How To Build Your Own Arc Reactor From Dollar Store Components

One of the coolest aspects of the Iron Man films starring Robert Downey Jr has to be the Arc Reactor that is present in his chest. He is always updating it, but at the end of the day it is like a super charged car battery that keeps Tony's ticker ticking. Now more than ever you can get your hands on some real cool replica movie props, but those could cost you a pretty penny. But what if you could build one of these arc reactors yourself, using only a few cheap components that could be acquired for a few bucks at the Dollar Store? The gang over at XRobot show you how to do just that... so get cracking on the coolest DIY project I have seen related to comics. The how to video is after the jump...

Avengers Assemble... For Homeroom!!!

God bless your heart Reddit. I love that site so much, mostly because of the funny & wild things that people post on there in relation to pop culture. So when I saw this group photo of The Earth's Mightiest Heroes as mere High Schoolers, I flipped my wog. Great job... see you guys in Study Hall!!! Click after the jump to see the pic.

The 2010 Year In Review Meme by Mike DeVito

The 2010 Year in Review Meme by Mike D.

1) 3 Favorite Movie Releases of 2010:

- Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World - A perfect movie... nothing else to say.

- Harry Potter: The Deathly Hallows pt.1 - What a wonderful first part to the finale of this unreal movie franchise. I absolutely loved everything about it, and it did its job in hyping me up for the final film of the most successful franchises ever!!!

- 'Kick Ass': This is the kind of comic book movie I want to see. It is great. Millar's story is phenomenal, and Vaughn brings it to the screen magically. Also, I have two words for all you guys out there: Chloe Moretz. That little girl is gonna be huge... trust me!!!! Also, how can you not love a movie that features a batshit crazy Nic Cage being lit on fire. Wonderful.

2) Favorite Song of 2010:

'Hold Yuh' - Gyptian

3) Favorite Album of 2010:

Rhianna - Loud - Great album from a great artist. She had a good rebound year after the Chris Brown fiasco, and Love the Way you Lie, What's My Name & Only Girl were some of my favorite songs of the year. Classic.

4) Favorite "New" TV Show of 2010: AMC's The Walking Dead & No Ordinary Family

Honestly, if The Walking Dead was 12 or more episodes then it would have been a slam dunk. But 6 episodes left me wanting more. Sure, No Ordinary Family is cheesy, and schmaltzy, but guess what... I love it. Yeah its a rip of The Incredibles & The Fantastic Four... so what? Not to mention Julie Benz & Autumn Reeser. Good Lord!!!! Watch it... it's great! Also, I love Boardwalk Empire.

5) Favorite "Old" TV Show of 2010: Glee - A fun show that makes me laugh week in and week out. Plus, too many hotties to count. Quinn, Rachel, Brittney, Santana... JEEZUSSSSSS!!!

6) Best Purchase you made in 2010: My Netflix Membership - Holy fucking shit. I watch alot of Netflix. I watched over 500 movies on my Instant Streaming. 500!!! Not to mention about 10 TV series in its entirety. I use it so much, and I love it. Best 8 bucks a month that I spend....

7) New Technology that you acquired in 2010: Blu Ray Player - I have over 1,000 DVD's and don't want to upgrade but, the Blu Ray player plays DVDs (and makes them look better) and I might as well buy any movies FROM HERE ON OUT in a better format. Can't hurt... but I will not double buy anything. EVER!!!

8) Favorite Film you watched on DVD, Netflix or Cable in 2010:

'Exit Through The Gift Shop' - Phenomenal documentary, and all around excellent movie. A must see. Just missed my top 3 movies of the year. (Probably number 4 or 5).

9) Celebrity That you loved in 2010 (1 male & 1 female):

Female: Chloe Moretz - I love this kid. Sure I could have went with Scarlett Johanson or Katy Perry's wonderful TaTa's or Zooey Deschanel's wonderful baby blue eyes. But this kid stole my heart this year. She is great. In 'Kick Ass', she did just that... Kick Ass. She was great. The 'cock signal' line was so amazing, I choked on my popcorn. Great stuff. Also, see her in '500 Days of Summer' as Joe Gordon Levitt's younger sister and her starring role in 'Let Me In'. Phenomenal movie. She is so amazing. Can not wait to see her in ANYTHING she does.

Male: Robert Downey Jr. - Why RDJ you ask? Well, he is my favorite living actor and I feel he is amazing in everything he does. But I picked him here because he is a HUGE star, yet has no problem playing a supporting role ('Charlie Bartlett') or being part of an ensamble cast like he will be in The 'Avengers' (2011). He is perfect. Name me a bad Robert Downey Jr movie... can you? I am so happy that my first Blu Ray purchase was 'Kiss Kiss Bang Bang', one of his most under rated performances of his story book career. Keep it up RDJ!!!

10) Celebrity That you hoped would die in a plane crash (1 male & 1 female):

Female: Kate Gosselin, Snooki, and just about every other reality show female on the planet earth. My girlfriend Tara watches a lot of reality shows... so by default I watch a lot of reality shows. One thing I noticed about almost all of them is the fact that the females tend to let it get to their heads the most and act like animals on a regular basis. Why is this? Just take the 'Jersey Shore'. Before that show started, I saw the way the guys looked and said "These guys are going to be the biggest dicks... ever!". In reality, overall they are pretty mellow and cool. The girls are heathens and animals. Especially that goblin Snooki. Grrrrrr! I hate them. If she wasn't responsible for 8 kids, I would really want Gosselin's plane to nose dive. But then they would be stuck with their tool bag father, so I wouldn't wish that on no one.

Male: Steve Martin - Why, oh why Steve? Steve Martin was one of my favorite actors of all time. He was great in everything throughout the 80's & 90's. Then he forgot how to pick roles. He should have never made that movie with Queen Latifah (it's been all downhill since then!) and the fact that he remade 'The Pink Panther' Movies should qualify him for a firing squad. He was not some young actor who took a paycheck and you can understand. He is a multi millionaire and a 30 year vet. He should have left Sellers & Blake Edwards alone. If I ever see him, I am going to smack him with a hamburger for those ridiculous scenes. He has to do some pretty remarkable work to get back in my good graces, and he can start by never making another 'Pink Panther' movie again... ever!!!!

Favreau Might Be Off Of Iron Man 3... Here Is Why This Doesn't Matter At All

So websites all over the place are running unconfirmed stories that Jon Favreau, the wonderful filmmaker who brought us Iron Man 1 & 2, will not be sticking around to direct Iron Man 3. Oh My GOD... judging by the general reaction to this, you would think that someone just found a sex tape featuring Yoda & The Emperor. People are already touting the complete collapse of the Marvel Comics movie world and all other kinds of doom & gloom.... and for the life of me, I can't figure out why. Listen, I am a movie geek, a comic book geek, a toy geek... yeah, pretty much an all around geek. Yet the one thing that drives me nuts is when fellow geeks light up the 'net with ridiculous claims and statements. Whats even worse then that is when they complain about shit that is perfectly fine... So, instead of just disagreeing with all of these "doom & gloom" prophets, I will do one better: I will give you a 5 point explanation on why Jon Favreau leaving Iron Man 3 means absolutely jack shit. Here we go...

1. The rest of the directors involved in the foreseeable future of the Marvel Comics movie universe are pretty awesome themselves. Honestly, are these guys fucking kidding me? First up, you got Kenneth Branagh directing Thor next May. That trailer just hit and looks great... Then you got Joe Johnston directing the World War II era Captain America: The First Avenger in July. That one is scripted by uber geek god Joss Whedon... who also happens to be lined up to direct The Avengers, which will represent the culmination of everything started with Iron Man back in 2008. That hardly seems like a lineup that should lead to the belief disappointment is coming on the horizon. Factor in Matthew Vaughn's X-men: 1st Class, Marc Webb's Spiderman reboot, & the proposed Edgar Wright Ant Man movie and Marvel Films looks to be more then OK.
2. It was silly to think Favreau would just sit around waiting for the time to direct Iron Man 3. Favreau is a wonderful director. Made, Elf, even the Jumanji sequel Zathura... all good movies. He wrote Swingers... and not to mention Iron Man 1 & 2. Cowboys & Aliens looks pretty good as well. Did you really think this guy was just going to sit around and wait for Thor, Capt America, The Avengers... not to mention the sure sequels to all of those films... it's just unrealistic. He has a ton of great films in him, and he need to go and make them.
3. Are we sure there even will be a Iron Man 3? Lets be real. If you are going to have all of these characters crossing over into each others films and tying in to a major film franchise like The Avengers, will you even have to make Iron Man 3 right away? I think not. Lets put it like this. In 2011 you got Thor, Cap & the X-men, 2012 gets us Spidey, Ghost Rider, & The Avengers. Iron Man came out in 2008, and had a sequel by 2010. Why wouldn't any of the above films spawn a sequel just as quick? As a matter of fact, based on the track record of superhero movies over the past decade, its pretty much a forgone conclusion that this will happen. So... are you really crying over a movie that may be like 10th on the burner?
4. What about all the other Marvel characters out there? There are so many great characters out there that deserve their shot. Ant Man by Edgar Wright can be phenomenal. I am looking forward to bat-shit crazy Nic Cage going Ghost Rider once again. But what about a epic underwater Namor movie? Or a great space opera featuring Captain Marvel, The Eternals, Nova, or The Silver Surfer? How bout that R Rated Punisher movie that HAS to be made? Black Panther? Power Man & Iron Fist, Heroes For Hire? Power Pack? The opportunities are endless... and should be mined carefully. They should take a hard look at the tons of great characters that litter the Marvel Universe stable.
5. If they do make Iron Man 3, why can't somebody else do it just as good (if not better) than Favreau? Superman 2 - Richard Lester replaced Richard Donner. James Cameron took over for Ridley Scott on Aliens. Irvin Kirschner solidified the Star Wars franchise as epic with Empire Strikes Back by taking over the directing reigns from George Lucas. Chris Nolan not only recreated Batman, he recreated superhero movies FOREVER. I'm not shitting on Favreau at all. I love him & all he did with the Iron Man franchise. But to say it can't be done without him... that's just crazy. Robert Downey Jr is the bread & butter of Iron Man. That's that. If they get someone who is passionate about the comic book, who strives to tell a good story, and wants to make not just a good "comic book" movie, but a "good overall movie", then all will be fine.

Listen, if the time comes around for Iron Man 3, and Favreau takes a pass (or isn't chosen) for the gig... well, I'll be sad. But I won't think its totally fucked before we know anything like what it may be about or where the whole Marvel Universe story will actually be at the point (with the above movies we mentioned all being tied in). Can it all fail... sure it can. But nothing is guaranteed. Lets hope it all works out in the end!!!

A First Look At Sherlock Holmes 2

Here is the first official screenshot of Robert Downey Jr, Jude Law, and Noomi "The Real Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" Rapace starring in Sherlock Holmes 2 from director Guy Ritchie. I can not wait for this one... coming December 2011. Gotta love it!!!

Thanks to /Film for keeping us in the loop on all movie news!!!

Commercially Acclaimed: Vol.#15 - Planters Peanuts

TV commercials are a part of our everyday lives as TV viewers. Even though Tivo and DVR have allowed us to "skip through" the commercials, the advertising companies a still trying to peak our interests by coming up with creative commercials. To me, great commercials are an art form and are under appreciated by a society that is always trying to speed through things. Think about it... how many times did you see a great commercial that made you laugh hysterically or want to go out and purchase the advertised product??? And how many times has the best part of the Super Bowl been the commercials during a blow out game??? Whether you want to admit it or not, commercials are cool as shit... and here are some of my favorites.


This week we got Robert Downey Jr. lending his voice to the legendary character of Mr. Peanut of Planters Peanuts fame. This commercial shows Mr. Peanuts annual Christmas party, and he reluctantly allows an unexpected and potentially deadly (for him anyway) visitor into the party. Hilarity ensues.... enjoy the clip!!!

Just Another Reason To Want To See Sherlock Holmes 2

One of my favorite English actors, Stephen Fry, is going to star alongside Jude Law & Robert Downey Jr. in Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes 2.... how great is that!!! Now I know most of you guys are probably scratching your head and saying to your American self: "Who the fuck is Stephen Fry and why is Mike D so excited by this casting?" Since I love you guys, I will give you three answers to that question. 

1. 
   
   Stephen Fry is an accomplished British actor, but you probably know him for playing Dietrich, the TV host and anti-establishment sympathizer in V for Vendetta. He was one of the best parts of a very good movie, and the part where he tries to save Natalie Portman from the goon squad that finds out he is hiding her is my favorite scene in the whole flick.
2. 
   
   He will be portraying Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock's older and smarter (that's debatable) brother. He appeared in a few of the Arthur Conan Doyle stories, and the ones he did appear in were great. Dude was like a cornucopia of  information and made Sherlock frazzled at the fact that there was someone out there just as smart as him (if not smarter)
3. 
   
   The more casting news that comes out of this movie, the happier I am. Sherlock Holmes was a wonderful flick, Ritchie did it justice beyond all expectations, and the original books are some of my favorite of all times. To know that the good Doctor Watson, the living Victorian computer Sherlock Holmes, and the rest of the crew will be back for another go around is music to my ears. Fry just makes me chomp at the bit some more... now, who's going to play the villain, Professor Moriarity??? Mr. Pitt, it's time for your close-up....