Quantcast
Channel: Forces of Geek
Viewing all 17927 articles
Browse latest View live

GEEKY CRAFT CORNER: Make A Princess Leia Headband

$
0
0

Wizard World in Philly is gearing up for tomorrow's opening and you don't want to be the only one walking around in civilian clothing do you?

Gasp!

Okay, so there's no time to make a killer costume and all you have available to work with are a pair of white jeans and a tight white tee which makes your boobs look good.

So far so good.

To take this outfit from lame to super awesome amateur-hour all you need is a pair of cinnamon rolls on the side of your head and you're done right?

Yes you are, and with this Princess Leia head band, not only are you going to look slightly less stupid, you'll be able to make it in about an hour so you can go back to drinking Mountain Dew and playing Star Wars Kinect on the 360.

Just click HERE for the tutorial.

I totally just saved your ass.

Source: Geek Crafts



OTAKU LOUNGE: Anime and Piracy

$
0
0
I’m going to go out on a limb here and assume that pretty much everyone reading this downloads stuff – and by downloading, I’m referring to both direct downloading via MediaFire, RapidShare and the like, torrenting from places like Demonoid, and streaming via WatchAnimeOn or AnimeCrazy if you’re specifically an anime fan.

And if you don’t do that, all your friends probably are (also, you’re weird). 


With anime especially, I think it’s safe to say that a lot of people are under the impression that we do it simply to save money. Anime is an expensive hobby. If I go into a store like JB Hi Fi (the cheapest place here in New Zealand for anime), I can expect to pay about NZ$40 for one DVD – maybe a little less if the DVD has already been out a few years.

That DVD will usually contain four episodes of whatever anime series it is, and I’m well aware that I’m quite lucky to be paying only that much for it - in Japan, people routinely pay roughly the same amount for a DVD containing only two episodes.

The fact of the matter is, a DVD is worth however much someone is willing to pay for it.

Needless to say, not many people are happy spending that amount of money on something unless they know it’s going to be an happy experience, since once you buy anime it can be quite difficult to sell on. Even if you do manage it, you won’t be getting the same amount back that you originally paid for it.

I’m not sure what it’s like in America or Europe, but in New Zealand, anime no longer airs on television other than the very popular and youth-orientated titles like Yu-Gi-Oh! and Naruto – we used to have anime on Cartoon Network’s late-night Adult Swim programming block, but that ended about five years ago.

Granted, New Zealand is small and doesn’t exactly have a thriving anime fanbase, but since Cartoon Network likewise stopped airing anime on the American Toonami programming block back in 2008, I’m guessing that a lot of people around the world are in a similar situation. For the majority of anime titles out there, our only option for sampling before we buy has become the internet.

However, I don’t think that’s the main reason why people watch anime online – I think it comes down to location.

It can be very isolating to be an anime fan if you live in a small country, and one of the main issues is that it can take a long time for anime that’s been officially licensed on DVD to reach you.

Personally speaking, I know that if an anime series is hugely successful in the States, it takes months for it to reach New Zealand. If it’s a series that has gained a smaller amount of commercial success, that time gap widens to a year or more. And if it’s a series that has had little to no success in America, or is otherwise not considered mainstream enough, I consider myself lucky if it ever sees a release in New Zealand at all.

Of course, it’s very possible to buy anime legally from overseas, and I often do.

However, because the shipping costs of getting anything over here usually either equal or outstrip the cost of the anime itself, regardless of which country I’m buying from, then I simply can’t afford to do this no matter how eager I am to support the official release.

The second issue about being an anime fan in a small country is that major events celebrating the hobby are few and far between.

For example, New Zealand has two conventions that the anime industry collaborates with. Of these events, one is not anime-specific and the other gathers a crowd of about one hundred.

Our Armageddon Expo, which is always a lot of fun, is a convention for fans of general science-fiction and fantasy, Western comic books and graphic novels, gaming, and a multitude of other pop culture material.

The anime section of the expo is one of the smaller parts, and while a lot of fun, doesn’t introduce anything new as such to the fan experience.

Our other convention ended up not being held this year at all (I’m guessing this has to do with the number of attendees it garnered for the first two years, although the devastating Christchurch earthquake is probably also a factor). I say these things not to belittle the organisers of the events in any way, but just to point out that a convention on that scale is often not worth people’s time or money. If people had both to spare, we would no doubt very happily travel overseas to AnimeExpo and have a ball.

As it is, we simply don’t have $3000+ dollars up our sleeves to fly there.

 My main point is this: there’s a heap of anime fans out there who enjoy chatting with people about whatever show that aired yesterday, because they want to be a part of a much wider community that could possibly exist wherever they happen to live. Maybe New Zealand is slightly more isolating then a lot of places because of its size and place in relation to the rest of the world, but no static location could ever be as globalising as the internet.

We’re not really looking for ways to pay less for anime than we do or download illegally so that we can snigger about it behind the backs of the guys who sell it to us. More of us than you might think can and do support the official releases… when they eventually get to us.

In fact, at the end of the day it’s not actually about money at all – it’s about feeling like we’re not alone.


SULLIVAN'S SLUGGERS Goes From Kickstarter To Movies

$
0
0

Sullivan's Sluggers, an upcoming graphic novel by Mark Andrew Smith and James Stokoe and financed through Kickstarter, might be headed to the silver screen.


Smith, co-creator of Gladstone's School for World Conquerors, the New Brighton Archeological Society, the anthology Popgun, and the Amazing Joy Buzzards  and Stokoe the amazing creator of Orc Stain recently launched the project and made it available exclusively via Kickstarter, meeting it's $6,000 goal within hours (it's currently almost at $50,000 with 16 days to go).

The premise of the book was posted by Smith on Kickstarter:
Long past their former glory, the minor league Sluggers get an invitation to play a baseball game in a cursed small town. After the 7th inning stretch, the sun goes down, and the dysfunctional teammates find themselves fighting for their lives against a town of flesh-eating monsters! 

Now, it's up to coach Casey Sullivan to help his team escape from being the next dish in the town's terrifying feeding frenzy! 
Now, THR reports that Broken Road Production’s Todd Garner has teamed up with Terra Firma Films' Adam Herz and Joshua Shader to produce an adaptation to be written by Tom and Tim Mullen.


Iron Patriot? In IRON MAN 3? But..wait...what?

$
0
0

Iron Patriot is the villain of Iron Man 3. Hang on, that doesn't sound right.

Yes, it seems strange to those that know Norman Osborn is Iron Patriot. Everyone else will probably just see Super American Iron Man. Anyways, here are the first images of James Badge Dale dressed up in the Iron Patriot torso suit. This goes against everything that Marvel has officially said. Badge Dale is supposed to play Eric Savin who is Coldblood, the villain of the film. So what does this mean, is it really Iron Patriot, maybe just a special painted suit for a holiday? We still don't know but we may see more soon now that filming has started in North Carolina.

We also hear news from Latino-review that Ben Kingsley really will be The Mandarin even though the studio has said he won't. Although he won't really be the main villain, that will be Guy Pearce's character, The Mandarin is a kingpin sort of character in this film and has many people doing his bidding. They are also saying that William Sadler has been added to the cast, the studio is again saying no comment. So, we'll have to wait and see. I'm not confirming anything here.

Keep on reading to see the purloined pics.










Jean Valjean Will Be Killed For His Crimes, But This Is Just The Trailer For LES MISERABLES

$
0
0

Are you ready to dream some dreams? Here is the first trailer for the new film version of Les Miserables.

With an amazing cast including Anne Hathaway, Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Helena Bonham Carter, Sacha Baron Cohen, and Amanda Seyfried, the story is based on the musical which is based on the novel by Victor Hugo.

Set in the 1800's France, revolution is happening and Jean Valjean has stolen bread. After being released from prison he tries to restart his life and seek redemption while also making sure the Inspector doesn't catch him after he breaks his parole.

Here is the first trailer, courtesy of MSN.



GARY OLDMAN And DOMINIC MONAGHAN Are MONSTER BUTLER's

$
0
0

The indie project Monster Butler,  from Doug Rath has two big names Gary Oldman and Dominic Monaghan joining the cast.

According to THR, the two will join Malcolm McDowell who has already landed the lead role in the true story of Roy Fontaine. Also cast in the Dark House Films production is Joanne Whalley, mostly noticed for her role in The Borgias. Production will start early next month in Scotland.


The story follows a "bisexual jewel thief/con man/serial killer who chronicles his personal descent into darkness leading up to his eventual capture." Monaghan will play David Wright, a prison buddy who turns out to be the downfall for Roy. Oldman will play a taxidermist named Wiggy. With a shady business on the side, anger issues and a partnership with Fontaine, things end up going sideways very quickly.


Oldman will next star in The Dark Knight Rises, reprising his role as Commissioner Gordon. You may have also seen him recently in the trailer for Lawless. He is also signed on to have a part in the remake of Robocop with MGM. Monaghan has had a few roles since his big break in The Lord of the Rings. Most notably in the six seasons of the hit show Lost.


SYLVESTER STALLONE Is In GRUDGE MATCH With ROBERT DE NIRO

$
0
0

Let me clarify that headline, Sylvester Stallone is in a movie called Grudge Match and will star with Robert De Niro.

According to The Wrap and their "individual with knowledge of the situation," the two well know actors are in negotiations right now. With Anger Management director Peter Segal already on board, Warner Bros is looking for two actors who could take on the roles of retired boxers.

The story revolves around the retired boxers as the decide to duke it out one final time for a winner takes all grudge match. Although the comedy has not officially been given the greenlight, it is expected to go into production at the start of next year.


Entourage creator Doug Ellin wrote the latest draft of the script which has already had multiple writers come and go. Daredevil director Mark Steven Johnson will be producing the film with Bill Gerber and Carrie Gillogly from Gerber Pictures.

The two actors have quite a few projects they've been working on De Niro has four separate projects lined up while Stallone has The Expendables II and two other films set to release in 2013.


X-MEN:FIRST CLASS Director MATTHEW VAUGHN Working On LEXICON

$
0
0

After being very successful with X-Men: First Class, director Matthew Vaughn is looking for his next project, after the sequel, and it looks like it's going to be Lexicon.

According to Deadline, the director optioned the rights to the novel using his own money. The thriller by Max Barry will be published next year, but Vaughn is getting the jump on the property by claiming the rights. He will be writing the script for the adaptation with the intent to direct the project himself.


The title is fitting for the story which revolves around a group of people in a world where "words are potentially lethal weapons." As part of the world which is led by a secret and ancient organization, it's forbidden to fall in love. So can you guess what our hero, the "most gifted and troubled member" does? You got it, she falls in love.

Vaughn will soon start production of his follow-up to X-Men: First Class. He's also attached to produce a sequel to Kick-Ass. Barry has other novels like Jennifer Government and Company and Machine, just to name a couple.



STALLONE, SCHWARZENEGGER And NEESON Are Still Awesome In These New Stills From TAKEN 2 And THE TOMB

$
0
0



Movies are still awesome, and actors like Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Liam Neeson are here to prove it.

We have a first look at Stallone and Schwarzenegger in their new movie The Tomb. We also have a few new images from Taken 2 with Mr. Neeson. Two older action stars, and a middle aged guy. It looks like between these two movies all types of action movies will be shown from the subtle to the over the top. Read on for more images and the details on all the projects.

Up first are just two pictures from Oliver Megaton's sequel to Taken. The surprise hit when it came out, these new stills show us the same premise of Neeson being awesome, and the movie promises even more. Here is the official synopsis.

When Bryan Mills finds out that his ex-wife Lenore is getting a divorce, he invites her and their daughter Kim to join him in Istanbul on the perfect weekend break with the aim of winning back Lenore's heart.

But Bryan killed to save his daughter, in the original film, and now he and his family must pay. Bryan and Lenore are abducted, but Kim manages to escape...


Now Schwarzenegger and Stallone are teaming up once again after starring together in The Expendables, and the upcoming Expendables 2, they will share the spotlight in the new project from Mikael Hafstrom. The four pictures don't really show much action, but it does show the aging actors accepting their roles as older men, while still remaining pretty bad ass. As Twitch said, they seem to be "taking a page out of the Clint Eastwood playbook and embracing the weathered look." The two will star alongside some big names like Jim Caviezel, Vincent D'Onofrio, Sam Neill, Vinnie Jones, and 50 Cent. Here's their synopsis:
Ray Breslin is the world's foremost authority on structural security. After analyzing every high security prison and learning a vast array of survival skills so he can design escape-proof prisons, his skills are put to the test. He's framed and incarcerated in a master prison he designed himself. He needs to escape and find the person who put him behind bars.




A LOVE SONG TO BACON

$
0
0

Bacon is a powerful food that can transcend hurt and anger or, turn hate into love. Yes, it is a magical and delicious food stuff that we human crave more than money or fame.

Am I being too dramatic here?

 I don't think so. Because once, I saw two men beating the hell out of each other and then, when it looked as if blood would be shed, they smelled the crispy back fat of a pig coming from a local diner and miraculously stopped, hugged, and then retreated into the restaurant to partake in the glory of bacon.

Was the above paragraph true?

Not a bit, but at least you are all psyched up for the video after the break about Bacon Love right?

Right?




Source: Neatorama


In ONLY GOD FORGIVES, RYAN GOSLING Gets Beat Up, But He Wins The Fight

$
0
0

Ryan Gosling and Nicholas Winding Refn are back together again and still just as violent in Only God Forgives.

These new images from Filmstage the film show Gosling after he's been in a lengthy fight scene for the movie set in the world of Thai boxing. With Refn's use of bright lights, vibrant colors and pop music, this seems like another good film from the Drive director. First footage was shown recently at Cannes and displayed the fight scene which at one point has Gosling dragging someone away by their top jaw. Check out the pics and the synopsis right after this jump. 









Here is the studio's official synopsis for the film:

Julian (Gosling) lives in exile in Bangkok where he runs a Thai boxing club as a front for the family’s drugs smuggling operation. When Julian’s brother Billy is killed their mother, Jenna (Kristen Scott Thomas), arrives in the city. She wants revenge and forces Julian to find the killer. Julian’s contacts in the criminal underworld lead him directly to The Angel of Vengeance, a retired police officer who knows everything and who is both Judge and Punisher. Jenna demands that Julian kill The Angel of Vengeance, an act that will cost him dearly.


Smallville: Random, Awesome and WTF?! - S5E18: Fragile

$
0
0
A young girl with the ability to shatter glass gets taken in by the Kents after her foster mother is accidentally killed--most likely by her, mind you--proving that, A, authorities in this town have no problem shuffling off unstable children at the drop of a hat and, B, that all the children in this town are unstable.

Luckily her dad is supervillain, so this is going to turn out swimmingly.

The Random:
1. Damn, this Maddie kid sure can make a mess out of things.  And possibly kill people.  Let’s not forget about that.

2. Lois must be studying the Lana Babysitting Playbook, because little Maddie got kidnapped on her watch.  Most young adults make some money babysitting, but I can’t see that being a lucrative career in this town for some reason…

3. So, the Talon is hiding Captain Stained Glass’s stolen diamonds from years ago.  This is after, mind you, we found out the Talon also contained a dead body sealed in its walls from another long ago crime.  Apparently, when it wasn’t a movie theater or a coffeehouse, the Talon was a dumping ground for crimes that the cops couldn’t track.

“So, I thought tomorrow I’d take her on a tour of some greenhouses…
Uh…is that NOT a good idea?”

The Awesome:
1. Lex is making the moves on Lana and tossing around sushi orders in Japanese showing that he can get ass in several languages at will.  Domo arigato, Lana.  Now take your pants off.

2. Did Chloe just threaten Lex's life if he hurts Lana?  Why, yes, Ms. Sullivan is showing some brass ones here, but that doesn’t stop Lex from taking a dig at her relationship luck. 

3. Just when you think it’s going to be a showdown between Clark and Captain Stained Glass, little Maddie steps up to the plate and turns the tables by saving the day.  She’s definitely better than that annoying Ryan kid was.

Sure he got beaten by a twelve year old, but that’s a pretty
sweet power set nonetheless.

The WTF?!:
1. Maddie hasn’t talked to anyone in years and it’s been this big mystery of how to get through to her, and Clark talks to her for like five minutes and cracks the code.  I’m beginning to think no one actually tried with this kid after all.

2. Once again, Smallville’s crack psychiatric staff gives a patient a clean bill of health who then immediately commits violent crimes upon release.  They might want to reconsider their screening processes.

3. It’s a good thing Clark warned the authorities that Maddie’s dad could jack up glass something fierce so they’d be sure not to put a lone officer wearing glasses in charge of transporting him to jail.  Oh.  Wait.  He didn’t.  And now Officer Poindexter is eyeless and dead.  Smooth, Clark.

“I figured her out!  All we had to do was say, ‘Hello!’”


JUST THE SPELLS PLEASE: The Harry Potter Movies Boiled Down To Just the Magic Bits For Those Who Don't Want to Get Involved With the Characters

$
0
0

My friend Allyshia is a Harry Potter fan who not only owns every variation of DVD and book released (not to mention every Lego set, paraphernalia and fan art), she also has a season pass to Universal Orlando (we live in Pennsylvania) so that if she suddenly feels a whim to visit Hogwarts, she can.

The video above is what she would call blasphemy and I'm pretty sure she would strike down anyone who watched this rather than sitting through all the films. But sometimes, you just want a taste of the Potter.

And this super-cut of just the spells is that, a mere taste (like a junkie fix perhaps). So sit back and enjoy...the rush is really good.

Just don't tell Allyshia I said that.


The Sega Versus Nintendo Days

$
0
0
Back in my pre-adolescent days when I thought boys were icky and girls were too girly for me, I found a friend in video games.

There were others that did the same. In the early 90's consoles were considered a luxury item and though there were few of us back then, we were quickly conscripted into two clear factions.

Depending on how we chose, our interactions and friendships would change dramatically.

Between them and us there was a single question.

Nintendo or Sega? 



You had to take a side. There was no excuse, no third option, no cries of "I'm not playing", you had no choice but to pick a side and commit - it was that important!

It may surprise you given my love of a certain tights wearing, ocarina playing, Master sword wielding elf (I still maintain that my favourite video game series of all time is The Legend of Zelda) but my answer during the war was... well... "Sega".


There are a few reasons as to why, first and foremost because the only consoles in my household (other than the Commodore and an Atari) were a Sega Mastersystem and the Sega Mega Drive (Genesis for yanks). But even then, this choice wasn't exactly made wholly by me. I was far too young to buy my own console and any input I had was ill informed and laced with ignorance. Like most kids who just want something so blindly, I subscribed to the "That one!" acquisition principle.

Thus the choice was largely influenced by my parents.


I specifically remember my Dad always wanting me to play 2-Player Columns with him after school and on weekends Mum and I would see who could get the furthest in Alex Kidd in Wonderland before losing all our lives - we hadn't yet bought a save card - back in the dark ages before internal hard drives.

Irrelevant of how influential I had been on the selection of the brand, I stood by the decision passionately.

I idolised the Sonic the Hedgehog games, read the comics and always felt proud when I was able to explain to my friends that Dr Robotnik used to be called Dr Kintobor before he became a fat, evil, animal hoarding maniac.

Again, before the advent and rise of the internet, attaining tidbits of knowledge was considered an inside trade, which added to the amazement of my school friends when I pointed out that "Robotnik is Kintobor backwards!"

I quickly became the go-to-girl for all things Sonic and I was incredibly proud... until certain other kids in school acquired SNES'. Then all anyone cared about was stupid Mario and his lanky brother.

I didn't get it. To my younger self, the idea of a game about plumbers sounded boring. A blue sprinting hedgehog might have sounded crazy but we were living in a world where McDonald's kids parties were all the rage and a giant rat taught four mutant turtles to fight an organisation of purple ninjas! A blue hedgehog was run-of-the-mill by comparison.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was fun, the level design was interesting and you saved defenceless animals from a mad scientist - it was practically charity! How could I go from rescuing cute animals to locating a Princess stupid enough to let herself get caught over and over? Although, we all know she secretly wanted to, right? How else would Bowser have so many kids?! Too much? You just can't handle the truth!

As far as the 16-bit consoles went, the Mega Drive had the superior processing power and speed, the only thing the SNES seemed to have over it was a multitude of RPGs titles and an exponentially growing fan base. After months of peer pressure, I eventually discovered the genre and caved... then begged my parents for a SNES.

Sadly, Father Christmas brought me a bike that year (stupid fat man, never forgave him). Subsequently, I never owned a NES or a SNES. Sure, I'd played on the NES at my cousin's house and it was there I discovered the Zelda series but I never owned a Nintendo console until the N64. That was the advent of my Nintendo days, my teenage rebellion had begun. Mario Kart, Super Mario 64, Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, Bomberman 64, Turok: Dinosaur Hunter, Goldeneye, Doom, Earthworm Jim.

I was a full on Nintengirl, and Sega slowly fell away.

That is, until I was seduced by Sony in my late teens with their shiny Playstation. Long gone were the stalwart days of my youth, when I vehemently fought in the Sega corner before finally succumbing years later. I had a little money, I knew how to manipulate my parents, I did as I pleased, I saw the PS1 and I bought it. Ha! But deep down I still retained that distorted sense of loyalty, which lay dormant until sometime in the mid 2000s.

It was around this time that I bought an Xbox from a friend for £60 and I thank God I found Halo. My Xbox opened me up to the notion of a gaming community. I had regular LAN parties and friends over to play games. It was amazing. Which made it all the more difficult to watch Sega's defeat and Nintendo selling out to casual gamers and families, from the corner of my eye.

Today's "Sega or Nintendo?" question is "Xbox 360 or PS3?" and it's still quite the rivalry. Unlike the brief period of mass financial success (when everyone owned an Xbox, a PS2 AND a Gamecube - myself included), people have to choose again. There are those who don't take sides and own all... those who have the money and neutrality of Switzerland.


Part of me wants to be Swiss; I kind of want to purchase a PS3 but I feel too involved in the Xbox 360 Community to let it go... that and I've got a pretty decent gamerscore and wouldn't want to leave it behind for the Playstation trophy room equivalent.

The war will always continue and though the consoles may change, the faction loyalty can not. Hundreds of pounds/dollars for the console, hundreds for the peripherals and hundreds for the game, my war chest simply cannot accommodate playing both sides.

And there will always be that little girl in me, with a judgemental frown on her face, feet planted firmly in the ground and a copy of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 grasped tightly in her hands.


HOW TO TATTOO A BANANA, And Other Fun Things To Do With Your Stupid Kids

$
0
0

The children in my neighborhood are beginning to feel the tentacles of learning start to slip off of them as the hallowed event known as Summer Vacation creeps ever closer (actually, it's tomorrow but I'm in a poetic mood), which means I am going to have to deal with two-and-a-half months of bored kids lurking around my house trying not to get caught smoking and drinking.

But maybe there's something a bit more constructive they can do besides going through my recycle bin, looking for any half-full bottles of beer that I accidentally threw out.

Like tattoo a banana perhaps?

I know, I know, it sounds weird but as an aunt who occasionally has to entertain kids, I find that if you keep these pint-sized assholes busy, they will settle down and leave you alone for a few minutes. But you have to choose activities that don't sound super lame (especially when dealing with teenagers too young to drive, their whole life is about avoiding lameness) and tattooing a banana is a good start.

After the break is a video of how to do it, plus a link for a great book by Phil Hansen filled with fun, distracting stuff that costs almost nothing out-of-pocket.

Just think of this as bonding time with people you don't really want to hang out with. That's what I do.



Click HERE for Phil's book.

Source: Craft magazine



Cine-Geek Nuggets BEHEOMETH Edition! FRAGGLE ROCK, MALEFICENT, HATCHET 3, JACK REACHER & More!

$
0
0

Gremlins Star Zach Galligan Joins The Cast of Hatchet 3
Zach Galligan,who might very well be remembered always as Gremlins'  Billy Peltzer, has joined the cast of Hatchet 3 currently filming in Louisiana.  Galligan will play a hard-nosed head of police while Cody Blue Snider (son of Dee), will play a gun-loving deputy.  "The Hatchet movies follow a slasher villain named Victor Crowley (Kane Hodder) who haunts the bayou swamps of Louisiana and a young woman (horror mainstay Danielle Harris) who is determined to end his cursed ways."


Taran Killam, New MVP

SNL's Taran Killam, who was recently announced to be joining Steve McQueen's Twelve Years a Slave, opposite Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender and Brad Pitt, has just signed on for two new indie projects.  In Growing Up (and Other Lies), Killam would join Adam Brody, Amber Tamblyn and Zachary Quinto.  The film, "follows four friends who unite to walk the length of Manhattan in an ode to the good old days as one of them plans to leave the city".  Killam will play an artist who decides to move home and take over the family business, and Tamblyn will play his newly single ex-girlfriend who complicates his plans.  The film is being written and directed by Danny Jacobs and Darren Grodsky.  Killam will also co-star in Killer Rebound Guy, a ,"chilling romantic comedy finds Adam Pally playing a bartender who tries to convince everyone in his small town that his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend (Killam) is actually a serial killer."  Killer Rebound Guy is written by John Reynolds and Katie Dippold and is the feature directorial debut of Funny or Die filmmakers Matt Villines and Osmany Rodriguez.


Joe Carnahan's Next Film Is His Passion Project, Continue
Twitch reports that 20th Century Fox has taken on Joe Carnahan's latest project and is currently moving forward with it.  Entitled Continue, the film is an action movie spin of the film Groundhog Day.  "The story follows a former soldier forced to re-live the same day over and over while on the run from assassins trying to kill him for reasons unknown."  The article also mentions that the director is eager to reteam with his The Grey co-star Frank Grillo on the project. 


Fraggle Rock Gets Writers; Worries For Another Day
Rango co-writer Jim Byrkit and Alex Manugian will script the feature film version of Fraggle Rock for New Regency.  Based on the Eighties television series created by Jim Henson, Fraggle Rock is centered around the "adventures of a group of cave-dwelling puppet creatures called Fraggles. In their lives are a race of small industrious creatures named Doozers, who live in the caves, and the Gorgs, furry giants who look at Fraggles as nuisances."


Maleficent Finds It's Prince
Australian television star Brenton Thwaites will play Prince Philip in Maleficent, "the Robert Stromberg-directed Disney live action Sleeping Beauty film that stars Angelina Jolie as the title character and Elle Fanning as Princess Aurora."


Michelle Pfeiffer Might Join Robert DeNiro in Malavita
Third time might be a charm for Robert DeNiro and Michelle Pfeiffer after co-starring together in New Year's Eve and Stardust.  Pfeiffer is currently in talks to co-star in Luc Besson's dark comic action film, Malavita opposite DeNiro.  "Based on Tonino Benacquista's book Badfellas, (the) story follows a notorious mafia family relocated to France under the witness protection program. While they do their best to fit in, old habits die hard and they soon find themselves handling things the "family" way. Pfeiffer will play De Niro's wife who has a penchant for arson when crossed."

Gemma Arterton Joins Runner, Runner
Gemma Arterton has joined the cast of the online gambling thriller, Runner, Runner starring Ben Affleck and Justin Timberlake.  "Timberlake plays a Princeton student cheated out of his tuition money playing online poker who ends up the right-hand man of the site's corrupt boss (Affleck). Arterton plays Timberlake's love interest."


Carl Franklin To Direct City of Night
Carl Franklin (One False Move, Devil in a Blue Dress) "will direct City of Night, a thriller about a Los Angeles Police Department rookie who finds himself working in the toughest crime unit in the city."


Tom Cruise Is Jack Reacher
Paramount Picture has  retitled the name of their upcoming adaptation of the Lee Child novels starring Tom Cruise, about ex-military policeman-turned-benevolent drifter Jack Reacher from One Shot to simply, Jack Reacher.  The character,  "is a hulking loner who hitchhikes from town to town, always finding himself smack in a situation where a helpless person needs someone who can put the clues together, and lay an ass whupping on anybody who gets in his way and Cruise is confident that his 5'7" stature isn't a big deal when portraying a 6'5" character, telling Playboy that, he's bringing, “Everything but the height.”  The Christopher McQuarrie directed film opens December 21st.

Mireille Enos Joins The West Memphis 3 in Devil's Knot
The Killing star Mirelle Enos will join Colin Firth and Reese Witherspoon in Atom Egoyan's adaptation of Devil's Knot, a drama about the West Memphis 3.  "Enos will play Vicki Hutcheson, the mother of an 8-year-old boy who lives in a run-down house in West Memphis. She becomes an important witness in the murder trial of Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley for the killing of three 8-year-old boys found hog-tied in a drainage ditch. Hutcheson, it becomes apparent to investigators, could be the only link between Echols and Misskelley.  Firth will play Ron Lax, a private investigator who was the first pro bono supporter of the defendants as they headed to trial in 1993. Lax built one of the most prominent private investigative firms in the Southeast, and offered his services for free to the defendants, who at the time were reviled because of the heinous nature of the crime and the sensationalized reports about devil worship and ritualistic sacrifice. All of that was later proven to be unfounded, after the West Memphis 3 were convicted despite a total absence of physical evidence. Witherspoon is playing Pam Hobbs, the mother of Steven Branch, one of the victims. She initially believed the trio murdered her son and the other two boys but became persuaded they were wrongly accused. An upcoming documentary casts suspicion on her ex-husband Terry Hobbs, who was Steven Branch’s stepfather and who has denied any wrongdoing."


Adam Shankman's This Is Where I Leave You Lines Up All Star Ensemble
Adapted by Jonthan Tropper and based on his novel, This Is Where I Leave You, will be the next project from Adam Shankman (Rock of Ages).  The story centers on "a father who dies and requests that his highly dysfunctional and non-religious family sit Shivah for seven days."  In talks to join the cast are Goldie Hawn, Jason Bateman, Leslie Mann, Jason Sudeikis, Malin Akerman and Zac Efron.  The film is expected to go into production in September.


Randall Wallace To Direct The Conscientious Objector
Randall Wallace will direct Robert Schenkkan's screenplay, The Conscientious Objector, for Walden Media.  Wallace previous has directed The Secretariat, We Were Soldiers and The Man in the Iron Mask and Schenkkan has scripted episodes for both Spartacus and The Pacific. The Conscientious Objector tells, "the true story centers on WWII medic Desmond Doss, the only conscientious objector to win the Congressional Medal of Honor. Drafted in April, 1942, Doss refused to kill or carry a weapon into combat due to his religious beliefs, and as consequence, he became an Army medic with the 77th Infantry Division, serving in the Pacific Theatre and saving countless lives."


Gillian Anderson Joins Haley Joel Osment In I'll Follow You Down
Gillian Anderson will join an ensemble that includes Haley Joel Osment, Victor Garber, and Rufus Sewell in I'll Follow You Down, a follow up to writer/director Richie Mehta’s Amal.  In this sci-fi/mystery, "a scientist, Gabriel (Sewell), who mysteriously disappears during a business trip, devastating his wife Marika (Anderson) and son Erol (Osment). Erol and his grandfather (Garber) years later make a shocking discovery about Gabriel’s whereabouts."


HOW TO MAKE SOCCER An American Past-Time

$
0
0

I like soccer.

Unfortunately most of the people I know look at it as if were some strange, foreign entity that can not be trusted lest it infiltrate our schools and turn red-blooded Americans into (gasp!) Europeans.

But I'm pretty sure if we combined fire, lasers and robots with it, not only would soccer trump football and baseball as America's favorite sports, it would become the ONLY sport anyone would watch.

But then again, I live in a fantasy world.

Source: Obvious Winner


Reviews of Films I Have Never Seen: PROMETHEUS – Liver-Eating Eagle Steals the Show

$
0
0






This is not a prequel to Alien.

Though set in the same time period, this latest offering by Ridley Scott is something different than your usual space man gets face humped by an octo-crab with acid for blood.

But first, let’s examine Prometheus.

My Greek mythology is a bit rusty, but I’ll give it spin.

Prometheus brought Mankind fire, which he stole from Zeus. I believe Prometheus also stole glazed pastries and the clip-on tie that has revolutionized the security guard industry. Nevertheless, Zeus punished him.

He chained Prometheus to a rock.

Each day an eagle would arrive and eat his liver.


Each night, Prometheus’ liver would regenerate.

The next day, the eagle would return and eat his liver again, though without side dishes such as onions or a beverage.

Zeus felt these items should be the eagle’s responsibility.

And so it went for many years until powerful Hercules freed Prometheus who moved to a beach house in Sonoma, California. There he bought a kiln and took a journaling class. His dislike for large birds never really faded.

It is reported that Prometheus would pot sea gulls with a .22 caliber rifle and toss the bodies into the tide, shouting, “Eat a bird, Poseidon.”

Over the centuries, the gods power diminished, grew less, then waned, but not in that order.

Which brings us back to Ridley Scott’s new film.

Brilliant move. Instead of more xenomorphs and face-humpers, Scott has embraced the legend of Prometheus. He has chosen a liver-eating eagle as villain.

An expedition from Earth is lured to another world by a cryptic message.

But it’s all a trap by the liver-eating eagle. Soon expedition members start turning up with their livers missing and big eagle feathers everywhere.

And what makes this concept work is that NO ONE’S LIVER GROWS BACK! So the stakes increase. Plus most people dislike liver in general. (Try getting a kid to eat it.) Elements like that keep the movie humming on multiple levels.

Naturally, the eagle hopes to hide aboard the vessel and return to Earth where it will tuck in with a vengeance.

I was troubled that the liver-eating eagle migrated to this outer space world and we’re never told how it could fly in an airless vacuum. Couldn’t the eagle have hidden out in the San Diego Zoo?

That would be more like something on the Syfy Channel, but nonetheless accessible to a larger audience.

I quibble.

Three stars for a solid film that, incidentally, is not a prequel.


THE MOST LITERAL DEFINITION OF IRON MAN

$
0
0

I'm pretty sure this is just a concept piece by an artist who had time on their hands but I would think that this would be a pretty sweet gift for anyone who had to iron stuff (which is not me, so don't even think of getting me this).

And, seeing that it probably has the tensile strength of the actual Iron Man's armor, it would also make a hell of a weapon during those domestic fights you have with a loved one when they say to you "Why don't you get off your fat ass and iron my work shirts bitch".

I'm just saying.

Source: BHaG


What's The Deal With G.I. JOE: RETALIATION?

$
0
0

Changing a release date isn't so unusual these days.  Films often stake out an early claim, sometimes years in advance to secure a weekend, and remind smaller films to stay the hell out of the way.

What is unusual is pulling a tentpole popcorn movie from the schedule just several weeks before release. Millions of dollars wasted on advance advertisement and marketing. 

G.I. Joe: Retaliation was originally slated for June 29th.  Now it's been postponed until May 23rd, claiming money was being spent to convert the film to 3D. 

But is it the truth?



According to THR, Paramount sources revealed, "studio chair Brad Grey and vice chair Rob Moore felt the expense was preferable to a duel with Sony’s franchise reboot The Amazing Spider-Man, out July 3."

With potential franchise films like Battleship, John Carter and Dark Shadows not delivering on expectations, the 3D conversion was planned to boost the box office.  Channing Tatum, who starred in the first film, and who died in the opening assault that sets up Retaliation, has since become a movie star and a valuable commodity.  According to Deadline, the studio's explanation also included the Channing Tatum factor:
“This was a case of letting a schedule to fill a summer slot dictate the film not being in 3D even though we knew that would be the most commercial version of the film. Then in the spring there were 2 big events. First John Carter lost $200M despite the best efforts of the Pixar brain trust. But the 3D film managed to gross over $200M overseas, nearly tripling its U.S. take.
“Also Channing Tatum had a breakout spring, starring in The Vow and 21 Jump Street. In our first screening of the film the reaction from audiences was good but with 2 big concerns: 1) They didn’t like the fact that Channing and The Rock really didn’t have any time to develop a friendship before Channing died, and 2) Why wasn’t it going to be in 3D? We went back and shot another week with Channing to develop more of his story with The Rock, which made the film play much better. But we didn’t have the time to be in 3D.
“Then a week ago Battleship basically had the same performance as John Carter – $60M-$70M U.S. and just over $200M international. That was just a wake-up call that said to us we need to offer the best version of the film irrespective of summer market share to ensure the best possible performance. And not being in 3D will cost us a ton of business internationally.”
Will the wait be worth it? We'll see in March.



Viewing all 17927 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images