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Posted by Ben Huber on Mar 10, 2014 in Star Wars 
I think if Star Wars fans didn’t love Carrie Fisher unconditionally before this, they will now. She keeps leaking details about the project before it can be officially announced, making her one of the premiere sources for Star Wars: Episode VII news! Most recently, she once again confirmed her presence in the upcoming film, when she disclosed to Jim Jefferies (whom she is starring with in the FXX show Legit), that she’d be filming for six months in London for Star Wars. Jefferies revealed this on the Opie & Anthony Show, so thanks Jefferies! We’re basically 100% sure Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Fisher will be back for Episode VII, but we’re just waiting on official confirmation from Disney. Come on, guys, we all know! Just say it! Read more…
Tags: Episode VII
Posted by Ben Huber on Mar 9, 2014 in Fandom, Star Wars 
Tunisia! It’s a pretty cool place, but most fans know it as Tatooine, from Star Wars. A group of dedicated fans living in Tunisia want you to know more about the place, so they’ve put together a video parodying Pharrell William’s incredibly popular song Happy, featuring Star Wars cosplayers dancing in the sandy dunes and through the remaining sets. It’s pretty dorky, but you can tell everyone involved was having a blast, so their enthusiasm rubs off on you pretty quickly. Check out the video below and visit Star Wars Tunisia’s Facebook page here. Read more…
Tags: music videos
Posted by Ben Huber on Mar 9, 2014 in Television 
True Detective finishes tonight, and I think it’s a safe bet to say that it’ll be great. One thing HBO’s show does, though, is feature the wonderful low, gravelly-voiced detective archetype — yes, both of the main characters. At first it might be difficult to decipher their southern mutterings, but soon you fit right into the groove. But it looks like the crew at The Soup along with Joel McHale haven’t exactly figured it out yet in their latest parody video, in which they lampoon Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey’s performances. Not all the jokes hit, but the reactions are pretty entertaining. Read more…
Tags: HBO, parody, true detective
Posted by Ben Huber on Mar 8, 2014 in Cinema, Videogames 
Interesting: Sony announced yesterday The Last of Us will be adapted as a live-action film. The big thing for many fans will be that Neil Druckmann, the creative director of the original game, is attached to write the script. Screen Gems will be distributing the film, and Sam Raimi’s production company, Ghost House Pictures, will be producing it. I saw some people interpreting this as Sam Raimi possibly directing it, but I’m not sure about that. Just because he’s producing it doesn’t mean he’ll direct too. We’ll have to wait and see. My guess is that we’ll instead see a newer director get this project as a chance to prove themselves to the studios. Read more…
Tags: Sony, the last of us
Posted by Ben Huber on Mar 8, 2014 in Cinema 
Here’s some cute posters by the Muppets crew to promote their upcoming film Muppets Most Wanted. I’m hoping this new Muppets film is as good as the last one with Amy Adams and Jason Segel — but I’m not sold on Ricky Gervais. The concept of an “evil Kermit” could be funny though! These posters feature Kermit, Miss Piggy, and “evil Kermit” Constantine in a variety of spy movie parodies, such as Skyfall, Face/Off, and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. It’s not long until it comes out — March 21st is when it’ll open in theaters. They also made an especially timely ad spotlighting John Travolta’s “Adele Dazeem” mispronunciation at the Academy Awards. Whoops! Read more…
Tags: The Muppets
Posted by Ben Huber on Mar 7, 2014 in Animation, Television 
The Simpsons have been getting lot of big-names involved in their couch gags, recently featuring such names as Guillermo Del Toro and more. The latest, airing this Sunday (March 9th), is done by Sylvian Chomet, the director of the fantastic animated films the Triplets of Belleville and The Illusionist. It features his distinctive style applied to all the characters, but the jokes are pretty standard fare. That said, it’s some great animation and contrasts pretty heavily with the cheaper stuff used by the Simpsons now. Check it out! Read more…
Tags: sylvian chomet, The Simpsons
Posted by Ben Huber on Mar 7, 2014 in Videogames 
Here’s something I never thought I’d be writing about: a sequel to Shaq Fu. The infamous SNES/Genesis game is returning, thanks to the man himself, Shaquille O’Neal. They’re crowdfunding it on IndieGoGo, and in addition to soliciting money from fans, Shaq is pouring much of his own money into it too. It looks suitably crazy in the promotional video, but given that it’s all CGI, I’m not sure if you can use it to predict how the final game will look (and there’s only 2 screenshots). At least the concept art is neat! Still, I’m a little hesitant about it, despite its hilarious nature, mainly because we don’t know any of the devs behind it. The best part is definitely Shaq in a mocap outfit, though. Check out the videos below and the IndieGoGo page here. Read more…
Tags: Kickstarter, shaq fu
Posted by Bob Muir on Mar 6, 2014 in Videogames 
True Detective is my new Breaking Bad, in that it’s an intense, thoughtful, well-written, deliberately-paced show with outstanding production values that I can’t stop thinking about all week. Even now, I’m mulling stuff over for this Sunday’s final episode. (Each season will have its own characters and story arc, so everything is wrapping up in episode eight.) The guys at Dorkly had some different detectives on their mind, however, and decided to mash up True Detective‘s distinctive, amazing opening sequence with LucasArts’ classic adventure game Sam & Max Hit the Road. The game, which stars an anthropomorphic dog and rabbit (er, lagomorph) as freelance detectives, fits surprisingly well with the creepy opening. They only do about half, but they make up for it by mocking up one of Rust’s more notable diatribes using the in-game graphics. I love the interaction between Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey, so I’d totally be down for a game featuring the two of them. Read more…
Tags: HBO, LucasArts
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 Bob Muir on Mar 5, 2014 in Cinema, Star Trek 
The Wolf of Wall Street may not have won anything at the Oscars this year, but that doesn’t mean we can’t honor the movie in other ways. Grant Gourley has edited scenes from Star Trek: The Next Generation to create “The Worf of Starfleet,” and it looks surprisingly entertaining. The editing is the star here, bumping up the slow, deliberate tempo of TNG for an energetic trailer. And unlike usual, Worf comes across as smooth and almost witty, instead of his normal, kinda dorky self that haltingly discusses honor. I’d watch this movie! Read more…
Tags: Star Trek: The Next Generation, wolf of wall street
Posted by Bob Muir on Mar 5, 2014 in Comic Books, Videogames 
Reviews of Batman: Arkham Origins were mixed. Some liked the familiar gameplay, while others saw it as a buggy rehash of Batman: Arkham City by Warner Brothers’ b-team. Regardless of your opinion, I think we can all agree that the series belongs in the hands of developer Rocksteady, which is just what is happening. Batman: Arkham Knight will be the final game in Rocksteady’s trilogy and feature the Scarecrow as the main villain (as hinted in Arkham City). Two-Face, the Penguin, and Harley Quinn will be in the mix, with the latter playable if you preorder, though it’s unclear if they’ll be story sections or challenge maps. Batman can also freely ride in the Batmobile, newly redesigned for this game, though reminiscent of the Tumbler from Nolan’s Batman films. Read more…
Tags: Batman, Batman: Arkham Knight, DC Comics
Posted by Bob Muir on Mar 4, 2014 in Videogames 
People complain every time Capcom releases DLC, as they should. But the one series they’ve been really good about DLC with is Street Fighter, specifically Street Fighter IV. After releasing the inevitable Super Street Fighter IV at retail, they’ve had an almost yearly stream of updates to satisfy the demands of competitive fans. Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition was available at retail and as a paid update, then followed that with a free balance patch called Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition Version 2012. With the end of the last console generation, Capcom has one more update: Ultra Street Fighter IV, available at retail and as a paid update, meaning you still don’t have to buy a new game if you have the old one. And it’s got a nice bonus too! Read more…
Tags: Capcom, Street Fighter
Posted by Bob Muir on Mar 4, 2014 in Fandom, Videogames 
To answer the question above, no, it’s not. But when you think about it, little about Sonic the Hedgehog makes sense. Hedgehogs aren’t known for being fast (or blue), the game world — while creative and distinctive — couldn’t possibly exist in reality, and putting animals in robots is a pretty poor evil scheme. Even though Yuji Naka, Naoto Oshima, and Hirokazu Yasuhara created Sonic to become Sega’s new mascot, this sketch by BEASTS, in which a group of underlings at Sega create Sonic after a particularly unproductive brainstorming session, seems somewhat plausible. After all, it’s not like Mario made much more sense either. Read more…
Tags: Sonic the Hedgehog
Posted by Ben Huber on Mar 3, 2014 in Videogames 
Back in September, Valve had start up the Family Sharing beta, which allowed users to share their games with other Steam accounts that they had designated as “family.” Obviously, you can share with anyone you trust, but if they’re using a game from your library, you’ll have to kick them off if you want to play a game. It’s essentially a safer way to share your account and games with friends. We all have that one friend who would love a certain game, but won’t take the plunge and buy it — now you can let them try it easily. Check out the Family Sharing page here. Read more…
Tags: Steam
Posted by Ben Huber on Mar 3, 2014 in Dr. Who, Hobbies and Collections 
LEGO CUUSOO is a great service. Just recently we got an amazing Ghostbusters Ecto-1 model from it! But some licenses or properties are immediately discarded due to existing licensing deals or other limits on the IP people want LEGO models of. Doctor Who was an example of this: submit all you want, but it wasn’t happening. We don’t know what was preventing it, but now we have good news: it’s gone! Fans can now submit Doctor Who LEGO set ideas to their hearts content and vote them up. Remember, you’ve got to get 10,000 votes on something before it’ll even be considered. Good luck! Read more…
Tags: Doctor Who, Lego
Posted by Ben Huber on Mar 2, 2014 in Cinema 
The Latino Review puts out lots of “scoops” all the time, and mostly they’re reliable — but they’ve still got a bit of a reputation for sharing “crazy” news. That said, this one sounds believable to me… if only because I know movie studios aren’t able to make original films anymore and rely on remaking or creating sequels to existing properties. That brings up to this story: Latino Review is reporting that the Wachowskis have been working on story treatments for a new Matrix trilogy. The rumor says it’s possible it could be about the birth of the Matrix, which could be ripe for exploration but wouldn’t have a particularly happy ending. I’m not sure if I want more Matrix, and I was under the assumption that the Wachowskis were going to be pushing for Jupiter Rising to be a trilogy… but who knows what could end up happening. Read more…
Tags: The Matrix, the Wachowskis
Posted by Ben Huber on Mar 2, 2014 in Fandom, Videogames 
Twitch Plays Pokemon has been one of the biggest internet and IRL phenomenon going on right now. If you haven’t been following, thousands upon thousands of internet denizens have been inputting commands via chat into a computer streaming a copy of Pokemon Red. That means that all the commands go through, resulting in mistaken button presses, the player running into walls or backtracking, and various other setbacks. Every user had to contribute to make it to the end of the game. And after much consternation, difficulty, perseverance, and the creation of several memes and faux religious factions, Twitch Plays Pokemon has beat Red version. Now they’re going to tackle Gold or Silver. How will that go?! Read more…
Tags: Pokémon
Posted by Ben Huber on Mar 1, 2014 in Comic Books, Television 
He looks like the Flash, alright.
Were we expecting anything different? It’s really hard to get those full-head masks to look right, though. This one looks okay. I can appreciate the attempt to keep the lightning bolts on the side. Colleen Atwood, who designed the Arrow’s costume, designed this one as well. The pilot for the Flash TV series will begin filming very soon, aiming at release in the 2014-2015 season on the CW. It also aims to be part of a larger DC universe the resides on TV — whether these TV characters will ever cross into the feature film realm is unknown yet. It could be an easy way to test the waters, though! Read more…
Tags: DC Comics, Flash
Posted by Ben Huber on Mar 1, 2014 in Cinema 
Gareth Edwards, the director of the upcoming Godzilla film, took a little time to walk fans through the most recent trailer, explaining all the little details contained within it. In case you missed any hidden shots, he explains their reasoning behind shots and also some of their experiences during filming. I liked that he mentioned how they created the classic Godzilla roar at the end. Perhaps it’s worth watching just to get a slower look at some shots where Godzilla creeps in. Also included below the jump, the recent Godzilla Snickers commercial. Why? I don’t know, seeing Godzilla water skiing was pretty funny to me. Read more…
Tags: Godzilla
Posted by Ben Huber on Feb 28, 2014 in Cinema, Videogames 
It was bound to happen sooner or later — the Minecraft movie rights have been picked up by Warner Bros. They’ve only attached one name at the moment: Roy Lee, the producer of The LEGO Movie. I would imagine that The LEGO Movie’s success had much to do with this announcement as well. They have a lot of crossover appeal, and can definitely hit the same demographic. I’d love if the same team behind The LEGO Movie did Minecraft, but I’m not sure they’d take it up. The news also mentions that the film will be live-action… which is an odd choice, but we’ll see how it turns out! I have high hopes for this. Read more…
Tags: Minecraft
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 Bob Muir on Feb 27, 2014 in Videogames 
Remember last week, when we got our first post-E3-2013 look at The Order: 1886? The Ready at Dawn-developed PS4 game showed off more cinematic stuff, but actual gameplay was quite limited, or at least seemed to be. Even if it was rendered in-engine, it mostly looked like cutscenes, so it wasn’t easy to tell what the game would play like. Sony has posted more footage on their PlayStation YouTube channel, and now things are coming together. As promised, the gameplay is unsegmented for a cinematic feel, with cutscenes and quick-time events flowing directly into regular gameplay, which is of the third-person shooter variety. What strikes me isn’t the usual “cinematic” elements like a wider aspect ratio or camera framing, but the willingness to use more filmic editing, switching from shot to shot seamlessly, which is normally reserved for a game’s standard cutscenes. It’s still too early to tell if the game will rely too heavily on quick-time events, but I’m interested to see how things turn out. Read more…
Tags: PS4
Posted by Bob Muir on Feb 27, 2014 in Cinema 
Slow down there, and make sure you read that whole headline, because when I was told this news, I thought Disney was going to bring Darth Vader back to life in Star Wars Episode VII. But thankfully, that’s not the case. Apparently Adam Driver, who appears on HBO’s Girls, is currently the top choice to play a Vader-like antagonist in the next Star Wars film. It’s not clear yet if this means his character will ape Vader’s “human being kept alive with technology” angle, or if it means his rank and powers, or if it is referring to his iconic nature and importance to the story — or maybe a bit of all of these. If he’s meant to be this important, perhaps he’ll appear in other Star Wars films too. But for now, we’ll have to wait to see if he is even confirmed in the role, due to his schedule on Girls. I don’t watch Girls (and I have to imagine many Star Wars fans don’t either), so I can’t comment on his acting. I’m having a little time imagining him in Star Wars due to his hair style, beard, and clothes, so this might be the sort of thing where I wait for a trailer to see him in action. Read more…
Tags: Darth Vader, Disney, Star Wars
Posted by Bob Muir on Feb 26, 2014 in Cinema 
The first Godzilla trailer was impressive enough, but this second one really sold me on the film. This one’s less about the dramatic reveal of just how freaking big this monster is and more about the various human characters. I’m not sure exactly how many of the previous Godzilla films are being considered “canon,” especially the previous American 1998 film that everyone hates, but from a reference to nuclear tests in 1954, apparently at least some of the original 1954 film happened in this new film’s history. But whatever, there’s a ridiculously big lizard and he’s going to mess things up. And judging from the references to nature being greater than man, it seems like the new film might capture some of the original film’s underlying message. Read more…
Tags: Godzilla, Warner Brothers
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