That's Not a Christmas Movie!!

Merry Christmas nerds and nerdettes and welcome to another post by your favorite bearded nerd! As Christmas looms just around the corner, televisionsaround the world are swamped with your typical Christmas time movies. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman and all the classics shown five to six times a week. There's some of us, though, that get a little tired of the classics and want something a little more....unconventional. While timeless classics like National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, A Christmas Story and Home Alone are on my "must watch" list, there are others that aren't considered Christmas movies that I have to make sure to catch in order for it to be a Merry Christmas.

Batman Returns

What better way to start the list than with Batman himself. When you think Christmas movies, Batman doesn't come to mind for most. In Batman Returns, Christmas seems to be the harbinger of evil. The Cobblepot's throw their deformed infant son into the Gotham River, where it floats to the abandoned Gotham Zoo and is found by penguins. After many years of hiding in the sewars, The Penguin makes his appearance. And when does this happen? Christmas time!

Gremlins

There are three rules you must abide by when dealing with Mogwai. Never expose them to bright lights or sunlight, never let them get wet, and never feed them after midnight. Gizmo is a gift to Billy, who tries to follow the rules as best he can. Leave it to your friends for things to go wrong when water is spilled onto Gizmo and five more mogwai spawn off his back. These Mogwai aren't as friendly as Gizmo. They trick Billy into feeding them after midnight, after which they turn into, you guessed it, Gremlins. They wreck havoc on the town, hurting and even KILLING people in humorous ways (the rocket stair lift comes to mind), until none other than Gizmo defeats the Gremlins. So if you have trouble with toys not working correctly or other things go wrong on Christmas day, check every room and under every bed, because there may just be a Gremlin in your house.

Ironman 3

Bet you forgot about this one. Lord knows I've tried. While this film relied a bit more on thriller elements, it didn't lack in action with the huge Iron Fleet battle scene. All of this set on a Christmas time backdrop does bump it onto the list. While Tony deals with PTSD after what occured in The Avengers, it sorta lends to some of the stresses the season can bring on some through the holidays.

Leathal Weapon

I know you didn't think of this one since it's set in sunny California with its palm trees, beaches and babes in bikini's. This buddy-cop classic IS set with a Christmas backdrop. The Murtaugh's home nicely decorated, Christmas tree placed infront of the big picture window. Just in time for a squad car to come crashing into the living room, destroying any decorations in its path. Gives new meaning to "arose such a clatter", huh?

Die Hard

C'mon. Did you honestly think I would leave Die Hard off the list? John McClane, Hans Grubber, Nakatomi Plaza...do I really need to go into this one at all? "Now I have a machine gun. Ho Ho Ho."

And there you have it folks! My unconventional Christmas movie list! What are some of your not-so-Christmas Christmas movies you have to watch? Sound off in the comments section!

DC in Crisis?

Hello again nerds and nerdettes! Sorry I've been away for so long. Life can happen in the blink of an eye if you're not careful. I've missed you all and am happy to say that your favorite bearded nerd is back with all kinds of opinions, reviews and stories to share. Speaking of sharing, I recently joined the Instagram word! So give me a follow at Thee.bearded.Nerd for silly pictures and cool happenings in my life!

In the time of my absence, there has been a lot of talk about DC Comics and how they seem to be failing in making their mark with their movies. Too much hype but lacking, too dark, no real plot....etc. etc. Also, they recently "rebooted" their entire comic book line with what they're now calling their "Rebirth" stories. It would seem that DC is in turmoil and just can't gain any traction on getting their good company name back in the mainstream. That's if you listen to those so called "true believers" or "Marvelites". Those that never followed a DC comic’s story will say that DC is hurting.

Truth of the matter is this; DC is doing just fine. Their characters have never been more popular and their movies are setting records. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice came in at $872.7 million. But yet, the movie was just awful and still makes more than I'll ever see in 5 lifetimes. And Suicide Squad has made $384 million....and still counting. Will it make as much as BvS? Probably not. But, once again, a terrible movie. That is, if you want to listen to those hacks over at rotten tomatoes or metacritic. Both websites reviewed the two films the exact same. 27% by rotten tomatoes and 44% by metacritic. Granted, comic book movies don't really rank high on a movie reviewers list anyway but that's just a bit of coincidence if you ask me.

In my opinion, DC movies have been nothing but great. I fell in love with Superman all over again, Ben Affleck jumped way up the list of favorite actors to play Batman and Gal Gadot can only go up from here as far as Wonder Woman goes. Suicide Squad was just as enjoyable to watch as well! So, I don't understand how one can say that these movies were as bad as the entire internet is screaming. And now, with the trailers for Justice League and Wonder Woman released, it has made me even more excited to see my brand, the DC brand, come to power. DC in crisis? More like DC is just getting started.

What do you think, is DC in Crisis? Do you like the DC films they have recently put out?

Let us know in the comments below.

Posted by: Dustin

NERD OFFICE ESSENTIALS | Dustin

Hey there nerds and nerdettes! Personal space is important, no matter your marriage status or how old you are. Man caves give you the freedom to express your true selves. They give you the space to enjoy football with the guys, a relaxing pool game or pure quietness to get extra work done. The benefits are endless. But what if your interests don't lye with sports or you don't have the money for a pool table? Well, fellow nerd, have I got the article for you! Here are some of the things YOU need to show your nerd colors.

The computer is the heart and soul of your nerd room. Doesn't matter what kind you have. Just so long as you have one! Get that blog done. Play those computer games. Watch those cat videos. Whatever it is you do on that computer! Just be sure that computer background really expresses your inner nerd.

You have some special comics? Display them! Show that you're proud of those limited edition comics. Let everyone know that what you have is better than what they have! 

Action figures. Action figures. Wait for it....ACTION FIGURES!!! Those badass toys need to be out on display in their full glory. And if you still have that 1990's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle in his original box...I hate you and everything you stand for.

You have a mini library? Prove it. Get some sweet looking bookends, build an awesome bookshelf or, if you're poor like me, keep them on your desk with the Hulk holding them up. As long as they're out.....you're good!

This should help you on your way to putting together that fortress of solitude every nerd is dreaming of. Do you have yours set up already? What are some cool things you have displayed in your "nerditorium"?

Superhero Spotlight | Deadpool

Hey nerds and nerdettes! February has been a fun month for superheroes! The Deadpool movie has set records and quite possibly new standards with the way we could see comicbook movies in the future. So, with that, I figured it was time to give Deadpool the spotlight and really learn just who exactly Deadpool is and how he has changed over the years.

Wade Wilson, aka Deadpool, made his first appearance in The New Mutants #98 in February of 1991 created by artist/writer Rob Liefeld and writer Fabian Nicieza. In his first appearance, Deadpool is hired by Tolliver to attack Cable and the New Mutants. After subsequently appearing in X­-Force as a recurring character, Deadpool began showing his ugly face in a number of different Marvel Comics such as The Avengers, Daredevil and Heroes for Hire. In 1993, the character received his own miniseries, titled The Circle Chase, written by Fabian Nicieza and penciled by Joe Madureira. It was a relative success and Deadpool starred in a second self-­titled miniseries written in 1994. In 1997, Deadpool was given his own ongoing title. It became an action comedy parody of the cosmic drama, antihero-­heavy comics of the time. The series firmly established his supporting cast, including his prisoner/den mother Blind Al and his best friend Weasel. The series gained a cult popularity for its foul mouthed, unorthadox main character, Deadpool became less of a villain but the element of his moral ambiguity remained. He has professed to be Canadian but the original story had him joining the Weapon X program after being kicked out of the United States Army Special Forces.

Deadpool's primary power is an accelerated healing factor. Artificially endowed by the Weapon X program, this enables him to regenerate any destroyed tissue at a superhuman rate, as well as making him immune to diseases. Deadpool's healing factor is strong enough that he has previously survived complete incineration and decapitation more than once. Although his head normally has to be reunited with his body to heal the wound, he was able to regrow his head after having it pulverized by the Hulk. Deadpool's brain cells are similarly affected, with dying neurons being rejuvenated at a super accelerated rate. This allows Deadpool to recover from any head wounds, and it renders him nearly invulnerable to psychic and telepathic powers, although this ability is inconsistent. It has been revealed that at the time that his healing ability was given to him, Deadpool suffered from some form of cancer. After the healing factor was given to him, it made his normal cells as well as his cancerous cells unable to die, giving him a heavily scarred appearance beneath his suit. His body is also very resistant to most drugs and toxins, due to his enhanced cell regeneration. This means that he can't even out and get drunk! He can be affected by certain drugs such as tranquilizers but it has to be in very large doses. Deadpool is aware that he is a fictional comic book character. He commonly breaks the fourth wall, which is done by few other characters in the Marvel Universe, and this is used to humorous effect. He often has conversations with his two internal monologues, which are shown as caption boxes in his panels; in Deadpool #28 it is revealed that the villain Doctor Bong, a foe of Howard the Duck, is the logical voice appearing in yellow captions, and in Deadpool Annual #1 (2014) it is revealed that Madcap, a foe of Captain America, is the psychotic voice appearing in white captions with a typewriter serif. He is a highly trained assassin and mercenary, adept in multiple forms of martial arts, and an expert swordsman and marksman. Over the years, Deadpool has owned a number of personal teleportation devices. Also, during Deadpool's first ongoing comic, he possesses a device which projected holographic disguises, allowing him to go undercover or conceal his appearance. He also has a magic satchel containing all of his unlimited weaponry and ammo. Deadpool is multilingual, with the ability to speak fluently in German, Spanish, ASL and Japanese, in addition to his native English.

Needless to say, Deadpool could possibly be one of the most fun characters in the Marvel Universe and has finally been given justice on the big screen. Were you a fan of Deadpool before the movie? Did you go see the movie and what did you think?

Cosplacon 2016

Hello nerds and nerdettes! A local event is going down June 16th - June 19th in Jefferson City Missouri at Capitol Plaza Hotel! Check out the event page on Facebook for info on tickets and other info!

Cosplacon was created in 2011.  Our passion is hosting a Cosplay, Anime, Sci-fi, and Gaming convention in Mid-Missouri that people from far and wide can come to love as their own. in 2012 we hosted the first ever Capitol City Cosplay event. With over 200 people showing up in cosplay it was a success. In 2013 we hosted the first ever Cosplacon and reached 600+ con-goers. In 2014 the second year was even better with 800 con goers and great guest we grew and had a blast. Now 2015 we kinda got lazy and had only 890 attends show :( but we know why so 2016 is go to be a year not to forget.  

We want a fun and friendly environment for all. We want to be well known for how we cater to cosplayers and non-cosplayers alike.. We hope to serve all of our convention lovers and our community and to help build a year-to-year experience like no other. With two years under our belt we have learned so much and will use this to help us improve in the years to come. We Love Anime, We Love Cosplay, We Love Cosplacon.

Comic Book Movies Before They Were Cool

Hello nerds and nerdettes! Comic book movies have had a great run for the past 16 years thanks to CGI, 3D and other new technology that’s come along. But what about those comic book movies that everyone forgot? Let's jump into the DeLorean and take a little trip back through time and check these movies out!

In 1984, DC Comics released Supergirl to act as a spinoff to the very popular Superman films that starred Christopher Reeves. The film stars Faye Dunaway, Helen Slater as Supergirl, and Peter O'Toole, with Marc McClure reprising his role as Jimmy Olsen from the Superman films. He was the only actor to do so. The film was released in the United Kingdom on July 19, 1984 and failed to impress critics and audiences alike. Dunaway and O'Toole earned Golden Raspberry Award nominations for Worst Actress and Worst Actor, respectively. However, Slater was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Actress. The film's failure ultimately led the Salkinds to sell the Superman rights to Cannon Films in 1986. Supergirl hasn't had any kind of recognition until 2015, being released on CBS as an ongoing series that I, personally, am still not too impressed with.

In 1989, Marvel released The Punisher that starred Dolph Lundgren. The film changes many details of the comic book origin and the main character does not even wear the trademark "skull". Frank Castle is the city's most wanted, and most mysterious, vigilante, known as "The Punisher". He has killed 125 criminals in the past five years. An ex­police officer, Castle's family was murdered in a mob hit, in which Castle was also thought to have perished. This combined with Castle's furtive methods of attack have made the Punisher's identity a mystery to the general public. Thank goodness for the 2004 reboot, right?

In 1990, Marvel Entertainment tried to release Captain America before all the awesome effects were available. While the film takes several liberties with the comic's storyline, it features Steve Rogers becoming Captain America during World War II to battle the Red Skull, being frozen in ice, and subsequently being revived to save the President of the United States from a crime family that dislikes his environmentalist policies. The film was supposed to be released in the summer of 1990, to coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of Captain America. Several release dates were announced between fall 1990 and winter 1991, but the film went unreleased for two years before debuting direct­to­video and on cable television in the United States in the summer of 1992 and was given a limited theatrical release internationally.

In 1994, Dark Horse took a shot at the big screen and brought out Time Cop. The film stars Jean-Claude Van Damme as a police officer in 1994 and a U.S. Federal agent in 2004, when time travel has been made possible. It also stars Ron Silver as a rogue politician and Mia Sara as the agent's wife. The story follows an interconnected web of episodes in the agent's life as he fights time­travel crime and investigates the politician's unusually successful career. Timecop remains Van Damme's highest grossing film (his second to break the $100 million barrier for a worldwide gross) as a lead actor. It is generally regarded as one of Van Damme's better films by critics and one of my favorite films by Van Damme.

Also in 1994, an independent film for the Fantastic Four was made but was never actually officially released. Executive produced by low budget specialist Roger Corman and Bernd Eichinger (who went on to produce a big budget Fantastic Four film in 2005), the film was based on Marvel Comics' long running comic book and featured the origin of the Fantastic Four and that superhero team's first battle with the evil Doctor Doom, combining the superteam's origin from The Fantastic Four #1 and Doom's origin from Fantastic Four Annual #2 with original elements. Despite a tentative scheduled 1994 release date, the film was ultimately never released officially, but illegal copies began circulating after a few years. Too bad they've never been able to make a decent FF film.

In 1998, Marvel took another stab at another character. Nick Fury: Agent of SHIELD was a television film that was first broadcast on May 26, 1998 on Fox. Directed by Rod Hardy, the film stars David Hasselhoff as Fury, a retired super spy who is approached to return to duty to take down the terrorist organization HYDRA, who threaten to attack Manhattan with a pathogen they have reconstituted known as the Death's Head virus. This was the first and only time Nick Fury was given his own film.

 

Have you seen any of these films?

Are there any films that we missed along the way that failed before comic book films were cool? Let us know in the comments.

 

-Dustin

Here's Looking at you, 2016

Hey nerds and nerdettes! 2015 was a great year to be a nerd with all the fantastic movies that were released. But we shouldn't be sad to see it go. 2016 could possibly be even better for nerdkind. So let’s take a look at some of the upcoming releases in 2016 and start getting excited for a new year!

February 12th ­ Deadpool

Based on the character created by Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza, this tells the origin story of former Special Forces operative turned mercenary Wade Wilson, who after being subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers, adopts the alter ego Deadpool. Armed with his new abilities and a dark, twisted sense of humor, Deadpool hunts down the man who nearly destroyed his life.

March 25th ­ Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Batman and Superman together for the first time on the big screen is any DC fanboy's dream come true! Fearing the actions of a god­like super hero left unchecked, Gotham City’s own formidable, forceful vigilante takes on Metropolis’s most revered, modern-day savior, while the world wrestles with what sort of hero it really needs. And with Batman and Superman at war with one another, a new threat quickly arises, putting mankind in greater danger than it’s ever known before.

May 6th ­ Captain America: Civil War

Captain America: Civil War picks up where Avengers: Age of Ultron left off, as Steve Rogers leads the new team of Avengers in their continued efforts to safeguard humanity. After another international incident involving the Avengers results in collateral damage, political pressure mounts to install a system of accountability and a governing body to determine when to enlist the services of the team. The new status quo fractures the Avengers while they try to protect the world from a new and nefarious villain.

May 27th ­ X­Men Apocalypse

Since the dawn of civilization, Apocalypse was worshipped as a god. He was the first and most powerful mutant from Marvel’s X­Men universe, and amassed the powers of many other mutants, becoming immortal and invincible. Upon awakening after thousands of years, he is disillusioned with the world as he finds it and recruits a team of powerful mutants, including a disheartened Magneto, to cleanse mankind and create a new world order, over which he will reign. As the fate of the Earth hangs in the balance, Raven with the help of Professor X must lead a team of young X­Men to stop their greatest nemesis and save mankind from complete destruction.

June 3rd ­ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows

Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael are at it again! Only this time, they find themselves pitted against two of their greatest villains in TMNT history. Bebop and Rocksteady! Created by the great scientific mind, Baxter Stockman, Bebop and Rocksteady are hired to take out the turtles after the demise of Shredder.

This is just the first half of the year and it is PACKED with awesomeness! Let's just see what the second half of 2016 will bring!

-Dustin

Do you plan on seeing any of these first half of 2016 movies? If so, which one/s? 

Nerdy Holiday List

Hello nerds and nerdettes! It's that time of year again. Shopping for a nerd is never the easiest thing to do. So, with that being said, here is a little something to make it just a little easier with some of the coolest stuff known to nerdkind!

Click on the picture to check it out!

The Flux Capacitor Car Charger. Now you can get that 1.21 jigawats right into your phone! Just plug it into your car's 12V vehicle power adapter and turn it on. 88mph and . . . ok, don't go that fast. That would be bad, because the Flux Capacitor Car Charger won't really take you through time ­ but it will charge all your USB-powered goodies. Each Flux Capacitor Car Charger has two USB ports, each capable of charging almost any USB powered device. But it also has that beautiful Flux Capacitor light sequence we all know and love.

Retro Duo Portable NES/SNES Game System. Yes, you're reading this right: a portable version of the Retro Duo NES/SNES system. So now you can take your 8­bit NES and 16­bit SNES games on the road! The Retro Duo Portable Game System is pretty much the dream configuration for any retro gamer. Not only can you play solo, but it also hooks up to full­sized televisions as well. Use the included port adapter to connect two SNES (or equivalent) controllers.

Click on the picture to check it out!

The Dark Knight Rises Batarang Replica. Do I even need to say anything here? It's a friggin' Batarang. Frame comes ready for wall mounting and features a hinged flip­ open cover, in case you need to grab the Batarang and leave the Batcave in a hurry.

Click on the picture to check it out!

Click on the picture to check it out!

Star Wars R2­D2 Bluetooth Speaker. R2­D2 has all sorts of surprises inside him. He's got plans and a message from Princess Leia, Luke's lightsaber, rocket jets, and a real mean streak (hey, he flat out kills another droid in an episode of Clone Wars). He also has a bunch of these speakers inside, so he always has a gift ready for new people he meets. Plug him into a USB port, and he'll charge up. When he's charged, either pair the speaker with your Bluetooth­enabled phone or plug your audio device into Artoo's standard 3.5mm audio jack. Artoo will light up, literally, including the familiar indicator light and some new funky blue "underdome" lighting he's had installed. Since he's Bluetooth, you can even make calls on him when you have your phone paired up. But his raison d'etre is to play music for you.

Click on the picture to check it out!

Star Trek U.S.S. Enterprise Flying Disc. Springtime at Starfleet Academy is just like any other higher learning institution. The grass is painted green, the Orion students are green, and sometimes even the space bologna is green! But the main similarity is how the student bodies spend more and more time outside: studying, socializing, and throwing their Constitution-­class flying discs all over campus. And now you can relive your time at the Academy with your very own Star Trek U.S.S. Enterprise Flying Disc. Each disc is pretty much just what it looks like. There's the saucer section which is the part you throw and also has the rest of the ship attached (made of foam). It's the most fun you can have without anti­-gravity, a bottle of Saurian brandy, and four Tribbles!

Welcome to the team | Dustin

Hello fellow nerds and nerdettes! Dustin here! The newest addition to the LTNL family! I know you have lots of questions about who I am, where I come from and what makes me the nerd I am today. So allow myself to introduce....myself.

As I said, my name is Dustin and I was born and raised in Jefferson City, MO.For as long as I can remember, superheroes, comic books and science fiction have always been apart of my life. My dad and uncles read comics when they were kids and some even still read them to this day. I remember being Superman two years in a row for Halloween and I never missed an episode of the TMNT cartoons on Saturday mornings. That was really the beginning of the "nerditude".

My cousins and I would play ninja turtles for hours. Whether it be with all the action figures we had or making our own bandanas and weapons and hitting the back yard to fight off the evil Shredder and his foot soldiers. I never actually knew that they were based off of a pretty violent comic book until I got a little older. I loved the movies. I still do. But then, something happened. A muscle bound cyborg, protecting a 13 year old kid, shooting big guns and riding a motorcycle changed the way I would look at sci-­fi. Yes, the terminator. My all time favorite movie, Terminator 2, was my first experience with not just one of the best action heroes of all time, but to a movie franchise I cherish to this day. Sure, some may not be as good as others but, that's what happens with a franchise that's as old as I am. Another franchise I fell in love with took a little time to develop. Star Wars came along when I was around 11. And, like almost every other fan of Star Wars, Boba Fett became my favorite character. A man of few words with one of the most badass ships, the Slave 1, and no regard for life. How do you not like someone like that? I think that's why I like the Punisher, as well. He'd rather shoot a criminal in the face than give them the time of day. As time has gone on and more comic book movies, TV shows and games are being released, being a nerd has never been more difficult. But I wouldn't have it any other way!