Monthly Archives: March 2018
Thor: Ragnarok Producer on Asgard and Odin’s Fates
Full spoilers ahead for Thor: Ragnarok!
Ragnarok, in Norse mythology, means the end of all things and, for as much goofy fun as the film is, Thor: Ragnarok indeed ended with the destruction of Asgard. I recently chatted with one of the film's executive producers, Marvel Studios' Victoria Alonso, about the decision to destroy Thor's homeland in an action-comedy rather than a drama.
"We don’t want to destroy any of the realms, but part of the game is that there is destruction," Alonso said. "And you can’t have Thor: Ragnarok if you don’t have the end of his place of birth. ... You have to be true to what you’re saying, right? If you’re saying Thor, the greatest party of all time, and you don’t have the party in your film, then why have that title?"
Amazon Alexa is Randomly, Creepily Laughing at People
Some Amazon Alexa devices have started randomly cackling unprompted, and are really freaking their owners out.
A number of freaked out Echo owners took to social media shared stories and videos of various Amazon Echo devices began randomly emitting "witch-like" laughter, sometimes while their owners were in a completely different part of the house.
Amazon confirmed to The Verge it is aware of the problem "and working to fix it."
Spider-Man Betrayed by a Family Member
Peter Parker faced a very unexpected betrayal in the latest chapter of Amazing Spider-Man.
Warning: this article contains spoilers for The Amazing Spider-Man #797!
This issue kicks off "Go Down Swinging" the very last story in writer Dan Slott's long run on the series. Spidey is currently facing a fusion of two of his most sadistic enemies, as Norman Osborn has bonded with the Carnage symbiote. True to form, Osborn began his latest plot against Spider-Man by targeting those closest to our hero. Over the course of this issue, Osborn stalked everyone from Mary Jane Watson to his son Harry, searching for the perfect victim to help him turn the screws on Spider-Man.
Celebrating Women in Gaming: International Women’s Day – IGN Plays Live
Happy International Women's Day, everyone! To celebrate, IGN will be taking a look at some of our favorite women in game development while playing the games they've worked on. Titles to be featured will include Little Big Planet, Firewatch, Cuphead, Portal, Snipperclips, Halo, and more! Join us live on Thursday March 8 at 1pm PT/4pm ET/9pm UK (March 9 at 8am AET).
In addition to showcasing a plethora of amazing developers, we'll also be raising money and awareness for some outstanding charities. This year we'll be supporting Girls who Code and The Malala Fund - two organizations that encourage women to chase their educational goals across the globe. You can read more about each group below:
Transformers’ Michael Bay to Direct Robopocalypse
One of Michael Bay's next movies is reportedly a film adaptation of Robopocalypse.
Variety reports Bay is in talks to reunite with Steven Spielberg on the project, which is based on Daniel H. Wilson's book about a robot uprising. Spielberg intended to direct the movie himself, but hasn't been able to find the time to take on the project.
Michael Shannon Watched Shape of Water Win an Oscar From a Bar in Chicago
Michael Shannon decided to spend Oscar night at a local dive bar in Chicago.
The current owner of Chicago's Old Town Ale House, Bruce Elliott, caught a snap of Shannon drinking beer and watching the film he stars in, The Shape of Water, win the Oscar for Best Picture on TV. The sound was also turned off, to boot.
"No sound on the TV, just subtitles," Elliot tweeted. "Of course the jukebox was rocking, and the beer flowing. Where else would you want to spend Oscar night?"
Michael Shannon at Old Town Ale House, picture via Twitter.
What We Expect to See from the March 8 Nintendo Direct
Nintendo has finally broken its silence and announced a new Direct for tomorrow, March 8 at 2pm PT/5pm ET. We're not exactly sure about what could show up during tomorrow's showing, but we can certainly jump on the hype train with our predictions.
We know for sure that the Direct will focus on both the Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo Switch, as well as a specific breakdown on the upcoming Mario Tennis Aces. So new footage and info on the upcoming Detective Pikachu for 3DS, Kirby Star Allies, and Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze are probably a sure thing for tomorrow's direct. Here's everything we hope to see tomorrow, as well as some things we aren't holding our breath for.
Alamo Drafthouse Video Store Will Offer Unlimited Free Rentals
Alamo Drafthouse is opening a video rental store later this year and it will offer unlimited free rentals.
Entertainment Weekly reports the store, called Video Vortex, is currently under construction and will open in Raleigh, North Carolina this year. It will offer over 75,000 movies to rent for free, which includes some of the best and worst movies ever made. Take a look at an artist's rendering of the store in the gallery below:
“This collection of over 75,000 titles includes the best, worst, and weirdest of cinema from dozens of countries across the globe, including hundreds of complete catalogs of film’s greatest auteurs,” Video Vortex’s Kat Shuchter told EW.
Finn’s Fate Was Never in Doubt in The Last Jedi
Spoilers ahead for Star Wars: The Last Jedi!
The biggest moment for John Boyega's character Finn in Star Wars: The Last Jedi was when he pilots his ski speeder on what amounts to a suicide run against the First Order's laser siege cannon on Crait. While Finn's would-be self-sacrifice was ultimately thwarted by Rose Tico, some fans have wondered if there was ever a version where Finn actually died.
According to Boyega himself, who I chatted with on the phone this week, there was no version of the film or the script he read where Finn actually died in the end.
Finn was ultimately saved by Kelly Marie Tran's character Rose Tico, who surprised her new friend with a quick kiss after saving his life. While Boyega was fine with discussing Finn not dying, he refused to speak about what his character's feelings are toward Rose.
Oculus Rifts Stop Working This Morning Around the Globe
Update: Oculus has confirmed Rifts around the world stopped working this morning due to an expired software certification. The company is currently working to resolve the issue. Below is Oculus' updated statement:
"Hey everyone - This is an issue with our software certification that we're still actively working on. For security, we use a certificate to ensure that the software you receive actually comes from Oculus. That certificate has expired, and we're looking at a few different ways to resolve the issue. We’ll update you with the latest info as available. We recommend you wait until we provide an official fix. Thanks for your patience.
Original story follows: