Now and then, ThinkGeek comes up with really cool Star Wars-related products, like a BB-8 Desktop Lamp, a Death Star Bluetooth speaker, a Death Star waffle maker, and many more. Today I came across this mini lightweight version of the originally moon-sized battle station.

Need a little Imperial style in your bedroom? Plug in a Death Star! Want to tell coworkers that you'll Force Choke them if they ask you to "fix the printer" again? Stick a Death Star next to the reams of paper! […] This Death Star Paper Lantern Floor Lamp even makes great party decor. 

Well, I am definitely adding this thing to my list of Christmas presents!

Source: ThinkGeek

On this week's episode, the Dungeon Crawlers Radio team is joined by special guests Aaron Hastings of "Lord of The Laser Sword" and writer and director Thomas Durham. We have an interesting conversation about the "galaxy far, far away" that we all know and love, covering the Star Wars movies, the Clone Wars, Rebels TV show, novels, comics, and so much more!

There was so much to talk about that this is a two part episode. Catch part two next week.

You can listen in and join live on Thursdays at 7pm MT and subscribe to new episodes on Blog Talk Radio.

A remake of a 2009 Argentinian film that won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, Secret in Their Eyes is a competent suspense thriller with a dynamite cast. I've seen some people question the reason for this film's existence, and if I'd seen the original film, I might be doing the same thing. But since I haven't seen the first movie and therefore can't compare the two, I'm left to ponder the effectiveness of this film alone, and I found it to be a slick, well-acted murder mystery that makes good use of its stellar talent.

Writer/director Billy Ray (who also wrote The Hunger Games, the last entry of which ironically faces off against this film at the box office this weekend) intertwines two timelines to tell this story. In 2002, FBI agents Ray (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and Claire (Julia Roberts) are working in a counter-terrorism unit in Los Angeles, trying to prevent another 9/11. They discover a body in a dumpster near a high-profile mosque, but they're shocked to discover it's Claire's teenage daughter. In 2015, Ray returns to L.A. after thirteen years working security for the New York Mets, spending every night looking through a database of criminals trying to ID Claire's daughter's killer. He thinks he's found the guy, and so he attempts to convince the new District Attorney — his ambitious former love interest from '02, Claire (Nicole Kidman) — to reopen the case. The film criss-crosses back and forth between these timelines, filling in the gaps of how the killer escaped as 2015 Ray finally tries to solve the case once and for all.

This is the best showcase for Roberts in a long time. It seems rare that movies depict more than a few seconds of a mother discovering her child's body, but the camera lingers on Roberts here as she completely breaks down, overflowing with anguish, anger, and heartbreak in a performance that gave me chills. (It was tough to watch, and I don't even have kids; I can't imagine what it'd be like for parents to view this scene.) Ejiofor and Kidman don't have the kind of electric chemistry needed to justify them pining for each other for thirteen years, and Kidman doesn't have much to do outside of the love story. We see the story through Ejiofor's eyes, and I'm convinced the only reason he's the main character is so that we can experience the same jaw-dropping revelation he does as the film builds to its twisty, exciting conclusion (otherwise, this should totally be Roberts' story). The acting is great all around, with sturdy supporting turns by Breaking Bad's Dean Norris as Ejiofor's FBI accomplice and House of Cards' Michael Kelly as a smug enforcer for the 2002 District Attorney (Alfred Molina) whose concerns about terrorism overshadow his desire to prosecute the killer.

We know the bad guy gets away since we've seen what happens in 2015, so it's to Billy Ray's credit that there's still a palpable tension in the scenes that take place in 2002. This is a propulsive movie that rarely slows down — it's always pulling back the curtain and revealing more about everyone's motivations. A haunting procedural that utilizes some all-star artists, Secret in Their Eyes brings us face to face with the chilling consequences of obsession.

Game designer, Jonathan Blow, has always had a bit of an avant-garde approach to gaming. His insanely successful puzzle platformer, Braid, was well received as a sort of pioneer in sparking the big indie game revolution... View Full Post on GameTyrant

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The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 2 is in theaters right now, but after the crushing boredom of the half-assed Part 1, I can't even bring myself to get interested enough to go see it. But legions of people are going to head to the theaters this weekend to see how Katniss Everdeen's story comes to a close, and Lionsgate executives will surely shed a little tear once they've made all the money there is to be made from that movie. But that might not be all the money left to be made from the franchise as a whole: the studio naturally wants to keep the money-making machine churning with prequels or sequels, and Mockingjay director Francis Lawrence has an idea for what a prequel might look like.

He told EW:

“The interesting part of the story for me is to go back 75 years earlier and see how everything became the way it is,” says Lawrence. “I’m sure if [author] Suzanne [Collins] were to get inspired and decide there’s another story that’s important for her to tell that exists within the world of Panem and whether about the Dark Days, another character, or another set of Games, whatever that could be, I’m sure it would be great. And I’d loved to be involved, absolutely.”

But even though Josh Hutcherson implied that there might be another movie in the franchise, I wouldn't bank on seeing him or mega-star Jennifer Lawrence returning to Panem again, and Lawrence agrees:

“I just think with the end of this story, we’ve reached the end of Katniss’ story,” Lawrence explains. “I think that Suzanne created such an iconic character, and I think she’s the main reason why everyone comes back to these stories. Now, that’s come to an end.”

What do you think? Would you be interested in seeing a prequel movie that depicted how the first Hunger Games came to be?

This new ad for UK cell phone company O2 features the first meeting between the classic Star Wars droid duo of C-3PO and R2-D2 and the newest addition to the droid roster in the universe The Force Awakens' BB-8. Threepio's lookin' good with that red arm — we all know how easily Star Wars characters lose limbs, so I'm glad he got a cool replacement.

And is that The Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones star Sean Bean's voice I hear? Why yes, yes it is. Here's hoping his presence gives directors like Rian Johnson and Colin Trevorrow the idea to cast him in one (or both) of their upcoming Star Wars movies. Even if his character ends up dying in it, Bean knows what his legacy is.

Our #StarWars #TheForceAwakens film revealed. UK premiere tickets to win on O2 Priority - https://t.co/XLurPq411q https://t.co/9lLSXxEYo1

— O2 in the UK (@O2) November 20, 2015

Via: Comic Book Movie

The Millennium Falcon is one of the most iconic spacecrafts ever created for film. We’ve seen a ton of fan-made stuff for it, but I’ve never seen anything like this before. This is a racing Falcon and it was created by Joe Gan using a LEGO Technic Grand Prix Racer set. I love the colors and style of it; it just really pops with awesomeness! 

Via: Nerd Approved

Disney has released a poster for their fun -ooking animated feature Zootopia and a motion poster for Pixar’s Finding Dory.

The poster for Zootopia features Jason Bateman’s Nick Wild and Ginnifer Goodwin’s officer Judy Hopps. The movie is being directed by Byron Howard, Rich Moore, and co-directed by Jared Bush. Here’s the synopsis:

Zootopia takes place in the animal-filled city of the same name, as it follows optimistic Officer Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin). She discovers that being the first bunny on a police force of big, tough animals isn’t so easy. Determined to prove herself, she jumps at the opportunity to crack a case, even if it means partnering with a fast-talking, scam-artist fox, Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman), to solve the mystery.

The motion poster for Finding Dory features Ellen DeGeneres swimming around the ocean floor. It’s being directed by Andrew Stanton, and this is the story summary:

Finding Dory picks up six months after the first movie, with Dory (Ellen DeGeneres) living a quiet life among the clown fishes. After going with Nemo on a class trip to see manta rays migrate back home, her home sickness leads the forgetful Dory on a quest to find where she came from.

“The movie will be mostly set at the California Marine Biology Institute, a huge complex of sea life rehabilitation and aquarium, where Dory was born and raised,” Pixar President Jim Morris stated previously. “We will get to meet new characters, like an octopus, sea lions, a beluga whale, among others.”

Zootopia will be released on March 4th, 2016 and Finding Dory comes out on June 17th, 2016. You can watch the first trailer for Finding Dory here if you haven’t seen it.

I’ve got an incredibly funny video from a Japanese variety show for you to watch. It features voice actress Tomoko Kaneda. She is supposed to be out visiting haunted houses in the video. What she doesn't know is that she's about to get pranked by a ghost woman who appears in the front seat of the taxi. The driver pretends that he can’t see her, and the girl who is playing the ghost is trying so hard not to laugh. It’s such a simple prank, but the reaction is freakin’ hilarious. It’s crazy how freaked out Kaneda is! She seriously believes that there is a ghost in the car and that she’s having a conversation with it. I want to be ghost pranked! This is the funniest thing I've seen all week!

Entertainment Earth has unveiled a life-size Alien Xenomorph egg that will make the perfect addition to any home. It even lights up and comes with a freaky Facehugger! Here are the details:

Transform any room into a deadly Alien breeding ground with this Life-Size Xenomorph Egg – complete with its own eerie lighting and life-size facehugger! As seen in the 1986 horror classic Aliens, this full-sized replica stands almost 36-inches tall, and articulated flaps with a wire armature allow you to actually open the top folds of the egg. The included full-size facehugger has a bendable tail, so you can pose it anywhere… waiting to drop on unsuspecting prey from overhead, or simply lurking inside the egg! The Life-Size Xenomorph Egg is made of detailed, hand-painted foam, and stands on its own. A switch activates the LED lights inside the base to create a menacing, otherworldly glow effect. Requires 3x “AAA” batteries, not included.

It will be released in April, and it will cost you $428.99.

During a recent interview with IGN, James McAvoy revealed a scene that was shot for X-Men: First Class that didn’t make it into the final cut of the film. It’s actually pretty damn funny, but I can see why they didn’t use it.

During the interview whether it was asked whether Xavier and Harry Potter could beat Frankenstein's monster in a fight. That’s when McAvoy revealed the very weird deleted scene which saw Xavier and Magneto fighting a literally stupid guy who was over 7-feet-tall.

The villain was apparently so dumb that Xavier wasn’t able to control his mind, so they engage in hand to hand combat that ends with a bear head, a broken neck, and a ridiculously funny catchphrase.

You can listen to McAvoy recount the scene in the video below. It’s definitely worth watching him tell the story.

Hot Topic and Her Universe have teamed up to create a new Star Wars fashion collection, and I’ve gotta say, there’s a lot of cool stuff, especially for all you geek ladies out there. 

I included all of the photos of the clothing line below, and they’re all currently available of purchase at Hot Topic. I really think you’ll like what they have to offer.

In case you missed the awesome Star Wars inspired jackets we posted earlier this week, make sure to click here.

Here’s the press release:

NEW YORK, NY – November 16th, 2015 – Calling all Star Wars fans to step into the spotlight! Ground breaking fangirl fashion company, Her Universe, and leading specialty retailer, Hot Topic, announced today an all-new Star Wars fashion collection featuring dresses, sweaters, jackets and fashion tops available only at select Hot Topic stores and online at Hottopic.com. To celebrate the Force and this collection of dynamic Star Wars fangirl fashions (just in time for the holidays and the premiere of Star Wars: The Force Awakens), Her Universe founder/actress Ashley Eckstein is asking fans to step into the spotlight and share their unique Star Wars story on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #MyStarWarsStory. Eckstein, a die-hard fan of that “galaxy far, far away” herself, explains in an open letter to other fans the origins of this special Star Wars collection:

Dear Fellow Star Wars Fans,

We are now 33 days away from Star Wars: The Force Awakens premiering in theaters…but who’s counting, right? Seriously, though, I can barely contain my excitement! 2015 has truly been the “Year of Star Wars.” From Star Wars Rebels to Star Wars Celebration to Force Friday and, finally, The Force Awakens, Star Wars brings fans together from all over the world to celebrate this Universe that we all love SO much.

I’ve been immersed in the Star Wars community since 2008 as the voice of Ahsoka Tano, and with Ahsoka’s return in Star Wars Rebels, I’ve been reflecting on my personal journey as a Star Wars fan. I’ve been a fan ever since I was a little girl. I used to play Star Wars in my living room where I would pretend to be R2-D2 and I grew up watching the movies. However, it wasn’t until I became the voice of Ahsoka that I realized my love of Star Wars was a part of my identity; that being a Star Wars fan was a way of life. I also realized that I wasn’t alone and that half of all Star Wars fans are women and girls just like me. The problem was that female fans were overlooked because society considered Star Wars to be a ‘boys” property. How can you put a gender on Star Wars? To me, Star Wars is a story of hope, a story of good overcoming evil – you can’t put a gender on that! Star Wars is for everyone, the entire family!

My solution was to start my company Her Universe – a merchandise line made for Fangirls, but more importantly, a community where female fans can step into the spotlight and let their voices be heard and celebrated! What happened actually caught me by surprise, not only did Fangirls step into the spotlight but so did Fanboys! Both genders came together to celebrate this property that we love so much and support the message that Star Wars is for everyone! Together we are creating a more accepting environment for fans of all ages.

One of my goals when I started Her Universe 5 years ago was to be able to walk into Hot Topic and find an equal amount of Star Wars merchandise for men and women. I asked for your help because I knew that I could not achieve change alone and this mission would have to be a group effort. I’m so proud to say that we’ve achieved that goal! Five years ago, the landscape was very different and today we are launching a fashion line full of dresses, jackets, sweaters and fashion tops, in all sizes, including plus sizes!

So to celebrate, we want you to step into the spotlight and share your Star Wars story. What does Star Wars mean to you? When did you first see Star Wars? When did you realize that you were a Star Wars fan? Everyone has a story and we want to hear yours! Use the hashtag #MyStarWarsStory on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter and let’s celebrate together!

So, 33 days from now, you know where I’ll be, watching Star Wars on the big screen again! Until then, let’s share our stories! I personally want to say THANK YOU for your support and for helping me feel confident to step into the spotlight and say, “Hi, my name’s Ashley and I LOVE STAR WARS!”

May The Force Be With You, Ashley

The new Her Universe Star Wars Collection at Hot Topic is available now at select Hot Topic stores and online at hottopic.com.

Wonder Woman started production recently, and Gal Gadot shared the first photo of herself in the role of the legendary Amazonian Princess. She posted the image on Twitter with the following caption:

"Almost 75 years in the making… #WonderWoman is underway." 

The photo is just a little tease to get fans excited. It is pretty cool that after all these years this movie is finally getting made. Hopefully, director Patty Jenkins will give fans a Wonder Woman film that they can be proud of. 

The full cast of the film was also announced, and that cast consists of Chris Pine as Captain Steve Trevor, Robin Wright (House of Cards), Danny Huston (X-Men Origins: Wolverine), David Thewlis (the Harry Potter films), Ewen Bremner (Exodus: Gods and Kings), Saïd Taghmaoui (American Hustle), Elena Anaya (The Skin I Live In), and Lucy Davis (Shaun of the Dead).

There are no official story details yet, but there have been a lot of rumors of what the story could entail, which you can read here. 

We've posted a lot of crazy and cool Grand Theft Auto recreations over the years, but this is by far the most absurd and disturbing video that I've seen. For some reason, Merfish took the time to recreate the freakin' Teletubbies in GTA V! That Teletubbies show had some really twisted shit. The video also offers a side-by-side comparison of the real Teletubbies intro and the one created in GTA V.

A new musical tribute video for Spock and Leonard Nimoy (March 26, 1931 — February 27, 2015) has been created by YouTube user Melodysheep. We saw a few of these shortly after the passing of the iconic actor, but this one was just released, and it's one of the best that I've seen. The video came with the following caption:

Spock wrestles with his human emotions and embraces his friendship with Kirk and the crew.

If you're a fan of Bill Burr and his style of comedy, you're gonna love this trailer for his upcoming animated Netflix series, F Is For Family. One of the things I enjoy about Burr's comedy is that he doesn't hold back or skirt around things like racism, sexism, or anything politically incorrect. I think he's best described as a charming asshole, and I'm looking forward to seeing this new series of his.

Burr created the series with The Simpsons writer Michael Price, and it's being produced by Vince Vaughn and Peter Billingsley. It also has an awesome voice cast that includes Laura Dern as Burr's wife Sue, Justin Long as his oldest son Kevin, and Sam Rockwell as a character named Victor. Here's what Burr says about the series:

F is for Family is the show I’ve always wanted to do. It captures all the characters of my childhood the way I remember it to be. Fortunately Mike Price and everyone at Wild West seem to know the same people I knew growing up. It’s going to be a lot of fun to tell these stories.

The series will launch with six episodes that will be released on December 18th. If that does well, then I'm sure that Netflix will order another season. I like what I see so far, so I'm looking forward to seeing more. The trailer is NSFW for foul language. 

We’ve posted some fan art in the past created by Mitch Mueller for Darkwing Duck and GizmoDuck in the past, but I’ve got a couple of new illustrations from him for you to check out!

The first piece above is called “Hey Ma! Look What I’m Wearing!” and he’s lookin’ pretty badass. The second piece below is called “The Terror That Flaps Through the Night…” and it features a bloodied and beaten character. 

To check out his previous art clicking on the following links: Darkwing Duck, GizmoDuck and NegaDuck. I enjoy Mueller’s art style, and I’d love to see someone make a dark and gritty fan film with these characters.

Casey Affleck is set to star in and direct a western called Far Bright Star, and Joaquin Phoenix is set to star. This will be the second collaboration between the two. They previously worked together on the 2010 mockumentary I’m Still Here.

Far Bright Star is based on the novel by Robert Olmstead. According to Variety, “Phoenix will portray a cavalryman leading a ragtag group of young men on a hunt in 1916 for Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa. When most of the group die in an attack, he’s left struggling to survive in the desert.”

Apparently Affleck is looking to follow in his brother’s footsteps and focus more on producing, writing, and directing films. This seems like a great project for Affleck and Phoenix to take on. With films like Bone Tomahawk and The Hateful Eight, it's good to see westerns are thriving a little more than they used to.

Here’s the description from the book:

The year is 1916. The enemy, Pancho Villa, is elusive. Terrain is unforgiving. Through the mountains and across the long dry stretches of Mexico, Napoleon Childs, an aging cavalryman, leads an expedition of inexperienced horse soldiers on seemingly fruitless searches. Though he is seasoned at such missions, things go terribly wrong, and his patrol is suddenly at the mercy of an enemy intent on their destruction. After witnessing the demise of his troops, Napoleon is left by his captors to die in the desert.

Through him we enter the conflicted mind of a warrior as he tries to survive against all odds, as he seeks to make sense of a lifetime of senseless wars and to reckon with the reasons a man would choose a life on the battlefield. Olmstead, an award-winning writer, has created a tightly wound novel that is as moving as it is terrifying. 

Sounds like it will make for a great movie! Affleck will be seen next in Disney’s Coast Guard thriller The Finest Hours.

Via: Variety

Help your kids master the alphabet with this set of Dungeons & Dragons monster art created by concept artist Caleb Cleveland. He unleashed his artistic fury on this art for Inktober, which challenged artists to create something new every day during the month of October.

Each piece of art in the set includes a kid spending time with some kind of crazy monster from the Dungeons & Dragons universe. All of the pieces in the set are great designs, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy them even if you're not a Dungeons & Dragons fan. 

Check out the entire alphabet in the gallery below.

D&D Monster A-Z (Inktober 2015)

Via: Nerd Approved

We've got a new poster to share with you for the upcoming action adventure zombie comedy Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. It features Elizabeth Bennet (Lily James) and Mr. Darcy (Sam Riley) holding swords and standing on a hill of rotting zombies. 

A zombie outbreak has fallen upon the land in Jane Austen’s classic tale of the tangled relationships between lovers from different social classes in 19th century England. Feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet (Lily James) is a master of martial arts and weaponry and the handsome Mr. Darcy (Sam Reilly) is a fierce zombie killer, yet the epitome of upper class prejudice. As the zombie outbreak intensifies, they must swallow their pride and join forces on the blood-soaked battlefield.

The movie is based on the book by Seth Grahame-Smith, and it was written and directed by Burr Steers (Igby Goes Down). It also stars Jack Huston (American Hustle), Bella Heathcote (Dark Shadows), Douglas Booth (Jupiter Ascending), Matt Smith (Doctor Who), Charles Dance (Game of Thrones), and Lena Headey (300, Game of Thrones).

It will be released on February 5th, 2016. To watch the trailer again, click here.