|
Posted by Ben Huber on Oct 13, 2014 in Videogames 
Citizen Con 2014 happened recently — yes, a con for Star Citizen — and they debuted new footage from the game, featuring a pilot flying in space all the way down to a planet’s surface. Chris Roberts shows off the ship, then demonstrates flying down through the atmosphere to a landing platform. He even goes through customs! They also show some of the shops and stores, albeit in a very limited fashion. You can definitely see the ambition, and I continue to hope that the full game pays off. (If the video footage below is a little choppy, that’s actually due to the recording software, not the game.) Read more…
Tags: Star Citizen
Posted by Ben Huber on Oct 12, 2014 in Videogames 
Continuing with their new mission of adding bizarre and unique characters to LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, WB announced at NYCC that Duck Dodgers would be joining the playable cast, along with Conan O’Brien and Jim Lee. Yeah, that Jim Lee. I am definitely curious how this whole shtick will play out in the end. It’s a great news bit to say “Hey, look at these crazy characters in our game!” but will it end up actually meaning anything to the final game? Next year will people be talking about how great it was to play as Duck Dodgers or Conan? I don’t know! Check out more images below! Read more…
Tags: Batman, Lego
Posted by Ben Huber on Oct 12, 2014 in Animation, Comic Books 
Back at San Diego Comic-Con we heard that the Guardians of the Galaxy would be getting an animated TV show on Disney XD. All it takes is one blockbuster and suddenly a crew who were referred to as “Who?” are now getting a sequel and spin-offs galore! This new animated series will be taking off in 2015, and Marvel released the SDCC test footage online at New York Comic-Con, along with the first art for the TV show. Thanos will also apparently feature in the show, along with other characters, as part of Marvel’s growing universe. Check out the full poster and test footage below the jump. Read more…
Tags: Guardians of the Galaxy
Posted by Ben Huber on Oct 11, 2014 in Videogames 
Phoenix Wright and crew will be returning to the Nintendo 3DS this winter. We had heard about the updated trilogy a while ago, which will include the first three games in the Ace Attorney series, remastered with updated visuals; but now we’ve got a release date: December 9th in the US and December 11th in Europe. In case you’re wondering, this also includes the bonus case that was added to the first game. The trilogy will be available exclusively on the eShop, which seems to be Capcom’s favorite way to release the Ace Attorney games these days. It’ll run you $29.99, and if you haven’t played them yet, this is a great way to experience these three classic games. Read more…
Tags: 3DS, Ace Attorney, Phoenix Wright
Posted by Ben Huber on Oct 11, 2014 in Cinema, Hobbies and Collections 
Yes, Warner Bros. is taking notice of how much you all loved Batman in the LEGO Movie, and are fast-tracking a LEGO Batman movie. Chris McKay, the animation supervisor on The LEGO Movie, was previously slated to direct the sequel, but now has been switched over to the Batman film. In fact, it appears that the Batman movie will take the 2017 release date of the LEGO Movie sequel entirely, pushing the latter back to another year. Will Arnett is also returning to voice Batman. This means that Will Arnett will get a solo Batman film before even Ben Affleck. Neato! Read more…
Tags: Batman, Lego, The LEGO Movie
Posted by Ben Huber on Oct 10, 2014 in Cinema 
Oh, I know we were just talking about Tomorrowland, but I’m sure Disney doesn’t mind. The first teaser trailer for the film has finally surfaced, and I must say, it’s a really well-done teaser. Rather than showing too little or too much, it simply introduces the main plot point and leaves you wondering where it’ll lead. Good job! I’m a big fan of Brad Bird’s work (but I think most people are), and I can’t wait to see how this will turn out, given that he basically gets to create a whole new world. Oh, and throw a little George Clooney in there to grab the mainstream audiences. Check out the teaser right here! Read more…
Tags: Brad Bird, Tomorrowland
Posted by Ben Huber on Oct 10, 2014 in Cinema 
After rumors swirling for the past month, it has officially been confirmed: Bridesmaids director Paul Feig will direct a new Ghostbusters film, it’ll be scripted by Katie Dippold (who wrote The Heat), and will reportedly feature an all-female leading cast. If we’re going to have to make a new Ghostbusters film, I think this is a great direction to take it. Feig has a great interview over at EW where he goes into detail about his ideas regarding the film as a reboot, as well as addressing some internet complainers about the cast: “When people accuse it of being a gimmick I go, why is a movie starring women considered a gimmick and a movie starring men is just a normal movie?” Good question, Paul! I doubt the internet commenters have a satisfactory answer to that retort, though. Read the full interview here. Read more…
Tags: Ghostbusters
Posted by Bob Muir on Oct 9, 2014 in Cinema 
Remember when Disney adapted their Disneyland ride Pirates of the Caribbean into a movie? While the sequels and fellow ride-turned-movie The Haunted Mansion got mixed reviews, the first Pirates movie was great fun. Brad Bird (The Incredibles) is currently adapting Disneyland’s Tomorrowland section — or at least adapting the name and concept — into a movie starring George Clooney. The story involves a young girl (Britt Robertson) teaming up with a failed inventor (Clooney) to rediscover Tomorrowland, a sort-of separate, better world of science. Ordinary people have difficulty finding this wonderland, much in the way that only wizards can enter Platform 9 ¾ to go to Hogwarts. Obviously, most of the production is shrouded in mystery, but this first image sets the imagination on fire. Tomorrowland seems to be a mix of dreamy nostalgia and retro-futuristic optimism, another sign that escapist stories are continuing to move away from depressing dystopias in favor of dreams of a better tomorrow. Read more…
Tags: Brad Bird, Disney, Tomorrowland
Posted by Bob Muir on Oct 9, 2014 in Television, Videogames 
Here’s a blast from the past. Many will remember Myst, the prerendered videogame from 1993 that has the player touching books to enter immersive worlds (or “ages”) filled with puzzles. The series ended with Myst V in 2005, but now Legendary Entertainment has announced a deal that will allow them to develop Myst for TV. Since there is little story in the game, there are many ways this adaptation could go. I wouldn’t be surprised if they included a new age or two if their story needs it. But dormant fans should take note: developers Rand and Robyn Miller have discussed making a new videogame to tie-in to the TV series, so the franchise may see a sudden revival. Read more…
Tags: Myst
Posted by Bob Muir on Oct 8, 2014 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Since Robert Downey Jr. is only contracted for one more Avengers movie after 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, many assumed that individual Iron Man films may be no more. The actor commands an extremely high paycheck, and he has also expressed an interest in retiring from the role as he gets older. It would make sense for Marvel to continue to build up newer heroes while giving Iron Man a big send-off (before a later recasting) in Avengers 3. But lo and behold, maybe Downey will be starring in more films than expected! On Ellen, he admitted that Iron Man 4 was in development. It would be strange for him to allow the crowd to get excited if he wasn’t involved, so perhaps Marvel’s willing to pony up the cash to keep their biggest star around. It also gives me hope that he may remain involved in the Marvel Cinematic Universe after Avengers 3, at least in some capacity. Read more…
Tags: Iron Man, Marvel
Posted by Bob Muir on Oct 8, 2014 in Videogames 
I’ll be honest: I didn’t think Super Smash Bros. for Wii U would come out this year. Though the tie-in Amiibo toys were scheduled to be released soon, it was somewhat strange that it was already October and no one knew the release date of the supposed “Holiday 2014” release. But apparently I was wrong, because Nintendo has finally announced that the game would be out on November 21, the same day as Pokemon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire. As a reminder, you can also get a bundle with a Gamecube controller adapter and a Smash-branded controller for $100, $10 cheaper than grabbing the adapter and controller separately. Read more…
Tags: Nintendo, Super Smash Bros., Wii U
Posted by Bob Muir on Oct 7, 2014 in Television 
25 years after Twin Peaks finished airing on ABC, David Lynch and Mark Frost are reviving the cult TV show on Showtime as a nine-episode limited series. Lynch and Frost are writing and producing every episode, with Lynch directing the entire series. It seems as though actor Kyle MacLachlan will be returning, and it’s likely many other of Lynch’s collaborators will return. The two creators promise to finish long-standing mysteries and give the story a full conclusion with this present-day continuation. Perhaps this is the reason that the original series (and movie) were released on Blu-ray recently. If you don’t want to buy Twin Peaks, you can find the whole series on Netflix; or you can watch Showtime, which will rerun the original series as a precursor to the 2016 premiere of the limited series. Read more…
Tags: Twin Peaks
Posted by Bob Muir on Oct 7, 2014 in Anime, Comic Books 
The Big Three shonen manga series has been slowly crumbling as the stories get longer and longer. The Bleach anime stopped in 2012 (though it seems they could finish it later a la InuYasha: The Final Act), and the manga has been working towards a conclusion for a while. And while the Naruto anime (Naruto Shippuden) is still going strong, Weekly Shonen Jump (which serializes all three manga) has announced that the manga will end on November 10, only five weeks away. Author Masashi Kishimoto had mentioned the manga was nearing its conclusion in 2012, so it’s not like this is unexpected or anything. But once Naruto anime winds down and the Bleach manga ends, the only surviving member of the Big Three will be One Piece. And while the manga hid its midpoint in 2010, it shows no sign of stopping any time soon. Read more…
Tags: Naruto, Shonen Jump
Posted by Ben Huber on Oct 6, 2014 in Television 
Marvel wants you to come and meet the cast of their new Daredevil series! The Netflix show won’t be starting until next year, but you’ll be able to meet the actors and actresses at New York Comic-Con this coming weekend, on October 11th. Charlie Cox (Matt Murdock), Deborah Ann Woll (Karen Page), Elden Henson (Foggy Nelson), and Vincent D’Onofrio (Wilson Fisk) will all be there. In addition, Marvel released the logo for the series, which looks pretty similar to the usual Daredevil logo, a few minor tweaks aside. I wonder if the emblem will show up anywhere, too? Read more…
Tags: Daredevil, Marvel
Posted by Ben Huber on Oct 6, 2014 in Videogames 
After a long and illustrious career, Satoru Okada has retired from his job at Nintendo. If you don’t know Okada, here’s a few things he’s worked on that you might know: he was the director of Metroid, Kid Icarus, and Super Mario Land. He also designed the Game Boy with the legendary Gunpei Yokoi. After Yokoi left, Okada headed up Nintendo’s Research & Engineering department, leading the design work on the Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, and Nintendo DS. Basically, while not quite as famous as some of the other Nintendo staff, he did a ton of impressive work. Okada has now retired. He has also written the foreword for the upcoming book Before Mario, which chronicles the exploits of Nintendo before they jumped into the home console business. Read more…
Tags: Nintendo
Posted by Ben Huber on Oct 5, 2014 in Design, Hobbies and Collections 
Florey has been doing some really cool art recently, but I simply had to mention these great Transformers shirts that he made from 80sTees.com. Available in Autobot and Decepticon varieties (of course), it features a multitude of Transformers in vehicle form. It has enough of them to satisfy any fan, I would imagine. These are screen printed, too, and look pretty awesome as far as quality goes. They’re available now and you can pick it up in Autobots flavor here, and Decpticon flavor here. Then check out Florey’s blog for more cool pop culture art!
Tags: T-Shirts, Transformers
Posted by Ben Huber on Oct 5, 2014 in Star Wars 
The new Lucasfilm under Disney has done a lot of work on rebooting the the Expanded Universe and ensuring that all future Star Wars media fits into the canon. The Wall Street Journal recently did a profile of Kiri Hart, the vice president of development, who’s responsible for making sure that everything lines up nicely. There’s an interesting note, though, that SlashFilm points out: all the spinoff films and any spinoff story ideas are formulated inside Lucasfilm, and then they find artists, directors, and writers who they feel fit the concept. The old rumors of Zack Snyder pitching a Seven Samurai-styled Star Wars film weren’t exactly correct. It’s interesting how closely they’re holding their cards. Read more…
Posted by Ben Huber on Oct 4, 2014 in Animation, Cinema 
After spending a while in development, Pixar’s next film, Inside Out, has gotten a teaser trailer. Sadly, like most teaser trailers, it doesn’t show much. In fact, most of the trailer is footage from previous Pixar films, reminding you how good they were. It feels like Disney’s marketing department said, “Hey guys, we know this isn’t a sequel, so we’ve got to sell people on it by showing them characters they DO know!” Maybe that’ll be successful — I don’t know. Still, I’m interested, as this film is from Pete Docter, the fellow behind Up and Monsters Inc., so there is a skilled craftsman at the helm, at least. The last few Pixar films didn’t really blow me away, so I’m hoping this will be a return to form. Check out the teaser below! Read more…
Tags: Inside Out, Pixar
Posted by Ben Huber on Oct 4, 2014 in Cinema 
John Landis, the director of Michael Jackson’s iconic music video, Thriller, has been stuck in a legal dispute with the singer’s estate for several years (it started prior to Jackson’s death), over the video itself. Now that the dispute has finally been resolved, Landis says he plans on re-releasing the music video on Blu-ray as well as in theaters — in 3D. He hasn’t elaborated too much, aside from saying, “It is going to reappear in a highly polished and three-dimensional way that is very exciting on the big screen.” I wonder if this will be on its own, or as part of a larger compilation of music videos. Although, Thriller on Blu-ray, restored, will be a sight to see. Read more…
Tags: Michael Jackson
Posted by Ben Huber on Oct 3, 2014 in Cinema, Comic Books 
We had heard plenty of rumblings that Marvel was heavily courting Joaquin Phoenix to play Doctor Strange (there were even reported sightings of Phoenix buying Strange comics). Alas, it is not to be, as it seems Phoenix’s careful and picky nature has left Marvel without a Doctor, and the company is moving on to find another lead. They need to find one fairly soon, too, as they used up a fair bit of time waiting on Phoenix to decide. Now who’s up, instead? We’re not really sure. There was a rumor of Ethan Hawke, but Deadline says that’s unfounded. Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hardy, and Jared Leto have recently been mentioned, but not in any solid sense. We’ll probably have to wait for news to leak out of Marvel’s next pick! Read more…
Tags: Doctor Strange
Posted by Ben Huber on Oct 3, 2014 in Comic Books, Videogames 
I’m not sure why, but the latest playable character announced for LEGO Batman 3 is Kevin Smith. Yes, that Kevin Smith, of Clerks fame. The guy who named his daughter after Harley Quinn — didn’t you know? This is an interesting choice for a playable character in a Batman game, but I guess once you’ve used up all the expected Batman and DC characters it’s time to start dipping into the surrounding pop culture pool. You want to know who else is joining Smith as a playable character? DC Entertainment chief creative officer Geoff Johns. Ok, that makes a bit more sense. More info will debut about the game at New York Comic-con. Read more…
Tags: Batman, DC Comics, Kevin Smith, Lego
Posted by Bob Muir on Oct 2, 2014 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Now that DC has sorted out their animated movie universe to be more in line with The New 52 comic initiative they’ve had going on, it’s time for more New 52 adaptations! Justice League: Throne of Atlantis is the sequel to Justice League: War from earlier this year, the movie that basically adapted the origin of the new Justice League in The New 52. Aquaman is going through his own origin in this movie, as he didn’t appear in the previous one. It seems they’re going with the more “bad-ass” version of Aquaman from recent years instead of the joke everyone remembers from the Super Friends. Good on ’em, but I still can’t stand the bright orange and green outfit. (It clashes!) No date on the movie yet, but the release date shouldn’t be far off. Read more…
Tags: Aquaman, DC Comics, Warner Brothers
Posted by Bob Muir on Oct 2, 2014 in Cinema 
In one month’s time, we’ll all be able to enjoy Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi epic Interstellar, a story about leaving a dead Earth to find a new home for humanity outside our solar system. If you’ve been watching the previous trailers, you’re likely already hyped up about what looks to be an excellent, gripping sci-fi movie. If you haven’t seen them yet, do yourself a favor and check out the ideas presented in this final trailer. Interstellar premieres November 5, so get your tickets now! Read more…
Tags: Christopher Nolan, Interstellar, Science Fiction
Posted by Bob Muir on Oct 1, 2014 in Cinema, Videogames 
As Hollywood runs out of viable properties to remake, reboot, and sequelize the past, it has expanded to brands that don’t even really have stories. Perhaps spurred by the ludicrous existence of the Battleship movie, Threshold Entertainment has announced that they are producing a Tetris movie in conjunction with The Tetris Company. The movie will be live-action, described as “a very big, epic sci-fi movie” by Threshold CEO Larry Kasanoff. Kasanoff has adapted videogames in the past; he produced the cheesy Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. Meanwhile, Threshold is most notable for Foodfight!, an ugly CGI monstrosity where the product placement are the characters. Read more…
Tags: Tetris
|
|
