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Posted by Ben Huber on Feb 7, 2015 in Cinema 
Despite getting support from actors like Tobey Maguire, Hollywood’s Robotech adaptation has languished for ages. It honestly seemed like it was dead — but, here we go again — Warner Bros’ Hollywood Gang is revving the engine again and producers Gianni Nunnari and Mark Canton have nabbed the scriptwriter (Michael Gordon) behind 300 and G.I. Joe: The Rise of the Cobra to begin writing it. We’ll see if it actually goes anywhere, this time. In similar news, Animal Logic Entertainment is attempting to start an Astro Boy film. Producer Zareh Nalbandian said, “We actually see him in the same league as an Iron Man.” Uh, hmm, okay. How about we just make a Pluto movie, instead? Read more…
Tags: Astro Boy, Robotech
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 27, 2015 in Comic Books, Television 
Part of my enjoyment of all these new Marvel movies and TV series is getting to know characters I never knew of before. The Netflix series fit that bill pretty well, because non-comic fans likely have no idea who Jessica Jones is. But A.K.A. Jessica Jones is the second Netflix series in production (after this April’s Daredevil), telling the story of a retired superhero who becomes a detective. We’ve learned that Krysten Ritter is the titular hero, while Mike Colter is potential love-interest Luke Cage (with his own Netflix series at least a year out). Now Marvel has cast their villain: David Tennant. Read more…
Tags: Jessica Jones, Marvel, Netflix
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 16, 2015 in Cinema 
Don’t lie, dear readers: I know you’ve all been on the edge of your seat waiting to see which films get snubbed this year! Which of your favorite films will be totally ignored, or related to a simple Best Sound Mixing nomination?! Well, I’ve included the full list below, but there are a few curious choices here. One omission of note is the lack of The LEGO Movie in the Best Animated Picture category (although Isao Takahata’s The Tale of Princess Kaguya did thankfully get a nod). Another surprise is the number of noms for American Sniper, which is probably at the top of my list titled “Films I Couldn’t Care Less About.” Check out some salient tweets and the full list below! Read more…
Tags: Academy Awards, The Oscars
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 11, 2015 in Cinema 
We’re starting to get a clearer picture of what Phil Lord and Chris Miller have in store for the upcoming Lego Batman Movie. In a recent interview, the writing and directing duo spoke about the film and Lord said, “I think the movie is really exciting because it’s about, ‘Can Batman be happy?’ … Batman is the ultimate in white people problems.” This is probably true, and definitely funny angle to take for a Batman movie. Miller revealed before that “every era of Batman filmmaking will be acknowledged” which implies we could see cameos or references to Christian Bale, Adam West, and Michael Keaton… which would be grand, I think. “He’s like, ‘oh, I’m so rich and handsome, women like me and I’ve got a Maclaren! Something about my parents!” Read more…
Tags: Batman, Lego, The LEGO Movie
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 Jul 6, 2014 in Fandom 
…And it’s better than any of Michael Bay’s films. Sure, I know that’s some low-hanging fruit, but this is pretty entertaining: Harris Loureiro on YouTube has put together an impressive short video featuring various Transformers battling it out, all in stop-motion. He filmed it all last year in September, and then began editing it in May, spending an entire month on the editing process. It oozes fan passion and nostalgia, along with a health dose of style. Harris admits the sound mixing isn’t the best and he lost some clips from it in a hard drive failure, but it feels so much more genuine. Check it out below! Read more…
Tags: Transformers
Posted by Bob Muir on Jun 25, 2014 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Okay, so there’s a lot of horrible things about the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Michael Bay is producing it, the CGI turtles’s faces look creepy, and the whole thing looks very overblown. But you know what? The turtles themselves still look like a fun crew of outcasts, and ideally, they’ll be the heart of the film. I’m skeptical that they will be with the way Bay tended to make the Transformers guest stars in their own film series, but at least it doesn’t seem like you can keep the turtles down. And at least it seems like they’ve got a sense of humor about the original concept for the film, where the turtles were aliens instead of, you know, mutants, because they mock that idea at the end of the trailer. Read more…
Tags: Michael Bay, Teenage Ninja Turtles
Posted by Bob Muir on Jun 10, 2014 in Videogames 
We close out E3 2014’s “Day 0” with Sony’s press conference. Last year, this was the conference that helped propel the PS4 ahead of the Xbox One in terms of consumer excitement. With Cross-Buy, the ability to buy a game on one platform and get any other version for free (like buying on PS4 and getting the PS3 and Vita versions for free), Sony gives gamers a big incentive to play on all their systems. And this press conference was filled with a ton of game footage — nothing too in-depth, which allowed them to fit in even more game coverage and reveals. Read more…
Tags: Playstation Vita, PS3, PS4, Sony
Posted by Ben Huber on May 16, 2014 in Cinema 
It’s Transformers! It’s the fourth film! This is a new trailer! Thanks Michael Bay! Yes, all your dreams have come true, and Grimlock is in the new film. It appears to be more of what you’d expect: explosions, robots, explosions, people screaming, and more explosions. Usually Michael Bay/explosion jokes are just tired and lame, but now I feel like I’ve come to a new level of acceptance. These explosions are basically just like breathing air. I just expect them to be there. Constantly. Also, why does Duck Dynasty Transformer have a robo-cigar? Is that a thing in Transformers? Perhaps my Transformers lore knowledge isn’t up to snuff, but that seems way too silly (in the good way) for Michael Bay to have come up with. Check out the full trailer below. Read more…
Tags: Michael Bay, Transformers: Age of Extinction
Posted by Bob Muir on May 7, 2014 in Comic Books, Television 
Good news for Batman fans who weren’t satiated by the Dark Knight Trilogy, the critically-acclaimed Arkham series of videogames, and the upcoming Batman vs. Superman: Fox has picked up Gotham, a police drama centered on Jim Gordon and set before Bruce Wayne became Batman. Ben McKenzie is portraying a younger Gordon, while David Mazouz is young Bruce Wayne and Sean Pertwee is Alfred Pennyworth; Jada Pinkett Smith, and Donal Logue are also supporting cast. And naturally, there are some villains involved. Read more…
Tags: Batman, DC Comics, Fox, Gotham
Posted by Bob Muir on May 1, 2014 in Television 
Well, that wasn’t entirely unsurprising. The sci-fi series Almost Human, which airs on Fox, has been canceled by the network after only one season. The show featured Karl Urban as a human detective partnered with a lifelike robot played by Michael Ealy. The show never quite impressed critics, and I can attest to being disinterested, despite enjoying Urban. Part of the show’s misfortune, however, stemmed from Fox’s decision to air the episodes out of order, messing up minor continuity and how the characters reacted to each other. My girlfriend stuck with the show and was quite annoyed at how this ruined the show’s pacing. You’d think after Fox did the same thing to Firefly, they would have realized not to mess with a show’s continuity like that, but that’s Fox for you. Read more…
Tags: Robots, Science Fiction
Posted by Ben Huber on Apr 27, 2014 in Comic Books 
I won’t even use a spoiler-y header image, just in case you don’t want to know who’ll be killed off next in the Marvel universe. But read on to find out! Surprise: it’s Wolverine. They haven’t specified how he’ll die yet, but it’ll be part of the “3 Months to Die” series where Wolverine loses his regenerative abilities. It’ll be a miniseries titled “Death of Wolverine, ” which is maybe a bit too on-the-nose for me. I suppose it’ll make it easy to find, though. According to Marvel executive editor Michael Marts, the repercussions will be felt throughout the Marvel universe. Until 6 to 9 months from now, you know, when Wolverine comes back from the dead. Maybe a year, max. Comic book characters never stay dead. Read more…
Tags: Marvel, Wolverine
Posted by Bob Muir on Apr 17, 2014 in Videogames 
In incredibly stupid news, Bungie has fired longtime collaborator Martin O’Donnell. The man has worked with Bungie since 1997’s Myth, but he is most well-known for composing the music to Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, and Halo: Reach — all of the Halo games made by Bungie. His last work for the company was this fall’s Destiny, for which he composed with frequent collaborator Michael Salvatori and former Beatle Paul McCartney. O’Donnell tweeted that he was terminated by Bungie’s board of directors “without cause” on April 11. Bungie issued a statement saying goodbye “as friends,” but that seems pretty optimistic after firing someone for no reason. It’s a real shame, but I’m sure O’Donnell will land on his feet. As the composer of one of the few memorable, hummable soundtracks in 21st century Western console games, he’s well-known for his craft. I’d imagine many developers would love to have him on board to create more wonderful tracks. Read more…
Tags: Bungie, Destiny, Halo, Music
Posted by Ben Huber on Mar 28, 2014 in Cinema 
At long last, fans can watch the trailer for Michael Bay’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, and either assuage or confirm their fears about the film. Probably “confirm.” Even though this film is advertised as a Michael Bay film, it’s actually directed by Jonathan Liebesman. I don’t know if having his name eclipsed by Bay’s is either a good thing or a bad thing. The turtles appear to have some good effects behind them, but the thing that’s unsettling everyone is their faces. Those lips and the nose are a little too… prominent. Check out the trailer below. Read more…
Tags: Michael Bay, Teenage Ninja Turtles
Posted by Bob Muir on Mar 6, 2014 in Cinema 
That Super Bowl spot for Transformers: Age of Extinction might have whetted some appetites, but it didn’t give a good sense of the film besides “Optimus Prime wielding a sword while riding a Dinobot.” Actually, that’s still probably a good summary of what the film will be, but regardless: the first trailer is here, with Shia “I Am Not Famous Anymore” Labeouf nowhere in sight. Mark Whalberg is headlining this film, which takes place four years after the last movie. Honestly, with Michael Bay still at the helm, it looks fairly similar to the previous films. Maybe this one will be more than just explosions? It would be nice if they used some restraint in animating the Transformers’ immeasurable moving parts, because they reach visual overload far too often. Read more…
Tags: Michael Bay, Transformers: Age of Extinction
Posted by Ben Huber on Feb 28, 2014 in Fandom 
I think we can all say that the Sochi Olympics were pretty intense this year, even without all the political drama the surrounded the affair. However, despite all these impressive acts of athleticism on display, I’d bet that you’d agree that adding Mario Kart items into the mix would’ve made them even more exciting. That’s what YouTube user Timtimfed (Michael Shanks) imagined, and he made it happen. His video of the “Speed Skating Double Dash Final” features exactly the items you’d expect to see. And of course, what would it be without the dry, calm commentary by the announcers? Check it out below. Read more…
Tags: Mario Kart, sports
Posted by Ben Huber on Feb 21, 2014 in Anime, Comic Books 
Here’s the full, most-official cast for Fox’s Fantastic Four. From left to right, taking on the role of Reed Richard is (rumored to be) Miles Teller, and Sue Storm (confirmed) will be played by Kate Mara. Jamie Bell, while not yet confirmed, will likely play Ben Grimm. And last but not least, just confirmed, Michael B. Jordan will play Johnny Storm. Assuming that everything works out, I’m pretty okay with this casting. I think Michael B. Jordan as the Human Torch is a great bit of casting in particular. I’m a bit disappointed this cast isn’t under Marvel’s Cinematic Universe umbrella, though. If only Marvel’s other rights could return to them! Read more…
Tags: Fantastic Four
Posted by Ben Huber on Feb 3, 2014 in Cinema 
Still on the fence about the upcoming remake of Robocop? I know I still am. That said, these new clips from the film definitely left me feeling a bit more confident in the whole affair — but then again, I wasn’t confident at all to start. These clips shine a bit more light on the characters and style of the movie. Michael Keaton definitely seems to be having fun here, I’ll say that much! The film will arrive later this week: February 7th. I do wonder how it’ll do in the box office… are there enough people hungry for a new Robocop? Check out all the various clips below. Read more…
Tags: Robocop
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 22, 2014 in Animation, Cinema 
If you really loved Disney’s latest animated movie Frozen, you may want to consider visiting Quebec City. Disney has worked with Hôtel de Glace to create a hotel suite fashioned out of ice and snow. Frozen art director Michael Giaimo supervised the design to make sure it looked similar to the movie’s aesthetic. There’s also a “Frozen Activity Cave,” which isn’t explained, so it could be anything, but I’d guess it’s where you’d toss the kids if you and your partner wanted some alone time on that frozen bed. I’ve always appreciated ice sculptures, but I think sleeping in one might be a bit too much for me, so I’m happy to just look at these photos. Read more…
Tags: Disney, Frozen
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 13, 2014 in Star Wars 
We haven’t heard much from JJ Abrams recently, and that’s probably because he’s got his nose to the grindstone cranking out a new Star Wars script with Lawrence Kasdan. We’re just now getting the first rumors coming out of the big script changes after kicking Michael Arndt out. Apparently Abrams really wanted the focus of Episode VII to be on Luke, Han, and Leia for one last time before passing the torch to a new generation, which is what prompted these changes. Another big change is that Abrams is reportedly looking for a 20-something mixed-race or black woman to play the daughter of Obi-Wan. Of all the rumors, I actually really like this idea, especially if she’s one of or the main character in the next films. Also up? Michael Fassbender, Hugo Weaving, and Adam Driver. Weaving is reportedly being looked at for an Imperial Officer role, which is so perfect I can’t even handle it. Read more…
Tags: Episode VII, J.J. Abrams
Posted by Bob Muir on Nov 14, 2013 in Animation, Cinema 
Do you remember when Michael Jordan teamed up with Bugs Bunny to play basketball against aliens? I prefer to think of Space Jam as a historical drama, because why not. Someone else out there apparently thinks so too, because they made this great video, 30 for 30: The Space Jam Game, mimicking the popular ESPN documentary series 30 for 30. They even got some major guests to give commentary! Check it out below, and if you want more, try this page of Space Jam mash-ups (“slams”), or even the original website, somehow still online! Read more…
Tags: Looney Tunes, Warner Brothers
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 7, 2013 in Cinema 
Which one of you asked for this? Where was the demand for a Robocop remake? I’ll suss you out if it’s the last thing I do. José Padilha is directing this new take on the classic film with a ton of solid actors in tow: Koel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Keaton, and Abbie Cornish. But despite a great lineup, I’m still not sure about the presentation of the film. It feels less like Robocop and more like a generic sci-fi action pic. Perhaps it’s just the way the trailer is cut. At least the important elements from the original are there! Watch the trailer below. Read more…
Tags: Robocop
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 6, 2013 in Fandom, Hobbies and Collections 
I think in the future, everything will be made out of LEGOs. Not just our silly online videos recreating a movie trailer or the crazy space ships from our favorite films, but LEGOs will form everything. Our cars, our buildings, the air we breathe, maybe even your children will be LEGOs. It’s really the only path I see towards the future. So the first step is to recreate everything from the past with LEGO bricks first — starting with Thriller. Annette Jung has created the opening scene of Michael Jackson’s iconic music video, Thriller. I’m gonna bet it took a long time to make this, because it looks amazing. Read more…
Tags: Lego, Michael Jackson
Posted by Bob Muir on Aug 22, 2013 in Star Trek, Television 
In an interview about season four of Star Trek: The Next Generation on Blu-ray, Michael Dorn, famous for playing Worf on both that series and Deep Space Nine, related an interesting bit of news. It seems that CBS and Paramount may be interested in making a new Captain Worf-centric Star Trek series. Dorn says that he has spoken with a couple producers and even got to pitch the show. However, “business things got in the way in terms of [Star Trek Into Darkness] coming out and CBS/Paramount and their relationship with JJ Abrams. [Dorn doesn’t] think they wanted to step on his toes by putting a new series on, but it’s not dead yet.” Read more…
Tags: Star Trek
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