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.

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!

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

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.