|
Posted by Ben Huber on Oct 3, 2014 in Cinema, Comic Books 
We had heard plenty of rumblings that Marvel was heavily courting Joaquin Phoenix to play Doctor Strange (there were even reported sightings of Phoenix buying Strange comics). Alas, it is not to be, as it seems Phoenix’s careful and picky nature has left Marvel without a Doctor, and the company is moving on to find another lead. They need to find one fairly soon, too, as they used up a fair bit of time waiting on Phoenix to decide. Now who’s up, instead? We’re not really sure. There was a rumor of Ethan Hawke, but Deadline says that’s unfounded. Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hardy, and Jared Leto have recently been mentioned, but not in any solid sense. We’ll probably have to wait for news to leak out of Marvel’s next pick! Read more…
Tags: Doctor Strange
Posted by Ben Huber on Oct 3, 2014 in Comic Books, Videogames 
I’m not sure why, but the latest playable character announced for LEGO Batman 3 is Kevin Smith. Yes, that Kevin Smith, of Clerks fame. The guy who named his daughter after Harley Quinn — didn’t you know? This is an interesting choice for a playable character in a Batman game, but I guess once you’ve used up all the expected Batman and DC characters it’s time to start dipping into the surrounding pop culture pool. You want to know who else is joining Smith as a playable character? DC Entertainment chief creative officer Geoff Johns. Ok, that makes a bit more sense. More info will debut about the game at New York Comic-con. Read more…
Tags: Batman, DC Comics, Kevin Smith, Lego
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 29, 2014 in Animation, Videogames 
The Fourth Annual Saxxy Awards voting period is almost over, so if you haven’t had a chance yet, you should get over there and vote! The Saxxys is Valve’s annual video competition in which fans use the Source Filmmaker software to create CGI videos using game assets from Team Fortress 2, Portal 2, and Left 4 Dead. Most of the submitted films are TF2 -themed, but there’s really no limit to what you can put in your film, as long as it’s either using game assets or your own original work. There’s multiple categories and several awards to give out. I’ve put a few of the best I’ve seen below the jump. And then get voting here! Read more…
Tags: Saxxy Awards, Source Filmmaker, Team Fortress, Valve
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 29, 2014 in Animation, Cinema 
Here’s an odd tale for the day: SoftBank, as in the Japanese telecom, is in talks to possibly acquire DreamWorks Animation SKG. Apparently DreamWorks has been looking for new funding for a while now, but most companies haven’t been interested. DreamWorks films has been having a certain issue since it went public: its movies would open soft and then build up a huge final gross. Great, right? Well, investors don’t like soft openings, and shares would frequently plummet when a film would open. Sadly, shareholders don’t understand the movie industry, it seems. Thus, getting additional funding could help DreamWorks Animation quite a bit. No paper has been signed yet, but it’ll be interesting to see how this whole affair proceeds. Read more…
Tags: Dreamworks, SoftBank
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 28, 2014 in Fandom, Videogames 
This is the internet, you know, so I’m formally obligated to provide you with any and all high-quality cat videos for your perusal. YouTube channel Mr. TVCow has put together an adorable video featuring four kittens dress up as the main characters from Assassin’s Creed Unity, leaping across tables, rocks, and two hapless guards. Then they murder them. I kind of want an outfit like that for my cat! I know this isn’t an official ad for the game, but it’s basically the best commercial I’ve seen yet for Unity, as I’ve already been bored by their typical feature trailers. And time for a low blow: do you think any of the kittens are female? Check out the cuteness below. Read more…
Tags: Assassin's Creed, cats
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 28, 2014 in Comic Books 
Here’s some fairly big news: the Jack Kirby estate and Marvel have reached a settlement. Jack Kirby, despite creating some of the most famous super heroes ever, was under a work-for-hire contract and thus never received copyright ownership of his work. His estate has been engaged in a lawsuit with Marvel for a very long time, and were about to have a legal showdown in the Supreme Court. However, days before it was about to occur, the settlement was announced. As you might guess, we’re not privy to the details, but it’s not like we’re going to stop getting Captain America movies. That’d be bad for both parties involved. Marvel might have thought they couldn’t take the risk of losing in the Supreme Court and just decided to settle. Fun! Read more…
Tags: Jack Kirby, Marvel
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 27, 2014 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Let’s be honest: we’ve seen Batman’s parents die too many times now. We all know the story. So let’s squish them together into one video and watch them all at once, to experience maximum childhood tragedy. There are plenty of dark alleys, gunshots, screaming Bruce Waynes, and trigger-happy criminals to go around. Vulture put this video together after seeing the opening of Gotham, making them ask “how many times do we have to see this?” At least nine, apparently. Possibly more. Watch all nine below in one deathly supercut. Read more…
Tags: Batman, Batman Begins, Gotham
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 27, 2014 in Fandom, Television 
You know, I’ve always enjoyed dubbed videos, ever since, well… Dayjob Orchestra‘s Star Trek dubs. I mean, you have to be good at choosing words and lip-syncing, but if you can do it well, it’s incredibly convincing and funny. Bad Lip Reading is clearly not that bad — they’re doing a pretty good job. Sometimes the nonsense coming out of characters’ mouths isn’t the cleverest, but those spots of genius are pretty hilarious. In fact, this Walking Dead video is one of their better videos, although I’m not really sold on Carl’s mad rhymes. The pizza delivery scene at the end got me, though. Check out the video below! Read more…
Tags: The Walking Dead
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 26, 2014 in Cinema 
It might be hard for the Wachowskis to strike gold again, but they sure are trying. Jupiter Ascending has a new trailer out, and it looks deliciously sci-fi — drenched in fantastic visuals and over-the-top creations. I’m positive it won’t be for everyone. It might not even be that good, story-wise… but I think at the very least it’ll be impressive visually and stylistically. In addition, the new poster evokes an 80s sci-fi novel cover. It’s kind of endearing, although it could be too cheesy for some. Jupiter Ascending is showing up on February 6th. I wonder if its style will grab people’s attention? Check out the trailer and poster below. Read more…
Tags: Jupiter Ascending, the Wachowskis
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 26, 2014 in Hobbies and Collections, Star Wars 
Hot Toys continues to knock it out of the park with every figure they make, but this new Chewbacca figure might just take the cake. He has brown fabric hair across his entire body, and it looks just like the real thing. I’m honestly surprised it looks this good, because typically, hair on figures is hard to do right. A whole figure of hair? A nightmare! But somehow they pulled it off, and Chewie looks great standing next to Han. As usual, he comes with a bunch of accessories, such as his bowcaster and bandoleer, as well as a figure stand. Check out some more images below, then see the full gallery here! Read more…
Tags: Chewbacca, Hot Toys
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 22, 2014 in Television 
One of the most likely candidates for True Detective season 2 has just confirmed his involvement: Colin Farrell will be playing one of the three leads in the series. “I know it will be eight episodes and take around four or five months to shoot,” he said. Right after that he added, “I know very little about it, but we’re shooting in the environs of Los Angeles which is great. It means I get to stay at home and see the kids.” That’s sweet to hear. Sounds like it’s also still early in the whole process if he doesn’t really know anything about it either. The second series “looks set to pick up on the bloody murder of a corrupt city businessman found dead the night before a major transportation deal.” No, not the… Department of Transportation! The horror! (I kid, I kid.) Read more…
Tags: HBO, true detective
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 22, 2014 in Science, Tech 
Yup, Oculus is still at it, and they’ve announced a new iteration of their Rift virtual reality headset. Once again, this isn’t the final consumer-ready version — it’s another prototype for developers to use to create games for the platform. This new hardware, named Crescent Bay, was announced at Oculus Connect, an official event set up by Oculus to give developers the chance to try the latest hardware and help them overcome any challenges VR might have. It features additional track sensors for a full 360 degrees of movement, a lighter design, an improved screen with less gaps between pixels, and integrated optional audio with 3D positioning. We’re getting closer and closer to consumer VR, and I’m so very excited. As you might guess, there’s no word on when the final version will come out, but so far 2015 seems a solid bet. Read more…
Tags: oculus rift, Virtual Reality
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 21, 2014 in Cinema 
Josh Trank’s Fantastic Four is getting a slight delay: it’ll be moving from June 19th to August 7th, 2015. Now, the movie was going to make its release date no matter what, but this is interesting because Fox is clearly moving it out of the way of the biggest June releases and instead putting it into the same slot as Guardians of the Galaxy from this year. I imagine they hope to replicate the same success. Apparently, as long as you have a good movie, people will come to see it anytime, not just during the peak summer months. Surprise! Also, in related news, Fox has taken the Assassin’s Creed film off its August 2015 release date and move it to “to be determined.” Only time will tell if this is a minor scheduling change or a sign of a film stumbling already. Read more…
Tags: Assassin's Creed, Fantastic Four
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 21, 2014 in Hobbies and Collections, Star Wars 
Revoltech, Japanese maker of all things figures, have started a new Star Wars line. At least, I’m pretty sure they are, given that their first figure, Darth Vader, is labeled “#001.” That probably means there’s more to come. Revoltech has done a great job in the past of creating pose-able figures that also look great. Vader, thankfully, is no exception. He’s got lots of great poses, and about the only nitpick I have is the cape: it looks great in the default position, but when bent along the hinges, it creates some gaps. Nothing terrible, but I suppose that’s the price you pay for a cool sculpted cape instead of a cloth one. You can pre-order Vader here — he comes out in December. Read more…
Tags: Action Figures, Darth Vader, Revoltech
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 20, 2014 in Animation 
And… it looks pretty good! I mean, a CGI Popeye is perhaps not the most ideal situation in the first place — but if that’s your only option, doing it with Genndy Tartakovsky is a great way to tackle it. After wrapping up Hotel Transylvania (which was a bit of a rescue project for Tartakovsky), he had a chance to point Sony Pictures Animation in a different direction: Popeye! They’re definitely applying a lot of traditional animation techniques to the CGI, giving it a flexible, unique look. I think it’s safe to say the visual style of the film will be in good hands — I hope Tartakovsky and the script-writing crew can make the story worthwhile, too! The test footage is below. Read more…
Tags: Genndy Tartakovsky, Popeye
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 20, 2014 in Comic Books, Television 
Will it finally happen? So many people have been trying to make a female-led TV series or superhero movie for a while now, but now we’ve finally got a solid step towards one. Supergirl has been picked up by CBS (THR describes it as a “hefty” series commitment). The executive producers are Greg Berlanti (of Arrow) and Ali Adler (No Ordinary Family). There’s no news yet on whether this’ll be a total reboot of the character (most likely) or if it’ll spin off of her Smallville incarnation. I imagine at this point they want to go the Arrow route with the series, and make Supergirl stand on her own. Given the praise that Arrow has been receiving, hopefully Supergirl turns out well too. Read more…
Tags: CBS, Supergirl
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 19, 2014 in Cinema 
Not long now — Interstellar will be arriving in theaters November 7th (and we’ll be getting a new trailer soon), but here are some new posters to make the wait a little easier. This trio of promotional posters aren’t crazy special (aside from that space ship one, above), but they definitely drive home the themes of the film: hope, exploration, and survival. I’m hoping that the film can deliver on all the hype, as Nolan has faltered before when things get too bloated (e.g., Dark Knight Rises). Yet, despite the grandeur, this movie appears to be a bit more personal, so with any luck, that’ll come through. Two more posters below! Read more…
Tags: Christopher Nolan, Interstellar
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 19, 2014 in Videogames 
We’re getting a fresh look at Dai Gyakuten Saiban — the next game from Shu Takumi. You probably know the series as Ace Attorney: Phoenix Wright here in the US. This new game was announced several months ago, and will feature a new protagonist in the Meiji era of Japan, and then he’ll travel to London for the majority of the story. Why London, you ask? Because Sherlock Holmes and Watson are part of this game, too! It definitely looks to combine many of Takumi’s favorite things into a fresh spin on the Ace Attorney series. Plus, the music sounds amazing. Check out the trailer below (turn on annotations for subtitles). Read more…
Tags: Ace Attorney, Phoenix Wright
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 15, 2014 in Star Wars 
Throw another log onto the “stand-alone Star Wars film” fire: rumors are now circulating about the possibility of an Obi-Wan Kenobi spin-off film. Apparently, this is now under consideration after seeing recent popularity polls put Obi-Wan higher than Disney had anticipated. Combined with the fact that Ewan McGregor loved playing Obi-Wan (he was probably the best actor in the prequel trilogy, with the lines he was given) and wants to play him again, it seems like this film would have a much easier time getting off the ground than a Han Solo or Boba Fett movie. Plus, if we gave McGregor a better script, I think we’d have some pretty good right there. Time will tell. Read more…
Tags: Obi-Wan Kenobi
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 15, 2014 in Fandom, Hobbies and Collections 
I bet you weren’t expecting this mashup any time soon: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off car crash scene, remade in LEGO! This was done as part of Swebrick’s annual “AFOL vs AFOL” contest (AFOL stands for Adult Fan Of Lego). The theme this time around was to build a scene from an 80s film or TV series — only the catch is that it has to feature a car in it. Lots of excellent models were made (and you can see all of them here), but the one that came out on top was Etzel87’s Ferris Bueller model, featuring: “You killed the car.” Check out the entire contest here and more images below. Read more…
Tags: Lego
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 14, 2014 in Star Wars
Yes, after all these years, Sesame Street is doing a Star Wars parody. Perhaps not the most timely, but maybe with Episode VII on the horizon it actually works out. This parody teaches kids all about self control, but most of the jokes are aimed directly at parents. Yes, Chewbacca is a cookie named Chewy. Obviously! The dessert puns come fast and furious, my favorite being Only One Canoli. Plus, there’s a much happier end for the father-son pair of Vader and Luke, given that this is a slightly more kid-friendly setting. Check out the full video below. Read more…
Tags: parody, Sesame Street
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 14, 2014 in Videogames 
Nintendo has just released Super Smash Bros. for 3DS in Japan, but the US doesn’t get it until October 3rd. To stave off the wait until then, they’ve promised the demo will arrive September 19th, next week. Select Club Nintendo members who have Platinum status, however, are receiving codes for the demo right now, letting them test it out a week early. The demo features one stage (Battlefield) and five characters to play as: Mario, Link, Pikachu, Villager, and Mega Man. The Platinum members will also get extra codes to share with friends, so if you’re not a dedicated Club Nintendo member yourself, perhaps a generous friend can lend you a code. Otherwise, it’s just a short wait until the demo on the 19th, and the full game on October 3rd. Read more…
Tags: 3DS, Super Smash Bros.
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 13, 2014 in Star Wars 
Here’s a tip for you: movies don’t start out with music in them. Shocking, I know! Auralnauts decided to remove the music from Star Wars’ classic throne room scene, in which Luke, Han, and Chewie receive medals for their bravery… in total silence. It gets a little awkward, to say the least. This was seen via Rian Johnson’s Twitter feed, in which Craig Mazin linked this with the warning: “When those first dailies come in, don’t freak out.” This is of course referencing Johnson’s upcoming stint as director of Episode VIII and the dailies in which directors pour over the initial shots made for the film. They might be a bit like this, embedded below. Read more…
Tags: Episode VII, Rian Johnson
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 13, 2014 in Cinema 
I don’t know how else to describe this movie, really. Keanu Reeves is back in a Taken-esque film, but instead of a daughter being kidnapped, it’s his dog getting killed and his car getting stolen. Yes, Alfie Allen kicking Reeves’ dog and jacking his car is all it takes to yank this hitman out of retirement. Granted, it is a really cute dog (and a final gift from Reeves’ dying wife, of course). But perhaps this could be a fun romp — Reeves can definitely do the stoic badass role, but I’m not sure if the tough-guy quips always land here. And is Allen getting typecast as “guy who acts like he’s awesome but then gets beat up horribly?” Because it sure seems like it. Check out the trailer below. Read more…
Tags: Keanu Reeves
|
|
