Friday Funnies for August 29th 2014

Heyyyyyy it's Friday.  And it's a long weekend.  Hopefully none of you have to work Monday.  Here's some crap from the internets to start the weekend off right. 

Last week's funnies

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Hump Day Humor for August 27, 2014

Summer is coming to an end, so we could probably all use a little more humor in our lives. To achieve this, HiddenLevel presents Hump Day Humor! Every Wedensday we'll post new pictures, memes, gifs, stories, and/or videos of funny stuff from around the web.  We always welcome any suggestions.

Don't forget to come back on Fridays because we'll still have the ever-awesome Friday Funnies for even more interweb tomfoolery.

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Friday Funnies for August 22th 2014

Yayyy it's Friday again, and here's the funnies.  Sorry it's a short edition, it's been a busy week, and sometimes the internet just doesn't yield a lot of good stuff.  

Last week's funnies.

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Friday Funnies for August 15th 2014

Sorry for the lack of funnies last week, I was in the wilderness of Maine.  So to make up for it, I took the time to put together...nothing special.  Just another edition of the funnies.

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Raphael in Trenchcoat Sketch by Jim Lawson

This past Thursday I had the displeasure of watching the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie. It was truly a disappointment in nearly every way. Fortunately, rather than make me lose my interest in the property, I have instead become more thankful for the the good Ninja Turtle material that we do have. The original movie becomes that much more precious in comparison. The new IDW comic book and the Nicktoons cartoon shine even brighter as wonderful examples of how entertaining the Heroes in a Half-Shell can be. The stories of the Turtles the sticks out the the most in my mind at the moment are the ones from Mirage comics, especially Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

My all time favorite artist from that title was Jim Lawson. There is just something about his style and the way he draws are the TMNT related characters that I have always thought was really cool.  About 10 years ago I had the pleasure of meeting him at a comic convention and getting a sketch from him.  To this day, it's still my favorite sketch that I've gotten from any artist. I just wanted to share it today as a reminder that there is some really great Ninja Turtle material out there and to not turn your back on the Green Teens because of some crappy movie.

(click on sketch to enlarge.)

For more Jim Lawson artwork, check out jimlawsonart.com

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Jump the Gun: Sin City: A Dame to Kill For

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For

(August 22, 2014)

Story: Co-directors Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller reunite to bring Miller's visually stunning “Sin City” graphic novels back to the screen in SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR. Weaving together two of Miller’s classic stories with new tales, the town's most hard boiled citizens cross paths with some of its more reviled inhabitants. SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR is the follow up to Rodriguez and Miller’s 2005 groundbreaking film, FRANK MILLER’S SIN CITY.

Brunpuppies - Much like 300: Rise of an Empire earlier this year, this movie seems a little late to capitalize on the originals success.  This movie really should have come out years ago.  Certainly before the downward spiral that Frank Miller’s career has been.  It’s hard to be a fan of Miller with the taste of his work on The Spirit, Holy Terror, and All-Star Batman and Robin still in my mouth.  (Okay, so I admit, I had fun with the Goddamn Batman, it just seemed like it was written by a crazy greek writing fanfic rather than the man that helped define the character in the 80’s.)

Either way, it’s great that this movie is finally coming out because I was a huge fan of the original.  Marv is just one of my favorite onscreen tough guys and I hope we get plenty more of him in this next installment.

Verdict - Opening night if I can convince my wife.

Kevshiro -  So it’s a little late to be bringing this movie out but man the trailer looks great.  I loved the first Sin City and I hope this one will live up to the hype.  Wait a minute.  Is there any hype for this film?  God I hope it doesn’t pass in and out of theaters with people going, “did that movie come out”, like I’ve done with a few movies in the past few months.

Verdict - I’m going to try to catch it in theaters, if I remember

SolidMike - The first Sin City was really good and I’m super excited that the sequel is upon us. My only complaint is that Clive Owen has been replaced by Josh Brolin, not that he’s bad pick, but I really enjoyed Owen’s character in the first film.

For the life of me I can’t think of any other movie Clive Owen is doing now for him not to recur his role in the new Sin City film, but whatever, I’m still going to see this movie no matter what.

Verdict - Will see in theaters

If you're having trouble viewing the video, please click here.

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Custom Action: Battle Damage Ninja Turtles

The first series of Nicktoon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures was surprisingly good when it first came out. It was great to get entirely new and unique sculpts for each Turtle. There was much more detail than the later figures and the articulation was better than the rest of the line. Another big plus is that the figures are relatively inexpensiveness when compared to other toy lines so the prospect of buying duplicates to customize was much more cost effective. 

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Movie Shredder Action Figure Review

The Shredder is one of the most iconic villains of the last 30 years, yet I can't think of a single action figure that accurately represents this evil ninja master as I see him. The cancelled figure from NECA probably would have fit the bill for most fans, including myself , but it looks like we'll never get it.

Darkness has settled over New York City as Shredder and his evil Foot Clan have an iron grip on everything from the police to the politicians. The future is grim until four unlikely outcast brothers rise from the sewers and discover their destiny as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The Turtles must work with fearless reporter April and her wise-cracking cameraman Vernon Fenwick to save the city and unravel Shredder's diabolical plan.

I'm not sure if the version from the new movie is anyone's idea of the quintessential Shredder, yet. That could change after the movie is released, but I doubt it ever will be for me.  Heck, I'm not even sure who or what he is in the movie. Is he Oroku Saki, Ch'rell, or Eric Sachs? Is he a human in a suit, a cyborg, a robot?

The new action figure doesn't really give you any real answers. It is, however not a bad looking figure. Let's take a look.

Package:  It's bright, colorful, and does a good job of catching the eye. If you've seen the packages for the Nicktoon figures, this is about the same look and size, but with movie graphics and logo, along with a shot of the four turtles. The back of the card shows images of the other figures in the line, however this line does not have file cards unfortunately.

The package isn't really collector friendly at all. You will most likely ruin the card in the process of opening the package.

Verdict: 6/10

Sculpt:  I have to give Playmates credit for a really well done sculpt. At less than $10 a figure, I really don't think you're going to get much better than this. There is a ton of detail and textures throughout the sculpt and the proportions seem to be appropriate. I really like the way the robotic-like legs are done. I'm not crazy about the look of the head, but I think that may have to to more with the design that the sculpt.

As good as the figure looks overall, I can't help but think this figure "feels" very different than he does in the few seconds you see him in the trailers.  I guess I'll be able to better judge how accurate this toy is once I see the movie.

Verdict: 7/10

Scale:  This Shredder figure stands at about 5" tall. How does this scale to his real life proportions? I have no idea. From what I can tell from the movie footage released so far, both the Shredder and the Turtles are massive. There is one scene were he towers over Splinter by a few feet, yet the action figures are almost the same size.

The scale being all over the place is pretty typical for Playmates Ninja Turtles lines. Usually they make everyone 5" tall regardless of how big they should be in comparison to one another. Their size being dictated by what will fit in a standard size package rather than any set scale.

Verdict: 5/10

Paint:  There really isn't all that much paint to judge on this figure. Most of the figure is cast in color and left unpainted, such as the grays and silver of the "armor" and the flesh color of the arms. There is also some silver paint which is fairly clean. The only other paint is used on the eyes which looks very ill defined. Up close it doesn't look very neat, but is passable at a distance.

From what can be seen in the movie trailers, Shredder's "armor" seems to have a bit more color than the action figure. There is some gold and a few other metallic colors. It would have been nice if the figure reflected this.

Verdict: 6/10

Articulation:  I was incredibly surprised by how much articulation Shredder has, and all of it is useful. It looks like he has the most joints out of any figure in the line by far.  Here is what he has:

• Swivel neck
• Hinge and swivel shoulders
• Hinged elbows
• Swivel wrists
• Swivel waist
• Hinge and swivel hips
• Hinged knees
• Hinged ankles
• Hinged shoulder pads
• Hinged armor / exoskeleton at the shoulders
• Hinged armor / exoskeleton at the elbows

I really like the way this figure moves. The only joint that really bothers me is the swivel neck, I would have liked a ball joint there. It would be great if this was the standard that all the Turtle toys lived up to.

Verdict: 8.5/10

Accessories:  This section is a bit difficult to judge because there aren't really any accessories. The mechanical  exoskeleton and blades on his arms do come off as does the cape, but I consider those items to be part of his costume. It is very nice that they can be taken off though. Since the movie hasn't been released yet, I have no idea if there is anything else that could have been included other than the detachable blades seen in the trailer.

Verdict: 5/10

Quality Control:  Nothing wrong with mine. Everything looks and functions just fine. The only thing I would suggest looking out for is to get the figure with the least offensive paint job on the eyes.

Verdict: 8/10

Overall:  I like this figure far more than I ever expected to. It's not really one that I would consider as a definitive Shredder, but it is a cool version of a classic villain. I'm interested in seeing what they do with him in the movie.

Verdict: 7/10






Click Here for a review of 2014 movie Raphael action figure.

Click Here for a review of the Disney Exclusive Indiana Jones action figure.

Click Here for a review of Marvel Select Amazing Spider-Man 2 action figure.

Click Here for a review of Warrior Claw Wolverine action figure.

Click Here for a review of the DC Collectibles Batman action figure.

Click Here for a review of the DC Collectibles Nightwing action figure.

Click Here for a review of Talon and other action figures.

Click Here for a review of the DC Collectibles Bizarro action figure.

Click Here for a review of the DC Multiverse '89 Batman action figure.

Click Here for a review of Link from Legend of Zelda.

The opinions expressed by the HiddenLevel Bloggers and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not reflect the opinions of HiddenLevel.org or anyone involved in the running of this site. HiddenLevel is not responsible for the accuracy of any of the information supplied by the Bloggers of this site.

The HiddenLevel Blog was founded as site for contributors to be able to express their opinions and share news about the interest they enjoy.  The main purpose is to have fun.

Other sites are welcome to use the information found on this sit as long as credit and a link are provided.  For and questions you may have or for further information about the site, please contact hiddenlevel.team@gmail.com

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Top Ten Toy Finds From July

TOP 10 TOY FINDS OF THE MONTH OF JULY 2014

At the end of each month I, Brunpuppies, will put together a list of the top toys that I acquired over the course of the month. The number of entries will differ depending on just how many toys I got over the month. The order of the list will be based purely on my personal opinion of the items and is in no way definitive. I'm sure you the reader will have you own favorites and I am open to hearing about them in the comments section.

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Jump the Gun: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Jump the Gun is a semi-weekly article where two or more HiddenLevel contributors voice their gut reactions to upcoming movies. Their opinions are based solely on what trailers, press releases, and information is available around the internet, oh, and of course their own personal bias towards the source material. None of the opinions are based on actually having watched the movie. Each reviewer retains the right to change their view after having watched the movie, if they ever bother to do so. After all, who wants to waste their money on a movie that looks like it’s going to suck? Unless you’re into that kind of thing.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

(August 8, 2014)

Movie Summary: 4 Mutant Ninja Warriors save the city from the Foot Clan and their evil kingpin Shredder.

Brunpuppies - Gawddamnit!  Why can’t this movie look good?!  I love the Ninja Turtles, but this friggin’ thing looks like such a steaming pile of turds.

In the late 80’s I had Turtlemania big time and I just had to have every action figure and comic book featuring the green teens that I could.  The first movie is still one of my all time favorite comic book movies.  My love for the Turtles faded a bit by the time the third movie came out, to the point where I don’t think I saw it until it was on basic cable.  I didn’t really take much interest in them when they made their comeback in the early 2000’s although I was really happy when the TMNT movie came out, especially since it featured Casey Jones.  Recently the Turtle Power has surged back into me due to the highly entertaining IDW comic and the outstanding Nickelodeon cartoon.

The monstrosity produced by nostalgia crushing tyrant, Michael Bay, just looks, well…...crappy.  I have all the usual fanboy issues;  Why do the Turtles have lips and noses?  Why are they so f**cking HUGE?  Why is Shredder some white dude?  You mean to tell me Shredder created the Turtles with April’s dad?  Johnny Knoxville is the voice of who? Where the hell is Casey Jones?! It just seems like anytime there is more news on this movie it gets worse and worse.  It just doesn’t make sense considering there are two awesome versions of the Turtles that exist in the comics and TV that they can draw inspiration from, yet instead we get Monk doing the voice of Splinter.

It’s a damn travesty.

Verdict - I’ll see it in theaters because I secretly hate myself and because I LOVE BEING A TURTLE-fan!

Kevshiro -  What have they done to you all.  A revamp of the story.  Really.  Did the TMNT really need a revamp or re-imagining at this point.  God no!  Stick to the story.  Yeah, the original was kinda hard to believe but that’s what we grew up with and that’s what we want.  I say we start a law, yes a law.  that says, no movie studio can recreate a film unless 100 years has passed.  That way, all the people who grew up loving the characters and films have died off and a new breed of people can start a new story.  Kinda like what they did with the bible back in the day.  You had the Old Testament God.  And the new one.  Nevertheless because I just have to see what kind of awful crap they’ve created, I will plop down my hard earned cash to see what a mess they’ve made of it.

Verdict - I love pain!!! Put me in the theater seat.

SolidMike - I strongly disagree with both Kev and Bruno on this one. This movie is going to be a complete train wreck. The story and the characters are way off when its compared to the original story, so I will definitely pass on this one.

Verdict- Hell “to the” No

If you're having trouble seeing the movie below, click here.

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Friday Funnies for August 1st 2014

Well, it's that time again.  Time for more random crap from the internets. 


Last week's funnies.

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Jump the Gun: The Expendables 3

Jump the Gun is a semi-weekly article where two or more HiddenLevel contributors voice their gut reactions to upcoming movies. Their opinions are based solely on what trailers, press releases, and information is available around the internet, oh, and of course their own personal bias towards the source material. None of the opinions are based on actually having watched the movie. Each reviewer retains the right to change their view after having watched the movie, if they ever bother to do so. After all, who wants to waste their money on a movie that looks like it’s going to suck? Unless you’re into that kind of thing.

The Expendables 3

(August 15, 2014)

Story: Barney and his team, known as "The Expendables", come into conflict with ruthless arms dealer Conrad Stonebanks, the Expendables' co-founder, who is determined to destroy the team.

Brunpuppies - I really wanted the first two movies to work for me, but they just didn’t.  I assume the actors had a lot of fun getting together to make these “action packed” films, but their fun didn’t translate over for me.  Just having these big name action stars together in one movie doesn’t get me to buy a ticket especially when many of them are past their prime.  Seeing Sly and Arnold in a movie together just reminds me of how awesome a Contra movie starring the two would have been...25 years ago.  Adding Mad Max, Indiana Jones, and Blade to the mix just reinforces the feeling of this being an Over the Hill Action Vehicle.  Although it is nice to see Snipes out of prison.

Verdict - I’m just going to have to pass on this one.  I might check it out if it ends up on Netflix or FX on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Kevshiro -  Can’t really go by much but his last 2 films were pretty fun to watch.  Yeah, sure it’s a bunch of old men in diapers that used to be action stars but hey, it’s fun to watch them try to jump a moving vehicle and possibly break a femur.  I know, I know, it’s all stunt doubles nowadays.  So let’s play a drinking game of how many times you can spot the doubles!  Ah well, this shit is fun to watch so let’s sit back together, in our home, and see what jail has done to Wesley Snipes.

Verdict - DVD

SolidMike - I’m going to keep this short and sweet, I never seen any of the “Expendables” films and I’m not going to start now.

Verdict - Never

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Deadpoool Movie Test Footage:Update Highres version!

A possible Deadpoool movie has been in the works for a while but it was shelved.  I'm not going to say much else besides make this movie!

Also here's some more screen grabs!

If you're having trouble seeing the video, please click here.

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First Look Mad Max: Fury Road Trailer

Finally!  After do many teaser posters we get our first look into the new world of Mad Max. If any if you are a fan like me of the old Mad Max films, you'll be excited to see this new version of the Max, portrayed by Tom Hardy and also starring Charlize Theron.

The trailer shows the same post-apocalyptic, water deprived world where only the strong survive.  There's no friends in this world, only quid pro quo. I'll be eagerly awaiting this movie's release and definitely be there opening night. 

Can't wait!

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Friday Funnies for July 25th 2014

Hey it's Friday again and here's another episode of funnies.  

Last week's funnies

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Kim Jong Un has Some Amazing Dance Moves

In a pretty well edited video of Kim Jong Un and a cast of other political leaders from around the globe, Kim Jong Un dances, karate chops, and gets his butt kicked in a bunch various viral videos.

According to a NPR article, a "Chinese man surnamed Zhang" is the creator of the video and you can imagine the North Korea is not very happy, but when are they ever?  North Korean authorities believe it could "damage the great leaders authority" and have asked China to stop the spread. Beijing obviously can't do this as once something has gone viral on the internet, it's hard to stop. 

So enjoy it and laugh as I did and get this guy Zhang a job with a post production place.  Great job with various head placement!

If you're having trouble viewing the video, please click here.

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Friday Funnies for July 18th, 2014

In this weeks installment of the funnies we have for you...more random crap from the internet!  At least the funnies are actually on Friday this week.  

Last week's funnies. 

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I Called the Old Nintendo Power Hotline

So I stumbled across the old Nintendo Power Magazine #1 issue and a flood of memories came rushing back.  Memories of me playing Mario Bros/Duck Hunt (I had the combo cartridge), Contra, Zelda and getting stuck in all those games but there was once magazine I could turn to.  NINTENDO POWER!  They had everything.  Maps, hints and yes even a call line dedicated to answering all of your frustrated needs.

So I picked up my cell phone and I decided to give it a call.  Why not?   When I dialed though, all I got was a busy signal.  I had envisioned some old Nintendo Power magazine employee still connected to his rotary phone, just waiting for that next call on how to get to the hidden warp zone or get around the giant maze of Metroid and get the special version of the Metroid armor.  I called again later on, and the same.  So the number has since either gone off line or there is still someone on the line, trying to beat the impossible Battletoads jetski level.  It could also be that my high tech cell phone just can't connect to an old rotary phone.

Either way, I still miss this magazine and remember back to when I would wait in the mail for the next issue to arrive.  Good times Nintendo Power, good times.

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New Mortal Kombat X Character Will Be Revealed Today (Update)

Update: Well I kind of got my wish answered somewhat, Raiden was announced as the new character that will be joining the Mortal Kombat X roster. Check out the trailer below.

Ed Boon and the team over at Netherrealm Studios will reveal it's next character today at EVO 2014. This all according to tweet Ed Boon sent out yesterday stating the following:

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Tekken 7 Officially Announced At EVO 2014

Well this came out of left field, after an accidental leak this past weekend, Tekken 7 has been officially confirmed by producer Katsuhiro Harada. The more exciting news is that game is being built on the Unreal Engine 4 and its safe to assume that the game will be coming to the PS4 and Xbox One. I don't want to spoil the video for you, but at the end of it, we're expected to see more of the game at this year's San Diego Comic-Con. Check out the trailer below:

If you're having trouble viewing this video click this link

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Fist of The North Star (Hokuto No Ken)

SolidMike and I decided to put together a beginners guide to Anime for all those newbies who are just getting into it.  I figured to best start of this series would be to interview one of my personal favorites, "Fist of the North Star".

Why this anime has become my favorite is not just merely the fact that the main hero, Kenshiro (from where I get my name), can destroy enemies with a single blow, it's also a love story and family feud mixed in.  It's also where I learned that we could severely mess up our world by nuclear wars if we're not too careful.

There's been many versions of this anime created, sequels made, video games, and a horribly done live action version which has an interesting cast of characters like Malcolm McDowell, Downtown Julie Brown, Chris Penn and wrestling great Big Van Vader (watch it here while it lasts).  The one that I'm particularly fond of though is the 80's anime version.  It's such a classic with it's over the top violence, crappy dialog, and awesome 80's cartoon styling.

It's starts out with a quick lesson of Yin and Yang, Creation and Oblivion, Light and Dark.  "When the pendulum of life swings towards one, it must swing back towards it's opposite and thus balance of the universe is maintained."

A nuclear war breaks out, destroying the world and sending everyone back into the stone age of existence.  It's a dog eat dog world where only the strong survive.  Well, the strong and the guys who know how to make your head explode with one hit.  Enter
our hero, Kenshiro who is out on a lovely post-nuclear war stroll with his girl, Julia, when the Fist of the South, Shin, appears.  He tells Kenshiro aka Ken that Julia is his now because only the strong can survive and he is the strongest.  They fight, obviously, and Ken loses as he wasn't prepared to fight his ex-best friend.  Julia says she won't go willingly with Shin and Shin decides to change he mind by POKING HIS FINGERS into Ken's chest and by doing so makes a star pattern that looks like the big dipper!  Ken gets tossed into a ditch by his own brother Jagi, who has his own hidden evil plot, and left for dead.

Years later, I think, or maybe just a few days later I'm not sure.  Ken awakes when he hears a young girl crying out for help.  Now all of a sudden, Ken is like a mindless Golem destroying everything in his path and quickly disperses the evil gang that was hurting the young girl.  Ken vows revenge and to find his woman, Julia.

The story just keeps getting better by Ken fighting huge HUGE men that I'm guessing somehow have become mutated by the nuclear war.  He fights his own older brother Rao who has a huge army of his own and his own quest of world domination to complete.  SPOLIER ALERT, KINDA: They get into an awesome one on one fight at the end which is just a must see for all.

This anime started it all for me and I hope it does the same for you.  When you have about an hour and a half to kill, watch Kenshiro kill hundreds of men with his super 100 fist punch which I know is unnecessary if you can just punch a guy once and make his head explode.  "You're already dead!"

You are already dead.

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Friday Funnies for July 11th, 2014

I hope everyone survived last weekend.  This weekend I will be doing THIS.  Yes, I know you're totally jelly, but here's some funnies that might help cheer you up.

Last week's Funnies. 

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