Fanboys Anonymous

X-Men: Days of Future Past - Directed by Bryan Singer. Written by Simon Kinberg, Jane Goldman, and Matthew Vaughn. Starring Hugh Jackman (Wolverine), James McAvoy (Charles Xavier), Michael Fassbender (Magneto), Jennifer Lawrence (Mystique), Nicholas Hoult (Beast), Peter Dinklage (Bolivar Trask), Halle Berry (Storm), Ellen Page (Shadowcat), Shawn Ashmore (Iceman), Evan Peters (Quicksilver), Ian McKellen (Future Magneto) and Patrick Stewart (Future Professor Xavier).

X-Men: Days of Future Past is a rare instance where the film is not only a prequel, but it is a sequel to a prequel, as well as a sequel to the sequels to that prequel which simultaneously gives you a look at its OWN sequel. Now that your brain has exploded, we can continue by merely referring to it the way it has been advertised—an "inbetweenquel".

This is a film that deals with time travel in a way that doesn't just service as a foundation for the film—it also erases the events that happened in the atrocious X-Men: The Last Stand as well as X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Yes, those movies were so terrible that another movie was made almost entirely to tell the audience "we're sorry".

So how did this film turn out? Was it as disappointing as those movies or did it follow the trend with The Wolverine in healing the franchise?

It's time for another REVIEWPOINT as we break down the film's hits and misses.


As always, let's start with the bad news first.


1. SENTINELS...TO AN EXTENT

Even though I had seen pictures and clips ahead of time and knew full well what I was getting into with this movie, I was still a little disappointed in the Sentinels. Don't get me wrong—they're not bad. In fact, they're almost good. But there are some things that just bother me about them in a way that I can't see placing them in the Hit column.

For one thing, they're not big enough. I wouldn't want them to be painted just like the ones from the comics and look ridiculous, but I would like them to have the same size. It would have been cool to see at least one huge Sentinel in the future, at the very least. Instead, they're just ripoffs of the Destroyer in Thor, right down to the shifting metal faces that shoot out orange energy.

2. DR. BOLIVAR TRASK

This is going to come out in a way that is much more demeaning than it is supposed to be, but it should be said: Peter Dinklage's height was a problem. I actually have no problem at all with them casting Dinklage and I think he did a perfectly fine job in the role as far as getting down the character and being a believable entity in the movie. However, there were multiple times when he was shown on screen where I was hearing laughter from the audience. They were merely laughing at the fact that he's a little person and not at anything inherently funny going on in the movie. Sure, they laughed at the jokes that were in front of them as well, but they also laughed at a scene where Trask was just walking. The character isn't a funny one that is played up for laughs, and this casting decision ended up taking some people out of the movie for a moment just because of the way he looked, which is a shame. Credit goes out to Dinklage for pulling the role off and in a way where I'd love to see him return for the next film, but I still think this is a bit of a Miss. I didn't feel as though Dinklage brought so much extra to the role that his casting was imperative and the filmmakers could have avoided some snickering viewers by putting someone else in that spot instead. I would assume there was an implication of the idea that his dwarfism is a mutation in everyday life, which would help inspire the character, but that point was never addressed to cater to the lesser folk in the audience.

3. QUICKSILVER'S OUTFIT

The guy just looked like such a douche.

4. I WANT TO KNOW JFK'S POWER

The idea that Magneto was responsible for killing JFK was cool enough in my mind and I was ecstatic when I heard that. Changing it up to be the opposite, with Magneto trying to save him because he was a mutant, but then that is it—no further details. Come on, man! (Note: This is not a negative in the sense that I think it hurts the film. This is just me suffering exactly as they intended for me to suffer, because they wanted me to want to know more and that's exactly what is happening.)


1. CONTINUITY HAS CHANGED

This is a big one, if not THE biggest Hit in the movie. Following X2: X-Men United, the series took a dark turn and became incredibly disappointing—and that's being nice. We sat through such garbage as Deadpool with his mouth sewn shut, countless murders of characters due to scheduling conflicts, weak casting decisions (I'm looking at you, Taylor Kitsch as Gambit) and some pseudo-Emma Frost character who was somehow related to Silverfox. This has all been wiped clean from existence due to this movie and we can move on. Hopefully, as we forget that those two films ever existed, the filmmakers will not forget the lessons that they learned through making them.

2. THE 70s WERE NOT OVERPLAYED

It wasn't until afterward, when discussing the film with my fellow Fanboy Sam, that I noticed there was not one instance of the word "groovy". The time period was spoken of and shown through the set design, costumes, and technology, but it was not beaten into our brains. Nothing was over-the-top about it. People weren't doing stupid disco dancing in the streets for a cheap laugh or anything of the sort.

3. MUSIC

I've always loved the main theme from X-Men: The Animated Series and when they basically came as close as possible to replicated that for X2: X-Men United, it made me very happy. To see that abandoned in The Last Stand was disappointing. With this film, they brought it back, which made me very happy once more. I still would like to see them go full blast and just do the actual animated series theme, but I'll settle for the knockoff.

4. HUMOR

Too many comic book movies think that the number of laughs translates to how good the movie is and how much money will be made. Often, that leads down the disastrous route of being too funny for its own sake—particularly if the humor is stupid and lazy. For this film, if I'm remembering correctly, I laughed every time I was supposed to and not at anything that was unintentionally funny (such as Bolivar Trask, as mentioned above). In particular, a joke that I was very fond of was Wolverine's surprise that he did not set off the metal detector. Everyone in the audience cracked up at that one and I could hear one woman asking the person next to her to explain why she didn't get the joke. Quicksilver's shining moment was a funny scene that everyone seemed to enjoy as well.

5. CAMEOS

If you have read my reviews in the past, you know that I'm a big fan of cameos in superhero flicks. This movie was chock full of them to the point where I felt very, very satisfied. Little ones like the reference to Quicksilver's biological connection to Magneto were cool and much appreciated, but that final scene...THAT FINAL SCENE! That was fantastic, seeing all of those characters back and in a way that felt like the happiest ending imaginable. I'll admit that I came closer to choking up during that scene than anything that was supposed to be sad in any of the previous films.

It wouldn't have felt as powerful of a resolution without the likes of the core team. Also, the allusion that Kitty and Colossus are dating rather than her being with Bobby? Awesome. Rogue having her powers back? Awesome. But the key to the whole thing was the interaction with Jean Grey and Cyclops. Even though they've always fought in the past over her, I've always liked seeing Scott and Logan still have respect for each other. So good!

I'm still waiting on Avalanche to appear at some point in one of these movies, along with the use of Mr. Sinister and Henry Peter Gyrich as villains, but the way that this film handled the use of characters makes me confident that they will come in time.


Absolutely. This obviously is going to be a movie that you will enjoy significantly more if you have been a fan of the X-Men comic book characters and the previous films. That being said, I would expect casual moviegoers to enjoy it as well. It was a fun ride and entertaining all throughout. Similar to Captain America: The Winter Soldier and The Amazing Spider-Man 2, I got the feeling that I was watching a live action adaptation of a graphic novel come to life because that is exactly what they set out to do.

Grab your blue-and-red glasses and your favorite log. It's time for some damn fine (and hot) coffee and a whole lot of cherry pie. Might want to brew up a second pot o' joe while you're at it. Just make sure there isn't a fish in the percolator!

That's right, Twin Peaks fans, the much desired and demanded "lost scenes" are coming, along with a Blu-ray set that will make you start talking backwards. Entertainment Weekly has reported that the set will be released on July 29, 2014 and will truly be "filled with secrets":

"[E]very episode from the complete television series; both the U.S. and international versions of the series' Pilot; the North American Blu-ray debut of David Lynch's follow-up feature Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me; and nearly 90 minutes of deleted and extended scenes from the film. The set also features newly transferred Log Lady introductions for each episode; picture upgrades to many shots in the TV series; a new featurette with series creator Lynch and the actors who portrayed the Palmer family which includes a mesmerizing return to the lives of their characters today; and hours of never-before-released material." (from Amazon.com)

Are your arms bending back yet? No? Well then, check out this "Missing Pieces" teaser for the set and see if you don't suddenly feel the urge to dance strangely and moan:


Fans have been clamoring for these scenes for years, and there's even a Facebook petition that was created in 2011. This new collection should make those crazy kids feel pretty Horne-y! (See what I did there?)

There's a lot more where that came from too, fellow Peak-ers. Tumblr account andthemissingpieces is dropping crumbs along the way, including pictures from the missing scenes. If you're really missing Twin Peaks and wish it had gone on for more than two seasons, head over to Twitter, where fan-created site @EnterTheLodge is putting on a third season of the show through tweets from the characters (view their website here to catch up on the story so far).


Were you a Peaks fan back in the day, spending your days wondering who killed Laura Palmer and debating possible killers with your friends? Have you made all of your romantic partners watch the series with you so that you could share the weirdness together? Did you have a copy of The Diary of Laura Palmer, The Autobiography of Special Agent Dale Cooper and his cassette of tapes to Diane, and the Welcome to Twin Peaks tour guide? (Yes, I have all of these and more…what can I say? I loved the show). Let us know what you're looking forward to in the Blu-ray set or share your favorite Twin Peaks memories and quotes below!

Wish Charlie Day gave a speech at MY graduation!

Commencement speeches tend to be filled with cheesy, overly-used inspiring phrases that can leave an anxious graduate more nervous for the real world. I dreaded having to go through the speeches at my own graduation earlier this week, but fortunately they were much better than I anticipated.

After listening to Charlie Day give his speech, I was left awestruck. Blame it on my post-graduation feels, but in my own opinion it was probably one of the best commencement speeches ever given, especially for today's generation of graduates. It was funny and inspiring, and he gave some of the best advice I've heard in years. Charlie talked about his own struggles and how you essentially have to make your own breaks, along with some other quotable stories.

Give it a listen. I promise you that you won't regret it.



Did you like your commencement speaker or do you wish you had someone as cool as Charlie Day? Let us know in the comments section!

This morning, Tarsier Studios, the developer of the excellent PlayStation Vita versions of LittleBigPlanet, announced a new downloadable PS4 game called Hunger. Not much is known about the game other than it sounds like it'll be one interesting experience.

"'Hunger' is a third-person 3D action adventure game with stealth and exploration elements. A nine-year old girl named Six is kidnapped from her home and taken to work in The Maw - a surreal underwater resort catering to the whims of the powerful elite. When an unexpected twist of fate offers her a chance at freedom, Six takes a journey through the bizarre and unpredictable world of The Maw, and catches a glimpse at the corrupt heart of modern happiness."         Source: Tarsier Studios

In addition to that description, the studio also released some concept art that certainly shows off the surreal elements of the game.

So many questions. Is she holding a toothbrush? Just what in the hell is she standing on? Why does it have random things stuck in its fat folds and why are its feet so tiny?!

Considering the quality of Tarsier's games, this is definitely one I'll be keeping on my radar. The announcement has definitely given me a hunger to know more (I'm so sorry), so hopefully we'll find out a little more at E3 in a few weeks. What do you guys think? Does Hunger interest you? Do you think it'll be any good? Let us know in the comments!

Magic: The Gathering head designer Mark Rosewater announced this fall's expert-level expansion, Khans of Tarkir, in a video filmed at the end of the Journey Into Nyx Pro Tour. According to the video, the new block is a "war-torn world ruled by warlords," and the illustrations suggest that it takes its inspiration from Mongol horse-nomads. It’s also the home of planeswalker Sarkhan Vol, whose card previously appeared in the Shards of Alara and Rise of the Eldrazi sets.

Sarkhan left his home plane in search of dragons, for while the creatures fascinated him, all of Tarkir's dragons are long dead. But as Wizards of the Coast tries to include dragon cards in every set, we can expect a dramatic draconic deluge later in the block.

The ladies swoon over Sarkhan's smoldering eyes.

Rosewater also gave the following cryptic clues about the set: "There's something that people have been asking us to do for quite a while that we're finally bringing back after a long absence in Magic. And there's something that people have been asking us to do that we've never done, that for the first time we're doing in Khans of Tarkir."

The names of the remaining sets in the block haven't been announced yet. However, Wizards of the Coast has recently trademarked the names Warlords of Khanar and Dragons of Tarkir—the latter providing more evidence that we'll get blitzed by dragons later in the block.

Rosewater is the lead designer on the set, while Erik Lauer is the lead developer. This is the same creative team that headed the recent Innistrad and Theros sets. The scheduled release date for Khans of Tarkir is September 26.


Any guesses as to what Rosewater is hinting at? Are there any old mechanics that you're really dying to see return in this block—horsemanship, say, or snow lands? Please post your thoughts in the comment section below!

Want to know what happened the past few days in nerd culture? WEEK IN GEEK is your quick fix to catch up with the rest of the fanboys out there.

MOVIES

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

My take: I don't know how to feel about the new Batman / Superman movie title. I really feel they missed an opportunity on the branding and iconic history of the phrase "World's Finest".

X-Men: Days of Future Past Extravaganza.

My take: The X-Men movie's marketing campaign is on full blast with interviews galore. The media is surprisingly steering clear of Bryan Singer's sexual assault allegations and I get the feeling a lot of money is making that happen. This movie could set off Fox's own little "phase 2" for the franchise so they can continue to screw things up for fans around the world.

Godzilla 2 Confirmed Already.

My take: Only a week into it's release, Godzilla has a sequel in the works. Money talks and so do good movies. With only a few minor mis-steps, this movie was a winner for sure.

Transformers: Age of Extinction New Trailer.

My take: As hopeful as I'm remaining for this third attempt to correct the misguided attempt at a Transformers live action movie, I can't help but cringe. At the same time, however, this trailer held my attention the entire time. That's because Michael Bay is a genius at movie trailers, it's his one, true calling and he should switch careers.

Star Wars Fan Contest.

My take: J.J. Abrams on set of Star Wars Episode VII posted a video for a chance to be in the film. This is for charity, which I can't not support but is this going to be the new norm for big budget films?

TELEVISION

Almost Human Cancelled.

My take: At the recent Vancouver Fan Expo (our Comic Con here in Vancouver, Canada), the panel for this show was HUGE. Karl Urban may as well have been Elvis. Considering the series didn't have horrible ratings and it is only one season in, this was a bit of a surprising call.

Community Cancelled…Again.

My take: This quirky (yes, I know, it's an overused description, shut up) show deserves so much more that the on-again, off-again relationship we've been given. Rarely do we get a show that is so meta, so aware and clever as this was. Did NBC not see the Beatlejuice joke that took multiple seasons to pay off? Come on!

24 Live Another Day Still On TV.

My take: This series may look like everything is supposed to be different and modern but it's the same old 24 that everyone is used to. With the series being 12 episodes instead of 24, they needed a huge twist early on to make us think "whoa, this ain't your momma's 24"…but it is.

Halo 5 and TV Series in 2015.

My take: I own Halo, Halo 2 and Halo 3…I have yet to finish a single one of them. The series doesn't hold my attention as I feel zero connection to anything that's happening and any of the characters. I know I'm in a minority on this, so this news doesn't excite me whatsoever but I wish it the best of luck because I would love a Gears of War TV show. That's my jam.

Twin Peaks Blu-Ray.

My take: Talk about cult. This was a series nobody at the time truly enjoyed watching (I was old enough when it aired, I remember) and can be summed up as "Ohh, did you watch that show?" but you didn't and you won't. I recommend you don't unless you want blue balls for a series that intrigues but fails to pay off.

COMIC BOOKS

David Goyer Pisses off She-Hulk Fans.

My take: David Goyer said on a podcast that She-Hulk was created for boys to fantasize about boning her, "Slut-Hulk", he called her. Though I'll admit to finding her attractive, I've never thought of her as Marvel's town bike. She's a lawyer! I think Goyer has some major PR issues to overcome in the next few weeks.

Aquaman Animated Movie Confirmed.

My take: This will the lowest, or highest, selling of the DC direct-to-DVD films. These days, people love irony and launching this film to ironic sales heights would make them all giggle for at least 8 minutes. We'll see what marketing spin they use; "Aquaman the badass" or "Can you believe it we make an Aquaman movie!"?

DC Forever Evil #7 Finally Released.

My take: The launching issue of several new storylines that already launched came out and revealed a new hint at next year's big event. DC made some promises with The New 52, including never missing a publishing date, which they have faltered on a few times already. This issue leads into more multiverse nonsense than I ever though possible and I hope the implosion at DC doesn't collapse the industry.

GAMES

Batman: Gotham Knight Trailer.

My take: New Batman: Gotham Knight trailer shows some lacklustre footage. It's promoted as "gameplay footage" but clearly isn't. Much of it is city and crowd shots with a few quick cuts of video footage. I'm looking forward to driving the Batmobile around but the marketing on this better pick up and find something unique to show me fast.

The days of swiping the iconic yellow and blue card at train stations (and then swiping again because it didn't swipe properly the first few attempts, and now there's a line of impatient New Yorkers behind you cursing under their breath) may soon come to an end.

The MTA announced on Monday that it expects the 20-year-old MetroCard (feel old yet?) will be replaced with a touch-friendly system that will be designed by the end of the year and introduced in 2016, phasing out over three years until fully replaced by 2020, according to reports.

Aaron Donovan, a spokesman for the MTA, told Gothamist early this year that the electronic system "would be a new fare payment system that is based on a form of technology for payment, which is technically known as the RFID or NFC for near-field communication type of payment."

This type of system is used in Europe and is similar to London's Oyster Card, and will allow straphangers to tap sensors with their smartphones, credit cards, or other RFID or NFC-enabled devices to pass through subway turnstiles.

According to Time Out New York, the cost of producing an estimated 80 million MetroCards for 2014 alone is around $6 million, so this technology may save the MTA a substantial amount of money in the long run—that is if installing the system pays off, since the digital upgrade is reliant on other industries to implement the technology.

While this does away with those flimsy cards that always find themselves tossed on the ground throughout stations (eco-activits rejoice)—not to mention the annoying $1 surcharge for a new one—and the dated and expensive vending machines, could the new system be potential grounds for opportunistic thieves to score iPhones and credit cards from commuters, adding to the spike in smartphone thefts that are already a cause for concern? Moreso, RFID-technology isn't all that secure, as we've seen in last year's wide-spread credit card theft at Target stores.

Another challenge is that the MTA may have failed to realize that not everyone has or can afford a smartphone—especially school-aged commuters that rely on student MetroCards. And according to a study commissioned by the Department of Consumer Affairs' (DCA) Office of Financial Empowerment (OFE), more than 825,000—13 percent—of adults in New York City do not have bank accounts.

Though the change will take a few years, Metro-North and Long Island Rail Road commuters are close to being able to buy tickets via their phones and tablets, the New York Post reported.

Lets just hope this doesn't encourage the MTA to raise fairs even more—oh hell, we all know it will.

What do you think about the coming changes? Do you think we're technically advanced for this yet or should the money be better spent actually improving the train service (really, it should). Let us know in the comment section below!

Star Wars is one of the most revered and well-respected films in the history of cinema. Not only is it responsible for inspiring countless filmmakers, but it is also a pop culture institution with virtually no equal. Fans have taken their appreciation of it to whole new levels, with some even going as far as to pattern their entire lifestyles around its more philosophical teachings.

The success of the original film has continued for decades, spawning numerous follow-ups with movies, television shows, comics, and pretty much everything else imaginable. Billions of dollars later, Star Wars is still at the top of the food chain and shows no signs of stopping any time soon, now that Episode VII has been announced.

In October of 2012, fans rejoiced at the news that their beloved science fiction fantasy would continue to tell its story on the big screen. For a brief, fleeting moment, the future looked brighter than ever. The franchise was nowhere near its dying days—a new hope appeared on the horizon!

That was before the dark times—before the second-guessing started.

Since this entire film has been shrouded in mystery and many fans are already feeling the residual side effects from the last three films, people are hesitant to get fully on board. To be fair, can you blame them? The pessimists in all of us can see that there are a lot of hurdles that Episode VII is going to have to overcome in order to pull off being a great film.

To get past some of these roadblocks is asking for the impossible, and there may be a new prophecy for the Star Wars universe: one that forecasts the inevitable failure of Episode VII.

10. Sequels Have a Bad Track Record

Quick, name ten sequels that were as good or are better than the film that preceded it. Do you have your list? Good. Now, remove the obvious films from the list, which includes The Godfather Part II, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, The Dark Knight, and, naturally, The Empire Strikes Back. Chances are, you're struggling to think of many more. Sure, X2: X-Men United and a handful of others can be added to the list, but there aren't many options left to choose from.

For all of the sequels out there, the ratio of good ones to bad ones is disproportionately in the latter's favor. This is because sequels have to navigate a tricky minefield of potential pitfalls. If you try to do something different to keep things fresh and you deviate too much from the standard set before, you go into territory where you aren't giving the fans what they liked to begin with. On the other hand, if you just replicate the first film as closely as possible, you draw criticism for just selling people the same old stuff. After all, if they wanted to watch that movie again, they'd just go watch the first one.

The art of balancing these polar opposites is what makes or breaks sequels. Fans are pretty split when it comes to Star Trek Into Darkness, the second installment of the new Star Trek series that J.J. Abrams is responsible for. That was his first attempt at a sequel and it isn't being widely considered an improvement by the masses like the other films listed above. Episode VII has even bigger shoes to fill and will have to endure even more scrutiny when it comes out. Somehow, it has to stick to the formula and do something different in all the right ways, as well as have a strong enough foundation story to stand on to begin with.

9. Too Much Hype Can Kill Expectations

Sometimes we can be our own worst enemies. Only a fool wouldn't want the audience to go into their new movie with high expectations. However, if those expectations are too high, then that causes significant problems.

Time after time, moviegoers are hit with buzzwords and cliché phrases that goad them into spending their money, but they then find out that it was all hyperbole. Good salesmanship can lead to an impressive debut night at the box office—which Episode VII is surely guaranteed to have—but bad word of mouth afterward can kill that momentum. The next worst thing to people saying that a movie was terrible is when they have to explain why it was "just okay", but ultimately disappointing to their friends who haven't seen it yet.

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace was a huge letdown for fans when it debuted in 1999. Since then, it has been chastised as a joke despite its massive success in ticket sales. Undoubtedly, Episode VII will be marketed with all of the usual sayings about how it is Star Wars like we've never seen it before and how it ups the ante by taking the series into the modern age while also staying true to its roots and so on. Everyone will rain so much praise down upon it and fans will be so pumped up and excited that they won't be able to contain themselves anymore.

If it doesn't deliver on all of the promises that it makes, then those fans will do what they've always done and reject it wholeheartedly. This gets even harder for sequels. Fans aren't satisfied if a sequel is simply good, because they're expecting it to be even better than what they've seen before and the producers will be hyping it up as that to begin with.

8. All of the Questions Have Been Answered

One way that the prequel films were able to have so much hype going for them was that they offered a chance for fans to find out the answers to the mysteries of Star Wars lore. How did Anakin Skywalker become Darth Vader? What's up with these "Clone Wars" that Luke speaks of? We would finally see the more civilized age where the Jedi Order consisted of more than just a dying old man, another dying old man who is mostly machine, and another dying old man/Kermit the Frog hybrid. Fans could only imagine the wonders they were missing out on.

Now that the prequels have come out, there's nothing left to hook us. We know the back story of the Sith and the Jedi, everything about all of the main characters, and then some. We may not want to know it, but we know how the Force interacts with sentient beings through midi-chlorians. Even little details like the building of a lightsaber have been shown to us, so there aren't any nuggets left to entice curious fans.

7. Isn't the Story Technically Already Finished?

It doesn't seem like there's any official stance on whether the Star Wars saga was originally comprised of one film, three films in a trilogy, two sets of trilogies, or even potentially twelve different films or more. George Lucas has contradicted himself on this issue every once in a while, but the last thing we were told was that the six films finished the basic plot. The circle finally being complete was literally the selling point of Revenge of the Sith. Everything was wrapped up in a neat little bow and audiences knew the beginning, middle and end of the journey of Anakin Skywalker.

Granted, where things go from the end of Return of the Jedi was left open-ended specifically to allow for other stories to be told, but do any of them matter? Is the story of Luke Skywalker rebuilding the Jedi Order and the Republic returning really worth telling, or is it just extra bonus material? The Expanded Universe filled that void for fans and it has been ruled completely unnecessary, so why is this any different? If it's a story that George Lucas wanted to tell so badly, why was there no mention of a continuation when Episode III came out? Instead of teasing that there are some awesome new adventures coming our way, Lucas and company essentially said that the original and prequel films were the only important ones.

The Chosen One of the prophecy did his job, the Empire has been defeated, the Force is in balance and good has triumphed. Now what?

6. No Villains Can Top Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine

The six Star Wars films have all revolved around Darth Vader and his master, Darth Sidious. Darth Vader is a strong candidate for the best villain in the history of villains in any medium, not just the Star Wars series. To his own credit, Emperor Palpatine's entire gimmick was being the most evil person in the galaxy and the embodiment of corruption and greed. How can Episode VII's villains ever match or surpass those two?

J.J. Abrams and his team cannot simply tell us that the new villains are on equal grounds or worse than the Sith from before without showing it, and how can they do that? What is there left to show? Darth Vader took scared children that trusted him and murdered them in cold blood. Palpatine orchestrated the slaughter and near extinction of the entire Jedi Order, while enslaving a galaxy in the process. What could these new bad guys possibly do to earn their spot? Even the coolest villains like Darth Maul have paled in comparison.

If Episode VII tries to accomplish this by just telling the audience that they're even worse and the biggest threats ever, it will come off as childish as when kids embellish things on the playground. Sure, Palpatine is wicked evil and all, but this new villain makes him look tame, cause he's a million times darker. In fact, he holds the special rank of Super Ultra Mega Dark Lord of the Sith, so watch out for that guy.

5. The Lightsaber Battles Can't Get Any Better

Even if by some chance we're able to get a decent villain out of this, there's no way the fight sequences can meet expectations. One of the big reasons why the prequel films were so interesting was that we could see the Jedi in their prime. Gone were the limitations of arthritis and, in Darth Vader's case, not having any limbs to have arthritis in. With the three newest films and the cartoon spinoffs, pretty much everything that can be seen with a lightsaber fight has been done.

We've seen someone wield two lightsabers at the same time—even two lightsabers fused together. We've seen acrobatic moves and interesting deaths. We've seen different colors, curved hilts, weird lighting effects and everything else you can imagine. We've even seen the most personal of motivators for fights, with mentors facing students, fathers facing sons, and Obi-Wan Kenobi cutting off the limbs of his student who he thinks of as a brother and is the closest thing to a father to.

To an extent, even the non-lightsaber action probably won't be anything too impressive or something that we haven't seen before. If that's the case—and we can rule out gun fights and space battles as well—then the action may not wow anyone and just fall flat. Once you've seen it, it just doesn't have the same reaction the second time around.

4. No More Noticeable Leaps Forward in Special Effects

The original Star Wars was ahead of its time for visual effects, pushing boundaries that nobody expected. That is one of the primary reasons why it was such a success in its time. Groundbreaking new technology has always been a focal point of the series and the prequels did not shy away from this, either. While it has been criticized for looking fake in some scenes, it's undeniable that The Phantom Menace and its successors had been able to touch new levels of creativity with CGI. This allowed Lucas the ability to do scenes that he never would have been able to do before.

But what advancements are going to shock audiences in 2015? We live in a time where every blockbuster can be viewed in 3D or 4K formats. TRON: Legacy and other films have de-aged actors and built characters and environments from the ground up that look so believable, you can't even tell what's real and what's fake anymore. With the proper budget, nothing looks as unconvincing as Ang Lee's Hulk and the only strings you ever see holding up model props are in home videos. There are people doing videos on YouTube every day that match what The Phantom Menace brought to the table and it's all become commonplace.

It's unlikely that Episode VII will look anything different from what Star Trek Into Darkness, Gravity, and The Lord of the Rings series haven't already shown us recently.

3. The Returning Cast Aren't at Their Peaks

The recent casting announcement confirmed that Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker and Peter Mayhew were all returning and would be heavily featured. This is nowhere near a bad thing on principle alone, as it means there will be a true sense of continuity to bridge the gap between the past and the present. What's bad about this, however, is that their age has assuredly caught up to them in some ways. They aren't as in shape as they used to be and can't logically be expected to endure the same hardships they went through when filming A New Hope.

Once again, expectations will play a big factor here. If you go into this movie expecting the older cast members to be doing intense stunts like in the prequels, or even be as active as they were in the original films, you may be setting yourself up for disappointment. The younger cast will have to be positioned to take the brunt of the action, which may also rub fans the wrong way if they feel as though they wanted to see more of the original cast.

Do you really want to see Leia in a bikini now?

2. Original Trilogy Purists Will Hate It Anyway

Some people just can't take off their rose-tinted glasses and will argue until the end of time that everything other than the first incarnations of the first three films is pure blasphemy. The special editions have all been a travesty that ruins a classic, the prequels are an abomination of a trilogy, and life would be so much better if we all still watched VHS tapes.

Everyone has their own preferences, but there's a portion of fans out there that will adamantly hate Episode VII simply because it is something new, which is unfair. These are the same people that will criticize flaws in the prequels without acknowledging their achievements. Likewise, they will ignore flaws in the original trilogy and only mention the positives. For every Jar Jar Binks, there are Ewoks. Detractors of Anakin and Padme's bad romance should not forget about Luke and Leia kissing. It's hard not to defend Episode I's fake Yoda puppet when the lightsabers used to change colors and disappear entirely from sight.

But none of that matters, as these particular people will go into Episode VII already hating it. They subconsciously don't want any of this to be any good because it invalidates what makes them feel more comfortable, which is living in the past. Watching the old cast come back will rile that up inside them and when they're leaving the theater on opening night, they will be complaining that it tarnished the legacy and spit in the face of the old films. Why? Because it exists outside of the perfect bubble of memories from their childhood.

1. There Are Already Built-In Scapegoats

The hardest part about having an opinion is backing it up with evidence that supports your theory. Without having an excuse to think a certain way, you tend to come off as foolish. If you want to take a lot of the pressure off yourself, though, all you need to find is someone to point a finger at. Once you've got a target to blame, you can attribute anything negative toward them. Subconsciously or not, some people will specifically end up looking for flaws they can trace back Disney and J.J. Abrams.

Everything negative about Star Wars from over the past decade has been directed at George Lucas. He's the reason Jar Jar Binks exists, it was his call that Greedo shot first, and he's responsible for the horrible dialogue and other failures. People say that the prequel films failed and they are able to place that blame on Lucas. Episode VII is a case of the same exact situation, just with different names and the added bonus of not being able to fall back on the excuse that it doesn't matter what the audience thinks, as this is the original creator's vision. If something is too childish, the Internet will say it is because Disney got its hands too dirty. If there's a single lens flare, Abrams will get crucified in memes even more. Star Trek fans will be mad at Abrams for not returning for a third film, and Star Wars fans may be too unwilling to trust a Star Trek guy to handle their series.

Bigger gambles have paid off in the past and surefire easy hits have bombed miserably, so there's always a chance that things will work out for the best—but it will be tough. Here's hoping that Abrams and everyone else responsible for making Episode VII can overcome these problems and deliver with a fantastic film, even if it is a one-in-a-million shot. "Do or do not, there is no try." Let us all cross our fingers, close our eyes, and trust our instincts. Until proven otherwise, you have every right to say you have a bad feeling about this.

Do you expect Episode VII to be awesome or terrible? What are you excited or worried about? Tell us your thoughts and leave a comment!

Ever since it was announced that Batman and Superman would be in the next DC film, fans have been speculating about the title. There has been virtually every possible combination of these two names imaginable, featuring every iteration from the comics and more. Today, Warner Bros. finally announced the name of the film as well as the updated logo: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

This helps further speculation that the film that will follow this will indeed be the Justice League teamup (which better be simply called The Justice League or I'll be annoyed).

As far as this title goes, I'm a bit relieved. I expected it to be much worse. Granted, I think they could have done better, but this will do. I like the use of "v" instead of "versus" or "vs.", which distances itself a bit more from the idea of them fighting each other, ala Freddy vs Jason. I also like the idea that it acts as a lead-in to Justice League. Still, too many titles are using "dawn" and "rise" and it's becoming exhausting.

The logo is a step up, but the bat symbol is still too fat and Superman's emblem is too gritty and weird. I've always preferred the sleeker designs, but at least it isn't as bulky as the original one we saw when they announced the film to begin with.


Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice will be released in theaters May 6, 2016.

Hello, Fanboys and Fangirls! Orion here. I'm reviewing the third and final issue of S. Simankowicz's Sage Escape: Mars Gambit in my pal Dan Ashley's stead. I may not be quite as crazy and British as ol' Dan, but I promise to give the comic a fair review from the perspective of a seasoned comic book reader and aspiring creator. I wasn't too familiar with Sage Escape before I took on the responsibility of reviewing its third issue, so I took the time to catch up and familiarize myself with the story before diving into the final issue of the arc.

Let's do a brief recap in case some of you aren't familiar with the story. In the distant future, a mega-corporation known as Friendly Corp is conquering cities on interplanetary colonies with the help of their cybernetic/human hybrid killing machines, the Salesmen Assassins. Friendly Corp, owned by the shadowy Cray family, created a new female Salesman Assassin model named Sage. Kidnapped into the Salesman Assassin program, Sage went rogue after regaining her memories of the massacre of her hometown of Natura.

Sage is on a mission to uncover the truth about the Natura massacre, but she finds herself hounded by two Friendly Corp-hired bounty hunters, one of whom, Raamon, she recruits to her cause. Together they continue Sage's adventure while being pursued by the second bounty hunter. Meanwhile, a mysterious plot unfolds in the Cray family.

In issue #3, Simankowicz starts off with Sage and Raamon dealing with the slaver from whom they commandeered a freight ship full of orphaned children from another massacre. After that brief bump in the road, we learn a little bit more about how Friendly Corp had reprogrammed Sage into a killing machine. During her combat with Elvis Cray (the patriarch of the family), however, her inner monologue becomes clunky as she mentally commands her every movement as indicated by captions. Perhaps instead of telling us her process of fighting, Simankowicz could have shown us with his art in more than just five action panels.


Also, Elvis Cray comes off as a weaker character in his dialogue and mannerisms than he should be. He's the head of Friendly Corp and should act the part, instead of flat-out surrendering to Sage's terms after she kicks his guards' collective ass. Again, there's room for improvement in Simankowicz's character development and storytelling.

Simankowicz's art gets the job done, but not without a few flaws. For one, his characters aren't always drawn to match their ages. Sage is meant to be a teenager, but she clearly has the body and face of a woman in her twenties. The children's faces and bodies are disproportionate and aged, so that they often seem more like small adults than actual children. The range of emotions on each character's face doesn't vary enough to fit the situations they're placed in, and they repeatedly suffer from serious face syndrome.

Despite these flaws, I do see potential in Simankowicz's story. What he needs is an experienced comic book editor who can help him refine his writing and art. Right now, there's no editor credited in any of the three books, and it shows in his work that he's not receiving the constructive feedback that could make this series that much better.

On the same note, he also needs to practice his art by drawing from life and from his influences. No comic artist started from scratch; instead, they emulated what they saw in the real world and in the pages of the comics they read. Right now, I see raw style untempered by skill. In the comic industry, storytelling doesn't rest solely on the writer's shoulders. It's imperative for Simankowicz to hone his craft to the point that his art gives form to the formless text on the page.

I really don't want to come off as panning Simankowicz or his work. I, too, understand the enormity of the task he's set out to accomplish. I'm also a comic book writer trying to make a name for himself, and Simankowicz has beaten me to the punch by getting his work published. Good for him! I just want to see him grow into his own as a writer and artist. He has so much potential with his story and skills; he just needs to take a little more time to hone both and get a second pair of eyes to review his work before he publishes something that could be ten times better.

Gosh, screw me, right? Bring back the Brit! He's so much more fun. Hey, every rose has its prick, and sometimes that prick is there to remind us of reality. This prick just wants good comics from people with the talent and drive to make them, and if that means denying Sage Escape: Mars Gambit a place on the proverbial fridge, so be it. I hope Simankowicz reads my review, takes it into consideration, and improves his craft and art accordingly. Then I can place the next chapter in Sage Escape on the fridge.

Got a different opinion on the matter? Have a beef to settle with me? Or would you like to praise the book? I want to hear it all in the comments below. Also, check out Dan's reviews for both the first and second issues of Sage Escape: Mars Gambit.

Pokémon is generally marketed to a younger demographic. Even so, throughout playing the video games, you tend to come across a large selection of the scary, weird, and downright fucked up Pokédex entries.

So in my first entry of "Strange Pokédex Entries," here are five Pokémon for you to shake your head at:

Drifloon

"These Pokémon are called the 'Signpost for Wandering Spirits.' Children holding them sometimes vanish."

It looks cute right? Well maybe not; maybe it just looks like the creative team ran out of ideas. Anyway, whatever you think of Drifloon, it's appearance is deceiving. This balloon's multiple editions of Pokédex entries imply it wants to steal children away. It makes me wonder though…what the hell does it do with them?


Spoink

"Using its tail like a spring, it keeps its heart beating by bouncing constantly. If it stops, it dies."

The wording varies depending on which game you look at, but the harsh reality for this cute little…pig…slinky…thing is that if it doesn't stop bouncing 24/7, then its heart will stop and it will die. I mean, what a horrible concept! This may just be the most depressing existence for a Pokémon ever. Does it sleep when it bounces? What happens if it faints?! I don't know, but I'm glad it looses this trait when it evolves.



Parasect

"A host-parasite pair in which the parasite mushroom has taken over the host bug. Prefers damp places."

Well damn! I guess you can't really say Paras evolved as much as it was taken over by the mushroom parasite. I suppose it explains the lack of pupils in the eyes and creepy look of Parasect. What a crappy existence for Paras. I'd feel bad if I ever evolved one now. Lucky for me, though, I don't raise useless Pokémon.


Cubone

"Wears the skull of its deceased mother. Its cries echo inside the skull and come out as a sad melody."

As depressing as that is, something really doesn't add up. So am I meant to believe that every Cubone is a goddamn orphan? I understand Team Rocket killed the one Cubone's mother in the original Red & Blue games. Either way, it's a very odd entry and I could poke holes in it all day. But damn, I guess it earned its title as the "Lonely Pokémon." This entry may have to go down as the saddest.

Raichu

"Its electric charges can reach even 100,000 volts. Careless contact can cause even an Indian elephant to faint."

When the hell is a Raichu and a goddamn ELEPHANT from an entirely different world going to accidentally make friggin' contact!?

"Whoa, sorry there, Mr. Elephant! Didn't mean to shock you." So goddamn stupid….

Well that's it for my first five of Strange Pokédex entries. Let me know your favorite strange entries and check back for more.

On episode 2 of the 4 Reel Movie Club podcast, Fanboys Anonymous members gave their thoughts on four monster genre movies.

Host: Chris Dace

Panelists: Tom Jackson, Ian Phillips, Brian Gibson and Sam Lascio.

Godzilla 2 is a go! With $93.2 million in its domestic opening weekend and $103 million internationally, this was a simple decision for Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros.

"Everything is awesooooome!"

Director Gareth Edwards has mentioned that if a sequel was ever done, he plans to follow the same monster movie format—the familar method I personally detest: talk about monster, allude to monster, almost see monster, see destruction in the wake of monster, eventually get to see monster.

With the first film out of the way and clearly showing Godzilla in all his (or her?) glory, why wait on a big reveal? The sequel would benefit from a little more creature in its creature feature. Although the first one did pay off, there was certainly a lot of build-up before we got to see the main character in action.

Either way, I think this franchise has some teeth (pause for laughter) and will turn into a multi-film series with a variety of directors and takes on Godzilla. There are still plenty of cities to destroy.

What city (most likely a coastline location) could benefit from being destroyed by Godzilla?

On Episode 1 of the Fanboys Anonymous FanTracks podcast, the panel provides commentary while watching Episodes 11 and 12 from Season 1 of the 1990s animated series X-Men.

Entitled "Days of Future Past (Part 1)" and "Days of Future Past (Part 2)," these two episodes were chosen to help psyche us up for the upcoming X-Men: Days of Future Past film.

Sand & Snow is a Game of Thrones podcast covering all the weekly happenings in the world of Westeros and beyond! Hyle Snow is a film major who exclusively enjoys Game of Thrones through the HBO television series. Jade Sand is a science major who has also read all of the books in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire. Together they gather to discuss and review the latest episode while also comparing it with the books, with their own brand of insight and speculation.

Beware! This podcast is dark and full of spoilers! This show covers all the content up to and including the titled episode of Game of Thrones. It also discusses the details of the book series A Song of Ice and Fire up to the current part of the story that the show has reached. However, there will be no spoiling of anything in the future of the TV series or story within the books.

This week: Dani finds that it ain't easy being queen; Stannis applies for a bank loan; and Peter Dinklage wins another Emmy.

Rumor has it Halo 5 is coming next Fall. Well, that's not entirely true: Halo 5 is coming next Fall, as confirmed by Microsoft and 343 Industries! Along with a few vague details, the pair aims to appease fans' collective bated breath with a peek at the game's box art, which features not only the main man himself, Master Chief, but also both a nifty upgrade to the flagship game's title in the form of a subtitle and a mysterious, new armored character taking a rather dominant position on the cover. Take a gander below!

The fifth installment in Master Chief's adventure will release, as expected, on the Xbox One. 343 Industries promises, "Halo 5: Guardians is a bigger effort than Halo 4," and will "take full advantage of the Xbox One's hardware and ecosystem to create worlds and experiences worthy of next-gen." No further details about the game's plot, characters, or weapons have been revealed as of yet.

Who else besides me is excited for the next chapter in Chief's epic? Who do you think the mystery man will be? My bet is on it being Chief in new Forerunner gear to help him against the Forerunner threat. Tell us what you hope to see in Halo 5: Guardians in the comments below, and look forward to more Halo news here on Fanboys Anonymous!

So far, we have only seen a short teaser for Christopher Nolan's latest film, Interstellar. However, a new full trailer has been released today. Check it out below:

Wow. The teaser led me to believe that this was a completely different type of movie. I was under the impression that it would be about McConaughey as the grounded everyman's perspective of an interstellar flight that resulted in revelations about our universe, but this comes off so much darker. The human race is running out of food, and we're looking for a way off Earth to colonize another planet merely to survive? OUCH.

Inception was a movie that I was interested in before I had any idea what it was about and I absolutely loved it. Insomnia and The Prestige were disappointments (though still enjoyable to a certain degree) after I had seen Memento and was blown away from that. Naturally, as a comic book fan, I found the Dark Knight trilogy to be amazing, and Jonathan Nolan's Person of Interest is one of my favorite shows on television right now, so this team has a great track record and my full confidence. By default, I was going to see this on opening night and that has not changed after seeing this trailer.

What did you think of the full trailer? Are you excited to see the film? Leave us your thoughts in the comments below!


Interstellar will be released in theaters November 7, 2014.

Well, folks, I'll keep this brief. It's not exactly the worst thing that could have happened, and maybe it'll turn out to be just fine, but word is, we have a director for Star Trek 3, and as I reported was possible, it's Roberto Orci.

"See? I can Star Trek!"    (...maybe that's too mean.)

To sum up, Orci and his writing/producing partner Alex Kurtzman have been responsible for bringing various blockbusters to screen over the past decade, including the rebooted Trek series. Recently, they've made a concerted and public effort to split up and work on projects independently. There's no indication of bad blood between them or anything, but a big factor driving the split is that they both want to direct after spending so long penning scripts and sitting in producer's seats. They want the big chair. Kurtzman will direct the Spider-Man spinoff Venom for Sony, following one of Spidey's best-known villains, and Orci apparently gets Trek.

He lobbied hard for the gig and was backed by all the right people—Abrams, the production company, etc. I guess he made a good case, because Paramount has invited him to direct the film. The issue here is that Orci has never directed. Anything. Even JJ Abrams had plentiful TV experience before directing Mission: Impossible III. This isn't to say I have no confidence in Mr. Orci, because he's certainly been around plenty of film sets and has the benefit of stepping into a franchise that's pretty well-established by now. The cast members know their roles, and Orci is still part of the writing team for the third film, so he's immersed in the story. That said, Orci has also been at least partly responsible for many of the issues fans have had with directions the new series has taken. He can't take all of the blame, of course—not with Kurtzman, Damon Lindelof, and Abrams himself also having hands in the process—but as I mentioned in my previous article, he hasn't always been warm to fans who question his decisions. He's gonna need a thicker skin and better diplomacy, because no matter what, there will be people who don't like Star Trek 3.

Not to speak badly of my people, but these guys, probably. I looked up "Trekkies" and this is what ensued.

Now, we don't know anything yet about what shape the story will take, but there is a script and, obviously, returning core cast members. After the mostly positive reception Benedict Cumberbatch's Khan received, there was talk on the filmmakers' part that they'd like to bring him back, but perhaps not immediately. Chances are he'll remain on ice for now. After featuring the Klingons prominently in the last film, chances are also good they'll make another appearance and even serve as the main antagonists. As Admiral Marcus, Peter Weller's entire motivation during Into Darkness was preparing the Federation for a war with the Klingons he considered inevitable. It's also worth noting we haven't seen contemporary Romulans in this iteration of Trek yet. Remember, Nero and crew from the first film were technically from the original Trek timeline's future, sent back through time by the magic of “red matter.” A big part of Trek lore is a war between humans and Romulans, although it took place (in canon) prior to the existence of Kirk and the Enterprise. It's concievable they could play a part, perhaps as instigators or allies, in war between the Federation and the Klingons.

In summation: Roberto Orci is directing the next Star Trek movie, about which we know nothing yet. With this announcement, it's probable we'll hear more news soon, although we can speculate on the direction the story will take. What are your ideas? Are you comfortable with the idea of an untested director at the helm? Share your comments. Make it so, below.