Artificial Continuum


Friday, April 30, 2010

In honor of the worldwide release of Iron Man 2 today (us Americans have to wait until next week), Marvel has unvieled design for their latest superhero blockbuster, Thor. While not much of a surprise, it is still a great sign seeing that the film is well along the way to release.

Activision has announced the title of the highly anticipated Call of Duty sequel, Call of Duty: Black Ops. Produced by Treyarch, the sequel will put player's behind enemy lines to combat large threats. We do not have a time period as of this moment. The game is due out for release November 9th this year.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
This video will most likely not fit in this post box, but I encourage you to watch it at other sources. It is easily the best thing I have ever seen out of Halo. It has all the poignancy and story that are missing from the majority of the games. If Halo Reach is awesome as this trailer, I'll tkae back everything I've said about the franchise.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Dreamworks's higly sucessful, critically and financially, animated epic How To Train Your Dragon, will now become the studio's newest franchise. The film that has consistently dominated the box office since its release in March and to this day has grossed $375 million worldwide. Part of the film's success is contributed to the growing popularity of 3D, which was one of How To Train Your Dragon's major draws. The sequel is expected to be released in 2013.
Monday, April 26, 2010
It's Monday again, and that means, more pointless web videos! Great joke. Everybody laugh. Roll on snare drum. Curtains. Well there are no bad Watchmen references in this batch of videos, but there is some rather funny stuff.


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1. The Shake Weight

Yes, here's the Shake Weight. Trust me, I'm not the only one out there who found this hilariously perverted. Even Ellen Degeneres commented on this disturbing peice of excercise equipment.

2. Parking Fail

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As much as I hate the internet rapage of the word "fail", that is truly the only word to describe this video of driving at its worst.

3. Orchestra Teacher Freak Out
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This guy is amazing. Seriously, I wish he was my teacher. Even though I don't play an orchestra instrument, I would love to have this guy teach my history class or something. Either way, kudos to him and the student for pulling off this amazing prank.

Although never hailed as one of Marvel's better films, Ghost Rider was a commercial success when it was released in 2007, and has even gained a small cult following among the comic book fanbase. Talks of sequel have been thrown about since the film's release, but have not gone far until now.

Columbia studios loses their control over the Ghost Rider property this November, if a sequel has not begun production. This creates a problem seeing as the films star, Nicolas Cage, is currently busy with other projects such as the third film in the National Treasure franchise. Columbia has now apparently accelerated talks to create a sequel, without the first films leading man. However, noone seems to be asking, should a sequel really be made?



Shortly after Neill Blompkamp's fantastic science fiction film, District 9, rumors have been flying regarding a sequel to the highly successful movie. Blompkamp has expressed interest in returning for a sequel, or prequel set years before the original film. However, the young director announced last fall that he would be working on another science fiction film unrelated to his first. Hype and news began to simmer down, and many assumed that it would be a while until we returned to the alien infested streets of Johannesburg.
However, the film blog Marketsaw claims that in recent talks with WETA digital, the title District 10 was mentioned. The project supposedly is scheduled to start shooting in South Africa this fall, and the creative team from the first film will be attached. This at the moment remains as little more then a rumor, but we will keep our eyes peeled for new details about this highly anticipated project.
Saturday, April 24, 2010


According to CHUD.com, it looks like Marvel may be making large steps towards expanding their film franchise. Apparently the famous comic book industry has been in talks with directors and screenwriters this week on adapting some of Marvel's lesser known characters to the silver screen. Each film would have a reported budget of around $20 to $40 million, and reportedly would feature characters such as Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Ka-zar, Dazzler (?), and the famous former sorcerer supreme Dr. Strange. While it is likely we will not receive a film adaptation of any of these comics for years to come, it is exciting to hear that some of Marvel's second tier characters will get their time in the spotlight. Of all the character's discussed though, Dr. Strange's name was reportedly the one with the most interest and excitement. There are even some rumors of a large budget adaptation being created following Marvel's Avengers film in 2012.


For many years, it has been rumored that Ridley Scott would return to direct a prequel to his 1979 horror classic, Alien. Although it existed as little more then a nerd fantasy until recently, details for the project have been hazy for months. However, Thursday Scott held an interview with MTV, where he dropped the following information: "It's set in 2085, about 30 years before Sigourney [Weaver's character Ellen Ripley]. It's fundamentally about going out to find out 'Who the hell was that Space Jockey?' The guy who was sitting in the chair in the alien vehicle — there was a giant fellow sitting in a seat on what looked to be either a piece of technology or an astronomer's chair ... Our man [Tom Skerritt as Captain Dallas] climbs up and says "There's been an explosion in his chest from the inside out — what was that?" I'm basically explaining who that Space Jockey — we call him the Space Jockey — I'm explaining who the space jockeys were ... [The film] is about the discussion of terraforming — taking planets and planetoids and balls of earth and trying to terraform, seed them with the possibilities of future life."


In addition to that awesomeness, Scott confirmed that famous creature designer H.R. Giger would be assisting him with the effects in the new film. Looks like fans of the Alien saga will finally get the sequel they deserve.
Bioware yesterday released its latest video documentary for their upcoming MMO, Star Wars The Old Republic. This latest video centers around combat and it is amazing. Watch. Enjoy. Drool. And wait until release.
The latest trailer for M. Night Shymalan's The Last Airbender has just premiered. Personally, I like this better then the previous trailers. The special effects look improved, especially surrounding the creatures. However, I still have issues with the acting, I just can't get used to Aang's actor. However, guess my fears will be found to be unfounded or realistic this summer.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010
It's been a while since we had a good old fashion kaiju film. You know, two guys in corny monster suits fighting it out in a miniature city? Death Kappa looks to promise just that. Made as a joint venture between Tokyo Shock and Fever Dreams Japan, the film, directed by Tomoo Haraguchi, follows the rampage of a gigantic kappa, a creatue from Japanese folklore. The film looks to be an old fashioned kaiju rampage filled with poor actiom, bad special effects, and a rediculous plot. Count me in.
After years of fan demand, Capcom has finally announced the sequel to its popular and famous 2D fighter, Marvel Vs. Capcom. The game is still widely carried at arcades around the world, and is often credited as being one of the best fighting games of all time. Not much is known about the sequel, but we have recieved a rather exciting teaser trailer featured below.


Monday, April 19, 2010
I recently picked up a book called The Name of the Wind after reading a news post at the ever beloved Penny Arcade. And so, I dove into the first and so far the only released book of The Kingkiller Chronicle not at all expecting what would await me within its numerous pages.


To put this frankly, I am in love. The story of The Name of the Wind solely tells the story of three men sitting in an inn. This is, of course, just a single layer of Patrick Rothfuss' delicious cake. The book uses a story within a story style, one that is not commonly used these days. The story within shows the life of the protagonist, Kvothe, from his living in an acting troupe to going to a school somewhat similar to Hogwarts (but not really at all now that I think about it).

Kvothe is an awesome guy, as is Bast, Abenthy, Simmon, Denna, and pretty much every other character in the story. The characters most definitely feel like real people, and are much more memorable than most I read about these days.

But overall, the thing that makes The Name of the Wind so special is the amazing writing. The words are near musical, and he easily keeps the reader greedily consuming his exquisite text. The Name of the Wind is one of the best books I've read in a long while. Do me a favor here. Go to the closest bookstore and find The Name of the Wind. Read the first chapter. If you haven't bought the book in the next five minutes then you can't read. I leave you with a particularly good paragraph from the book:

"I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep.

You may have heard of me."



Well I think I've had enough downtime unlike everyone else but Nick, and I am back from yet another hiatus to post more random reviews (only recently they have been of newer anime!). This time around it is of an anime I had quite frequently mocked before. Heroman, an anime made by Bones studio in association with Stan Lee, premiered and I was more than happy to give it a shot.
:ahaha:
~Story~
Essentially the main character, Joey Jones (Stan Lee's name obviously) is a semi-regular kid, he has a part time job (a cafe that Stan Lee frequents), he is bullied, and he live with his Grandmother. But when a freak bolt of lightning strikes the toy robot he has been restoring, It turns into an eight foot tall automaton. Appropriately naming this robot "Heroman", Joey uses his control over the superhero to fight the Skrugg, a new bug-like alien race intent on collecting a specimen from Earth and then destroying it (yeah not too original haha). It looks like Joey's new toy is humanities last hope for salvation.

~Review~

I was pleasantly surprised with this anime. It turned out a lot better than I had hoped. The story was pretty and a standard alien invasion story. But it was easy to follow with likable characters and great animation. What really made me laugh was how hard they were trying to show you that it was America. I swear there was like a 20 second image of the American flag blowing in the wind between scenes, but it wasn't a big problem. It's the sort of anime that is easily enjoyed by casual anime fans and its pretty shonen battle genre.

Animation: 20
Story: 20

Originality: 10
(yeah not too new a concept)
Characters: 20

Overall: 70

Totally worth the watch. Not the best anime you'll ever see, but it's a great one to watch while you wait.

Lu~Kun!

:wave:



The highly anticipated next James Bond film, the third to star British actor Daniel Craig, has been postponed indefinitely after MGM issued a statement earlier today. MGM has been in financial danger for quite some time, and with negotiations for the studio going poorly, the future of the studios productions seem bleak. Producers of the recent Bond films, Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, issued the following statement: "Due to the continuing uncertainty surrounding the future of MGM and the failure to close a sale of the studio, we have suspended development on Bond 23 indefinitely. We do not know when development will resume and do not have a date for the release of Bond 23."

Whether your a fan or not, it appears as it will be quite some time before we see the unstoppable British super spy return to film.



This week was C2E2 the famous and popular entertainment conference in Chicago, Illinois. In addition to numerous comic updates, more on that later, the head of fan relations at Lucasfilm, Steve Stansweet, issued a statement regarding the release of the beloved sci-fi series on Blu-ray disc and in the third dimension. He said: "George has publicly expressed an interest in doing Star Wars 3D. Right now there are a number of different technologies, there's some criticism out there about some of the movies that have quickly changed to 3D, so you have to pick the right technology, you have to get it to a cost that makes sense, and you have to have the time of the director and producer -- George -- to actually go in there, because you can't push a button and stuff goes in one end and comes out 3D…
Saying all that, George remains very interested in doing the Star Wars movies, all six, in 3D, and I hope it will happen someday in the not too distant future."

Even though we never expected it to disappear, looks like we will see more Star Wars in the years to come.



After a very long absence from gaming (almost four years) Starfox maybe returning to Nintendo's flagship console. Bayonetta director Hideki Kamiya recently replied to a statement made by Shigeru Miyamoto regarding the creation of a new Starfox game. Kamiya was so adamant and excited about the creation of the game that he said the following to a European interviewer: "I want Nintendo's staff to come to Platinum, stick guns at us and tell us 'You guys make a new Star Fox." So make of that what you will, but me may well get talking spaceship flying animals sooner then expected.
Yup. Its Monday again. And that means....pointless videos on the internet! Yay! Well not really. At least we have some decent videos this week. We've got rabid dog man, and yes really annoying internet memes.

1. Vicious Dog Man
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Well...thats special. Seriously though, I want this guy to guard my front lawn. He's just that awesome...and really freaking scary.

2. Awesome Lost Promo
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Yes, I know what your thinking. Really Nick? Another Lost video? But hey, Gene Wilder plus Lost equals epic creepiness. This promo is easily the best the series has ever had.

3. Mudkips..........
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Yes, I sunk that low. I have a Mudkip video. But hey, I challenge anyone to sit through this entire video. Seriously. Just try it.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
This week was C2E2, the large comics and entertainment expo in Chicago, Illinois. Marvel came out in force to showcase the future of numerous projects including the future of the X-men, Spider-man, and most of all the Avengers.


First off, let me show you guys this rather amazing image which details the rosters for the entire Avengers franchise for the near future. Awesome is the only word that comes to mind. However, I am only able to leave you this link (courtesy of ign.com)


http://media.comics.ign.com/articles/108/1084430/img_7692150.html


The Avengers themselves will be off to a busy year. The Avengers in the All Ages section of Marvel will be facing off with the Infinity Gauntlet.




However, perhaps the most interesting upcoming Avengers story is the Young Avengers crusade to find the long missing Wanda Maximoff. I can already tell that this won't end well.




Also it appears as if X-men will be jumping on the vampire wagon. Their new roster, which ranges from Blade to Spider-man, will be combating vampires when the new volume of X-men opens this fall. The new X-men series reportedly features a more mission based story structure, and will feature guest stars from numerous Marvel comics. I can sense the necessary Deadpool appearance already. There will also be a relaunching of X-force, and several new Wolverine stories including centric stories on Dakin and a trip through hell.



Also, among the most surprising news is that Steve Rogers will step down form the role of Captain America. Although his new title is yet to be revealed there will be two short series following the character in his transition. First, Steve Rogers: Super Soldier will follow Steve's new title, and Captain America: Patriot will follow Captain America's Cold War adventures. This new version of Steve Rogers will also appeared in the new Secret Avengers series.




Finally, we reach perhaps the most controversial series of the convention. Spider-man: O.M.I.T. (One Moment In Time) is designed to fill in the gaps created by the poorly received One More Day retcon. The series will center around the central point of the changes, Spider-man's marriage. The story arc will reveal numerous aspects of Peter's life that have remained a mystery until now. However, most of all it will be a painful reminder of one of the worst decisions in Marvel history.
Friday, April 16, 2010



Does Kick Ass kick ass? Or does it just sort of drop one of those wimpy little kicks at your shin? The answer is somewhere in between, but a little closer to the ass kicking one.


Based on the critically acclaimed comic series by Mark Millar, Kick Ass tells the story of Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson), a lonely geek, who asks the question that defines the film: "Why don't people try to be superheroes?" With good intentions and fanboy dreams of success, Dave buys a wetsuit and pair of batons and becomes the masked vigilante, Kick Ass. After initial attempts and failures, Kick Ass becomes an Internet star, and inspires superheroes across the planet. Dave soon finds that he's not alone in the superhero business. Its not long before he encounters the mysterious Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) and Hit Girl(Chloe Grace Moretz). However, their acts of heroism and violence soon attract the attention of some rather dangerous people including crime boss Frank D'Amico(Mark Strong) and his son (Christopher Mintz-Plasse). Kick Ass soon finds himself in the midst of gangwar, and way over his head.


Kick Ass is a strange little film. It truly excels in some areas, but finds itself floundering in others, which is strangely like the novel its based on. Kick Ass gets so many things right, but really misses the mark on others.


The acting in Kick Ass is superb throughout. There is hardly a bad performance in the entire cast. Even some of the extras are standouts. Johnson is a capable and likable hero, despite his obvious flaws. Mintz-Plasse is perfectly awkward and uncomfortable as D'Amico's son and feels oddly genuine, something that the comic character never really achieved. However, every performance in the film is eclipsed by the duo of Cage and Moretz. The chemistry between these actors is perfect and is many ways the highlight of the film. Cage is the best he's been in years, and plays a truly demented father that can be considered almost as villainous as the crime lords he fights. The real star of the entire film though is Moretz as Hit Girl. Moretz commands attention and provides for most of the films laughs as the bad mouthed and overly violent preteen vigilante.


Kick Ass really excels when showing its frantic and over the top action sequences. Whether its the almost embarrassing fights between Kick Ass and gang leaders or the over the top badass violence of Hit Girl or Big Daddy, the film never fails to convey the necessary emotion. Most of all the action scenes are fun. They never drag, and contrary to some other reviews, are not overly violent. The film version of Kick Ass succeeds where the novel did not. Director Matthew Vaughn manages to convey the necessary level of violence and action of the comic without feeling like your being bludgeoned over the head by it. Millar's comic action, though exciting and gory, grew tiresome and even sloppy. Vaughn's never does so. Even in the final act where the action is played as much for laughs as for plot, Vaughn never fails to deliver.


Vaughn also never fails to tell a joke. The film is filled with laughs from beginning to end. Jokes are funny, but most importantly well delivered. They do not feel forced or tired, but rather feel incredibly natural. Even when the tone of the film takes a rather annoying turn in the second half, the humor stays consistent.


The real problem in Kick Ass is the oddly uneven script. What many do not realize is that the film version and the graphic novel were actually a joint venture, and were made simultaneously to one another. Despite this, Kick Ass takes several liberties in adapting Millar's tale to the big screen. Some major plot elements are changed, mostly to make the films plot more cohesive and cinematic. There are some changes made to the backstories of the characters that actually work better in the film than in the comic. We also get further exposition on Mintz-Plasse's character . The real problems come when addressing some of the satire and parody presented in the original comic. The original Kick Ass graphic novel told a consistent, if not always sucessful, satire of superhero cliche. The film starts out with this in mind, but eventually devolves into a standard superhero film. Despite this change in tone, the film still remains fun and entertaining, but it feels as if the writers lost the goal they were shooting for in the earlier portions of the film. However, most disappointingly Kick Ass actually falls for some of the cliches it is parodying. One of the things I liked about the original graphic novel was the realistic and pessimistic approach given to the books love interest. The film takes a completely different route, and it feels off kilter with the rest of the story. While the love story actually seems to work, it just feels out of place with the goal of the story. There is also a rather cliched scene at the end that is incredibly over the top and poorly executed. Things also wrap up a little too nicely at the end, something the novel avoided.


Overall, Kick Ass is an enjoyable and entertaining dark super hero comedy. While flawed and frustrating at times, it still succeeds in creating an above average film. While it may not define the superhero genre for years to come, it will certainly remain as one of the better films that have been churned out in recent years.


(Note: In the end, I am giving this film the same score I gave the novel. Despite this when comparing the two, I prefer the film. )


Score: B+



Peter Jackson announced today to Moviefone.com that the scripts for the two Hobbit films have been finished and that they have begun talks for a budget and shooting dates. Looks like we will be seeing the long awaited Hobbit adaptations sooner then expected. Peter Jackson had the following to say about the announcement: "We've just delivered the script. Literally last week, we delivered the second of the two screenplays -- the first draft. So the studio's got both scripts now, which is a milestone; and if anything was holding it up, it was us doing the screenplays, because we'd just been writing as fast as we can, but it took us this long to get them finished. So we take whatever responsibility there is for the speed. And we're now in the process of budgeting the films, and then hopefully we'll get to a budget the studio [people] are happy with, and they'll greenlight the movies and we'll announce the shooting dates. I'd be pretty optimistic that we'll be shooting before the end of the year. I would imagine October, November, we'd be shooting by. I'm not announcing it, though."
Bioware has updated their site with a brandnew timeline video for The Old Republic. This video relates a very interesting story about the Golden Days of the Old Republic and some very cool Jedi lore.

Thursday, April 15, 2010


Well, not in the way your thinking. Joss Whedon will not be getting a comic in Marvel, and neither will Mal and the Serenity crew. Joss Whedon has worked with Marvel in the past, prominently with his run on Runaways. However, the prolific writer and director was recently announced to be directing the newest Avengers film. Pajiba.com is also reporting that Joss Whedon may be writing the script for next years Captain America film. Things are really getting exciting regarding Marvel's film line up.
Well, heres another reveal for the new X-men team. Revealing Jubilee and X-man to be new members of the mutant team. I don't have much to comment on these characters, but overall they seem to fit the bill much more then previous reveals.



Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Well with Marvel's latest blockbuster less then a month away from release. We are getting news about future projects. Today Marvel released a press release for The First Avenger: Captain America, which among other things confirmed that Hayley Atwell will play Peggy Carter.



Here is the full press release courtesy of Marvel Studios:

Marvel Studios announced today that Hayley Atwell has been cast to star as Peggy Carter in the studio's highly anticipated movie CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER opposite Chris Evans. In the early comics, Peggy Carter fell in love with Captain America while they fought together in the war effort. The character will be updated for the feature adaptation. Joe Johnston will direct the film penned by Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely.

Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige will produce CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER. Alan Fine, Stan Lee, David Maisel and Louis D'Esposito will executive produce. The film will be released in the US on July 22, 2011 and distributed by Paramount Pictures.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER will focus on the early days of the Marvel Universe when Steve Rogers volunteers to participate in an experimental program that turns him into the Super Soldier known as Captain America.

Atwell will next be seen in PILLARS OF THE EARTH, the 8-part miniseries premiering July 23 on Starz and the TV series THE PRISONER. Her film credits include THE DUCHESS, BRIDESHEAD REVISITED and CASSANDRA'S DREAM.

In addition to CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER, Marvel Studios will release a slate of films based on the Marvel characters including the highly anticipated sequel, IRON MAN 2, starring Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow on May 7, 2010, THOR on May 6, 2011, and Marvel Studios’ THE AVENGERS on May 4, 2012.

Atwell is represented by CAA and United Agents.





In other news, an Italian site Bad Taste has posted a rather interesting rumor that both Captain America and Thor will appear after the ending credits in Iron Man 2. Sounds exciting to me!
Well, as the week continues. We now have four more members of the new X-men. The only true surprise is Blade. Yes the vampire hunter. While these aren't as shocking as the earlier inclusions, they still bring up the question. What the hell is up with Spider-man!?!
Looks like our speculation has remained accurate. Moon Knight and Valkyire have now been revaled to be the new members of the Secret Avengers. Personally, I'm excited. While not completely familiar of Valkyrie, I am a huge Moon Knight fan. Having him on an Avengers team is very exciting.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010
The highly anticipated Predator sequel, Predators, is nearing completion, and director Robert Rodriguez has just released two new behind the scenes featurettes highlighting Adrien Brody's and Toher Grace's characters. Enjoy.






Courtesy of Ign.com


Kick Ass is sort of a big deal right now. With lots of publicity, and a movie being released this Friday, the green suited atypical hero is now as much a star as he is in his graphic novel. However, is this new attention deserving? How does the Kick Ass graphic novel measure up? I'll just have to tell you.

Kick Ass follows Dave Lizewski, an overall loser teenager, who spends his days reading comics, watching porn, and lusting over classmates and students. Being the geek he is, Dave comes to the realization one day that being a superhero cannot be as hard as it seems. Buying a wetsuit and a pair of nunchucks, Dave goes out to fight crime. Several surgeries and gory fights later, Dave's alter-ego ,Kick Ass, becomes an internet star, inspiring hundreds of geeks the world over. While Dave struggles to balance his own disfunctional life, and his new found stardom, he runs across other heroes. Among them the mysterious and violent Big Daddy and Hitgirl, and the smooth and rich Red Mist. As his world becomes more and more complicated, Dave finds himself over his head in a world filled with violent crime leaders.

Kick Ass is written Mark Millar (Civil War) and drawn by John Romita Jr (World War Hulk). Its unique approach to the superhero genre is interesting and refreshing at best, and tiring and frantic at worst. Kick Ass excels at telling a satirical and cynical superhero tail. Its wry sense of humor, and gritty sense of realism are a rarity in modern comics. The novel is also usually great at straying from the typical superhero cliches that often bog down the storyline.

However, some of the most lauded and talked about aspects of the controversial novel area also some of its most distracting. Kick Ass's characters do not shy away from extreme acts of violence or vulgarity. While initially jarring and refreshing, the over the top aspects of the book eventually lose what makes them interesting and just become boring. At times it seems as if Milar and Romita Jr are just trying too hard to defy convention, and the book suffers. The later act of the book falls apart, dragged down by the need for over the top action and gore. This seems hypocritical to the point of Kick Ass's ultrarealistic approach and actually feels cliched.

There are also aspects of the writing that bother me. Like mentioned earlier, the later act of the book falls apart falling into cliches that the book seems desperate to avoid. The story especially sputters when concering the characters Big Daddy and Hit Girl. The novel never seems able to make a decision on what the motivations for these characters, and the origin they eventually fall upon is just plain dumb. It defies conventional logic, and doesn't make sense. However, this is a shame because Hit Girl is established early on as being one of the more interesting characters in the novel. Her big emotional payoff at the end of the novel also misses the mark. It feels tact on and misses the necessary undertones it should have. Instead it takes a back seat to vulgarity and action.

The art style is also a mix. While sometimes delightfully minimalistic, it other times seems awkward and lazy.

However,despite these complaints, Kick Ass is still a mostly well written and interesting book. It is different enough to set it apart from the crowd, but overall misses the mark in alot of areas. This is depressing because if Kick Ass stuck to the potential it had in its earlier segments it could have been truly great.

Score: B+



Thats right folks, theres a new Spider-man series planned for release. This time based on Brian Bendis's popular Ultimate Spider-man series, as reported by Worldscreen.com. Eric Rollman, chairman of Marvel Animation, says, " Ultimate Spider-Man will be a unique journey exploring our favorite web-slinger as he teams up with other fan favorite Marvel Super Heroes in never before seen stories with a new life filled with great challenges, new friends, intense action and character growth."

While this in its own is exciting news, it creates worry for a certain other show. The beloved and award winning Spectacular Spider-man has been in development limbo since the end of its second season. However, with the announcement of this new series, Spectacular Spider-man has now been confirmed dead.

This news brings a mix of emotions for me. While the idea of a new Spider-man series excites me, I am also rather upset. Spectacular Spider-man was an amazing series, and possibly my favorite version of the character currently in existance. I am also not a huge fan of the Ultimate series. While there are certainly some well written aspects of the story, there are others that bother me. Some of the character redesigns are unimaginative and bizarre. Others, especially the Green Goblin, are too far removed from their real characters. Also, I don't see purpose of the new series. The stories that Ultimate tells are very similar to Spectacular. However, it is still too early to jump to judgements, I will offer my opinions when the show finally does air.
Monday, April 12, 2010



Emile Hirsch (Speed Racer)has signed on for Regency and Summit Entertainment's sci-fi thriller The Darkest Hour. Variety describes the $40 million movie as being in the vain of 28 Days Later, but follows a group of children after Russia is invaded by aliens. The film now has a tentative release date for 2012. Personally, I'm excited.
So yes. I got the name for the feature wrong last week. But aren't you proud? I've actually been able to keep working on this feature each week for three weeks in a row! This is a new record of AC! Well anyways, here's my top favorite web videos of the week. Some are old, and some are new, but regardless, their just plain awesome.



1. Scary Mary
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Scary Mary by moviemkr is perhaps the best testament of how clever editing and music choice and completely transform an innocent movie into something very sinister. Easily the best video I've seen in a while.

2. Lost-Rick Roll
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Lost is in its final season. About time it got subjected to old internet memes. Lost has fallen victim to the Rick Roll, and its quite funny.


3. Mega Pirahna
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You thought Megashark vs. Giant Octopus was bad? Asylum Movies is prepared to blow their own creation of awfulness out of the water. Megapirahna looks to be on of the craziest, and worst produced movies of all time. Airing on SyFy this weekend, Megapirahna is poised to take the internet by storm.



As I posted earlier in March, there have been some major changes in the rosters for Marvel's teams due to Marvel's new event, The Heroic Age. We've already seen how this affects the different Avengers teams and the Thunderbolts. Next we have the X-men. Some of them are moderatley predictable such as Psylocke. Even the inclusion of former villain Magneto is a reasonable step. However, things get really weird. The Savage She Hulk, and...Spider-man have joined the X-men. Trust me, I'm as confused as you are. Now we are sure to get more teasers of what the roster is as time goes on, but here are the images we've seen so far.





Spider-man is kind of a big deal in the entertainment industry. The announce of a series reboot earlier this year caused waves of controversy throughout the nerd community earlier this year. And currently, the new Spider-man role is probably one of the most sought after acting roles in the entire film industry at the moment.





Yesterday, the news was announced that Logan Lerman (Percy Jackson and The Olympians) was the star of the new Spider-man film. With sources claiming that they were 100% sure that he would be cast for the role.


However, today Deadline is reporting that this source was incorrect and that Lerman is not even on the list of candidates for the role. As you can see the whole situation is rather chaotic.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
What many of you may have realized, we have not posted a podcast in quite some time. While I originally believed this to be partially our fault, the issue seems to fall upon our podcast hosting site. We have recorded two podcasts, since the previous issue, and our site refuses to upload them. We are now in the process of looking for a new site. However, we don't know how long this will take, and how it will affect our previous episodes. Regardless, we thank you all for your patience.
Friday, April 9, 2010





Yes everybody, we will be getting a new generation of Pokemon much faster then you expected. The new generation of Pokemon games, now named as Pokemon Black and Pokemon White, will be released this Fall in Japan. Yes, I know Black and White. Wow....Just wow....
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Remember a few weeks ago I did that massive post on the rosters for Marvel's new superhero teams? Among them were the mysterios Secret Avengers, whose identities were hidden at the time. Marvel has just announced the first two team members for the upcoming comic series. It looks like our sources were not far off after all.




Tom Arnold and Taylor Kitsch have joined the crew for Universal upcoming blockbuster Battleship, which is based on the Hasbro board game. (Yes a board game movie).


The bizarre action adventure film is however breaking with conformity and instead has a group of naval officers fighting off an aquatic alien invasion. Yes, boats versus aliens. This movie will rather be filled with awesomeness, or will just be completely bizarre. Regardless, I eagerly anticipate the inevitable: "He sunk our battleship!" lines summer of 2012.


Source: comingsoon.net
Wednesday, April 7, 2010


Last week, the announcement was made that Legendary Pictures along with Toho Co. Ltd. would be reviving the King of the Monsters in 2012. However, news has come along that the new Toho/Warner Bros. deal will actually include more Godzilla content.

Geek.co.uk, reported today that the long rumored 3D Imax Godzilla movie, helmed by Godzilla vs Hedorah director Yoshimitsu Banno, will be released early next year. Godzilla 3D To The MAX, as it has been humourosly named, has been in development hell sense it was first announced in 2005. The project reportedly had Godzilla fighting a new monster Deathla in South America. However, this is the first new released on the project in over three years.

Yesterday ,rumors started that Harrison Ford, the famous movie actor that really should need no introduction, is going to star in Jon Favreau's (Iron Man, Zathura) sci-fi Western Cowboys and Aliens. However, today Favreau confirmed on his Twitter account that the prolific actor would be joining Daniel Craig and Olivia Wilde on the project.
Cowboys and Aliens, written by Damon Lindelof (Lost); Alex Kurtzman (Transformers); and Robert Orci (Fringe), is based off a graphic novel written by Fred Van Lente and Andrew Foley. The story follows a group of 1800's cowboys and Native Americans who find themselves facing an invasion from space.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010


When it comes to Marvel Comics there is rarely a series as critically praised and awarded as Runaways. The popular teen comic, which follows a group of teenagers who discover that their parents are supervillains, has been awarded with Harvey, Eisner, and even YALSA awards for excellency in writing and quality. However, when the series is created by such sci-fi masterminds as Joss Whedon and Brian K Vaughan this doesn't come as a surprise.

It is little surprise that Marvel would want to capitalize on the ever popular comic series, and today Deadline.com is reporting that the series will in fact recieve a film production. The reported director is Peter Sollett, who is most famous for his work on Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. No release date has been announced yet.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Here's this week's round up of cool viral videos that came to my attention this week. Ranging from April Fool's gags to School Plays to Balloonshop, we have a real treat for you guys this week.

1. Smark-Balloonshop
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Oh Balloonshop. Possibly the best consistently funny Youtube comedy group,Balloonshop thrives on the bizarre, and the unquestioned. Don't try to make sense of their videos, you will fail.

2. Halo-Bollywood Trailer
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Created as an April Fool's Day joke by IGN.com this great trailer mixes Halo with Slumdog Millionare to create an awesome Bollywood movie trailer. I kind of wish this would be made now. Finish the Fight!

3. Scarface-School Play
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Possibly the best school play ever made, Scarface the school plays is filled with fake curses, nerf guns, and of course cute kids. Apparently, the play is a staged film and was not actually performed, but that doesn't take away from how much I love this video.


Clash of the Titans’s catch phrase is “Damn The Gods”, however a more accurate one would be “Damn This Movie”. The film is a boring mess that is anything but godly.


Clash of the Titans follows Perseus (Sam Worthington), a boy who was found at sea by a modest fisherman. Perseus turns out to be the son of Zeus (Liam Neeson), and his adoptive family is killed by the vengeful god Hades (Ralph Fiennes) in a battle between the village Argus and the gods. Through a series of events Perseus is sent on a quest by the ungrateful natives to defeat Hades’ gigantic beast, the Kraken.


The film begins well enough with a rather inspired retelling of the origins of Greek mythology through stars and constellations shaped like the Greek gods of old. It’s an interesting and rarely used story technique and it is visually striking in this film. However, after this sequence it becomes painfully obvious that further innovation or creativity will be hard to find in this film.


The acting is wooden and uninteresting. Sam Worthington proves that his acting technique is not to be understated, but just to be flat and uninteresting. Never before have I met a more uninteresting main character. Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes command attention when on screen, and their acting jobs are the only true standouts in the film. The rest of the cast is made up of relative no name actors, and their characters are about as noticeable as they are. The only characters in this film outside of the gods and monsters that are remotely interesting die before we can get to know them. It’s ironic that Perseus gives a speech midway through the film that hails the remaining cast members as noble and heroic men, however he never calls them by name. We don’t know their names either.


The special effects range from being adequate and interesting to subpar, and this hinders a film that is filled with monsters and magic. The only true special effects sequence that was interesting to me was the Scorpion battle which happens in the first third of the film. This sequence is fun and action packed and is a painful reminder of what this film could have been. The creature designs are also creative and fun to watch, but they never do much on screen. Medusa, The Fates, and the wooden Arab creatures (yes I don’t know their actual name) were all creatively designed but for the most part don’t do much for the film. The Kraken however is the most disappointing aspect of the film. Hyped up since the very first lines of the movie, The Kraken makes its final appearance in the final moments of the film. However, it is on screen for little more than five minutes, and four and a half of those are it rising out of the water.


The film is riddled with laughably bad moments, and you’ll find the majority of fun you will have with this mess of a picture is at the films expense. However, it does make one fun reference to the original film that will make some fans happy.


Score: D+



Seth Green and Matthew Senreich, creators of the comedy series Robot Chicken, announced plans for a comedy series based in the Star Wars universe. The two have already produced two specials following the famous science fiction series, and plan to continue their efforts in the new series.

Seth Green had the following to say about the announcement: "The Star Wars universe is so dense and rich; it's crazy to think that there aren't normal, mundane everyday problems in a world so well-defined. And it's even crazier to think of what those problems might be, since it's all set in a galaxy far, far away. What do these characters do when they're not overthrowing Empires?"

The series reportedly will be aimed at all ages, but will hold a fair amount of inneundo for the adult audience.

No network or release date has been announced so far.

Source: ign.com
Looks like uber fan service for the finale for Star Wars: The Clone Wars' season finale. We have the return of Plo Koon, Bossk, Aurra Sing, and Boba Fett. Judging by the trailer below fans of the series are in for a real treat.

Greetings and felicitations, ladies and gentlemen of the Internet!


I know, I know, it's been a really long time since I've written anything....to be honest, it's more like published anything. Either way, I have an anime for you all.

Le Chevalier D'Eon tells the story of a French knight, D'Eon de Beaumont, in 1742 who finds the body of his beloved sister, Lia, floating in a casket on the Seine. Consumed by the mystery of his sister's death, D'Eon becomes obsessed with the secrets Lia kept from him.


This anime blends historical fiction and supernatural elements with beautiful precision and crisp, clean animation. The animation looks like it came straight out of a drawing guide, a feature that has its merits but in this case, the animation could stand to be more detailed. The simplicity of the drawing style almost doesn't fit the intricacy of the plot and characters.


The plot of Le Chevalier D'Eon is deep and complex and interwoven with historical references. The anime is very accurate to the time period and the intrigue is subtly expositioned. Unfortunately, there was little action and it was overly talkative. I thought the plot was very original and unique, but it lacked a certain...believability that would've helped this to define a new genre of anime.

Animation: 16

Originality: 20

Story: 14

Characters: 18

Well, that's it! Happy geeking!

Saturday, April 3, 2010



How To Train Your Dragon maybe among the best animated films I’ve seen in the last few years. Easily outranking numerous other Dreamworks films such as Monsters Vs Aliens, and the two Shrek sequels, How To Train Your Dragon is an animated comedy that is filled with wit and spectacle. However, it is not a perfect film and struggles from several minor flaws that prevent me from giving it a higher rating.


The film follows Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) a hapless scrawny Viking, who lives in a village where the only occupation is dragon killing. Hiccup is a screw up inventor, only venturing outside to make mistakes that put others in danger. To make things worse his father Stoick (Gerad Butler) is the village leader, who forces Hiccup to take part in the village academy for dragon killing. Hiccup’s only success is shooting down the elusive Night Fury, a supersonic dragon that strikes in the dead of night. However when Hiccup attempts to kill the downed reptile, he panics and instead lets the dragon loose. Over the time this act of mercy, and Hiccup’s continued fascination with the wounded creature lead to a partnership through which the movie derives its title.


The real star for this film is the beautiful animation and 3D effects. The dragon themselves are creatively designed and are beautiful to watch on screen. There is also impressive detail added to the human characters. This may be a bizarre comment, but never before have I seen hair rendered better then in this film. However, the film really excels when Hiccup and his dragon, Toothless, take flight. The expert animation, editing, and 3D effects create beautiful and breathtaking sequences that are unparalleled in scope. Never before has a sequence of this type aroused such an emotional response in me.


Also of note is John Powell’s beautiful score, which adds to the amazing air sequences. Combining contemporary orchestral music with traditional Vikinig-esque sounds, Powell’s score is beautiful and breathtaking. It is simply a wonder to listen to, and it supplements the animation and actions to a perfect degree.


The story itself is familiar, but well executed. It strikes with a creative heart that is unfortunately missing from so many other animated films these days. The dragon, Toothless, is a scene stealer, and it is hard not to love the creature. It is also expertly voice acted, and Gerad Butler is a standout. However, the film struggles with falling into the occasional cliché, and is riddled with moments of cringe-worthy dialogue. The laughs are also a hit or miss. Some moments you’ll be chuckling heartily and others you will just shake your head at the films attempts at humor.


Despite this How to Train Your Dragon is a well-executed endeavor, and is one that is filled with heart and spectacle. Like Avatar, How to Train Your Dragon is a film that must be seen in a 3D theater in order to fully appreciate the experience. How to Train Your Dragon is a great, if slightly flawed film, that is sure to enthrall audiences of all ages.


Score: -A
Friday, April 2, 2010
Well, this week we have had an explosion of Marvel related news. We have news on everything from Iron Man 2, Captain America, Thor, and even the Avengers film! Gasp!

Iron Man 2:


Director Jon Favreau confirmed that production on Iron Man 2 has ended. In addition to this, he also confirmed that the superhero sequel would contain numerous connections to the upcoming Thor and Captain America films. There are even hints at a Thor cameo.

Thor:


The Los Angeles times recently held an interview with Thor director Kenneth Branagh, which revealed numerous details on the newest Marvel film. Branagh confirmed that the film is about two thirds done at this point. He also discussed the issues of having to tell a film in a Norse God setting and a modern day comic book universe: "Inspired by the comic book world both pictorially and compositionally at once, we've tried to find a way to make a virtue and a celebration of the distinction between the worlds that exist in the film but absolutely make them live in the same world. It's about finding the framing style, the color palette, finding the texture and the amount of camera movement that helps celebrate and express the differences and the distinctions in those worlds. If it succeeds, it will mark this film as different... The combination of the primitive and the sophisticated, the ancient and the modern, I think that potentially is the exciting fusion, the exciting tension in the film."

Captain America

After last weeks announcement that Chris Evans would be playing the films title character, this week we have announcement that Sebastian Stan would be playing Captain America's sidekick Bucky. Bucky has evolved from a plucky teen sidekick in the early days of Marvel to a violent and deadly assassin in modern days.

Avengers


Originally thought to be an April Fool's joke, IESB reported yesterday that the 2012 Avengers film will be directed by legendary writer/director Joss Whedon (Serenity, Firefly, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Although, IESB has repeatedly reported that this is not a joke. If so, I'm sure there is going to be quiet a bit of excitement throughout the nerd community.

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