As we’ve been reporting, Marvel has been steadily releasing free comics for their native iPad app. Mostly, these releases have been one-shots or first issues, designed to lure you into buying the next issues in the series for $1.99 a pop. But still, in this economy, free is good.

Having compared Marvel’s freebies with the ones DC is offering up via their new iPad app, I can tell you, Marvel definitely has the better content. And yet, the DC app is brand new and recently-released, so it remains to be seen whether they will step up their game or not.

Without further ado, let’s check out the new free content for this week, shall we?

X-Men: Curse of the Mutants Saga As the X-Men recover from the stunning conclusion of Second Coming and prepare to enter the Heroic Age, they’ll first have to survive The Curse of the Mutants!
Ultimate Iron Man (2005) #1 Brace yourself for the most imaginative, groundbreaking comic of 2005. International bestseller, four-time Hugo award, two-time Nebula award and World Fantasy Award winner Orson Scott Card (author of Ender’s Game, Speaker for the Dead, Shadow Puppets) comes to the Ultimate Universe. He’s joined by industry legend Andy Kubert (Ultimate X-Men, 1602, Origin) to show the shocking beginning of Ultimate Iron Man! If you thought The Ultimates told you everything you needed to know about Ultimate Iron Man, think again. It all starts here!
Amazing Spider Man (1999) #552 ‘Brand New Day’ continues with two new web-slingin’ creators: Oscar-nominated screenwriter Bob (Back to the Future) Gale and artist extraordinaire Phil (New X-Men, Infinite Crisis) Jimenez! What starts as a petty theft from a local soup kitchen, turns into a chase that results in the birth of a brand-freaking-new Spidey villain; and we mean “Freak” literally!
Gravity (2005) #1 You’ve made your way through high school and moved out of your parents’ house. You’re finally ready to get a job, pick a major, and meet the girl of your dreams. You’ve got it all figured out… right? Right?!Meet freshman Greg Willis, NYC newbie from the rural Midwest hoping to realize his dream of becoming a big-city super hero. But will the realities of city life, college and saving the day prove to be too much for him? Let Sean McKeever and Mike Norton, the creative team responsible for the acclaimed indie drama, The Waiting Place, introduce to you the next great Marvel hero!
Captain America (2004) #31 The winter soldier held prisoner by the Red Skull! While Sharon and the Falcon race to his rescue, about to cross paths with the Mighty Avenger that Tony Stark has sent hunting our rogue hero, The Black Widow!Will the Red Skull kill both Cap and Bucky? It’s anyone’s guess, as the second arc of the epic ‘Death of Captain America’ storyline opens with a bang!

And there you have it. To grab these and other previously-released freebies, simply launch the Marvel app, tap ‘Store’ and then tap ‘Free.’

In an unusual move, it would seem Apple has decided to acknowledge at least one of the reported issues with the iPhone 4 and address them in public. Today the company issued a statement regarding reception issues with the new device.

The statement, which is in the format of a letter, cites the “formula” Apple uses to “calculate how many bars of signal strength to display” being “totally wrong.” It also went on to say that most mobile phones would have their signal strength affected and reduced by “one or more bars” when they are gripped in certain ways.

Finally, the company promised a fix for this issue via a free software update, which will come “in a few weeks.” Well, for a company that rarely, if ever, says it has problems with anything it produces, this is a move of a different sort. I guess Apple really does care about customers, right? Right.

Check out the full press release after the break and if you’re an iPhone 4 user with signal issues, help is apparently on the way. The real question is, do you believe it?

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Part of what makes E3 so great is that the event isn’t just about business. It’s about having fun too. (And yes, I agree that anyone who complains about working in video games not being fun is nuts.) But even still, sometimes developers and journalists (and celebrities) need to unwind a little bit at industry events such as the Activision E3 Preview event which was held Monday night in the Staples Center.

Our own Chris Ulrich was present for the event where he got to see live performances from Jane’s Addiction, Usher, Rhea, Will.I.Am of the Black Eyed Peas, N.E.R.D., Soundgarden, Rhianna and Eminem. Eminem performed his track, “Won’t Back Down” to the trailer for Call of Duty: Black Ops where explosions in the arena coincided with those on screen. Even Tony Hawk came down to announce his new game Tony Hawk: Shred amidst the gigantic halfpipe that was built in the middle of the Staples Center.

In addition to Chris, celebs Paris Hilton, Seth Green and comic book icon Stan “The Man” Lee walked the red carpet for the event.

Check out some video preparing for the event, some of the performances as well as interviews with Stan, Paris, Usher, Dave Navaro, Perry Farrell and Tony Hawk talking about the video game industry and how it affects them.

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How the mighty have fallen.  In 1999, M. Knight Shyamalan was poised to become Hollywood’s next great director. His breakout hit The Sixth Sense energized audiences with its iconic twist and fresh premise.  Some maintain that he peaked with that first film, although he went on to make Unbreakable, Signs, The Village, Lady in the Water, and The Happening.

Even though his latest movies have not fared well critically, I have held out hope that he could recapture some of the magic we saw in the early days of his career.  The Last Airbender took those hopes, smashed them to the ground, and pissed on the ashes.  I was stupefied that someone so talented had actually made such a piece of junk. I’m still reeling.

Before I go further, I would like to make it clear to fans of the series that this is a critique of the movie, not the series. I have always believed that even if a movie is based on source material, the movie should speak for itself, and be worthy of a watch based on its own merit.  A lot of people go see movies based on books, comics, and other source material, and a movie should be accessible to anyone who buys a ticket, whether they know the source material or not.

This film is a dismal failure when it comes to storytelling, direction, acting, set design, and the post-production 3-D, and it cannot possibly do justice to the animated series upon which it was based.  I’ve heard nothing but wonderful things about it, but you won’t cull that knowledge from this movie adaptation.

Thirty minutes into the film, I had no clue what it is about. Worse still, I didn’t care to find out.  Not because I’m lazy, but because the script is so convoluted and did such a poor job of convincing me that there was anything compelling to the story.

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Well, it wasn’t anyone we expected. Not Anton Yelchin, Josh Hutcherson, Aaron Johnson or any one of a list of young up-and-coming actors who had been associated with the role. In fact, it wasn’t anyone we’ve really heard of, sorry to say. But regardless of that, it appears Sony Pictures has selected the actor who will be taking on the role of Peter Parker/Spider-Man in Marc Webb’s reboot of Spider-Man.

That actor: Andrew Garfield, late of The Other Boleyn Girl, Boy A and soon to be seen in The Social Network. Yeah, I had to look it up too. Webb, of course, is wild about the choice.

“Though his name may be new to many, those who know this young actor’s work understand his extraordinary talents. He has a rare combination of intelligence, wit, and humanity. Mark my words, you will love Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker.”

Well, there you go. I guess we’ll see if we really do. In the meantime, congrats to Andrew and good luck with the new role. We’ll be watching.

Check out the full Sony press release after the jump.

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[Note: I said that I would be covering all three of Huston’s war documentaries in one article, but upon watching Report from the Aleutians (and other personal/professional affairs), I’ve decided to draw them out. I may condense The Battle of San Piedro and Let There Be Light, but we’ll see. And I also have Across the Pacific to get into before Treasure of the Sierra Madre, but as much as I’m looking forward to covering that film, I’m enjoying myself all the same watching these.]

Before I even started considering a retrospective on Huston’s articles, I still wanted to watch all his films—at first the big ones, then go on to the ones that looked interesting, after that, eh, maybe the obscure-but-still-kinda-uh-well-liked ones? Then everything—if I could stand it—beyond. Either way, be it as casual viewer or retrospective writer on assignment, Huston’s WWII propaganda films weren’t something I was particularly looking forward to.

It would be a neat curiosity, since the bulk of Huston’s work was based on novels, and this would be one of the few (perhaps only? I haven’t gotten that far ahead in my research) Huston works not based on existing material. Nevertheless, my first glimpse of Report from the Aleutians (1943)’ first five or so minutes all but confirmed my fears—I figured it’d be dated, being all 70+ years old, WWII-ish, and well, topical really. It dealt with something that happened a long time ago and whose importance would be all but lost on my generation and probably my parents’ as well. And even if you like documentaries, at first glance it looks like not much more than simple propaganda—which really was my greatest fear with all three.

I find propaganda fascinating (if you don’t, check out Disney’s war cartoons—ever wanted to see Donald Duck as a Nazi?), but when I’m watching the film for the sole purpose of better understanding Huston, I just got this image of the US Propaganda Department breathing down his neck and telling him everything he can and can’t talk about—which is to say not the ideal collection of films to give insight to the man.

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With Comic-Con in San Diego only a few short weeks away, more networks, studios and the like are releasing their plans for what they will be showcasing at the Con. This year, Warner Bros. TV looks to be pulling out all the stops and is bringing representatives from 14 of their TV series to San Diego.

Among those attending are some of the stars and producers of The Big Bang Theory, Chuck, Fringe, Human Target, Nikita, Smallville, Supernatural, Children’s Hospital and more. In addition, Warner Bros. Entertainment will have a booth at the Con to host signings, video game demos, giveaways and more.

It’s nice to see major studio like Warner Bros. giving the Con such a great amount of attention. Although, they really should be, as should all studios and networks. After all, the people who attend the Con are the exact people they want watching their shows.

Check out the full press release for all the details on Warner Bros. at Comic-Con. And, be sure to check back right here for all your San Diego Comic-Con 2010 previews, news, reviews, interviews and more.

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After launching Warhammer Online, it was only a matter of time before an MMO set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe would be released. THQ, publishers of Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War and its expansions and sequels, have finally announced and revealed a trailer for Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millennium Online.

Not much information has been released for Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millennium Online other than more is to come at Gamescon in August. What we can tell from the trailer however is that the game will have a focus on at least three of the Warhammer 40,000 races/factions. Space Marines, the soldiers of the Imperium, may also get a hand from the Imperial Guard as well as there are some unarmored soldiers seen in battle.

Orcs, like they have always been in Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000, will be given a spotlight as foils for the Space Marines. Taking the fight to both races will be the corrupt demon worshipping Chaos Space Marines which spread violence and destruction throughout the galaxy.

Not present yet are Warhammer 40,000 staples, the Tyranids or the Eldar. It is possible that these races will be added in during future expansions.Most notably seen in the game trailer is the presence of titans, gigantic war machines that will presumably lead to epic boss battles.

Take a peek below at the trailer for Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millennium Online and let us know what you think of it in the comments.

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To all who have survived the month of June by successfully traversing lines of blood-sucking twihards, I congratulate you. You can relax now because the steaming month of July is less about men of iron and teenagers who use SPF 60 and more about whiz kids, dreamers, and spies.

Movie studios may appear to be throwing grenades into your trench, but don’t let the eye-catching blue and orange of the movie posters fool you. These grenades are merely filled with smoke and a good amount of marketing slickness. They will explode in your face only when you yank the pin by paying $12. Then, they will have truly won the battle. Instead of succumbing to the propaganda, arm yourselves wisely with the reviews below.

Those in the know will hold their breath until August when the golden generation of action heroes team up to save the world, kick some ass before kicking the bucket, and get sweaty enough to take off their shirts- giving both men and women some very good reasons for sitting in an air-conditioned multiplex.

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Yes, children of the early-‘90s, it’s true: Judd Apatow (40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up) is currently developing the next feature-length Pee-wee Herman film. It’s a long time coming, seeing how the last one, Big Top Pee-wee, came out in 1988 (and was the sequel to 1985’s Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, which launched Tim Burton’s career).

Apatow, who’s recruited actor/comedian Paul Rust to work on the script with Pee-wee star Paul Reubens, became interested in the project after seeing the revival of Reubens’  stage comedy The Pee-wee Herman Show, a send-up of children’s television shows that brought his lovable man-child character Pee-wee to the national spotlight in the early 1980s.

From there, and the two movies, Pee-wee went on to star in the acclaimed Saturday-morning children’s show Pee-wee Playhouse, a lighter version of his stage show. Playhouse ran from 1986 to 1990 receiving widespread acclaim and garnering 15 Emmys, before Reubens’ star descended due to his arrest for indecent exposure in 1991.

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When it comes to Americanized remakes or reboots of other country’s films I tend to think we should wait at least a few years before launching said remake. After all, other countries do have a film production business as well and we don’t always do it better here in the USA. Still, with Hollywood struggling to find ideas that work, we do end up remaking other country’s movies pretty frequently.

Case in point is director Matt Reeves remake of the 2008 Swedish horror film Let the Right One In. His version, known as Let Me In, covers pretty much the same ground as the original as you can see from the new international trailer that has appeared and we’re bringing to you today.

The trailer, courtesy of Deadline, gives us some insight into the film’s story of a boy who realizes the pretty girl next door is actually a vampire and let’s us know this one is going for the scary, moody, suspense of the director’s first film Cloverfield and the original film. And, in spite of my feelings on remakes like this, this trailer actually looks pretty good.

Check out the new international trailer after the break. Let Me In hits theaters on October 1st.

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Last week, a perplexing video debuted on Apple. It appeared to be a trailer for Gore Verbinski’s animated adventure, Rango, but only by way of a few illegal substances.  It turns out that was only a preview for the film’s website (oh, what marketing times we live in!) and the actual trailer premiered this week.

Rango centers on a little household pet who goes on a journey to discover his true self.   Now we finally know what the “household pet” voiced by Johnny Depp is — an adorable, Hawaiian shirt wearing lizard.   Somehow, he’s made his way into the desert where he has no instinct for survival.  The trailer doesn’t betray much in terms of story, and simply lets little Rango run shrieking and wild.

The trailer is pretty cute, and is absolutely gorgeous and immersive in its animation.  The animals are stylized in their features, but their fur, feathers, and scales look photoreal.   The desert feels sunbaked and scary.  And the little Wild West town?  Well, that’s just adorable.   Who knew Rango was going to be a kiddie Western? Not me. I was expecting Bolt all over again.   Rango looks like it might just make Nickelodeon and Paramount a worthy animation rival to DreamWorks and Pixar.

The trailer can be seen after the jump. Watch it, and tell us what you think.  Rango is scheduled to hit theaters March 4, 2011.

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