by Elisabeth Rappe, Mar 17 2010 // 4:30 PM
I’m still anxiously awaiting the day I get to see Kick-Ass, and be as cool as our SXSW team that caught its Austin premiere. (Be sure to check out Shannon Hood’s review.) But at least I could content myself with Mark Millar’s Kick-Ass: Creating the Comic, Making the Movie which the gang at Titan Books was kind enough to let me review.
Anyone who viewed the trailer knows that Kick-Ass is going to be a unique movie. One look at Chloe Moretz’s Hit Girl can tell you that much. But I hadn’t realized just how unusual its page-to-screen transition was. Millar was still in the process of sketching the book out when he approached Matthew Vaughn (licking his wounds after leaving Thor) about directing.
The movie took shape as the comic did, with Millar running back and forth between the production offices and his own keyboard, incorporating ideas from Vaughn and screenwriter Jane Goldman as he went. Characters who were meant to be minor players such as Red Mist took on a life of their own after they were cast, and ended up becoming major players in Kick-Ass’ story arc. If there’s a sequel to Kick-Ass, it may be entirely due to Christopher Mintz-Plasse single-handedly rewriting his character.
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Posted in: Action · Adaptation · Books · Comics · Editorial · Editorial and Opinion · Filmmaking · Geek · Indie · Lionsgate · Marketing · Movies · News
Tagged: Chloe Moretz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Kick-Ass, Kick-Ass: Creating the Comic, Lionsgate, Making the Movie, Mark Millar, Matthew Vaughn, Nicolas Cage, Titan Books
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by Diane Panosian, Mar 16 2010 // 12:00 PM
As I was watching the new Eclipse trailer, out of sheer boredom and a hint of curiosity, I found myself wondering why in the world two super-powered boys would fight it out over a girl clad in American Apparel who’s a hell of a downer.
How is there an entire film series devoted to one girl’s delusional obsessions of a fairy tale ending with a born-again killer? Sparkely vampires want to kill you, strapping werewolf shape-shifters want to keep you safe.
Do these Edward fans have a death wish and a yearning for abandonment? Is Bella Swan so heavily marketed as mesmerizing that it erases the history of the brazen blonde that came before her?
A long time ago, otherwise known as the 90’s, there was a series called Buffy the Vampire Slayer where a feisty girl from the southland slayed Urban Outfitted demons. This legendary show paved the way for multi-tasking girls who cheer by day, slay by night, and every once in a while hook-up with a tormented blood sucker.
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Posted in: Action · Announcements · Blu-Ray · Books · CW · Casting · Celebrities · Comedy · Cult Cinema · DVD · Drama · Editorial · Editorial and Opinion · Exclusive · Fandom · Fantasy · Features · Filmmaking · Geek · Horror · Horror Reviews · Marketing · Movies · News · Prequels and Sequels · Recommendations · Reviews · Romance · Scripts · Site News · Summit Entertainment · TV · TV to Movies · Thriller · Trailers · Twilight · Video · Warner Bros · Whedon · Writers
Tagged: Anthony Stewart Head, Bella, Buffy: The Vampire Slayer, Eclipse, Edward, Jacob, Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Taylor Lautner, Twilight
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by Matt Raub, Mar 11 2010 // 3:00 PM
Remember about a decade ago when everybody and their mother was using sound boards of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Chris Walken to prank call their friends and show off to their friends without phones? Well, after the age of the smart phone hit, not many people got the chance to punctuate their funny moments with cool catchphrases from their favorite flick. Until now, that is.
MGM has recently gone deep into their vault with some great sound board Apps. For just a buck, you are able to call up some of your favorite quotes from Army of Darkness, Silence of the Lambs, Robocop, Fargo, or just about any of the Rocky films. It was hard to believe that it could get any cooler than your phone yelling out “This is my boomstick!” until now.
Just released last week, the Hot Tub Time Machine Sound Board has been making it’s way up the ranks of the iTunes App Store. Not only do you get over 6 full pages of sound bites from the film’s stars like John Cusack, Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, and Clark Duke, but there’s also a direct link to the film’s trailer, as well as a synopsis, so you can explain to your friends exactly why you’re so stoked for this movie to come out.
Be sure to grab the Hot Tub Time Machine Sound Board App from the iTunes App Store (for free!), and catch Hot Tub Time Machine when it hits theaters on March 19th.
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Posted in: Apple · Comedy · Gear · Geek · Mobile Apps · Movies · News · Reviews
Tagged: App Review, Army of Darkness, Fargo, Hot Tub Time Machine, iTunes, MGM, Robocop, Rocky, Rocky Balboa, Silence of the Lambs, Sound Boards
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by Cortney Zamm, Mar 11 2010 // 9:00 AM
Move over, Wii. You’re no longer the only motion-controlled gaming system in town. While Playstation 3’s Sixaxis controller had some motion-sensing capabilities, it wasn’t much to write home about. But yesterday, at Sony’s GDC press conference, the company officially revealed their new motion-controller, simply called “The Move.”
Looking curiously similar to the Wii-mote, the Move will feature True 3D rotation, buttons similar to the regular Sixaxis, and an analog trigger. The Move also has rechargeable batteries, and plugs into the same USB port as the Sixaxis. The device seems to have two controllers, like the Wii-mote and nunchuck combination seen on the Wii.
The difference is that the Move’s two devices are connected wirelessly. The Move is said to be far more sensitive and responsive than its predecessor, because it uses the Playstation Eye to detect movement as opposed to a sensor bar like the Wii.
Games like LittleBigPlanet and EyeToy were demoed with the Move, and third party publishers like Square Enix, Konami, EA, Ubi, Disney, Sega, WBI, Crave, and Activision are all behind this new technology. It also looks like the Playstation 3 will start getting ports of games originally slated for the Wii, the first one being The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn’s Quest.
The Move will be released on its own, bundled with the Playstation Eye, and in a Playstation 3 bundle. No idea how much the controller will cost on its own, but bundled with the Eye it’ll set you back about $99. You’ll be able to get your hands on the Move this fall.
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Posted in: Games · Gear · Geek · News · Playstation 3 · Sony · Tech · Video Games
Tagged: LIttle BigPlanet, Move, Playstation 3, PS3, Sony, The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest, Video Games
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by Diane Panosian, Mar 9 2010 // 2:00 PM
Women, you can’t live with them, you can’t live without them — especially if you’re a grown man-child living in your parent’s basement. That is, until now. The “Women of Marvel” is a year-long celebration of, you guessed it, the women of Marvel Comics.
Marvel intends to celebrate women not only in the superhero realm but also the real life creators and artists. Marvel sees us standing impatiently in lines for Avatar and says, “Hey, maybe she’d like to read something to take her mind off of the 3 hour and $18 dollar ticket price.”
First off, I commend Marvel for spotlighting half of the human population. Yes, we women are out there and some of us are geeks. For the past few years I have been reading about Marvel’s company and comic book events.
I found Civil War to be expertly drawn and relevant, I was thankful that House of M was both brief and Wolverine-centric, and I was patient as Skrullacost (aka Secret Invasion) ended in a forgone conclusion. I was ecstatic when Marvel also dedicated a month to my favorite hairball, Wolvie.
Now that I liked, especially the article about the state of the canuckle’s head when he sat down on the couch for some therapy. It’s safe to say I’m excited about some Marvel events and less so about others, which is fine considering events span the far reaches of the Marvel universe.
However, when I heard about a year-long celebration of a gender I am wholly bias about, a smile spread on my face. Maybe it was due to the fact the most recent San Diego Comic-Con was comprised of 40% women or the line of Twihards stretched for miles, but whatever the cause the impact is slowly changing the marketplace for the well-rounded better and Marney (Marvel + Disney) is diving into the deep end.
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Posted in: Animation · Clothing · Comic Reviews · Comics · Disney · Fantasy · Features · Geek · Google · Manga · Marvel · Reviews · Romance · Sci-Fi · Twilight · Writers
Tagged: Amanda Conner, Civil War, Colleen Coover, Comics, Girl Comics, House of M, Irene Lee, Josei, Manga, Marvel, Sana Amant, Secret Invasion, Shoujo, Wolverine, Women of Marvel
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by Cortney Zamm, Mar 9 2010 // 8:00 AM
Macs are great, except for when you want to play video games on them. Instead, OSX users rejoice whenever new and exciting titles are announced for the platform, and today is no exception. Kotaku has officially confirmed that along with the Steam software, Left 4 Dead 2, Team Fortress 2, Counter-Strike, Portal, and the Half-Life series are coming to Mac.
“As we transition from entertainment as a product to entertainment as a service, customers and developers need open, high-quality Internet clients,” said Gabe Newell, President of Valve. “The Mac is a great platform for entertainment services.”
This announcement has been rumored for awhile, as Mac-specific graphics were discovered in the beta files for the new Steam service last month. Valve dropped some serious hints later, with the release of some images of Valve games integrated with some familiar Mac themes.
Even more exciting is the new feature Steam Play, which will allow anyone who purchases a game on Steam for PC to download and play it for Mac, and vice versa, with no extra charge. Valve also hopes to release titles for Mac on the same day as the PC versions. The first simultaneous release for PC and Mac on Steam will be Portal 2, which was announced earlier this month.
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Posted in: Announcements · Apple · Games · Geek · News · PC Games · Video Games
Tagged: Apple, Computers, Counter-Strike, Games, Half-Life, Left 4 Dead 2, Mac, Macintosh, OSX, Portal, Portal 2, Steam, Team Fortress 2, Valve, Video Games
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by Chris Ullrich, Mar 9 2010 // 7:00 AM
After long months of waiting and after viewing any and all material we could find on Tron Legacy, Disney has released a full blown trailer for the film. Fortunately, the wait seems to be worth it as the trailer looks pretty darn awesome.
In it we get a better idea of the film’s story and meet most of the major players, especially Garret Hedlund as Sam Flynn, Bruce Boxleitner as Alan Bradley and Olivia Wilde as Quorra. We even get a quick glimpse of Academy Award Winner Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn. Plus, there’s quite a bit of the awesome look of the film which, even with these few images and sequences, looks great.
In fact, the film looks so visually complex and interesting, I’m actually going to admit it’s one I may want to see in 3D. Although, I’m pretty sure it will looks almost as stunning in plain, old 2D.
Maybe I’ll just have to see it both ways. Heck, while I’m at it, why not IMAX too? Why not indeed.
Check out the trailer after the break and prepare to be blown away. Tron Legacy hits theaters on December 17th.
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Posted in: Disney · Geek · Movies · News · Prequels and Sequels · Sci-Fi · Trailers · Video
Tagged: Bruce Boxleitner, Disney, Garrett Hedlund, Joseph Kosinski, Movies, Olivia Wilde, Sci-Fi, Steven Lisberger, Trailers, Tron, Tron Legacy
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by Chris Ullrich, Mar 8 2010 // 7:00 AM
As promised, the latest trailer for the much anticipated Iron Man 2 made its debut after the Academy Awards during Jimmy Kimmell Live, and boy is it cool. In this new one we’re given more action, more fighting, more story, more comedy and more Robert Downey, Jr. All of those elements, and more, come together for a very exiting trailer indeed.
Another great thing we get to see finally is the much rumored “suitcase armor” which Tony Stark carries with him for those little emergencies — like when he’s attacked by a whip-wielding Mickey Rourke as Whiplash. It’s also great to see more of Don Cheadle as he comes into his own as War Machine, the always cool Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer and Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow.
Check out the latest trailer, courtesy of the folks at MySpace, after the jump. Iron Man 2 blows audiences away starting on May 7th. That day can not come soon enough.
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Posted in: Action · Comics · Geek · Iron Man 2 · Marvel · Marvel Studios · Movies · News · Trailers · Video
Tagged: Comics, Don Cheadle, Gwyneth Paltrow, Iron Man 2, Jon Favreau, Kate Mara, Marvel, Movies, Olivia Munn, Robert Downey Jr., Sam Rockwell, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson
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by John Carle, Mar 5 2010 // 2:00 PM
Who hasn’t walked down the street and seen people with their heads buried in their iPhones? And you know they aren’t all looking up stock quotes or making work calls. Most are playing Paper Toss or checking in with Foursquare. We even see those jealous Verizon customers with their Droids as they secretly wait for their carrier to pick up the iPhone.
Smart phones are the way technology is pointing with their layers of functionality and ever increasing capabilities. That’s why it wasn’t a surprise Thursday morning when the Wall Street Journal reported that Sony would be entering the smart phone arena. Of special interest to this particular item though is that it will be “capable of downloading and playing PlayStation games”, possibly referring to PlayStation One titles specifically.
Reported as a device that “blurs distinctions among a netbook, an e-reader and a PlayStation Portable,” they are already expecting a 2010 launch. It is possible that Sony may make a big announcement regarding this phone next week during the Games Developers Conference.
With ever declining PSP sales and the lackluster response to the PSP Go, one would think the portable device market was in trouble. Nintendo has shown with the DS and the record breaking game sales of Plants vs. Zombies on the iPhone have shown that this isn’t the case however and that Sony is just searching for its niche still.
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Posted in: Gear · Geek · News · Playstation 3 · Sony · Tech · Video Games
Tagged: DROID, Foursquare, iPhone, Nintendo DS, Paper Toss, Plants vs. Zombies, PlayStation Portable, PSP, PSP Go, Smart Phone, Sony
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by Chris Ullrich, Mar 5 2010 // 10:00 AM
If you’re been waiting for an excuse to use that extra $499.00 you’ve got burning a hole in your wallet, Apple may have just given you one. Today, the company announced, via their website, that it will begin shipping its brand new tablet device, the iPad, on April 3rd and will begin taking pre-orders on March 12th.
This is great news for those of you who want to take your eBook reading to the next level and also for people who never jumped on the Kindle bandwagon. It’s also great news for those of you looking for a super-sized iPhone that will run all those cool apps without having to agree to a lengthy contract with AT&T. Although, if you do want to have such a contract (and 3G wireless), the iPad with 3G will be available later in April, complete with said AT&T contract.
Even though I’ve pointed out a few things I feel the iPad is missing (although some, like the camera, may actually be there after all) I still feel there’s some merit to the device. I would be even more excited if I didn’t already have a Kindle, which I feel, as a “single use” device, is actually better for reading books than the iPad will be.
Still, the iPad definitely has a lot of possibilities and I look forward to exploring those come April 3rd. Expect a full review of the iPad once I get my hands on one. Until then, if this device is truly for you, better start saving those pennies because April 3rd isn’t that far away.
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Posted in: Announcements · Apple · Gear · Geek · Hardware · News · Tech
Tagged: Apple, AT&T, iPad, iPhone 3GS, iTunes, iTunes Store
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