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Serial Box Debuts BOOKBURNERS

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Last week, new publisher Serial Box burst onto the scene, bringing the TV model of media production and delivery to the book world with Bookburners, an urban fantasy adventure following a black-ops anti-magic squad backed by the Vatican.

Wandering from police procedural to New Weird and dabbling in most genres in between, Bookburners will keep you hungry for more, week after week.  In the series, magic is real, and hungry—trapped in ancient texts and artifacts, only a few who discover it survive to fight back. Detective Sal Brooks is a survivor. Abruptly thrust into the battle between nefarious forces trying to unleash this power onto the world and those trying to stop them, she joins a Vatican-backed black-ops anti-magic squad: Team Three of the Societas Librorum Occultorum. Together they stand between humanity and magical apocalypse. Some call them Bookburners. They don’t like the label.

Written by a team of authors including Margaret Dunlap (Eureka), Mur Lafferty (The Shambling Guide to New York City) and Brian Francis Slattery (Lost Everything), the group is led by rising genre star Max Gladstone (Three Parts Dead and the Craft Sequence).

Serial Box aims to bring book lovers everything they like about television including new episodes each week, produced by a team of writers delivering taut, fast reads that are not only procedural, but also add to the overall narrative.

The series is live now on SerialBox.com

After the jump, check out an excerpt of the first chapter, Badge, Book and Candle.

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Triple Shot: THE INFINITE ADVENTURES OF JONAS QUANTUM #1, CAPTAIN AMERICA: WHITE #1, D4VE2 #1

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Who isn’t ready for the weekend, amiright? We hope your weekend is filled with many glossy pages (or screens) of comics outdoors for one last time this summer. Crack open that cold can and drink in this last weekend of the Summer because it’s all crashing to an end.

Looking for something to read as you slowly realize you wasted your summer away at the DMV and Dunkin Donuts? Maybe you were toiling away at the boat motor you never could get started?

Here’s some suggestions!

Mark Guggenheim (Arrow, The Flash, Amazing Spider-Man) teams up with Freddie E. Williams II and the tight bros at Legendary Studios (yes, that Legendary responsible for Pacific Rim, The Dark Knight Trilogy and so many more) to give us the smartest man in the world, The Infinite Adventures of Jonas Quantum #1.

Contrast that book with the most put upon robot in the world in former FOG! columnist, Ryan Ferrier’s D4VE2 #1, the sequel to his desk-jockey-robot-turned-hero book D4VE.

Of course, 98 pound weakling Marvel nerds exhaled a collective wheezy “yay” when they heard that Captain America: White from Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale was finally going to see the light of day and the $4.99 price point is totally worth it if you can’t wait for the collected edition.


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FOG! Visits BOSTON FIG (Festival of Indie Games)

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By Philip Kerr

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of attending FIG, MIT’s Festival of Indie Games.

In its fourth year, the festival hosts developers and organizations that support the creation and development of games within New England and beyond.

With 47 board games and 58 videogames hosted this year, the nine hours I spent was not enough time to play them all.

I checked out as many as possible, and would like to highlight what I enjoyed the most and hope you will too.

First off, the board games:

I spent more than half my time in this section and played at least one round of everything. The following are twelve games that stood out from the rest.


Dragoon


Dragoon is a 2 to 4 player game with moderate interactivity, territory control, and resource gathering and management. It is published by Lay Waste Games.

In Dragoon, you take the role of one of several ornery dragons whose Island is being invaded and settled by that most horrible of creatures, Humans! The one and only saving grace of these terrible humans is they love gold almost as much as you do. Through play, you will lay waste to villages to steal gold or convince villagers to worship your scaly magnificence and pay tribute. But watch out, the other dragons of the Island are trying to do the same and competition is unavoidable. Raid your neighbors’ hoards of gold while trying to protect your own. Winner is the richest dragon.

I enjoyed playing a demo of Dragoon with some of its creators. Turns are short with an importance placed on territory control and placement. Stray too far away from your den and risk losing your collected goods. Sound play style seems to support subduing villages close to you and trying to pick off those close to your competitors. Average play time is 30-60 minutes and varied with each play of the game.

Already fully funded on Kickstarter, this game is available through preorder on their site www.laywastegames.com. They also have an expansion in planning. If you enjoy games like Hacienda, El Grande or Samurai you may want to check it out once it releases, planned to be by December of this year.


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LIVING IN OBLIVION: THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION Arrives From Shout! Factory 11/17!

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An inventive, hilarious look behind the scenes of the movie-making business, the indie classic Living in Oblivion makes its Blu-ray debut with Shout! Factory’s release of Living in Oblivion: The 20th Anniversary Edition on November 17th, 2015.


Since its release in 1995, this smart, critically acclaimed satire from award-winning writer/director Tom DiCillo (Johnny Suede) has become a cult favorite for its affectionately acerbic portrait of the indie film world.

Boasting a bevy of bonus features, Living in Oblivion: The 20th Anniversary Edition offers fans an in-depth look at the history of the film, including the brand new featurette In Our Own Oblivion: The Miracle of Making a Film with new interviews with writer/director Tom DiCillo, producer Marcus Viscidi and cast members Steve Buscemi, James Le Gros, Danielle Von Zerneck, and Peter Dinklage; an audio commentary with writer/director Tom DiCillo, a Q&A with Tom DiCillo and Steve Buscemi, and a deleted scene.&nbsp



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Happy 50th Anniversary GET SMART!

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Fifty years ago today, NBC premiered Get Smart, a comedic spy series from the imagination of Mel Brooks and Buck Henry.

The episode, Mr. Big, introduced Agent 86, Maxwell Smart played by Don Adams and his partner, the inimitable Agent 99 (Barbara Feldon) as agents of CONTROL.

Headed by their boss, The Chief (Edward Platt), 86 and 99 worked together to fight the forces of KAOS.  In the pilot, Mr. Big, we see the only actual appearance of the head of KAOS, played by little person Michael Dunn, before he is killed by episode's end by his own Doomsday death ray.

Inspired by The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (which in itself was inspired by the James Bond craze of the early 60's), Get Smart spoofed every aspect of spy culture including colorful villains, outrageous gadgets and ridiculous plots.

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INFOGRAPHIC: Doctor Who Villains Through Time

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Doctor Who has graced our screens for over 50 years. The iconic British science-fiction program has built up a tremendous cult following, completely shifting the direction of British television and heavily influencing broadcast professionals in the process.

The role of The Doctor has been assumed by 12 respected actors, each bringing their own quirks and characteristics to the programme. Along with his Mark I Type 40 TARDIS (Time and Relative Dimension in Space), the time travelling rogue has blasted his way across space, but not without gaining some enemies in the process.

From the Daleks to the Cybermen, after the jump take a look at the most notable enemies from the Doctor Who franchise.


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Win THE AGE OF ADALINE on DVD!

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Set in stunning San Francisco, the film follows a woman through the years as the world around her changes, yet she remains the same.

Blake Lively is captivating as Adaline, a 29-year-old who survives a near-death experience and from that day on, never grows older. Adaline guards her secret and her heart for eight decades until a charming philanthropist (Michiel Huisman) and his parents (Harrison Ford and Kathy Baker) force Adaline to confront her destiny in this unforgettable tale about the timeless power of love.


And we're giving away three copies!

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Win CHAIN OF COMMAND Starring Michael Jai White and Steve Austin!

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Special Operative James Webster (Michael Jai White) just returned home from duty, only to witness the brutal slaying of his brother. Webster immediately tries to retaliate and hunt down the perpetrators, but as he delves deeper into the secret world of corruption and murder, he finds himself at the center of a deadly conspiracy that cuts deep inside the walls of the US Government. With the most ruthless military assassin (Steve Austin) hot on his trail, Webster must expose the corrupt high-ranking officials before he becomes just another victim of the nefarious plot.


And we're giving away five copies!

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VACATION on Blu-ray Combo Pack or DVD on 11/3 or Own It Early on Digital HD on 10/13

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Additionally, a remastered National Lampoon’s
Christmas Vacation
will be available on December 1st

The next generation of Griswolds are on the road again for another hilarious, ill-fated family adventure. Following in his father’s footsteps, a grown-up Rusty Griswold (Ed Helms) surprises his wife, Debbie (Christina Applegate), and their two sons with a cross-country road trip back to America’s “favorite family fun park,” Walley World. What could go wrong?

The Griswolds embark on an ill-fated adventure when New Line Cinema’s Vacation arrives onto Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD and Digital HD. Starring Ed Helms (The Hangover films) and Christina Applegate (the Anchorman films), “Vacation” marks Jonathan Goldstein & John Francis Daley’s directorial debut. Vacation will be available on Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on November 3. The film will also be available early on Digital HD on October 13.


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Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Presents First Looks & Screening At NYCC

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FIRST LOOKS AT BATMAN: BAD BLOOD,LEGO DC COMICS SUPER HEROES –
JUSTICE LEAGUE: COSMIC CLASH
, PLUS SCREENING & DIRECTOR Q&A FOR
AWARD-WINNING DOCUMENTARY BATKID BEGINS AT 2015 NEW YORK COMIC CON

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment will bring a trio of highly anticipated titles to New York Comic Con (October 8-11) including panels featuring first-looks at footage from both Batman: Bad Blood and LEGO® DC Comics Super Heroes – Justice League: Cosmic Clash, plus a screening of the award-winning documentary Batkid Begins. The presentations will spotlight never-before-seen footage, discussions with film talent and, for the two animated movie panels, exclusive prizes for inquisitive fans.

On Friday, October 9 at 8:00pm on the Main Stage of the Javits Center, WBHE returns for its annual unveiling of the next DC Universe Original Movie exclusively for New York Comic Con fans. The Batman: Bad Blood panel will include the first official film clips and an enthralling panel led by the voice of Batman, Jason O’Mara (Complications, Terra Nova); the introduction of Batwing, voiced by Gaius Charles (Grey’s Anatomy, Friday Night Lights); and keen filmmaking insights from producer James Tucker, director Jay Oliva and character designer Phil Bourassa. Moderator Steven Smith (Going Off Track) might even introduce a few possible surprise guests … and he’ll definitely hand out special NYCC-exclusive DCU prizes. Batman: Bad Blood arrives on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD in early 2015.

Batman: Bad Blood panelists will also be available to fans for an autograph session on Friday, October 9 from 2:30-3:30pm at the DC Entertainment booth, located at the farthest south end of the Javits Center lobby.

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Jackie Collins: RIP, Hogwart's House Editions of Rowling Series, Bookish Gadgets & More!

What’s King Arthur Wearing These Days? Oh, That.

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So I guess there’s a new King Arthur movie coming out.

Of course there is.

Arthur movies are like dentist’s appointments;  it seems like you’re always due for one, and you’re never very excited about them when they come.

It would be tempting to think that there’s so many Arthur and medieval movies because everyone loves stuff from the medieval period.  Except they don’t.


The Middle Ages in England lasted maybe a thousand years, and everyone one of those years has a certain look; clothing, hair styles, armor, weapons, buildings, and all kinds of other cultural stuff change over time, and so people from 1350 and from 1400 would probably look as different as two guys from 1965 and 2015, or maybe even more different.

Look:


Let’s take a second with that.

We tend to think of the whole Middle Ages as one, unchanging time period with one style of clothing, but it seems likely that their fashions changed even more than ours does.  We are also lucky enough to have painters representing people of a range of classes, and you will find the same thing across social classes – people looked very different in different years of the past.

With this rich and varied array of fashion and style to choose from, I wonder which one the new King Arthur movie will draw from?

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Gotham Central: Taking a Look At BATMAN & ROBIN (1997)

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So I’ve been putting this off for a while.

I reviewedBatman, Batman Returns, and Batman Forever, and it only made sense to put a final nail in the coffin on this series of reviews with the worst of the worst. The comic book movie to (nearly) end all comic book movies and put movie Batman in hibernation for nearly a decade.

My fan theory was that it wasn’t the death of Rachel Dawes that made Bruce hang up the cape and cowl for all those years, it was a screening of Batman & Robin.

Joel Schumacher returns to finish what he started in his mission to make us ashamed to be Batman fans. After a montage of crotch and butt shots to help set the tone (I wish I was kidding), we’re treated to the first lines of dialogue written by an Oscar winning screenwriter.

“I want a car. Chicks dig the car.”


“This is why Superman works alone.”


They’re basically telling you right then and there, “Ok Bat-fans, you’re either in or you’re out.” It’s almost a challenge to the audience to see if they’re willing to stick it out or not because if you like one-liners, there’s plenty more where that came from!

And if you don’t, well…

It’s funny how now upon my latest viewing, I take a weird sort of comfort in this idiotic exchange. I know that it’s not going to get any better than this and I can abandon all hope that there’s some semblance of a watchable movie that lies ahead.

Let’s continue.

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Read an Excerpt From THE BIG BAD BOOK OF BILL MURRAY And Win a Copy!

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Bill Murray seems to be everywhere these days, from starring in Academy Award–winning films to crashing small-town bachelor parties. Yet, despite a career that spans decades and fans that span generations, little is known about the man. Who truly is the ubiquitous man who creates film’s most iconic characters and the Internet’s wackiest anecdotes?

The Big Bad Book of Bill Murray (Quirk Books; September 15, 2015; $22.95) traces the storied life and career of one of America’s most familiar faces. Part biography, part critical appreciation, part love letter, and all fun, the book covers Murray’s professional and personal life, from his award-winning film roles to the zany antics that have made him much admiration and bewilderment. Complete with colorful film stills and behind-the-scenes photography, The Big Bad Book of Bill Murray is a portrait of one of Hollywood’s most enigmatic and beloved figures.

Shatnerica and Christopher Walken A to Z author and devoted fan Robert Schnakenberg presents Murray’s life in alphabetical order, from About Last Night to Zombieland. The book also includes entries on every Murray performance, quotes both by and about Murray, and “Tales from Murrayland,” real-life stories of Murray’s exploits, from “The Day He Crashed Elvis’s Funeral” to “The Night He Tried to Choke Martin Mull.”

Get to know the man, the myth, the “Murricane” with The Big Bad Book of Bill Murray. This is a must-have for Bill Murray fans and the perfect collectible for film buffs and pop culture aficionados.

After the jump check out an excerpt and find out how you can win a copy of the book!

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That Time of The Week: DVD & Blu-ray Releases From 9/8/15 and More!

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So, the Fall TV season's up and running, which means it's the perfect opportunity to catch up on some shows on DVD/Blu, as well as some movies.

After the jump, we've got the skinny on shows like Gotham, The Big Bang Theory, Homeland, Supernatural and more, plus flicks like Cinderella, Furious 7, Shocker and The Age of Adaline.

Remember to fire up that queue and prep that shopping cart.



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Dynamite Announces New SEDUCTION OF THE INNOCENT Comic Book Series by Ande Parks and Esteve Polls

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Dynamite Entertainment is proud to announce that Ande Parks and Esteve Polls, the acclaimed creative team of The Death of Zorro and The Lone Ranger, will reunite for an all-new comic book series, Seduction of the Innocent. Gritty and sometimes depraved crime fiction in the tradition of James Elroy and EC-era crime and horror comics, the series will debut in December 2015 with cover artwork by Eisner Award-winning artist Francesco Francavilla (Afterlife with Archie).

Set in the San Francisco of 1953, Seduction of the Innocent introduces Thomas Jennings, an FBI agent who has just arrived in the city, fresh-faced and ready to tackle crime in the big city… or so he thinks. In fact, Jennings is not nearly prepared for what he's about to encounter. The city's crime lords are being systematically murdered, and the killers waiting to fill the void are the pure stuff of Jennings' nightmares. Jennings will be forced to question every belief he holds dear to protect his wife and unborn child from the madness.

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THE RETRO REPORT: Jessica Fletcher Rides Shotgun, James Dean Rarities, Potsie Pens Memoir & More!

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On Murder, She Wrote, how important was it for Jessica Fletcher, as played by the incomparable Angela Lansbury, to not have a driver license? Very important.


According to Ms. Lansbury’s commentary on the DVD release of Murder, if Jessica drove, she wouldn’t have been able to ask various individuals for a ride, thus limiting her key access to those she sought to question about the given heinous crime at hand.


Actor, director and Happy Days TV icon Anson Williams will appear at this week’s Throwback Thursday live event at the Burbank Barnes & Noble, September 24th for a book signing and discussion of his new memoir, Singing to a Bulldog: From Happy Days to Hollywood Director, and the Unlikely Mentor Who Got Me There.



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Boston Cinegeeks! Want To See An Advanced Screening of THE MARTIAN?

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During a manned mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is presumed dead after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew. But Watney has survived and finds himself stranded and alone on the hostile planet. With only meager supplies, he must draw upon his ingenuity, wit and spirit to subsist and find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive. Millions of miles away, NASA and a team of international scientists work tirelessly to bring “the Martian” home, while his crewmates concurrently plot a daring, if not impossible rescue mission. As these stories of incredible bravery unfold, the world comes together to root for Watney’s safe return. Based on a best-selling novel, and helmed by master director Ridley Scott, THE MARTIAN features a star studded cast that includes Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Kate Mara, Michael Peña, Jeff Daniels, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Donald Glover.



For the chance to receive two tickets to an advanced screening of 20th Century Fox film THE MARTIAN on Tuesday, September 29 at AMC Boston Common at 7:00PM please visit: www.gofobo.com/MARTIAN.GEEK



#TheMartian

More MASS: Celebrating The Warner Bros. Gangster Movie

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By Todd Sokolove

Black Mass left me wanting more.

Not necessarily in the same way that fellow Forces of Geek columnist Benn Robbins felt. You can check out his review here.

The new movie chronicling the rising to capturing of James "Whitey" Bulger yet made me want to marathon more mafia. Actually, I would gladly sit through the supposed original three hour cut of this film. Its performances are fascinating, the story stranger than fiction, and its style is supported by a legacy of Warner Bros gangster films.

He's definitely justified in saying that Scorsese did it better in Goodfellas and The Departed. But I look at Black Mass as a grand entry in the gangster genre filmography that Warner Bros founded in the 1930s and continues to this day.

Here are just some of the Warner Bros gangster films which clearly influenced the style and structure of this latest release from the studio. If you can't get enough mafia moviegoing, any of them would make for a great double feature with Black Mass.

Similar attributes listed...


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FIRE CITY: END OF DAYS (review)

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Review by Joshua Gravel
Executive Produced by Sultan Saeed Al Darmaki,
Alec Gillis, Richard R. Kim, Johnny Leftwich,
 Jason Speer, Lindsay Spiller
Written by Michael Hayes, Brian Lubocki
Directed by Tom Woodruff Jr.
Starring Danielle Chuchran, Harry Shum Jr.,
Mary-Margaret Humes, Kristin Minter,
Tobias Jelinek,  Eric Edwards, Matt Winston


Fire City: End Of Days takes place in a world in which demons live among us.

Only to us humans they look like regular people.

The film focuses on a group of demons living in a run down apartment complex and feeding off of the misery and hatred of their human neighbors.  Until one morning when all of the humans suddenly see the error of their ways or find a more positive outlook on life which immediately puts an end to the demon’s source of nourishment.

After trying to interfere with the humans in an attempt to cause drama and suffering with no luck, the demons begin to realize that life as they know it may never be the same unless they find out what caused the spread of human happiness.

Fire City: End Of Days is an inventive and original film from concept to execution.

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