Rise of The Silver Surfer Behind-the-Scenes Clip

Dec 5th, 2006 Posted in comics, movies, nerd culture, press, sci-fi | no comment »

Source: MTV

MTV has posted a new Fantastic Four: Rise of The Silver Surfer behind-the-scenes clip which features Jessica Alba (aka The Invisible Woman) giving you a tour of the set and art department. You can watch the clip at the link above!

Directed by Tim Story, the sequel hits theaters on June 15.

New TMNT and 300 Trailers this Week

Dec 5th, 2006 Posted in cartoons, comics, movies, nerd culture, press, sci-fi | no comment »

Source: Superhero Hype!

Superhero Hype! has learned that we’ll be seeing new trailers from Warner Bros. Pictures for TMNT (”Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”) and 300 this week. It looks like the TMNT trailer will be playing in theaters with “Unaccompanied Minors” (Dec. 8th), “Eragon” (Dec. 15th) and “Arthur and the Invisibles” (Dec. 15th). The second 300 trailer looks to be hitting theaters with Mel Gibson’s “Apocalypto”. We expect these trailers will be online very soon as well.

As always, be sure to check with your local theater to see if a trailer is playing with a specific movie, as every location can be different.

Video Playing Watch On Sale at ThinkGeek

Dec 5th, 2006 Posted in movies, nerd culture, press, technology, toys, tv | no comment »

Source: ThinkGeek

If your lifelong dream was to watch 128×128 video on a watch like the one you had in 8th grade, well, now you can die happy. The same watch as sold on Brando, but about $10 cheaper for the 2GB version and ships from inside the US. Of course, the thing uses an OLED display, which means it’s going to be a bit harder to watch outdoors. But if you buy the watch, what are the chances you’ll be going outdoors?

Besides the 128×128 pixel, 1.5-inch screen, the thing can display the time and date (how does it do that?), plays back MP3/WMA, and even has voice recording. Great for surrupticiously recording yourself being fleeced by the local mechanic. What do you mean it costs $79.99 for an oil change?

New Pirates of the Caribbean Photos!

Dec 5th, 2006 Posted in movies, nerd culture, press | one comment »

Filmz.ru has posted five new photos from Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End, featuring Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) and Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush). The highly-anticipated third installment hits theaters on May 25. Click the image below to view all the pics:

Marvel & Fox in dispute over X-MEN franchise

Nov 27th, 2006 Posted in comics, movies, nerd culture, press, sci-fi | no comment »

Source: Marvel Entertainment

The future of X-men and Spiderman depends on how well talks between Marvel,Sony, and Fox are handled over the next several months…

Sony is so confident that Spider-Man 3 will be a hit that both the studio and Marvel are in active talks about doing more movies with the current cast and film crew. Talks between Marvel and Fox have not gone so smoothly.

At the time of X3’s release, it was widely reported “well this is the last movie” despite the last scenes that were shown. Then the Box Office results kind of made Fox change their minds, at least all of a sudden they became more open to the idea of doing an X-Men 4.

But Marvel has an alternate plan for the future of these movies. One that Fox is reluctant to take seriously. However, they may have little choice in the matter because ultimately the X-Men are Marvel’s characters and with Marvel making even bigger steps to control and have more say in the production of their movies, the news on the future of the X-Men movies (which will be revealed in good time).

Rumor: Apple Jumping on Blu-Ray Bandwagon?

Nov 27th, 2006 Posted in nerd culture, personal, press, technology, toys | no comment »

Source: Think Secret

The rumorhounds over at ThinkSecret have some more juicy details about which next-gen DVD format Apple will be adapting to. ThinkSecret’s anonymous sources say that Apple will be receiving Blu-ray drives in February that will end up being included in their range of computers and laptops. No word on pricing or availability, but expect the drive to add at least $500 to the cost of the desktop or laptop.

Rami to produce “Hobbit”?

Nov 27th, 2006 Posted in books, movies, nerd culture, press, sci-fi | no comment »

Rumors are surfacing that Spiderman Producer/director Sam Rami has been approached to continue the Lord of Rings franchise.

With Peter Jackson not returning,due to a law suit filed against New line Cinema for “Lord of the Rings II” earnings,Rami’s name has been popping up to be the predecessor to the successful trilogy.

But based on the new clips of Spiderman 3 that Sony has released, it’s hard to imagine him prodcuing the “Hobbit”,when it looks like they will want him back to start working on Spiderman 4. Which would be in the works soon, if Sony goes ahead with another film.

Will have to wait and see what lies ahead for Rami, but someone will have to fill Jackson’s spot, and Rami would be a great fit.

Transformers: Skorponok Transformer Pic Online

Nov 27th, 2006 Posted in cartoons, comics, movies, nerd culture, sci-fi | no comment »

This Transformer is not very friendly!!!
Actor Tyrese Gibson runs for his life.

The Harry Potter 5 Teaser Poster!

Nov 27th, 2006 Posted in books, movies, nerd culture, press | no comment »

Source: Warner Bros. Pictures

Warner Bros. Pictures has provided ComingSoon.net with the new teaser poster for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, coming to theaters and IMAX on July 13, 2007. You can catch the new teaser trailer in theaters this weekend with Happy Feet.

In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry returns for his fifth year of study at Hogwarts and discovers that much of the wizarding community is in denial about the teenager’s recent encounter with the evil Lord Voldemort, preferring to turn a blind eye to the news that Voldemort has returned. Fearing that Hogwarts’ venerable Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, is lying about Voldemort’s return in order to undermine his power and take his job, the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, appoints a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher to keep watch over Dumbledore and the Hogwarts students. But Professor Dolores Umbridge’s Ministry-approved course of defensive magic leaves the young wizards woefully unprepared to defend themselves against the dark forces threatening them and the entire wizarding community, so at the prompting of his friends Hermione and Ron, Harry takes matters into his own hands. Meeting secretly with a small group of students who name themselves “Dumbledore’s Army,” Harry teaches them how to defend themselves against the Dark Arts, preparing the courageous young wizards for the extraordinary battle that lies ahead.

Urbannerd’s Wii-view

Nov 20th, 2006 Posted in Scooters, games, nerd culture, technology, toys | no comment »

Two months ago, I pre-ordered a Wii at the Nintendo World Store. This turned out to be a great idea. While others were camping in the cold weather out by Times Square, huddled and waiting desperately for the chance to buy a Wii at midnight, we spent the evening enjoying a nice dinner, and then heading home to sleep.

Once we woke up, we took the trip to Midtown, parked the bike about a block away from the Nintendo World Store, and joined the line of people waiting for their chance to purchase Wii. As time passed, us pre-orders were slowly plucked from the line, and brought into the store. There, we waited on the final line, as the walk-ins were also processed in a separate line. I’d honestly figure that most people on the line had an excellent shot at walking away with a system, accessories, and some games.

A quick survey of the available games led us to hit multiple genres. We purchased a Wii Remote, a Nunchuk Attachment, and the Classic Controller add on, along with 2000 Wii Points, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Excite Truck, and Red Steel. A quick walk for some hot cider, and we were ready to head home.

(Interesting fact: The Wii box is just narrow enough to fit in a Vespa GT/GTS top case.)

Hooking up the Wii proved to be quite simple. It ships with component cables, most likely to ensure that just about anyone can make it work with their TV, and the sensor bar is adequate for any setup which places your game console near your screen. Projector owners may not be so lucky, depending on your wiring.

Internet setup took no time at all, once I added the Wii’s MAC address to my access point’s whitelist. After poking around with settings, we started the fun of the prep process: Making Mii.

A Mii is basically an avatar for any game which supports it. They’re primitive, comicky, and can be transferred to your own Wii Remote’s internal memory. We made one for each of us, stored them on our Wii Remotes, and now we’re ready to play at anyone else’s home with our own Mii ready to go. Next up: Wii Sports.

Wii Sports is a little thin, being a package of five sports games. Wii Boxing is a bit of a workout, using the Wii Remote and the Nunchuk as boxing gloves. Cross, jab, or block, and your Mii will do the same. Needless to say, you should give yourself some room to move. Wii Tennis is harder, using just the Wii Remote as a tennis racket. While the controls feel solid, it certainly takes a little time to get used to it. Wii Baseball is an exercise in frustration, giving you a three-inning game with some odd approximations. (I hit a few grounders, and didn’t even have a chance to run for first base.) Wii Golf is, quite simply, hard. It feels like golf, being utterly unforgiving when you use too much power, too little, or swinging at the wrong angle. Finally, there’s Wii Bowling. It’s also hard, but it lets you set your position and angle, and spin control is very intuitive.

Once that was out of the way, we moved on to Excite Truck. Jenny didn’t like it much at all. You hold the controller like an NES control pad, and much like Excitebike, too much turbo will burn out your engine. Crashes are expected, and just result in you starting off back on the track, and the truck itself is controlled by tilting the (now sideways) Wii Remote. The drawback of the game is that you have to go through a tutorial before you can play anything, including Versus mode. Compared to Wii Sports, which simply explained your options as you played, this felt like a chore.

Saving the most addictive for last, we loaded up Red Steel. The controls aren’t bad, but you *must* point the Wii Remote at the screen at all times. It determines where you look on the screen, so this is pretty important, or else you’ll end up looking at the ceiling while people shoot you. All in all, it does have the best controls I’ve ever used on a console FPS, and the swordplay adds a nice touch. In a firefight, you spend a lot of time crouching, focusing mostly on finding a target, popping up, and hoping that you’re a good enough shot to get him before you have to crouch again. It’s a neat game for me, but it’s not for everyone.

Finally, Zelda. This is a far cry from Wind Waker, both graphically and plotwise. You’re no longer a kid, you’re not just trying to save a little girl, and the graphics are eerily beautiful. As usual, you’re not a hero when you start off. You take on the role of the legendary hero from the past, just like in Wind Waker, Minish Cap, etc., but you’re a whole new Link. The controls are smooth, the Nunchuk feels like it belongs in your hand the whole time, and the swordplay/slingshot controls just feel perfect. Z-targeting is still there, but it’s nowhere near as important now as it used to be.

All in all, this tiny console packs a decent punch, being effectively a Gamecube on steroids, with probably the best controllers I’ve ever used. The fit is perfect, the button placement is perfect, and everything about the system just feels natural. It’s definitely lacking in the graphics department compared to the PS3 and the XBox 360, but I just haven’t been able to let that bother me in the slightest.