It's been a long time since I've watched an abridged series by Team Four Star. I remember watching Dragon Ball Z Abridged way back in 2008 and now they've finally started another anime that I care about! Attack On Titan has gotten a lot of buzz stateside since premiering in Japan, and I personally love it. There are critics however who say the show is rife with angst, screaming, and constant depression. While that's true, it's still damn good. If you're one of those who can't see past that, watch the abridged version. It's hilarious for those who follow the show, and great fodder for anyone who doesn't like it.

Roland Emmerich has been working on developing Independence Day 2 for some time now, and last we heard he's still in the process of trying to lock down Will Smith for the lead role. 

The release date of the movie has been pushed back almost a year. The alien invasion sequel was supposed to come out on July 3rd, 2015, but it's now set to hit the big screen on July 1st, 2016.

If they don't land Smith they have a plan B in place as they have two scripts for the film to shoot from, one that includes Smith's character and one that doesn't.

There's still no information on the official plot of the film, but it's safe to assume that the aliens will be back to attack earth. Chronicle star Michael B. Jordan has been in talks to star in the film and will most likely join Bill Pullman and Jeff Goldblum.

EW

Warner Bros. has released thirteen new photos from Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, some of which give us our first look at new characters, such as Master of Lake-Town, played by Stephen Fry, and Bain, played by John Bell. There's also an image of some cool-looking Orcs. The other images include characters that we already know. The movie is set to be released in theaters on December 13th, 2013. 

The gorgeous art you see before you was in the artist's words, "a quick drawing that I did in the afternoon." Why can't my quick drawings look like this? Its a bit of a bummer, as all I can put together are various minion drawings, and for those I just end up tracing the promo art from the front of a mini corn dogs box.

Okay, so my jealousy should not be the focus of this post. Instead, let's focus on the superb drawing of the new Ms. Marvel, Kamala Khan, done by pro Jeremy Roberts, otherwise known as JPRart on his Deviant Art account. The pose is classic and strong, and I love his bold use of color. This piece is probably one of my favorite renderings of Kamala and her new costume, which I'm slowly starting to love. You can view his gallery here for more comic inspired artwork, and feel free to leave a comment or two.

We've got a new clip from The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. It features a training montage with some of the tributes showing off their skills, including Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), who, as you'll see, has become quite lethal. 

The Hunger Games saga continues in this sequel that finds a revolution brewing as Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) take a "Victor's Tour" of the districts, and President Snow (Donald Sutherland) plots their downfall during preparations for The Quarter Quell, which only occurs every 25 years in celebration of the Capitol's victory over the districts.

The movie comes out on November 22nd, 2013!

Dwayne Johnson is set to star in a survivalist drama based on actual events called Not Without Hope. The film will be an adaptation of Nick Schuyler's 2010 memoir, which follows four friends that include Schuyler and NFL players "Marquis Cooper and Corey Smith, and Schuyler’s best friend, Will Bleakley, a former University of South Florida football player — who were on a fishing trip in the Gulf of Mexico when their boat capsized, stranding the four men at sea. In the days that followed, the men fought to survive as they awaited to see if help would come."

Johnson will play Schuyler in the movie, and this will be a much more dramatic role than we're used to seeing him in. I think he'll be great in it though! Schuyler had this to say in a statement,

“I’m humbled that Relativity was interested in paying tribute to Marquis, Corey and Will, and I was impressed with their vision for the film and how they wanted to honor how these guys lived and loved their families, friends and teammates.”

Here's the description of the book:

On February 28, 2009, Nick Schuyler, a twenty-four-year-old personal trainer, left for a deep-sea fishing trip with three friends: NFL players Marquis Cooper and Corey Smith, and Will Bleakley, his best friend, who once played football for the University of South Florida.

It was supposed to be a day of fun and relaxation aboard Cooper's twenty-one-foot boat, which anchored seventy miles west of Tampa, Florida, in the Gulf of Mexico. The friends were out to catch some amberjack and grouper and maybe a few sharks. They planned to drink a few beers, have some laughs, and get home before an approaching cold front hit.

As the seas began to swell and the winds picked up in the late afternoon, they packed their gear and decided to head to shore. One problem. The anchor was stuck.

Inexperienced boaters, they made what would become a fatal mistake, tying the anchor rope to the stern of the boat and hitting the throttle. The anchor did not yank free. Instead, the stern sank and filled with water, and the boat capsized.

And so the nightmare began. The men had to forage for life jackets beneath the boat. They had no emergency beacon to alert authorities, and their cell phones didn't work so far out in the Gulf. With no food or water, the men clung to the overturned hull through the night as the seas roughened and the cloudy sky became inky black. They were continuously tossed from the boat by brutal waves, and sometimes found each other only by swimming toward their friends' voices.

During the rare lull, they would pray and talk about the ones they loved, what they would've done differently with their lives, and what they would do once they returned home. As the hours passed, the four friends, who had grown up as athletes, worked as a team in their desperate bid to survive. They battled hypothermia, hallucinations, hunger, dehydration, and huge waves.

Via: Variety

Via: Firstshowing

We've got another awesomely intense trailer for a World War II film called Stalingrad, which was made in Russia. 

The story is set during the horrifically epic battle for Stalingrad. The battle lasted for more than six months before the German army surrendered in 1943. It mostly looks like a really crazy good action film, but there seems to be a little romance thrown into the mix. 

The movie was shot in 3D and is currently playing in Russia, but unfortunately there's no release date set for the US. It was directed by Fedor Bondarchuk (Inhabited Island), and it's being released by Sony Pictures International in IMAX 3D. I would love to get to see this movie on the big screen! Hopefully it gets a release date soon. 

 Here's some more information on the film...

The original script by Ilya Tilkin does not have any literary source. The screenwriter studied diaries of the participants of the Battle of Stalingrad. He also used museum archives, documents and recorded stories of its participants.

The plot is based on "a dramatic love story against the backdrop of a grand battle." The action takes place in 1942 when the German troops occupied the bank of the Volga river. Having failed while attempting to cross the Volga to launch a counteroffensive on the German Army, the Soviet troops were forced to retreat. However, a few soldiers managed to get to the shore on the enemy's side. They remained hidden in a coastal house where they meet a girl. The Germans had occupied her home, and she did not have time to leave the front lines.

Against the backdrop of the most bloody battle in the history of mankind develops a love story, and, from that moment, the soldiers have to protect this girl at any cost. The prototype of this house is the legendary Pavlov's House in Stalingrad. On the eve of the filming, the script was significantly rewritten by the director and screenwriter Sergey Snezhkin including the plot and dialogues.

Enjoy the trailer!

Via: THR

Dexter writer and producer Melissa Rosenberg is set to write and produce Marvel's Jessica Jones series. She was on board to write the series a couple of years ago, but it didn't go anywhere at the time. Now that it's back on track Rosenberg will oversee the project. Jones is a superhero turned investigator who comes from the Alias comic series.

The Jessica Jones series is one of four Marvel shows that are being developed for Netflix. They've committed to a minimum of four 13-episode series, which will begin airing in 2015. The other series include Daredevil, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist. The plan is to bring all the characters together in a miniseries event that will be based on the superhero team The Defenders.

Even though Rosenberg also wrote the Twilight series, I think she is a good choice to develop Jessica Jones.

Wow! This first trailer for Darren Aronofsky's Noah is awesomely epic! This looks so much more badass than I imagined it would be in my head. I knew Aronofsky would give us something incredible, but I didn't know it would look so freakin' incredible. This movie looks insanely stunning, and on top of that, Aronofsky has a talent for telling great stories with solid characters. 

The movie stars Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Ray Winstone, Emma Watson, Anthony Hopkins, and Logan Lerman. It's set to be released on March 28th, 2014, and I can't wait! Check out the trailer and let us know if it looks better than you were expecting!

Via: THR

The SyFy Channel is set to develop a small screen adaptation of the Old English epic poem Beowulf. They've hired 1408 writer Matt Greenberg to adapt it. The series will further examine the hero's rise to power and his feud with the monster Grendel.

Beowulf is considered one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature. Back in 2007, Robert Zemeckis made a motion capture film based on the character that seemed pretty good when it first came out, but hasn't stood the test of time. 

I think there's a chance that this series could be pretty cool. You never know with SyFy though. Sometimes they deliver good series, sometimes they're awful. Hopefully this one will be good.

Via: Fashionably Geek

Sleep like a zombie in these adult size Walking Dead Walker footie pajamas. They're perfect for when you're stumbling through the house half-awake for your early morning cup of coffee. The PJs are only $38, and you can get a pair at Amazon.

Tales From the Darkside was an anthology horror TV series created by George A. Romero back in 1984. I remember watching episodes of this late at night growing up. They were pretty entertaining back then, but you watch them now, and they're silly as hell. The show was similar to programs such as Amazing Stories, The Twilight Zone, Night Gallery, The Outer Limits, and Tales From The Crypt. 

According to Vulture, the show is going to be rebooted by Sleepy Hollow producers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, who've also worked on a good amount of movies, such as Star Trek and Transformers. The producing duo will also be teaming up with author Joe Hill (Locke & Key) to help revive the series.

According to the report, "The CW has been looking to develop a new take on the syndicated series for a while now, and with Hill, Kurtzman and Orci on board, the network has ordered a script for the project."

The network is looking to move fast on the project, and if they like the script that comes in the network could air the reboot as soon as this summer.

The new Tales From the Darkside episodes will be 30 minutes long. They also say that "episodes will be self-contained and every minute will be designed to scare the hell out of viewers."

This sounds like it could be a lot of fun! I really hope they can pull off a good anthology horror series. 

You know, for all the deserved flack it received, Batman and Robin did actually have a cool Batmobile, it just happened to be in a terrible movie. Anyway, each of us has a favorite, and Specular Interactive wants you to experience those and 8 more versions of the iconic vehicle in their new Arcade Cabinet, simply titled Batman. 

The cabinet itself is pretty sweet looking,  and once you get in the seat (or cockpit in the Batwing's case) you (or you and a buddy in the 2 player mode) take on a series of missions in the open world version of Gotham with your vehicle of choice, culminating in 3 separate boss fights with the Joker, Penguin, and my favorite, Mr. Freeze. There is a part of me that hopes to see an unlockable Arnold voice track for the game, but I'm sure I'm in the minority on that one. Either way, the game looks like a fun reason for a trip out to Dave and Buster's one night, and the developers said everything moves at 60 fps. If you're interested in the process of how this game came to be, make sure to check out Arcade Heroes interview with Specular Interactive here. Its definitely worth a read, and check out some of the screens and trailers below to get an idea of what the game will look and play like. 

I wish I had more time to spend at arcades, as I miss unique experiences like this. It brings back memories of many times from my childhood when I couldn't wait to get in and play these types of games. If you're at your local arcade in Nashville, there is a chance you'll see me in the cockpit, and don't make fun of me if I'm actually wearing a cowl while I'm playing. 

I also might break out the Batsuit, and in that case you are allowed to laugh, you just can't film it or take pictures. I do have a small sliver of cred to maintain.

Remember that time when Hollywood thought Taylor Lautner was going to be the next big thing? Yeah, that didn't last long. At one point he was attached to star in a ton of big budget movie projects, one of which was an adaptation of the Stretch Armstrong toy. The movie ended up not happening after his movie Abduction tanked at the box office. Who knows if the movie will ever happen at this point.

Thanks to FilmSketchr, we have the storyboard animatic from the film for you to check out. It was created by storyboard illustrator Collin Grant and Animatic creator Jim Rothwell. I have to say, the movie looks like it would have been absolutely ridiculous. But then it's Stretch Armstrong, so what would you expect? I think maybe there is some potential in seeing some very interesting visuals in a film like this, but the movie as a whole probably would suck. 

Relativity Media currently owns the movie rights to the Stretch Armstrong toy, but there's been no information on where the movie currently stands. It's probably dead, but check out the storyboard animatic and tell us if this is something you might be interested in actually seeing on the big screen. 

Via: THR

We've got another big movie to add to the epic list of films being released in 2015! Paramount Pictures has announced that Mission: Impossible 5 will be released on December 25th, 2015. 

Christopher McQuarrie (Jack Reacher) will direct Tom Cruise in the fifth installment of the franchise. The script for the film comes from Drew Pearce (Iron Man 3). There's no information on what the movie will be about, but I'm hoping they bring the team from Brad Bird's Ghost Protocol back together. That was a fun set of characters.

The BBC has released an awesome mini-episode for Doctor Who's 50th anniversary special called "The Night of the Doctor."  It's a 7-minute prequel to The Day of The Doctor that shows the return of someone that I will not reveal to you. You will just have to watch the episode for yourself! Here's the description that came along with the short,

The Bringer of Darkness, the Oncoming Storm, the Doctor, the Warrior - A Time Lord! The 50th Anniversary features Matt Smith, David Tennant and a mysterious incarnation played by John Hurt. Only one appears in the mini episode, The Night of the Doctor. But which?

Doctor Who's 50th Anniversary Special airs on November 23rd! Enjoy the Doctor Who mini-episode! 

Screenwriter Evan Daugherty (Snow White and The Huntsman) has created a really cool series of gritty Super Mario Bros. short films for Maker Studios’ Polaris. The series is called The Four Players, and it reimagines four of the characters from the classic video game franchise. 

The first two films have been released online, and you can watch them below. They are called "The Fixer," which centers on Mario, and "The Addict," which focuses on Luigi. The next two shorts will be released on Friday, and they are called "Star," which features Princess Peach, and "The Soldier," which follows Toad.

Daugherty had this to say in a statement,

"Making these short films gave me a chance to really ‘do my own thing,’ while having a little fun treating one of my favorite videogame properties with a darker vibe."

This is a really entertaining vision of this franchise, and it will be great to see what comes of all this. Nintendo hasn't been involved with a film since the first Super Mario Bros. movie crashed and burned in the '90s. 

Via: Variety

Chris Pratt is in talks to star in director Colin Trevorrow's Jurassic World. According to Variety, Pratt would take on the role that Josh Brolin was up for a few weeks ago. Apparently things didn't work out during the negotiation stage with Brolin. 

I like Pratt, he's a funny guy and a solid actor, but he's a very different actor than Brolin is, so it's interesting that they are looking at him to possibly fill the same role. Maybe the character they wrote is open to interpretation. 

If cast, Pratt would join Bryce Dallas Howard, Ty Simpkins, and Nick Robinson. Not much is known about the story other than Robinson would play Simpkins’ older brother in the pic. I guess you can use your imagination to fill in the blanks.

The movie will hit theaters June 12th, 2015.

I didn’t read comics as a kid. At all. Ever. Then, one year, someone gave my brother a copy of The Indispensable Calvin and Hobbes. I remember picking it up, idly, when I was bored, and getting hooked. The transmogrifier, the red wagon rides, the school scenes… Calvin was something I saw within myself, and something I wanted to be, and something that showed me a whole universe of possibilities waiting for me.

Dear Mr. Watterson, a documentary by Joel Allen Schroeder, plumbs the depths of the influence Bill Watterson, creator of Calvin and Hobbes, has had on readers, comic writers, and comic book publishers. Watterson does not appear in the documentary. He is famously unfriendly to the media. Instead, Schroeder mostly uses talking head interviews with fans and industry professionals to explore what Calvin and Hobbes meant and what the man behind it had to tell us. He also visits Watterson’s hometown and the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library at The Ohio State University, repository of all of the original artwork for Calvin and Hobbes.

The one thing that didn’t work was the director’s personal connection to the material. The title Dear Mr. Watterson seems to refer to the book Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary, which is made up of a boy’s letters to his favorite author. The letters are deeply personal, focusing on his changed life after his parents’ divorce. Nothing that deep comes from Schroeder’s experiences or narration. When he is looking through the archive, his voiceover asks how we would choose which strips to look at (apparently “all of them” wasn’t an option), but he doesn’t tell which he chose or why. He shows us his childhood bedroom, formerly covered in Calvin and Hobbes strips clipped from the paper, but they aren’t there anymore, and it feels a little pointless and half-baked. I believe that he really loves Calvin and Hobbes. I’m just not sure what his story adds to the film.

Watterson’s achievement was extraordinary. Calvin and Hobbes ran daily for ten years, and it was pretty close to perfect. It was read by millions of people, and it meant something to them. Spending 90 minutes contemplating this accomplishment is a pretty feel-good experience. My heart was literally warmed. The movie opens with a montage of fans, most of them about my age, talking about what the strip meant to them, each framed within a comic panel. It’s a pretty straightforward (and effective) bid for the viewers to jump into the strip and remember what piece of themselves they found in Calvin.  

Some of the best parts of the movie feature comic experts—writers, curators, executives—talking about Watterson’s influences and impact. Peanuts, Pogo, and Krazy Kat are cited as his biggest influences, but it’s also enlightening to see a panel of Little Nemo in Slumberland laid out in the exact same formula as some of Watterson’s greatest Sunday strips—long dream sequence, one final panel with a return to reality. His colleagues talk a lot about his writing and art style—those beautiful watercolors, but Watterson’s mark on the business side is even more interesting.

At a time when comic space in newspapers was dwindling, Watterson demanded, and received, a full half page for his Sunday strips. If a newspaper wouldn’t give him the space, they couldn’t have Calvin and Hobbes. His best, most inventive work came after he broke free of Sunday’s standard 16 panel template. His 1989 speech on “The Cheapening of Comics” is cited as driving Jeff Smith’s decision to publish Bones independently. And of course, much time is spent on Watterson’s refusal to license his characters for anything, ever. Hearing different perspectives on the decision and his possible reasoning actually made me change my mind a little. Yeah, it takes some serious principles to leave an estimated $300 million in licensing fees on the table, but is his artistic integrity actually any purer because I can’t buy my son a Hobbes doll? A couple weeks ago GeekTyrant posted a seriously delightful fan-made animated clip of Calvin and Hobbes dancing. Don’t bother looking for it, because it doesn’t exist on the Internet anymore. Who was that hurting?

No matter. Mr. Watterson may have wanted to avoid crass commercialization, but this movie seems almost specifically calibrated to sell copies of his books. I was tempted to pause the movie to search for my brother’s old copies. I wondered how soon I could start reading them with my son. My husband watched the last 30 minutes with me and asked how much The Complete Calvin and Hobbes was selling for. Not because the documentary is devised as a marketing tool, it’s clearly not. But what it does is remind you of the feeling of wonder and promise the strip conjured and make you want to seek that out again. 

Dear Mr. Watterson opens in New York and on VOD tomorrow, November 15. A Los Angeles and national theatrical release will follow.

I've got to admit, Jeepers Creepers has been a pretty entertaining horror franchise. I really liked the first one, and the second one wasn't too bad either. The fact that there's going to be a third film is pretty cool.

According to STYD, "there is renewed movement on the long-mooted sequel." One of the main bits of news about this is that their sources tell them "one day of shooting is already in the can." When they reached out to the director, Victor Salva, he told them,

"There may finally be some very good news for those waiting for the third Jeepers film to go before the cameras."

There are no details on what the story of the sequel will entail, but I'm sure it will entertain the fans of the franchise!