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Posted by Ben Huber on May 23, 2014 in Cinema 
Alfonso Cuarón is a popular guy — and everyone wants him to direct their next film. Warner Bros. is now trying to get Cuarón to direct two of its next films: the Harry Potter spinoff, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and The Shining prequel, The Overlook Hotel. Yes, you read that correctly: a prequel to The Shining. I’m not sure if that needs to happen. It’s not related to Doctor Sleep, Stephen King’s sequel to The Shining, so I’m not sure how exactly it’ll fit into the story. Could Alfonso do both? Possibly, if scheduling permits. Apparently he’s much further in talks for Fantastic Beasts, so that’s the most likely candidate right now, but who knows what could happen in the future! Read more…
Tags: Alfonso Cuarón, harry potter, The Shining
Posted by Bob Muir on May 22, 2014 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Remember how ridiculous it was that we still didn’t know the name of Batman vs. Superman, the sequel to Man of Steel? WB has finally confirmed the name, and it’s not that great. Yes, the film will be called Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. I kind of figured that they’d keep the temporary title in some form, but changed “vs.” to “v.” makes it sound like a court case instead of a confrontation. And while I know that the subtitle is supposed to be a reference to the Justice League sequel that will come next, “Dawn of Justice” just sounds like the empty, hollow kind of subtitle that means nothing. Why not something classy, like “World’s Finest”? Or if you want to set up Justice League, why not “Mere Set-up for a Bigger Movie”? It’ll be just like Iron Man 2! Read more…
Tags: Batman v. Superman, DC Comics, Warner Brothers
Posted by Bob Muir on May 22, 2014 in Cinema, Star Wars 
One of the best parts of the original Star Wars trilogy were all the practical effects, mixed with worn elements to give the impression of a realistic, lived-in world. One of the biggest failings of the prequel trilogy was tossing that out the window in favor of clean cities and cartoon aliens, all rendered in fake-tacular CGI. Director J.J. Abrams has previously expressed his plan to use practical effects in Star Wars Episode VII (as well as shoot on film). In a video today, we got our first peak at a new alien — and he’s a puppet! Read more…
Tags: Disney, Episode VII, J.J. Abrams, Puppets, Star Wars
Posted by Bob Muir on May 21, 2014 in Videogames 
Though id Software may not have made Wolfenstein: The New Order — MachineGames made it, while id is working on Doom 4 — that doesn’t mean there isn’t any of id’s handiwork in there. Besides making the engine the game runs on, there’s a neat easter egg that brings back memories of Wolfenstein 3D, mainly because it is Wolfenstein 3D. You can play through a stage, similar to easter eggs in id’s Rage that teleported you into Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, and Quake. While I don’t think developers should make their games to cater exclusively to nostalgia, this is a nice way to remind fans of how far we’ve come. I always loved finding recreations of the first level of Castlevania in some of the latter-day Metroidvania games. Developers, consider doing this more in the future! Read more…
Tags: Bethesda, Castle Wolfenstein, id Software
Posted by Bob Muir on May 21, 2014 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Disney didn’t just buy Marvel so they could rake in the money from The Avengers. The first Disney adaptation of a Marvel IP is coming out November 7, 2014, and it’s a comic that’s rather unknown by the average person. Big Hero 6 is a Japanese superhero team that worked in Japan, at least in the comics. For this movie, Disney changed the setting to the made-up San Fransokyo, a combination of San Francisco and Tokyo. (I’m a bit iffy on that, due to the history of whitewashing in American films, but I’ll go with it.) In these images, you can see 13-year-old genius and main character Hiro Hamada (renamed from Hiro Takachiho in the comics) and his big robot bodyguard Baymax (which can synthmorph into a dragon in the comics). Baymax looks a little pudgy, but otherwise things look good. Now all we need is a trailer. Read more…
Tags: Disney, Marvel
Posted by Bob Muir on May 20, 2014 in Cinema 
Despite mixed reactions, the new Godzilla film did extremely well at the box office, earning $93 million domestically and $103 million internationally in its opening weekend. That’s crazy money, and the makers would be crazy to not want to make that again. So it comes with little surprise that Warner Brothers and Legendary Pictures are already developing a sequel to Godzilla. Though Legendary Pictures has a new deal with Universal, this sequel will still be made with Warner Brothers. Director Gareth Edwards hasn’t been confirmed to direct the sequel yet, but given both the film’s performance and Edwards’ past musings on what he’d do with a sequel, it’s highly likely that he’ll return. So the question is whether this film will follow the first and practice restraint, or whether Edwards might look to the monster-filled Destroy All Monsters for inspiration, as he has also considered. Either way, I know a lot of people might enjoy seeing Mothra on the big screen again. Read more…
Tags: Godzilla, Kaiju, Warner Brothers
Posted by Bob Muir on May 20, 2014 in Videogames 
After a lengthy delay, Watch Dogs is finally being released next Tuesday, May 27. Advertising the open-world game even more seems almost unnecessary, but this latest video takes the game’s hacking system and transposes it into the real world. Several customers go to get their phone fixed, only for the repairman to add an extra app to their phone that allows them to hack the street nearby, with disastrous consequences. I hesitate to say whether or not this is a real “prank,” since something seems off about the customers, which makes me wonder if they’re really actors. Either way, it’s a funny sketch, and I’d like to imagine it happened in real life. For that matter, I’d love to have such an app on my phone! Read more…
Tags: Ubisoft, watch dogs
Posted by Ben Huber on May 19, 2014 in Videogames 
I am very excited for Transistor — the latest game from Supergiant Games, the creators of Bastion. I’m jumping into this game mostly blind, because I want to be surprised. But as you can see from this brand new launch trailer, it looks really freaking good. Greg Kasavin and the rest of the crew there always do a wonderful job. I’m also loving the music, and given that the main character appears to be a singer, this is a good thing. Giant swords, cyberpunk-esque designs, sweet characters — what else do you need? Check out the launch trailer below and pick up the game on May 20th on Steam and PS4. Read more…
Tags: Transistor
Posted by Ben Huber on May 19, 2014 in Videogames 
Yup, the online services for the Wii and Nintendo DS are finally shutting down on May 20th. Perhaps “finally” is the wrong word, though. All games that used online play on the DS and Wii will no longer be able to, and you’ll be stuck with whatever offline modes are available. Granted, not many Wii and DS games were online-only anyway, so there’s no huge loss, but it is still interesting to see Nintendo shut down their first online service. You can visit their website for a full list of games affected, but yes, this means no more Smash Bros. Brawl online. Not that it was any good… Read more…
Tags: Nintendo
Posted by Ben Huber on May 18, 2014 in Cinema, Comic Books 
We’re getting a new Guardians of the Galaxy trailer on Monday, but Marvel can’t wait to share their excitement with you, so they’ve released two 20-second teasers… for the trailer. Soon we’ll be getting previews of teasers for trailers. And you’ll like it, too! There’re a lot of little snippets in these teasers that have me interested in the full film, but I hope this new trailer will pull people in better than the first one. I mean, I loved it, but that’s just because I’m already sold on the concept. It seems the average movie-goer isn’t yet sold on a talking raccoon riding a walking tree yet — which is just patently disappointing. Check out the teasers below! Read more…
Tags: Guardians of the Galaxy
Posted by Ben Huber on May 18, 2014 in Videogames 
E3 announcements are for suckers! Everyone knows the real way to get peoples’ attention is to sneak an announcement out in the weeks leading up to the industry’s biggest convention, that way, you won’t get buried in the deluge of other games. It’s a smart move, but when everyone else does it too? You just create a whole new flood slightly earlier. Oh well, the real news here is that Halo 5: Guardians has been announced officially. Microsoft did tease it at last year’s E3 with a short trailer, but now we’re seeing some details, like a cover art design and a new main character (who appears to be searching for Master Chief). It’s set to arrive in Fall of 2015. Check out the full image below and read the PR-speak here. Read more…
Tags: Halo, Xbox One
Posted by Ben Huber on May 17, 2014 in Star Wars 
It looks like it’s not all secrets and smoke on the set of Episode VII. Bad Robot tweeted out two pictures today from the first day of filming for the new Star Wars film. One is of the clapboard and the other is of the outside of Pinewood Studios, which features a large sign that says “VII Now Filming.” Yes, it’s finally happening. Now let’s hope they do a good job. I also hope that this is a sign that J.J. Abrams, Bad Robot, and Disney will be a tad more open about the whole process of filming. If you share photos, people are less likely to go hunting for leaks. At least, I am! Read more…
Tags: Episode VII, J.J. Abrams
Posted by Ben Huber on May 17, 2014 in Cinema 
Last December we got our first teaser of Christopher Nolan’s next film, Interstellar, and it was probably the best advertisement for NASA in a long time. Now, Warner Bros. has released a full-length trailer, and it continues to foster that sense of discovery. Matthew McConaughey sets of to find a new home for humanity as the earth slowly becomes unable to sustain food, and all of the visuals look amazing. I love the design of their space ship as well — it reminds me of old space illustrations. This trailer has all the right elements in it to get me excited. Now we’ve just got to wait until November 7th. Read more…
Tags: Christopher Nolan, Interstellar
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 Ben Huber on May 16, 2014 in Videogames 
Everyone wants to beat the E3 rush these days. You’ve got to announce everything early now! Or, well, maybe Ubisoft also just posted a $67 million net loss. So they announced Far Cry 4. Yes, very unceremoniously too, in a pdf for investors. Don’t worry, the PR blasts then fluttered it, listing it as releasing this November 18th. It’ll be coming to PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, and PC — no surprises there. I also see they’re getting the weird racist overtones out there right on the box art, rather than hiding them deeper in the game as in Far Cry 3. I’m sure it’ll still be a fun game, but I wish they had listened to the criticisms about the game and improved upon it. I imagine we’ll see more at E3. Check out the full box art below. Read more…
Tags: Far Cry, Ubisoft
Posted by Bob Muir on May 15, 2014 in Cinema 
I still haven’t had a chance to visit The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Florida, and now they’re adding even more to it! While the park area launched with Hogsmeade in Universal’s Islands of Adventure, but with the new Diagon Alley area in the main park, there comes a new ride. Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts is based on the sequence from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2. From the looks of it, guests can go into Gringotts Bank, open an account, go down into the vaults, and get caught up in the fight from the movie. I can’t tell how much of it will be built and how much of it will be on screens (like some other Universal rides), but hey, 4 minutes inside of a dark ride is pretty good these days. It seems short, but it’s much better than waiting an hour to get on for, say, 2 minutes of ride. Read more…
Tags: harry potter, Universal, Warner Brothers
Posted by Bob Muir on May 15, 2014 in Cinema 
Hans Ruedi Giger, a Swiss artist responsible for much of the design of Alien, Prometheus, and many other films, has passed away at age 74, due to injuries caused by a fall. H.R. Giger was most well-known for his biomechanical art, which combined living and mechanical elements in horrifying fashion. One of his paintings, Necronom IV, was reused by the artist as the template from which Alien‘s xenomorph was designed. It’s impossible to sum up this man’s artist accomplishments beyond Alien, but a good place to start would be checking out collections of his art like Necronomicon. It’s sure to give you nightmares. Read more…
Tags: Alien, Aliens, Art, Prometheus
Posted by Bob Muir on May 14, 2014 in Videogames 
I’ll give Microsoft credit for this: they’ll stubbornly hold onto their plans, but if they’re beat over the head long enough, they will change. The Xbox One revealed a year ago required an online connection at all times and the use of a bundled Kinect camera. While the online connection was walked back within a few weeks (notably after Sony didn’t require one), but the system launched with the Kinect bundled in, making the Xbox One $100 pricier than the PS4. It seems Microsoft has finally caved on that too, because Xbox boss Phil Spencer has announced a $400 Kinect-free version, now available for preorder with a release on June 9 in every country that Xbox One has released in. Read more…
Tags: Microsoft, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Posted by Bob Muir on May 14, 2014 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Fans were somewhat apprehensive that Ben Affleck of all people would be playing Batman in Zack Snyder’s Batman vs. Superman (and also Justice League, apparently). Once some fans pointed out that these complaints mirrored the drama surrounding Heath Ledger’s casting as the Joker in The Dark Knight, which turned out to be a great call, everyone calmed down and went into “wait and see” mode. Now we have the first picture, courtesy of Zack Snyder himself. It’s not a great look at Affleck, and it’s in black-and-white, but it can’t be denied that the suit looks great. Read more…
Tags: Batman, DC Comics, Man of Steel, Warner Brothers, Zack Snyder
Posted by Bob Muir on May 13, 2014 in Anime, Fandom 
Hollywood has been trying to make a live-action adaptation of Akira for years. Despite wanting to adapt directly from the original manga — the anime film only adapts one out of six giant volumes of the manga and uses its own conclusion — it sounds like it will be a trainwreck, with the setting changed from Neo Tokyo to Neo Manhattan, general whitewashing of characters, and the presumed loss of all the social and political commentary that formed the subtext of the original work from these changes. That’s why this fan-made trailer is so refreshing! It presents what a proper live-action take on the manga should be, and for a fan-made work, it looks fantastic. I can only hope that if Hollywood’s version ever gets off the ground, it will take notes from this trailer. Read more…
Tags: Akira
Posted by Bob Muir on May 13, 2014 in Comic Books, Television 
Two weeks after I complained about DC and WB not taking full advantage of their comic adaptations, NBC put out this trailer for Constantine, a new TV series airing this fall based on the Hellblazer/Constantine comics, previously published under DC’s Vertigo imprint. And damn, this blows the trailer for Fox’s Gotham out of the water. Unlike the Keanu Reeves movie (which was enjoyable, but not actually a faithful adaptation), this looks like a real, well-made version of the original comics. Go on, watch this trailer and tell me you’re not excited to see a con man magician fight supernatural beasties as they creep into our world.
Read more…
Tags: Constantine, DC Comics, Vertigo, Warner Brothers
Posted by Ben Huber on May 12, 2014 in Videogames 
Telltale can’t stop having bad things happen to good people! The sad adventures of Clementine continue in The Walking Dead Game season 2 — we’re now up to episode 3. While I feel season 2 hasn’t quite matched up to the quality of the first, they’ve still done a solid job of continue the story and finding new ways to make you depressed about the zombie apocalypse and the people dying in it. This trailer does features spoilers for everything leading up to it, so if you haven’t touched season 2 yet I’d advise you steer clear. I’ll tell you all about it though: it looks like people will die, and there are zombies in it too. Check out the trailer below! Read more…
Tags: Telltale Games, The Walking Dead
Posted by Ben Huber on May 12, 2014 in Videogames 
Insomniac is back with an Xbox One exclusive, but for a while all we had was a CGI trailer from E3. Now, as part of a Game Informer cover story, the first gameplay footage of the game has been released. It shows off the platforming and traversal aspect primarily, which lets you run on walls, slide across telephone lines, and bounce off of trampolines. The guns look to be as crazy as always, and I caught a bowling ball gun, a record gun, and as Insomniac gleefully points out, a TN-teddy bear gun. It’s TNT strapped to a teddy bear. I don’t see why not. Read more…
Tags: Sunset Overdrive, Xbox One
Posted by Ben Huber on May 11, 2014 in Television 
Who knows if we’ll ever get “six seasons and a movie” now. NBC has canceled Community, following it’s fifth season. Apparently ratings weren’t high enough for them to bother with it, and with Community canceled, I have no reason to bother with NBC. What a shame! Sure, we had Donald Glover leave in season 5, but it definitely felt like a return to form after 4. All’s not lost, however, we’re not in the darkest timeline yet — Sony Pictures TV is reportedly trying to find a new home for Community, possibly on Netflix or a cable channel. Hopefully Hulu’s streaming rights won’t interfere with that. If Netflix rescues Community, then it’ll be two for two with my favorite comedy TV shows (the other being Arrested Development). Six seasons and a movie! Read more…
Tags: Community
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