Fanboys Anonymous

Peter Capaldi's 12th Doctor design has hit the interwebs! The outfit will be worn by cosplayers almost immediately at conventions around the world. And, I must say, the Doctor has rarely looked more dapper!

"Who", you say? "Indeed", says I.

What are your expectations of the 12th Doctor?

How about your thoughts on the costume design? Will cosplayers everywhere approve?

If you're a frequent visitor to this site, you probably know the name Kevin Feige. If you have no idea who that is and this is your first time, welcome! Kevin Feige is President of Production at Marvel Studios, which means he's the guy with his fingers in all the pies, so to speak. He's had some creative input and has acted as producer on every Marvel movie since 2000's X-Men. He got the "President" title in 2007, just before Marvel started slow-cooking their big cinematic universe—to great effect and no little acclaim, one might add. This being Hollywood, it was only a matter of time before someone copied that idea.

Dance, puppets, dance!

The first out of the gate was Fox, which still retains rights to both the X-Men and Fantastic Four—a reboot of the Fantastic Four franchise is slated for a June 2015 release, helmed by Chronicle's Josh Trank. The X-Men franchise is going strong still, with The Wolverine released this past year, X-Men: Days of Future Past coming this May, and Age of Apocalypse in 2016. There was a rumor of a crossover movie in the offing, bridging the FF and X-Men franchises, though Fox has stated this is untrue. To oversee their superhero properties, Fox brought in celebrated (infamous?) comic writer Mark Millar, who has done comic work on both sets of characters. His role is supposed to be similar to Feige's: the man with the plan, who knows what's going on in his "universes," as these properties are increasingly referred to. The official press release states Millar will "serve as a creative consultant on the studio's upcoming projects based on Marvel Comics properties."

However, more recently, Fox also signed Simon Kinberg to a three-year first-look deal, with part of his mandate being to expand the X-Men and Fantastic Four brands like Marvel has, having additional related installments of films wrapped around the "core" franchise (e.g., the Thor franchise being supplemental to and an extension of the Avengers franchise). It's uncertain where this leaves Mark Millar, from whom we have heard little recently about Fox's Marvel properties. Possibly Fox just wants to hold on to Kinberg, who himself may just be happy to indulge an interest in the Marvel franchises while working with a big studio. Fox is likely just happy to have Kinberg, who has probably affected your geek life in recent years whether you know it or not. Starting as a screenwriter and producer, his first major success came with his script for 2005's Mr. and Mrs. Smith. From there he co-wrote X-Men: The Last Stand, and in addition to other work was the final credited writer on 2009's Sherlock Holmes. He produced X-Men: First Class, Elysium, has more in the pipeline (including work on Days of Future Past), and is one of the main writers on the new Star Wars trilogy. Dude's busy, and perhaps more importantly, has proven profitable.

He helped create Brangelina. That is true power.

Then there's Sony, which took the man-in-charge concept to an extreme. Sony only has one superhero property to call its own—luckily, that property is Spider-Man, one of the most popular heroes in the world and one of the most profitable franchises. This is a property they are going to want to tend and nurture very, very carefully, and it starts for them in forming a "brain trust" for the Spider-Man universe, consisting of Amazing Spider-Man director Marc Webb, ubiquitous blockbuster scribes Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (Transformers, Star Trek, etc.), Jeff Pinkner, Ed Solomon, and Drew Goddard. Currently, this team reports they are plotted out through to Amazing Spider-Man 4 and a couple of spin-offs, reported to be villain-centric movies focused on Spidey enemies Venom and the Sinister Six; and recall, if you will, that Amazing Spider-Man 2 has yet to hit theatres. The writing and directing jobs are split amongst the group; Goddard is supposedly in control of ASM4, the Sinister Six film, and Kurtzman is slated to direct the Venom spin-off. Spider-Man has a deep and rich story history peppered with memorable supporters and villains, and it sounds right now like Sony is willing to tap into all of it.

And finally, there's Warner Bros. WB isn't exactly bringing up the rear, but they've been less chatty than others about their adaptations, despite the high level of fan fervor and media interest surrounding their characters. While there's no one "officially" in charge of the Warner/DC superhero films, one name keeps popping up around them, and it's a name that WB recently signed (like Fox with Kinberg) to a three-year, first-look deal. David S. Goyer's career is an interesting one: as a writer, he's dropped bombs like Dark City, the Blade films and Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, as well as Man of Steel; as a director, his record is spottier, with four underperforming features under his belt. But word is he's got a hand in developing additional DC properties for Warner Bros., including lower-budget features to supplement the big superhero films. It's reported that Deathstroke, Team 7, Booster Gold, and Suicide Squad are all either in development or being considered for such (at least one of those properties is redundant, in this writer's opinion), and Goyer is the man working on all of them. NBC just ordered a pilot for a Constantine show that Goyer pitched, and would produce if the show gets picked up. There are even rumors of a Sandman movie in development, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt involved in some creative capacity (perhaps even as writer/director/star). Point being, if there's a DC-related property being considered for film adaptation, Goyer is likely part of it.

I'll take this moment to again plug my OWN preference for Morpheus. JGL is awesome, but… Cumberbatch.

I will point out, however, that when these properties make it to TV, the patterns shift. Kevin Feige is still involved with everything Marvel Studios creates, which extends to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the upcoming shows Marvel is producing with Netflix, leading to the Defenders event. When it comes to DC, there are a few cards on the table. Smallville was a big hit for DC and WB, and producers Miles Millar and Alfred Gough were set to produce an Aquaman spinoff similar to Smallville, featuring Arthur Curry's life and self-discovery rather than Clark Kent's. The character even appeared in Smallville to pave the way for the new series, but it failed to come together. Similarly, now Greg Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim have a hit with Arrow and will produce The Flash, spinning off of the character's introduction in the former. An outlier exists in the form of Fox's Gotham TV show, which has no ties to anything Warner Bros. is doing with DC's cinematic or television universes. There's no unifying force guiding the DC television properties, like Feige with Marvel Studios—which, so far, actually seems to be to DC's benefit. Smallville had a devoted fanbase while Arrow enjoys good ratings and reviews, so hopefully The Flash can continue the trend.

So, after all of that... how helpful is it to have "specialists" like these guys oversee the process of bringing these stories to screen? At first blush: sure it's helpful. At least, Marvel has proven their formula and everyone else sees the dollar signs, which means Hollywood has started replicating it; if the people making money are doing a thing, then we need to be doing that thing also. After Feige, and then Joss Whedon at Marvel, Mark Millar was installed at Fox, and Kinberg as potential replacement not long after; the announcement of Goyer's first-look deal with WB didn't explicitly state that he's in charge of the DC stories, but c'mon; and Sony's brain trust is the most recent. It's absolutely a trend at this point, and I wouldn't be surprised if sometime in the near future WB officially sets Goyer up as their "superhero guy." Keeping everything under one roof is certainly appealing, as it allows for greater control in world-building (more apt, perhaps, is brand-building), the greatest trick Marvel pulled in starting all of this. From a business standpoint, too, it's probably nice to have someone to point a finger at if the movies go south—simply replace him or her with someone more profitable, and start again. It hasn't happened yet, but wait for one of these movies to flop hard and see what happens.

The best part about this, though, which could also be the biggest detriment under the wrong circumstances, is the separation of powers created by the "man-in-charge" position. The position essentially creates another layer between the studio financing a film and the people making it—and ideally, this individual would be cognizant of both the business and creative needs of each film under his or her purview. They can assuage any studio worries while maintaining the creative freedom of the production team. These are people who understand the stories and how they can be made for and marketed to wider audiences. So far, these facts seem to hold true. Marvel had an advantage in that their properties had proven worth when Disney acquired them, so they apparently felt no need to reinvent the wheel. And to Warner Bros' credit, they basically left Goyer and the Nolans alone on their Dark Knight trilogy and on Man of Steel. But as these movies become increasingly common and their budgets grow larger, it's hard to imagine they won't be subject to a greater amount of oversight—and my understanding is that the power of the "man in charge" position is such that true creative differences could result if, say, Kevin Feige thinks it's a bad idea for Oliver Stone to portray Captain America committing war crimes in a third-world country.

Which it is, but come to think of it, we've actually kinda seen that already.

The cautionary tale to remember is Iron Man 2. The movie suffered from a few ills, but perhaps the biggest was the perceived hit Tony Stark's story took to accommodate some necessary world-building leading up to The Avengers. Movies that pay greater service to the collective franchise story are likely to leave solo stories in the lurch. Again, on the whole the single-hero franchises have stood on their own pretty well, but as these cinematic universes grow—as they must to survive and to keep bringing in money—it's going to be important for the grand schemers uniting these stories to remember that the characters make the team, not the other way around. Avengers should be exciting because we care about the heroes involved. The team-up is cooler when we know the players and can call the game. (Pay attention, Justice League.)

The long and short of it is, the superhero film genre is developing and innovating in fascinating ways. They're shaking things up and taking a few risks, and getting bolder every few films. And thanks to the people in charge, the managers of these cinematic universes, there is potential for real artistic merit accompanying the financial lures of these properties. These are business people who know that story matters, or artists that know they're also in business. It's a crucial and enviable position. It'll be interesting to see if or how the role evolves in the future, but right now this is what we have. What do you think might be next? Can you improve on this model? Think it's working? Comments. Make 'em. We'll read 'em.

Hey, Hey, Hey Dacetacular Nation! It is I, Chris "The Dace Man" Dace bringing you hot-off-the-press news! Announced by Rainmaker Entertainment with independent production company Blockade Entertainment, Sony's favorite raccoon Sly Cooper will be hitting the big screen in early 2016, joined by his gaming companions Bentley Turtle and Murray Hippo.

Although we only have a teaser and announcement, David Wohl, vice president of development and a producer on Sly Cooper, had this to offer about the upcoming video game to motion picture: "The film will stay true to the franchise, though it will not be a complete origin story. In the film, Sly and his buddies are already together, though they are far from being great at what they do."

Most notably the gang will make a transition from the world of 2D to the world of 3D. The producers of the franchise are working very closely with the original studios to stay true to the story. Going forward, the studio is taking the approach of trying to mix both original voice actors and outside actors to help freshen up the series. Although this will not serve as an origin story for Sly, it will show the gang in their early stages, far from the experts they are in the game. Below you can find the teaser trailer that was released today!

As always, check back regularly to see what Chris "The Dace Man" Dace is looking at (and no, not just porn), as well as all of the other bloggers here at Fanboys Anonymous. Until then, for the few, the proud, and of course the Dacetacular, grab a beer—and in this case your your thieving gear—and check out what's going on here in the Dace-Sphere. See ya next time!

It has been a long year of speculations and expectations regarding the upcoming  live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie. Fanboys and girls seemingly got over (quite quickly) the casting of "actor" Megan Fox as popular reporter April O'Neil as concerns turned to the design of the foursome themselves.

You were expecting more from Michael Bay?

Last week, a Halloween costume version of Michelangelo had fans fainting onto their keyboards. The design resembled something your aunt might draw if she had never heard of the comic book or movies and you asked her to "draw your version of a Turtle-Man."

"I'm here to kick ass...but I don't know how...."

In retrospect, it could have been worse…


Here for your viewing pleasure are the actual designs released online for our eyeballs to bug out to:




These images certainly inspire a lot more confidence when compared with the children's costume. Nostalgia may have us stuck to the perfectly rounded heads of the comics, cartoons, and previous films; this new design, however, goes slightly more realistic. I'm not a huge fan, according to my knee-jerk reaction, but I think this could not only look good to me in a month but also justify some rough-and-gritty action scenes in the story.

The Shredder design is sure to also create some conversations. This is a design poster and not a final product, so things may be scaled down slightly, but if this were a comic book, then he looks pretty bad-ass to me. However, if the new goal is function over form, then this design is a little overkill.



I can't wait to hear what you all think of these images. Do we like our turtles smooth and round like the cartoons or rough and gritty like this upcoming movie appears to offer?

Episode 59 of the I Got Gameplay radio show is now live! In this episode, hosts Michael Burhan, Travis Goss, Xander Skullion, Zack Latour, Kyla Dipietro, and Miguel Leon talk Silent Hill! From the game's immersive gameplay to its epic story, the gang discusses their own personal experience with the franchise and its future.

You can check out the episode by clicking on the following links:

Libsyn: http://smarkoutmoment.libsyn.com/rss

 iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/igotgameplay/id570120518

Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/nerdgenious/igotgameplay?amp;refid=stpr

You can subscribe to the podcast's YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/IGotGameplay
 

More Entertainment Podcasts at Blog Talk Radio with The RetroUnlim Network on BlogTalkRadio

You can join the discussion by going to our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/igotgameplay. Join the IGG army in style by purchasing an I Got Gameplay t-shirt from our store. To order yours, just click on the appropriate link below!

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The t-shirt comes in eight different colors and six different sizes, including Small, Medium, Large, XL, XXL, and 3XL. Shirts are £16.50 UK and $19.90 US. Grab yours today!

It seems that we can't get enough of AMC's Breaking Bad lately, even though the show has been over since the end of September 2013. It seemed unlikely in the beginning that a spinoff show would happen. After all, how many shows do you know that get spinoffs, and how many of them work out?

Okay, so there are a shitload of spinoffs, and many of them have been very successful. This is even better news for the makers of Better Call Saul, which is already greatly anticipated by fans of the late Walter White and his supporting characters.

Speaking of supporting characters, Better Call Saul has just picked up Jonathan Banks, aka fixer Mike Ehrmantraut, whom Walt murdered in season five. How did they do this?

"Easy, I melted my own face [and ears] onto somebody else's body!"

Well for those not yet in the mix, Better Call Saul is billed as a prequel to Breaking Bad, for which the one-hour pilot airs on AMC this coming November. So does that mean we might even meet Walt all over again in later seasons? You never can tell, although it was nice of Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul to express their interest in returning.

And of course, we'll be needing Bob Odenkirk

Back to our Banksy, who was part of the show since Season 2. It really did take a special kind of character to pull off Ehrmantraut, and the veteran actor, although not greatly known by name or appearance, has been making an impression since the mid-1970s. You just have to look at him a while and think, "where the hell do I know him from?"


Oh dear, Jonathan, better call an ambulance… and then Saul, if you don't die!

In fact, Banks made a name for himself in the 1980s after appearing in the classic Leslie Nielsen comedy Airplane! and the Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder riot Stir Crazy. He also appeared in other many family friendly films and shows such as Gremlins, Walker Texas Ranger, and… err… Linda's Film On Menstruation. Yes, there is a reason he now looks ancient!


Sound off, Fanboys! Are we excited? Take your time with that; you have until next winter, which we don't want to rush into before a few months of warm sunshine. By all means, stay posted, and we'll keep you up to date. Comments below and thanks for reading!

According to Metro, Steven Moffat—the writer of the British television series Doctor Who—announced on Radio Times that Matt Smith would be the thirteenth and final Doctor. "We’ll find out [in the Christmas special] that Matt Smith is actually the 13th Doctor. Although everyone knows that the Doctor can only regenerate 12 times," he said.

Based on news from Digital Spy, after the final Christmas special episode, Matt Smith said his farewell to Doctor Who fans via Twitter: "To the Whoniverse, thanks a million. You're the best. I'll miss you. And I'll miss the madness."

Now Moffat has changed the folklore of the Doctor Who series, and the series will continue with a fourteenth Doctor played by actor Peter Capaldi. In what will be the eighth season of the series, Peter Capaldi will play the quirky, lonely, yet people-loving Doctor Who.

In order to understand what's in store for Whovians, we need to learn more about Capaldi. Each Doctor has won our hearts with their unique characteristics; does Capaldi have what it takes to win our hearts as well?

Some may know Capaldi from his previous work in Dangerous Liaisons, with John Malkovich, Michelle Pfieffer, and Glenn Close, in which he played a side role as Azolan. In 2009 Capaldi played the "aggressive communications chief" Malcolm Tucker in the political comedy In the Loop, which received a 7.5 out of 10 from IMDB. Capaldi also played the same role (Malcolm Tucker) in the television series The Thick of It, which lasted for four seasons.

Finally, in 2013 Capaldi took roles in the zombie movie World War Z with Brad Pitt and The Fifth State. In World War Z, Capaldi had a small part as one of the World Health Organization doctors. In The Fifth Estate, the movie about Wikileaks with Benedict Cumberbatch as Julian Assange, Capaldi played the character Alan Rusbridger.

Aside from his roles in movies, Capaldi has had more roles in television series. According to the mini biography from IMDB, Capaldi's trade mark features are his "gravelly voice with a thick Scottish accent, thin frame" and "intense angry stare."

Along with these traits it seems that Capaldi will be a quite different doctor compared with the rest. Come to think of it, each of the actors who have played the Doctor so far have brought their unique characteristics and quirks to the role. It seems that it will be the same this time.

How do you think Capaldi will do as the new Doctor? Tell us what you think below.

You may also check out more about Capaldi's costume for the 12th doctor by reading Jeff Penner's article:

That's right, boys and girls, Chris "The Dace Man" Dace bringing you some more breaking news!! The legendary rock band Mötley Crüe is calling it quits. After thirty-odd years, Girls, Girls, Girls, and Dr. Feelgood, the band is hitting the road for one last tour consisting of seventy shows! Currently Alice Cooper is slated as the opening act for the Crüe. They are scheduled to appear on tonight's episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live to give the world more deets on why they're calling it quits. So stay tuned for more details and check back here on Fanboys Anonymous to learn more about the parting ways of one of the most successful bands in heavy metal history. Check out the tour dates below to catch Mötley Crüe one last time!!

As always, check back regularly to see what Chris "The Dace Man" Dace is looking at (and no, not just porn), as well as all of the other bloggers here at Fanboys Anonymous. Until then, for the few, the proud, and of course the Dacetacular, grab a beer—and in this case Don't Go Away Mad, (Just Go Away)—and check out what's going on here in the Dace-Sphere. See ya next time!

In 2001, Assemblyman Felix W. Ortiz (D-Brooklyn) passed the bill that banned the use of handheld cellphones while driving. Thirteen years later, he has introduced legislation that may expand to include the use of Google Glass, saying it's just as dangerous as a cellphone, his website released earlier this month.

Google Glass - Google.com

With invasion of privacy and potential illegal recording in movie theaters at the forefront of the device's legal concerns, state legislatures are now pushing for a statewide ban on the use of Google Glass while driving.

There are yet to be any laws set in place against the use of Glass while driving, although California resident Cecilia Abadie was ticketed last October for speeding and driving while using Google Glass, San Diego Union-Tribune reported.

Google Glass directions

"The recent case in California where a woman was ticketed for distracted driving because she was wearing Google Glasses while driving highlights the need for legislation to expressly prohibit the use of this extremely dangerous technology," Ortiz said on his website. "I will continue the fight to keep our highways safe as I have done for many years."

The amount of information Google Glass is able to convey has the potential to become a dangerous distraction for drivers.

A spokesman for Google told ABC News in October that users "should always use Glass responsibly and put their safety and the safety of others first."

Google Glass is not yet sold to the general public and is only available to a select few in the Google Explorer program. According to Google, the device can take pictures and video, give directions, translate your voice, answer questions, send a message, and provide information on flight times—all through the tiny screen above your right eye.

As far as safety goes while driving, Google Glass has a DriveSafe app that is intended to keep drivers awake, Buffalo News said. The app will project audible alerts if it senses that the driver is dozing behind the wheel.

Do you think the proposed legislation is fair? Let us know in the comment section below.

'Tis the season to be sick of winter already (tra-la-la-la-laaa)! However, Kevin Smith (creator of Jay and Silent Bob) creator would have to be different, though, wouldn't he?

And by his expression, you can tell it's not a Bruce Willis movie.

Smith recently blogged that he was currently pitching a Christmas movie for $2 million, but if you think this is going to be "just some other Christmas movie," you don't know Kevin Smith well enough. Titled Comes The Krampus, Smith and a handful of directors, including "Jay" himself (Jason Mewes), are actually making a festive Creepshow-styled horror film based on the ever-so-Christmassy European child-eating monster of myth/superstition.

What do you mean, who? This guy, duhhh!

Now, I've been no stranger to Smith adding horror elements to his work in the past…



…but I haven't been keeping up lately, so I didn't realize he's been immersing himself in the horror genre with the likes of Tusk and Helena Handbag. Well, whatever keeps him busy and far away from mainstream movies such as Cop Out, right?

I am, however, now keeping my eyes peeled, if for no other reason than just to make sure that this doesn't become just an adult version of some similar crap that I was forced to watch a few Christmases back.

Jim Carrey: hates violence in films, likes films that make people stupid.

Smith is hoping to start shooting after completing Clerks 3 in the spring. Just so you Fanboys (and Fangirls) who appreciate this news can have a little more clarity, the Fatman also had this to say on his blog (regarding the individual segments of Comes The Krampus):

Andy McElfresh will direct the “The Krampus vs. The 3rd Grade” episode (SO fucked up), Jason Mewes (yes – THAT Jason Mewes) will direct the “Hitler’s Krampus” episode (twisted period piece), I will direct the “Mask Maker” episode (the Gothic horror piece), Carol Banker will direct the “The Proposal” episode (which is fucking nuts), and Jennifer Schwalbach will direct “The Bad Babysitter” – which is the framing device that holds the whole mess together. Jordan Monsanto will produce for SModcast Pictures, and the twin SModCo cherries on the top of this scary sundae? I’m gonna force my Bro Scotty Mo(sier) to act in it and Babble-Meister RALPH GARMAN will feature in every episode!

 Sound off, fanboys! Are you looking forward to Christmas yet? Comments below and thanks for reading.

The first Assassin's Creed game was released in 2007. In the seven years since, Desmond Miles' adventures have become quite the franchise: comics, novels, and of course, the games themselves. The back story is so rich that it not only reveals partly fictionalized history through the eyes of more than one protagonist but also takes several installments of full-fledged "Triple A" games to tell.

With that said, it would be asinine of anyone to be surprised by the news of an upcoming film based on the series. Far from being actual "news," the word has been out for a little while that an Assassin's Creed film was going into production in a few moons' time. However, what is hyping up the subject now is the possible choice of director and starring actor. Michael Fassbender (Inglorious Basterds, X-Men: Days of Future Past) is almost certain to play the lead role and even co-produce but has yet to be officially confirmed. The same goes for Safe House director Daniel Espinosa, the most oft-spoken name to helm the tale of the assassins' fight against Templar greed. The only true apparent confirmations are producer Frank Marshall (The Last Airbender) and writers Michael Lesslie and Scott Frank (Minority Report, The Wolverine). It will be Ubisoft Motion Pictures' first release.

Michael Fassbender

Little else has been confirmed other than some leaks that the film is scheduled for release in summer 2015 and will begin filming in August this year. The story has not yet been set as to whether it will center around Desmond, Ezio, or a new assassin altogether. Ubisoft executives have alluded to the latter.

Will the film live up to the franchise? How will the movie adaptation appeal to those familiar with the stories within the games? There is more than enough Creed mythology to explore, so we needn't fear a pitiful game-to-film fiasco in the vein of Doom. I just hope I get to see sixteenth-century Italy. Onore agli assassini!

What's your take on the subject? Should we further romanticize the fall of the Borgias? Or have a political reprise of Kingdom of Heaven? Take a leap of faith and comment!

Making waves quite a lot lately is the ever-faithful comic book label Dark Horse. The latest news is no exception, at least to diehard fans of Avengers director Joss Whedon's cult classic television series Buffy: The Vampire Slayer!

"You have a little something on your... oh wait, it's your face!"

Actor Nicholas Brendon, best known for his portrayal of socially-awkward-teen-turned-guardian-against-all-things-evil Xander Harris, now 42 (I feel so old pointing that out), is reportedly chipping in for issues 3–5 of series 10, which is set for release this March 19th.

Brendon joins writer Christos Gage (The Authority: Prime, WildCats) and artist Rebekah Isaacs (Ms. Marvel, DV8) for the story arc, which finds Buffy and the gang seeking out Dracula himself for a chat over tea and crumpets...

"Everybody look away. Giles is doing his crumpets face again!"

I'm just kidding, I don't know anything about the intended story arc besides the fact that the issues will include a distinct change in the vampires of the Buffy-verse (or would that be the Whedon-verse?). However, I do know that the Buffy series, much like anything Dark Horse dedicates to the real thing, is awesome, just like Firefly was.

Wow, that just took me right back!

"Do NOT sing about the man they call Jayne, EVER AGAIN!!!"

"Nathan Fillion poke out Xander's eye. Make Xander sad..."

Sound off, Fanboys! On a sidenote, it's pretty damned exceptional that over ten years later, this series has gotten so far and is still going so strong. I'd like to read your brains if you've been keeping up on these, so comments below and thanks for staying with us!

Marvel's next heavy-hitter, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, can't smash its way onto the big screen soon enough for fans, but it's nice to see that they're confident enough not to need a new teaser or some freshly unfolded drama every week. For a movie so big, that's a good sign!

I wonder if it's because they're still singing, "WE GOT ROBERT REDFORD, WE GOT ROBERT REDFORD, SUCK IT WARNER BROTHERS!" or similar. I'd have liked that song in the pop charts. Those are some catchy lyrics, don't you think?

"I always wanted to shake hands with a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle!"

Last year was full of some surprising casting announcements. Redford dropped his pipe and slippers for a superhero movie, and Harrison Ford dropped his Wookie for Expendables 3. These are two particular old-school actors who can do no wrong. If you love Harrison Ford and you don't like The Expendables, you're still going to learn to love Expendables 3, or at least watch it three times just to make sure you still hate it.

It's safe to say that with Redford, Captain America: The Winter Soldier will not only be as epic and immensely smart as it would have been without him, but now it will be ten times more credible and competent on top of that. On top of that dead cert, it's very likely that Redford has just bumped up future sales at the box office and broadened the target audience.

For those who may have uttered things such as, or similar to, "Robert who?" or "Who's that old fogey?" or "Never heard of him," Robert Redford isn't just a national treasure when it comes to cinematic history; he's globally recognized as one of the greatest and most loved actors of the last century.

Many fans of cinema, regardless of time, can love Robert De Niro, Jack Nicholson, and Al Pacino. I don't know anybody who doesn't. But before their time were actors like Redford, Dustin Hoffman, and Paul Newman—a class of actors who have seemingly not been able to do wrong by their audiences since the 1960s.

"Ha! You're an amateur next to me. From now on, your name is Samateur!"

I've no doubt that the cast of this movie will have a lot to learn from the wrinkly acting master and that he'll lend it a hell of a lot of anchorage in the stormy seas of such high anticipation. Recently he spoke of his desire to work on Captain America, saying:

"One of the reasons that I did it was I wanted to experience this new form of filmmaking that's taken over where you have kind of cartoon characters brought to life through high technology. The Avengers series is a product of high technology playing a major role in the new order of filmmaking, so I wanted to experience that. I just wanted to know what that was like, and I had that opportunity, so for me it was like stepping into new terrain just to experience what it was like!"

That sounds ever so slightly like the story about Samuel L. Jackson sneaking onto the set of Breaking Bad, trying to get himself a cameo while dressed as Nick Fury, only with a happier ending. It's also, otherwise, very true in regard to how much cinema has changed lately. Folks like Redford relied on gripping drama to captivate their audiences before technology revolutionized cinema. So, if anything, this just backs up my theory as to why Captain America: The Winter Soldier is going to be massive.


Sound off, Fanboys! Do you need to be any more excited? Do you need any more assurance that this sequel is going to make the wait for Avengers: Age of Ultron so very much worth it? Thank you for reading, once again, and feel free to leave your comments below.

Playstation Vita's new OlliOlli by Roll7 is an oddity that takes the *very* familiar combo-skating genre and turns it on its head—both in concept and control. OlliOlli abandons the verticality of most mainstream skating games in favor of hops, grinds, and traversal. The unique control scheme takes some getting used to, but once it clicks, the deceptively deep combo system will become your playground, allowing for some truly ludicrous scores. In spite of a few confusing mechanics, OlliOlli is the best skating game in years, and a must-own for the Playstation Vita.

OlliOlli has a noticeably minimalist control scheme, using only one (!) of the Vita's face buttons—push X to gain speed, AKA kick. The game scrolls left-to-right, so there is no need to steer. Instead, the left stick is used to initiate jumps, tricks, and grinds. Holding the stick in any direction will make your skater crouch and prepare. Flick the stick in a different direction, and he'll jump and perform a trick, depending on the directional input. You can also hold L or R in midair to spin in either direction. Finally, you have to stick the landing by pushing X just as you hit the ground.

While this all sounds simple on paper (the game has all of 3 controls!), playing feels foreign at first. I found myself slipping into old habits and trying to use X to jump, and all-too-frequently I forgot to stick my landing, resulting in a faceplant inches from the finish line. OlliOlli's learning curve is steep—you have to unlearn any skating game you've ever played, because there's nothing quite like this. It wasn't until I spent about 2 hours with OlliOlli that things finally started to make sense and I had a glorious "aha!" moment—I actually said it out loud.

Once you "get" OlliOlli, you *really* get it—and it feels great. Chaining tricks and grinds endlessly is immensely satisfying, and the game encourages you to push the line between playing it safe and going for just one more trick before landing. OlliOlli is at its best on levels full of jumps and rails, allowing completion of the stage in one death-defying combo. Flicking the control stick, while awkward at first, is a natural gaming parallel to the finesse required to perform a kickflip, and really helps to pull you in.

Collectibles on one of the Junkyard stages.

Unfortunately, not all of the stages evoke such satisfaction. The Base in particular is rather sparse in terms of trickable terrain, and instead requires you to hop over unskateable snow just to make it to the finish. On these levels, the lack of any sort of ground tricks (manuals, etc.) was unpleasantly apparent. I have finished every stage, but I only want to return to half of them in the Spots score attack mode. The tricks and combos feel so good—I wish there were more stages with a focus on amassing a bazillion points instead of on making it to the end.

OlliOlli looks good. The backgrounds are pretty enough, and each of the five locations is unique in both look and level design. There is no shortage of terrain and set pieces; you may find yourself grinding a military tank one moment and a giant model dinosaur the next, but the animations are the star of the show. Each trick has been recreated with pixel graphics, and each one looks fantastic.  The wipeout animations are even better than the tricks. When you fall—and fall you will—you will be treated to a comically brutal crash that will have you wincing every time.

Big air.

Perfectly suited to a handheld platform, OlliOlli's replay value is best experienced in bite-sized pieces. While Spots mode is fun and is essentially a score attack, the real attraction here is the Daily Grind. Every day a stage is chosen and available to attempt for 24 hours. Practice as many times as you like, but you only get one (!) shot at a run to post your score. Go as big as you can, but if you mess up, you're out of luck until tomorrow. Practicing and attempting the Daily Grind and trying to top the leaderboards has become a part of my morning routine, and I can't get enough of it.


OlliOlli's unorthodox-but-effective control scheme shows that it's never too late to reinvent the wheel. While certain traversal-focused stages are frustrating and feel out of place, they are eclipsed by the exhilaration of chaining flips, grinds, and spins into an impossible combo that makes a mockery of the laws of physics. If you own a Vita, don't miss OlliOlli.

I am accepting all challengers! Lay down the gauntlet in the comments below, and prepare yourselves for a proper thrashing.

JLA: Trapped in Time is a direct-to-DVD release that came out this week to absolutely no fanfare and no huge marketing strategy. It seems DC and Warner Bros. think Beyonce was on to something when she stealthily released a new album without announcing it. This new DC heroes release also came as a surprise to most fanboys and girls when it hit shelves as a Target exclusive. This new "JLA"-labelled series is a soft reboot of DC's old Super Friends franchise (and it's obvious from the first few seconds of the opening credits, as the heroes and villains zoom towards each other in classic fashion).

Justice League "Limited" vs. "The Select Members" of Doom.

The story is directed by Green Lantern: The Animated Series guru Giancarlo Volpe, who was asked to offer a more kid-friendly adventure for our heroes. The most recent DC offering, Justice League: War, features 80% action violence as well as a shot of Cyborg dropping an "S-Bomb" in a moment of panic. The films were getting "grittier," as Volpe puts it, and his original fear when asked to do this story was making it too kid-friendly. It was described that they wanted something much closer to his work on GL:TAS, which gave him relief and brings us a story of time travel and paradoxes.

And this is where the movie surprised me the most. In a film clearly put out there as a reaction to these more and more adult-oriented movies DC has been releasing, JLA: Trapped in Time starts with 20-30 punches to the face. Literally. If you watch the old Super Friends cartoons—which, again, this is a soft reboot of—one thing you will never see is any character punching any other character in the face. You're more likely to see Batman throw a batarang at a bucket, have that bucket scare a bird, then have that bird's flapping wing distract a villain to walk onto some marbles, making him fall onto his bum… defeated.

The movie opens with the above-mentioned credit sequence showing the heroes and villains racing towards each other, telling any veteran animation fan in no fewer words, "This is Super Friends 2014!!" The opening of the story jumps right in, with the Legion of Doom at the north or south pole accelerating glacial growth via some fancy satellites built by Captain Cold. Why the villains would want to be standing at ground zero at the beginning of their planet-altering plan is anyone's guess. In any case, the JLA appear, skip any chance at diplomacy—which they often attempted first in the Justice League and Justice League Unlimited cartoons, setting a positive example—and immediately begin punching faces. However, they do throw in a few classic Super Friends tropes. Superman vocalizes he could stop the villain "… if I could just reach him," and the opening sequence features the classic, "It's our only chance." These classic lines of dialogue always let the viewers know exactly how high the stakes were when the animation couldn't do it justice (pun intended).

The story of time travel takes me by surprise, especially if this is geared towards a younger audience. The main plot depends on the space-time continuum's hatred of paradoxes and its self-repair. It's hard for intelligent adults to get their heads around these stories, let alone a 5- to 7-year-old kid. Super Friends dealt with time travel in a much simpler way; The Flash would spin really fast while Superman shot him with his heat vision and they would all instantly go back in time and meet George Washington. Simple.

"Can't I just spin the planet and fix everything?"

The story focuses on Karate Kid and Dawnstar from the Legion of Superheroes in the 31st century. The two accidentally set this adventure off when they allow modern-day Lex Luthor to get control of a omnipotent being called the Time Trapper (a recurring Legion villain). The two are played as the aspiring heroes, wanting to be accepted into Legion but not quite making the cut. The rest of the movie plays out as their chance to prove themselves.

Admittedly, some of the character choices are strong, albeit poorly chosen at times.

Superman barks orders. It's nice to see a strong, confident Man of Steel taking the lead and having his orders followed immediately. So many Superman stories use his self-doubt as a crutch; that is simply not the case here at all. However, if I were a kid and this was my first introduction to Superman, I definitely see his powers but I don't see any of his heart.

Batman (voiced by Diedrich Bader again, as he was on Batman: the Brave and the Bold) is way too overprotective of his sidekick Robin, treating him almost like a stray dog that he is stuck transporting across the country back to his real owners. He introduces us to their partnership by telling the Boy Wonder to "Stay put and don't touch anything."

Robin, the Boy Wonder reacts negatively towards Batman, his mentor and father figure. I personally have always loved the character of Robin and his aspiring to be as good as Batman himself. This version, however, carries a chip on his shoulder with an "I'll show you" attitude that he carries throughout the episode. The intention of the original sidekick, if we check our history books, was to inspire the young readers of these stories to aspire to greatness through inspiration, respect, and valour. This version seems to emote that grown-ups are stupid and anything they can do, we can do better. There is a good fight scene for Robin, though, as he holds his own against Karate Kid and Dawnstar (when he assumes they are intruders in the Hall of Justice).

Everybody on screen got a cape? Ok, good. Let's do this.

The Flash in this story mimics the Wally West version of the Animated Series genre; the more he runs, the more he eats. Always a fun character to watch, as he jokes when he can but when the chips are down, he shows us his stuff. In this story, after slamming down a plate of burgers fit for Jughead Jones-level stomach capacity, "Wally" (I'm assuming) single-handedly stops a volcano from destroying a city.

Green Lantern is not in this story, for reasons I don't fully understand but haven't cared enough, honestly, to look into.

Wonder Woman is presented as she always is now, ignorant but warrior-born and ready to fight.

Cyborg is still being pushed on us by DC, and here is he used as a souped-up Inspector Gadget, always having just what is needed at the time. Luckily, this version comes with no chips on his shoulders or bad attitudes, so I actually liked him.

Aquaman is absolutely useless in this movie. While I'm usually a big supporter of his, I can't help but notice that he managed to save just a single boat during the story's ultimate crisis. However, it was labelled—and designed after—the Starship Yamato, so it was a welcome addition. I was waiting for them to fire up the wave motion cannon and save the day!

Overall, the movie was very epic by the end of the story, though I found it focused very highly on Karate Kid and Dawnstar for a DVD cover featuring Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman so prominently. I would be open to seeing more in the series, as I think it would be nice to highlight other characters. (Give Aquaman something, please.)

So, did any of you run out and pick this up like I did? What are your thoughts on it being a soft reboot of Super Friends? How did they do?

Anyone into RPG games should check out the new game from Warhorse Studios, a small company established by game developers with 10+ years of experience in big game companies such as Crytek. The game, Kingdom Come: Deliverance, is described on Kickstarter to be:

"A first-person, open world realistic RPG that will take you into Medieval Europe in a time of great upheaval and strife. A humble young blacksmith loses everything to war. As he tries to fulfill the dying wish of his father, Fate drags him into the thick of a conspiracy to save a kidnapped king and stop a bloody conflict. You will wander the world, fighting as a knight, lurking in the shadows as a rogue, or using the bard’s charm to persuade people to your cause."

Not only will the game be played on PC, Mac, and Linux, but, it will also be available on the console systems Xbox One and PS4. The game is expected to be released in 2015, but it may be pushed back to 2016. Gameplay is approximately 30 hours for Act 1 and 70+ hours for all three Acts.

The thing that makes this game different from all the other RPG games is that it won't have any wizards, dragons, monsters, or magic. The game will be based on realistic people, events, and places. The office of Warhorse Studios is located in the Czech Republic. This has been a major influence on the location and setting of the game. The abundant castles in Prague and other Western European cities have been used as models for the castles in the game.

As listed on the Kickstarter page, some of the features you will find in the game are:

"A non-linear story; a revolutionary combat system; improving your character; large realistic, medieval-themed open world landscape; take charge in enormous, open-field battles and sieges; explore the Middle Ages; ride horseback; build relationships with other characters and create your own weapons."   

The graphics of the game and the gameplay seem really great. But one major problem the company experienced was with publishers. When they approached big companies, they were told that the game would not really make it because it did not have any dragons, wizards, or monsters, and was only first-person view.

Vávra (the person in the video below and the head of the studio) has said that the point of Kingdom Come: Deliverance is not merely entertainment. The company strives to maintain quality and uniqueness for the game. As noted on Kingdom Come: Deliverance's Wikipedia page, Vávra had this to say about the size of the game world:

"Our aim is not to have the amount of quantity but rather quality." 

To see more in-game footage, you may visit IGN's page or Kickstarter's page for Kingdom Come: Deliverance. Or you may click here for a direct link to the Kingdom Come: Deliverance video; don't forget to watch it in fullscreen!

What are your opinions about the game, Fanboys and Fangirls? Would you play this game?