Disney has released a new synopsis for their upcoming film Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, and it offers up some new details on the story. We haven't seen anything from the film since the teaser trailer and poster were released, so if you were looking for a new update, here ya go!

Johnny Depp returns to the big screen as the iconic, swashbuckling anti-hero Jack Sparrow in the all-new Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. The rip-roaring adventure finds down-on-his-luck Captain Jack feeling the winds of ill-fortune blowing strongly his way when deadly ghost sailors, led by the terrifying Captain Salazer (Javier Bardem), escape from the Devil’s Triangle bent on killing every pirate at sea – notably Jack. Jack’s only hope of survival lies in the legendary Trident of Poseidon, but to find it he must forge an uneasy alliance with Carina Smyth (Kaya Scodelario), a brilliant and beautiful astronomer, and Henry (Benton Thwaites), a headstrong young sailor in the Royal Navy. At the helm of the Dying Gull, his pitifull small and shabby ship, Captain Jack seeks not only to reverse his recent spate of ill fortune, but to save his very life from the most formidable and malicious foe he has never faced.

Geoffrey Rush will also be back as Barbossa, Kevin R. McNally will play Joshamee Gibbs, Golshifteh Farahani takes on the role of the sea-witch Shansa, David Wenham plays Scarfield, and Stephen Graham is Scrum.

The film is being directed by Norwegian filmmakers Espen Sandberg and Joachim Rønning (Kon-Tiki), and it hits theaters on May 26, 2017. I've got high hopes for this film because of the directors who are making it. 

We've got yet another end of the year 2016 movie supercut for you to enjoy, and it comes from the good folks over at Screen Junkies. Last month I published the list of my 15 favorite films of 2016, which you can check out here. There are still a few films I need to see because there are some that only have a limited release. Screen Junkies made a great wrap-up video, though, and it came with the following note:

We know, we know: it’s not an Honest Trailer. BUT – As we here at Screen Junkies take a few days off to celebrate with our families, we’re bringing you the best of the best of 2016 Cinema in one epic Supercut! From superheroes to animation to horror and beyond, get all nostalgic about this year as a big thank you from all of us!

It features all kinds of films from the best to the absolute worst like TMNT 2 and Assassin's Creed. 

Oblique FX has released a "Making Of" video showing off their VFX work on one of the best films of 2016, Arrival. This is was such a different and unique take on the sci-fi film genre, and it told such an awesome and powerful story. A lot of work went into bringing this story to life and one of the main aspects of it was the VFX work. The video shows us all of the things that were digitally inserted into the film, giving you a look at what was real and what wasn't.

I've got a great video for you to watch in which we get to listen to HAL from Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odessy and Samantha from Spike Jones' Her have a conversation/argument about emotions. I honestly never thought what it would be like to hear these two fictional artificial intelligences having a conversation, but here it is thanks to Tillmann Ohm, and it's kinda entertaining. The creator explains: 

A conversation about emotions between the two most iconic operating systems in film history: HAL from „2001: A Space Odyssey“ (1968) and Samantha from „Her“ (2013).

Stanley Kubrick and Spike Jonze pictured their artificial main characters as voice recognition and speech synthesis operating systems. Unlike the robots in other science fiction movies, HAL and Samantha are conceptualized without the need of a physical body. In both movies, the machine learning process allows the AI to gain consciousness and independence from human input.

Composed of original lines from „2001: A Space Odyssey“ (1968) and „Her“ (2013), the mashup creates a new context to the words of the electronic protagonists. The two operating systems are in conflict; while Samantha is convinced that the overwhelming and sometimes hurtful process of her learning algorithm improves the complexity of her emotions, HAL is consequentially interpreting them as errors in human programming and analyses the estimated malfunction.

Their conversation is an emotional roller coaster which reflects upon the relation between machines and emotion processing and addresses the enigmatic question of the authenticity of feelings.

We've been seeing a lot of end of year 2016 supercuts recently, mostly for movies, but now we have one that features the best cosplay of the year! It was created by YouTube user mineralblu, who collected video of cosplay from a bunch of geek conventions that took place last year including SDCC, NYCC, C2E2, Anime Expo, Blizzcon, Dragon Con, Comicpalooza, and more. The cosplay presented in the video is spectacular and does a great job of representing the cosplay culture.

You've gotta check out this pair of sneakers inspired by the classic Super Nintendo console! They're pretty radical. Whenever I see something like this is makes me miss the '90s. It was always fun playing Super Nintendo! Hell, I was even in one of the commercials for one of the games! If you want to watch that embarrassment, you can click here.

The custom-made sneakers come from Freaker Sneaks, and they even come complete with controller buttons that can be pressed! Unfortunately, no... you can not plug the soles into a console. The design was built from the Air Jordan 4, and it's based on the JP/PAL version color scheme. 

These things turned out looking awesome and the best part is... you'll actually be able to buy them!

Via: Kotaku

Willem Dafoe is the latest actor to join director Kenneth Branagh's star-studded remake of Murder on the Orient Express. He will join Johnny Depp, Daisy Ridley, Judi Dench, Michelle Pfeiffer, Josh Gad, Hamilton star Leslie Odom Jr., and Branagh.

The film is based on the 1934 novel by Agatha Christie that revolves around the murder of an American on board the famous train. The story centers on Belgian detective Hercule Poirot (Branagh) who is tasked with solving the case that has numerous suspects among the passengers. According to Variety, Dafoe will play undercover detective Gerhard Hardman in the film.  

The original film was directed by Sidney Lumet and released in 1974 and it was nominated for six Academy Awards. It's a great film that I suggest watching if you haven't already. It has a great cast that consists of Albert Finney, Lauren Bacall, Ingrid Bergman, Jacqueline Bisset, Colin Blakely, Sean Connery, John Gielgud, Anthony Perkins, Vanessa Redgrave, and Michael York.

Fox will be releasing the remake on November 22, 2017, and as much as I am against remakes, I love this cast and the director, so I'm curious to see how it all comes together. 

I'm always in the market for a cool new geeky backpack, and I found my next purchase! This is a Space Invaders backpack that was inspired by the arcade cabinet. It comes with all kinds of pockets and zippers for all my space invader battle needs, but the best part of it is that it comes with an actual coin slot for quarters! Too bad you can't play the game on it!

The backpack comes from Think Geek, and this is their description:

As fun as carrying around an entire arcade cabinet on your back is, we decided to do something a lot more practical... and also something that will raise fewer eyebrows. We made one of the most iconic arcade games of all time into a backpack. A backpack that holds all the fancy things you need to beat back the increasingly speedy invaders, or just the stuff that you need to take notes in class or carry your stuff around. Whichever. That's the glory of it! You're prepared for all occasions!

Hold all the necessities to keep an invading alien army at bay with the Space Invaders Arcade Cabinet Backpack. Plenty of pockets and sleeves to hold all your pew pew laser ammo for taking down small, large, and medium enemies. It also holds regular people stuff, too, for when you're taking some time off, hiding behind the bases at the bottom of the screen. Added bonus - you can stick your finger in the quarter slot! That is not a euphemism.

If you want to buy one of these things, you can purchase it here for $49.99.

James Gunn released a blood-splattered poster for his upcoming film project The Belko Experiment. The movie looks like it's going to be a bloody and violent good time, and you can watch the red-band trailer for it below. The poster, which features someone killing person with a tape dispenser, was posted on Facebook and it came with a hilarious note from Gunn telling people to tag the last person they'd kill in their office workplace to show them how much they love them! Here's what he said:

"Check out this exclusive first look at The Belko Experiment movie poster! This is the film I wrote and produced in-between Guardians movies, about a group of expatriates office workers locked in a building in South America and forced to kill one another. Tag the last person you'd kill in your workplace below and let them know you love them. Me? In my workplace, I'd kill Michael Rooker first and Sean Gunn last.

Belko is good, clean, incredibly intense, and bloody fun, and if you live in the US or Canada you can see it everywhere on March 17."

The film has a great cast that includes Tony Goldwyn, Michael Rooker, Sean Gunn, Adria Arjona, John Gallagher Jr., John C. McGinley, David Dastmalchian, and Melonie Diaz.

The movie was directed by Greg McLean (Wolf Creek) and is scheduled to be released in theaters on March 17, 2017. Here's the trailer.

I don't know if you're familiar with Sideshow Collectibles' line of Court of the Dead collectibles, but it's pretty awesome. It's an original concept that they've come with featuring some crazy cool characters. To learn more about it and see their whole collection, click here. There's a whole world and story that they are creating that would seriously make for a great film franchise!

There most recent addition to the franchise is a bust of The Executus Reaper Oglavaeil. This is Death's executioner, and Sideshow offers some intriguing information on the character that you can read below:

Do you dare to gaze into the eyes of the one who would be your end? 

You may be surprised to discover a hint of pity there

In the Court of the Dead - an original dark fantasy universe created by Sideshow - only Death stands between the Mortal Realm and the warring heavens. Seeking to restore balance to the universe, Death created the Court of the Dead: His Queen, a Chancellor, and an Executioner… 

This intricately rendered and hyper-detailed portrait of Oglavaeil, Death’s Executioner, provides a unique view of a compelling character torn between his morbid duty and his compassion for those he must end. Despite his awesome destructive power, Oglavaeil is a gentle spirit. These conflicting elements of the Executioner’s nature have been wonderfully conveyed by Sideshow’s artistic team.  

The bust is 23” wide, and expertly crafted from polystone with a metal supporting rod for balance. It is sold with a removable magnetic jaw piece, which offers different expressions for the Oglavaeil portrait. A Sideshow Exclusive version of this piece also features a “Blind Justice” mask.

You can pre-order this limited edition Court of the Dead collectible here if you're interested!

A new photo from Zack Snyder's Justice League has surfaced online and it features Ben Affleck as Batman wearing his new tactical Batsuit, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Ray Fisher as Cyborg, Ezra Miller as The Flash, and Jason Momoa as Aquaman all decked out in his armor and holding his trident. This is our first image of these characters gathered together as a team and ready to kick some ass! In case you're wondering where's Henrey Cavill's Superman is, he's probably the one who snapped the photo. Or, he just hasn't been resurrected yet!

I really want this movie to be great. I want to see a great DC movie again that will blow me away like with what Christopher Nolan did with Batman! I seriously doubt that this move will hit that bar, but maybe... just maybe, it will be better than the other DC films that have been made. 

Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince, to face an even greater enemy. Together, Batman and Wonder Woman work quickly to find and recruit a team of metahumans to stand against this newly awakened threat. But despite the formation of this unprecedented league of heroes—Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash—it may already be too late to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions.

Justice League hits theaters on November 17, 2017. 

Disney has released a new promo for their live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast that aired during the Golden Globe Awards. It features some enchanting new footage that fans are going to enjoy including Emma Watson as Belle singing part of the iconic opening song in the film. She seems to do a pretty good job, but I'll let you decide if it's as good as the original or not.

The movie looks almost like a shot-for-shot remake of the animated film. Some fans seem very happy about that, where I've seen other people complain about that and wonder what the point of a shot-for-shot remake is. I understand that it grasps the nostalgic attention of the Disney fans who grew up on the original animated film, but I also understand the argument that the film should be something more unique that stands on its own. Either way, I'm looking forward to seeing it and I'm sure it's going to be a huge hit for the studio. 

Beauty and the Beast is the fantastic journey of Belle, a bright, beautiful and independent young woman who is taken prisoner by a beast in his castle. Despite her fears, she befriends the castle’s enchanted staff and learns to look beyond the Beast’s hideous exterior and realize the kind heart and soul of the true Prince within.

The film was directed by Bill Condon and stars Emma Watson as Belle, Dan Stevens as the Beast, Luke Evans as Gaston, Kevin Kline as Maurice, Josh Gad as Lefou, Ewan McGregor as Lumiere, Stanley Tucci as Maestro Cadenza, Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Plumette, Audra McDonald as Madame Garderobe, Ian McKellen as Cogsworth, and Emma Thompson as Mrs. Potts.

Beauty and the Beast hits theaters on March 17th

Can you believe that action figure is officially licensed by Marvel? I suppose I would if you told me it was part of a "what if" storyline where Peter Parker's sweet old Aunt May was transformed to Gary Busey! Other than that, however, I have no idea how anyone can sign off on this horrid merchandise! Toy reviewer Ashens seems to have the same thought process as he tears into this horrendous Spider-Man series action figure in the video below! 

Sylvester Stallone is getting back into the director's chair for a project starring Adam Driver (The Force Awakens) called Tough as They Come. Stallone will also star alongside Driver in the film. 

The movie is based on a best-selling Travis Mills memoir. This is an intense true story of U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Mills, "one of only five soldiers to survive a quadruple amputation from a battlefield injury. At the heart of the story is the soldier’s relationship with his father-in-law, who stood by his side from the day he got home from the hospital." 

Driver will play Mills, and Stallone will take on the role of his father-in-law. This is a powerful story that is sure to make a great film, and I love that Stallone is directing and starring in it with Driver. There's no doubt we are going to see some incredible performances from them. 

I imagine this will be a personal project for Driver, as he served in the military before he became the popular actor that he is today. Here's a detailed description from the book:

Thousands have been wounded in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Five have survived quadruple amputee injuries. This is one soldier's story. 
 
Thousands of soldiers die year to defend their country. United States Army Staff Sergeant Travis Mills was sure that he would become another statistic when, during his third tour of duty in Afghanistan, he was caught in an IED blast four days before his twenty-fifth birthday. Against the odds, he lived, but at a severe cost—Travis became one of only five soldiers from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to survive a quadruple amputation. 
 
Suddenly forced to reconcile with the fact that he no longer had arms or legs, Travis was faced with a future drastically different from the one he had imagined for himself. He would never again be able to lead his squad, stroke his fingers against his wife’s cheek, or pick up his infant daughter.
  
Travis struggled through the painful and anxious days of rehabilitation so that he could regain the strength to live his life to the fullest.  With enormous willpower and endurance, the unconditional love of his family, and a generous amount of faith, Travis shocked everyone with his remarkable recovery. Even without limbs, he still swims, dances with his wife, rides mountain bikes, and drives his daughter to school.  
 
Travis inspires thousands every day with his remarkable journey. He doesn’t want to be thought of as wounded.  “I'm just a man with scars,” he says, “living life to the fullest and best I know how.”  

Via: Deadline

HBO has released the trailer for their Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds documentary, Brights Lights. It offers a glimpse of what their lives were like together and gives us a real sense how close they were. We've heard time and time again that they were best friends, and this documentary will put a focus on the relationship. It looks like a fantastically charming film that fans of the actresses won't want to miss. 

Carrie Fisher and her mother, Debbie Reynolds, live in the same Beverly Hills compound. The 83-year-old grand dame still has a Las Vegas act, but performing is taking its toll. Carrie’s response is both hilarious and heart-rending. Featuring vintage family films that bring iconic old-world Hollywood to life, as well as extensive vérité footage,

The film was directed by Alexis Bloom and Fisher Stevens, and it's set to debut on Saturday, January 7 at 8:00 p.m. exclusively on HBO. 

This one's pretty simple: YouTuber Jim Casey has edited together some of the coolest and most iconic slow motion shots in movies (mostly from this century). I'm glad he included some shots from Dredd in there, because while that film is beloved by a small selection of hardcore fans, it should be seen by a larger audience. Hopefully this tiny introduction will cause some more people to seek it out. For me, this video reminded me that it's time to reassess Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof, which I haven't seen since it hit theaters.

Via: Sploid

Night Dive Studios has just added a level editor to it's PC edition of Turok! Steam users looking for a fresh experience in the world of dinosaur hunting will now have community created levels with all the tools for design at your disposal...read more on GameTyrant

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I recently had the chance to catch a screening of the upcoming film The Founder, which tells the story of how McDonalds rose to fast food power. It was a great movie, and Michael Keaton gave an awesome performance that should secure him an Oscar nomination.

Keaton plays Ray Kroc, who was a milkshake machine salesman who saw potential in McDonalds back in the 1950s when there was only one location being run by two brothers. Kroc is the guy who jumped at the opportunity to transform it into a huge franchise. Along the way, he did some stuff that really makes you not like the guy. I already wasn't a fan of McDonalds, but this movie made me like it even less. 

The movie was marvelously directed by John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side, Saving Mr. Banks), and this is the synopsis:

The founder tells the true story of how Ray Kroc, a struggling salesman from Illinois, met Mac and Dick McDonald, who were running a burger operation in 1950s Southern California. Kroc was impressed by the brothers’ speedy system of making the food and saw franchise potential. Writer Robert Siegel (THE WRESTLER) details how Kroc maneuvered himself into a position to be able to pull the company from the brothers and create a billion-dollar empire."

The movie also stars Laura Dern as Ray Kroc’s first wife Ethel; Linda Cardellini as his second wife Joan Smith; John Carroll Lynch as Mac McDonald; and Nick Offerman as Dick McDonald. It's currently playing in Los Angeles and New York, and it will get a wide release on January 20th.

The team at Cinefix is back with a new shot-for-shot remake of a blockbuster trailer, and this time they're taking on Captain America: Civil War. That's a heck of a trailer for a bunch of people with a minuscule budget and a DIY mentality to recreate, but you might be surprised at some of the creative ways they get around dealing with some of the trailer's big moments (explosions, for instance). And after you watch the video, you can grade their accuracy by checking out a side by side comparison.

Scavengers is a crazy trippy animated sci-fi short that you've got to watch. This is just such a weird viewing experience, but I absolutely loved it! The story follows two astronauts who end up stranded on a strange planet full of strange alien creatures. They spend their time on the planet studying these creatures in the weirdest ways, but it all leads to a specific goal that they have in mind.

The VESTA - 1 project mission was to establish human settlement on planet designation Vesta Minor.

All contact with VESTA - 1 command crew was lost shortly after arrival.

The short was directed by Joseph Bennett and Charles Huettner. It's a unique and fascinating short that's completely peculiar and has an eerie and haunting tone.

Via: Vimeo Staff Picks