Monthly Archives: December 2017
The Steven Spielberg Movies Nobody Knows About
Steven Spielberg is back in theaters this month with his new drama The Post (read our review here). Also, he’s probably the most famous living filmmaker in the world! He rose to prominence in the 1970s and helped invent the modern blockbuster with films like Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Raiders of the Lost Ark, and for the most part (with the exception of a few duds like 1941 and The Terminal) he’s been at the top of the game ever since.
But although Spielberg’s movies win awards, make tons of money and frequently become an indelible part of the pop culture pantheon, he didn’t start out at the top of the heap. He was a scrappy young film enthusiast who moved to Hollywood and worked his way up through the ranks of network television. One of his early TV projects, the killer trucker thriller Duel, became an important, well-respected and frequently screened installment in his filmography.
The Last Jedi Director Explains Snoke’s Big Scene
SPOILERS are discussed ahead for Star Wars: The Last Jedi!
Don't read this if you haven't seen the movie! Bookmark this page and come back and check it out after you do!
Supreme Leader Snoke was one of the most mysterious figures to emerge from Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Snoke, who helped corrupt the impressionable young Ben Solo and mold him into the villainous Kylo Ren, was a striking figure but his history and his motivations were shrouded in secrecy.
So it came as quite a surprise when, in one of the biggest plot twists in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Kylo Ren killed Snoke and took control of The First Order himself. We never learned anything significant about Snoke, and now he’s dead.
Cancelled Chrono Trigger Game Lives on in Final Fantasy
During a recent interview with Chrono Trigger director Takashi Tokita, I asked if RPG fans will ever see another Chrono Trigger game. His answer was interesting to say the least.
"There was actually a time when I planned a new title called Chrono Break," Tokita explained via email. "Though it was canceled before accomplishing anything, the overall idea for the title was carried over to my latest game, Final Fantasy Dimensions II. Aemo’s character setting and the balance between the three characters at the beginning…these were based on the original concept
but were reworked for this title."
Chrono Break is the name of a trademark registered by Square Co. back in 2001, but the trademark was allowed to expire and the game was never made. Still, it's nice to know that it manages to live on in another dimension. Final Fantasy Dimensions II is currently available on iOS and Android.
Pokemon Go: Christmas Event, More New Gen 3 Pokemon
Niantic has announced a new holiday-themed event for Pokemon Go including new Pokemon, a new item, and more.
Accoring to Pokemon Go’s official site, beginning today at 1:00 PM Pacific Time, new water and ice-type Pokemon from Hoenn (originally from Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire) will begin appearing in Pokemon Go. Santa hat Pikachu (who first appeared in last year’s Christmas event) will also return for a limited time.
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Last Jedi Director on Leia’s Relationship to the Force
SPOILERS are discussed ahead for Star Wars: The Last Jedi!
Don't read this if you haven't seen the movie! Bookmark this page and come back and check it out after you do!
One of the many mind-blowing moments in Star Wars: The Last Jedi was when General Leia, having just been blown into space by The First Order, opens her eyes and uses The Force to save herself and fly back onto her ship.
Not only was this moment an enormous relief for fans of the character, who surely wanted to see more of the late Carrie Fisher’s final performance, it also raises a question fans have been wondering for many years. Is Leia as proficient in the Force as her father and her brother?
Apple Confirms It Slows Down Old iPhones
If you subscribe to the theory where Apple slows down its old products, congratulations: you conspiracy-theory mindset has finally paid off.
The Verge went ahead and tested older iPhones and found out the older phones do, in fact, run more slowly, and replacing the battery in an older phone returns CPU speeds back up to where they ought to be.
However, while Apple admits it slows down older phones, the reason isn't as sinister as trying to force you to buy a new one. Rather, the slow-down is designed to improve battery performance on older phones.
Apple responded to The Verge's request for comment, saying older lithium-ion batteries "become less capable of supplying peak current demands" under certain conditions, one of which is age.
Marvel Cancels 6 Comics in March
Marvel Comics has released its full lineup of solicitations for March 2018. While the publisher will be launching several new titles that month, including New Mutants: Dead Souls and Weapon H, March's lineup is more noticeable for what isn't included. The Unbelievable Gwenpool, Iceman, Generation X and Hawkeye are all ending in March, while the absence of America and Luke Cage in the solicits suggests that those two books are ending as of February.
Additionally, both Captain Marvel and The Defenders are also absent from the March solicits, though neither appears to have been canceled. Captain Marvel writer Margaret Stohl confirmed via Twitter that her run will continue, while Brian Bendis' recent health problems could well be the culprit behind The Defenders' absence.
Call of Duty: WWII, Destiny 2 Top U.S. Sales for 2017
Call of Duty: WWII and Destiny 2 are the top selling video games of 2017 in North America, based on revenue, Activision announced today.
The latest Call of Duty entry surpassed $1 billion in sell-through worldwide since its launch in November, making it the best selling game this year in the U.S., Activision said, citing NPD, GfK/GSD and Activision internal estimates through October 2017. It's also now the top selling video game franchise for nine consecutive years in North America (based on revenue) and the top selling series worldwide for eight out of nine consecutive years, the company announced.
Last Jedi Director on Luke’s Dark Side Temptation
SPOILERS are discussed ahead for Star Wars: The Last Jedi!
Don't read this if you haven't seen the movie! Bookmark this page and come back and check it out after you do!
In a rare flashback for the franchise, Star Wars: The Last Jedi depicts a moment from the past where Luke Skywalker is tempted to kill his nephew Ben Solo after sensing how much of a hold the Dark Side has on him.
The scenes have proven among the most controversial in a movie some Star Wars fans truly hate despite its overwhelmingly positive reviews and strong audience exit polling.