I came across this great fantasy inspired music video for you to watch. It's from the band Mastodon, and the song is called "High Road." Even if you're not into this kind of music, I think you'll all like the video. Especially if you enjoy the fantasy genre and the plethora of fantasy themed activities like larping, you're going to want to watch this. The song is part of Mastodon's upcoming album Once More 'Round the Sun, which comes out on June 24th. Thanks to Badass Digest for the tip!

According to an inside source for IGN Middle East, actor Simon Pegg was on the set  J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: Episode VII in Abu Dhabi. The source claims that the actor has a secret role in the film. We weren't expecting this news, especially after the actor had this to say in a previous interview when he was asked if he would be in the film:

“I don’t think it would be appropriate for me to be in it, to be honest. I think J.J. should cast new faces with no stunt casting.”

Maybe that was just one of those things he said to throw people off the scent of what really is going on. Pegg has a history with Abrams and has had roles in his films such as Star Trek and Mission: Impossible III. On top of that, the actor is a HUGE Star Wars fan, so it doesn't seem too far fetched to think that Abrams might have given him a small role in the movie. 

This is all unconfirmed at the moment, so treat it as a rumor that you should take with a grain of salt. if Pegg does end up in the film… awesome! If not, I'm sure the movie is going to be just as great. 

Today the 2014 World Cup kicks off in São Paulo, and to celebrate the greatest sporting event in the world we are watching this incredible video by filmmaker and artist Richard Swarbrick, who takes the term "The Beautiful Game" literally. He has animated famous World Cup goals in a painterly, impressionistic style. The results are breathtaking. Is it strictly geeky? No, but we have to tip our hats to such a talented artist. You can check out more of his work here, including a fantastic (and geeky!) Doctor Who 50th Anniversary animation from Swarbrick.

Source: Deadspin

With Xbox’s recent entry into the ring of producing shows for streaming, we have confirmation that Xbox productions has an original comedy in development. 

Deadline announced that the show will be called East of Exurbia, and the story "revolves around three guys who try to build a bastion of bro-fueled debauchery in a house that happens to be situated on top of a magical portal to other worlds."

This supernatural comedy is being written by Nick Kreiss and Ian Wolterstoff. There is no word yet as to when the show will be released. 

DreamWorks Animation has released a new trailer for their new animated sci-fi adventure, Home. The comedy is based on the novel by Adam Rex called The True Meaning of Smekday. The movie was directed by Tim Johnson and stars the voices of Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez, Jim Parsons, and Steve Martin. This looks like it will be a really good flick. Here's what the movie is about:

When Earth is taken over by the overly-confident Boov, an alien race in search of a new place to call home, all humans are promptly relocated, while all Boov get busy reorganizing the planet. But when one resourceful girl, Tip, (Rihanna) manages to avoid capture, she finds herself the accidental accomplice of a banished Boov named Oh (Parsons). The two fugitives realize there's a lot more at stake than intergalactic relations as they embark on the road trip of a lifetime.

It will be released in theaters on March 27th, 2015.

Director James Gunn posted this extremely cool photo on his Twitter feed featuring a fan-made practical makeup job for Groot, who is being voiced by Vin Diesel. Either way it's extremely impressive, and the detail is freakin' amazing. You can see more photos below of the creation process by Lee Hurley.

"I think we're collectively losing our minds." This quote said by the main character, detective Sebastian Castellanos, in The Evil Within pretty much sums up the entire experience.

I love Shinji Mikami. He's probably my favorite game developer. He basically created the survival horror genre and I'd like to think that The Evil Within is his magnum opus.

There were two different demos I could choose from. The one I didn't get to play took place in and around a giant mansion. I chose to play the first one which starts at the very beginning of Chapter 4. This was the demo recommended by Shinji Mikami himself, as he thought it explored the multiple play styles and themes you'd get to explore throughout the entire game. The game has a very grainy feel to it, which adds to the overall horror aesthetic. 

The demo starts off with me and a companion, a doctor who I am led to believe worked at an asylum central to the story, exploring this deep forested area with 2 cabins neighboring each other. This was great in my opinion because not only did this make me think of the very beginning of Resident Evil 4, but it also played with the classic horror cliche of "the cabin in the woods".

As I approach the backyard of these cabins, my companion points out that there are multiple freaks out there wandering aimlessly. He tells me to take care of them so we can move on. The doc then steps to the side and lets me do my thing. I was relieved when this happened, as companions in video games can sometimes get in the way or meet unavoidable deaths, but this doesn't seem to be the case here.

There were about 3-5 creatures I had to take out. The design of the freaks was stunning. They are covered in barbed wire, rag tag clothes, and nails through parts of their bodies and heads —really disturbing stuff. They also carry hatchets or knives and their attacks all do massive amounts of damage to you. Keeping your distance is key but it will create noise (through the use of the revolver and shotgun) which will alert other nearby creatures. So you could potentially play in a more risky yet quiet way and try to dispatch them all with your knife. You can also pick up fallen hatchets to use instead of the knife. I could also pick up bottles and throw them to distract and/or attract enemies. I could also light certain parts of the environment on fire which did the same thing and had the potential to set them on fire but this used up my very limited supply of matches. Matches are important because the only way to truly kill enemies is by lighting them on fire. If you don't they will get back up at sporadic times. 

After I had taken care of the freaks I moved into the first cabin. There are two ways to open doors in this game and both are terrifying. You can either slowly open the door, which creates a slight creaking noise, which greatly adds to the atmosphere. It is the quieter approach and allows a little bit of time to see what's in the next room, if anything. I can also kick doors open which is loud and will alert enemies but is way faster.

When I entered the cabin I explored all of the rooms on the upper level. All while this is happening you can hear inane mumbling coming from downstairs. The first room I entered slowly, and I spotted an enemy walking back and forth, I decided not to get involved but he spotted me. I swiftly made my way into the the room across the hall where I hid under the bed. This mechanic seems like it was greatly adapted from such great horror games as Amnesia and Outlast. The enemy came into the room and I slowly made my way out from under the bed and snuck up behind him and took him out.

Throughout the demo you can find and collect jars of bright green liquid which can be used to upgrade detective Castellanos. I also found some spare parts which I guess could be used for either crafting or upgrading your weapons. 

I made my way downstairs and got closer to the mumblings. It turns out it was a colleague of my doctor companion but something was definitely wrong with him. Most of his skin from his forehead had been torn off. He ran at me with a medical hatchet he was using on a cadaver, I quickly took care of him with my trusty revolver (now I am out of ammo) and burn the dude. I approach the cadaver, then a flashback occurs and I see the man I just killed talking about how itchy he is and he proceeds to tear of his own skin from his scalp. Truly messed up stuff. 

Back to the gameplay, I have to reach into the dead body lying on the medical table and get keys out of his chest. As I dig around inside this dead man's chest he screams at me and I fall to the ground in terror. I shake it off though and move on to the next cabin. 

Now at this point I noticed a consistency problem in the game. Textures are sporadic, coming and going throughout, whether it be the environment or my character's costume. Hopefully this gets worked out in the final product. 

As I approach the second cabin a kid in a straight jacket starts screaming and runs inside. The doc seemed to recognize him but Sebastian only seemed worried that the kid was going to draw unwanted and unneeded attention onto them. This is when I first noticed that detective Castellanos is kind of a cynical bastard. 

We make our way inside and the doc tries to comfort the kid who is cowering in the basement being incredibly loud and annoying. Then a freak starts making his way towards us and I dispatch him with my shotgun. We move to the hallway to head back upstairs, only to find that the stairs are gone and have been replaced by a giant cement wall. Then the doc and kid quickly phase out and I find myself in a long hallway. As I walk down the hallway to a door the hallway keeps shifting and getting longer. I finally make my way to the door only to fall down a hole and land in a pool of blood, guts, and dead bodies. Sebastian rightfully exclaims, "Fuck".

Now I have to find a way out of this godawful dilemma I find myself in. I find a switch and drain all the blood which reveals some items for me to pick up. I make my way to a door but then the big bad guy of the game appears, a hooded man with crazy powers, and makes some of the dead bodies from the pit reanimate. Before I go through the door I have to care of them.

This is when a bug occurred. I dispatched all of the enemies with a well placed grenade. But the next section remained closed. I could still hear an enemy moaning and growling but he was nowhere to be seen. The dev's said they have never seen this before. I ended up having to kill myself and restart the section and kill all the enemies again this time with my crossbow. 

The next area was the most intense of the demo. I walk down this long corridor reminiscent of a hospital and approach a pile of dead bodies. Then a huge spider like woman rips through one of the corpses and starts chasing me. You cannot kill in this area, only flee. I make my way back through the hallway kicking open a door and making my way down a ladder. But she keeps popping out of bodies that litter the area. There seems to be one last corridor filled with tripwire traps I need to avoid. I get to an elevator that closes just as the spider-woman was about to get me. I go down some levels and the doors open up. I think I'm safe. I'm wrong. 

The spider-woman pops out of another body and I run into an adjoining hallway filled with spikes that keep popping out of the floor. At the end of the hallway a door is lowering and if I don't get out in time I'll be locked in and certainly meet my demise. So I make a mad dash and barely make it. 

I find myself on top of a huge staircase and start making my way down collecting ammo and such as I do so.  Then the hooded man appears and starts slowly moving toward me. Again I can't kill him, only run. So I make my way back up the stairs, then a cutscene occurs. The stairs start to shake violently and break apart. I start falling. Then the demo ended. 

I really enjoyed my time with The Evil Within. This is hopefully a great survival horror games fellow fans of the genre can rally around. There were a few kinks, but I hope they get worked out when it's released on October 21st for Playstation 3, Playstation 4, PC, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. 

Focus Features has released three clips from their upcoming sci-fi thriller The Signal. I've already seen the film, and I absolutely loved it. This is one of the better films that I've seen this year, and I think you'll all really like what it has to offer. It has a strong story, solid acting, and insanely good cinematography. This is not only an entertaining movie, it's also a film that makes you think. The Signal has the potential to blow your mind. 

The movie stars Brenton Thwaites, Olivia Cooke, Beau Knapp, and Laurence Fishburne, and here's the synopsis: 

The movie is set to be released on June 13th. Make sure to check it out! I promise you won't be disappointed. You can read my review of it here.

The Weinstein Company is developing a live-action adaptation of the popular book series Paddington, which is supposed to be one of this year’s big Christmas films. They recently released an image from the film featuring the story's talking bear. As you can see in the photo above, he is looking rather ominous. The internet went crazy with it and spawned a hilarious meme called “#CreepyPaddington,” and people are creating horror themed images featuring the bear. I've included information on the film after the photos. 

Paddington will open Christmas Day and Colin Firth provides the voice of the bear. The movie also stars Nicole Kidman, Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters and Jim Broadbent. Here's the synopsis:

Adapted from Michael Bond’s beloved books, Paddington follows the comic misadventures of a polite young bear with an endearing talent for comic chaos.

Paddington has grown up deep in the Peruvian jungle with his Aunt Lucy who, inspired by a chance encounter with an English explorer, has raised her nephew to dream of an exciting life in London. When an earthquake destroys their home, Aunt Lucy decides to smuggle her young nephew on board a boat bound for England, in search of a better life. Arriving alone at Paddington Station, Paddington soon finds that city life is not all he had imagined – until he meets the kindly Brown family, who find him with a label tied around his neck which reads ‘Please look after this bear. Thank you.’ They offer him a temporary home whilst he searches for the explorer who impressed Aunt Lucy all those years before.

But when Paddington catches the eye of a sinister, seductive taxidermist, it isn’t long before his home – and very existence – is under threat …

Via: EW

"Please Don't Believe These Uncool Americans"

Seth Rogen and James Franco have teamed up for a new film called The Interview, and in it they are recruited by the CIA to assassinate North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. The movie looks like it could be really funny. I enjoy watching these two actors work with each other because they are such a great comedic team. It looks like they have another great movie on their hands. Here's the synopsis:

"In the action comedy The Interview, Dave Skylark (Franco) and his producer Aaron Rapopart (Rogen) run the popular celebrity tabloid TV show "Skylark Tonight." When the discover that North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un is a fan of the show, they land an interview with him in an attempt to legitimize themselves as journalists. As Dave and Aaron prepare to travel to Pyongyang, their plans change when the CIA recruits them, perhaps the two least-qualified men imaginable, to assassinate Kim Jong-un."

The Interview hits theaters on October 10th.

Legendary comic artist Alex Ross has created two new stunning pieces of art exclusively for San Diego Comic-Con 2014. One of them features the great Captain America, and the other is of the classic 1970s version of the X-Men team. The art popped up on the Twitter feed of  Sal Abbinanti, who is Ross' art dealer. I've enjoyed Ross' art for years, he has such a cool and classic style. We don't see a lot of art like this these days.

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has released six new screenshots from Rocksteady's Batman: Arkham Knight. I've had a blast playing through these Arkham games over the years, but this looks like it's going to be the best one. I know we've seen a few trailers for the game already, but seeing more cool screenshots is always awesome. If you haven't seen the recently released Batmobile battle mode gameplay trailer yet you should check it out here.

"In the explosive finale to the Arkham series, Batman faces the ultimate threat against the city he is sworn to protect. The Scarecrow returns to unite an impressive roster of super villains, including Penguin, Two-Face and Harley Quinn, to destroy The Dark Knight forever.

"Batman: Arkham Knight introduces Rocksteady’s uniquely designed version of the Batmobile, which is drivable for the first time in the franchise. The addition of this legendary vehicle, combined with the acclaimed gameplay of the 'Batman Arkham' series, offers gamers the ultimate and complete Batman experience as they tear through the streets and soar across the skyline of the entirety of Gotham City."

Batman: Arkham Knight will be released for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC in 2015.

Here's a very amusing piece of Wolverine art by Skottie Young that was created for Marvel's Death of Wolverine #1. I hate the thought of Wolverine dying, but the look on Logan's face is hilarious. 

For those of you who haven't heard, Marvel is killing off the character in a 4-part series called Death of Wolverine. Marvel Executive Editor, Michael Marts, had this to say:

“For a long time, no matter who Wolverine was battling, he’s been the eternal victor. He almost always comes out on top. Now he finally comes up against an adversary that he cannot win against, he cannot fight. What does that mean for this character who’s been around for hundred years?”

How do you think he'll be killed off? 

Warner Bros. has a lot of catching up to do when it comes to superhero movies. Marvel has left them in the dust, but it doesn't mean that the WB is going to lay down and die. We know they have big plans brewing. Two of their upcoming films will most definitely include Batman v Super: Dawn of Justice and Justice League, both of which Zack Snyder is directing. 

Thanks to Nikki Finke, we now have some additional information on what is coming our way. She says that she has intel on what "is coming up at this July’s Comic-Con from the studio." Does that mean the studio plans on officially announcing the titles at the geek convention? I guess we'll just have to wait and see. In the mean time, here's the list of DC films that the studio are rumored to be in development:

May 2016 – Batman v Superman
July 2016 – Shazam
Xmas 2016 – Sandman
May 2017 – Justice League
July 2017 – Wonder Woman
Xmas 2017 – Flash and Green Lantern team-up
May 2018 – Man Of Steel 2

I for one am particularly excited for the Flash and Green Lantern team-up movie. That could be cool. The report goes on to say that there had also been talk of a Metal Men and Suicide Squad movie for  2016, but the project was cut from the schedule. But that doesn't mean it won't happen eventually.

The report also gives the reason why Batman v Superman was delayed, and that reason is that the film will act as a launching pad for Justice League, which is something a lot of fans speculated anyway. The site's source then says that the superheroes in their cinematic universe will make cameos in each other's films. Here's the quote explaining that:

"Like Marvel’s The Avengers, there will be cameos of superheroes for future installments. The cameos will include the already known Cyborg and Flash. Green Lantern [not played by Ryan Reynolds, thank god] may be introduced.  And Aquaman will be seen in the Justice League movie. Problem is, Warner Bros Pictures was still negotiating with the actors for those cameos and future roles, meaning major contracts for multiple JL/character films to follow. The studio didn’t want to move forward until they had more of this secure so they held off starting production for a few months. Seemingly simple reason, but the implications are pretty darn huge."

There are lots of good things happening here and DC fans should be really excited about this. Hopefully they are able to bring us great films that will entice us to come back and see more. 

Warner Bros. has released a TV spot for Melissa McCarthy's fun looking new comedy, Tammy. This is a passion project for McCarthy who co-wrote the script with her husband, Ben Falcone. Falcone also directed the movie. McCarthy is absolutely hilarious to watch on the big screen. She is really great at physical comedy. This looks like it could be a solid film and I hope it does well for her. Here's the synopsis:

Tammy (McCarthy) is having a bad day. She’s totaled her clunker car, gotten fired from her thankless job at a greasy burger joint, and instead of finding comfort at home, finds her husband getting comfortable with the neighbor in her own house. It’s time to take her boom box and book it. The bad news is she’s broke and without wheels. The worse news is her grandma, Pearl (Susan Sarandon), is her only option—with a car, cash, and an itch to see Niagara Falls. Not exactly the escape Tammy had in mind. But on the road, with grandma riding shotgun, it may be just what Tammy needs.

The movie also stars Allison Janney, Gary Cole, Mark Duplass, Toni Collette, Nat Faxon, Dan Aykroyd, and Kathy Bates. It will open in theaters on July 2nd. 

Action figures have come a long way since the 1970s. But no matter how awesome they try to make these new toys they will never ever be as cool as what they used to be. That might be the nostalgic part of me talking, but I believe it 100%. I love the old Star Wars toys, and it's so cool to get a glimpse at the blueprint and design work for one of our favorite characters… Han Solo. Thanks to Classic Star Wars for the tip!

Good night. Good luck. 

What would happen if you combined Mirror's Edge and Left 4 Dead? You'd get something a lot like Dying Light. 

Your objective is to activate a radio tower to alert other survivors. Everything you see, if accessible, can be climbed on. This automatically gives the game a very Metroidvania feel, as there are a ton of different paths to a single objective. 

As you run to the radio tower, multiple side objectives appear. One is a random encounter in which you can save a fellow survivor, another is an airdrop full of supplies. If you don't get to the airdrop fast enough though other survivors will steal it. 

Melee weapons are the main form of combat and you're armed with a rusty pipe and a baseball bat. Your weapons can break though after a great deal of use so it smart to reinforce it every now and then. Combat was difficult yet satisfying. Every hit is spot specific. So if you hit a zombie's leg, the leg will be break but the zombie will shamble with its arms. All dead zombies can be searched for supplies. The animation when searching though is very odd, you just pat air. 

Among your inventory you have firecrackers, which can be used to distract enemy hordes giving you some breathing room when running. Everything you do, whether combat or free running or climbing, gives you some sort of experience. You then are able to level up and get new skills. 

You finally make it to the radio tower only to find that its been overrun by bandits armed to the teeth with guns. You make your way to a safe area where you go to sleep and wait for nightfall. 

You wake up, the bandits are no longer at the radio tower but something far worse litters the streets. Some zombies at night are incredibly powerful having the ability to kill you with one swipe. You should probably avoid them at all costs. You accidentally alerted a horde and an incredibly intense chase ensues. You make it to the radio tower though and lost the horde in the process. You kill a couple a zombies then activate the tower. 

The demo then jumps to later in the game. You are now a more experienced runner aided with a grappling hook which greatly increases the speed of your climbing. You also have a metal bat with nails and an electrified axe. The game features on the fly weapon crafting and weapon modding. 

Dying Light was very impressive. They took two genres and made them work almost seamlessly together. With the promise of four player co-op and the ability to invade other players' worlds as zombies, on top of the incredibly variety of enemy types, this game will most definitely keep you entertained for a good while when it's released February 2015 for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and PC.

Fox Searchlight has released an awesome teaser trailer for their new film Birdman, which sees Michael Keaton back as a superhero. The movie comes from director Alejandro González Iñárritu, who is best known for films such as Amores Perros, 21 Grams, and Babel. This is a very different type of film for the director, but it looks so freakin' good! I'm sure Keaton is going to give a hell of a great performance as well. 

This isn’t your conventional superhero movie. I'm not even sure if it would actually be considered a superhero movie. As you'll see in the trailer though, it uses some of those superhero story conventions. The film tells the story of an actor (Keaton) who once played a superhero, but now he's struggling as he takes on a new play.

Birdman also has an incredible supporting cast that includes Emma Stone, Edward Norton, Naomi Watts, Amy Ryan, and Zach Galifianakis. Here's the synopsis:

Birdman or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance is a black comedy that tells the story of an actor (Michael Keaton) – famous for portraying an iconic superhero – as he struggles to mount a Broadway play.  In the days leading up to opening night, he battles his ego and attempts to recover his family, his career, and himself.

The movie is set to open in theaters on October 17th.

FOX’s Animation Domination High-Def has created a hilarious animated movie trailer parody that reimagines the classic MTV series Beavis and Butthead as a hardcore action movie directed by Michael Bay. The video came with the following note:

"After Transformers & Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, no beloved cartoon is safe."

This might just be one of the greatest things you see all day!

The Weinstein Company has released a new trailer for their upcoming family film Paddington. The movie is based on the popular 1958 children's book character created by Michael Bond. The movie is very British, so there is that dry british humor, which I love, mixed with the slapstick humor of a bear trying to live in a real world modern society.

The film stars Colin Firth as the voice of Paddington, along with Hugh Bonneville, Nicole Kidman, Sally Hawkins, Jim Broadbent, and Julie Walters.

The movie comes from Harry Potter producer David Heyman, and it tells the story of the "comic misadventures of a young Peruvian bear (voiced by Firth) who travels to the city in search of a home. Finding himself lost and alone, he begins to realize that city life is not all he had imagined - until he meets the kindly Brown family who read the label around his neck that says 'Please look after this bear. Thank you,' and offer him a temporary haven. It looks as though his luck has changed until this rarest of bears catches the eye of a museum taxidermist."

The movie is set to hit theaters on Christmas Day 2014.