|
Posted by Michael Pinto on Apr 30, 2015 in Animation, Anime, Cinema, Comic Books, Design, Fandom, Hobbies and Collections, Horror, Podcasts, Pulp Fiction, Science, Star Trek, Star Wars, Tech, Television, Videogames 
I’m sorry to report that Fanboy.com is now on hiatus: We’re currently thinking of relaunching the site in the future, but for now no new stories will appear. We will still be posting links we love on a regular basis on our Facebook page so please keep in touch with us there.
I first registered this site on a lark in the 90s, but then started blogging almost 9 years ago in 2006 and found it to be a very rewarding experience. However after about 3,000 or so posts I got a bit burned out, however I was very lucky in that I found a few folks who were willing to put in the work to keep the site alive (namely Ben Huber, Bob Muir and Tim Sheehy) and to them I owe a great deal of thanks. I also would like to thank you the readers of this website for coming back to us over the past few years. In the meantime we’ll keep this site up for anyone who would like to see our old stories until further notice.
Posted by Ben Huber on Apr 30, 2015 in Cinema 
If you don’t want a major plot twist for Terminator: Genisys spoiled, don’t click this. The marketing for this movie seems determined to ruin the plot twist at every turn. Do they think it’s not that big a deal? Is it only a “minor” twist in the grand scheme of the film’s story? Or are they hoping the shock value of the spoiler will be enough to get people to turn up? Who knows. To me, it’s a bizarre choice… but then again, Genisys has been marketed abysmally, with bizarre press photos, badly edited trailers, and now… poorly-Photoshopped posters. Read more…
Tags: Terminator, Terminator Genisys
Posted by Ben Huber on Apr 30, 2015 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Here’s your first straight-up press shot of Batman from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. It wasn’t supposed to get out this soon, but hey, this is the internet, and these sorts of things happen. It’s actually the same shot from the IMAX posters, but without the face obscured and cropped slightly less. It’s kind of a weird shot because Batman just has his arms… hanging out there. Almost like he’s trying to strike a cool “tough guy” pose but didn’t know where to put his arms. As goofy as it looks, I do like this gruffer, stubblier, and less-pointy-ears Batman. He looks like could take a punch or two from Superman! Read more…
Tags: Batman, Batman v. Superman
Posted by Bob Muir on Apr 30, 2015 in Cinema 
Does one guy cut every action blockbuster trailer? Probably not, but Red Letter Media makes a strong case in their newest video. With summer movie season coming up, we’ll be seeing a lot of trailers before choosing what to watch. RLM’s video reminds us that yes, every action trailer is the same, especially if it’s for a superhero movie. They’re the same beats, the same editing style, and the same music, over and over again. At least we’ve managed to move on from that “trailer voice guy” who said things like “In a world…” Read more…
Posted by Bob Muir on Apr 30, 2015 in Comic Books 
Sure, Hawkeye is a badass, but put next to people with metal suits or super strength, he can look a little underpowered. But he’s good at other things too — like Mario Kart, or trombone, or bowling. And he sang about them on The Tonight Show, which is like another thing he can do. It’s alright, Hawkeye, we still like you and your cool comic by Fraction & Aja. Read more…
Tags: Hawkeye, The Avengers
Posted by Bob Muir on Apr 29, 2015 in Videogames 
It feels like the Mighty No. 9 Kickstarter was ages ago, but it was only September 2013 that it was funded. After much development time, Keiji Inafune’s spiritual successor to Mega Man is finally close to being finished. Mighty No. 9 will finally release on September 15, with publisher Deep Silver handling a physical release as well for $19.99. The platforms it’s releasing on are many, so here goes: PC, Mac, Linux, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Wii U, with 3DS and Vita versions coming later. So unless you’re still rocking a Commodore 64, I bet you can get it on the platform of your choice.
Read more…
Tags: Keiji Inafune, Mighty No. 9
Posted by Bob Muir on Apr 29, 2015 in Anime, Television 
After 18 years, Dragon Ball returns to the airwaves with a new TV series, Dragon Ball Super. With interest in the franchise surging thanks to the two recent movies, this is the perfect time to see a new ongoing series. But will it be another Dragon Ball GT, the anime follow-up to Dragon Ball Z with the least involvement from creator Akira Toriyama? That’s too soon to tell, but it’s a positive sign that Toriyama is involved with “original story and character concepts.” It’s set a few years after the defeat of Majin Buu at the end of DBZ. And seeing as the two recent movies are also set after Majin Buu’s defeat, I guess we’re all assuming that DBGT didn’t happen. Which is just fine, really. Read more…
Tags: Dragonball
Posted by Bob Muir on Apr 28, 2015 in Videogames 
After plenty of hints that sent fans into a frenzy, Scott Cawthon has announced Five Nights at Freddy’s 4: The Final Chapter. While there’s no telling for sure that this is the true end of the series thanks to Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, it does seem as though the YouTube-popular indie horror series does seem to be ending. Even if the series does end though, fans can still look forward to the movie, which was recently announced. Five Nights at Freddy’s 4 is due out on Halloween later this year. Read more…
Tags: Horror
Posted by Bob Muir on Apr 28, 2015 in Videogames 
It doesn’t look like you’ll be playing as anyone other than Batman in Batman: Arkham Knight. But that doesn’t mean the Caped Crusader will be fighting alone. The game’s latest trailer shows both Robin (Tim Drake) and Nightwing (Dick Grayson), entering the fray. This seems to imply they’ll have a larger part than in Arkham City, where Robin cameoed in one cutscene and Nightwing only showed up in non-story challenges. The trailer also shows a lot of tantalizing footage, including hints that previous teased subplots are being picked up for this finale. Read more…
Tags: Batman, Batman: Arkham Knight, Warner Brothers
Posted by Ben Huber on Apr 27, 2015 in Videogames 
At the San Francisco Film Society, Guillermo del Toro showed up to the Castro Theatre for a screening of one of his favorite films (The Devil’s Backbone) and an in-depth conversation about his past and future work. Well, as you might imagine, someone asked about Silent Hills, which has been going through tough times (as Hideo Kojima is probably leaving Konami soon, thus abandoning the project). Guillermo said, as for his end of the deal: “It’s not gonna happen and that breaks my greasy heart.” That’s not official confirmation of cancelation from Konami but… that’s a pretty solid nail in the coffin. But perhaps the game will continue on without del Toro? Though, to make matters worse, P.T., the playable teaser for Silent Hills, is being removed from the PlayStation Network on April 29th, so if you want it, download it now (or add it to your PSN account via the web store). Sorry Silent Hill fans… I’m not sure this story will have a happy ending. Read more…
Tags: guillermo del toro, Silent Hill
Posted by Ben Huber on Apr 27, 2015 in Videogames 
It was pretty much the worst-kept secret, but hey: here’s Call of Duty: Black Ops III. Promotional materials were leaking left and right the past few weeks; plus, who wasn’t expecting a new COD game soon? This one looks to continue BLOPS II’s advanced tech even further, with more drones, wallrunning, robots, and robotic limbs. It’s basically Titanfall and Deus Ex tossed into a blender after being drained of any color. Okay, okay, that’s awfully negative of me. But I can’t really bring myself to be excited about another COD game right now. Who knows, maybe this one will do something unique and interesting? If so, I’m there, because while I love the technological angle they’ve been taking… it just hasn’t grabbed me yet. Here’s the reveal trailer. Read more…
Tags: Black Ops III, Call of Duty
Posted by Ben Huber on Apr 26, 2015 in Comic Books 
Frank Miller is coming back to Batman, with The Dark Knight: The Master Race. DC Comics says it will be be the “epic conclusion of the celebrated The Dark Knight Returns saga.” Cool, I guess! While Miller’s original The Dark Knight Returns is probably one of the most influential comic books ever, the sequel The Dark Knight Strikes Again was mostly disliked and ignored. I never read it myself, but friends who did weren’t fond of it. So will a third installment rise back to the heights of the first? Who knows, honestly. Also, the title might need some good rationalization, guys. Just putting that out there. Read more…
Tags: Batman, Frank Miller, The Dark Knight Returns
Posted by Ben Huber on Apr 26, 2015 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Here’s what you’ve all been waiting for: the next incarnation of the Joker. Suicide Squad, out next August, will feature Jared Leto as the clown prince of crime. So… here’s what he looks like. I can only imagine — scene: at a Warner Bros. office. “How do we make it clear that the Joker has issues?” says a nameless exec. “I know!” says another, “We’ll tattoo ‘Damaged‘ across his forehead!” Weird ableism issues aside (its not like it’s easy to avoid stuff like that with the Joker as a character), it’s just silly. The rest? I’m actually okay with. The other tattoos and erratic, edgy look he has could play well. Plus, we need to see Leto in action before final judgement, I feel. Until then, though, I have a feeling we’ll see a lot of “Damaged” jokes. But do you remember the original reaction to first images of Heath Ledger as the Joker? People hated his design! I wouldn’t write this off just yet… Read more…
Tags: Suicide Squad, The Joker
Posted by Ben Huber on Apr 25, 2015 in Cinema 
Universal is shuffling around the dates of some of their upcoming films. Warcraft, which has already been pushed around quite a bit, is moving from March 11th, 2016 to June 10th, 2016. Not a huge difference, but it shows two things: a) Universal wants to get out of the way of Batman v Superman, and b) they think Warcraft is good enough to stand up to the summer movie box office! Let’s hope it’s solid. I trust Duncan Jones! Pacific Rim 2 has also been pushed back, April 7th, 2017 to August 4th, 2017. That was moved to make way for the eighth Fast and Furious film, which will open April 14th, 2017. Oh yeah, and there’s a new Mummy film on the way, which will show up March 24th, 2017. With all those dates out of the way, the real question is: how much of this slate will be… good? Read more…
Tags: Pacific Rim, Warcraft
Posted by Ben Huber on Apr 25, 2015 in Videogames 
Yes, you read that right: you can now pay for mods. Steam’s Workshop has been a really impressive source of user-generated content, and being able to easily load and unload mods into games has been incredibly useful. Skyrim in particular has gotten tons of great content from the modding community. Now, Valve has added a way for modders to get paid for all their hard work: you can list paid mods on Skyrim’s Steam Workshop. After uploading a mod, you can choose a set price for it, allow a “pay-what-you-want” model, or leave it for free as before. The idea is to have modders get paid for making good content, and also encourage higher-quality mods in hopes of hitting it big time. Read more…
Tags: Mod, Skyrim, Steam
Posted by Ben Huber on Apr 24, 2015 in Cinema, Comic Books 
It’s summer! I’ve got my hat on backwards and it’s time to watch a whole bunch of superhero movies. Here are two new clips Marvel movie clips: one from Ant-Man, and another from Avengers: Age of Ultron. Both are a tad spoilery, so go no further if you want to stay untarnished! The first clip features Scott Lang breaking in and stealing — what else? — the Ant-Man suit. It’s an interesting setup! The second clip is for folks who can’t wait: it’s a brief look at Vision in action from further in the film, when he’s first activated. I hear he’s one of the best elements of Age of Ultron! Read more…
Tags: ant-man, Avengers: Age of Ultron
Posted by Ben Huber on Apr 24, 2015 in Animation, Cinema 
Surprise! That leaked news from the Sony email hack from last year has turned out to be true! Phil Lord and Chris Miller are working on an animated Spider-Man film for Sony — in fact, they’ll be the “masterminds” behind the project and will executive produce as well. However, the press release doesn’t mention them directing it, and doesn’t bring up anyone else, so who will helm the pic remains a mystery. According to Sony, it will exist independently of the live-action Spider-Man film universe and they have already dated it for July 20th, 2018. I wonder if we’ll see a different interpretation of Spider-Man here? Having two Spidey films going at the same time could be awfully confusing… unless the animated one is say, Spider-Man 2099 or Miles Morales, eh? Hey, I can hope, can’t I? Read more…
Tags: Chris Miller, Phil Lord, Sony, Spider-man
Posted by Bob Muir on Apr 23, 2015 in Anime, Cinema
After releasing films like The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Summer Wars, and Wolf Children, Mamoru Hosada has established himself as one of the best directors of anime films. His creativity, skill, and attention to detail make for outstanding cinema, especially in a field that has lost luminaries like Hayao Miyazaki (retired) and Satoshi Kon. His next film, The Boy and The Beast, has a new English-subtitled trailer, courtesy of Australian distributor Madman. It tells the story of a boy who falls into a parallel beast world and is raised and trained by one of the beasts. The animation already looks outstanding, so check it out! Read more…
Tags: Mamoru Hosoda, The Boy and The Beast
Posted by Bob Muir on Apr 23, 2015 in Videogames 
This announcement was kind of spoiled back in January, but this is the “official” Sega announcement. The next installment of the popular strategy series Total War will be Total War: Warhammer. Yes, the tabletop strategy game is going to be a strategy videogame, with all the usual fantasy races for you to play as. This is supposedly the beginning of a trilogy, which always seems like counting your chickens before they hatch, but seeing as this union of strategy franchises makes sense, I’d say it’s a safe bet, provided it resonates with their audience. Read more…
Tags: Sega, Total War, Warhammer
Posted by Bob Muir on Apr 22, 2015 in Cinema, Television 
I think I saw and enjoyed Galaxy Quest way before I ever saw one episode of Star Trek, and it didn’t matter, because it’s such a funny movie. But soon, it will also be a (hopefully funny) TV series. Paramount is developing it, along with the original film’s writer, director, and producer, so the same crew is along for the ride. I wouldn’t expect any of the original actors to reprise their roles, but I could see the potential for this to work as a series. Naturally, Paramount isn’t giving out any more details, so we’ll have to imagine who could possibly step into Alan Rickman’s shoes. Read more…
Tags: Galaxy Quest, Science Fiction, Star Trek
Posted by Bob Muir on Apr 22, 2015 in Comic Books, Television 
The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that the rumored Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. spin-off is actually happening. While Marvel and ABC haven’t said anything yet, their sources state that ex-couple Bobbi “Mockingbird” Morse (Adrianne Palicki) and Lance Hunter (Nick Blood) will leave S.H.I.E.L.D. to headline a new series. S.H.I.E.L.D. executive producer/writer Jeffrey Bell and co-executive producer/writer Paul Zbyszewski are also on board. The upcoming final episodes of S.H.I.E.L.D. will set up the series. Read more…
Tags: Agents of SHIELD, Marvel
Posted by Bob Muir on Apr 21, 2015 in Anime, Videogames 
There have been some enjoyable Dragon Ball Z fighting games over the years, as various developers took their turn with the classic anime series. But Arc System Works, who is known for their “anime fighters” like Guilty Gear and BlazBlue, hasn’t made a DBZ game since Dragon Ball Z: Supersonic Warriors 2 on DS. They’re returning to the series with Dragon Ball Z: Extreme Butoden, which just had a demo released in Japan, giving us our first good look at the gameplay (below). While not as high-res as their console fighting games, it looks like a fun fighter with good artwork. Here’s hoping it’s better received than their previous DBZ fighters.
Read more…
Tags: 3DS, Dragonball
Posted by Bob Muir on Apr 21, 2015 in Cinema, Comic Books, Fandom 
Despite knowing that I probably won’t like Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice because of the overly dark direction they’re taking it, I was surprised that I enjoyed the teaser trailer as much as I did. It’s not what I want, but for what Zack Snyder is making, the trailer seems pretty cool. (Maybe it appeals to my inner teen, I dunno.) But what if that trailer was too dark for you? Did you want something lighter, more optimistic, even more campy? YouTube user Bobby Burns has recut the trailer with footage from Christopher Reeve’s Superman movies and Adam West’s live-action Batman TV series. No matter how gritty the dialogue gets, it’s undercut by, say, Batman running around with a cartoon bomb. I’m just going to assume this will happen for every future trailer as well. Read more…
Tags: Adam West, Batman v. Superman, Christopher Reeve
Posted by Ben Huber on Apr 20, 2015 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Fox’s new trailer for Fantastic 4 started showing up around the internet a little early, but no matter! They posted it officially on their YouTube channel so that we can all see it legit. The big thing here is our first non-set-photo look at Doctor Doom. Sadly, I am not a fan. It looks like he’s wearing a garbage bag… and that feels really awful to say! I’m usually the first person to say that the comics and movies have different design aesthetics and you can’t compare the two, but man, I wish we could see a version of Doom closer to his comic book iteration. Ok, enough complaining: the Thing looks pretty great!
Do you think we’ll ever find out if the rumors about Josh Trank’s behavior are true? He didn’t show up to the Star Wars Celebration panel he was supposed to be on yesterday due to feeling “under the weather.” Very last minute! I wonder if there’s trouble following the director?
Here’s the Fantastic 4 trailer! Read more…
Tags: Fantastic Four, Josh Trank
|
|
