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Posted by Ben Huber on Oct 12, 2013 in Animation, Television 
Maybe this is an untapped market, or perhaps it’s just a way to lure parents into getting their kids to watch Nick Jr. A Game of Thrones-inspired commercial was made for the Nick Jr. show Ben & Holly, which features the iconic opening of the dark fantasy series set against the colorful world of a kid’s show. I don’t think kids will be getting the reference here (oh god, I hope they don’t get the reference here), mainly because a show filled with violence, sex, incest, and war typically doesn’t cross over with Nick Jr.’s crowd. Still, it’s a nice little nod to parents and I bet the show’s creators had fun making the ad as well. Watch the video below! Read more…
Tags: Game of Thrones, nickelodeon
Posted by Ben Huber on Oct 12, 2013 in Cinema 
New York Comic-Con is going on right now — and I’m not there! It’s probably for the best. Thankfully, a lot of the content at NYCC shows up online as well, so if you’re like me and couldn’t make it, you can still check out things at home. One thing I saw that seemed particularly cool was the NYCC poster for Oldboy. I’m still not sure how the movie itself will turn out, but the marketing for it has been pretty interesting. It’s arriving November 27th so I guess it won’t be long until we find out how Spike Lee has interpreted Park Chan-wook’s classic! Check out the full poster below. Read more…
Tags: Oldboy, Spike Lee
Posted by Ben Huber on Oct 11, 2013 in Cinema, Hobbies and Collections 
With the Amazing Spider-Man 2 on the way along with Transformers: Age of Extinction, Hasbro is gearing up their toy lines to coincide with the movies. Often times, the result is that the public’s first looks at characters is in toy form. So with Hasbro’s party recently, a lot of pics came out showing figures of the Green Goblin, Carnage, and Black Cat. We know Carnage isn’t in the next film, and we’ve only heard rumors of the Green Goblin, but these could be what these villains will look like eventually. So tread lightly, because spoilers abound! Also, there’s a powered-up Optimus Prime figure. No word on if he’ll actually have a crazy sword-thing in the movie. Read more…
Tags: Action Figures, The Amazing Spider-Man, Transformers: Age of Extinction
Posted by Ben Huber on Oct 11, 2013 in Comic Books 
It might not be the revival you wanted, but you can get some of your Firefly fix again! This time though, it’s via a comic book series, titled Serenity: Leaves on the Wind. It’ll be a six-issue series written by Joss Whedon’s brother, Zack Whedon. It’ll be out January 29th, so you still have a bit of a wait until it comes out. Story details are vague but you can catch a bit more info on Nerdist, where they have a full article about the new series, including some discussion with Whedon. Read more here or check out some pics below the jump. Read more…
Tags: Firefly, Serenity
Posted by Ben Huber on Oct 7, 2013 in Uncategorized 
Big Lazy Robot, a VFX company with something to prove, has put together a seriously impressive 3-minute spec trailer for their fictitious movie, Keloid (released a week ago). Featuring lumbering police robots, armies, and limber mannequin-bots, the short has a gritty, realistic feel to it. They also leave plenty of things vague about the story — which robots are fighting for who? Are the humans losing as badly as it seems? The team made this video over a period of a year and it has paid off: IAM Entertainment and Vertigo Entertainment have already teamed up to look into making it into a feature film. Check out the short and see what you think! Read more…
Tags: keloid, Sci-Fi, Short Films
Posted by Ben Huber on Oct 7, 2013 in Animation 
A new Toy Story short is premiering soon, and it’s Halloween-themed, too! Toy Story of TERROR! (yes, all caps) will be showing on ABC on October 16th, 8pm EST, 7 central. If you’re a Toy Story fan this definitely looks to be a fun little diversion, bringing along several characters from the third film and apparently a new toy. I know some fans would rather just have another Toy Story film, but I actually prefer this. The trilogy is over, let it be. If you really want to continue things, these shorts are an easy and enjoyable way of seeing the toys again. Check out the clip below. Read more…
Tags: Disney, Toy Story
Posted by Ben Huber on Oct 6, 2013 in Hobbies and Collections 
LEGO has done a great job with their modular series. It’s a series of sets that all fit together as a city street, allowing you to mix and match each modular as you wish to form your town. The latest addition? A Parisian Restaurant! It’s got a lot of really cool colors and unique pieces, along with enough details to satisfy the most advanced builder. I love the kitchen inside, as well as the brickwork on the chimney. You get five minifigures in the set too, and a LEGO Vespa scooter. Just the detail needed! This set will be running for $159.99 and will come out in January 2014. More images and a video of it below! Read more…
Tags: Lego
Posted by Ben Huber on Oct 6, 2013 in Tech 
There’s a great, lengthy article from The New York Times which goes deep into the process behind creating the original iPhone. There have long been stories of Steve Jobs’ overbearing, intense style of management, and this is perhaps the greatest example of this. Both as a fault, and as his touch of genius, pushing people to do the “impossible.” It goes into details about how he wanted staff to sleep in the booth before a presentation so nothing gets leaked, or how software developers never saw the phone’s true hardware until the last minute. It’s a crazy story and I hope that we hear even more details about how these amazing devices came about in the future. Read more…
Tags: iPhone, long reads
Posted by Ben Huber on Oct 5, 2013 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Oops! Samuel L. Jackson let some news about Avengers: Age of Ultron slip a little early. In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, he casually mentioned that he’s excited to be working with James Spader (Ultron) and Elizabeth Olsen. The only thing is, Elizabeth Olsen hadn’t been announced for Avengers yet. So I guess now we know who Scarlet Witch is! She should be a good choice for the role. In related news, Latino Review is reporting that according to their sources, Aaron Taylor-Johnson is signing on for Quicksilver. If that’s true, then we might just have everyone cast for the next Avengers! Read more…
Tags: Avengers: Age of Ultron
Posted by Ben Huber on Oct 5, 2013 in Animation 
Yup, you read right! Guillermo Del Toro directed the opening couch gag for Simpson’s Treehouse of Horror XXIV. It’s definitely a bit more than just a couch gag, featuring just about every movie monster ever and several references to Del Toro’s own filmography. Yes, there is a Pacific Rim nod. Yes, there is a Pan’s Labyrinth nod. And yes, there is a clever joke about the older, traditional animation of classic Simpsons episodes. It’s kind of awesome how cool the crew at FOX are with making direct fun of the decline of Simpsons. You might remember the Banksy opening also did plenty of that, too. But enough talk! Check out the video below! Read more…
Tags: guillermo del toro, The Simpsons
Posted by Ben Huber on Oct 4, 2013 in Videogames 
A recent interview with Eiji Aonuma, the current producer of the Zelda series, offered up some interesting tidbits about the next game. Mainly, he stated “why does it have to be traditional?” He says they’re learning a lot from Wind Waker HD and and putting it to use in the next Wii U Zelda game, making things much more unique than previous Zeldas. Perhaps most interestingly he stated that he wants to make the next Zelda something so different that it “wouldn’t even matter if Zelda is actually a princess, or not.” I could go for an awesome Zelda game with Zelda as the main character, Aonuma! Make it so! Read more…
Tags: Legend of Zelda
Posted by Ben Huber on Oct 4, 2013 in Television 
Get ready Sherlock fans, because your desk or shelf space is about to get much, much cooler. Big Chief has revealed the first images of their Sherlock figures, and what a surprise: the two figures are Sherlock and Watson. Now you can finally own Benedict Cumberbatch in plastic form. Who cares about Martin Freeman though? He’s already got figures from The Hobbit. He’s already got it made. If you want these figures for your collection, be prepared for high price. Pre-orders will start in August, so go here to sign up for an email notification of when they go live. Or just live on the edge and refresh their homepage constantly, hoping to see it whenever it goes up. Read more…
Tags: Sherlock Holmes
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 30, 2013 in Animation 
Every once in a while a music video comes out that actually does something cool. I also have a soft spot for animated music videos, so C2C‘s latest music video for their song “Delta” is right up my alley. It’s got a great visual style that reminds me of the art of Genndy Tartakovsky mixed with a more orange sci-fi tint. If only more bands would do this! I’m still hoping for someone else to do their own Interstella 5555 for a new age. But for now, this is a wonderful piece. It also is one giant metaphor. See if you can figure it out — it’s pretty clear. Great job CRCR! Watch the video below. Read more…
Tags: music videos
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 30, 2013 in Cinema 
Elysium opened to moderate interest and reviews, but it didn’t seem to really capture audiences the way District 9 did. Still Neill Blomkamp is unhindered, and is moving forward with another sci-fi story, and he’s back to filming in Johannesburg. Blomkamp says his next movie, Chappie, will be a “comedy” and a “heartfelt story” about a robot police officer (voiced by Sharlto Copley — who else?) who is kidnapped by two gangsters (Ninja and Yolandi Visser of Die Antwoord) in South Africa. And just recently announced, Hugh Jackman (a CEO) will also get involved as well. I can appreciate that Blomkamp is trying something different for his next film, and also hope that this odd premise pays off. Read more…
Tags: Chappie, neill blomkamp
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 29, 2013 in Cinema 
Gravity will finally arrive on October 4th, and I want you all to go see it. Alfonso Cuaron’s latest has been getting rave reviews everywhere but it seems Warner Bros. is worried that people might not be into it, as they’re releasing clip after clip for the movie. Well, I hope we all prove them wrong and the turnout is solid, if not great. I really appreciate the dedication to realism, like the lack of sound in space, which is demonstrated in this clip here. Sandra Bullock’s character, Dr. Ryan Stone is on her first space mission and is attempting a repair when things go very wrong. Get ready, it’s going to be intense! Read more…
Tags: Alfonso Cuarón, Gravity
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 29, 2013 in Science 
We’ve seen some huge strides in artificial limbs in the past few years, and we’ve blogged about them before, too. Here’s the latest one, a bionic leg for Zac Vawter, who lost most of his right leg in motorcycle accident in 2009. Now, he’s the first tester for an incredibly impressive bionic leg that is hooked up to the nerves in his leg. Now, he can walk almost as well as before the accident. I’m really excited to see the advancement in this tech, and I hope more people will support this kind of work. It’s groundbreaking stuff! Read more…
Tags: Bionics
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 28, 2013 in Hobbies and Collections 
I’ve seen starship comparisons before, but nothing quite this comprehensive: DeviantArt user DirkLoechel put together an absolutely massive chart of almost every starship out there. Star Wars? Of course. Star Trek? Obviously. Warhammer 40000? Eve? Wall-E? Yes, yes, and yes. It’s really neat to see each each side-by-side, so you can really start to get a sense of scale (something that’s usually pretty difficult to get a handle on in space). Now pick your favorite ship and try to hunt it down the high-res version, included below. Read more…
Tags: Sci-Fi, spaceships
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 28, 2013 in Videogames 
Weird is definitely the way to describe this. But, it could be the good kind of weird? As their final announcement, Valve has revealed their controller for the Steam Machines: the Steam Controller. It features two circular touchpads in place of the usual two joysticks, with two clickable areas on each: one in the center, and one in the outer ring. It also has advanced haptic feedback inside under each trackpad, allowing for a great degree on control over the intensity, direction, and force of the vibration (presumably allowing you to feel some degree of “pushback” when moving your finger around). It also has the usual assortment of buttons, as well as two on the underside of the controller. And of course, a touchscreen. Valve has a lot going on here and these controllers will begin beta testing with the lucky 300 hardware beta participants this fall. Click here to enter. More images below! Read more…
Tags: Steam, Valve
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 27, 2013 in Hobbies and Collections, Television 
We’re seeing plenty of fanboy-related topics show up on LEGO CUUSOO all the time now, and it looks like the latest one to win the support of the community is a Sherlock model. Based off of the popular BBC show, the creator on CUUSOO has included a variety of options for LEGO to consider when making it a set, including different sets of minifigures, different sizes of the model itself, and an optional display stand. Basically, they put a lot of thought into the factors that LEGO themselves considers when making a set. Now that it’s got support, LEGO has to evaluate the model and obtain the rights to make the set. This is usually the biggest hangup, but with a versatile model like this it might just work out. Read more…
Tags: Lego, Sherlock Holmes
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 27, 2013 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Remember back when we first heard the title for Avengers: Age of Ultron? Yeah, that was great wasn’t it. But like most fans online you probably weren’t age Comic-con, and you probably weren’t in Hall H, so chances are you didn’t see the video reveal. This kind of stuff usually doesn’t show up online except in blurry handycam format, so seeing this clearly in HD is nice. It was made available through the Iron Man 3 Jarvis app, oddly enough. So here it is, in crystal clear form. It also gives a little look at the prep work for the panel, with Joss Whedon saying “it’s like Christmas.” Read more…
Tags: Avengers: Age of Ultron
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 23, 2013 in Television 
Given the middling success of Pacific Rim domestically, and the actual success internationally, I wasn’t expecting to see much kaiju-related media pop up following the trend here in the US. But, here’s X-Men director Bryan Singer working on a kaiju TV series for Syfy! He’s producing it via his Bat Hat Harry production house and will be creating a 90-minute pilot that’ll focus on the aftermath of a kaiju attack on a small town in northern California. It seems there won’t be many giant robots and monsters clashing (because of MONEY), but will instead try to feature the human side of such an attack. It could be a very interesting take on the genre! Hopefully this show will take shape soon. Read more…
Tags: Kaiju, Syfy
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 23, 2013 in Videogames 
Perhaps you’ve already heard it. The echoing cries across the internet. SUPER. HOT. SUPER. HOT. It’s the cry of the recent indie game made for 7dfps that is, unsurprisingly, called SUPERHOT. In it, you play a first person shooter and you must take out everyone in the room. Seems simple, right? But here’s the twist: time moves only when you do. Suddenly, dodging bullets becomes an intricate puzzle and each bullet of your limited ammo is carefully plotted as you plan. The best part? You can play the game right now in your browser with Unity. Right here. Try it! Read more…
Tags: Indie Games
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 22, 2013 in Videogames 
Valve’s mighty leader, Gabe Newell, recently mentioned at Linuxcon that they’d reveal more details about Linux support and the Steambox. And this time Valve time didn’t kick in! Valve has placed a page on Steam teasing three announcements regarding the future of Steam, the Steambox, and presumably, given Gabe’s comments, Linux support. Will the Steambox run Linux? Has Valve figured out a way to convince devs to develop for Linux? Will we see Source 2 at all (or any new games for that matter)? Whatever happens, the first big announcement will hit Monday. Intense! Read more…
Tags: Steam, Valve
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 22, 2013 in Hobbies and Collections 
By “finished” we mean that he put the final brick in it. LEGO had been putting together a large scale model of the UN Headquarters, and wanted to go out with a bang — so else better to ask than the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon? LEGO actually has a smaller version of the UN HQ coming October 1st as part of their Architecture line, so there’s a hint of self-promotion here, but it’s cool that Ban Ki-moon had enough time to check it out. The LEGO Foundation does these kinds of projects, as well as school outreach, to help promote creativity and learning. It’s some pretty neat stuff! Read more…
Tags: Lego
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