Geeks of Doom

5-Minute ‘Batman: Arkham Origins’ Trailer Introduces Deadshot, Black Mask; Joker, Bane Confirmed

The Movie God — Tue, 21 May 2013 02:30:46 +0000

We just saw a brief teaser trailer for Batman: Arkham Origins, the prequel to Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City, in which Batman is squaring off with Deathstroke. Now comes the first full trailer, and it is awesome.

The trailer is a cinematic, and runs almost five minutes in length as Batman basically finds himself in a Smokin' Aces situation one Christmas Eve. The game's primary antagonist, Black Mask, has brought in some of the world's deadliest assassins to try and dispatch of the Dark Knight, including Deathstroke and Deadshot.

Be sure to continue below now to check out Batman dealing with this trio of baddies in the first trailer for Batman: Arkham Origins. [...]

Watch Now: Animated Version Of Patton Oswalt’s ‘Star Wars’ Filibuster

The Movie God — Tue, 21 May 2013 01:00:40 +0000

Last month a clip from the hit show Parks and Recreation was released, in which Patton Oswalt attempts a filibuster to prevent a city council vote. Producers of the show told the actor to ramble on about something, and so Oswalt decided to ad-lib his way through his character's vision for the upcoming Star Wars Episode VII.

Naturally the video became quite popular on the 'net, opening the door for different takes and variations. Which brings us to today and a new video, which turns Oswalt's speech into an semi-animated version showing what some of his ideas might look like.

You can check out the animated version of Oswalt's Star Wars filibuster below now! [...]

Disney Announces New ‘Star Wars’ Animated Series ‘Rebels’

The Movie God — Mon, 20 May 2013 23:30:04 +0000

Fans of the popular Cartoon Network animated series The Clone Wars were pretty upset when it was announced that the show was being cancelled, but we knew that they were also already planning a new Star Wars animated series to replace it and possibly fill that void.

The show will be called Star Wars Rebels and it is coming to Disney XD, currently planned for a fall of 2014 arrival.

Continue below for more and to see a video of the team working on the new show discussing what they can about it. [...]

Ray Manzarek, Original Member Of The Doors, Dead At 74

Stoogeypedia — Mon, 20 May 2013 22:38:41 +0000

Ray Manzarek, one of the founding members of The Doors, whose keyboard and organ sounds were as much of a signature sound for the band as was lead singer Jim Morrison’s attitudinal and poetic lead singing, has died at the age of 74 in Rosenheim, Germany after a lengthy battle with bile duct cancer reports Rolling Stone.

The Doors were and remain one of the premier American rock and roll bands to come out of California in the 1960s. Like The Beach Boys, the band is pretty much synonymous with the California lifestyle, but very unlike the Beach Boys, they were like the solarized version of them, expressing musically about darkness, early gothic nightmarish tales of love, political awareness, death and doomy styles that were punctuated by music which was deep rooted in the blues and something else actually, something indescribable at the time. A sound that was all their own, which was created by Morrison’s shamanic lizard king posturing, the jazzy yet tight bottom ended drumming of John Densmore, the buried in the delta swampy fretwork of Robby Krieger, and the horrorshow carnivalesque feel from the hands of Ray Manzarek who flawlessly played his instrument (and sometimes even played the bass parts on the organ as well). [...]

Movie Review: Superman Unbound

Waerloga69 — Mon, 20 May 2013 21:30:48 +0000

Superman Unbound
Blu-ray Multipack | DVD | Instant Video
Directed by James Tucker
Starring Matt Bomer, Stana Katic, Molly C. Quinn, John Noble
Release Date: May 7, 2013

First and foremost, I'm not a huge Superman fan. I prefer my heroes a bit more...mortal, you know? That said, I am sometimes forced to reassess a character based on who is writing the storyline, script, what have you. Animated superhero shows have a certain appeal to me, regardless of the main characters. Watching the Super Friends on Saturday morning is probably one of my favorite childhood memories and I find any excuse to try to relive that excitement. And the chance to watch and discuss Superman Unbound was way too cool to pass up. Now on to the review...

DC Entertainment does love to change up the voice actors quite a bit, don't they? This incarnation of the Man of Steel is voiced by none other than White Collar star Matt Bomer. This became a very distracting issue for me, just to let you know. I kept envisioning Big Blue as an art thief in New York and not the Kryptonian hero of Metropolis. But maybe that's just me [...]

Game Review: Tomb Raider (2013)

Seandps — Mon, 20 May 2013 20:00:22 +0000

Tomb Raider Playstation 3 | Xbox 360 | PC Download
Third Person/Action Adventure/Puzzle Game
Rating: M
Developer: Crystal Dynamics
Publisher: Square Enix
Designer: Darrell Gallagher
Writer: Rhianna Pratchett
Artists: Visual Works (CGI)
Composer: Jason Graves
Release Date: March 5, 2013

Not to sound like that old guy, but I can remember playing the original Tomb Raider back in 1996, dear God I am old. I was in college and I was living with a few friends, and we were taking turns playing the game, while the other helped out by reading the walkthrough. I don't think we ever beat it, but there were some fun times either way. I think I dabbled in the series as it continued on various systems, but never really got into enough that I finished the game. Any time a game revolves around timed jumps so perfectly timed, that is where I fail in video games.

But when I heard they were rebooting the series and giving us a sort of prequel, I was interested in checking it out. And much like most things on the internet, the initial buzz was not favorable, well that was until people actually got to see it and play it. [...]

Book Review: John Carter and The Gods Of Hollywood

BAADASSSSS! — Mon, 20 May 2013 18:30:39 +0000

John Carter and the Gods of Hollywood
Paperback|Kindle Edition
By Michael D. Sellers
Universal Media
370 pages
Release Date: November 28, 2012

Pity John Carter. The poor bastard never had a chance. Released several months before the summer movie deluge, Andrew Stanton's highly anticipated adaptation of the classic 1912 Edgar Rice Burroughs novel A Princess of Mars had the potential to kick start a new blockbuster sci-fi adventure franchise. Unfortunately a series of idiotic marketing decisions in the run-up to the film's debut and mounds of negative press surrounding the troubled production and its massive $250 budget effectively sabotaged any chance John Carter had of connecting with audiences and grossing enough at the box office to ensure future sequels and additional ancillary revenue. Though it was very flawed I found the movie to be one of the most entertaining of last year - you can read my review here - yet it seems I was in the minority on that front.

John Carter's failure to even make back its budget and marketing costs turned out to be a major strike against the Walt Disney Company; the studio was pilloried for befouling what has been long considered one of the most important (if not THE most important) genre properties in existence by hiring a director inexperienced with live action - Stanton had previously directed several major hits for the company's computer animation division Pixar - and allowing the costs to mount to the point where the movie's box office prospects were saddled with unrealistic expectations, and then worsening its already ineffectual reputation even more with a confusing ad campaign that had no idea how to sell the film to the general moviegoing public. [...]

Remembering SNL Original Cast Member Gilda Radner On The 24th Anniversary Of Her Passing

Stoogeypedia — Mon, 20 May 2013 17:00:14 +0000

Today marks the 24th anniversary of the passing of famed SNL alumnus Gilda Radner, who was the show’s first break out female superstar; who dazzled American audiences coast to coast with a wide array of memorable characters; who was part of the very first wave of the show and instrumental to its success; and who set a tone and standard for the many successful female SNL players who followed in the wake of her. Radner died at the age of 42, on May 20, 1989, of ovarian cancer.

All but forgotten by today’s staunch SNL audience, who witnesses a show which is now in its 39th year on the air and is a much, much different one than the one that premiered in October 1975, Radner nonetheless still remains one of the greatest personalities to come from the program. [...]

The Doctor Who TARDISblend 66: The Name Of The Doctor

Greg Davies — Mon, 20 May 2013 15:30:50 +0000

The long-awaited season finale of Doctor Who series 7 is here, a climax that showrunner Steven Moffat and the Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith) have been racing towards (or running from?) for quite some time: "The Name Of The Doctor." From the prophecy uttered, we witness the fall of the Eleventh, as the Doctor is forced to go to the place he must never go: Trenzalore - to a confrontation that will change everything forever for both the Doctor and for his companion Clara (Jenna-Louise Coleman) in which his greatest secret is finally revealed...

During TARDISblend 66, we discuss the major gamechanging spoilers that came out in force during the season finale, but also look at what it means for the upcoming 50th Anniversary Special. We touch on the role of River Song (Alex Kingston) in this episode, and the inferential implications within Moffat's writing of the character.

We also look towards what's next for Doctor Who, from the 50th to Christmas to Series 8, and lay out the possibilities for a wager laid down for the future of this very podcast. And finally, we review YOUR comments from our episodes this season. All this and more on the latest TARDISblend! [...]

Geek Discussion: Should Zach Braff, ‘Veronica Mars’ & Other Big Names Be Using Kickstarter?

The Movie God — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:00:49 +0000

For the past few weeks or so there's been a debate raging on and on about whether or not bigger, more well-known names and titles should be using the crowd funding website Kickstarter to try and find help with financing their next project.

It began when Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas took to the site for help in making a movie based on his cancelled show, a movie that had been attempted numerous times and failed all of them. Kickstarter was the last resort, and it came through overwhelmingly as fans of the show chipped in and helped the project reach its $2 million goal easily. By the time the campaign was said and done, $5.7 million had been raised for the movie, and a new doorway was opened wide for filmmakers and others.

Not many gave a second thought to the Veronica Mars movie turning to Kickstarter for help; it wasn't until recently that the debate truly ignited when Zach Braff, the star of the hit sitcom Scrubs and writer/director/producer/star of Garden State, decided to see if Kickstarter could help him make his follow-up to Garden State, Wish I Was Here. Not only did the movie also quickly achieve its $2 million goal, but it ignited quite the firestorm as many argued the merits of the successful or wealthy asking regular folks to pay for their projects to happen. [...]

Happy Birthday To Who Guitarist/Songwriter Pete Townshend

Stoogeypedia — Sun, 19 May 2013 15:01:26 +0000

Happy 68th Birthday today to one of the greats of rock and roll, British and otherwise, a true genius and original in his craft, who not only showed the world what he could do with an electric guitar, but what could also be done with the rock song itself in the way it could be elevated to operatic mythos and all its glories, the man, the leader of The Who, guitarist Pete Townshend.

It’s kind of incredible when you think about the work of Pete Townshend and the overall underrated kind of perception he and The Who have when it comes to one quickly rattling off the names of the great bands and musicians during the arguable golden age of electric rock and roll, the mid 1960s to the mid 1970s. For sure, there are a handful of Who songs that remain blended in with the all-time classics on compilations and classic rock radio and the like, but when you really take into account a band and a man who put so much craft, energy, scope, influence, and sweat and grit into the amount of work that made their bands what they are, Pete Townshend becomes a figurehead who towers high above the rest [...]

Video Game Deal: BioShock Infinite

Empress Eve — Sun, 19 May 2013 12:45:34 +0000

The Gold Box spotlight deal of the day today at Amazon is Bioshock Infinite for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 for $39.99 each (that's 33% off the list price of $59.99). The PC and PC Download versions are on sale for only $34.99 each (that's 42% off the list price of $59.99).

Note - this deal is valid only for today, Sunday, May 19, 2013 until 11:59pm PST while supplies last.

Visit the main sale page for more details [...]

You Stay Classy Internet Because Here’s The Latest ‘Anchorman 2′ Teaser Trailer

BAADASSSSS! — Sat, 18 May 2013 19:54:16 +0000

"Jesus....MacArthur....Jay-Z....the great ones....always return." The four dots are meant to represent dramatic pauses. Work with me here, people. Paramount Pictures has unveiled the latest trailer for the highly anticipated comedy sequel Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues. You can check it out here below. When I saw that a new trailer for Anchorman 2 had hit today I tracked it down with the hope that we would finally get a first look at scenes from the sequel that has been in the works in one form or another for nearly a decade. No go friends. Instead we once again get the Channel 4 News Team - lead anchorman Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell), field reporter Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd), sports anchor Champ Kind (David Koechner), and weatherman Brick Tamland (Steve Carrell) - giving direct-to-camera quips, showing us that the team chemistry is still there despite having been mothballed since Bush II ran for reelection [...]

Streaming Review: Vanilla Sky

Greg Davies — Sat, 18 May 2013 00:57:43 +0000

Vanilla Sky
Netflix | Amazon | Epix | Google Play | SEN | Vudu | YouTube
DVD
Directed by Cameron Crowe
Starring Tom Cruise, Penélope Cruz, Kurt Russell, Jason Lee, Cameron Diaz, Noah Taylor, Timothy Spall
Paramount Pictures
Originally Released: December 14, 2001

Vanilla Sky is one of those movies that, for one reason or another, I never got around to seeing – until now. And it also happens to be one of those movies that nobody ever says, "Meh, it was okay". Cameron Crowe’s surreal swirl of romance, sci-fi, thriller, and drama is a divisive piece of work, resulting in the vast majority of viewers either loving it or loathing it.

So that being said, there’s very little I can say within the circumstance of this review about this movie that will sway you one way or the other. Vanilla Sky is just one of those flicks you have to see for yourself, and make your own mind up about.

But whichever end your mind is made up about – one thing is certain: Vanilla Sky will fuck with your head [...]

Christopher Nolan Rumored To Direct The Next James Bond Film

eelyajekiM — Fri, 17 May 2013 21:37:00 +0000

The chances of Christopher Nolan directing the next James Bond film are pretty slim considering the fact that he is already directing Interstellar for Paramount and Warner Brothers. But what if the sci-fi film about traveling through wormholes starring Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Matthew McConaughey, and Michael Caine, were to be cast aside so that Nolan could direct the next Bond film? Hard to see that happen, but there is a rumor that is starting to surface that indicate that this could very well happen.

Considering that the report comes from The Daily Mail, this rumor could be nothing more than just a rumor. According to them, Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson have begun informal talks with The Dark Knight Rises director. But just because Nolan cannot direct Bond 24, doesn't mean he cannot direct the one after it. As The Daily Mail said, “It does no harm for Broccoli and Wilson to talk with Nolan, even if nothing happens this time round.” [...]