COOL SHIRTS: A Look At T-Shirt Offerings From NerdKungFu.com!

November 16, 2015, 7:00 am

≫ Next: That Time of The Week: New DVD & Blu-ray Releases 10/20 (Part 2)

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Written by Stefan Blitz

There's no doubt that the boldest and most personal fashion statement anyone can make is in one's selection of t-shirt. Personally, I love them. It's an opportunity to show the world what pop culture I care about, a wonderful flashback to the past and a fantastic way to initiate any nerd discussion.

For this installment of Cool Shirts, I took a look at some of the shirts from Nerd Kung Fu, which might very well have the largest selection of pop culture t-shirts that I've ever seen. Among their latest additions are over dozens of new designs centered on Jazz artists, record labels, Edward Scissorhands, Nintendo, Valiant Comics, Astro Boy, plus new Star Trek, Batman, Superman and Star Wars designs and much more! They also carry shirts in sizes small through 7XL and the site is filled with lots of nerdy trivia on the history of t-shirts!

Nerd Kung Fu isn't satisfied carrying just a huge t-shirt selection. They are also currently selling a wide array of posters and a number of geek-centric ephemera including coffee mugs, shot glasses, pint glasses, blankets, wallets, buttons, magnets, playing cards, hoodies and much more.

There is something for virtually any nerdcentric provocation.

These are some of my recent favorites.

Read more »

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That Time of The Week: New DVD & Blu-ray Releases 10/20 (Part 2)

November 17, 2015, 8:06 pm

≫ Next: The Man of Bronze Returns in DOC SAVAGE: THE SECRET OF SATAN’S SPINE

≪ Previous: COOL SHIRTS: A Look At T-Shirt Offerings From NerdKungFu.com!

Look for two more columns this week, catching us up. In here there's some must haves like the Back to The Future trilogy, Jurassic World, and a Larry Fessenden collection plus TV series like The Mike Tyson Mysteries and My Favorite Martian.

Fire up that queue and prep that shopping cart, it's that time of the week.

Toy Story That Time Forgot

Disney/ Released 11/3/15

Disney-Pixar proudly present a hilarious new animated Toy Story adventure. During one of Bonnie's post-Christmas playdates, the Toy Story crew find themselves in uncharted territory when the coolest set of action figures ever turn out to be dangerously delusional. It's all up to Trixie the triceratops if the gang hopes to ever return to Bonnie's room. Extras include featurettes, and animated Battlesaurs credits.

Last Word: Long before Toy Story That Time Forgot writer/director Steve Purcell went to work at Pixar, he was the creator of what I consider the funniest comic book of all time, Sam & Max Freelance Police, about an anthropomorphic rabbit and dog that fight crime. Suffice to say, this addition to the Toy Story universe lacks any of the charm of his previous work. But, I can't blame Purcell.

With the exception of a handful of their films, I'm not much of a Pixar fan. The voice casts are always tremendous and they're visually stunning, but there's an artifice to them that borders on calculating and emotionally manipulative. They're hollow with no heart, dazzling younger viewers with their crass marketing and commercialization, but targeting the older viewer or parent with an attempt to pull the heartstrings, which they in turn, pass on to their children with the understanding of how special the films are.

Take Toy Story 3. When Andy moves on, leaving his toys behind, where is the emotional connection to young viewers? There isn't. Children don't have nostalgia yet. But somehow, every adult I know claims the film moved them to tears. Bah.

With this "holiday special" we get more of the same, a little reminder to treasure what we have, but not without introducing a whole new series of intellectual properties to exploit. It's a mere 22 minutes long, but feels even shorter, as plot is set aside for the continued marketing of the Toy Story brand.

The Gallows

Warner Bros./ Released 10/13/15

1993, and accident results in the death of an actor during a high school play. Twenty years later, a theater group at the same school resurrects the production to mark the tragedy. In an attempt to sabotage the play, three students break into the school at night, only to discover that the horrors of the past don't always stay buried, as their own cameras capture a series of chilling and inexplicable incidents that leads to a shocking climax. Extras include original independent version of the film, featurettes, deleted scenes and gag reel.

Last Word: For whatever reason, the producers who acquired the indie version of the film felt the need to remake it. They shouldn't have. The Gallows is not only a bad film, it's a bad film without any measure of self awareness. The film opens with a real hanging during a high school play called "The Gallows". Flash forward twenty something years and the very same school is staging the play again. What kind of school board runs this town. Is the superintendent a drug addict? Of course, there's found footage, hauntings and a resolution so disarmingly ridiculous that it's stupidity is only rivaled by the think tank assembled to put together this atroicity. Avoid it, skip it and never send your kid to a high school where they are recreating a murder scene for credit towards graduation. Oh by the way...

Boo.

I'm officially scarier than this film.

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The Man of Bronze Returns in DOC SAVAGE: THE SECRET OF SATAN’S SPINE

November 16, 2015, 11:00 am

≫ Next: The Talented Ms. Highsmith, Children's Adventures ,Lovecraft Loses His Bust & More!

≪ Previous: That Time of The Week: New DVD & Blu-ray Releases 10/20 (Part 2)

Following up after our successful summer releases, Doc Savage: The Sinister Shadow and Tarzan: Return to Pal-ul-don, Altus Press is proud to announce the latest entry in its Wild Adventures of Doc Savage series.

Doc Savage: The Secret of Satan’s Spine takes place in 1944. World War II is in its final year. But this is not exactly a war story.

When a vivacious blonde convinces Monk Mayfair to skip an important sea voyage to London, and instead run off to her Louisiana plantation, Ham Brooks becomes very suspicious.

After Doc Savage enters the picture, things start popping. As in fists and guns. Finding themselves on a steamship bound for the Caribbean, Doc, Ham, and a reluctant Monk become embroiled in wartime intrigue surrounding the question of who is desperately trying to keep them off the Northern Star, and why?

East of Nassau lies a strange spit of volcanic rock––a treacherous reef cast up from the bottom of the sea. Who is determined to keep Monk from boarding a steamship bound for that unknown place? Who is the sinister sailor known as Diamond? What is his objective?

The incredible answer is found in a remote reach of the Caribbean, and the mysterious thing that men whisper about, and die to possess––the startling secret of Satan's Spine!

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The Talented Ms. Highsmith, Children's Adventures ,Lovecraft Loses His Bust & More!

November 16, 2015, 1:00 pm

≫ Next: FOG! attends AFI Fest: The Lobster, Disorder, Southbound, Der Nachtmahr

≪ Previous: The Man of Bronze Returns in DOC SAVAGE: THE SECRET OF SATAN’S SPINE

Written by Alex C. Telander

Amazon Books Gets Showroomed
With the opening of the new Amazon bookstore, they get a bit of their own medicine.

Patricia Highsmith
Most people know her for The Talented Mr. Ripley and not much else. Here's much else.

World Fantasy Award Bust
The World Fantasy Awards have made a great move in changing the bust of their awards from Lovecraft to something else, which is immediately a million times better.

Read more »

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FOG! attends AFI Fest: The Lobster, Disorder, Southbound, Der Nachtmahr

November 16, 2015, 3:00 pm

≫ Next: Win AMERICAN ULTRA on DVD!

≪ Previous: The Talented Ms. Highsmith, Children's Adventures ,Lovecraft Loses His Bust & More!

Written by Sharon Knolle

While a number of big movies, including Concussion and The Big Short, premiered at AFI Fest, a number of smaller movies might not get as much press but are definitely worth your time.

THE LOBSTER

Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos
Written by Efthimis Filippou,Yorgos Lanthimos
Starring Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz, Léa Seydoux, Ben Whishaw, John C. Reilly, Olivia Colman,
Ashley Jensen, Ariane Labed, Angeliki Papoulia

The second film (and first English-language film) from Dogtooth director Yorgos Lanthimos is an absurdist black comedy in which being single is illegal. Anyone so unfortunate as to have their partner leave them or die must find another mate in 45 days or be turned into an animal. Main character David (Colin Farrell) decides being a lobster wouldn't be so bad, if it comes to that. A full review must wait until the film's release in March, but this is a movie that I can see being taught in film classes for years to come. It's very much in the vein of surrealist director Luis Buñuel and modern oddball artists Michel Gondry and Spike Jonze with a dose of bleakness as dismal as that of fellow Greek director Theo Angelopoulos. While it's wryly funny in its absurdity, it's also much darker than most American films would ever dare be. Yorgos Lanthimos has an utterly unique vision and this is a film you're not likely to forget.

Release date: March 2016

Read more »

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Win AMERICAN ULTRA on DVD!

November 16, 2015, 5:00 pm

≫ Next: Leef iBridge 64GB Mobile Storage Drive (review)

≪ Previous: FOG! attends AFI Fest: The Lobster, Disorder, Southbound, Der Nachtmahr

American Ultra is a dynamic thrill ride that mixes explosive action with edgy humor. Mike (Jesse Eisenberg) shares a small-town life with his girlfriend Phoebe (Kristen Stewart). But Mike’s sleepy world goes wild after he discovers that he’s actually a CIA sleeper agent with lethal fighting skills—and the target of government hitmen. Mike, the ultimate slacker, transforms into an ultra-attacker as he and Phoebe fight to survive in this exhilarating adventure. Also starring Topher Grace, Connie Britton, Walton Goggins, John Leguizamo, Bill Pullman and Tony Hale.

And we're giving away three copies!

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Leef iBridge 64GB Mobile Storage Drive (review)

November 16, 2015, 7:00 pm

≫ Next: That Time of The Week: New DVD & Blu-ray Releases 10/27, 11/3 & 11/10!

≪ Previous: Win AMERICAN ULTRA on DVD!

It wasn't that long ago that I got my first computer, a second generation iMac with a superhuge 4GB hard drive.

Keep in mind, I was also storing information on Zip discs and iPods hadn't yet been introduced. It's hard to imagine at the time that I'd never need more memory that that.

Times certainly have changed. I thousands of burned discs and 8 TB of external drives full of media. Even my phone, which has a healthy 64GB hard drive always feels limited. I have a Dropbox which I frequently use to access media, but to be honest, you can't always count on Wifi being there when you need it. Which is why, the Leef iBridge Mobile Storage Drive is my new favorite accessory.

Read more »

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That Time of The Week: New DVD & Blu-ray Releases 10/27, 11/3 & 11/10!

November 18, 2015, 7:00 am

≫ Next: Bill Murray: The Gift That Keeps on Giving

≪ Previous: Leef iBridge 64GB Mobile Storage Drive (review)

Two for three! We're almost done getting caught up! Spend some time perusing and I guarantee you'll find plenty of great things to check out for the Thanksgiving weekend.

Fire up that queue and prep that shopping cart, it's that time of the week.

Inside Out

Disney Pixar / Released 11/3/15

From the imaginative minds of Disney Pixar comes a major "emotion" picture beyond compare. Do you ever look at someone and wonder what's going on inside their head? Disney Pixar's Inside Out takes a rollicking journey into the mind to find the answer. Based in Headquarters, the control center of 11-year-old Riley's mind, five emotions are hard at work, led by lighthearted optimist Joy. She strives to make sure Riley stays happy as she operates alongside fellow emotions Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness. Extras include short films Lava and Riley's First Date?, featurettes, commentary, deleted scenes and trailers.

Last Word: I have to say, I think Inside Out is the most innovative film that Pixar has created yet. Perfect. Absolutely perfect. They've gone inside the brain of eleven-year-old, Riley, a spunky girl who loves hockey, friends, and being a goofball with her parents. Up in her head, known as "Headquarters", there live little characters who represent her emotions: Joy (Amy Poehler couldn't be a more perfect voice for the effervescent character) Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Disgust (Mindy Kaling), Anger (Lewis Black) and Fear (Bill Hader). From birth, they take turns monitoring and influencing her experiences and memories.

As a young child Riley is predominantly filled with Joy--who is the leader of all the emotions. She's always bubbly, always trying to see the bright side of life and successfully keeps Riley's happiness ever-present. That is, until Riley and her parents move from Minnesota to San Francisco. In the midst of the big shift, Joy and Sadness get literally sucked into the long-term memory outskirts of Riley's brain and are forced to watch as her personality literally crumbles away without their presence in Headquarters. The other emotions are confused and jarred by the difference in Riley's life and absence of Joy and Sadness. They have never really been dominant forces.

Here, Pixar shows what can happen when the rawness of fear, anger, and disgust are the prevalent emotions of a child. And really shines comedic, intelligent light on the erratic behavior of prepubescents. It's a fantastically validating point about the complexity of feelings and the realization that emotions are not static or mutually exclusive, but must work in tandem as people grow. In the brief glances into the parents' Headquarters, we see that their emotions are working as a cohesive team, in contrast to Riley's, where each one is fighting the other to take control. Joy usually prevails.

It's an innovative depiction of the intensity of adolescent behavior and a thought-provoking film for parents to enjoy along with their children. Of course it will reduce you to tears at least twice. But it's a phenomenal heart wrenching story. Beautifully executed, Inside Out is a 100% success. ( – Caitlyn Thompson)

Bloodsucking Bastards

Shout! Factory / Released 11/3/15

A action-packed vampire comedy in the vein of Office Space and Shaun of the Dead, Bloodsucking Bastards stars Fran Kranz as Even Sanders, a dutiful and overworked employee stuck at a soul-killing corporation with his beautiful girlfriend, Amanda (Emma Fitzpatrick), and his slacker best friend Tim, (Joey Kern). Evan's world begins to crumble when Amanda dumps him and his boss Ted, (Joel Murray), hands his coveted promotion to his nemesis Max, (Pedro Pascal). But just when Evan's convinced that life couldn't bite any harder, his office mates start going through disturbing changes... and bodies begin to pile up. Evan must find a way to stop the evil brewing amidst the cubicles and water coolers, win back Amanda, and rescue his workplace pals before his life and career go from dead-end... to just dead. Extras include Commentary with Dr. God, outtakes, behind the scenes and trailer.

Last Word:Bloodsucking Bastards is a failed horror comedy that isn’t anywhere near the same league as the above mentioned Office Space and Shaun of The Dead. Joss Whedon vet Fran Kranz (The Cabin in the Woods, Much Ado About Nothing) brings his usual professionalism and panache to a project that really doesn’t deserve it; anyway, he plays an office drone who is demoted at work, eroding his already tenuous enthusiasm for his workplace.When his coworkers start turning into vampires, well, ya know, wackiness and strained satire follow.

Kranz emerges nearly unscathed, and really tries to sell his character and the laughs, but to little avail. His fellow actors don’t come off as well, but the film looks as if everyone was left to their own devices, and some of the performers actually appear to be squirming onscreen.

The technical aspects are poor, also – the sets, such as they are, at times resemble a 1970s suburban basement, and the staging is stunningly bad. Most of the film is played out in nail-down-the-camera master shots; this, combined with the cheap-ass sets, give the film the look of really, really bad theater most of the way.The effects are passable but unimaginative, and to reiterate, this shit ain’t funny. It does feel like bad theater – the kind where half or more of the audience bolts at intermission – or a truly failed sitcom. In fact, if it weren’t for Kranz in the lead (is the producer his cousin? Did he lose a bet?) this would look like a thousand other forgotten, straight-to-streaming wastes of time.

Amazingly, the film DOES get marginally better as it goes along, but that’s saying very, very little. Kranz indeed has some moments, as do one or two of his costars, but this is mostly just tired, annoying and unfunny. The premise isn’t remotely clever or even interesting, the execution worse; horror comedies are certainly tricky, but these guys (save Kranz) didn’t even try. National Lampoon's Class Reunion had more laughs. Seriously. (– Dean Galanis)

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Bill Murray: The Gift That Keeps on Giving

November 18, 2015, 8:00 am

≫ Next: MASTER OF NONE: You Cannot Be an ‘Everyman’ And Own a Herman Miller Eames Lounge Chair

≪ Previous: That Time of The Week: New DVD & Blu-ray Releases 10/27, 11/3 & 11/10!

Written by Erin Maxwell

A Very Murray Christmas is just a small reminder that none of us deserve the majesty that is Bill Murray.

Read more »

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MASTER OF NONE: You Cannot Be an ‘Everyman’ And Own a Herman Miller Eames Lounge Chair

November 18, 2015, 12:46 pm

≫ Next: Boston Cinegeeks! We've Got Passes For LEGEND Starring Tom Hardy and Tom Hardy!

≪ Previous: Bill Murray: The Gift That Keeps on Giving

Aziz Ansari’s Master of None deserves much of the praise it’s receiving for tackling race in popular culture and how technology has affected our social interactions, among other issues.

And yet, the show is surprisingly tone deaf when it comes to money and how difficult it can be to live in a city like New York.

In a New York Times essay Ansari wrote: “Even at a time when minorities account for almost 40 percent of the American population, when Hollywood wants an ‘everyman,’ what it really wants is a straight white guy. But a straight white guy is not every man. The ‘everyman’ is everybody.”

Here’s the problem: Master of None’s protagonist Dev lives such a comfortable lifestyle that he looks a lot more like a white guy who works in finance than an “everyman.”

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Boston Cinegeeks! We've Got Passes For LEGEND Starring Tom Hardy and Tom Hardy!

November 18, 2015, 10:00 am

≫ Next: EPIX: Thanksgiving BOND WITH EPIX Marathon

≪ Previous: MASTER OF NONE: You Cannot Be an ‘Everyman’ And Own a Herman Miller Eames Lounge Chair

From Academy Award winner Brian Helgeland (L.A. Confidential, Mystic River) comes the true story of the rise and fall of London’s most notorious gangsters, Reggie and Ron Kray, both portrayed by Tom Hardy in an amazing double performance. Legend is a classic crime thriller taking us into the secret history of the 1960s and the extraordinary events that secured the infamy of the Kray twins.

Written and directed by Helgeland, the Studiocanal, Working Title and Cross Creek film co-stars Emily Browning, David Thewlis, Christopher Eccleston, Chazz Palminteri, Tara Fitzgerald and Taron Egerton. Working Title Film’s Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner produce Legend alongside Chris Clark, Quentin Curtis and Cross Creek Pictures’ Brian Oliver. Universal will release the thriller in the U.S., and Studiocanal will distribute in the U.K., France, Germany and Australia/New Zealand.

And we're giving away passes!

Read more »

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EPIX: Thanksgiving BOND WITH EPIX Marathon

November 18, 2015, 11:00 am

≫ Next: FOG! Chats With THE COMIC BOOK STORY OF BEER Authors Jonathan Hennessey and Mike Smith!

≪ Previous: Boston Cinegeeks! We've Got Passes For LEGEND Starring Tom Hardy and Tom Hardy!

BOND WITH EPIX OVER ‘BOND’ THIS THANKSGIVING WITH A TWO-DAY MARATHON STARRING THE WORLD’S GREATEST SECRET AGENT

BOND WITH EPIX Airs All Day November 26 and 27

Get a taste of Bond this thanksgiving when EPIX, home of the James Bond movie franchise, presents a two-day marathon of James Bond films airing all-day November 26 and November 27. The marathon of non-stop thrills, martinis and Bond beauties will feature original cast members Sean Connery, George Lazenby, and Roger Moore. Tune into EPIX Thursday, November 26, beginning at 7:15 AM ET/PT through Friday, November 27 (full schedule after the jump) for your own private 007 BOND WITH EPIX party.

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FOG! Chats With THE COMIC BOOK STORY OF BEER Authors Jonathan Hennessey and Mike Smith!

November 18, 2015, 12:04 pm

≫ Next: USAGI YOJIMBO Gallery Edition Volume 1: Samurai and Other Stories HC (review)

≪ Previous: EPIX: Thanksgiving BOND WITH EPIX Marathon

Interview conducted by Stefan Blitz

Next week is Thanksgiving, which in addition to turkey, most people find themselves watching a football game, and often with that, drink a beer.

As someone who spent their childhood avoiding Thanksgiving football games, instead choosing to watch the annual airing of Henry Fonda and Lucille Ball starring in Yours, Mine and Ours, thus narrowly escaping the social expectations of having to watch "the game".

I can't (and won't) talk football.

But I will talk beer. Thanks to the fantastic new book, The Comic Book Story of Beer, by authors Jonathan Hennessey, Mike Smith and artist Aaron McConnell, I'll be able to spread some serious knowledge about hops and barley, as well as dazzle everyone with tales of Pilsners, Ales and Stouts.

Jonathan Hennessey and Mike Smith took some time to chat with FOG! about their book, favorite beers and some of the interesting things discovered while doing research.

Read more »

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USAGI YOJIMBO Gallery Edition Volume 1: Samurai and Other Stories HC (review)

November 18, 2015, 1:00 pm

≫ Next: Sequart Releases First of Three STAR WARS Books

≪ Previous: FOG! Chats With THE COMIC BOOK STORY OF BEER Authors Jonathan Hennessey and Mike Smith!

Review by Lily Fierro

Usagi Yojimbo Gallery Edition Volume 1:

Samurai and Other Stories

Written and illustrated by Stan Sakai

Published by Dark Horse Comics

Released on November 04, 2015

ISBN-10: 1-61655-923-3

ISBN-13: 978-1-61655-923-6

Price: $125.00

Given my natural affinity to Westerns, I am amazed that I have yet to dive to far into the samurai genre, the foundation for most of the tropes and themes in the Westerns I adore.

With the variety of samurai adaptations seen over the years, I always wonder what each incarnation has to offer. Melville’s Le Samouraï placed the concept of the bushido code in 1960s France. In contrast, Kobayashi’s and Takeshi Miike’s versions of Harakiri remained true to the Edo period. Consequently, when I found the gallery edition of Usagi Yojimbo, I was curious to see the effect of anthropomorphism on the story of the traveling ronin.

A series spanning over nearly three decades, Usagi Yojimbo follows Miyamoto Usagi, a former samurai whose lord died in battle. As a ronin (i.e. lordless samurai), Miyamoto wanders across Japan during the shifting Edo period, offering aid to towns in need and offering services as a yojimbo, a bodyguard.

Unlike the images of samurai we know, Miyamoto is a rabbit, and his world involves other animals in the place of humans.

Read more »

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Sequart Releases First of Three STAR WARS Books

November 18, 2015, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: Classic PEANUTS Return To Ride THE COSMIC TREADMILL

≪ Previous: USAGI YOJIMBO Gallery Edition Volume 1: Samurai and Other Stories HC (review)

Sequart Organization is proud to announce the publication of A Long Time Ago: Exploring the Star Wars Cinematic Universe, an essay anthology edited by Star Wars Expanded Universe author Rich Handley and Joseph F. Berenato.

In 1977, the cinematic world was changed forever, thanks to a science-fantasy film about a farm boy, a princess, a wizard, a cyborg, two smugglers, and a pair of robots. Written and directed by George Lucas, Star Wars— in essence, The Wizard of Oz meets The Odyssey meets Lord of the Rings, but in space — was a visual and audio extravaganza like nothing anyone had seen before. And going to the movies would never be the same again. The movie ushered in two (soon to be three) film trilogies and numerous television shows, making the franchise one of the most successful of all time. Star Wars mesmerized audience-goers young and old with its state-of-the-art special effects and resonant soundtrack, and it made “May the Force be with you” a household phrase.

A Long Time Ago: Exploring the Star Wars Cinematic Universe examines the entire Star Wars saga on the large and small screens. From theatrical films to TV movies, from cartoons and commercials to variety shows and video-based amusement-park rides, the mythos continues to keep audiences glued to their seats. This anthology features insightful essays about the franchise’s long history, written by film historians, novelists, bloggers, and subject-matter experts, exploring why the films proved so immediately popular, where the movies and TV shows have succeeded and faltered, and why we all keep going back a long time ago to that galaxy far, far away.

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Classic PEANUTS Return To Ride THE COSMIC TREADMILL

November 18, 2015, 3:00 pm

≫ Next: 6-PACK STORIES Teams Up Comics and Beer!

≪ Previous: Sequart Releases First of Three STAR WARS Books

Charles Shultz' comic creation The Peanuts Movie hit the big screen earlier this month and Titan Comics has been releasing volumes all year to commemorate the occasion.

Snoopy and the kids looked a lot different in the early strips, (Charlie Brown himself sometimes missing his signature zig-zag shirt) but the timeless humor of the daily and Sunday Peanuts comics can still resonate with children of all ages today.

Titan Comics offered us a look at these modern day reprints of classic black and white Peanuts strips from the early days before Snoopy took on The Red Baron.

Read more »

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6-PACK STORIES Teams Up Comics and Beer!

November 18, 2015, 4:00 pm

≫ Next: 5 Mobile Games For The Casual Gamer

≪ Previous: Classic PEANUTS Return To Ride THE COSMIC TREADMILL

Chicago craft brewery, Arcade Brewery, has announced that it is releasing a second volume of their highly popular series, 6-Pack Stories™ on November 18th , 2015.

6-Pack Stories™ is a collaborative series between Arcade Brewery and popular comic industry talent. Each year, Arcade Brewery partners with a creative team, crafting a beer inspired by an original 6 panel comic. The comic becomes the labels of the beer, with each bottle of the 6-pack being a different panel. Last year, Arcade Brewery teamed with Jason Aaron (Star Wars, Thor) and Tony Moore (The Walking Dead, Fear Agent) to created Festus Rotgut: a Black Wheat Ale paired with a zombie western tale.

This year, Arcade has partnered with Jimmy Palmiotti (Daredevil, Harley Quinn) and Darwyn Cooke
(Batman, Catwoman) to create The Adventures of Dutch Courage, a Session Ale brewed with juniper berries and lemon peel. “When we first saw the comic, the beach setting seemed to demand an easy drinking beer while the retro feel inspired us to add subtle classic cocktail flavors of juniper and lemon peel,” said Arcade Brewery Co-Owner Chris Tourre. “A easy drinking, malt-forward beer with a subtle gin cocktail quality, we hope the flavor profile mimics the twists and turns of the story. It should be an unexpected journey on both sides of the glass.”

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5 Mobile Games For The Casual Gamer

November 20, 2015, 6:00 am

≫ Next: THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY - PART 2 (review)

≪ Previous: 6-PACK STORIES Teams Up Comics and Beer!

I'm not a video game guy. I've tried. In some ways I envy friends of mine who can play for several hours engaged and having a terrific time playing the latest new release.

Growing up, the first big game system was the Atari 2600. I never had one. The closest I came to a game system was playing Starfighter on the TSR-80.

And that got old quick. Trust me, it was no Star Wars.

Even now, despite having a dusty Xbox and a stack of uncompleted games, when I do want to play something I usually do so on my phone.

So, if you're like me and can't wrap your head around Halo or Call of Duty, check out these five games after the jump.

Read more »

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THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY - PART 2 (review)

November 20, 2015, 7:00 am

≫ Next: FOOLS (review)

≪ Previous: 5 Mobile Games For The Casual Gamer

Review by Caitlyn Thompson

Produced by Nina Jacobson, Jon Kilik

Screenplay by Peter Craig, Danny Strong, Suzanne Collins

Based on Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Directed by Francis Lawrence

Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson,

Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson,

Elizabeth Banks, Julianne Moore,

Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright,

Sam Claflin, Jena Malone, Stanley Tucci,

Natalie Dormer, Donald Sutherland

As Haymitch put it, "Well Katniss, you don't disappoint." 

Damn right. Mockingjay - Part 2, the fourth installment of the Hunger Games series is an epically action-packed, heart-wrenching conclusion and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.   

To recap, the Hunger Games"quadtrilogy" has been delivered in an inconsistent manner.

The initial Hunger Games was appropriately modest considering the subject matter—depicting children slaughtering one another in a gentle way is no easy feat. So while it was sugar coated, it wasn't disappointing.

As for the sequel, Catching Fire, I thought it was awesome. The production designers had an intricate arena to portray and they nailed it, along with the rest of the directorial crew and cast. Spot on. The books were done justice, the actors performed well and again, though cheesy at times, it was a very enjoyable movie.

And then the third film happened...Mockingjay - Part I, a filler to make money and keep fans waiting—a compilation of sappy cliché dialogues with an uncomfortable rigidity amongst the cast. While boring, the landscapes were nicely designed and shot well—that didn’t make up the complete lack of plot. And of course it was. All of the action in the third book was in the second half! I’m still annoyed that they separated these two films.

Ranting aside, I had high hopes for Mockingjay - Part II, and they were most certainly met—the best of the Hunger Games series. Without question.

Read more »

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FOOLS (review)

November 20, 2015, 8:00 am

≫ Next: Win TOO SOON DEAD by Michael Kurland!

≪ Previous: THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY - PART 2 (review)

Review by Dean Galanis

Produced by Dana Scott, Beth Schacter
Written and Directed by Benjamin Meyer
Starring Michael Szeles, Mary Cross

Two lost-soul strangers – Sam, who keeps getting fired from jobs his mother arranges for him through her many exes, and Susan, a cosmetics worker who has no luck with men – brush hands while holding the safety rail on the subway.

They see each other a few more times, with nary a word exchanged, until one day Sam comes home to find Susan, with her belongings, waiting for him in front of his apartment building.

At this point, Sam finally has found a job that’s a surprising fit while Susan has been kicked out of her apartment by her longtime roommate.

Sam brings Susan and her things inside. Susan then berates Sam for not picking her up at the airport.

He looks at her like she’s nuts, but she keeps going with the improv fantasy while he stares at her.

There’s a very nice moment here when Susan pauses her performance and waits for Sam to reply. She has a desperate look on her face until Sam takes the improvisational baton and starts to run with it, acting like a longtime lover/boyfriend/husband to Susan’s fabricated lover/girlfriend/wife.

Her look at this point is a delightful mixture of pleasure, apprehension and profound relief: the show can, if not necessarily must, go on.

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