Monthly Archives: January 2015
The Blob Returns!
The 1950s monster movie cult classic The Blob is getting remade again.
Deadline reports that Con Air and Expendables 3 director Simon West will helm the redo of the 1958 flick, which starred a young Steve McQueen battling a gelatinous alien mass. There was a 1972 sequel and then a remake in 1988.
“With modern CGI we can now fully realize the potential of The Blob. The world I create will be totally believable, immersive and emotionally satisfying. It’s a thrill to introduce an enduring icon to a wider audience and a whole new era of fans," West informed Deadline.
Why Did Michael Bay Apologize to the Air Force?
Producer Michael Bay has issued an apology for footage of a real B-52 crash used in his upcoming film Project Almanac, and says that Paramount Pictures will remove the shot immediately.
Bay confessed that he initially thought the two seconds of plane crash footage used was a visual effect, and was upset to learn that first-time director Dean Israelite had used genuine crash footage.
"Well, unfortunately a very bad choice was made to use a real crash instead of creating a VFX shot, without realizing the impact it could have on the families," Bay said in a statement to the Air Force Times.
Star-Lord, Captain America Agree to Super Bowl Bet
What began as friendly banter between actors Chris Pratt and Chris Evans on social media has become a much bigger wager involving children's hospital visits.
Evans took to Twitter to taunt Pratt about the New England Patriots defeating the Seattle Seahawks, to which Pratt replied by challenging Evans to visit the Seattle Children's Hospital dressed as Captain America, should the Seahawks win.
Evans, who plays Captain America in the recent Marvel films, agreed to the bet while likewise challenging Pratt take up his role as Star Lord and visit the pediatric cancer nonprofit Christopher's Haven, should the Patriots win.
Xbox Community Manager Tweets Mysterious Image
Xbox Canada community manager Raj Patel has tweeted a mysterious image that contains a hidden message.
Posted below, the image background (click to make it bigger) contains a message written in Morse code. NeoGAF immediately translated the message, which reads:
"Presented by Xbox, 10am PDT, 1pm EST, May 4th 2015"
Get a Sneak Peek of Valiant’s Newest Comic
Valiant's new reader-friendly "Valiant Next" promotion is continuing in February with the debut of the company's latest ongoing series, Imperium. This series brings together an impressive creative team in the form of writer Joshua Dysart and artist Doug Braithwaite. And we have the exclusive reveal of the first finished and lettered pages from issue #1. Scroll down to check those out and read Valiant's official summary for the first issue.
A daring new superhero saga from New York Times best-selling creator Joshua Dysart – writer of of the Harvey-Award nominated series HARBINGER – and superstar artist Doug Braithwaite (UNITY, Justice)!Toyo Harada is the most dangerous human being on the planet. Imbued with incredible powers of the mind, he has spent his life guiding humanity from the shadows. But today he is a wanted man. His powers are public knowledge, his allies have turned to enemies, and he is hunted by every government on the planet.
New Study Finds ‘Smarter’ People Prefer iPhones
According to a new study from online advertising network Chitika, states with more college graduates correlate with higher iPhone sales.
States with the largest number of iPhone users include Alaska (65.5%), Montana (60.1%), and Vermont (59.4%). On the flip side, Iowa (42.1%) and Delaware (42.2%) have the lowest iPhone sales.
The study also found that iPhone buyers tend to be wealthier, but because higher incomes also correlate with college degrees, Chitika says that result is redundant.
To collect its data, Chitika analyzed a sample of "hundreds of millions of U.S.-based iPhone ad impressions accessed via Chitika's mobile ad platforms between December 25-31 to account for holiday sales. Still, it's okay to take these numbers with a grain of salt. CNN reports that Chitika says its results "are not comprehensive" because the company focused on states and not smaller regions.
Kirby and Mario Party Pricing Revealed
Nintendo has opened pre-orders for Kirby and the Rainbow Curse and Mario Party 10, and revealed the prices for both.
Kirby is going for $40, the same price recently given to Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker. Mario Party 10 is a little more at $50. They're due out on February 20 and March 20, respectively.
Kirby is stylistically similar to Kirby: Canvas Curse, an early DS game, but sets the pink puffball in a clay-textured world. This version of Mario Party adds Bowser for asynchronous multiplayer, as up to four other players try to avoid Bowser's attacks and make it through the board game.
Nintendo recently revealed how Rainbow Curse will utilize the Kirby, Meta Knight, and King Dedede amiibos.
Will Castle in the Darkness Be 2015’s Shovel Knight?
Matt Kap, the lead artist on The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth, is bringing his "retro action exploration platformer" to Steam on February 5.
Anyone who has any sort of familiarity with 8-bit games from the NES era should feel a warm glow nostalgia in their bellies from watching the game's trailer. Nods to Metroid, JRPGs like Final Fantasy, side-scrolling hack-and-slashers like Iron Sword can be seen, along with a healthy dose of Castlevania for good measure.
Kap has been working on the game for the past two years in his spare time. This is his first solo project, envisioned as something "he would have enjoyed as a kid," according to the game's website.
Will Ferrell Crashes NBA Game
During half-time at yesterday's Lakers-Pelicans game, Will Ferrell took out a cheerleader with a basketball for a scene in the upcoming comedy Daddy's Home.
Ferrell stumbles around -- while also stumbling over his words -- for one and a half minutes before attempting a half-court shot. He proceeds to knock the cheerleader over by hitting her in the face with the ball. He's then promptly carried off the court by security. Watch:
Directed by Sean Anders (That's My Boy) and written by Brian Burns, Daddy's Home stars Ferrell as a radio executive and Mark Wahlberg as a recently-returned freeloading father fighting for the attention of Ferrell's stepchildren.
The comedy is currently shooting, though there is no release date for the film at this time.
Rise of Incarnates Hitting Steam Early Access
Upcoming free-to-play fighting game Rise of Incarnates is coming to Steam Early Access on February 4.
Anyone who signs up for the game's newsletter on the Rise of Incarnates site before February 4 will receive a special Early Registration Gift, which includes a customization kit for each of the debut characters.
The Bandai Namco game will debut with eight different, customizable characters. The company promises that the characters have diverse powers and abilities that will "appeal to a variety of play-styles," while remain accommodating to different team strategies.
Players do battle in 2 vs. 2 arenas set in New York City and Paris. The matches come in several different flavors, including versus, arcade mode, and bot matches. "Players must employ sharp reflexes, mental resolve and strategic insight," during the matches.