Monthly Archives: September 2016
Magnificent Seven Shoots Past Storks to Top the Box Office
Sony's new Western had a solid opening weekend, as The Magnificent Seven claimed first place at the domestic box office with $35 million.
As noted by Variety, Denzel Washington continues to draw in moviegoers on a consistent basis. The Magnificent Seven serves as the Oscar-winning actor's first starring role in a Western, and continues his streak of high-performing films that open to over $20 million, ever since the release of The Great Debaters in 2007.
Meanwhile, Warner Bros.' new animated comedy Storks debuted in second place. While the film was expected to make at least $30 million during its opening weekend, Storks performed below expectations, earning just $21.8 million. The movie features an all-star voice cast that includes Andy Samberg, Jennifer Aniston and Kelsey Grammar, and boasted a production budget of $70 million.
Ranking Halloween Horror Nights’ Awesome Mazes
Halloween Horror Nights 26 kicked off last weekend at Universal Orlando, once again offering up a bevy of scares via its collection of houses/mazes – both those based on famous horror films and several original concepts.
Coming off of the milestone Halloween Horror Nights 25, the bar had been set incredibly high. But Horror Nights 26 is another great year for the event, taking on some incredibly iconic titles and bringing them to life in a memorable manner.
Below are my rankings for this year’s mazes, with only the bottom couple feeling a bit lackluster and the rest delivering a ton of clever and creatively executed moments.
I really wished I’d liked the movie this maze was based on more, so perhaps it makes sense that the same went for this maze. Visually, it was a very unique one with its suburban, Christmas setting gone bad, and there were certainly some standout scenes - the kitchen of crazed Gingerbread Men was a fun highlight – but there were very few scares, and not enough big laughs to make up for that.
Jurassic Park Star Sam Neill Joins Thor: Ragnarok
Sam Neill, who played Dr. Alan Grant in Jurassic Park, has revealed he'll be in Thor: Ragnarok.
Entertainment Weekly writes that the actor revealed the news during an interview with ShortList, during which Neill said he’s already been filming for a secret role in the movie.
"I did a couple of days on Thor just before I came over here," Neill said.
The actor joked, "if I say anything else, Marvel’s secret agents, and they are lethal, will come and get me and probably my children, as well."
Shovel Knight Guest Starring in Yooka-Laylee
Yooka-Laylee will feature a very special guest character, as developer Playtonic Games has announced that Shovel Knight will make an appearance in its upcoming 3D platformer.
The studio shared the news in a post on Twitter, as well as a brand-new trailer that showcases the game's expansive cast of colorful characters.
Following a delay earlier this year, Yooka-Laylee is now slated to release sometime during the first quarter of 2017.
While you patiently wait for the release of Playtonic's crowdfunded spiritual successor to Rare's classic 3D platformers, be sure to check out these 9 fun little details about Yooka-Laylee. While you're at it, don't miss this sneak peek at the game's soundtrack, created by beloved Banjo-Kazooie composer Grant Kirkhope.
Daily Deals: Pre-Order Two A-List Games for £70, PlayStation Pro, PlayStation VR
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It's that time again. Tesco have put together a discount code which sees you save £25 when you spend £150 or more on Technology and Gaming. Be sure to take advantage of this one - it is much better than the £20 discount code we had for Tesco a few weeks back.
Minecraft Chinese Mythology Pack Coming Soon
Minecraft: Console Edition is receiving a ton of new content on October 4, with the Chinese Mythology Mash-Up Pack and a general game update that brings with it new mobs, items, terrain generation, blocks, banners, and more.
The Chinese Mythology pack will cost $4.99 and includes of a pre-made world featuring mountain ranges occupied by dragons, a monastery, and a new map specially made for the Battle mini game. It also adds 41 new skins and 13 new music tracks to the game.
A free content update also going live on October 4 will add new mobs like polar bears, new items like harvestable beetroots, special terrain features like igloos, fossils, and new village materials, new blocks like grass paths, magma, frosted ice, and bone blocks, and finally, new decorative banners.
Civil War Suit Designer on Returning Spidey to His Roots
Marvel’s ability to use Spider-Man, a character held by Sony for years, in Captain America: Civil War and upcoming Marvel films was a huge coup.
Bringing the beloved character created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko back into the fold and seeing him on the big screen alongside the Avengers thrilled fans. Deciding which version of Spider-Man to do was part of costume designer Judianna Makovsky’s job for Civil War. During a Q&A on Friday promoting the DVD/Blu-ray release of the film, Makovsky talked about the decision to use the classic version of the character, as well as creating the looks for Black Panther and putting Vision in a sweater.
Minecraft’s Boss Update Coming to Mobile, VR
Boss battles are coming to Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition beta, Minecraft: Pocket Edition, and Minecraft: Gear VR Edition for the first time in an update scheduled for launch on October 18.
With the Boss Update comes a battle with the Wither, the Elder Guardian, and explorable Ocean Monuments. The addition of Add-Ons will also allow players to tweak the Minecraft experience by editing text files.
According to the Minecraft team, you can use Add-Ons to adjust AI or customize mobs and other elements. These custom-made Minecraft worlds can then be uploaded online for others to download and play.
Several examples will be available for a free download off Minecraft’s official website on October 18 when the update goes live, including the Alien Invasion and Castle Siege Add-Ons shown off at E3 2016.
Forza Horizon Reaching ‘End of Life’ Status Next Month
The original Forza Horizon for Xbox 360 will soon no longer be available for purchase, as Turn 10 Studios and Playground Games' 2012 racing game will reach "End of Life" status on October 20.
In a post on the official Forza Motorsport website, community manager Brian Ekberg announced that Forza Horizon and all of its related downloadable content will be unavailable for purchase from that date onward. However, anyone who buys the game before October 20 will still be able to download the title and all its DLC as they normally would.
Earlier this month, the original Forza Horizon was available as a free download for Xbox Live Gold subscribers, and is one of the many backwards compatible Xbox 360 games now playable on Xbox One.
Snapchat Announces $130 Smart Sunglasses
Snapchat has unveiled its first hardware product, a pair of smart sunglasses called Spectacles. As part of the company’s new venture into wearable devices, it has also rebranded itself as Snap Inc., and has a new Twitter account to boot.
WSJ Magazine reports that Spectacles will allow you to record as much as 10 seconds of video shot by a 115-degree-angle lens. You’ll have to connect the sunglass wirelessly to your smartphone in order to make the video accessible on Snapchat. Available in three colors (teal, coral, or black), the Spectacles will only go for $130, which is much cheaper than Google Glass’ $1,500 price point.