MOVIES: SHOCKWAVES

Shockwaves is a horror movie from 1977 starring Peter Cushing about mutant Nazis. I have been after this movie for a few years now and finally managed to grab a copy this week.

So a boat full of tourists gets shipwrecked on a remote island in the Florida region. The survivors go to a massive abandoned hotel for help where they find Peter Cushing's character who tells them where to find a boat and to fuck off.

Like most horror movies they do not take his advice and thats where all the trouble starts. Cushing then tells his uninvited guests how he is an ex SS commander who created a race of mutant nazi's which cannot be controlled or reasoned with. They were created to man submarine ships and tear apart any opponents with their bare hands.

The mutants however could not be controlled and the mutants along with their commander fled from the allies and are now taking refuge on this deserted island.

This movie is one of the coolest films I have seen recently and there has been a lot of films watched at the Lost Entertainment HQ in the past few weeks. Shockwaves is cool because it is the most serious nazi related horror film I have seen, whereas others like Dead Snow (click here for the review) have always gone in the slapstick tongue in cheek approach when dealing with this very sensitive subject.

Shockwaves is a very chilling film for its time and it has aged very well. The movies simple yet very effective synth soundtrack just slots in perfect also.

The makeup and special effects in this movie are pretty cool. The mutant nazis look awesome and the underwater sequences look really good and build a great atmosphere. If you are looking for buckets of gore this will disappoint you somewhat, as the deaths in this movie all come from drowning. Remember a scary movie doesn't have to be about buckets of blood. The Ringu and the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre are testament  to this.

So the final verdict in this one is a thumbs up from me. Great story, decent performances, good soundtrack, great monsters and a thrill from start to finish.

MOVIES: IS THE THIRD INSTALLMENT OF A SUPER HERO FRANCHISE ALWAYS THE DEMISE?

So with the third installment of the Iron Man movies upon us this week, the same question emerges as always will it flop?

For many film franchises the third installment can bring new life into the franchise and keep it going.  But for the superhero genre the third movie has always been more of a curse than a positive element. The trend with these movies has always been the same, the first movie is good, the second better and the third... urgh. Today we will be looking at some of the most disastrous third installments of comic book based cinema.

SUPERMAN III

Superman III is up there along with Terminator 3 and Streetfighter as being one of my most HATED movies of all time. So the first movie was great and the second was just incredible, with the battle against General Zod to save Metropolis. It was everything a superhero movie should be, action packed with a story arc that makes the main character vulnerable for a considerable amount of time to then return and kick the shit out of the bad guys. So how do we top this? Richard fucking Pryor! I am a fan of Richard Pryor and Superman but together? Fuck off. 

Superman III was a pure flop from start to finish due to the fact the whole story was all centered round Richard Pryor's bizarre casting. The movie went for the complete slapstick approach which amused just about no one and entertained even less. One day I will go back in time and stop this and Rocky V from being made. Avoid like the plague as this makes the fourth installment of the Superman series look like the Dark Knight.

BATMAN FOREVER

When I saw Batman Forever for the first time in 1995 when I was 11 I loved it and went to see it twice that summer. I wasn't the only one who thought this, Jonathan Ross gave it a glowing review at the time and said and I quote "one of the greatest superhero movies ever made". The thing with Batman Forever was the fact visually for its time it was stunning, it was amazingly casted (apart from Kilmer) but the script was the biggest let down for this one. Taking away a lot of the original 2 films mythology and going for the more slapstick approach Batman Forever has not aged well. One of the things this movie did which was a catalyst for the demise of many 3rd sequels in this genre, is trying to cram too much in one movie and adding too many villains and other supporting characters. 

A lot of this movies problem (just like Superman III) was the fact the script heavily had to be centered around the casting of Jim Carrey as the Riddler. Jim Carrey was funny (at the time anyway) and was the number 1 comedy guy in Hollywood at the time so the movie was dumbed down to his level to make it work. When you compare this to Batman and Batman Returns there is no debate whatsoever. This one blows.

SPIDERMAN 3

Spiderman 3 fucked off so many people on so many different levels that is was just unreal. The first two movies I thought were great but this one just sucked donkey dick from start to finish. Like Batman Forever this one tried cramming in too much into one film thus making it a complete fucking mess. Important parts of the Spider Man mythology where just ignored and fucked with enough to make any fan burp blood (not vomit) it was that bad. This one is a prime example (or maybe THE prime example) of how bad things can go by the third movie. Avoid this one and check out the new Spiderman movie instead as it is amazing just like the title says.

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

This one is the best of the bunch and isn't too bad of a movie. The problem with this one is the fact it has to follow arguably the greatest  comic book movie of all time. So coming up short against that isnt such a bad thing when you think about it. My only complaint with this one was the fact Batman managed to travel back to Gotham from the pit in 8 hours with no explanation. Other than that I couldn't flaw it that bad unless I nit pick and thats not something I am into. Not a bad movie but lacks majorly compared to its predecessors.

X-MEN 3

I am not the biggest fan of the X Men movies at all. I love the comics but the movies never did it for me and when I saw Vinnie Jones wearing a crash helmet trying to be the Juggernaut I switched off immediately. I am a big Juggernaut fan and if we know anything about Juggernaut its the fact he is the size of a house and can tear through anything. A dick head ex Wimbledon FC player with a crash helmet? Fuck off. I hope Disney reboots the X-Men franchise and makes some films I can actually enjoy.

IRON MAN 3

So after reading all that there is a lot of pressure on Iron Man 3 to be the one which rises above the ashes of the dreaded third installment. Will it break the cycle? Theres only one way to find out.. GO SEE IT! 

TOYS: THE GREATEST PLAYSETS OF ALL TIME

Being a kid was awesome and being one who grew up in the golden age of toys and action figures was double fucking awesome. Today we are going to look at some of the greatest toy playsets of all time. From Castle Greyskull to the Turtles Sewer, playsets have always been a very crucial factor in the world of licensed toys and action figures. So without any further delay lets take a look at some of the coolest toy playsets ever made.

THE REAL GHOSTBUSTERS FIRE HOUSE HQ

I got this toy for my 5th birthday and it was one of the coolest things I ever got.. ever! I briefly talked about this toy in an article I done a few months back for the 2012 Halloween countdown (click here to read) but only very briefly. The Ghostbusters Fire House is a top contender for greatest playset of all time. 

The Fire house was 3 levels of fun as well has having a fire pole for the figures to slide down. There was also a Ghost Container which very cleverly allowed you to transfer captured ghosts via a sliding device. The ceiling had holes at the top which slime could be poured through and a garage space for the Ecto wagon.

THE MICRO MACHINES SUPER CITY TOOL BOX PLAYSET

This is the first time that the awesome Micro Machines have made an appearance on Lost Entertainment. There are many other playsets that were bigger and surpassed this one but as this was the oldest and most popular this one makes the list.

The playset came encased inside a big tool box which when opened, transformed into a mini city. 

Once fully set up it became a small city with a suspension bridge, a marina and lots of garages and tunnels for your cars and other vehicles to be parked. I only had a few Micro Machines so I ended up using my city as a demolition zone for my Jurassic Park dinosaur toys.

WWF HASBRO WRESTLING RING

This playset was kind of a necessity if you had Hasbro WWF figures, unless of course you had a backyard fed which only has ringless backstage brawls. Many different toy rings had been made up to this point but none of them were as great as the Hasbro ring. Even to this day the Hasbro ring holds its own against the current rings that they make today. It was perfectly scaled and was durable as hell. The ring came complete with an American flag and a rubber WWF title belt.

MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE SNAKE MOUNTAIN PLAYSET

Although Castle Greyskull was the must have playset when it came to He Man figures, Snake Mountain was a far more superior toy. 

Snake Mountain was a pretty big deal compared to the other awesome playsets in the Masters of the Universe line of toys and playsets. It had ladders, a bridge, compartments, a torture rack and also a cool voice changer microphone device in there for good measure as well. When you compare it to the Castle Greyskull playset, which really looked cool from the front but a shell from the inside, Snake Mountain wipes the floor with it.

THE KARATE KID ATTACK ALLEY AND TRAINING CENTER

 The title of this toy sounds a bit odd as it is just a big house for your Karate Kid figures to train and fight in. The "attack alley" part of the title makes it sound very rapey.

I will doing a big article in the near future about the Remco line of Karate Kid toys and action figures. The training center was an awesome playset which had 2 levels and came complete with a few ninjas as well. You can never be upset about getting ninjas for free I guess. The set came with lots of Karate related bits and pieces like breakable boards and plastic weapons.

THUNDERCATS MUMM-RA'S TOMB FORTRESS

Like Snake Mountain I always preferred Mumm-Ras Tomb playset over the Thundercats Lair. I think its because this playset was just so dark and gnarly compared to the other one. 

A great added bonus of this playset was the free figure of Mumm-ra in his natural form. This toy had a sliding device inside of his casket which could transform him into his beasted up action figure.

BATMAN BATCAVE

The toy biz line of Batman figures released in 1989 to tie in with the movie were just fucking awesome and my favorite set of Batman toys ever made. Not only did this line have a cool set of figures and amazing vehicles, but the Bat cave was just pure awesome.

The cave had lots of different ropes and pulley devices that Batman could scale and climb. I used to have mine in a secret bush in the garden along with the vehicles parked inside. I left it outside once and a cat or some other kind of animal pissed on it.

THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES SEWER PLAYSET

This toy might not look much now but at the time it was a big deal, a huge fucking deal in fact  I remember being so obsessed with this overpriced piece of plastic that I made friends with some smelly kid who I did not like very much, just so I could get to play with this playset or even just touch it.

The sewer had all kinds of underground pipes and a street level just above. The sewer also had a TV screen which you could place figures behind to make it look like they were on the TV. To be honest that part has always confused me but I still think its awesome.

STAR WARS DEATH STAR

Star Wars toys will always be renowned for being the most collectible and awesome series of toys ever made. Almost forty years on the Star Wars toys and franchise are still going very strong. The Death Star playset was something I had but it was something I got from a boot sale and wasn't in very good condition whatsoever.

The Death Star was made of durable cardboard but still cardboard is cardboard and it is not the easiest thing to preserve. This toy may be one of the most valuable playsets of all time if in the right condition. The toy consisted of four chambers and had working elevators. This maybe the holy grail when it comes to action figure playsets.

THE A-TEAM HQ

The A-Team line of toys are some of my most cherished and favorite toys to be released in the 1980's. The A-Team HQ is another super rare and valuable gem  just like the Death Star. The playset had 2 levels and came complete with shit loads of accessories and also had a working elevator as well.   

GI JOE U.S.S FLAGG AIRCRAFT CARRIER

This toy is up there as being the most epic and largest playset of all time. Not many kids (including myself) had this but I knew one and I actually got to play with this plastic monstrosity.

The U.S.S FLAGG was over 6 feet in length and was full of compartments and rooms. The bridge area was superb and very realistic and the amount of stuff you could bring on the ship was endless. This toy maybe the boldest, largest and most extravagant playset ever made in the history of our planet.  

Thats all for today keep checking back for updates or subscribe via E-Mail on the top left hand side.

MOVIES: THE ONE EYED MONSTER

In case you were thinking, yes this movie is about a penis. Ron Jeremys penis in fact and it goes on a rampage and kills people. I wish I was making this up but I am really not. I once watched a movie about a giant arse that destroys the world and I thought that was maybe the dumbest fucking movie I had ever seen. Then again most of the films that end up on here I could (and probably have) said the same thing about them.

So the story of the movie is that a porn crew are filming a skin flick in a secluded cabin (like ya do) and a bolt of light hits Ron Jeremy while he is taking a piss outside. After that his cock leaves his body and starts killing everyone by raping them to death.

Things go from bad to worse but not just for the characters in the film but more importantly the viewer. This movie looks like it was written and cast by a 14 year old boy it's beyond stupid and its just fucking shit. I am all for watching dumb movies with sexual organs that go around killing people but this is just a stinker from start to finish.

One of the films highlights is when a guy gets choked to death by the cock and when some old slut lets it beast her while the others run to safety. If you are unfortunate enough to land on this one at 3am on the Horror channel than have a butchers and then switch over. DONT rent or stream this movie as it is a waste of time and utter toss. Literally

BOARD GAMES: ATMOSFEAR

Atmosfear was an interactive VHS video board game released in the UK in 1992. In the United States this game was called Nightmare. The game was very innovative and the first of its kind. As well as playing against each other, players also had to play against a character called the Gate Keeper who was on the TV.

Before the game starts each player must write down their worst fear on a piece of card and then shuffle them and place them in the middle. When we replayed this game at Halloween most of the cards had "gang rape" wrote on them and my one had "the tax man" scribbled on it. The aim of the game was to progress around the board (which was a grave yard) collecting keys. Once you collected six keys you could then advance to the middle of the board and turn over the top nightmare card. If the card you unturned is not your nightmare then you win the game but if its not.. you lose shit bag.

With all that in mind you also have to play against another character who I mentioned earlier, The Gate Keeper. The Gate Keeper is a weird welsh guy with a hood on. You must do everything that is asked of you which includes, shouting stuff at the TV, rolling the dice, tossing the coin, being insulted by him and being made his bitch for the duration of the game.

As the game progresses the Gate Keeper becomes more evil looking and sounds weirder. The game is timed for 60 minutes. If no one can get to the middle of the board in time within that 60 minutes the Gate Keeper wins the game. This game is best enjoyed with six players and it was a blast playing it with the family at christmas in 1992. This game however does not have a very good replay value, as the tape is the same each time not many new scenarios occur.

Due to the game not having that great of a replay value expansion packs would be released in the near future to keep the game fresh and also keep the money rolling in. The original Atmosfear game sold over 1 Million copies in its first year and was a huge success.

Atmosfear would get a reboot a few years later with a DVD version which is cool and has countless new possibilities and angles which gives the game that replay value the previous versions lacked. These games are a good laugh and much more exciting than Scrabble and the other big time board games.

MORBID CURIOSITY TATTOO/COMIC STORE OPENING

The store opened on Saturday and it was a pretty fun day. Thanks to everyone who came to check out the shop and hang out. The store will officially open for regular trading at the beginning of May.

We have hundreds of great comics and graphic novels on sale which range from 50p to £20 with many deals and offers going on as well.

We are also working with Fallen Models by Tom Daines which is one of the coolest independant up and coming custom figure and model companies around in the UK.

We are selling these blank canvas 5 inch dolls which can be painted and turned into anything you want. They are great for making your very own wrestling figures and bootleg super heroes. If you are not very skilled at painting we can sort that out for you at a small extra cost.

As well as all this the shop is the home of tattoo artist and illustrator Sebastian Hannigan who does some amazing work. Prints are on sale and the tattoo parlour will be ready for the shop opening next month.

So with all this amazing stuff we have in store I hope to see you there in the near future. The store is located inside of a indoor shopping unit which houses a cash for gold shop and a few other units. We are located at the back. The address of the store is Unit 5, 284 Barking Rd, East Ham, Newham.

IMPORTANT NEWS REGARDING THE LOST ENTERTAINMENT STORE

Hey everyone the Lost Entertainment online comic store will be down for maintenance during the next few weeks. However we will be open for business and selling comics at Morbid Curiosity Tattoo parlour in Barking East Ham.

This new store will be open once a week over the next month or so and will be open on regular trading days after that.

The address of the store is Unit 5, 284 Barking Rd, East Ham, Newham, United Kingdom. The stores grand opening will be this coming Saturday (April 6th) and will be open from 10am to 6pm.

Please come down and have a look there will be many bargains and special items from the Lost Entertainment store as well as many original art pieces on sale also.

We hope to see you there. Click here for the facebook event page for more information or if you have any queries or questions

GAMING: CAMPAIGN FOR SHENMUE 3

Over a decade ago a game was released on the Sega Dreamcast which changed the face of gaming forever and innovated a new way of enjoying video games. ShenMue was  the first ever realistic open world game to be released on a video games console. In 2013 we have games like Skyrim, GTA V (on its way), the Fallout series and many other open world titles which let you complete the game in your own time in realistic life like environments.

I really feel that none of this would be possible without the release of that video game over a decade ago. ShenMue was the first ever game to put you into a real life situation where you had to work, go to bed, eat drink and more importantly fight. ShenMue is a timeless classic which has one of the most powerful storylines, moments and characters in video game history.

Originally the game was meant to go on to have many sequels and become the most epic video game series of all time surpassing anything that was released and would be released in years to come. However due to financial woes of Sega after their amazing console the Dreamcast flopped commercially against the Playstation 2, the plug was pulled on ShenMue after the first sequel.

ShenMue was a massive game, and one game took up multiple discs of data. After putting in god knows how many hours of my time and effort into this series only to be cut off half way through it pissed me off.. in fact it still pisses me off to this day. Its like getting to have sex with Trish Stratus only to have her magically disappear after licking her fanny. Frustrating and infuriating to say the least.

In 2013 there are a lot of people including myself who want Shenmue 3 to become a reality. One of them people is the Shenmue creator Yu Sazuki. The campaign has begun and if you feel as strongly as we do about Shenmue then get your tweets going with hashtag #GiveYutheShenmueLicense and going to this link.