Video Game Movies

Two of the biggest entertainment businesses in the industry, Movies and Video Games, have never really had a great relationship. There have been many attempts at blending the to things together. But very few have been received well. From critics or the public. If you ask, many will say Mortal Combat for the guilty pleasure factor or the Resident Evil franchise for the same reason.

But as video games become more story driven, more and more people want to see their favorite games brought to the big screen. And the expectations to be good are there as well. And though the past has not been good to us, there are a couple of upcoming projects that give me hope. If you luck at a list of video games being worked into movies, you will see a list full of titles in development. Most of those won't ever be made into movies. But there are two names that I look at that are coming out and give me a lot of hope: Warcraft and Assassin's Creed. 

Warcraft was set to come out December this year, but wisely moved out of the way of Star Wars and back to March 11, 2016. The film is directed to by Duncan Jones and set to star is Ben Foster, Toby Kebbell, Paula Patton, and many more. Oh, it also happens to be based on thee very popular game World of Warcraft. The plot revolves around the first encounters between the Orcs and the Humans.

A lot of the above paragraph might not mean much. A bunch of names and a small plot detail. And honestly, that is about as much as anybody knows about the movie. But I just have a great feeling about this. WOW has such a great lore and the opportunity to pick and chose certain story points can make one heck of a plot. And I feel great about the people involved. Ben Foster  is a solid actor capable of stealing any scene he is in. And if you have seen Jones's Moon, than you know he can direct. I just have a good feeling.

Assassin's Creed is a similar story. There is really not much known except for a release date, 12/21/16, and a star, Michael Fassbender. But there is just a feeling around this movie. The games have great stories and Fassbender is Oscar nominated actor.

If these two movies are not only good, but also do solid box office, I can pretty much promise that the long list of movies that will never be made will get much shorter.

Today In...

American Sniper B.O. and Arnett's new Netflix Show


....Movies

- American Sniper blow away everyone's expectations. The six-time Oscar nominated film grossed $89.505M over the three-day weekend. It should gross around $105M for the four-day holiday weekend. It was the largest January/February opening weekend and the biggest MLK four-day haul.

- Wondering how much SONY lost with the Interview? Well, according to the National Association of Theater Owners, SONY will loss $30M on the movie.

- The first teaser trailer for the upcoming reboot Fantastic Four will appear before the movie Kingsman: The Secret Service. So, Fantastic Four fans, be ready February 13.

....Television

- Will Arnett already has plans for another show. He has landed a comedy on Netflix. He will star, co-write, and executive produce the show, titled Flaked. Arnett will play a self-appointed guru named Chip who inadvertently falls in love with his best friend’s crush.

-  Lifetime’s Whitney movie on Saturday night drew 4.5 million total viewers, marking the cabler’s most watched telecast since a year ago’s Flowers in the Attic(6.1 mil).

- If you are a fan of Scorpion, a cool Easter egg will be in tonight's episode. The team will uncover a phone in the midst of their investigation. And instead of the normal 555 number, it will be a real number that you can actually call. There is supposed to be a surprise on the other end that fans will enjoy.

....Video Games

- Pneuma: Breath of Life will launch on February 27 for Xbox One, developer Deco Digital announced. The first-person puzzle game is currently on Steam Greenlight, seeking community approval for distribution on the PC service. Pneuma will be console-exclusive to Xbox One for its first 30 days.

-  Firaxis will send out an "interstellar strategy game" for PC, Mac and iPad in early 2015. According to 2K's initial announcement, players will research new technologies and spaceship designs, pierce through the unknown reaches of the galaxy and fight in turn-based combat, all hinged on "distinctive" maps and dynamically created combat missions.

- SONY has reviled the top selling PS4 games of 2014.

1. Destiny
2. Grand Theft Auto V
3. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
4. Minecraft: PlayStation 4 Edition
5. The Last of Us Remastered
6. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
7. Battlefield 4
8. Infamous: Second Son
9. Watch Dogs
10. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes

Videos of the Week

Movies

Trailers will almost always take this spot. This week I give you two real trailers and a fake one.

Television

A Better Call Saul trailer. Plus a cool throwback for a cool cartoon.

Video Games
Saint's Row trailers always rock. So does this one.

Today In...

DC dropout, Heroes casting, and Xbox price drop

....Movies

- It seems that DC is going to have to find a new Rick Flag in the upcoming The Suicide Squad. Tom Hardy, who signed on about a month ago, has dropped out. The movie he is currently filming is going over schedule and he will have no time to film the DC movie.

- If you were waiting to see Thor fight a giant whale in March, you will have to wait a little bit longer. The Chris Hemsworth staring, Ron Howard directed In the Heart of the Sea has been pushed to December.

- A new trailer for the Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart comedy film Get Hard has hit the web. The film opens on March 27.

....Television

- Luis Guzman (How to Make It in America) and Finesse Mitchell (Saturday Night Live) have joined Showtime’s comedy pilot Roadies in potentially recurring roles. Guzman will portray tour-bus driver Gooch, while Mitchell is the charming tour accountant Harvey.

- USA Network has ordered the comedic series Donny!, a look at media, wealth and modern romance through the eyes of famed ad man/TV personality Donny Deutsch’s fictionalized character. The show will debut in late 2015.

- NBC has cast another player for their upcoming miniseries Heroes Reborn. Zachary Levi has signed on to the 13-episode continuation of their series Heroes. No exact details yet but he is said to have a key role.

....Video Games

- The Xbox One is once again available at $350. That was the price for awhile during the holidays before being brought back up to $400 on January 3. Hope you didn't buy one in the last two weeks.

- The hard mode for the Crota's End raid in Destiny next week. Hard mode will be the only way to get Crux of Crota, which you need to fully upgrade the Eidolon Ally.  Level 33 will also be available next week.

- Hotline Miami 2 has been rated RC (Refused Classification) in Australia, effectively banning it there. The RC was given for a sequence in the game tiled Midnight Animal. In the sequence the main character reportedly rapes a women.

Oscar Nominations

This time of year is always award season. And the biggest award for movies is the Oscars. The Academy Awards have released their nomination lists. That follows with some personal thoughts added in.

Best Picture
"American Sniper"
"Birdman"
"Boyhood"
"The Grand Budapest Hotel"
"The Imitation Game"
"Selma"
"The Theory of Everything"
"Whiplash"

No big surprises here. You probably could have guessed the list. Some thought that Foxcatcher would get a nom. And with only 8 noms, they could have. Keep in mind that Boyhood and The Grand Budapest Hotel won the awards at the Golden Globes.

Best Director
Wes Anderson, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
Alejandro González Iñárritu, "Birdman"
Richard Linklater, "Boyhood"
Bennett Miller, “Foxcatcher”
Morten Tyldum, "The Imitation Game"

Would've liked to see Ava DuVernay get a nom for “Selma”. This category is full of men.

Best Actress
Marion Cotillard, “Two Days, One Night”
Felicity Jones, "The Theory of Everything"
Julianne Moore, "Still Alice"
Rosamund Pike, "Gone Girl"
Reese Witherspoon, "Wild"

Moore will probably will win here. Surprised that Jennifer Aniston (Cake) or Amy Adams (Big Eyes) didn't get a nomination.

Best Actor
Steve Carell, "Foxcatcher" 
Bradley Cooper, “American Sniper”
Benedict Cumberbatch, "The Imitation Game"
Michael Keaton, "Birdman"
Eddie Redmayne, "The Theory of Everything"

One of the biggest surprises of the entire list is Bradley Copper for American Sniper. I would have left him off for David Oyelowe in Selma. Some also thought Miles Teller deserved one for Whiplash. I think this is Keaton's to lose.

Best Supporting Actress
Patricia Arquette, "Boyhood"
Laura Dern, “Wild”
Keira Knightley, "The Imitation Game"
Emma Stone, "Birdman"
Meryl Streep, "Into the Woods"

Glad Dern got the nom. Think Streep got the nom just because she is Streep, though she is the best part of her movie. Honestly, this is Arquette's.

Best Supporting Actor
Robert Duvall, "The Judge"
Ethan Hawke, "Boyhood"
Edward Norton, "Birdman"
Mark Ruffalo, "Foxcatcher"
J.K. Simmons, "Whiplash"

Same list as the Globes. Think it will turn out the same.

Best Adapted Screenplay
Paul Thomas Anderson, “Inherent Vice”
Damien Chazelle, "Whiplash"
Jason Hall, “American Sniper”
Anthony McCarten, "The Theory of Everything"
Graham Moore, "The Imitation Game"

Best Original Screenplay
Wes Anderson and Hugo Guinness, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
Dan Futterman and E. Max Frye, "Foxcatcher" 
Dan Gilroy, "Nightcrawler"
Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris and Armando Bo, "Birdman"
Richard Linklater, "Boyhood"

Best Foreign Language Film
"Leviathan"
"Ida"
"Tangerines"
“Timbuktu”
"Wild Tales"

Best Documentary Feature
"CITIZENFOUR"
“Finding Vivian Maier”
"Last Days in Vietnam"
“The Salt of the Earth”
"Virunga”

Best Animated Feature
"Big Hero 6"
"The Boxtrolls"
"How to Train Your Dragon 2"
“Song of the Sea”
"The Tale of The Princess Kaguya"

A lot of people are scream that The Lego Movie got snubbed. I don't know about that but I would've had it there instead of Boxtrolls. 

Best Film Editing
"American Sniper"
"Boyhood"
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”
"The Imitation Game"
"Whiplash"

Best Original Song
"Everything is Awesome" from "The LEGO Movie" (written by Shawn Patterson)
"Glory" from "Selma" (written by Common and John Legend)
"Grateful" from "Beyond the Lights" (written by Diane Warren)
"I’m Not Gonna Miss You" from "Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me" (written by Glen Campbell)
"Lost Stars" from "Begin Again" (written by Gregg Alexander, Danielle Brisebois, Nick Lashley and Nick Southwood)

Best Original Score
Alexandre Desplat, "The Grand Budapest Hotel" 
Alexandre Desplat, "The Imitation Game"
Johann Johannsson, "The Theory of Everything"
Gary Yershon, “Mr. Turner”
Hans Zimmer, "Interstellar"

Best Cinematography
Roger Deakins, "Unbroken"
Emmanuel Lubezki, "Birdman" 
Dick Pope, "Mr. Turner"
Robert Yeoman, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
Lukasz Zal and Ryszard Lenczewski, “Ida”

Best Costume Design
"The Grand Budapest Hotel"
“Inherent Vice”
"Into the Woods"
"Maleficent" 
"Mr. Turner"

Best Makeup and Hairstyling
"Foxcatcher"
"The Grand Budapest Hotel"
"Guardians of the Galaxy"

Best Production Design
"The Grand Budapest Hotel"
“The Imitation Game”
“Interstellar”
"Into the Woods"
"Mr. Turner"

Best Sound Editing
"American Sniper"
“Birdman”
"The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies"
"Interstellar"
"Unbroken"

Best Sound Mixing
"American Sniper"
"Birdman"
“Interstellar”
"Unbroken"
“Whiplash”

Best Visual Effects
"Captain America: The Winter Soldier"
"Dawn of the Planet of the Apes"
"Guardians of the Galaxy"
"Interstellar"
"X-Men: Days of Future Past"

Best Short Film, Live Action
"Aya"
“Boogaloo and Graham”
“Butter Lamp”
“Parvaneh”
"The Phone Call"

Best Short Film, Animated
"The Bigger Picture"
"The Dam Keeper"
"Feast"
"Me and My Moulton"
“A Single Life”

Best Documentary, Short Subject
“Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1”
"Joanna"
"Our Curse"
“The Reaper”
"White Earth"

Nominations (by movie):
“Birdman” – 9
“The Grand Budapest Hotel” – 9
“The Imitation Game” – 8
“Boyhood” – 6
“American Sniper” – 6
“Whiplash” – 5
“Interstellar” – 5
“Foxcatcher” – 5

Thursday's Look Back

This is a place where I talk about something I never got into.

Usually. This time I will give something that you may have not seen. And that would be

Young Justice

This is a show that my brother had been trying to get me to watch for a while. I finally did and I loved it. Form the diverse characters and fun action, it is something to watch. 

I am not the biggest DC fan. So, my DC knowledge is lacking. I thought I might have gotten lost. But it is very easy to watch and understand. Yeah, there were some Easter eggs that I missed, but it didn't hurt my enjoyment.

The first of two seasons is on Netflix. And believe me if you have the time, watch a episode or two. You will not regret it.

Today In....

....Movies

- Avengers: Age of Ultron has dropped a new trailer.

- There are a few movies getting new release dates. Ghost in the Shell will hit April 14, 2017. Disney’s remake of their classic ‘Pete’s Dragon’ will hit theaters on August 12, 2016. One of the live-action The Jungle Book movies got pushed back from October. It will now release on April 15, 2016.

- If you are a James Cameron Avatar fan, you are about to be disappointed. The first of three planned sequel has been delayed till 2017. It was going to hit in late 2016. The three films are going to be filmed back to back. The reason for the delay was Cameron said that he need more time to finish writing the scripts.

....Television

- Four-time Oscar winner Woody Allen has signed on to create his first-ever series for Amazon Studios. Currently being referred to as the Untitled Woody Allen Project, the half-hour series received a full-season order. Allen will write and direct the episodes, which will be available to U.S. viewers exclusively on Amazon.

- It seems that ABC Family only needs to see have of season 2 to know they want more of The Fosters. The channel renewed the series for a 3rd season. Season 2B premieres Jan. 19 at 8/7c.

- The USA network comedy Benched has been cancelled. The season one (and now series) finale aired Dec. 30.
....Video Games

- If you are waiting for the New 3DS to come out, you don't have to wait long. It will be coming out Feb. 13, 2015. But you'll only have a choice between a red or black New 3DS XL in North America.

- PCers will have to wait till March 24 to play Grand Theft Auto V. Rockstar has delayed the PC release of their hit game. But they did have some good news. Heist will be out before than. A exact date has not been given.

- The Order 1886 got a new trailer.