Capturing the ‘Ninja Turtles’ Look with ‘Mutant Mayhem’ Cinematographer Kent Seki

August 3, 2023August 4, 2023 Mike Manalo

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is officially in theaters! And if you haven’t seen this one yet, we cannot recommend it enough. It’s spectacular! And part of the reason this one is special is because of how beautiful and charming the movie looks, from it’s wonderful animation style to the filmmakers’ abilities to put some challenging but gorgeous action sequences on screen. And none of that would be possible without the film’s talented cinematographer, Kent Seki!

Animation, Movies, Reviews2 Comments

NOC Review: ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem’ Goes Full Turtle Power

July 31, 2023August 21, 2023 Mike Manalo

“Go ninja, go ninja, go!” Those were the immortal words uttered in the finale of arguably the last good movie based on Laird and Eastman’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. That may be a controversial statement for fans for the Bay-produced 2014 and 2016 films, the 2007 cheaply animated movie TMNT, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III. But as a fan myself, whether for nostalgic or legitimate reasons, nothing ever really topped the first two live action films from 1990 and 1991. Until now.

Animation, Movies, Trailers

‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem’ Trailer Teases Superfly Animation

May 31, 2023June 1, 2023 Michael Lee

Of all the cinematic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles iterations that we’ve got in the past, there was only one animated one. However, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem seems to embrace their comic book origins with colorful illustrative storytelling that bursts with heart and humor. And now the newest trailer puts that on full display.

Podcasts, Toys

‘Holy Frick’ with Cincy Nerd

June 9, 2021June 24, 2021 Shelf Conscious

This week on Shelf Conscious, Keith welcomes popular YouTuber Cincy Nerd!

Comics, Movies4 Comments

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Proves Michael Bay Does Not Care About You

August 11, 2014May 6, 2015 Ren Hsieh

Very rarely do the things we cherish as youth hold up over time. By the 1980s, the cartoons my generation watched were mostly extended commercials to sell toys. Nevertheless, the lasting ones all seemed to have a good spirit. There were lessons to be learned about teamwork, camaraderie, and leadership. And, then we would go buy some toys.

The new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles live action reboot is a hollow Makerbot rendering of a movie. It is a garbled pastiche of disconnected pop culture references crudely assembled, as if by not-yet-ready-for-Skynet A.I. trying to calculate the best ratio of human enjoyment vs product placement.

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Comics, Movies2 Comments

Why the Bay of Turtles is Not a Failure

March 28, 2014March 28, 2014 Michel Buster

So, all of Nerdom is up in arms over the new Michael Bay Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie. Here’s my stance: “Bring it on.” I am a comic book geek, if you cut me, I bleed four color ink. So, when Hollywood wants to make a movie that’s based on a comic book, I’m all for it.

Listen, I know this TMNT is not “your TMNT.” Heck, it’s not even the Turtles cartoon from the late 80s or the movies from the 90s. It’s not based on Eastman and Laird’s revolutionary vision of four radioactive turtles that were raised by a rat who knew martial arts. No, this is different. And that’s okay.

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Comics, Movies6 Comments

Bay’s Turtles Are What We Thought They Were

March 27, 2014March 28, 2014 Keith Chow

In case you missed it, the trailer for the latest iteration of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film franchise has hit the web.

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Gone Too Soon, Television3 Comments

Remembering James Avery

January 1, 2014May 23, 2019 Trish Broome

If you’re a fan of ‘90s pop culture, and you appreciate hip hop music and quality comedy television, then you were probably a fan of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. The show, which aired on NBC from 1990 to 1996, was an entertaining display of humor, culture clashes, and broken stereotypes that almost always ended with a message about the importance of family. Although Will Smith was undoubtedly the star of the show, and Carlton had the best moves (see The Carlton Dance), one of the most memorable characters was Uncle Phil, played by James Avery with a deep love and seriousness that all fathers should possess. More than that, Avery’s Uncle Phil also had a sense of humor that made him the ultimate cool uncle.

Sadly, Avery passed away on Tuesday, December 31, 2013 from open-heart surgery complications. He was only 68.

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