Here's a nice little Batman fan film called Riddle of the Mask that features Riddler and Huntress. It was written and directed by Justin Zagri, and it's very dialogue heavy, but it's good, and the acting is solid. Here's a short synopsis that came with the film,

Old and frustrated, Edward Nigma is desperate for an opportunity, and he finds it when he kidnaps Helena Bertinelli, AKA The Huntress. Hotheaded and emotionally driven, she faces her life against giving up the greatest riddle of all.

Enjoy the show! 

The 2014 Sundance Film Festival is right around the corner, and the Sundance Institute has released the full line-up for the competition films that will be premiering! 

This year there were 12,218 total submissions, and 117 films were accepted from 37 countries around the world. It looks like there's a lot of good selection of films this year.

The Sundance Film Festival 2014 runs from January 16th to the 26th, and the GeekTyrant team will be there to cover as many movies as we possibly can. 

U.S. DRAMATIC COMPETITION

The 16 films in this section are world premieres and, unless otherwise noted, are from the U.S.

“Camp X-Ray” — Directed and written by Peter Sattler. A young female guard at Guantanamo Bay forms an unlikely friendship with one of the detainees. Cast: Kristen Stewart, Payman Maadi, Lane Garrison, J.J. Soria, John Carroll Lynch.

“Cold in July” — Directed by Jim Mickle, written by Nick Damici. A small-town Texas man kills a home intruder, only to see his life violently unravel in Mickle’s follow-up to “We Are What We Are.” Cast: Michael C. Hall, Don Johnson, Sam Shepard, Vinessa Shaw, Nick Damici, Wyatt Russell.

“Dear White People” — Directed and written by Justin Simien. A tongue-in-cheek look at racial identity at an Ivy League university, where a riot breaks out over an “African-American-themed” party thrown by white students. Cast: Tyler Williams, Tessa Thompson, Teyonah Parris, Brandon Bell.

“Fishing Without Nets” — Directed by Cutter Hodierne, written by Hodierne, John Hibey and David Burkman. This story of pirates in Somalia is told from the perspective of a struggling young local fisherman. Cast: Abdikani Muktar, Abdi Siad, Abduwwhali Faarah, Abdikhadir Hassan, Reda Kateb, Idil Ibrahim.

“God’s Pocket” — Directed by John Slattery, written by Slattery, Alex Metcalf. The story of a man trying to conceal the truth about the construction “accident” that killed his stepson. Cast: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Richard Jenkins, Christina Hendricks, John Turturro.

“Happy Christmas” — Directed and written by Joe Swanberg. A young woman breaks up with her boyfriend and then moves in with her older brother, his wife, and their 2-year-old son. Cast: Anna Kendrick, Melanie Lynskey, Mark Webber, Lena Dunham, Swanberg.

“Hellion” — Directed and written by Kat Candler. A 13-year-old delinquent must get his act together, along with his emotionally absent dad, in order to bring back his little brother, who’s been taken away by child protective services. Cast: Aaron Paul, Juliette Lewis, Josh Wiggins, Deke Garner, Jonny Mars, Walt Roberts.

“Infinitely Polar Bear” — Directed and written by Maya Forbes. A manic-depressive father tries to win back his wife by taking full responsibility of their two young daughters. Cast: Mark Ruffalo, Zoe Saldana, Imogene Wolodarsky, Ashley Aufderheide.

“Jamie Marks Is Dead” — Directed and written by Carter Smith. A ghost visits his former classmate, hoping to find the love and friendship he never experienced in life. Cast: Cameron Monaghan, Noah Silver, Morgan Saylor, Judy Greer, Madisen Beaty, Liv Tyler.

“Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter” — Directed by David Zellner, written by David and Nathan Zellner. A lonely Japanese woman abandons her structured life in Tokyo to seek a satchel of money rumoredly hidden in the Minnesota wilderness. Cast: Rinko Kikuchi.

“Life After Beth” — Directed and written by Jeff Baena. A man is devastated by his girlfriend’s unexpected death, but receives a second chance at love when she mysteriously returns. Cast: Aubrey Plaza, Dave DeHaan, John C. Reilly, Molly Shannon, Cheryl Hines, Paul Reiser.

“Low Down” — Directed by Jeff Preiss, written by Amy Albany and Topper Lilien. This adaptation of Albany’s memoir explores her journey to adulthood while being raised by her troubled father, bebop pianist Joe Albany. Cast: John Hawkes, Elle Fanning, Glenn Close, Lena Headey, Peter Dinklage, Flea.

“The Skeleton Twins” — Directed by Craig Johnson, written by Johnson and Mark Heyman. An estranged brother and sister coincidentally cheat death on the same day, prompting a reunion. Cast: Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, Luke Wilson, Ty Burrell, Boyd Holbrook, Joanna Gleason.

“The Sleepwalker” (U.S.-Norway) — Directed by Mona Fastvold, written by Fastvold, Brady Corbet. A young couple see their lives violently interrupted when unexpected guests arrive at their secluded estate. Cast: Gitte Witt, Christopher Abbott, Corbet, Stephanie Ellis.

“Song One” — Directed and written by Kate Barker-Froyland. When an accident leaves her brother comatose, a woman sets out to retrace his life as an aspiring musician, leading to an unexpected relationship against the backdrop of Brooklyn’s music scene. Cast: Anne Hathaway, Johnny Flynn, Mary Steenburgen, Ben Rosenfield.

“Whiplash” — Directed and written by Damien Chazelle. A talented young drummer pursues perfection at any cost in Chazelle’s follow-up to “Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench.” Cast: Miles Teller, J.K. Simmons.

U.S. DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION

The 16 films in this section are world premieres and, unless otherwise noted, are from the U.S.

“Alive Inside: A Story of Music & Memory” — Directed by Michael Rossato-Bennett. A man discovers that songs embedded deep in memory can ease the pain of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

“All the Beautiful Things” — Directed by John Harkrider. An account of a close friendship between two men, tested by betrayal when one of them is falsely accused of rape.

“Captivated — The Trials of Pamela Smart” (U.S.-U.K.) — Directed by Jeremiah Zagar. An examination of the media’s impact on Smart’s 1991 murder trial, which became one of the highest-profile criminal cases of all time.

“The Case Against 8″ — Directed by Ben Cotner, Ryan White. A behind-the-scenes look at the unlikely team that took the first federal marriage equality lawsuit to the U.S. Supreme Court.

“Cesar’s Last Fast” — Directed by Richard Ray Perez, Lorena Parlee. A portrait of Cesar Chavez’s devotion and personal sacrifice in fighting for economic justice on behalf of America’s poorest workers.

“Dinosaur 13″ — Directed by Todd Miller. An up-close look at one of the greatest discoveries in history.

“E-Team” — Directed by Katy Chevigny, Ross Kauffman. A look at the high-stakes investigative work undertaken by four intrepid human-rights workers.

“Fed Up” — Directed by Stephanie Soechtig. An expose of the food industry’s 30-year campaign to mislead the American public, resulting in one of the worst health epidemics in history.

“The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz” — Directed by Brian Knappenberger. Documents the life and accomplishments of programming prodigy and information activist Swartz before he took his life at the age of 26.

“Ivory Tower” — Directed by Andrew Rossi. An inquiry into whether college is worth it in an era of soaring tuition costs.

“Marmato” — Directed by Mark Grieco. A historic Colombian mining town becomes the center of a modern gold rush when a Canadian company seeks to excavate the $20 billion in gold beneath residents’ homes.

“No No: A Dockumentary” — Directed by Jeffrey Radice. A portrait of former baseball player Dock Ellis, who once pitched a no-hitter on LSD and subsequently spent decades counseling drug abusers.

“The Overnighters” — Directed by Jesse Moss. The story of a pastor seeking to help the desperate men who work in the North Dakota oil fields.

“Private Violence” — Directed by Cynthia Hill. An intimate portrait of domestic violence against women as told through two personal stories.

“Rich Hill” — Directed by Andrew Droz Palermo and Tracy Droz Tragos. An examination of challenges, hopes and dreams of the young residents of a rural American town.

“Watchers of the Sky” — Directed by Edet Belzberg. This documentary interweaves five stories of courage by humanitarians working to end genocide around the world.

WORLD CINEMA DRAMATIC COMPETITION

The 12 films in this section are world premieres unless otherwise specified.

“52 Tuesdays” (Australia) — Directed by Sophie Hyde, written by Matthew Cormack. An emotionally charged drama about a 16-year-old girl whose mother reveals her plans for gender transition. Cast: Tilda Cobham-Hervey, Del Herbert-Jane, Imogen Archer, Mario Spate, Beau Williams, Sam Althuizen. International premiere.

“Blind” (Norway-Netherlands) — Directed and written by Eskil Vogt. A woman who has recently lost her sight retreats into the safety and isolation of her apartment, alone with her husband and her thoughts. Cast: Ellen Dorrit Petersen, Henrik Rafaelsen, Vera Vitali, Marius Kolbenstvedt.

“Difret” (Ethiopia) — Directed and written by Zeresenay Berhane Mehari. A young lawyer operates under the government’s radar helping women and children, until one girl’s case blows her cover. Cast: Meron Getnet, Tizita Hagere.

“The Disobedient” (Serbia) — Directed and written by Mina Djukic. Two childhood friends reunite in their hometown, then take a bicycle trip around their old haunts. Cast: Hana Selimovic, Mladen Sovilj, Minja Subota, Danijel Sike, Ivan Djordjevic.

“God Help the Girl” (U.K.) — Directed and written by Stuart Murdoch. A musical about some messed-up boys and girls and the music they made. Cast: Emily Browning, Olly Alexander, Hannah Murray, Cora Bissett, Pierre Boulanger.

“Liar’s Dice” (India) — Directed and written by Geetu Mohandas. The story of a young woman who leaves her native land with her daughter to search for her missing husband, encountering a free-spirited army deserter along the way. Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Geetanjali Thapa, Manya Gupta. International premiere.

“Lilting” (U.K.) — Directed and written by Hong Khaou. An intimate drama about a Chinese mother mourning her son’s untimely death and the sudden appearance of a stranger who doesn’t speak her language. Cast: Ben Whishaw, Pei-Pei Cheng, Andrew Leung, Peter Bowles, Naomi Christie, Morven Christie.

“Lock Charmer” (El cerrajero) (Argentina) — Directed and written by Natalia Smirnoff. A 33-year-old locksmith begins to have strange visions about his clients and decides to put this strange talent to use. Cast: Esteban Lamothe, Erica Rivas, Yosiria Huaripata.

“To Kill a Man” (Chile-France) — Directed and written by Alejandro Fernandez Almendras. A hard-working family man gets mugged by a neighborhood delinquent, setting off a chain of violence and retribution. Cast: Daniel Candia, Daniel Antivilo, Alejandro Yanez, Ariel Mateluna.

“Viktoria” (Bulgaria-Romania) — Directed and written by Maya Vitkova. In communist Bulgaria, a woman gives birth to a daughter who, despite being born with no umbilical cord, is hailed as the baby of the decade. Cast: Irmena Chichikova, Daria Vitkova, Kalina Vitkova, Mariana Krumova, Dimo Dimov, Georgi Spassov.

“Wetlands” (Germany) — Directed by David Wnendt, written by Claus Falkenberg and Wnendt. A graphic adaptation of Charlotte Roche’s bestselling novel about an 18-year-old girl obsessed with her own bodily secretions. Cast: Carla Juri, Christoph Letkowski, Meret Becker, Axel Milberg, Marlen Kruse, Edgar Selge. North American premiere.

“White Shadow” (Italy-Germany-Tanzania) — Directed by Noaz Deshe, written by Desh and James Masson. A survival drama about a young albino boy who goes on the run after witnessing his father’s murder. Cast: Hamisi Bazili, James Gayo, Glory Mbayuwayu, Salum Abdallah. International premiere.

WORLD CINEMA DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION

The 12 films in this section are world premieres unless otherwise specified.

“20,000 Days on Earth” (U.K.) — Directed by Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard. A docu-drama hybrid and examination of the artistic process that imagines 24 hours in the life of Nick Cave.

“Concerning Violence” (Sweden-U.S.-Denmark-Finland) — Directed by Goran Hugo Olsson. A synthesis of newly discovered archival material documenting Third World struggles, accompanied by text from Frantz Fanon’s “The Wretched of the Earth.”

“The Green Prince” (Germany-Israel-U.K.) — Directed by Nadav Schirman. An account of one of Israel’s prized intelligence sources, who was recruited to spy on his own people for more than a decade.

“Happiness” (France-Finland) — Directed by Thomas Balmes. A portrait of social change as seen through the eyes of an 8-year-old Bhutanese monk whose village is about to be connected to electricity. North American premiere.

“Love Child” (South Korea-U.S.) — Directed by Valerie Veatch. Covers the 2010 trial of a young South Korean couple accused of neglect when their addiction to an online fantasy game resulted in the death of their infant daughter.

“Mr. Leos Carax” (France) — Directed by Tessa Louise-Salome. A portrait of the maverick director behind such films as “Holy Motors,” “The Lovers on the Bridge” and “Pola X.”

“My Prairie Home” (Canada) — Directed by Chelsea McMullan. A musical documentary portrait of Canadian transgender singer Rae Spoon, featuring visual interpretations of the artist’s songs. International premiere.

“The Notorious Mr. Bout” (U.S.-Russia) — Directed by Tony Gerber and Maxim Pozdorovkin. A profile of war profiteer, entrepreneur, aviation tycoon, arms dealer and documentary filmmaker Viktor Bout.

“The Return to Homs” (Syria-Germany) — Directed by Talal Derki. A portrait of young revolutionaries fighting for justice in the titular Syrian city.  North American premiere.

“Sepideh — Reaching for the Stars” (Denmark) — Directed by Berit Madsen. A young Iranian woman challenges traditions and expectations with her dream of becoming an astronaut. North American premiere.

“We Come as Friends” (France-Austria) — Directed by Hubert Sauper. A look at colonization a human phenomenon from the director of “Darwin’s Nightmare.”

“Web Junkie” (Israel) — Directed by Shosh Shlam and Hilla Medalia. A look at a Beijing rehab center where Internet-addicted Chinese teenagers are deprogrammed.

NEXT

The 11 films in this section are world premieres.

“Appropriate Behavior” (U.S.-U.K.) — Directed and written by Desiree Akhavan. The story of the identity struggles facing a young Persian-American bisexual woman in Brooklyn. Cast: Desiree Akhavan, Rebecca Henderson, Halley Feiffer, Scott Adsit, Anh Duong, Arian Moayed.

“Drunktown’s Finest” — Directed and written by Sydney Freeland. A coming-of-age story about three very different young Native Americans living on a reservation. Cast: Jeremiah Bitsui, Carmen Moore, Morningstar Angeline, Kiowa Gordon, Shauna Baker, Elizabeth Francis.

“The Foxy Merkins” — Directed by Madeleine Olnek, written by Lisa Haas, Jackie Monahan and Olnek. A prostitute buddy comedy about two lesbian hookers working the streets of New York. Cast: Lisa Haas, Jackie Monahan, Alex Karpovsky, Susan Ziegler, Sally Sockwell, Deb Margolin.

“A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night” — Directed by Ana Lily Amirpour. Residents of the Iranian ghost town Bad City are stalked by a lonesome vampire. Cast: Sheila Vand, Arash Marandi, Dominic Rains, Marshall Manesh, Mozhan Marnó, Milad Eghbali.

“Imperial Dreams” — Directed by Malik Vitthal, written by Vitthal and Ismet Prcic. A 21-year-old reformed gangster is released from prison and returns to his old stomping grounds in Watts, Los Angeles. Cast: John Boyega, Rotimi Akinosho, Glenn Plummer, Keke Palmer, De’aundre Bonds.

“Land Ho!” (U.S.-Iceland) — Directed and written by Martha Stephens and Aaron Katz. A bawdy throwback to 1980s road movies, about two former brothers-in-law who head to Iceland in an attempt to reclaim their youth. Cast: Paul Eenhoorn, Earl Nelson, Alice Olivia Clarke, Karrie Krouse, Elizabeth McKee, Emmsje Gauti.

“Listen Up Philip” — Directed and written by Alex Ross Perry. A writer faces various mistakes and miseries affecting those around him, including his girlfriend, many ex-girlfriends and enemies. Cast: Jason Schwartzman, Elisabeth Moss, Jonathan Pryce, Krysten Ritter, Josephine de La Baume.

“Memphis” — Directed and written by Tim Sutton. The story of a strange singer’s doomed journey through the mythic city of Memphis. Cast: Willis Earl Beal, Lopaka Thomas, Constance Brantley, Devonte Hull, John Gary Williams, Larry Dodson.

“Obvious Child” — Directed and written by Gillian Robespierre. A Brooklyn comedian is dumped and fired, then learns she’s pregnant — all in time for Valentine’s Day. Cast: Jenny Slate, Jake Lacy, Gaby Hoffmann, David Cross, Gabe Liedman, Richard Kind.

“Ping Pong Summer” — Directed and written by Michael Tully. A youthful snapshot of the summer of 1985, set in Ocean City, Md. Cast: Susan Sarandon, John Hannah, Lea Thompson, Amy Sedaris, Robert Longstreet, Marcello Conte.

“War Story” — Directed by Mark Jackson, written by Kristin Gore and Jackson. A war photographer retreats to a small town in Sicily after being held captive in Libya. Cast: Catherine Keener, Hafsia Herzi, Vincenzo Amato, Donatella Finocchiaro, Ben Kingsley.

The accomplished gamemakers over at Plaid Hat Games have created some wonderful experiences, from Summoner Wars to Bioshock Infinite: Siege of Columbia, and let's not forget my favorite, Mice and Mystics, so any news of a new product from them is good news. That said, Dead of Winter sounds especially fun, blending survival instincts, physiological battle, and the ever-popular zombie horde. The game is up for pre-order right now at a significant discount, so if any of the above interests you, I'd get on that deal soon. 

Designed by Isaac Vega and Jon Gilmour, the game takes place in a very Walking Dead-ish world where humanity is battling for survival against normal things like hunger, disease, and lack of resources, on top of, you know, the creepy things trying to bite you all the time. The game allows 2 to 5 people to work together toward their common goal, but with a twist. Instead of just being strictly a coop affair, each player also has their own motivation, which without completing the tasks associated with said motivation will cause your faction to still lose the game, even if the whole group completes the main objective. Lots of screwing over your allies potential with that mechanic, and it sounds fantastic (I have a habit of doing that kind of thing anyway, but now it's built right in). The game will have each player pick their own faction, each with different and unique party members exclusive to that group. Having an ulterior motive, whether advantageous or detrimental to your allies, is a great way to personalize each experience and make subsequent play-throughs interesting.

Can I name my faction The Mogos? Kinda weird, but in a cool way right?

Alright fine, Judgey McJudgerson, maybe it's just weird, but it's my team and I'll name them what I want. Regardless of what they are called, each faction (and player) will have to fight the rising odds of daily life while still dealing with zombies and people looking to grab your stuff, and that sounds like a great gaming night waiting to happen. If you’re interested in pre-ordering the game, you can head to their official store to get yours reserved, and you can catch all of what is included in the box there as well.

Looking for a Christmas song that involves Star Trek? Look no further, as jamescovenant mashed up episodes of The Next Generation to create a play on "Let it Snow" called "Make it So"! The video is great and extra hilarious at the point when Picard tells Wesley to shut up. 

This is the trailer for Disney's new animated adventure The Pirate Fairy. This is a Peter Pan spin-off which stars Tom Hiddleston as a pre-hook Captain Hook and Christina Hendricks as a hardcore fairy named Zarina. This is a pretty unexpected cast for a straight-to-DVD Disney animated fairy movie. The kids are going to love it though! 

When a misunderstood dust-keeper fairy named Zarina steals Pixie Hollow’s all-important Blue Pixie Dust, and flies away to join forces with the pirates of Skull Rock, Tinker Bell and her fairy friends must embark on the adventure of a lifetime to return it to its rightful place. However, in the midst of their pursuit of Zarina, Tink’s world is turned upside down. She and her friends find that their respective talents have been switched and they have to race against time to retrieve the Blue Pixie Dust and return home to save Pixie Hollow. With comedy, heart and epic thrills for the whole family,

The Pirate Fairy sets sail in Spring of 2014.

The gang over at Cinema Sins are really reaching for sins in this new video they released that is supposed to point out everything wrong with The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring. There aren't many real sins here, just a lot of nitpicking. 

The History Channel is on a roll, and they have announced another new miniseries! They will explore America's beginning in a series called Jamestown, which will explore the new colony. 

The series will be developed by Hell on Wheels executive producer John Shiban. It is inspired by Benjamin Woolley's book Savage Kingdom: The True Story of Jamestown, 1607, and the Settlement of America. The story will explore "the true story of the beginnings of America and follow the dreamers and schemers who settled in the new colony of Jamestown. It evokes a stirring epic time in American history, with all its greed, gore and glory."

The History Channel has been bringing us great miniseries, and as a fan of American history, this is a show that will definitely appeal to me. I'm excited to see how it turns out! Here's a description of the book:

Four centuries ago, and thirteen years before the Mayflower, a group of men—led by a one-armed ex-pirate, an epileptic aristocrat, a reprobate cleric, and a government spy—arrived in Virginia aboard a fleet of three ships and set about trying to create a settlement on a tiny island in the James River. Despite their shortcomings, and against the odds, they built Jamestown, a ramshackle outpost that laid the foundations of the British Empire and the United States of America.

Drawing on new discoveries, neglected sources, and manuscript collections scattered across the world, Savage Kingdom challenges the textbook image of Jamestown—revealing instead a reckless, daring enterprise led by outcasts of the Old World who found themselves interlopers in a new one.

Via: THR

Artist Patrick McQuade has sent us another set of fantastic Star Wars Christmas cards featuring some of our favorite characters from the series. McQuade always knows how to ring in the holidays Star Wars style! You can check out his previous cards here and here. These include Yoda Claus, a decked out Cantina scene, Echo Base, and Jabba Bells.

Director Peter Jackson has released a thirteenth video production blog for his epic Hobbit trilogy. Like all of the video blogs, you get to see a lot of awesome behind the scenes footage. I love that Jackson does these things to give us fans a glimpse of what it is like to make a movie like this. I wish more directors would do stuff like this. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug comes out on December 13th! 

Rogue is the latest X-Men team member to be fired by Professor X in the series of Pete Holmes' X-Men comedy sketches. What will Xavier do after he's fired all of the members of his superhero team?

We already know there are going to be a ton of new characters from the DC universe introduced in Batman Vs. Superman. So far we've got Wonder Woman, The Flash, and Lex Luthor, but what other characters might make an appearance? 

The folks at ThinkMcFlyThink think they know another character that will be joining the story, and it's a villain who has squared off against Batman and Superman. That villain is Metallo.  

It was previously reported that the studio was looking at casting 300: Rise of an Empire and Zero Dark Thirty actor Callan Mulvey to take on a villain role in the movie, but they didn't say who. The site claims that Mulvey is the man who will land the part. Their source also said the actor was considered for the role of Lex Luthor before ending up as Metallo.

This is all just a rumor for now. Nothing has been confirmed, but it would make sense to see Metallo in the film. Here's a description of the character for those of you not familiar.

Metallo is a radioactive cyborg intelligence who depends on Green Kryptonite as his energy source, making him an enemy of Superman. This deadly radiation can kill the man of steel through exposure alone, although his cybernetic enhancements make him very physically powerful. He is a former soldier who was used in experimentation by the United States Army, eventually giving him the ability to project his consciousness into any technological device. His powers also include the ability to morph the machinery in his body accordingly.

What do you think about the possibility of Metallo being the main villain in the Man of Steel sequel?

Talk about your out-of-nowhere announcements. Bryan Singer announced today on twitter that a new X-Men movie will be coming to theaters May 27, 2016. It's subtitle? Apocalypse. That's right, X-Men: Apocalypse, the infamous X-Men villain will finally be coming to the big screen.

#Xmen #Apocalypse 2016!

— Bryan Singer (@BryanSinger) December 5, 2013

For those of you who don't know, Apocalypse is an ancient mutant that has a darwinist survival of the fittest point of view. He reigns in an alternate reality where he enacts his mutant tyranny with an iron fist. 

This makes sense seeing as the classic Age of Apocalypse storyline stemmed from time travel and alternate realities which seems to be the major proponent in Days of Future Past. 

Days of Future Past isn't even out yet, but I am looking forward to both films. I really think they'll rectify the past mistakes in the X-Men cinematic franchise. 

We will give you more information as this story develops.

Who remembers the lovable Paperboy game from way back in the day? Ever realize how twisted it was that so much danger was in store for one kid with a paper route? Paperboy 3: The Hard Way is a fan trailer telling the tale of Paperboy as if it were a Grindhouse film, and it works so well! 

Matt Smith's final adventure as the 11th Doctor will take place on December 25th in Doctor Who's Christmas Special, The Time of the Doctor. The BBC has released a few photos from the series as well as a couple of banners

Orbiting a quiet backwater planet, the massed forces of the universe’s deadliest species gather, drawn to a mysterious message that echoes out to the stars - and amongst them, the Doctor.

Rescuing Clara from a family Christmas dinner, the Time Lord and his best friend must learn what this enigmatic signal means for his own fate and that of the universe.

I'm going to miss Smith, as he ended up being one of my favorite Doctors. In case you missed the teaser trailer for it, you can check it out here. 

Matthew Gottula

This Star Wars and Disney Haunted Mansion art mashup is one of the greatest things I've ever seen. I couldn't help but laugh when I saw it. This was just such a funny concept that I never knew I wanted to see!

I truly hope that one day this third Bill & Ted movie gets made. We've been hearing about it for years, and both Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves are excited to do it. There's already a script ready to go! So what's the hold up on Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure Part 3? According to Reeves it's the budget, and in a recent interview with Access Hollywood he explains,

“It needs to be adapted because right now, it would cost $400 million to make."

Whoa! $400 million is a lot of freakin' money! That would be the most expensive movie ever made! Not sure why it would need a budget that big, that seems pretty ridiculous. Reeves goes on to give us a little insight on what the plot of the film would entail, saying,

“There’s a rift in the universe and there’s all sorts of creatures.” 

So maybe they are planning on a more intergalactic adventure this time around? Or maybe some kind of dimensional traveling? They haven't given up on the film yet. They are still trying to get it made. Reeves shares his feelings on the third movie, saying,

“That would be surreal. The script is funny and there’s a story to tell there, so there are efforts being made to try and continue that journey.”

I'm excited about this movie, and I want it to happen, so hopefully they can figure it all out now and get it into production! 

Toysrevil

Funko has revelad their third series of Game of Thrones Pop! toys. They will be available for purchase on January 14th -except for "Daenerys Targayen," which is set to be released on February 18th. These toys are very deceiving as they don't look like they are part of a show as violent, vulgar, and hardcore as it really is. 

Modern free-to-play games have a tendency to get stuck in ridiculously long beta periods. I can’t even count how many MMOs I've played for months at a time entirely within the nebulous “open beta” period. On March 25th, SMITE, a MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) from Hi-Rez Studios will finally step out of beta and join the rest of the industry in the light of release.

I have been playing SMITE for months now, so this announcement raises a lot of questions. What is going to change with the game on release? We already know that all character data will persist, but what changes will be made to differentiate the game from beta?

Why release the game now?  Is there some special reason, or is this just how the timing worked out?

With these questions in mind, I was able to get an interview with Hi-Rez Studios’ COO, Todd Harris. Regarding post-release changes, Harris said there wouldn't be any major overhauls, but there would be changes coming to three key areas.

“We've been trying to just continue to polish the game with every patch but there's really three categories of things we are trying to improve over the next few months before release.

“One is a better experience for brand new players. Specifically, improving the tutorial, actually replacing the current tutorial with the new one. And also restructuring some of the play menus so it’s just more obvious for new players. Some of the survey feedback that we get when we survey new players is that it wasn't necessarily obvious what to do when they hop into the game. So, that’s a problem. [We] want to improve that. So new player experience is number one.”

Harris continued,

“Number two is art polish. You've been playing so you know we've gone back and redone some of the god character models and textures. And we've also redone maps, but we have more of that planned. So specifically we’re going to look at the Arena map and kind of bump that up in visual style...Another thing in that category is the end bosses, that are Minotaurs, the art team is actually working on a replacement for that.

“The third is quality of life features. So an example of that is the friends list in the game is a bit awkward to use. Those are the type of things that we want to be better when we call the game release.”

Harris admitted that these things had been on the roadmap for a while, but the feedback from beta confirmed that these were problem areas that needed to be worked on. To find time to make all of these changes, and to support the game post-release, new God releases might slow down as a side effect.

Harris said,

“We’re [releasing Gods] at a very very fast clip right now. Basically one every two weeks and if you count redos sometimes even more quickly than that.

"I think we’ll stay in the ballpark of two weeks to a month for a new God, but we actually want to increase the number of skins. The community’s asking for more cosmetic skins and enjoys those but because we are doing a lot of redos right now we can’t generate as many. So I would just see some of our production shifting to skins but still doing frequent releases, [but] not going longer than a month, most likely.”

When asked about the timing of release Harris said that Hi-Rez “want(s) the game to be really polished when we call it release and we haven’t been in a hurry because the game’s been growing month over month.”

Harris also admitted that the eSports tournaments happening early in 2014 were a factor.

“We wanted at some point to do a big tournament, a 100k prize pool tournament that would be associated with launch. And that was another thing that we didn’t want to delay any further. We thought quarter 1 of next year was a good time for that because there would be enough professional teams and we’d have enough experience hosting tournaments.”

Currently the eSports arena is being dominated by League of Legends, another MOBA by Riot Games, which could be considered a direct competitor to SMITE, but Harris is not concerned.

“I think [League of Legends is] encouraging. I think that it validates e-sports and helps eSports get exposure in the mainstream media because headlines like the Staples stadium was sold out or the numbers of millions of people that watched [the League of Legends World Championships] being more than the Stanley Cup, right?

“Those help break through the noise and get attention. We think eSports is growing as a category and we actually think MOBA is also growing as a category. There’s room for more than two offerings, certainly if they differentiate.”

Harris hopes that this push towards eSports and focus on live-streaming will make SMITE a hit post-launch. Currently there are over 2.5 million players, which is impressive for a game in open beta, but Hi-Rez want to dwarf that in the near future. That number isn’t even counting the Chinese audience, which is still going through a series of closed betas guided by Tencent Games, a Chinese Online Game publisher.

Todd Harris made a point of thanking the community for all of the feedback, which the entire studio takes very seriously.

“Although I pay a lot of attention to the community, Erez, our CEO, is very interested, legitimately interested, in what the community thinks. He frequents Reddit, he watches tournaments, he often hops on stream when we are doing patch notes himself, so I think that kind of trickles through the organization.”

Even though Hi-Rez actively watches the community, sometimes it is hard to listen to the hordes of people on the internet, especially when people get upset.

“The community should understand that the people here are working really really hard to make the best game they can and no one wants to hear their baby is ugly. But if people are bringing very reasonable feedback in a calm tone and backing it up with a well reasoned argument then those things get attention. They get passed around the studio.”

So, if you want to be heard, don’t rage. Bring calm logic and you have a much greater chance of being taken seriously. Harris closed by thanking everyone that is already playing SMITE and active in the community.

“I’d like to thank the community for supporting us through a very extended beta and we’re looking forward to launching an awesome game together.”

It is obvious that the community is very important to Hi-Rez and the SMITE team, which is refreshing in the modern gaming industry. Not many companies listen to their community and actively make changes based on complaints and feedback.

It was a great opportunity to talk to Todd Harris about the future of SMITE. It looks like there is quite the roadmap laid out for the Hi-Rez team post release. Hopefully SMITE can live up to the expectations of the team and become a new force in eSports.

Universal Pictures has released a tribute video to Paul Walker featuring a compilation of clips from the Fast and Furious films that he's starred in over the course of his career. The video came with the following note,

A Tribute to Paul Walker. Paul Walker's family appreciates the outpouring of love and goodwill from his many fans and friends. They have asked, in lieu of flowers or other gifts, that donations please be made to Paul's charity Reach Out Worldwide (ROWW). Donations can easily be made through their website at http://www.ROWW.org/.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Walker's family and friends.  

Earlier today we got the first incredibly awesome trailer for Marc Webb's The Amazing Spider-Man 2. The trailer was so good that it gave me goosebumps. It has now been released with some great commentary included from director Marc Webb and stars Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, and Dane DeHaan. There's some interesting stuff here that I think a lot of fans would like to know, so check it out! Thanks to Total Film.