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Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 7, 2014 in Anime, Cinema 
Unlike the Cowboy Bebop and Akira movies that never got off the ground, Hollywood is actually managing to remake an anime into a live-action film — just not one you expect. This is Kite, scheduled for release sometime in 2014. The original Kite (or A Kite in Japan) is an OVA made of 2 30-minute episodes, often edited into one 60-minute film. It’s also extremely violent and somewhat controversial for its scenes of graphic sex and rape, including scenes of the main character Sawa as a young girl; some places even list it as a hentai, though it’s not. It’s been remade as a live-action American film, though it’s almost certainly based on the earlier censored releases that cut out the actual depiction of rape. India Eisley stars as Sawa, while Samuel L. Jackson is the guy who gets top billing. Jackson is actually a fan of Kite, though again, I’d have to imagine he’s thinking of the censored version that most fans have seen. The first trailer is below, and it looks pretty stylish. Read more…
Tags: Samuel L. Jackson
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 7, 2014 in Hobbies and Collections 
Speaking of Legos, check out this purported leaked image of a Simpsons Lego set. With 2523 pieces, you’ve got a lot to work with as you construct the Simpsons’ house and populate it with the entire family (and Flanders). You can even open it up and check out the interior decorations, from the look of it. As this was a leak on Eurobricks, there’s no word on a date or price, but with that many pieces, you can expect it to easily cost you a pretty penny. Read more…
Tags: Lego, The Simpsons, Toys
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 6, 2014 in Fandom, Hobbies and Collections 
So, did everyone bust on the LEGOs over Christmas break? Because there are a ton of amazing creations popping up this week. Ok, it doesn’t quite apply here because this was uploaded a little bit ago but it didn’t catch my attention until now. This huge model made by LegoBrickbaron looks impressive in pictures, with its bright colors and insane attention to detail, but it looks even better on video. Why? Because it moves and has a bunch of little mechanical moving parts. Check out the entire video to see Batman battling the Joker, Robin struggling to hang on, and the Penguin unleashing his penguin horde. Read more…
Tags: Batman, Joker, Lego
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 6, 2014 in Hobbies and Collections 
This is just a great time for mechanical ball machines, isn’t it? First the LEGO ball machine earlier this weekend and now The Works Museum in Minnesota has commissioned an enormous K’nex ball machine that they proclaim is the largest in the world. The machine stands 23.5 feet tall, 40 feet long, and used over 100,000 K’nex pieces. In the video below, you can catch the highlights of the machine, like a 20 foot drop, a 60 foot long pathway, and 2 lifts to transport the balls to the top. Check it out! Read more…
Tags: K'nex
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 5, 2014 in Cinema 
Wes Anderson needs no introduction, does he? His latest film, The Grand Budapest Hotel looks fantastic so far, and I’m very interested in seeing it. Leading the marketing push, two clips have been uploaded (one via Apple and one via Yahoo), to give you a taste. Ralph Fiennes is just having a blast here, chewing the scenery and devouring every line. And Tony Revolori is fitting perfectly into the role of a boy who is a bit too nervous, but it plays well into the energy the rest of the world has. Check out the two clips below! The film arrives March 7th. Read more…
Tags: Wes Anderson
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 5, 2014 in Hobbies and Collections 
Not the real thing, mind you, that’d be a bit expensive. Instead, you can own the NASA Mars Curiosity Rover… in LEGO form! For $30! That’s a bit more affordable, eh? It features the 6-wheeled suspension system and poseable robotic arms for gather data. The coolest part? It was designed by LEGO fan and Curiosity engineer Stephen Pakbaz. So this dude made both the real rover and the LEGO version — if only I could be half as cool as he is! You can buy the set online here (or in stores) but of this writing it’s currently out of stock and will be back January 17th. Read more…
Tags: Lego, Mars, NASA
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 4, 2014 in Star Wars
For a bit now we were aware that Empire Strikes Back and Raiders of the Lost Ark scribe Lawrence Kasdan would be working on a Star Wars script for spinoff movie in addition to helping JJ Abrams write the new trilogy. What we didn’t know, though, is what that spinoff film would be about. We had our suspicions, and rumors ran rampant about a Yoda film and a Boba Fett film equally. Well, according to Jon Schnepp, who has worked on The Venture Bros. and Metalocalypse and probably has some friends who worked on Star Wars: The Clone Wars, says that he’s heard that Kasdan is penning a Boba Fett script. Neat! Now, the big question is, can Boba Fett be interesting enough for an entire 2 hours? I’m not sure. Read more…
Tags: Boba Fett, Lawrence Kasdan
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 4, 2014 in Comic Books, Star Wars 
Farewell, Dark Horse! You’ve been a lovely friend for Star Wars all these years — over 20, actually. But given that Disney owns both Marvel and Lucasfilm, it was only a matter of time until the comics were brought under the same roof. Marvel will be taking over publishing of all Star Wars comics in 2015. Whether they’ll continue currently running series or halt them remains to be seen. I imagine at the very least they have plenty of plans for comics that’ll support the new films that begin in 2015. What’ll happen next? And what will Dark Horse do to fill the gaps? Read more…
Tags: Dark Horse, Marvel, Star Wars
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 3, 2014 in Hobbies and Collections 
Akiyuky, the intrepid Japanese LEGO mastermind behind several incredible contraptions, is back with another impressive ball contraption, delivering hundreds of balls in a loop through a variety of neat machines. While the scale is always impressive, I’m liking this one a bit more for the extra character involved: those adorable colored animals picking up the balls and throwing them back is great! I hope Akiyuky and his crew of talented builders do more of the that in the future, because it adds some much-needed color to some amazing LEGO gizmos. Watch the blue ball travel through the contraption below! Read more…
Tags: Lego
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 3, 2014 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Straight from the New Year’s celebration comes this new clip of Amazing Spider-Man 2, featuring shots of Spidey, Electro, and 1.2 seconds of the Rhino. Of course, it’s all set in Times Square. Also, am I alone in noticing how… video game-y this trailer looks? I’m not sure if it’s the over-saturation or the glossy effects, but everyone looks like a CGI model. Rhino also didn’t look great for his brief appearance. At least Spidey is wise-cracking, though! I’m worried about all these villains, still, as I’m not sure Marc Webb can pull it off. Read more…
Tags: The Amazing Spider-Man
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 2, 2014 in Videogames 
Those lovable Servbots from Mega Man Legends are always getting pushed around, but in this short, at least one of them finally gets a fighting chance. Animator ultimatemaverickx has imagined a scenario in which a Servbot gets a hold of the Model X armor from Mega Man ZX. He transforms, gaining a Mega Buster, and can take on enemies himself! It’s a cute animation, but it reminded me of something: why don’t we have Servbot LEGOs yet? It seems like a no-brainer! Read more…
Tags: Mega Man
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 2, 2014 in Videogames 
The first bit of “story” DLC in Batman: Arkham Origins wasn’t that impressive, since it was just Bruce Wayne training with ninjas in what are basically just challenge rooms. The next campaign looks more interesting though. We don’t have a name yet, but Warner Brothers is “inviting” gamers to Gotham’s Humanitarian of the Year Awards at Wayne Manor. We’ve got an award statue, a diamond, and a lot of ice, which means Mr. Freeze might be involved. Senior Producer Ben Mattes hints that this DLC “focus on one of the most key relationships in Batman canon,” so maybe it’s Freeze’s relationship with his wife, or his relationship with Batman. Either way, hopefully it’s more interesting than that last DLC. Read more…
Tags: Batman, Batman: Arkham Origins, Warner Brothers
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 1, 2014 in Fandom, Videogames 
Pokemon are usually a bit more cuddly thanks to their cartoon style, but I love attempts to show what they’d look like in a realistic-looking world. Sam Yang tried reimagining Mewtwo, already one of the cooler pokemon, if he was actually made by scientists in our world. Not only is he more buff, but it seems that he needs some cybernetic enhancements just to function, as they’re sticking out of him in various places. Maybe he can’t live without the enhancements because the scientists weren’t talented enough to make a fully working clone of Mew? Whatever the reason, this is a version of pokemon I’d love to see in action. Read more…
Tags: Pokémon
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 1, 2014 in Cinema, Comic Books 
New Year’s Eve means news is light, but Marvel decided to give fans a little present with the first still from Guardians of the Galaxy. You’ve got five characters standing in this line-up: Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper), Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista), and Groot (Vin Diesel). I for one love the fact that Marvel has decided to spend money on hiring someone really big like Diesel to voice a walking tree that only says his name. I’m curious how Chris Pratt does in the role of Peter Quill though, a.k.a. Star-Lord. I keep worrying I’ll just see his character Andy from Parks and Recreation. Read more…
Tags: Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel
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