin-Paul combo.. Thanks for another wild ride guys.

CD REVIEW - Mastodon's CRACK THE SKYE

2009-03-25T09:50:00.000-04:00

The latest Mastodon CD hit store shelves yesterday, and the wait has been worth the while.

The singer, in many instances throughout the CD, sounds like he could take a job tomorrow filling in for Ozzy Ozbourne. The CD’s artwork has a Lord of the Rings/Medieval feel to it, which gives the band’s presence a nice aged feeling. Almost like one takes away from looking at the album sleeve of Zep’s fourth album.

In the CD you will hear echoes of the following artists: Godsmack, Rush, Rob Zombie, Metallica, Led Zep (heard this most at the beginning of Track 4, “The Czar”. In the pipe organ you can almost hear the dogs of doom a howlin’ more), and Alice in Chains.

The majority of the Godsmack-in’ that I heard was in regard to the music itself, more than the sound of the singer or vocals. The keys and changes used just seemed to have been touched by Godsmack in places. Please keep in mind that I’m not saying “they sound just like Godsmack” because they DON’T. It’s almost as if a little Godsmack essence became airborne and found its way to Mastodon’s realm.. Nothing more! NO plagiarizing is found in this CD from any other artists (at least not that I could find).

This CD is a nice change from mainstream rock, so if you aren’t already familiar with the band, check them out!

www.mastodonrocks.com

BTDT REVIEW - Chris Cornell's SCREAM

2009-03-11T10:00:00.007-04:00

I feel like I had to wear 2 different hats while doing this review, providing feedback from an overall musical/creative perspective, as well as from a biased-SG-AS fan’s perspective. So, here goes:

From the musical/creative side:

-Teeny boppers are going to love this CD, very hip-hop

-It will get Top 40 play

-It will bring a new audience to Cornell’s talents

-There is some well-thought-out synthesizer creativity found within the new tracks

-Influences/Echoes heard:

Coolio – Gangsta’s Paradise
Stereo MC’s - Get Yourself Connected
Michael Jackson – the BAD album

From a SG-AS perspective:

-Dedicated fans of the above bands WILL NOT BE happy with this CD (there, I said it); it would be like seeing Ronnie James Dio showing up on the Doodlebops kids show and doing a duet with Deedee.

-When one has listened to Chris sing for almost 20 years as I have, and has watched him lead some incredible bands, singing songs with not only built-in-rage but awesome lyrics to boot (ie Set It Off, Cochise, Outshined, Spoonman, Shape of Things To Come, should I keep going?), it’s really hard to listen to this new CD enjoyably.

-I can’t tell if Chris picked this project for a change of pace, if it’s because he’s getting older and wanted something more mellow, or if his agent simply told him he’d be great with it.. Whatever the case may be, it’s a much quieter Chris than many of us have come to know and love. In his defense, lead singers of Heavy Metal and Hard Rock bands are no longer typecast into doing JUST ball-crushin’ head-bangin’ rock themes. For example, Robert Plant just recently won awards for his efforts with a country singer! Who would have seen that coming??!!

Overall, do I still like the guy’s music? YES. Will I still be going to see him on this tour? YES. Am I glad I got this album for free with my ticket purchase? YES. Again, it’s just a change, and change always impacts people differently. However, when this reviewer’s favorite Cornell jam is Rusty Cage, it’s hard to hear Chris singing something hip-hop and be overwhelmingly receptive to it..

Keep ‘em coming Chris, just don’t forget the old school!

Server Migration Completed Successfully!

2009-03-09T18:47:00.002-04:00

Due to some updates in the back-end World of beforethedarktimes.com, we had to migrate the site's main files to an alternate server. We are still doing some final cleanup, but the migration has gone successfully and we're glad to continue providing our reader community with news and updates on movies, collectibles, and so much more!

Keep checking back as we are also in the process of making some enhancements to our blog.. Stay Tuned!

beforethedarktimes.com reviews IRON MAN

2008-05-01T23:50:00.004-04:00

Wondering if this one's gonna be worth seeing? Read for yourself what beforethedarktimes.com has to say about this new release (caution spoilers)!

http://www.59registry.hypermart.net/btdt/ironman.htm

NEW FORUM UPDATE!

2008-04-18T19:31:00.000-04:00

Forum update process:"Working on upgrades"

As of 04-18-2008...

Blog on the Forums

2008-04-17T07:10:00.002-04:00

I wanted to start an active, ongoing blog about the progression of the Forums updating process which started on 04-13-2008.
Here is the most recent, updated info on the Forums:
As of 04-17-2008, here is what I have been able to find out from the webmaster about the detailed Forum update process:

"Working on upgrades"

End of the update on the Forum Updating for 04-17-2008.
Check back tomorrow for nothing new!

....that is all people, there's nothing to see here, please move along.
Bloggin aint the same as the forum, the forum is a collection of artistic, informative and hilarious postings from us all that is worthy of being proud of. We just hope that it can be returned to us exactly as we left it otherwise, I know a little piece of my soul will be FDISKed and formatted along with it.
Not for nothing, but if any does need any help with these upgrades, I am more than willing to throw my hat in the ring. FYI.
Long live the BTDT Forums!

The Quest For TRON - are you strong enough?

2008-04-08T20:47:00.003-04:00

I have posted the details surrounding the undertaking of adding a TRON arcade game to my current lineup. You can read the full story here:

http://59registry.hypermart.net/btdt/tron/tron.htm

You might want to bookmark this link, for when you think things aren't going your way 8^]

Jim/FETT

Im not the only one..

2008-03-03T09:44:00.004-05:00

I scraped this from one of my daily reads. Anti-music really has got the perfect nuts and bolts site for music; good music, metal and rock music, not that Britney J-Lo Timberlake crap either. Altho, they may occasionally comment on the retardation news that goes on in the bubblegum world, its more funny than news. Mostly, its great insight to the music world. But my last read isnt so funny, in fact, it reflects the same rant I went on for my Foo Fighters show. Except for I extended mine to the digusting state of the world, he focused his rage very poignantly at the source. Same sentiments. Please read on. Thanks Anti-music, sorry for your pain.

Ticketmaster Taxes Reach Absurd High: 75%
03/03/2008 .(antiTorial) My backside is stinging a bit having just been r@ped by the Ticketmaster monopoly. The problem with their monopoly is glaringly apparent when you are charged 75% over the face the value of tickets after Ticketmaster gets done adding all of their various fees.
I logged on to their site at 10:00 am hoping to score orchestra seats to Iron Maiden's upcoming concert in Irvine. Of course by 10:00:25, after filling out all the fields on the form, all of the orchestra seats were gone. (Check scalper sites later today for those) Since the orchestra seats were the same price as the lodge and lower terrace, I opted to get two $20 lawn seats since you can still see pretty well on the lawn at Irvine Meadows (I refuse to call it by it's corporate sellout name).
So I submit my order and the screen with all the various Ticketmaster monopoly taxes comes up and low and behold my $40 worth of tickets had suddenly become $70.45. If you failed math that's 75% in additional charges (I opted for the free mailing). To add insult to injury they tried to sell me insurance on top of what they already bilked me for.
This has just gotten ridiculous. I went to see Heaven and Hell this past summer at the same venue and was going to buy tickets at the window since a few were left (It was the band's second swing through the area). Walking up we were approached by a ticket scalper who had decent seats and offered them up for $5.00 over the face value. So we ended up buying from a scalper at a huge savings over what we would have paid buying them through the legal scalper (Ticketmaster).
I can understand adding some charges to handle their overhead, but when it reaches 75% of the face value of the tickets something just isn't right. Convenience fees, order processing fees, facility fees-- the only thing missing is the Vaseline fee.
I was really looking forward to this tour since Iron Maiden is revisiting their famed World Slavery Tour. I was just a kid when it rolled into Long Beach arena for a historic four night stand. My older neighbor ended up with an extra ticket, so at the last minute he asked me to go. That show was later immortalized in the "Live After Death" album and video. The video was just reissued on DVD, go grab it (if you haven't already) as it's one of the best live concert videos in existence! That concert really changed my life, helping fuel my love of music and kind of ruined shows that followed since no band could live up to it (not even KISS in makeup). But it's doubtful that with the high r@pe fees added to tickets now, that anyone would buy extra tickets like my neighbor did 20 some years ago. So some 11-year-old kid will be deprived of being introduced to the world of music by a kindhearted neighbor or friend. As it stands, I'm going to think twice about buying tickets in the future, let alone extra ones.Let's hope that Live Nation does go forward with plans to cut out Ticketmaster and sell tickets direct for their events and that they won't follow Ticketmaster's example of ripping off fans. Eddie Vedder where are you when we need you?
Keavin Wigginseditor antiMusic.comMarch 1, 2008

Foo Fighters tonight

2008-02-21T12:33:00.005-05:00

I thought that I would share the fact that Im heading to see FF tonight. Now, most would say, "Wow, thats a strong intro (not)" but if anyone had any idea what I paid for them, then you would understand that I am paying to be pre-excited about it right now. Im just going with the flow here to make myself feel better for the brutal virtual mugging I got online.
I have seen FF 2x recently, once with their acoustic tour and then they came back around for a rock tour. Both were first affordable, but moreover both concerts were tremendous and made me appreciate them as true legends of our time. You hear them on the radio and stuff but it wasnt until 3-4 years ago I really had a driving urge to go see them, especially since I practically tour with Pearl Jam each time they come within 500 miles of my vincinity, it gets Expensive, but PJ loves their fans and make it niceynice to afford a ticket thru their fan club....at face value. Which is the basis of this post. Prices.
I just went to a metal show and the headliner was All That Remains at the Trocedaro. The ticket itself was 15 bucks. With the service fees, the -et-hem- convenience fees and handling fees, it doubled the ticket price. And I bought it online and I did all the work to get them. They just have a server that emails the .pdf ticket to my inbox and I even have to use my own paper/ink to print it out. Not to mention, after my years of concerts, I have quite a collection of ticket stubs that help as a nice token of the time. Now, I got a lousy printout, which does carry the same mystique as holding a stub from say the Black Crowes/Jimmy Page tour or my Pink Floyd ticket from 1988...but I digress.
So, why all the fees? I found the tickets, bought them and had them emailed to me. I guess, I am paying for their electricity of the packets sent to and from because I know, there wasn't any "Human" interaction with this process. And what of their reduced staff that helps them save money because everything is automatic and internetly connected. 8] (they're all TUBES)
This is just an example of what I've noticed in the last 8 years or so. You pay for more, but you get less and we're supposed to like it. Its funny, that the cost of gas to the show, the ticket that was not within five leagues of its face value, parking and not to mention the price of beer/food at the show, all of these things seemed to be breaking my will to go see concerts anymore. With all the cost, I cant even afford drugs to bring to the show and God forbid I want T-shirt.
I thought all this may be getting better once Ticketmaster lost its monopoly on ticket sales, but its more like they paved the road for worse ticketing companies to rip people off in more ingenious, despicable ways and then just call them some kind of new "fee".
The described pattern above, can be said for most companies that are operating today.

Prices are theme here, remember?
I am dumbfounded by how the economy is so in the drink but inflation is barely mentioned but running ramped. Oil, housing, utilities, health care, even freakin food is up in price but hardly talked about. Price. That is key here. Because if the price hasnt risen-yet-, then there was a new "fee" added to what you purchased, transacted or even for something you did yourself but had to pay up, regardless. Maybe thats how inflation is flying under the radar because the 'price' isnt the problem under the umbrella of inflation. If its not the price rising, its a new fee which somehow cant be added or considered to be 'inflation'. What good is it if something costs the same as in 1998 but they added 15 different fees to the overall purchase? Same can be said of Taxes, you wont see anyone raise taxes or even speak the word, they'll just call it a fee. Look for new fees to pay for the war in 2009. Good thing we have a Oil tycoon, corporate headboard slamming POTUS in office, maybe he can help us all out before he leaves.

In closing, at this cost, I'll enjoy the show. But, I am not sure if I'll go to any others, anymore. Its a luxury and I got to save for more future fees of some kind, from someone/some company that has what I need/want. Think maybe the Foo Fighters could start a revolution by renaming them to 'Fee Fighters'?
I hope they appoint Pearl Jam as their cabinet...

Hello, and thanks all... especially Jim!

2008-01-30T20:52:00.003-05:00

Well folks...

I've never posted via a blog before, so I thought I'd take time out to try out this thingie-doo. First, a little bit about myself. My name is Mark Bellomo, and I'm a professor at a state university in New York where I run their Writing & Tutoring Program. I've been a freelance writer for the past ten+ years, and have published composition/rhetoric textbooks, over 150+ articles on action figures, toys, and pop culture, a few books on action figures (The Ultimate Guide to G.I. Joe: 1982-1994, Transformers: Identification & Price Guide, Warman's Action Figure Field Guide and Warman's Transformers Field Guide) and I've also presented papers on Robert Penn Warren, Elizabeth Madox Roberts, William Faulkner, and Ernest Hemingway (my favorite American stylist) internationally and I'm published in sundry literary journals.

I'm not sure what I hope to accomplish here... I suppose to keep people abreast of what's going on in the toy/action figure world with borderline exclusive news... I'll be going to Toy Fair in a couple weeks, and have made appointments with AT LEAST the big two (Mattel, Hasbro), and will be checking stuff out from Diamond, Gentle Giant, Bandai, et al. Since I'll be returning from Toy Fair MUCH quicker than most (I live 90 miles north of NYC), I hope to post some exclsuive photos of new Star Wars product here before anyone else in the world can... I hope. So keep watching.

STAR WARS news:

Picked up a few new vintage and modern pieces. VINTAGE: Grabbed a MOC (with yellowed bubble... ugh) Ewoks Dulok Shaman and a POTF Luke Skywalker Jedi Knight (unpunched card, really nice & minty, clear bubble). Will eventually have to go back and finish my vintage SW collection this year if I hope to put out a collector's guide within the next two years. Am apprehensive about completing an entire set of figures, vehicles, playsets, promotions, etc., because a complete collection would include those darned POTF ("Power of the Force": 1983-1984) coins--promotional coins packaged in the last wave of vintage Star Wars figures. These POTF coins are SOOOOOO freaking expensive... especially category IV, Category V, and the 63rd coin. HUNDREDS of dollars each. I don't need these coins to be MINT and GRADED by the AFA (the Action Figure Authority), but a full set would make a nice picture in a vintage Star Wars Identification & Price Guide. But... what would a full set of POTFcoins cost? Bad enough I'd have to buy a MLC Sonic Landspeeder and MLC Remoted Control Sandcrawler...

New figures: they're okay-looking. Picked up McQuarrie Concept Rebel Trooper (#60), Clone Trooper: Hawkbat Battalion (#50), and Tycho Celchu: A-Wing Pilot (#44)... all at retail. Should complete the first sixty 30th anniversary by the end of the month.

HE-MAN and the MOTU news:

1) Spoke with Dan Salazaar (head of Mattel's Boy's Toys line) on the telephone last night... since I'm poised to pitch a new book The Ultimate Guide to He-Man, She-Ra, and The Masters of the Universe, I kept asking questions about the MOTU line (for those of you who aren't He-Man fans, "Masters of the Universe" = MOTU).

QUESTIONS: a) "When will a new He-Man and the MOTU line be reissued... more specifically, when will we see (be teased with) new product?" b) How far along in the process are you with the new upcoming He-Man film?" c) "When will fans see this new film?"

ANSWERS: a) "Not at the 2008 Toy Fair. Expect a release [of what? new product? confirming there's a new line?] at the San Diego Comic Con."
b) "The script has not been green-lit as of yet. Nothing has been approved. We're at the initial point of the process. But it is a process in motion."
c) "No comment."

G.I. JOE news:

The 25th Anniversary G.I. Joe figures are flying off of retails shelves: stores simply can't keep them in stock. Good times, good times...

Feel free to ask any questions!!!

-- Mark W. Bellomo

You Can Always Count On The EMPIRE

2008-01-30T19:53:00.000-05:00

Although Vader, Grand Moff Tarkin, and Admiral Diecht ruled, we can't give them credit for this find.. today's update lends kudos to EMPIRE magazine, which has posted the latest Indiana Jones image to hit the streets.. Click on the below link if you wanna see, spoiler wary no-a-clicka-da-linka..

http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=21881

And be sure to post a comment below, on your thoughts about the next IJ in the lineup!

Welcome Mark Bellomo!

2008-01-29T16:47:00.000-05:00

Please join me in welcoming Mark Bellomo to the BTDT staff! Mark joins us from the realm of Toy Shop magazine, which as we posted on the main site page earlier this week, will be closing its doors forever.

We are proud to have Mark among us, and look forward to the updates he will be providing on scifi toys and collectibles!

Jim

THE POLICE - Hersheypark 7/20/07

2007-07-22T10:00:00.000-04:00

Read the full review at http://www.btdt.hypermart.net/police_2007.htm