Monthly Archives: September 2015
Ranking Halloween Horror Nights’ Mazes, Including Walking Dead and AVP
Universal Studios Hollywood kicked off its 2015 Halloween Horror Nights extravaganza on Friday, Sept. 18, and the solid lineup of movie- and TV-inspired horror mazes did not disappoint. Even the weakest of the seven experiences were a lot of fun, and there was a nice mix of tonally lighter mazes with some that were unforgiving about the scares they laid on attendees.
From a recreation of The Walking Dead Season 5 to The Purge taking over the Studio Tour, there were plenty of opportunities for people to walk away terrified. I hit the opening night of HHN in Hollywood to figure out which were the best mazes for horror fans, and which were the surprising misses.
While not all mazes have to be based on a previously established horror project to be great, Crimson Peak was at a disadvantage because it seemed to rely on knowledge of a movie that hasn't been released yet. There were some creepy moments in the maze, but the Guillermo Del Toro-endorsed experience was surprisingly lacking in any major scares. Maybe the issue was that Universal Hollywood was trying to protect attendees from spoilers for the movie which comes out on October 16th, but it did feel like a lot of the maze's big moments would have landed a lot better had anyone had any perspective when experiencing them.
IGN Readers’ Top 25 Sci-Fi Movie Heroes
We all love our sci-fi movies, and there’s lots of reasons why we adore them so: the classic stories, the awesome visual effects, the mind-bending concepts, and of course, the great characters. Especially the heroes -- some of the greatest movie protagonists ever come from the world of sci-fi.
Which brings us to our Sci-Fi Movie Heroes Face-Off, which we ran last week, pitting over 200 such characters against each other in battle. Only by voting could you, the IGN reader, determine who would reign supreme in this Face-Off. And now, as promised, we have compiled the top 25 heroes as picked by you guys, and we’ve written a bit about what makes them great as well. Read on for your choices… and then let’s discuss in the comments!
Tom Payne Cast as Jesus in The Walking Dead
AMC has cast Tom Payne to play Paul Monroe (aka Jesus) in the television adaptation of Robert Kirkman's popular zombie series The Walking Dead. Payne, best known for his role as Leon Micheaux in the HBO series Luck, will serve as a recurring character in Season 6. According to THR's reveal, the character may even stick around for the show's inevitable seventh season.
Payne as Leon Micheaux in Luck
This DC Supernatural Hero Gets a Radical Overhaul
Warning: this article contains spoilers for Gotham By Midnight #9, which is available digitally and in stores today.
The newest issue of Gotham By Midnight delivered some huge changes to the origin of The Spectre, one of DC's oldest superhero characters. This issue revealed that, rather than being an instrument of divine justice as always believed, the Spectre is actually just carrying out the whims of his host, Detective Jim Corrigan.
The Walking Dead Tops Itself in Season 6, Says Danai Gurira
Danai Gurira is offering fans a chance to win a trip to the New York City premiere of The Walking Dead Season 6 and visit some of the series' prior Atlanta sets, if they're willing to donate for a good cause. She put together the prize package for her Ultimate The Walking Dead Fan Experience fundraiser as a way to raise money and awareness for her charity, Almasi Arts Alliance.
The Zimbabwean-American actress, who plays Michonne on The Walking Dead, co-founded the organization in late 2011 to enable African dramatic artists, specifically in Zimbabwe, to have the resources and opportunities to find success. This involves bringing American directors and people involved in the entertainment industry to Zimbabwe to work with and educate the writers, directors and actors there, as well as bringing African candidates to the United States so they can be educated in their fields and receive professional opportunities.
iPhone 6S Shipments in NYC Potentially Delayed by Pope
New York City residents hoping to get their iPhone 6S/6S Plus this Friday may be disappointed to hear they'll have to wait a couple more days.
Ahead of Pope Francis' visit to NYC this weekend, Apple has started sending emails to those that pre-ordered the new phones, informing them that certain "traffic restrictions" are expected to cause a delay in shipments and deliveries.
Gawker writer Sam Biddle shared the email earlier today, which notes that Saturday deliveries will be made in most locations, just in case things do go poorly this Friday. According to MacRumors, however, delivery companies like UPS and FedEx are planning to shut down deliveries completely, and package pick ups will also be unavailable on certain days in both NYC and Philadelphia (where the Pope is also visiting).
Is Vin Diesel Stalling Furious 8’s Director Hunt?
Behind the scenes drama on The Fast and The Furious 8 is reportedly plaguing the sequel's search for a director, with a new report laying a good deal of the blame at star-producer Vin Diesel's doorstep.
Despite its storied and tragic production, Furious 7 ended up being a huge blockbuster for Universal Pictures; it's currently the fifth highest-grossing film of all time with $1.5 billion in worldwide ticket sales. And yet despite that success, Universal couldn't convince Furious 7 director James Wan to return for the eighth installment.
Meet the Man with 203 Simpsons Tattoos
Australian Michael Baxter has set a world record for "most tattoos of characters from a single animated series."
Guinness World Records states that Baxter has 203 tattoos from The Simpsons on his back. That ink includes all of the major characters from the FOX TV series — such as Homer, Baxter's favorite member of the family — and a few locations from Springfield, like Moe's Tavern.
Video Game Voice Actors Could Be Going on Strike
Members of the SAG-AFTRA acting union are debating a strike to bring about a resolution to some negotiations made between themselves and several large video game publishers.
Among the biggest demands of the union is a change for how voice actors are paid, which introduces the concept of a "backend bonus." This bonus, which is becoming more popular in the realm of film acting, initially charges less for voice acting fees up front, but would eventually pay out a performance bonus to the actors after meeting certain milestones post-release.
I love voice acting in video games, but our employers don't seem to think #PerformanceMatters, so I voted YES to strike. #iamonboard2015
September’s Best PSN Deals
Every week dozens of PS4, PS3 and Vita games go on sale in the PlayStation Store, and it's hard to keep up with all the best deals before they disappear. We've sifted through the noise and highlighted those select few that might be worth your attention.
This time around it surprisingly became all about Assassin's Creed, as the entire franchise is on sale!
Note: The prices and deals compiled below are accurate at the time we published this story, but all are subject to change.
