The other year we wrote about the LCARS Reader app for Apple’s iOS. I absolutely loved the concept, but it wasn’t long before the novelty wore off and I found myself deleting the app altogether. I’m not sure if it was just that I found the interface to be slightly buggy and difficult to navigate, or that it seemed to lack the polish I’ve become accustomed to with properly licensed products — maybe a bit of both. It’s been over a year, and CBS has finally got around to creating their own LCARS interface with their official Star Trek PADD app. Took them long enough, am I right?
With simulcasting and the proliferation of digital distribution both legal and otherwise, it comes as no surprise that Hulu has finally decided to take anime seriously. While US distributors are losing the constant battle for shelf space with brick & mortar retailers, companies like CrunchyRoll, Netflix, and Anime News Network have worked to expand their online catalog. While Hulu has managed to ink deals with companies like Funimation and Aniplex to stream several of their titles in recent months, on July 3rd the company will begin to stream the upcoming second season of Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clana mere 3 hours after its Japanese broadcast. Sure, it’s not quite a simulcast, but its impressive.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jun 30, 2011 in Cinema, Fandom
Well, it’s certainly not the worst fan-film I’ve ever seen —Dark Betrayalcomes to mind — but I suppose we can’t really expect much after the hot mess that was John Carpenter’s Escape from L.A. I have a soft-spot in my heart for that film, but even I have to admit that it was terrible. Rather than attempting to follow Carpenter’s ridiculous sequel, director Chris Notarile decided to pen one of his own with his fan-film Escape from New Jersey. I imagine that trying to recreate the feel of Carpenter’s original film would be difficult on a shoe-string budget. Though it’s slow-paced, and lacks polish, the script itself isn’t half bad. While I can’t overlook every issue, I feel the film is a decent attempt worth mentioning. It’s enough to make me wonder if Snake Plisskin will ever make his return. Until then, this might have to do.
I have to admit, there’s nothing quite like watching Apple fail. In recent years, the company has worked to establish an infallible aura surrounding creative platforms like music and film production. This has led their users to believe the notion that Apple could do no wrong. Rightfully so, Apple became Hollywood’s industry standard. When the company released the latest version of their video production software Final Cut Pro X, studios flocked to install the new software, only to find that Apple had changed almost everything, and had completely removed many of the advanced features in a vain attempt to simplify the work-flow. It wasn’t long before someone — in this case, Conan O’Brien’s staff — decided to poke fun at Apple’s shiny new crippleware. The worst part? It’s all true.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jun 29, 2011 in Videogames
Naughty Dog’s Uncharted 3 is still months away from its official release, but today the company launched its “closed” multiplayer beta. They say closed, but there are a number of ways for prospective gamers to gain access. The first and most immediate way would be to purchase a Playstation Plus membership, or to take advantage of Sony’s free 30 day offer they extended in light of their recent troubles if you haven’t done so already. This will allow you to access the beta early. Another method, and perhaps the most satisfying for some would be visiting any Subway restaurant during the month of October to obtain a code. Unfortunately, that won’t leave you with a lot of time to toy with the multiplayer ahead of its November 11th release date, but it’s better than nothing. After all, I’m sure nobody is really buying the game for its “ground-breaking” multiplayer experience.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jun 28, 2011 in Cinema, Design
The other week I stumbled across the works of Damon Bard. While many of you might not recognize his name, you’ll definitely recognize his work. Damon’s been involved with a number of Hollywood productions over the course of his career, with his sculptures and character designs having graced such films Revenge of the Sith, How to Train Your Dragon, Shrek 2, and more. While his website might seem a tad unassuming, his online portfolio is filled with a plethora of beautiful sculptures, Marquettes and models he’s crafted over the years. While he might not be responsible for bringing these models to life on the big screen, Bards creations have likely fueled the creativity of animators who have. To find out more about Damon and his craft, check out his official website, portfolio and blog.
This one took me by surprise. About a year ago, there were some rumors floating around the net regarding a potential live-action adaptation of the classic manga, Rurouni Kenshin. Well, it turns out it’s not just some rumor after all. Warner Brothers will be producing the film, starring Sato Takeru as Kenshin. Some of you might recognize him from last year’s live-action adaptation of Beck (the manga, not the musician.) While I enjoyed the Rurouni Kenshin‘s manga and OVAs, the animated series that aired in the late-90s seemed a bit too juvenile in comparison. Of course, that didn’t stop it from being wildly popular. Still, I’m looking forward to seeing how the film shapes up over the next few months. The rest of the cast for the upcoming film have yet to be unveiled, and it won’t hit theaters until sometime in 2012.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jun 23, 2011 in Comic Books
This is kind of exciting news for manga fans. CrunchyRoll is readying a closed beta for their upcoming online manga distribution platform, JManga.com and are currently accepting applications from North Americans readers interested in testing it out. They haven’t released too many details about the new service, but have stated that they’ve been working closely with their partners in Japan in order to facilitate their selection of content. They’re hoping to use your feedback to improve the site before its official launch later this year. Like CrunchyRoll, I imagine it will be in the form of a subscription based premium service. To sign up for a chance to take part in the closed beta, simply click here and fill out their form. If you’re picked for the beta, they’ll be notifying you the first week of July.
The other day, we mentioned the upcoming Saint Seiya PS3 title being developed by Namco Bandai. This evening they officially gave us our first look at the game. The short teaser only contains a bit of actual gameplay, but it seems as though I was spot on when I predicted the game would resemble Koei Tecmo’s Dynasty Warriors. Personally, I love those games even if other people can’t really them — Dynasty Warriors, and series like it, often receive less than stellar reviews in the West — so this little teaser has me really excited to see where they take the title from here. On top of that, I think they a fantastic job capturing the feel of the series with the character designs. Let’s just hope someone decides to license the title after it hits Japanese shelves later this fall.
Though I was never a huge fan of Doctor Who, it didn’t take long for me to fall in love with it’s more recent spin-off Torchwood. Series four, Miracle Day as they’re calling it looks to move the production of the show stateside, no doubt due to the nature of its mixed cast. It had been rumored that the show would end up as a reboot airing on Fox but that deal seems to have fallen through, and the series will instead continue its previous plot where it left off on Starz and BBC Worldwide starting July 8th. To help promote the show, the studio has developed an iOS app that’ll pack in an interactive motion comic with “some gameplay elements”. The comics will tell a parallel story featuring the voices of Eliza Dushku, John Barrowman, Eve Myles. Personally, I can’t stand Dushku, but Barrowman’s great so I’m psyched. An additional nine episodes will be available in packs of three for $1, or as an entire pack for $3. The app will be made available prior to the premiere on July 8th.
While it didn’t take much to sell me on Peter Jackson & Steven Spielberg’s upcoming 3D animated feature, The Adventures of Tintin, I’m sure some of you might still be on the fence. Several fans of the series have been complaining about Jackson’s liberal take on many of the characters after viewing recent trailers for the film. Personally, I don’t really mind the changes. Clearly several changes are to be expected when taking a classic comic and re-imagining it for 3D animation. To illustrate that, Weta & HarperCollins will be publishing the upcoming book The Art of The Adventures of Tintin. The book apparently covers early illustrations, the final shots, and everything in-between, along with forewards from both Jackson and Spielberg. On top of that, the initial run being sold directly by Weta will feature a special gift — the special prop wallet, along with the passages used to locate the boat from the original story. That’s subject to change, but it sounds pretty amazing. The book will retail for $40, and will be ship this October. Pre-order yours while gift supplies last.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jun 21, 2011 in Videogames
I’m not sure how many of you are familiar with this classic series — it was pretty huge in Mexico — but Saint Seiya fans might be pleased to hear that the series will be receiving its very own PS3 title. The game’s being developed by Namco Bandai, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll publish it overseas. Thankfully, if you’re a big enough fan of the series living in North America, you should still be able to import yourself a copy of the game seeing as we share Japan’s Blu-ray region code. According to V-Jump magazine, Saint Seiya Senki, as they’re calling it, will feature “cinematic melee action,” and should feature each of the saints squaring off against numerous opponents. I imagine that probably means something like Dynasty Warriors Gundam, but I could be wrong. We’re expecting to see a trailer for the game hit the official site later this week. The game should release this fall.
Here’s some hilarious clips featuring the 1978 Fantastic Four animated series with a cameo by none other than the master of magnetism himself. The show only lasted 12 episodes, no doubt due to the lack of the Human Torch — after all, he’s the only member anyone really liked. While there had been a long-running rumor that network executives were worried about kids immolating themselves, the fact of the matter was that Johnny Blaze had been licensed to NBC at the time for a potential pilot that never got picked up. Of course, with amazing scripts like The Menace Of Magneto here, I’m sureno amount of “flame on” could have saved it, and can someone please tell me why every 70’s cartoon villain felt the compulsive need to narrate everything?
We found out about this a little late, but if you’re looking forward to Peter Jackson’s upcoming film The Hobbit, you might want a chance to catch the extended editions of Peter Jackson’s original Lord of the Rings trilogy on the big screen. Fathom Events has decided to host a special three night screening of the films at theaters around the nation. While we missed our chance to catch The Fellowship of the Ring on the 14th, you can still catch The Two Towers and The Return of the King on June 21st and 28 respectively at participating locations. Personally, I don’t recall ever catching the extended editions in the theater, but I can’t imagine spending 5 hours — at least, I seem to recall The Return of the King‘s extended cut being about that long — in a theater packed with fellow hobbit enthusiasts. In fact, I don’t think I’d be able to do that for any film, let alone that one. Still, it’s probably something I won’t get another chance to see in theaters anytime soon. For the full list of participating locations, or for more information, head over to Fathom’s event site.
These Star Wars hoodies look cool by themselves, but every image I’ve seen of someone wearing one has them looking like a Japanese Sentai hero, or a Mexican Luchador. I really can’t decide if I want one or not. On some level, looking like a Sentai might be awesome, but you’d also look like the least intimidating thief to ever step in a 7-Eleven. If it’s looking like a superhero we’re worried about, we may as well pick up one of these officially licensed Marvel hoodies instead. Sure, they don’t provide a makeshift helmet, but at least they look silk enough to wear out on a regular basis — the Spider-Man ones do, any way. If you’re looking to pick one up yourself, each of these hoodies will run you $49.99 via ThinkGeek.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jun 15, 2011 in Television
Something about Spike TV’s Deadliest Warrior has never sat right with me. While the concept seems promising, I’ve found the show’s approach to be a bit juvenile at times and the research they conduct to determine the results hardly seems scientific enough. That said, they do an impressive job of demonstrating some of the ancient weaponry, while dramatizing the action enough to keep us entertained. Next season, it seems they plan on kicking things up a notch. Not only will they add a trained Navy Seal to their cast of hosts, but the research used to determine the outcomes will be even more in-depth. Read more…
With San Diego Comic-Con just over a month away, Sideshow Collectibles has been gearing up with a short list of exclusive pre-orders for attendees and non-attendees alike. The other day, they unveiled their latest addition to the list, Hot Toys’ Iron Man Mark IV “Secret Project” collectible figure. This 1:6th scale figure stands at 12 inches tall and comes with all the bells and whistles we’ve come to expect from Hot Toys — battery powered LED lights, interchangeable parts, articulated joints and armor flaps, you name it. If you’re attending and want to get your hands on one, you’ll need to sign up for the Sideshow Collectibles newsletter, then pre-order on June 16th between the hours of 10 AM to 12 PM PST. If you’re not attending Comic-Con but still want one, you’ll have to wait until the 17th. It’ll retail for just $209, and any figures left over will be sold to the general public, but that’s probably not going to happen. For more photos, visit the Sideshow Collectibles production blog. For info on how to pre-order, head over to their con exclusives sub-site.
Here’s the net’s first good look at Toei’s Space Pirate Captain Harlock remake, a3D film pilot produced by Toei animation back in 2010. Apparently they finished this pilot some time ago and have been moving forward production on a proposed full-scale film due out sometime in 2012. The footage was shown at last year’s Tokyo International Anime Fair, Hawaii’s Kawaii-Kon this past April and again at France’s Annecy film festival a few weeks back. The above clip was subsequently aired on a French news network and looks to be the most complete footage to have been uploaded to net thus far. When I first heard about the project late last year, I freaked out a bit. I wasn’t too keen on the idea of animating Harlock in 3D. His costume alone, not to mention his hair would make it difficult. However, so far this is looking great. We’ll just have to see if Toei plans on sharing any more of the film in the coming months.
The other week, Duke Nukem Forever finally shipped after nearly a decade and a half in development hell. Though I have no intention of playing the game myself, my colleagues in the gaming press have been rather outspoken. In fact, just today I read a fantastic article by Ars Technica’s Ben Kuchera labeling the game “barely playable, not funny,” and “rampantly offensive.” I get that Nukem is suppose to be an over-the-top misogynist and that we’re suppose to find the humor in that. The formula can work, otherwise I’m sure Daniel Tosh wouldn’t be selling out venues across the U.S. So, I’ve come to the conclusion that Gearbox just didn’t know how to execute it. Maybe they should have looked to Japan. After all, Japan gave us the Golgo 13.
After last year’s teaser, a lot of gamers have been dying to see more of Bioware’s upcoming MMORPG, Stars Wars: The Old Republic. This year, they showed off a bit more by releasing the entire intro cinematic, and it looks absolutely gorgeous. It’s the company’s first MMORPG, and from what little I’ve seen of the gameplay, Bioware might have a product that can really compete with Blizzard’s powerhouse. It seems that I’m not the only one who feels that way either, as Razer has recent announced entire line of Star Wars: The Old Republic gaming peripherals. As Michael mentioned to me, they’re not quite as cool looking as their recent Tron Legacy tie-ins, but I still think they look pretty sharp. While they haven’t announced a solid release date, Bioware states the game should ship sometime later this year.
Feast your eyes on these awesome Miyazaki-inspired Lego models. They’re not quite as epic as the Minecraft maps we showed you last month, but designer Iain Heath did a fantastic job recreating a bit of Ghibli’s magic. They were originally displayed at last year’s BrickCon Exhibition in Seattle. Personally, I love his Totoro, and I really dig the little Japanese garden he built for the exhibit. For more images, check out his full gallery on Flickr.
With all the exciting announcements from this week’s E3 press conferences, it’s nice to finally be able to take a break from gaming news. Thankfully, Paramount has released it’s latest TV spot for the upcoming film Captain America: The First Avenger. Like the other trailers, this TV spot features quite a bit of action shots, and includes a brief confrontation between Steve Rodgers and Red Skull. The film looks fantastic, but I’m not sure if it’ll be able to top X-Men Origins or Thor in terms of box office performance. Then again, I should note that both of those films were better than I expected going in. Anyone else looking forward to it?
Pretty much everyone had been waiting on pins and needles for Nintendo to unveil its upcoming successor to the Wii. At yesterday’s press conference, they finally gave us our first good look at Project Cafe, dubbed the Wii U — another name that has left many of us scratching our heads. Unlike Sony, Nintendo remained silent about many of the specs surrounding the new console, choosing to simply post the details on their official site. However, what they did share seemed really impressive. A tablet controller with the ability to transfer content seamlessly from the the tablet to the screen, and a graphics engine that finally rivals that of other current generation consoles.
There’s no hiding the fact that Sony has been dealing with quite a bit of bad press as of late. As many of you may already be aware, the company has been suffering from numerous attempts to hack their servers and subsequent fallout. Many outlets have been quick to criticize the company for their inability to react in what they’ve deemed a timely manner, while others have applauded Sony’s attempts to rectify the situation for both developers and consumers alike. Did Sony’s E3 conference do anything to restore our faith in their brand? Or, was it just another in a long line of missteps?
