Top 10 Geek Pop Culture Movies of 2017 with Honorable Mentions plus Dishonorable Ones

As the year begins, it is usually the off-season for major movie releases with some of the December blockbusters trailing off the festive holiday season and a few mid-budget offerings. So this is a good time to reflect on last year's movies to revisit those geek pop culture titles that sent shudders through our geekiness. These geek movies need not have broken box office records but certainly made their presence felt amongst various fandoms.

Our resident Vulcan cultural observer Mr Smock together with The Captain of Pop Culture FUN - Malaysia share their selection of Top 10 Geek Pop Culture movies of 2017 released in tropical Malaysia; listed below in no intended order:

Logan, the final chapter in the Wolverine Trilogy. of the X-Men franchise.
20th Century Fox.

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2.
Marvel Studios (Disney).

Spider-man Homecoming joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Sony Pictures.

Marvel's Thor Ragnarok.
Marvel Studios (Disney).

  

Star Wars Episode VIII The Last Jedi.
Lucasfilm (Disney)

Wonder Woman.
Warner Bros Pictures.

Justice League, finally the DCEU unites.
Warner Bros Pictures.

Blade Runner 2049, a sequel 35 years in the making.
Sony Pictures.

Jumanji Welcome to the Jungle, a sequel 22 years in the making.
Sony Pictures.

Kong Skull Island.
Warner Bros Pictures.

Listen to Mr Smock and The Captain explain their movie choices on our YouTube channel MySciFiFanOutpost in this video:

These movies are certainly must-watch for geeks so take the opportunity during this off-season to catch these titles that you may have missed at the cinemas; some are still showing whilst others are already available in DVD / Blu-Ray, pay-TV, and on-demand video streaming services.

There were certainly many other geek movies released in 2017 so these comprise 10 Honorable Mentions by our reviewer duo; also listed in not intended order:

Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar's Revenge / Dead Men Tell No Tales (Disney).

Fast & Furious 8 / Fast 8 / Fate of the Furious (United International Pictures).

War for the Planet of the Apes. Kingsman The Golden Circle (20th Century Fox).

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (Rainfilm).

Ghost in the Shell (United International Pictures).

The Dark Tower. Arrival. (Sony Pictures)

Power Rangers (TGV Pictures).

LEGO Batman Movie (Warner Bros Pictures).

Whilst these movies may not fall under the "must-watch" classification as per the Top 10 list, they are still recommended entertainment that the geek community should check out, especially whilst the cinema is devoid of equivalent offerings at this time. Here is Mr Smock and The Captain share on why these titles deserve Honorable Mentions:

Local movie tidbits: Fast 8 and Jumanji Welcome to the Jungle rank in the Top Five All-Time Highest Grossing Movies in Malaysia, both starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in the same year. Plus Malaysia's Highest Grossing Movie ever is Furious 7 in 2015, also starring Dwayne Johnson! Malaysians just can't get enough of Mr. Johnson.

Along with the good, there are certainly the bad offerings of 2017. These few titles are labelled Dishonorable Mentions in such that they are a disservice to their respective franchises. In their third and final part video, Mr Smock and The Captain explains on their Dishonorable Mentions not worth the cinema ticket:

Thank you for reading and we trust fellow geeks will find this movie list plus video reviews useful for an informed decision. Stay tuned here on our Blog as well as our YouTube Channel MySciFiFanOutpost for the Top 10 Must-Watch Geek Movies of 2018.

Peace and Long Life.

Live Long & Prosper.

Disclaimer: Opinions expressed by reviewers are not representative as official positions of Outpost Productions regarding the subject matter.

Geek-gasm at the Avenue K Collectors Festival

Attention fellow Geek guys & gals!

Avenue K shopping mall in downtown Kuala Lumpur is now hosting a Collectors Festival on their ground floor concourse until 10 May 2017. The Avenue K Collectors Festival (AKCF) is showcasing premium collectibles by Prime 1 Studio. This Japanese company founded in 2012 manufacturers limited edition statues from pop culture franchises such as DC, Marvel, Transformers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and more. Products by Prime 1 Studio is distributed locally by Shioktoys Collectibles who have brought out some of their best works to showcase at AKCF.

AK Collectors Festival on now at the ground floor concourse of Avenue K shopping mall.

Here's a sampling of the awesome statues to be seen at AKCF:

DC Comics superhero Trinity: Batman, Wonder Woman and Superman altogether in last year's BvS.

Prime 1 Studio statue of Batman The Dark Knight Returns version 

Prime 1 Studio Limited Edition Venom statue.

Marvel's Anti-Venom by Prime 1 Studio.

Prime 1 Studio's licenses includes Transformers with this Optimus Prime statue.

Decepticon leader Megatron looks ready to bring the pain.

1:6 scale figurines in custom environments also showcased. 

 Geeky loot available to bring home instantly (since Prime 1 Studio products are generally by pre-order only)

  Marvel apparel also on sale by Superheroes United.

Here's a walkthrough video of AKCF:

Here's a lil walk-through of AK Collectors Festival at Avenue K! Remember to drop by and snap photos with your favorite pop cultures characters from now till 10 May 2017. #AvenueKMY #makefriendscreatetrends #AKCollectorsFest
Posted by Avenue K on Friday, 28 April 2017

AKCF also offers activities for mall shoppers with the Super-Agent Challenge. Shoppers with minimum spend of RM50 from any shops in Avenue K will be entitled to take the NERF blaster test in attempt to qualify. The top 8 high scorers from these qualifying attempts will be invited to compete at the Super-Agent Challenge this Sunday 7 May, 1pm. Those with the best skills with NERF and the Injustice video game stand a chance to win these prizes:

• 1st Prize: Limited Edition Batman bust by Prime1 Studio & other prizes worth RM3,000
• 2nd Prize: Limited Edition Jor-El figurine by Hot Toys & other prizes worth RM2,000
• 3rd Prize: Iron Make Mk42 collectible figurine by Egg Attack and other prizes worth RM1,000
• Consolation prizes (5): Superheroes United Marvel t-shirt & other prizes worth RM400 each

It may be just worth your while practicing in advance at the NERF blaster range!

Other more geek-oriented activities include toy sculpting and demo by local artist Blackz GBC plus talks on Customised Costumes & Props by Jon Dei Goon of Helios E.

Especially for cosplayers, AKCF's Cosplay Competition will take place this Sunday 7 May from 2.30pm to 4.30pm. The competition is open for ALL cosplay, be it superhero, anime, video games, etc. These are the prizes up for grabs:

• 1st Prize: AK Cash Voucher worth RM800 & Hot Toys 1:6 scale ELECTRO & other prizes worth RM2, 000
• 2nd Prize: AK Cash Voucher worth RM500 & Mafex die-cast BATMOBILE & other prizes worth RM1, 500
• 3rd Prize: AK Cash Voucher worth RM300 & Autographed artworks by comic artist Jimbo Salgado & other prizes worth RM1, 000
• Consolation Prizes (5): Superheroes United MARVEL apparel & other prizes worth RM400

Online Pre-Registration is now open until this Friday 5 May 2017, 11.59pm. Submit your details online here: https://goo.gl/ZuVSyM

Then email self-photo in full costume and reference visuals of origin character to avenuekmarketing@gmail.com.

The first 10 qualified online pre-registrations will receive a goodie bag with Marvel T-shirts and vouchers!

If competition slots are still available, on-site registration will open on event day until from 11am to 1pm at the Information Counter, Ground Floor.

Terms and Conditions for participation available for download from Avenue K's official website.

As Outpost Productions will be assisting with the Cosplay Competition, we wish to highlight on the following participation criteria:

• Each contestant will be required to showcase themselves in 3 cosplay poses and offered up to 2 minutes to perform a skit. Each contestant may be assisted by up to 2 helpers in their skit. The skits should not contain elements potentially offensive to local society and refrain from issues relating to race, religion or politics.
• Judges will score contestants based on costume quality and cosplay performance (not skit, no score. Cosplay representative of any character displayed by Prime 1 Studio at AKCF may be awarded bonus score.
• Props resembling weapons need to be submitted for inspection during check-in. Real-world guns are not encouraged and if used nozzle must be capped off.
• No cosplayer changing rooms are provided by the venue. Kindly prepare to be in costume before arriving at the mall or make use of the public restrooms as necessary (upper levels less trafficked).

Please feel welcome to address questions at Avenue K's official Facebook Page post.

Excellent view of KLCC Twin Towers from Avenue K's rooftop terrace.

Shoppers who frequent Avenue K may also be aware there is a rooftop terrace with spectacular view of KLCC Twin Towers. Specially for cosplayers this Sunday 7 May, the rooftop terrace will be open between 12pm noon to 6pm for photo shoot opportunities with these icons of Kuala Lumpur. Great of heroic posing but no superhero landings please!

Great photo shoot locations for cosplayers at level 4 roof of Avenue K.

Here's a summary of this coming weekend's activities at AKCF:

Saturday 6 May

3pm  Sculpting Talks by Blackz GBC

5pm  Customized Costume and Props Talks by Jon Dei Goon of Helios E

Sunday 7 May

12-6pm Rooftop open for cosplay photo shoots

1pm         AK Super-Agent Challenge Finals

2pm         Talk on "Tips for Competitive Cosplay" by Jon Dei Goon of Helios E

2.30pm Cosplay Competition

3pm         Sculpting Demo by Blackz GBC

4pm         Panel discussion "Statues & Collectibles: Why We Collect"

5pm         Customized Costume and Props Talks by Jon Dei Goon of Helios E

As well as NERF Blaster Corner and Injustice video game all day from 10am to 10pm.

Note: Schedule based on information at time of posting and may vary without prior notice (don't blame us for changes!)

See you this weekend at AK Collector's Festival!

Disclaimer: Trademarks named in this article are copyright to their respective owners, referenced here for fan service purposes only without intent to infringe.

Get inspired from the Superhero Comic Art Fair 2017

Fans of American comic books take note the Superheroes Comic Art Fair 2017 kicked off last weekend at the venerable Sungei Wang Plaza, Kuala Lumpur. Featuring a handful of professional comic book artists, the fair runs over the school holidays next week until 26 March 2017.

Here's what happened during the event launch day:

Event guests (left to right): Xan Lee (Wonder Woman), Redcode, Michael Chuah, Jimbo Salgado, Sg. Wang management rep, Alan Quah.

Fair at the main concourse of Sg. Wang Plaza.

Malaysian artist Alah Quah talks to Media Prima on this comic career.

Insight into how American comics are developed.

Biography of the guest artists and their sample works.

Live drawing session by Jim Salgado (left) and Michael Chuah.

Jim Salgado from Philippines putting the finishing touches on his Daredevil drawing.

Jim Salgado (left) and Michael Chuah with their finished artworks after almost 2 hours of drawing.

Cosplayer Xan Lee as Wonder Woman as seen in last year's Batman V Superman movie.

Batman cosplay joins Wonder Woman.

Wonder Woman "battling" and over-enthusiastic DC fan.

Here's the upcoming event itinerary (subject to change without notice):

Saturday, 18/3/2017

• 11.30am-1.00pm, Ario Anindito & Alan Quah Live drawing 
• 2.30pm-3.45pm, Behind The Scene Video & Sharing Session with ARIO ANINDITO & ALAN QUAH
• 4.00pm-5.00pm, REDCODE Live Drawing DEMO in stage
• 5.00pm-5.30pm, Superheroes Drawing Contest Ceremony
• 5.30pm-6.30pm, Video Game Contest "The Unwavering Hero"

Sunday, 19/3/2017

• 12.30pm-1.30pm, Video Game Contest “The Unwavering Hero”
• 3.30pm-4.30pm, REDCODE Live Drawing DEMO in stage
• 12.00pm-1.00pm、2.00pm-3.00pm、5.00pm-6.00pm, Xan Lee (WONDER WOMAN) Meet & Great Session

Saturday & Sunday, 25-26/3/2017

• 11.00am-7.00pm Toys Collectors Exhibition/Toy Auction

Superheroes Comic Making Trailer
The Making of Superheroes Comic Trailer！！！
Posted by Superheroes on Sunday, 5 March 2017

Stay tuned to the event Facebook Page Superheroes for latest updates.