Category: Movies

Get Your Avatar Books, Action Figures, and T-Shirts!

James Cameron’s Avatar is going to conquer the universe this week. While I’m still not sold on the movie, there’s no denying that this thing is going to be huge. You’re all aware of the movie and the videogames by Ubi Soft, but here are some other Avatar products you might not be aware of.

Avatar…the Books!

If you want to prep for the movie then you ought to consider curling up with Avatar: An Activist Survival Guide and The Art of Avatar: James Cameron’s Epic Adventure. The former offers more information on the unique world of Pandora. The latter features all sorts of images from the flick. Again, Cameron totally lost me during his three-hour soliloquy at E3 2009, but the visuals in this movie are amazing, so I’m actually kind of interested in the art book.

Avatar book

Avatar…the Action Figures!

Any sci-fi movie worth a damn has action figures, but Avatar takes it a step further by implementing some interesting web-cam connectivity. Here’s the official word and a photo:

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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Teaser Trailer

Yeah, I’m a Harry Potter nerd. I loved the books and some of the movies. Plus, Emma Watson has blossomed into a ridiculous hottie very beautiful woman. With all of that in mind, I was super psyched to see this teaser for The Deathly Hallows.

Check it out and let me know what you think (please)!

This Week’s Videogame Releases

Avatar movie

There’s not a whole lot coming out this week. The two notable releases are Avatar and MX vs ATV Reflex for multiple platforms. Since it’s a dead week for videogames, let’s talk about the Avatar movie. Are any of you excited for this? I’m so not. I don’t see what all the fuss is about (and I think the blue people look stupid). If I’m missing something, someone kindly explain it to me.

Raymond’s Random Rants

– I watched my Star Trek Blu-ray last night. It’s such a great movie. Unfortunately, I missed it when it was still showing in theaters and only saw it in September on my way to Tokyo. I guess it doesn’t matter though, since I enjoyed the characterization and dialogue more than the special effects. It’s definitely one of my favorite movies of 2009, but I have to wonder how it plays to younger people that haven’t seen the old shows and movies.

Dolph Ziggler

– It’s such an interesting time in the WWE right now. Established headliners like Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker, and Triple H only have a few years left. This leaves the younger main-event players like Edge and Randy Orton waiting for some new dance partners. The WWE has been pushing The Miz, John Morrison, Dolph Ziggler, and Kofi Kingston successfully. Seamus and Drew McIntyre have been getting decent pushes as well. I’m especially high on Ziggler and Morrison. Do any of these guys stand out to you? Do you see any of them headlining WrestleMania in 2015?

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Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Movie Trailer

I’m pretty impressed with the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time movie trailer. It looks slick and there are some nice nods to people that enjoyed the videogames. Initially, I wasn’t sold on Jake Gyllenhaal as the titular character, but he’s surprisingly bad ass! And I’m not just saying that because I lust for his sister. On the downside, Ben Kingsley looks like a dork.

Uwe Boll Autograph Session on November 7

Uwe BollUwe Boll — the scourge of the videogame-movie universe — will be signing autographs on November 7 at Spudic’s Movie Empire. Most of you hate him or at least hate his work, but you have to admit that he’s a pretty good sport about his sucktitude. About.com noted:

If you want to meet the German madman who literally boxes his critics, flings personal insults at Michael Bay, and has made nearly 10 video game inspired flicks, he will be making a rare U.S. in-store appearance this weekend (November 7th) in Van Nuys, CA at the video store Spudic’s Movie Empire. The two hour signing will begin at 6PM, with Boll present to chat it up and sign autographs. Spudic’s Movie Empire will have Boll’s movies on hand as well as a selection of old school NES, Super NES, Sega Genesis and Sega CD games at the event for retro gaming fans.

Van Nuys isn’t that far from me, so I’m tempted to go. I’m not sure what I’d have him sign or what I’d say to him. If you could meet Uwe Boll face-to-face, what would you tell him?

Source via Kotaku

Netflix Streaming Coming to PlayStation 3 in November

PS3 Slim Netflix

Sony Computer Entertainment of America announced that Netflix streaming will be hitting the PlayStation 3 in November. In a recent press release, SCEA president and CEO Jack Tretton said:

The PlayStation 3 system has always been about more than just gaming, and it will soon be the only platform in the industry to offer consumers such a variety of convenient options for enjoying movies and TV shows. Whether you want to watch content on Blu-ray disc and DVD, download it from the PlayStation Network’s video delivery service, or stream videos instantly from Netflix, the PS3 system is the only solution that offers it all.

Although Microsoft’s Xbox 360 has offered this feature for quite some time, it’s an important feature for Sony to have for attracting new customers. Both consoles offer downloadable movies, DVD playback, and Netflix streaming, but only the PS3 offers Blu-ray capabilities. Considering that both consoles are similarly priced (now), Microsoft has lost one of its differentiating features.

Assassin’s Creed Movies Hitting YouTube on 10/27

Assassins Creed 2

VentureBeat has a great feature on Ubisoft’s upcoming Assassin’s Creed short films that are being used to hype Assassin’s Creed 2 and expand the game’s brand. Taking over the front page of YouTube in eight countries on October 27th, the first of three short films is a huge deal. The site reported:

Assassin’s Creed: Lineage, created by acclaimed Hollywood special effects studio Hybride Technologies (which Ubisoft acquired last year) and Ubisoft Montreal’s Ubisoft Digital Arts (UDA), will make its global debut on Oct. 27 on the front page of YouTube in eight countries.

The movies, which total about 38 minutes in length, feature live actors working in front of green screens. The same actors did voice work on Assassin’s Creed II. Their faces were digitzed and used in the game. The films tee up game, which takes place in Florence and Venice during the Italian Renaissance.

While the movies were expensive to make, they can help transform Assassin’s Creed into a mainstream franchise instead of one that’s revered only by gamers. While it remains to be seen if AC will get that kind of crossover appeal, Ubi is doing everything in its power to make it so. With the Prince of Persia movie already in production, it would be remarkable if Ubi could add another mainstream feather to its cap.

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