Monthly Archives: December 2019
PS5 and Xbox Series X GPU and Memory Specs Leak, Report Says
New information on the alleged specs, including GPU (or ‘graphics card’) and memory, for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X next-gen consoles has reportedly leaked, offering us possible, albeit unofficial, better look at these two new consoles.
According to a lengthy report from Digital Foundry, as published by Eurogamer, the PS5 will reportedly feature a 9.2 teraflop GPU. Compare that to the PS4, which featured a theoretical max of 1.84 teraflops. The PS5 will also reportedly feature GDDR6 memory, which is identical to AMD’s RX 5700 series Navi cards, if you want to compare it to the world of PC gaming.
Avengers and Fantastic Four Team Up Against the Kree and Skrulls
The next massive event from Marvel Comics will be Empyre, where the Avengers and Fantastic Four work together to stop the Kree and the Skrulls.
In Marvel's Incoming! #1, a one-off comic released on December 26, the Kree and Skrulls unite under a new leader and are heading for Earth. The story will continue in April when Empyre is released.
In a video published on Marvel's social media pages, Marvel Executive Editor Tom Brevoort promises that Empyre is the ultimate continuation of countless Marvel sagas.
"Empyre grows out of a number of classic, key Marvel stories, including the pre-Skrull war, the Celestial Madonna saga, the origin of the Young Avengers and a bunch of others," Brevoort said. "It is the touchpoint for so many things that have been established throughout Marvel history."
Top 10 Box Office Hits of 2019
As we head out of the year (and decade), here are Top 10 box office hits for 2019 (as of Dec. 30).
From Avengers: Endgame to Frozen 2 to The Lion King, this was a landmark year for Disney. Joker helped break up Disney's chances at full monopoly, though Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker still managed to sneak in at the eleventh hour.
Top 10 Domestic Box Office of 2019
Here's a look at the Top 10 Domestic Box Office earners...
- 1. Avengers: Endgame $858,373,000
- 2. The Lion King $543,638,043
Scientists Report Lead is Actually Stronger Than Steel
Steel is regarded as one of the strongest metal alloys, used in everything from buildings to vehicles to machines, and more. But, a new report shows another common alloy may be stronger than steel, given the right conditions.
According to a report by Science News, Scientists have discovered a way to modify lead's physical properties by exposing it to 160 high-powered lasers. These lasers were able to rapidly compress the lead sample, exposing it to pressures similar to what's found within the Earth's core, and making it stronger in the process.
The tests were performed at the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California. Amazingly, during this process, the lead became 250 times stronger than before it was exposed to an enormous amount of pressure. This extremely dense lead was also rated as being roughly ten times stronger than high-strength steel.
Predicting the Top 20 Movies at the 2020 Box Office
The dawning of a new year also brings with it the dawning of a new decade, and compared to recent years at the box office, 2020 will have more variety. 2020 will be the first year in five years where there will be no new Star Wars movie; even Marvel Studios is paring back, releasing just (*gasp*) TWO movies this year instead of its typical three-film annual roll out. Plus, for the first time since Marvel Phase One, neither of those movies will be sequels, though one brings back a familiar character (Black Widow, May 1) and the other introduces a new group of heroes (The Eternals, November 1).
Since 2012, the No. 1 movie at the domestic box office has either been a Marvel movie or a Star Wars movie, but that may change in 2020. With no Star Wars movies and two non-Avenger Marvel movies, that could open things up for a new box office champ in 2020, maybe even a movie that doesn’t come from (gasp) Disney. Who could take over as the new box office champ? There are several viable possibilities.
Star Wars: Why There Won’t Be a 10th Skywalker Saga Movie
With Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker wrapping up a forty year saga, while also bringing back Emperor Palpatine and concluding the story of Rey and Kylo Ren, one could easily see there being two movies' worth of material available. But two films wasn't the way to go as the Sequel Trilogy was meant be just that: A trilogy
"George always said it was nine movies," Rise co-writer Chris Terrio said in a recent interview with AwardsDaily. "That was the natural size of the saga, and so, other than a few initial discussions, we never really advanced that conversation."
Every Plot Thread the MCU Abandoned
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a rich landscape of complex, interconnected mythologies, rightly lauded for its consistency and cohesion. But even the best-constructed, most painstakingly curated tapestry on screen can’t neatly tie off every loose plot thread.
Sometimes planned storylines have to be discarded because of practical concerns – Spider-man very nearly suddenly ceased to exist not that long ago, remember, which would've led to a lot of abandoned plotlines.
The Witcher Showrunner Reveals Original Draft of Final Season 1 Scene
Netflix's The Witcher, which fast became one of the United States' most in-demand streaming series, has been the subject of friendly online debate over the past week as fans of the original short stories by Andrzej Sapkowski have been commenting on changes made to the show, while showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich has been engaging with them and explaining her creative process (a lot of which as to do with needing to introduce Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri at the same time – in the same season).
Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness Will Debut New Marvel Characters
One of the most anticipated films in the MCU's Phase 4 is Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. which is due out May 7, 2021.
Disney+ shows Loki and WandaVision will both directly tie into the Doctor Strange film, and now Marvel's Chief Creative Officer Kevin Feige has said, while talking to the New York Film Academy, that it will also mark the debut of several new MCU players.
Star Wars: Palpatine’s Return Was Apparently Kathleen Kennedy’s Idea
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, which is currently pushing toward a $700 million global haul, brought back Skywalker Saga villain Emperor Palpatine for the story's endgame, pitting him and his Final Order Fleet against Rey and the Resistance.
Though Colin Trevorrow, who was originally tapped to helm Episode IX, had credited J.J. Abrams with having the idea to bring the Emperor back for the conclusion, a new AwardsDaily interview with Rise of Skywalker co-writer Chris Terrio seems to shift the narrative a bit.