†emplar Digi†al

Tickle Your Pickle: Banned Marvel Vs Capcom 3 Commericals

2012-10-05T08:00:00.001-04:00

This week's Tickle Your Pickle showcases a parody of some Marvel Vs Capcom 3 commercials... its pretty much 30 seconds of hilarious stuff.

Check out these 4 drop dead funny commercials starring Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk and Wolverine promoting the epic fighting game: MARVU! CAPUKOM! SUPA PHUN TYME YAH! OKEAA!!

-Brian Lansangan
Follow me on Twitter @MrSnugglenutz84

Bombshell Profile with Exclusive Interview: Ashley Cobeca

2012-10-05T08:00:00.000-04:00

This week's Bombshell Profile, we are excited to introduce you to the highly talented cosplayer Ashley Cobeca!!

FACTS:
Name: Ashley Cobeca
Birthday: Feb. 4th, 1994
Birthplace: Pittsburgh PA
Likes: video games, video games, and anime. Dislikes: loud chewing X_X

BIO:
Ashley Cobeca was born in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania and moved to Texas when she was 2, and where she is currently living now. She spent her childhood playing on her super nintendo and watching shows like Dragon ball z, sailormoon, and pokemon. After her first convention (AnimeFest) She decided it was something she wanted to do more and started investing a lot of her time for conventions. She also really loves to work out and was a gymnast from 6-17 years old, a cheerleader for about 4 years and a dancer. Ashley is currently in school for fashion design and hopes to do it for the rest of her life!!

PICTURE GALLERY:

INTERVEW:

Brian: Thank You for taking the time to speak to us.

Ashley: Thanks for having me!!

Brian: So tell us how and when you got started in cosplaying?

Ashley: When I was in the 6th grade I was talking to my friend about naruto when she told me about how people go to conventions and dress up as their favorite character. So we did some research and we were super excited that there was a convention near where we lived!From there my cosplay obsession began!

Brian: What was your first convention?

Ashley: AnimeFEST in dallas! I made my friends mom make my first costume, sailormoon, and felt like a celebrity since I didn't realize people took pictures at conventions.

Brian: Awesome. Since you first run at AnimeFest in dallas, how many conventions have you been to?

Ashley: hmmm probably around 20, I usually just stay in Texas for conventions but hopefully I can make it to animeExpo next year!!

Brian: Is Dragon*Con on your wish list as well?

Ashley: of course! I entered soo many contests to try to get to it, but hopefully I can make it there some day! and san diego comic con.

Brian: How many costumes have you worn and what is your overall favorite?

Ashley: I have done about 10 costumes but my overall favorite would have to be my eve code electra cosplay! Even though I can't breathe in it, its super fun to wear.

Brian: What is your favorite anime?

Ashley: Higurashi no naku koro ni! just a bunch of friends going crazy and torturing each other to death.

Brian: Do you have any crazy stories from your trips on conventions?

Ashley: In one of my first conventions I was walking around with my friend looking for someone when this guy dressed as a grim reaper picked up my friend ran and yelled for the person we were looking for! I had to chase after them and beat him with my nauto plushie to get her back!!!

Brian: You are very gorgeous Ashley, you must get hit on a lot at conventions?

Ashley: haha thank you! I have had a lot of guys hit on me but I have mastered the art of friend zoning muahaha!

Brian: So you had your friends mom make your first costume, do you now make your own costumes or do you still have custom costumes done?

Ashley: I've made all my costumes except for my first 2, I want to be a fashion designer when I'm older and love to make my costumes!

Brian: Who or what is your biggest inspiration in your life both cosplay and personal support?

Ashley: hmmm my biggest inspiration would probably be yaya han! she's so creative and talented!!!

Brian: What is your all time favorite movie?

Ashley: It would have to be sucker punch! nothing says an awesome movie like crazy fighting chicks!

Brian: What is your favorite moment or thing to do at conventions?

Ashley: I love going to photoshoots! The photographers are always so talented and super fun to hang out with! And of course spending all my money on figures.

Brian: Lol, do you plan on becoming a full time cosplay model?

Ashley: That would be so amazing cause I love to cosplay! but realistically I'm not sure if its possible.

Brian: What are your future plans for cons and costumes coming up?

Ashley: Next month I'm going to dallas comic con and will be wearing ms marvel, which is what i'm currently working on. =)

Brian: Other than Facebook do you have any other way to keep in contact with your fans?

Ashley: Yep, ^__^ I have a socialcos, cosplay.com, and deviantart account and recently made a fan page on Facebook.

Brian: Other then cosplaying and school, tell us about your other activities?

Ashley: I love playing video games! Right now I'm trying to beat resident evil 5 before the new one comes out!

Brian: Hmmm important question....what system do you play?

Ashley: xbox 360 :'D , I have a ps3 and wii but i usually dont play them.

Brian: Perfect Answer

Ashley: =D

Brian: Nice...well for the final question: If you could say anything to you family, friends and fans.what would it be?

Ashley: That cosplay is something that I love to do and I have a lot of awesome, secret, surprises coming out for the next con season!

LINKS:

SocialCos

DeviantArt

Cosplay

Twitter

Facebook

-Brian Lansangan
Follow me on Twitter @MrSnugglenutz84

Character Spotlight: Green Lantern (Hal Jordan)

2012-10-04T08:00:00.001-04:00

Hal Jordan is the greatest Green Lantern, an inter-galactic police officer and member of the Green Lantern Corps, chosen by the Guardians of the Universe for his ability to overcome great fear. The strength of his willpower allows him to wield the universe's mightiest weapon, a power ring controlled by his thoughts.

"In Brightest Day, In Blackest Night;
No evil shall escape my sight.
Let those who worship evil's might,
Beware my power... Green Lantern's light!"

REAL NAME: Harold "Hal" Jordan
OCCUPATION: Professional Criminal and Murderer
BASE OF OPERATIONS: Sector 2812 (Formerly) and Earth (Homeworld)
HEIGHT: 6'2
WEIGHT: 186 lbs
EYES: Brown
HAIR: Brown

GREEN LANTERN STATUS: inactive; former leader of the Green Lantern Corps

TEAM AFFILIATIONS: Green Lantern Corps, Justice League, US Air Force and Ferris Aircraft

FIRST APPEARANCE: Showcase #22 (October 1959)

ORIGIN:

Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) was a fighter test pilot for the Air Force. That all changed when on one day, he was mysteriously transported to a crashed spaceship. There he met Abin Sur, a Green Lantern. Abin Sur was dying and offered Hal the opportunity to succeed him. Hal Jordan accepted.

With the ring in his possession, Hal Jordan became the greatest member of the Green Lantern Corps. He became a founding member of the Justice League and has helped save the world countless times.
That changed when Hal couldn’t save his hometown, Coast City, and it was destroyed by the villains Mongul and a Cyborg Superman, killing millions. This event shattered Hal and sent him on a dizzying course of destruction.

Hal tried to use the power of his ring to bring back Coast City and its citizens. But the Guardians of Oa, the leaders of the Green Lanterns, forbade him to do it. This sent Hal on a mission to get the full power of the ring from the Central Battery on the planet Oa. Hal seemingly went mad, when a parasite creature entered his body and Hal stopped calling himself Green Lantern, and emerged as Parallax.

His mission to restore Coast City destroyed most of the Green Lanterns and Guardians of Oa. Parallax was set to redo history as he saw it with the full power of the Green Lantern Central Battery, but the heroes of the DC universe stopped him. Alongside those heroes was the last of the Green Lanterns, newly appointed Kyle Rayner, who was given the power ring by Ganthet the last of the Guardians.

In the end, Hal, as Parallax, sacrificed himself when a giant alien was devouring the sun. Hal used his powers to reignite the sun and in doing so sacrificed his life as well. His spirit went and became one with the Spectre. An avenging spirit of God who righted wrongs and persecuted the guilty. Hal’s penance had begun.

But this was not Hal’s end. It was discovered that Parallax was an ancient enemy of the Green Lanterns and was imprisoned in the Central Battery for eons. This entity was still with Hal, but with the joined effort of the remaining Green Lanterns, (by this time there was John Stewart, an alien named Kilowog, current GL Kyle Rayner and onetime Lantern Guy Gardner, they reinstated Hal’s spirit into his body and defeated Parallax, sealing him again into the Central Battery, and restoring the Guardians to oversee the Green Lanterns. Hal is now the core Green Lantern of the DC universe.

POWERS/ABILITIES:

Hal Jordan is a bearer of the Green Lantern Ring and one of the most powerful of the Corps. The abilities the ring grants him are:

Animating: A Green Lantern can will things to move how he wants.

Artificial Intelligence: Every ring has a connection to the Main Battery on Oa, which taps into an artificial intelligence. It acts as an "on-board computer," telling the wearer what they need to know. It can either respond out loud, or silently directly to the wearer's mind. The AI contains a large database of information that may be crucial to a Lantern's success. The ring also translates nearly every language to and from the wearer (though they have difficulty translating profanity), which is why the Corps can communicate with each other. When the bearer of a Green Lantern ring dies, the ring will seek out a suitable replacement for their sector. The AI can be used to play a holographic playback sequence complete with colors across the spectrum based on information in memory banks. The ring can dictate when to pause or stop the playback should an interruption arise where the Lanterns undivided attention is needed. The AI can also alert the wielder of incoming threats or of attempts to manipulate the wielders construct by an outside party.

Burglar Alarm: A Green Lantern can coat anything with the ring's beam and thus, if anyone other than himself touches it, his ring will glow, alerting him to the possible theft.

Communicator: The ring can act as a personal communicator between Green Lanterns. They have also been seen connected to telephones.

Costumes: The wearer of the ring may create any costume they choose, based on their personal preferences, whenever they choose. The ring projects the costume over any clothes already worn at the time. The only rules that the Guardians of the Universe implement on the creation of a individual costumed is that the ring bearer display the insignia of the Green Lantern Corps.

Energy Projection: The rings can also project beams, form protective bubbles and force fields, and fire destructive blasts. Sometimes, depending on the wearer, the beams and blasts make sounds. Kilowog's ring is one such example of blasts making sounds.

Energy Constructs: The rings can construct anything the wearer can imagine from hard-light energy, as long as they are willing to make it. The more determined the wearer is, the more complex and intricate these things can be. The constructs can even be so complex as to form working machines, computers, and even people. However, Hal is known for his relatively simple, straightforward constructs like his ever faithful boxing glove.

Flight: The ring allows the wearer to fly in atmosphere or in space, and can achieve incredible speeds, moving from planet to planet in a matter of hours.

Invisibility: The ring can make the wearer or anything else invisible.

Matter Manipulation: A Green Lantern can use their ring to manipulate nearby matter, such as water, for various purposes such as a construct that acts like an energy construct but can block something yellow and may serve a purpose that an energy construct couldn't perform.

Mind Control: The wearer of the Ring can use it to plant post hypnotic commands or control a person.

Mirages: The Ring can create mirages/illusions.

Phasing: The ring allows the user to go through walls. This ability however required great concentration on the bearer of the ring

Power Absorbing: In the JLA's first fight with Amazo, it was GL who defeated him by drawing out all of Amazo's powers. In Green Lantern/ Silver Surfer: Unholy Alliances, Kyle defeated Parallax with SS' power and Thanos with Oa's energy by drawing out all that extra energy from them which made them unconscious. However he couldn't hold all that power nor could his Ring like Hal did with Amazo's powers, so that move isn't often used with so much power.

Probing: The ring can probe the Lantern's or another person's mind, allowing him to uncover memories or the person's thoughts. (An ability which has not been seen for some time)

Recharging: The rings need to be recharged by means of a Power Battery. Other large sources of power may be used to recharge a power ring, however effectiveness may vary. The internal power source of a Manhunter Android is, in effect, the same as a power battery, and can be used to recharge a power ring. During the JLA / Avengers crossover, a Cosmic Cubewas used to recharge a depleted ring, although this is not an ideal solution and is available if there are no other options.

Ring Duplication: Each ring can duplicate itself, creating a second ring which may be given to another as a backup, for protection, or to help the lantern in times of great need. This duplicate ring is exactly like a normal ring.

Temperature Control: The Ring can increase or decrease the temperature of anything, even something as large as stars, or even create bubbles of intense heat or cold, even down to Absolute Zero. This could be seen in the recent Sinestro Corps War when Sallak used his ring to incase an enemy in a force bubble an incinerate him.

Transforming (former): The ring can transform anyone or anything, be it into an animal, altering their state of appearance, or their size. Once Hal and Alan turned the two Flashes ( Barryand Jay) to light protons in order to free them from prisons.

Electro-magnetic scanning: The ring can allow(through the use of x rays) the user to see through walls, without the people on the other side knowing. it can also scan along the Electromagnetic spectrum.

Wormhole/Warps: The ring can open wormholes to cut down on distance.

Healing: A wielder can command a ring to heal him/her/itself of any injures incurred. It can also heal others. This ability however cannot regenerate lost limbs.

Energy twin: The ring can create an energy copy of the wielder which is connected to the ring wielder, any information the twin gathers is transferred to the wielder upon touch while others cannot see this twin apart from fellow Green Lanterns. (An ability which has not been seen for some time)

Pocket dimension: Within the ring is a pocket dimension which can altered to the wielders specification. It can be used to contain opponents.

Sub-routines: The power rings have inner programmings or mechanisms which can executed without the users permission. One such sub-routine is the autoshield. This shield automatically protects a wielder from external harm and has been proven to be capable of protecting the wielder from planetary level attacks.

-Brian Lansangan

Follow me on Twitter @MrSnugglenutz84

╬D Recommendation: "Spoiler"

2012-10-04T08:00:00.000-04:00

While hanging out at Starbucks, I found a short film titled "Spoiler" and it is Amazing. The 17 minute short film is this week's selection for ╬D Recommendation.

With AMC’s The Walking Dead enjoying widespread popularity, zombies have never been on the collective unconsciousness’ mind more than they are right now. The shuffling dead capture our imagination because they can serve as an effective symbolic vessel for a host of our fears, ranging from death to dementia to being eaten alive. That very effectiveness is sometimes the zombie genre’s biggest pitfall, because the genre has been so thoroughly mined, it takes some real thought and creativity to find a new “spin” on the zombie mythos that hasn’t already been done.

Spoiler, a 17-minute short film, has found one of those spins. Spoiler takes place after a zombie outbreak, but it’s a more optimistic vision than most. Mankind has survived and is doing its best to get back to normal…but the virus is still out there. How would our society have to adapt to an ever-present threat could catch fire at any moment and plunge us back into chaos and death? With top-notch production and performances, Spoiler shows us the events of one night in this new world, when Los Angeles coroner Tommy Rossman is called to the scene to declare the inhabitants of an apartment dead…even though they’re still alive and kicking.

-Brian Lansangan
Follow me on Twitter @MrSnugglenutz84

Fan Film Corner: "Archetype"

2012-10-02T08:00:00.001-04:00

The Outstanding Sci-Fi fan flick "Archetype" is this week's selection of Fan Film Corner

LOWDOWN:
A mercenary robot is convinced he was human at one point and doesn't know what to do.

REVIEW:
On the surface, things seem pretty straight forward. A human consciousness with memories of having a wife and child wakes up inside a battle droid designated RL7STV. Mr. Jones attempts to troubleshoot the malfunctioning robot through a direct consciousness interface. That doesn’t go so well. Jones’ inquisitive lab technician all but confirms that these combat machines are in part organic, likely human brains put into machine bodies Robocop style. Fearing an outbreak of consciousness among his other robots, Jones orders memory wipes for the entire production line. Unfortunately his efforts are too little too late, and RL7 breaks out of his containment unit.

Some may say that anthropomorphized robots are a bit of a tired cliché. However, I can see two things in this movie that makes the archetype of Archetype a worthwhile gambit.

It’s the lab technician who dangles the first proverbial carrot. It’s easy to miss so I’ve blown up the frame here. Dr. Patrick Stevens, who is likely the consciousness in RL7’s head, is or rather was an employee of Carter-Myung’s biomed division. Call me decadent for yawning at stories that see governments colonizing the bodies of their citizens, it happens too much in the news for it to impact me in fiction, but when corporations do it, such as Omni Consumer Products or the Weyland-Yutani Corporation, I pay attention. The other thing to note here is that Dr. Patrick Stevens was born in 2076 but began working for the company in 2073. I figure that’s either a typo or some really deep story telling.

The other issue at hand is implicit within the movie but made explicit in the credits. RL7 and his comrades are doing a sweep and destroy of a rebel encampment during the movie’s second scene. In what sort of nightmare world is this movie set where corporations fight rebels, a decidedly political association of people, using war machines that employ human minds as their organic operating systems? Also, what did Dr. Stevens do to end up fighting on the front lines of this particular battle? In five short minutes Archetype builds a world that teems with intrigue. Combine that with gorgeous visuals and solid acting and I am sold on this story.

Hopefully the wait won’t be too long before Mr. Sims is able to get his feature length version of Archetype off the ground.

OVERALL:
†††††
5 templar crosses out of 5
MUST WATCH!!!

Pretty much the only thing that will disappoint you with "Archetype" is that it isn't longer. Just when Things get good, then great, it ends right as when the shit hits the fan!

FILM:

CREDITS:
Directed by: Aaron Sims

Starring: Robert Joy, Elle Newlands, and David Anders

Visit Aaron Sims website for more details.

-Brian Lansangan
Follow me on Twitter @MrSnugglenutz84

Movie Review: "Looper"

2012-10-01T10:00:00.001-04:00

This week, we review the SciFi Thriller: "LOOPER" starring Bruce Willis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Emily Blunt.

LOWDOWN:
In the futuristic action thriller Looper, time travel will be invented - but it will be illegal and only available on the black market. When the mob wants to get rid of someone, they will send their target 30 years into the past, where a "looper" - a hired gun, like Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) - is waiting to mop up. Joe is getting rich and life is good... until the day the mob decides to "close the loop," sending back Joe's future self (Bruce Willis) for assassination.

REVIEW:
I enjoy big, silly action flicks as much as the next guy, but I enjoy big, intelligent action flicks even more. Rian Johnson's third effort behind the camera (after the superb Brick and the disappointing The Brother's Bloom) is a sublime mix of stylised violence, edge-of-seat tension and thought-provoking narrative. There are no easy answers to the questions raised by Johnson's time-travel saga – for example, would you kill a small child if you knew he grew up to be a mass-murderer? – however these challenging themes never stop the film from being utterly exhilarating from start to finish. Whether it's the startling opening scene, the alternate path montage or the heart-in-mouth finale, Looper barely misses a beat thanks to Johnson's brilliant pacing and measured use of various camera techniques, Nathan Johnson's engrossing score and the subtly employed CGI which reaches its zenith during the telekinetic climax. The actors are all on song too; Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt and Jeff Daniels are perfectly cast as a fugitive from the future, a strong-willed mother and a charismatic mob boss respectively, but this is undoubtedly Joseph Gordon-Levitt's show. Playing Willis' younger self, who incidentally is trying to kill his older self (confused yet?), JGL is phenomenal as the arrogant, conflicted protagonist who on the surface is an egotistical prick but over time displays a deeper emotional understanding of how the world works. Epic, compelling, invigorating, thrilling: "Looper" is this and much, much more.

OVERALL:

†††††
5 templar crosses out of 5

MUST WATCH!!!

"Looper" is easily one of this generations most unique ideas that will have me thinking for a long time. It is very rare that a film with this much brains can be from this decade, seeing as how much crap has come out recently. So here we are planted in the past, which is still in the future, where people from the past.

The characters are detailed and the story is a mind twisting adventure. Though there may be some logical fallacies within the time traveling portion, the film in whole is wonderful and worth anyone's 10 dollars. Its a fun movie so just sit back and enjoy the show.

TRAILER:

CREDITS:
Directed by Rian Johnson
Produced by Ram Bergman and James D. Stern
Written by Rian Johnson

Music by Nathan Johnson

Bruce Willis as Old Joe
Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Young Joe
Emily Blunt as Sara
Paul Dano as Seth
Noah Segan as Kid Blue
Piper Perabo as Suzie
Jeff Daniels as Abe

PREVIOUS POST RELATED TO THIS STORY CLICK HERE

-Brian Lansangan
Follow me on Twitter @MrSnugglenutz84

FYI: Cosplay

2012-10-01T10:00:00.000-04:00

If you haven't noticed, We been interviewing alot of cosplayers these past few weeks under the Bombshell segment. Just to help out anyone who doesn't have an idea what "Cosplay" is, We got the answer or definition right here!!!

Cosplay is mainly short for "costume play", is a type of performance art in which participants don costumes and accessories to represent a specific character or idea. Cosplayers often interact to create a subculture centred on role play. A broader use of the term "cosplay" applies to any costumed role play in venues apart from the stage, regardless of the cultural context.

Favorite sources include manga and anime, comic books, video games and films. Any entity from the real or virtual world that lends itself to dramatic interpretation may be taken up as a subject. Inanimate objects are given anthropomorphic forms and it is not unusual to see genders switched, with women playing male roles and vice versa. There is also a subset of cosplay culture centered around sex appeal, with cosplayers specifically choosing characters that are known for their attractiveness and/or revealing (even explicit) costumes.

The Internet has enabled many cosplayers to create social networks and websites centred around cosplay activities, while forums allow them to share stories, photographs, news and tips. The exponential growth in the number of people picking up cosplay as a hobby since 1990 has made the phenomenon influential in popular culture. This is particularly the case in Asia where cosplay influences Japanese street fashion and popular culture.

BOMBSHELL PROFILE COSPLAYERS LINKS

GINA BEE

ALEXIA JEAN GREY

SONI ARALYNN

STACEY REBECCA

-Brian Lansangan
Follow me on Twitter @MrSnugglenutz84

*NEW Assassin's Creed 3: Boston Tea Party Trailer

2012-09-28T10:00:00.000-04:00

Ubisoft has unveiled the latest trailer titled "Boston Tea Party" for the upcoming epic Assassin's Creed 3.

Assassin's Creed has always been very respectful of history and setting, but with Assassin's Creed 3 it begins to hit close to home for many players. The events during the game were taught to us in school and seen in movies, so everyone should know the Boston Tea Party -- at least vaguely. This new trailer capitalizes on that closeness, reeducating us on the event, before breaking it down and adding in the Assassin vs. Templar war.

Many may never have realized, but Ubisoft has talked about just how serious they take historical accuracy, even down to the names of the assassination targets. Considering the setting of Assassin's Creed and then the Eziotrilogy, just how detailed they've been has never undertaken close scrutiny. With Assassin's Creed 3 being set in the American Revolution, and apparently altering even the Boston Tea Party, Ubisoft will have to tread carefully.

Expect Assassin's Creed 3 t o release October 30 for PS3 and Xbox 360, and late November on PC and Wii U.

-Brian Lansangan
Follow me on Twitter @MrSnugglenutz84

Tickle Your Pickle: Amazing Halloween Pitch Video

2012-09-28T08:00:00.003-04:00

Check Out this Amazing Video Pitch with Concept Art that was done by Marvel's Federico D'Alessandro for a possible Halloween Reboot that eventually went to Rob Zombie.

Here's an interesting video movie pitch from Marvel Studios animatic supervisor Federico D’Alessandro. This is the video he presented to Michael Bay's Platinum Dunes production when they were looking for a director to take on the Halloween 3D reboot. It looks like it would have been a much better film than the ones that Rob Zombie made. I wasn't a big fan. This version looked like it had some promise though, unfortunately this is the most we'll ever see of it. Here's whatD’Alessandro had to say to Bloody-Disgusting.

As a lifelong ‘Halloween’ fan it would be a dream to direct a reboot of the franchise that’s so near and dear to my heart. I created this animatic to show the tone and storytelling that I would bring to the project if I were lucky enough to have that chance. It turned out pretty cool, but unfortunately while I was in the middle of working on it, talks fell through between Platinum Dunes and the Weinsteins…so I missed the boat on that one.

It's not easy for talented people to land directing gigs these days. But an animated movie pitch like this can give those people a boost, and show off their vision for whatever film project they are trying to land. Check out the video and look at the concept art above, and let us know if you'd be interested in seeing this vision of Halloween up on the big screen at the comments below.

-Brian Lansangan
Follow me on Twitter @MrSnugglenutz84

Bombshell Profile: Gina Bee

2012-09-28T08:00:00.001-04:00

I'm very honored to have met and interview this amazing Cosplayer: "Gina Bee" who is also our latest addition for Bombshell Profile

FACTS:
Name: Gina Bee
Birthday: 11/12/90
Birthplace: Long Island, NY
Height: 5ft 7
Weight: 130 lbs
Hair color: Chestnut brown
Hair Length: Medium
Eye color: Honey Brown
Ethnicity: Sicilian

Likes: reading fantasy novels, cooking, arts and crafts, anime, comics

BIO:
The Sicilian Bombshell cosplayer was born in Long Island, NY, whose creativity comes from the fact that her mother is an art teacher, and her father is a contractor. Gina has been making arts and crafts as well as painting murals for peoples homes and selling custom painted shirts for as long as she can remember.

Gina also learned Japanese at Cornell University before attending Nanzan University in Nagoya, Japan. Where she graduated with a BA in East Asian Studies and Japanese.

Gina Bee is currently single, and looking for a guy who can match her geekyness and still accept her for who she is.

PICTURE GALLERY:

INTERVIEW:

Brian: Welcome Gina, Thank you for sparing some time to talk to us out of your busy schedule.

Gina: Not at all! I always love meeting new people, so its really quite fun to have this opportunity.

Brian: You probably get asked this alot but how and when did you get started in cosplay?

Gina: I actually have, what I think, is a silly reason as to how I started: When I was younger, I dressed really tomboyish and was really into DBZ among other 'boy' anime. When I was 13, neighbor of mine saw me one day in a DBZ Tshirt I had gotten for Christmas, and she told me all about conventions and how people who like anime dress up and go to them. Immediately I wanted to go. I begged my parents for the longest time to let me, and in the end, I went to my first convention when I was 14 on the grounds that I paid for the whole thing myself. To this day, I cannot for the life of me remember what my neighbor looked like, or what her name was. I really wish I could thank her for letting me know about the world of cosplay and tell her how much she influenced my life.

So I started dressing up when I was in high school, but I didnt start posting photos of myself and actually cosplaying more seriously until May of 2011. I was studying abroad in Japan for the 2010-2011 school year, and I was there during the quake. Because my program ended up getting shut down, I had to return to America since I no longer had a school backing my student visa. I wanted to really put my effort into something related to Japan, and just extend my experience, so I focused on cosplay that may when I came home.

And I havent stopped since.

Brian: That really means alot, especially for anyone who is trying to reach their dream for anything.... its very inspiring and I hope it continues for you Gina, remember "Great Fortune favors the Bold".

Gina: Thank you. =]

Brian: So you went to your first convention when you were 14, what was it?

Gina: Katsucon actually. This was two or so venues ago, back in 2004 or 2005, around there. I had two costumes then, Sango from Inu Yasha, and Sailor mars. Since those days though, I have actually remade both of the costumes to fit in my current level of costumes I have, since I have so much sentimental attachment to them being my first ones. I actually went by myself...and had the best time of my life. That year I had met so many people who, it seemed for the first time, had shared my interests and I could openly discuss my feelings about my hobbies or whatever I wanted. I had felt to that point that I was one of the only people who loved things like Lord of the Rings and the Hitchhikers guide and such, let alone anime.

At that time I was being severely bullied at school for being a nerd, so to find a Nerd Alliance of sorts at a con, where I could see that I wasnt alone, was one of the most fantastic things I could experience at that age.

Brian: I hear ya, its amazing to know that we are not alone in the universe.

Gina: But thats the thing really, Most people see my profile and think, "oh look at her body, look at her face, she must always get what she wants in life. She must have been the popular one in school" and its totally not true. I was picked on for the same reasons most video gamers and anime lovers and novel reading people do.

Brian: Never judge a book by its cover.

Gina: I was a straight up nerd. I dressed like a tomboy until i was 20. I even to this day always have my nose in a book. But I am comfortable with who I am, and I like being geeky at times. I am just so happy to be able to network out now and find others who share the same passions as I do.

Brian: agreed, So you been going to conventions since 04, how many conventions have you been to since 04?

Gina: I actually have a list lying around here... Ive been to:
2005: Katsucon, Otakon,
2006:Otakon
2007: Katsucon, Otakon
2008: Otakon
2011: Ikasucon, Matsuricon, Ohayocon
2012: Anime Boston, Anime Expo, Otakon, Dragon*Con

Brian: What is consider your favorite overall con?

Gina: My favorite so far? would actually have to be Anime Expo, It was my first West coast con, and it was so overwhelmingly exciting to be there!

I flew home with so many business cards of the photographers who worked with me, and it was the first time I ever had that experience. Dragon*Con was also amazing in the sense that it was such a mature con!

I've been getting into some trouble lately with showing my butt at cons, with the complaint that its not "family friendly"

But there were no such problems at Dragon*Con and so I was able to walk around confident I wouldnt get kicked out.

Brian: But there is nothing wrong with your "butt"....it is amazing...their just jealous lol

Gina: hahaha. Thats what most fans tell me. But if they dont want me exposing it, then talk to the artists who are drawing the characters that way!

I am just trying to make an accurate representation of a character, its not like I am changing the design to show it off!

Brian: its art, don't blame the artist

Gina: of course I wouldnt. I wouldnt be wearing the outfit if I didnt think it was awesome.

Brian: I noticed that you have wore two of DC's and Marvel's iconic characters: Hawkgirl and Scarlett Witch. If this two ever fought...who would you think would win and why?

Gina: Oh god. Well, I would have to say Hawkgirl simply because I am biased. My father collects Golden Age DC comics, so I grew up on them. I always loved Hawkgirl, and how bad ass she is as a weapons master. So my brain wants to say that, but in my heart I know that Scarlet Witch would be the true victor. I mean, I guess what era of Scarlet Witch would also factor in, but her power has been redefined a few times, and every time she gets more and more badass. So super power for super power, probably Scarlet witch.

Brian: You are amazingly gorgeous Gina, So you probably get asked for your number by alot of guys. What is your craziest or strangest story from your trips at Cons?

Gina: I think you would expect me to get hit on a great deal at cons...but its actually quite the opposite. I think its because I become sort of tall when I have my heels on, and then most of my costumes expose a good percentage of skin, so I think most people are embarrassed to actually look at me and try to instigate anything. The people who do actually ask for my number or attempt to hit on me are actually people who arent as related to the con. For example, a bunch of frat boys decided to hit up the rave at Anime Boston because it was in their area and they had nothing better to do... they were the ones to approach me, not the really awesome Link I saw who I wished came up to me to talk instead.

Brian: Who or What is your biggest inspiration in your life in terms of both cosplay and personal support?

Gina: In terms of cosplay, I have to say that I am really inspired by Yaya Han. Her level of craftsmanship is beyond beautiful, and the level of detail she brings to each costume makes even me cross eyed by just looking at it. I couldnt imagine the amount of time it took her to learn how to make what she does and the time it takes for her to actually create what she envisions. I hope one day to be able to bring that meticulous level of detail to what I make.

I am also really inspired by all the new superhero movies coming out. Being able to see professional costume makers create what was before something only nerds did.... I can really see what can be made when a budget isnt the issue. I actually really want to make costumes for Hollywood one day, so I spend a lot of time analyzing those outfits as well.

In terms of personal support, that would be hands down my father. He is an avid Trekkie, as well with his collecting of comics, and he is the one who introduced me to Tolkien and Douglas Adams and Piers Anthony among countless other amazing authors. He and I were able to share watching DBZ together, and now we still watch it together when I see him even though Ive moved out of the house. With my cosplay he has been my biggest support, and since he is a contractor, lets me have free reign of his shop and all his power tools to make whatever I need.

Brian: Beautiful answers, So what are your future plans? such whats your next convention and next costume?

Gina: I actually Have a ton of costumes in planning stage, and a few cons I would like to show up at.

I am going to be appearing at NYCC as a D20 girl, to work a booth I believe, but I am also making plans to go to Anime USA, Katsucon, PAX East and Anime Expo this year so far.

"Costume Wise", I am working on Revy from black lagoon, Lucy from Elfen Lied, Mileena from Mortal Kombat and Urd from Ah my goddess. They should be showing up at various cons this year.

Brian: Can't wait!!! D20 girl.... what is that exactly?

Gina: It is a relatively new agency of sorts, who is looking to hire girls to work booths at cons...but who are actually nerdy and involved with what they are representing. I thought it was a fantastic idea, so I applied to be one, and they immediately took me into the community.

Brian: In addition to Facebook, do you have a twitter or youtube to channel to keep in touch with your fans?

Gina: I actually have a ton of ways to be contacted. I have a twitter account, twitter.com/GinaBCosplay where I always tweet back if someone feels like talking. i also have a DeviantArt account: http://ginabcosplay.deviantart.com/ if that is where people prefer to reside. I currently do not have a youtube channel, though I do show up on Elysiam Entertainments live feeds in relation to con coverage and just geeky conversations in general, where people can interactively talk to me through a chat box while I am on live.

Brian: If you could meet anyone in the world, either it may be a character or actor, who would it be and why?

Gina: I would love for the experience to live in Rivendell for a few days, to just talk to the elves. I have always wanted to be able to talk to them ever since I first read the books when I was in fourth grade. To learn of their magic, and to just hear their timeless stories would be such an honor.

Brian: I'm not sure if you heard but their bringing back DBZ, what do you think about the return of Goku?

Gina: I heard about the new movie. I am kinda hesitant to be excited about it. After GT, the franchise was hurting pretty bad.. I have no idea where they plan on taking it all, but regardless you can bet anything that Ill be the first in line to see it. For me, as long as they can assemble the original voice acting team, or at least get it to sound like the original team, that will do wonders. I dont think its possible though to add any more muscles or shine to said muscles to Goku though. HAHA

Brian: haha, well Thank you soo much for spending the time to speak to us, I really hope we can keep in touch for future projects. Lastly, the final question: If you can say anything right now to all your family, friends, cosplayers. What would it be?

Gina: I am frequently messaged about tips for cosplay, whether its making things, or just looking for support. I am actually really touched that fans can feel that they can do that. I am always willing to share how I make things, or to hash out ideas for other peoples cosplay, or just talk about how to make things more suited to a persons body type. I know many people who are looking to cosplay worry about things like weight and body type, but I do the same thing. I put a lot of time and consideration in adapting the outfit to hide what I perceive as my own flaws and to highlight what I think are my better traits. Dont be embarrassed about yourself because you think you have flaws, and really try to do what you want. Chances are you can actually create something better than you thought. I myself rely a lot on advice from my dad for making weapons or armor, and advice from even others in the community for random things. I am just one person in a whole community who are willing to talk and help the new and upcoming people who wish to join us in what we do.

VIDEO GALLERY:

Dragon*Con 2012 Interview with Animaze Guy-photosnxs along with fellow cosplayer and Bombshell Profile Alexia Jean Grey (see her Bombshell Profile HERE)

AnimeExpo Live Season 4 Episode 5 Featuring Gina Bee!!

TEMPLAR NOTE:

Also Gina Bee is currently taking on small commissions; If you are interested, please PM her! She can also be found here for tagged con photos and things she doesn't have official photos yet for: http://www.facebook.com/ginabeecosplay

-Brian Lansangan

Follow me on Twitter @MrSnugglenutz84

╬D TV Recap: Fringe

2012-09-27T20:00:00.000-04:00

Fringe, Fox's direct descendant of The X-Files, is a sci-fi tale of risk, redemption, romance, repairing strained family relations and mad science run amok.

Much like its predecessor, Fringe is mostly a procedural show, with "mystery of the week" type weird science events to investigate, along with a slowly expanding mythology. But whereas X-Files focused on urban legends and aliens, the action on Fringe's first four years focuses primarily on a conflict between two alternate dimensions (done in a very comic book way) starring an ensemble cast of FBI agents known collectively as Fringe Division:

Walter Bishop

The roots of the story (which are not revealed until well into the second year) are in 1985, when Dr.Walter Bishop and Dr. William Bell, two luminary scientists, were able to prove a theory they had held for some time: there was another dimension, similar to ours, existing simultaneously along with our own. Bishop and Bell had built a "window" to the other side, a machine that could show the other dimension when looked though.

What they saw was a world that nearly mirrored our own, with small oddities (such as reliance on blimps over jet planes) reflecting the different path time had taken in the alternate reality. Around this same time, Walter's only child, his young son, was deathly ill. Despite his brilliance, Dr. Bishop could not find a cure for his boy's affliction, and the child died. Dr. Bishop was devastated, but found a small measure of hope when he looked through the dimensional window and saw his doppelganger on the otherside, where medical technology was slightly ahead, was still working for a cure, and that over there, his son still had a chance. Until something completely unexpected happened.

As Walter watched, someone came into his lab, on the otherside, and distracted his other self, just as the compound that could cure his son was stabilizing. Dr. Bishop on the otherside was turned away, toward the stranger (an "Observer," we could later discover) and missed the fact that he had just found his son a cure. But Walter on our side saw, and became determined that he would not allow his son to die again. He knew his own mind, and knew that his other self would not go back, and would never know he had found a cure but missed it. Concocting a bold plan, Dr. Bishop recreated the cure for his son, and against all warnings, found a way to build a "doorway" to the otherside, where he planned to administer the cure and return as soon as possible. But fate lays waste to the best made plans, and in the chaos of crossing over to the otherside while his colleagues tried to stop him, the vial Walter was carrying the cure for his son in was broken...

So instead of being able to cure his son on the other side, Walter instead had to kidnap his "son" and bring him back to our dimension to save him. Because of the damage done (which would set up most of the action of the first two seasons, without revealing why) from the first crossing, and the fact that they could not find a safer way to cross again, along with, no doubt, a bit of not wanting to lose his son again, Walter never sent his son from the other side back, and never told him the truth... Peter Bishop

The series actually begins almost 20 years after all of that occurred. Walter's son, Peter, is grown up, a brilliant but troubled man who lied and forged his way through MIT, ran afoul of some dangerous criminals, and is first seen on the show doing dealings for oil contractors in war torn Iraq. Peter doesn't think much of his father, who at the time was locked in an asylum after a lab accident killed an assistant years before. And so Peter is not at all happy when he is visited by an FBI agent who is investigating a bizarre incident, with questions about Dr. Walter Bishop. A never before seen chemical or biological weapon had been set off on a passenger plane, and the investigation had lead to old work done by Dr. Bishop. The terms of Walter's confinement in the mental institution restricted him from receiving visitors without a relative, and though Peter at first refuses to help the FBI, he eventually relents and agrees to go see his mad scientist father. He is soon drawn into the investigation and a budding relationship with the FBI agent who recruited him: Olivia Dunham

The hard-edged heroine of the series, Olivia Dunham is an FBI agent whose investigation of a suspected terrorist attack on a plane lead her to Dr. Walter Bishop. Along with Dr. Bishop and his son, Peter, Olivia is tasked with cracking a conspiracy of traitorous government agents (one of which turns out to be her deceased boyfriend) and technological terrorists whose actions are known to the FBI as "The Pattern." They become the core of an FBI task force to be known as Fringe Division that is supported by a handful of other agents, mainly the divion's director Phillip Broyles, who has an unpleasant past grudge against Olivia, and Agent Astrid Farnsworth, who assists Walter with laboratory research as well as several others such as Charlie Francis, Olivia's partner at the FBI. Investigations into the Pattern lead to a group of rogue scientists known a ZFT with ties to work done earlier by Dr. Bishop and his former partner Dr. Willian Bell (played expertly by Leonard Nimoy) and the General Dynamic/Apple-esque company he founded: Massive Dynamic

Massive Dynamic. What don't they do? Apparently, there not much, because every Fringe investigation seems to lead to them, and their COO, Nina Sharp, an old friend to both Walter and William. Eventually ZFT is found to be led by a man named David Robert Jones, who is killed by Peter while trying to open a door to the other dimension.

The Otherside

It is soon discovered by the Fringe team that there is another universe, an alternate reality, and that it is dying, being destroyed the weakening of the fabric of reality, caused by Dr. Bishop's crossing dimensions, and that in an attempt to find a way to cross back over, Walter and Bell had experimented on children, including Olivia. She was the only one of the children, many of whom ended up displaying supernatural abilities, was able to ever cross over to the other side. The alternate dimension is populated by alternate versions of almost everyone, including another Walter Bishop (later to be called Walternate) and Olivia (called Fauxlivia) and they believe that what happened to their universe, the destruction and the kidnapping of Peter, to have been deliberate acts of war. In response they created cyborg type beings known as shapeshifters, that were able to cross dimensions safely where as people could not. Walternate has a machine, an ancient piece of technology created by the mysterious "First People" that is somehow tied to Peter's genetics. The machine seems to have limitless power, to destroy and create, and Walternate plans to convince his son to use it to destroy our dimension. But instead of using the machine to destroy, Peter (or his consciousness from the future, or his consciousness returning from being projected into the future, where one universe had been destroyed, and the other was dying as a result) uses the machine to create a bridge between the two worlds, hoping that with them linked they would have to work together. He got his wish, but at the cost of his very existence.

The Observers

A group of bald, pale men, always seen wearing nondescript black clothes and hats, who seem to pop up all through history at important moments (think the Watchers) to "observe."

It was an Observer, one called September, who had accidentally distracted Walternate in his lab as the cure for Peter was about to be discovered. And it was also September who later pulled Walter and young Peter from a lake of broken ice after they cross over from the other side, in an attempt to fix his "mistake" of changing the timeline when he distracted Walternate. The Observers seem to have the ability to move through time and space at will, and have highly advanced technological devices. Their motives and methods are a mystery. But a large group of them is seen gathered outside at the end of season three, when Peter uses the machine to create the interdimensional bridge. After linking the universes Peter is seen fading from existence, seemingly unnoticed by anyone else.

One of the Observers comments to September, "You were right, they don't remember Peter." And September replies, "How could they? He never existed. He served his purpose." Erased from Existence The fourth season opens in an alternate timeline where September failed to rescue Peter from the lake after being brought from the other dimension by Walter, and so Peter died on both sides and was never there to meet Olivia, or become part of the Fringe Division. Things worked out in a similar fashion, though, with Walter working with Olivia and the FBI, and the two universes being linked by the interdimensional bridge.

But without Peter there to kill him, David Robert Jones in still alive in this timeline. Olivia and Walter are both being haunted by dreams and visions of a man that they do not know. A man that turns out to be Peter, who has been kept in a state of existence by the force of his connection and love with both his father and Olivia. Eventually this force brings Peter into the new timeline, and together with Walter and Olivia, they work to stop David Robert Jones, who seems to have everyone, including Broyles and Nina Sharp, working for him in the timeline.

They are able to stop Jones, who along with Bell, was attempting to synchronize the two universes together and collapse them, using the energy like a Big Bang to create a third universe, that Bell would build and control. But foiling the plan forces them to forever close the dimensional bridge, and nearly costs Olivia her life. It is revealed to Peter by the Observer, September, that they had needed to erase Peter to get rid of the son he was going to have with Olivia, Henry, to ensure the Observer's future would come to pass. September delivers a final message to Walter that "They are coming," at the end of season four.

The Fight for the Future

The special episode aired on 4/20/11 called "Letters of Transit" gave a preview of the upcoming fifth and final season. Taking place in the year 2036, it shows an Orwellian dystopian future in which the Observers had taken over the world. It was revealed that the Observers were time travelers from the 27th century, where the Earth was ruined, who had travelled back to Observe and determine the proper moment to take over. That time turned out to be 2015. The Fringe team encased themselves with amber (an invention seen first on the otherside that was used to seal dimensional soft spots) to avoid the Observer takeover, and was found and released in 2036 by Peter and Olivia's daughter, Henrietta, who is a member of the now Observer controlled Fringe division, but also a member of the native human resistance...

Fringe returns on 9/28 at 9pm on Fox.

-Kevin Tenorio
Follow me on Twitter @d10_dude

*NEW COD: Black OPS 2 Zombie Reveal Trailer!!

2012-09-27T12:00:00.000-04:00

That’s right, Survivors!!!! it’s back and this time it's pretty much its own game. Zombie mode is being brought back with Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Check out the trailer below!!

The new zombie mode is looking huge, what Kotaku’s calling “pretty much its own massive game.”

Apparently co-op players will be playing in an open world, able to run from zone to zone to shoot zombies in the face again and again, according to Treyarch, the Black Ops studio that’s been putting zombies exactly where they belong: in front of the barrel of a gun.

There’s also a mode called “Grief,” which pits humans vs. humans vs. zombies.

Because as we all know, in the zombie apocalypse, the true evil… is us.

-Brian Lansangan
Follow me on Twitter @MrSnugglenutz84

╬D Recommendation: "PLAY DEAD"

2012-09-27T08:00:00.000-04:00

"Play Dead", a Kickstarter-funded horror short from Andres and Diego Meza Valdes, examines the life of dogs after the world goes to hell.

"Its Homeward Bound Meets 28 Days Later" and its our latest selection in TD Recommdation.

In the event of a zombie apocalypse there’s some debate on whether or not having a dog with you is a positive or a negative. Depending on your stance, dogs can either save your life (by alerting you to zombies), or get you killed (by alerting zombies of your presence). But this issue is always approached from the human perspective, with little to no consideration of the problems dogs face when the dead start to walk.

That is until now. Play Dead, a Kickstarter-funded horror short from Andres and Diego Meza Valdes, examines the life of dogs after the world goes to hell.

Immune to the undead epidemic, the post-zombie world presents a whole slew of new troubles for our four-legged friends. Not only are the roaming corpses to contend with, but there’s the constant search for food, tricky canine romances, apocalypse survivors who want to turn Fido into dinner, and perhaps the most horrific problem, cats. It’s hard out there for a pup.

"There are some truly great moments in Play Dead. A survivor, one who spends his final days partying rather than scrounging to stay alive, fishes for zombies, using a finger as bait. An Australian Shepherd, still connected to her zombie owner by a retractable leash, leads her former master around town, occasionally stopping to share a meal.

Made for $6000, the 18-minute Play Dead is a slick little genre production with a great concept. The gore and the action are both sound, and even though it takes a bit to get going, there’s not a lot of structure, and a groan-worthy 28 Days Later reference, this is adorable, clever, and a lot of fun.

-Brian Lansangan
Follow me on Twitter @MrSnugglenutz84

╬D TV Recap: Person of Interest

2012-09-26T19:00:00.000-04:00

Part 1984, part Punisher/Batman, and all around intriguing, CBS's Person of Interest from JJ Abrams and Johnathon Nolan was about the only bonafide hit of last year's new network TV shows.

You are being watched.
The government has a secret system;
A machine, that spies on you every hour of every day.

Essentially a procedural crime drama with a complex backstory that is slowly and brilliantly revealed with Lost-esque flashbacks, Person of Interest is sorta scifi, sorta comic bookish, but weighed to reality ala the Dark Knight films (which Johnathon cowrote with his brother and Batman director Christopher.)

The show's backdrop is the all-encompassing surveillance put in place in the United States after the September 11th terrorist attacks, and the "Machine" (actually an exceptionally complex computer program) that listens to every phone call, reads every text message and email, monitors every computer system and watches every camera, every moment of every day.

The story itself revolves around "Reese" and "Finch," as they are secretly sent a Social Security number from "The Machine" each week, and must race to figure out who the SS number belongs to, and why the computer has flagged them, whether they are in mortal danger, or are themselves a threat.

This leads our heroes up against everyone from organized crimelords and crooked cops to jaded boyfriends, and even one person who could be credibly called a "super villain."

"Mr. Reese"

The man known as John Reese (played by Jim Caviezel of Passion fame) is a former military man, exceptionally elite, who was planning on retiring to marry the woman he loved, Jessica, when the terrorist attacks of 9/11 occur and spur him to re-enlist.
He becomes involved in intelligence intrigue in the Army special forces and doing covert work for the CIA. But after Jessica was murdered and the government tried to kill him in an airstrike to cover-up a Stuxnet-like computer virus, "Reese" finds himself hitting rock bottom. Believed dead by the authorities, he was living a squalid existence, homeless in New York City.

And that's when he is found and recruited by the mysterious "Mr. Finch."

"Mr. Finch"

Mysterious and brilliant, Harold Finch (played by Michael Emerson from Lost, who also voices The Joker in the new Batman animated film) is the man behind the Machine. He programmed it, and along with his (now deceased) partner, Nathan Ingram, gave it to the US government, feeling it was their patriotic duty after the attacks of 9/11. What exactly happened to Nathan and why Finch had a falling out with the government that led to them believing he was also dead, has not yet been revealed.

What is known is that after building the Machine, Finch was racked by guilt because the program was so efficient it was spotting potential acts of violence at all levels, most of which the government was not interested in. They were only looking for terrorist attacks, acts of violence that would result in massive casualties, not in small squabbles and crimes.

The government told Finch to have the Machine wipe all the numbers it flagged that were not potential terrorists, effectively throwing away a list of criminals and future victims every night. This was too much to bear, and Finch built himself a "backdoor" into the programming, so that the Machine would send him the numbers the government considered "irrelevant" before erasing them.

And that's why "Mr. Finch" recruits the generally badass "Mr. Reese," to help him with the physical part of investigating the numbers, and stopping the crimes before they happen.

The Machine

The Machine created by Finch is an extremely powerful computer program that analyzes information obtained from phone calls, email and text messages, and video camera feeds and pinpoints potential violence.

The government's need to keep it secret and the lengths they will go to keep it so are a central theme of the later part of the show's first season.

From various scenes shown from the Machines "point of view" (security cameras) have shown that it is possibly self-aware, and able to spot not only potential threats to people, but also threats against itself. The Machine is possibly (prediction!) responsible for the death of Finch's former business partner, Nathan.

Alicia Corwin, a former member of the National Security Council, that had a hand in both the arranging for the machine's creation and in Reese's doing CIA wetwork has been shown as one of the few people alive that knows of the Machine's existence, and her efforts to hide herself, and also to warn off and mislead anyone who may be looking into it began to show just how far the government was willing to go to keep the Machine, whose legality is in question, a closely held secret.

The Hunters- The CIA & FBI

It's not just the Machine that draws the government's interest and ire in the show.

Reese himself is the subject of an intense search by both his former employers at the CIA, who tried to kill him with an airstrike in China, and the FBI, who consider him a danger and believe he is working as a mercenary for organized crime.

Luckily Reese, in true secret agent fashion, has cultivated himself a couple assets in the NYPD: Detectives Carter and Fusco.

The Allies- Carter & Fusco

Carter, the dedicated detective and Fusco, the dirty cop, have for different reasons become allies to Reese and Finch, helping them investigate numbers, and also to throw the CIA and FBI off the trail.

The Enemies-H.R. & Elias

Though each week brings a new number to investigate, there are recurring antagonists in the series in the forms of H.R. (Human Resources,) a collection of corrupt police brass, and organized crime, mainly the "new kingpin" Elias, whose backstory of betrayal is just as complex and intriguing as either Reese or Finch's.

"Root"

In last season's cliffhanger finale we got to put a face to a villainous hacker to match Finch's brilliance: the beautiful "Root" (Amy Acker) who had, in a previous episode, compromised Finch's computer systems, and possibly learned of the Machine.

She was able to figure out Reese and Finch's M.O. and use it against them, setting herself up with a fake identity as a psychiatrist to powerful men with dangerous secrets, and then arranged for a hit on herself, to get the Machine's attention. By the time Reese was able to figure out that they had been had, "Root" had shot Alicia Corwin in the head, and kidnapped Finch.

Person of Interest returns 9/27/12 at 9 pm on CBS.

-Kevin Tenorio
Follow me on Twitter @d10_dude

Character Spotlight: Ichigo Kurosaki (Bleach)

2012-09-26T08:00:00.000-04:00

Ichigo Kurosaki is a Human who has Shinigami powers. He is also a Substitute Shinigami. Ichigo is the son of Isshin and Masaki Kurosaki, and older brother of Karin and Yuzu.

Ichigo's mother died in an incident when Ichigo was young. He has always blamed himself for her death which has led him to promise himself to never let anyone dear to him die or get hurt under his watch. Although his appearance makes Ichigo look like a delinguint, Ichigo actually has a strong sense of justice and will act upon his instincts if he feels something is not right.

Name: Ichigo Kurosaki
Race: Human, Shinigami
Birthday: July 15
Age: 15-17
Gender: Male
Height: 174 cm (5'9")(formerly) 181 cm (5'11")
Weight: 61 kg (134 lbs.) (formerly) 66 kg (145 lbs.)
Blood Type: A

Professional Status Affiliation: Kurosaki Clinic, Karakura Town Loosely Soul Society

Previous Affiliation Unofficially: Visored Xcution

Occupation: High School Student, Substitute Shinigami and Errand Boy of the Unagiya Shop
Base of Operations: Kurosaki House, Minamikawase, Karakura Town, Japan, Human World

Known Relatives: Son of Isshin and Masaki Kurosaki, and older brother of Karin and Yuzu.

First Appearance: Manga ch.1 Anime ep.1

CHARACTER DESCRIPTION:
Ichigo Kurosaki is a Teenager with a bit of a bad attitude and a very short temper. Regardless, he fights others to protect ghosts. (Yes, He can see them.) He keeps to himself a lot and does not like opening up to others. Deep down, he does care about the people around him, even his Dad, who likes to roughhouse with Ichigo.

He is sometimes called "Strawberry" because the kanji for his name, Ichigo, also means strawberry. However, in episode 21 when Ichigo was fighting Jindanbou, guardsman of Gate of the White Way in Soul Society, Ichigo claims that his name translates to "number one guardian" (ichi - first/best, go - "guardian angel").

Ichigo's zanpakuto is named Zangetsu ("Moon Cutter"), though he doesn't realize this until he begins training under Urahara. Its unawakened form is very large and bulky, yet it isn't as powerful as compared to other sealed zanpakuto due to Ichigo's inability to control his own spiritual power (this form of the sword is shown above). This doesn't become apparent, however, until his encounter with Byakuya Kuchiki, who cuts off most of the blade. Subsequently, training with Urahara allowed Ichigo to finally get in touch with the spirit of his zanpakuto and reawaken his Soul Reaper powers. Further training forces Ichigo to finally learn--and call out--its name, thus awakening it. From then on, Zangetsu always assumes at least a released [shikai] state because of Ichigo's overabundance of spirit energy (this is the form seen in the nearby picture). Its special attack is called getsuga tensho ("Sky-piercing Moon Fang"). Again, Ichigo does not realize its name until he talks with the spirit of Zangetsu, who notes that knowledge of the technique affects its power.

Thanks to help from a device of Urahara's, Ichigo is also one of the few Soul Reapers not of captain rank to have achieved his zanpakuto's final release [bankai]--Tensa Zangetsu. What's strange is that most bankai reach out and change into huge forms--his compresses all the power *inward* (the sword itself compresses down into the size of a traditional nodachi or Japanese longsword). So instead of unleashing new attacks, Tensa Zangetsu enhances what's already there, from his natural physical ability (giving him speed that can surpass the flash step) to his getsuga tensho attack (which gains both power and control) to even his garb (which changes into a black coat similar to that worn by the spirit of Zangetsu).

Because Urahara's training took Ichigo to the edge of becoming a Hollow, that Hollow personality remains in him and will emerge at key moments during the Soul Society arc in order to protect Ichigo's life. It also risks emerging if his spirit energy destabilizes--which tends to happen when Ichigo is utilizing the demanding final release. Knowing how dangerous this evil side of him can become, controlling it becomes a constant concern. It is only during the Arrancar arc that he gains better knowledge about his Hollow side and learns how to better control and exploit it. He also realizes then that he is not the only vizard (a Soul Reaper also able to utilize Hollow powers) around.

APPEARANCE:
Ichigo looks like a normal teenage boy, except that his hair is spiky orange, a trait that he has been ridiculed about for years on end. He is a fairly tall, lean-built person with peach skin and brown eyes. He likes to wear tight clothes top and bottom. He has a tendency to wear shirts patterned with the number 15, because his name is a homonym for the number. Since becoming a Shinigami, he has become noticeably more muscular, as noted by his sister Karin. When in his spiritual form, Ichigo wears standard Shinigami attire with the addition of a strap across his chest. Initially, it was a thick brown belt to hold his Zanpakutō sheath, but it later became a red rosary-like strap. The shape of them is a kite with a flat top and bottom. Ichigo's appearance has caused several people, including Jūshirō Ukitake, to notice a similarity toKaien Shiba; the former lieutenant of the 13th Division. After training in the Dangai, Ichigo's hair grows considerably and is noticeably taller, as stated by his friends.However, after Ichigo loses all his spiritual powers, his appearance reverts to the way it was before his Dangai training.

Seventeen months after defeating Aizen, Ichigo's appearance doesn't change, except that he becomes taller and grows sideburns. After regaining his powers, Ichigo’s Shinigami attire also consists of a thicker strap across his chest. He also has four black vertical lines on his forearms and black, tattoo-like bands crossing over his chest, wrists, and ankles. Similar bands, but with white ends, are around his neck as collars.

SHINKAI DESCRIPTION:
The Shikai form of Zangetsu looks like an oversized elegant cleaver rather than a formal "katana". He has no tsuba and no proper hilt; what Ichigo holds is the cloth-wrapped tang. The sword is as tall as Ichigo is, 1.75 meters, and has a black blade with a silver edge. The cloth wrapping on the tang seems to react to Ichigo's will, changing length at a thought or twining about the blade in an impromptu sheath. When in combat, the cloth falls away when necessary, shrinking back to a manageable size.The cloth can also be used to swing the weapon like a flail and toss it at opponents for mid-range combat, but this is rarely done. The cloth also can be done to wrap up wounds, as Ichigo does during his fight with Ikkaku Madarame, but this is also done rarely. Ichigo has also on more than one occasion used Zangetsu's wide blade as a shield from incoming attacks. Unlike most Zanpakutō, which can be sealed into their original form, Zangetsu is always in its Shikai form. Yoruichi Shihōin has stated that his Zanpakutō is a full-time released form type because of Ichigo's vast but uncontrollable spiritual energy upon generation of it, implying that it is simply a type of Zanpakutō that without proper control of his spiritual energy, once in Shikai form, it remains in its said state.

SHINKAI ABILITY:
Zangetsu's is largely used for melee combat but possesses one known special ability.
Getsuga Tenshō (Moon Fang Heaven-Piercer; "Piercer of Heaven" in the English anime): At the instant of the slash, Zangetsu absorbs his spiritual energy and releases highly condensed spiritual energy at the tip of the blade, magnifying the slash attack and then flies forward. This slash takes the form of a crescent moon or in the shape of a wave. Ichigo uses this ability without knowing its name several times but masters the technique later on during his Bankai training. As stated by Zangetsu, knowing the name of an attack heightens its power compared to its strength when the wielder does not know its name. The Getsuga Tenshō is a powerful technique with great force, capable of causing large-scale damage and destruction. While it is currently the only attack Ichigo knows from Zangetsu, Ichigo has used this technique in several different manners, such as striking the ground to create an omnidirectional blast to knock away incoming attacks or slashing at the ground to upturn it and crush everything in its path.

BANKAI DESCRIPTION:

Tensa Zangetsu (Heaven Chain Slaying Moon): It is considered completely out of the ordinary for any Zanpakutō. Unlike most Bankai forms, which usually create some sort of massive creature or effect, Ichigo's Bankai actually shrinks his sword down to a daitō (Japanese long sword) with a black blade instead. The cross guard has four prongs bent out to form the shape of the manji (which is the kanji for "ban," meaning "full", as in "full release"). The blade itself can endure even the strongest of attacks, making it quite effective in blocking and deflecting incoming attacks; it can even withstand getting crushed by force. Instead of the cloth his Shikai form had, a short length of chain with a broken link at the end dangles from the base of the hilt. After Ichigo's training in the Dangai, Zangetsu's guard becomes noticeably big and rougher looking with its chain extending around Ichigo's entire right arm, as well as what appears to be a glove on his right hand. In addition to his sword, Ichigo's robe is replaced with a long-sleeved, ankle-length black coat (or shikakushō) with red lining that is closed at his chest, then left to flare out into ragged ends, much like that of Zangetsu himself. This coat is part of Ichigo's Bankai and the damage it can take is directly proportionate to the remaining strength and level of Ichigo's Reiatsu.

BANKAI ABILITY:

Hyper-Speed Combat: Ichigo takes all the power of his Bankai and compresses it into a small, condensed form. Then, he uses the power of the Bankai to perform high-speed combat. His new speed is so great, that it also enhances his Flash Step prowess and allows him to create dozens of afterimages to confuse his opponent.

Enhanced Strength: Ichigo's Bankai also allows him to further enhance his natural great strength as shown from how effortlessly he blocked a punch from Yammy Llargo, an Espada known primarily for his immense strength. He is strong enough to cut through Yammy's Hierro with relative ease. The sudden boost in strength upon releasing allows Ichigo to break free from any attack that binds him and prevents him from moving. After his training in the Dangai Precipice World, Ichigo's strength has increased to the point where a single swing of his sword can level a mountain. He can grab hold of Aizen's Zanpakutō blade with his bare hand without feeling any of the exerted force although that force was capable of doing considerable damage to the surrounding area. He is able to effortlessly break through a #90. Hadō spell Kurohitsugi with his bare hand.

Enhanced Getsuga Tenshō: Tensa Zangetsu retains the use of Getsuga Tenshō and can be used in the same manners, but can be used in an enhanced form. When used in Bankai, these potent blasts are black with a red outline and their path can be controlled, with explosively augmented power and speed. During Byakuya Kuchiki's fight with Ichigo, he refers to this attack as a "Kuroi Getsuga" ("Black Moon Fang"), referring to the attack's darkened color. Ichigo has stated that the Black Getsuga was originally Hollow Ichigo's technique, and has been proven as Ichigo had no knowledge of it during his fight with Byakuya Kuchiki, using the original Getsuga when in Bankai, and Hollow Ichigo stated that all Ichigo was doing when he used the technique was copying his inner Hollow. Ichigo can also keep Getsuga Tenshō within Tensa Zangetsu to augment his sword swings.

Enhanced Spiritual Power: His reiatsu is so intense and rough as well as thick and heavy that it can suffocate Humans just by being in the general vicinity of his released Bankai. Ichigo's reiatsu was solid in his Bankai despite him only recently acquiring it. In addition, his already immense spiritual energy has grandly and explosively increased, and now has a deep black spiritual energy with a crimson outline. It has come to a point where the red-outlined black energy emanates off of Ichigo's body when his spiritual pressure is exerted, replacing his blue aura. Ever since Ichigo defeated his inner Hollow and affirming his place as a Visored, he produces a black aura with a red outline that surrounds him as he initiates Bankai, rather than a white aura that shoots high into the sky. After his training in the Dangai Precipice World, Ichigo's ability to sense reiatsu has increased greatly as he can now sense his sisters blocks away through various buildings and determine their current status. According to Aizen, by achieving evolution into a dimension separate from Shinigami, both Shinigami and Humans have become unable to feel his reiatsu unless he voluntarily lowers his level and allows them to interfere. In the same way that a two-dimensional being is unable to interfere with a third-dimensional being. In this same way he surmises that Ichigo is standing in a dimension even higher than the one he is in.

Enhanced Bankai Duration: Furthermore, the fact that all of his energy is "compressed" means that usage of his Bankai doesn't expel as much spiritual power as other Bankai from the point of activation; thus allowing him to use Tensa Zangetsu at a much longer duration than any other Bankai users of his level.

VIDEO GALLERY:

-Brian Lansangan
Follow me on Twitter @MrSnugglenutz84

Weekly Pull-List 9/26/12

2012-09-26T03:48:00.000-04:00

Welcome back, True Believers and Constant Readers, to the Templar Digital Team's Pull-List of new comics. It's a pretty big week, with Ultimate Captain America becoming President, a Punisher series drawing to a close, all-new DC origins continuing, and a whole lot more!

Ultimate Comics Ultimates #16: Cap becomes Pres. nuff' said. (actually, anyone else find it hilarious that the Marvel release calendar lists this issue as "Classified" even though the cover and story are all over the interwebs?)

The Punisher #16: In this series climax we find Castle and Cole dealing with the consquences of last issue, and preparing for the WAR ZONE mini-series.

Space: Punisher #3: Punisher vs. The Avengers, in space...where no one can hear you die!

Amazing Spider-Man #694: Its Parker vs. his "protege," Alpha. Can the kid learn to control his ego? Will it take tragedy for him to learn the lessons Spidey is trying to teach?

Journey Into Mystery #644: The World Tree burns. Asgardia and all the Nine Realms are torn by war. Thor is trapped. Loki is being hunted down. Surtr's victory seems assured. Everything Burns, pt. 5!

Superman #0: Welcome the new creative team of Scott Lobdell and Kenneth Rocafort as they take us back to the days when Jor-El learned the truth about Krypton’s imminent destruction!

Talon #0: A new series featuring the Court of Owls’ unstoppable killing machine! • Meet Calvin Rose, the only Talon ever to escape the grasp of the Court of Owls. This former assassin just wants to live a normal life...but that’s impossible, since he’s being hunted by his former masters!

The Flash #0: At last, it’s the origin of The Flash! • The loss of his mother put Barry Allen on the road to becoming a hero, but only when he gains his powers will he understand her most important lesson.

Teen Titans #0: Focusing on the origin of Tim Drake; how a would be Olympic star and computer genius went on to become Batman’s third Robin and The beginnings of Skitter and Bunker.

Aquaman #0: It’s the first appearance of Atlantis and Aquaman’s first encounter with Atlanteans! How will this story of Arthur’s past set the stage for his future?

Batman, Incorporated #0: Batman, Incorporated wants you! Batman has a war to fight, but first he must recruit an army to combat the menace of Leviathan and See how The Dark Knight assembled his lieutenants!

Batman The Dark Knight #0: Batman takes on the most important case of his career as a detective...who murdered his parents? Meet Joe Chill and explore the epic conspiracy to wipe out the Wayne family.

-Brian Lansangan
Follow me on Twitter @MrSnugglenutz84

-Kevin Tenorio
Follow me on Twitter @d10_dude

*NEW "Dead Island: Riptide" Trailer

2012-09-25T12:00:00.000-04:00

Deep Silver today released a trailer for the next installment in the Dead Island franchise: "Dead Island: Riptide" which will be released in 2013.
Dead Island - Riptide: When all hope is lost...

Furious monsoon rainstorms have laid waste to the island of Palanai in the Banoi archipelago, waters have risen and caused a flood disaster -- because of this and the raging zombie invasion, a rescue mission for the survivors seems to be without prospect of success. All hope seems to have been lost for the surviving humans...

Dead Island achieved something rather spectacular last year. It created one of the most powerful trailers ever seen across not only video games, but movies and television as well. it’s told-backwards story of a family torn apart by zombie horror is something that still sticks with me to this day, and I’ll be damned if I don’t play that piano track every so often when I’m looking for something dramatic.

Now with the sequel on the way in 2013, Dead Island: Riptide, they’re trying to do it again. It’s not even close to the original trailer, but again it’s a pretty heartwrenching little spot (that I feel could have benefitted from another minute or so of set-up).

Below is the original trailer for the first installment of the Dead Island Franchise:

-Brian Lansangan
Follow me on Twitter @MrSnugglenutz84

First Official Look At Hugh Jackman In ‘The Wolverine’

2012-09-25T10:00:00.000-04:00

20th Century Fox has today unveiled this first official image of Hugh Jackman’s eponymous character in "The Wolverine".

Based on the celebrated comic book arc, THE WOLVERINE finds Logan, the eternal warrior and outsider, in Japan. There, samurai steel will clash with adamantium claw as Logan confronts a mysterious figure from his past in an epic battle that will leave him forever changed.”

‘The Wolverine’ takes inspiration from Chris Claremont and Frank Miller’s Marvel miniseries from the 1980s dealing with the character’s adventures in Japan. There, samurai steel clashes with adamantium claws as Logan confronts a mysterious figure from his past in an epic battle that will leave him forever changed.

Alongside Hugh Jackman as the titular character, ‘The Wolverine’ co-stars Hiroyuki Sanada as Shingen, Hal Yamanouchi as Yashida, Tao Okamoto as Mariko, Rila Fukushima as Yukio, Brian Tee as Norubo Mori, Will Yun Lee as Kenuichio Harada/Silver Samurai, and Svetlana Khodchenkova as Viper. Scheduled for release July 26th, 2013, ‘The Wolverine’ is to be directed by James Mangold (3:10 to Yuma, Walk the Line, Knight and Day), while the script is by ‘The Usual Suspects’ scribe Christopher McQuarrie and Mark Bomback.

-Brian Lansangan
Follow me on Twitter @MrSnugglenutz84

Fan Film Corner: "Shielded"

2012-09-25T08:00:00.001-04:00

This week's selection of Fan Film Corner, we check out "S.H.I.E.L.D.E.D."

LOWDOWN:

"S.H.I.E.L.D.E.D." is no ordinary fan film, either. It's actually a campaign on the part of Adam Levermore, a graphic designer hoping to land a job on the eventual "S.H.I.E.L.D." TV series as a production designer. Levermore teamed up with a veritable who's who of the geek community (including "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" actress Amber Benson and "The Walking Dead" composer Bear McCreary) to create a short film set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with Levermore himself unwittingly in the hot seat for a job interview at S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ.

REVIEW:

This isn’t the craziest thing I’ve seen someone do to get a job interview, but it definitely makes the top ten list for creative ways to land a job. Adam Levermore wants to do design work on Marvel’s new television show S.H.I.E.L.D. In order to stand out among the many talented applicants Adam called in a bunch of favors such as getting Grant Imahara (Mythbusters), Amber Benson(Buffy), Bear McCreary (The Walking Dead) created the score, and (Eureka’s) Amy Berg to do the script.

Loved every minute of the this flick and I hope this increases Levermore's chances and getting a role in the upcoming "Shield" live action series.

OVERALL:

†††††
5 templar crosses out of 5

FILM:

TEMPLAR NOTE:

In a post on his website, Levermore goes into detail about how "S.H.I.E.L.D.E.D." got made and how he thinks the finished product represents his skills as an artist.

"The stated goal of this short film is to catch the eye of the production designer for the S.H.I.E.L.D. TV show, and hopefully be so impressive that hiring me is a no-brainer. I realized, though, that it’s much more than that," wrote Levermore. "The finished piece wound up being so high-quality that it stands alone as a spotlight for my design work. I designed all the art elements of the piece, from the ID badges to the dossiers to the copy of the Daily Bugle to the 'Employee of the Month' plaque for Maria Hill. I even drew Nick Fury’s right-side-only drawing of the Avengers. Everything that isn’t part of the building or being worn by the actors was my design work, and I think it really shows what I can do to bring a unified, coherent feel to a fictional world."

CREDITS:

Production Design: Adam Levermore

Producer: Andrew Seely

Directed by Jared Hoy [Twitter | IMDB | Site]

Written by Amy Berg

Score by Bear McCreary

Associate Producers: Katie Moest, Stephanie Thorpe, Jared Hoy

Starring

Adam Levermore as Interviewee

Taryn O’Neill as S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent O’Neill

Stephanie Thorpe as S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Thorpe

Amber Benson as S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Benson

Grant Imahara as Himself [Twitter | IMDB]

Andrew Seely as S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent McSeely

Yuri Lowenthal as S.H.I.E.L.D. Recruitment Director

Art Director: Katie Moest

Camera Operator: Josh Negrin

Assistant Camera: Angela Ortner

Gaffer: Joshua Redmond

Grip: Adam Rady

Sound Mixer: Leonardo Nasca

Script Supervisor: Stephanie Rose

Hair and Makeup: Jennifer Jackson

Catering: Pooja Sharma

Location provided by The Madera Design House

Key Set Pa: Fabian Romero

Key Art Department PA: Lisa Haglund

Still Photography by James Riley [flickr] and Beth Riley [flickr]

Creative Advisor: Alan Kistler

Music Editors: Michael Beach, Jonathan Ortega

Post Production Services: ElectricHobo, Chris Szadkowski

-Brian Lansangan
Follow me on Twitter @MrSnugglenutz84

Movie Review: "End Of Watch"

2012-09-24T10:00:00.000-04:00

A must watch film, "End Of Watch, starring Jake Gyllenhall and Michael Pena is this week's feature for our Movie Review of the week. (sort of, movie review for "Judge Dredd" coming this week)

LOWDOWN:
From the writer of Training Day, End of Watch is a riveting action thriller that puts audiences at the center of the chase like never before. Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña star as young LA police officers who discover a secret that makes them the target of the country's most dangerous drug cartel.

REVIEW:
When I actually sit down and think about it, there aren't many good movies about your average, every day police officer. There are a couple notable television series', like "Third Watch", "Southland","Hill Street Blues" and the now dated but oddly fascinating reality series "Cops", but on film, these guys don't get a lot of luck. I guess everyone would rather see movies about undercover officers or detectives. Well for anyone like me who's been waiting for it, here it is. End Of Watch, an excellent take on the genre. It may not be perfect, but it's unique and shows the day to day life more effectively than most if any cop movies I've seen, and as such I think it will one day be essential viewing for fans of the genre.

In the film we meet Brian Taylor, an ex-marine working as a police officer while he works his way through law school. He also just so happens to be taking a class in filmmaking and is filming his experiences to make a documentary for said class, and this is where we get much of our view into the film from. Featured frequently in the film is his partner Mike, often called Z. After stumbling upon a drug-lord at a routine traffic stop, they quickly fall into trouble with the cartel and have to fight their way through it while still trying to figure out where it's all coming from.

The great thing about this mockumentary/found footage style isn't so much the way it's able to present the action of being a cop realistically (which it does but so do normally shot movies), but it better gives us an understanding of what happens inbetween the action. Being a fly on the wall in the various dull, inappropriate, and often times hilarious conversations the two have when patrolling brings the film a much needed dose of comic relief, but the kind that never feels forced. It's all set up naturally. This really gives a chance for stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena to shine as well as they fit so naturally into these characters, often sounding unscripted whether or not they are. They play them as regular guys instead of complex characters which may make them a little less compelling, but all the more fun to watch.

The film also mixes in a variety of other video sources from the dashboard cams of the police cruisers to security cameras. This really benefits the style as a whole. 99% of the time, using the self-shot, found footage for an entire film can come off as gimmicky and unnecessary, but by using a variety of sources the director is able to keep the realistic tone consistent while downplaying the gimmick idea and instead choosing to use Brian's self shot footage and monologues to the camera only when they prove most effective to the story.

Along the way the film is also interspersed with subplots of Brian meeting his new girl Janet, played by Anna Kendrick who makes a memorable impression despite her little screen time, as well as Z and his wife having a baby. While I find it hard to really complain about Anna Kendrick (she's just so damn cute! And she looked stunning on stage introducing the film), these subplots, while important for character development, are thrown in a little too randomly throughout and mess with the overall flow of the film. It's not a huge complaint as I've seen it done worse in other movies, but it could've been solved with some tighter editing. But who knows, this was the premiere I saw, studios still often tweak movies before wide-release.

Fortunately for writer/director David Ayer, this is really the only complaint I have about the film. The entire movie is fairly well written. I did find the dialogue of a lot of the street thugs to be cliché and racially stereotypical, but the things Brian and Z say are priceless throughout and help you deal with a lot of the more serious scenes, and there are quite a few of them. For as entertaining and light-hearted as it is at times, End Of Watch has many dark, brutally violent, and emotionally impacting scenes that are not for the feint of heart. They do ultimately seem necessary though as the film needs action to keep it going, and to create the realistic document of day to day police life it's trying to create, which does get pretty brutal sometimes despite the mostly mundane times in between. The important thing though is that the film is able to balance all of these moments so well.

David Ayer has dedicated what seems to be his whole career to police movies. Most are mediocre to bad (Street Kings), some are genre classics (Training Day), but I think End Of Watch is by far his finest. It easily has the most likable characters, and as such the most emotional involvement for the audience, which thus creates the most tension in the high risk, action scenes. It has the most believable story of any of his movies, or most cop movies for that matter, and lastly it just told in an interesting way. Neither the cop story, found footage action or fly on the wall comedy genres are anything new, but End of Watch takes old ideas and fits them together to make something interesting.

OVERALL:
It's tough to go wrong with End Of Watch if you're a fan of the genre. Even if you're not particularly fond of cop movies, I'd still recommend it. It's a highly entertaining, tension filled ride of a movie. It may not be as deep as some other movies coming out now, but it really brings you into another world well. It's well written, well directed, well acted, and was well enjoyed by the whole crowd. Check it out.

TRAILER:

CREDITS:
Jake Gyllenhaal as Police Officer II Brian Taylor
Michael Peña as Police Officer II Mike Zavala
Anna Kendrick as Janet
Natalie Martinez as Gabby
America Ferrera as Police Officer II Orozco
David Harbour as Police Officer III Van Hauser
Frank Grillo as Sarge
Cle Shaheed Sloan as Mr. Tre
Jaime FitzSimons as Captain Reese
Cody Horn as Police Officer II Davis
Shondrella Avery as Bonita

Directed by David Ayer

Produced by John Lesher, David Ayer, Jake Gyllenhaal, Nigel Sinclair, and Matt Jackson

Written by David Ayer

-Brian Lansangan
Follow me on Twitter @MrSnugglenutz84

Comic Review: "The Killing Joke"

2012-09-24T08:00:00.000-04:00

For this week's comic review, We review one of the greatest DC stories ever: "Batman: The Killing Joke" which is possibly the most famous Joker story of all time; how one ordinary man had one very bad day. And decided to share it.

LOWDOWN:
For the first time the Joker's origin is revealed in this tale of insanity and human perseverance. Looking to prove that any man can be pushed past his breaking point and go mad, the Joker attempts to drive Commissioner Gordon insane. After shooting and permanently paralyzing his daughter Barbara (a.k.a. Batgirl), the Joker kidnaps the commissioner and attacks his mind in hopes of breaking the man. But refusing to give up, Gordon maintains his sanity with the help of Batman in an effort to best the madman.

#03 on Wizard Magazine's "100 Best Single Issue Comics Since You Were Born" list.

REVIEW:

As a young lad, I grew up watching cartoons and reading comics and would spend my allowance on toys on primarily two characters: Spiderman and Batman. X-men anything was also part of my nerd addiction. The appeal to me for Spiderman was that although he somewhat super-powered ("somewhat" when compared to heroes like Superman), once the costume came off, Spiderman suffered the daily problems we all face. I liked Batman because he was both an ordinary human doing extraordinary things, and because of his somewhat tortured, living on the edge of right and wrong, persona.

"Batman: The Killing Joke (the deluxe edition and the one I read)", written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Brian Bolland, is probably the ultimate story about Batman and his arch-nemesis the Joker. Although nothing will ever make the Joker sympathetic (he's too vicious of a psychopath in his current iteration), this possible explanation of his origins (there are several of course) gives you some insight into how he came to be the way he is. In many ways, the line that separates Batman from the Joker is a razor-thin one, and this book show hints at just how precarious Batman's grip on his own reality is.

I don't give spoilers, so I won't discuss the plot (but it's excellent), or the ending (which is probably my favorite in all of the Batman comics I've read). The comic book is not long, and it includes an additional Batman story both written and illustrated by Brian Bolland, and some additional sketches by Bolland. But it is a seminal work if you're a Batman fan, and well worth a read.

OVERALL:

†††††
5 templar crosses out of 5
"MUST READ"

I love this comic book, but however there are some people who dislike the Killing Joke for being too unrealistic. Even the legendary writer Alan Moore, who wrote the Killing Joke, said that the story sucks as well. How ironic. Neverthless, don't let these bad remarks foil you into not buying this comic book. The Killing Joke is a must have and this is by far the best tale about the most psychoticcaly hilarious and mysterious criminal- The Joker. The Clown Prince of Crime.

Heres a taste of what "The Killing Joke" brings:

-Brian Lansangan
Follow me on Twitter @MrSnugglenutz84

RoboCop VS Madonna: THIS is how you vogue!

2012-09-22T14:07:00.000-04:00

In this Demotivational Poster we correct the misconception that "Madonna" was the one to bring us Vogue...

It's true. RoboCop was "voguing" since 1987. Madonna adopted it in 1990.

Eat your heart out Madonna!

(CLICK ON PICTURE TO ENLARGE)

-Eric Chacón
Follow me on Twitter @CaptxCrunch
-Alexander Gothelf
Follow me on Twitter @Gothelf_Designs

*NEW "Tai Chi Zero" US Trailer

2012-09-21T16:00:00.000-04:00

An Exclusive Trailer has just be unveiled for the epic martial arts film: "TAI CHI ZERO"

"TAI CHI ZERO" tells the story of Yang Luchan, a young genius who, tired of being picked on, travels to Chen Village to learn the art of Tai Chi. Luchan finds out the hard way that it is forbidden for a villager to teach an outsider when the villagers, from strong men to old women to little children, repeatedly challenge him to a series of fights, all of which he loses quite badly. But when a frightening army of steampunk soldiers bearing strange machines shows up, the villagers realize that in order to save their home, they must trust this strange outsider with the knowledge of Tai Chi.

Director: Stephen Fung
Release: 10/19/2012
Studio: Variance Films

-Brian Lansangan
Follow me on Twitter @MrSnugglenutz84

*NEW "The Collection" Trailer

2012-09-21T14:00:00.000-04:00

LD Entertainment has released the trailer for The sequel to The Collector titled "The Collection" which sees the gimp-masked baddie upping the stakes in the search for the next human piece of his collection.

Arkin escapes with his life from the vicious grips of "The Collector" during an entrapment party where he adds beautiful Elena to his "Collection." Instead of recovering from the trauma, Arkin is suddenly abducted from the hospital by mercenaries hired by Elena's wealthy father. Arkin is blackmailed to team up with the mercenaries and track down The Collector's booby trapped warehouse and save Elena.

Director: Marcus Dunstan
Starring: Josh Stewart, Randall Archer, Erin Way, Christopher McDonald

Release Date: November 30, 2012

-Brian Lansangan

Follow me on Twitter @MrSnugglenutz84

Marvel Confirms Plans for Thanos in "Phase 2"

2012-09-21T12:00:00.000-04:00

Marvel has now confirmed that "The Avatar of Death", THANOS will be a major role in the upcoming Marvel's Cinematic Universe's "PHASE 2".

Earlier this month, Jim Starlin, the comic book writer who created the villainous Thanos, revealed that Marvel is planning to make the character the centerpiece of the upcoming "Guardians of the Galaxy" and then use him in "The Avengers" sequel.

MTV reported that they caught up with Marvel head Kevin Feige for a confirmation. "Clearly, there's a purpose to us putting him in the end of ('The Avengers')," he hinted. "We do have plans for him. I wouldn't say we ever feel the need to rush anything one way or the other."

Feige was then asked if Damion Poitier, who played Thanos in the post-credits scene in "The Avengers," will be recast. "I think we feel pretty free to recast," he explained. "That was cast for literally that one shot. Depending on what the role requires from future movies, we'll go from there."

TEMPLAR NOTE: Thanos is a fictional character appearing in comic books and other media published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Iron Man #55 (Feb. 1973) and was created by writer-artist Jim Starlin. Debuting in the Bronze Age of comic books, the character has been featured in over three decades of Marvel continuity and a self-titled series. The character's name is a derivation of Thanatos, the personification of death and mortality in Greek mythology. Thanos has appeared in other Marvel-endorsed products, including animated television series, arcade and video games, film, toys, and trading cards. Thanos was ranked number 47 on IGN's top 100 comic book villains of all time.

SOURCE: MTV

-Brian Lansangan
Follow me on Twitter @MrSnugglenutz84