Redbox Rental of the Week: Dracula Untold

At the turn of the century, the young lord Vlad and his family live a peaceful life ruling over their small kingdom, but when a Turk warlord demands from Vlad a thousand boys and his son to create an army Vlad seeks a terrible power that will allow him to protect his kingdom and family from the Turks at a terrible cost. -IMDb

Luke Evans plays the role of Vlad the Impaler in this story of Dracula and doesn't mess around getting us right to the vampire action. Following Vlad and a group of men scout a cave containing the vampire and he easily takes out the group, except for Vlad of course.

A couple of scenes later you see Vlad hosting a party where a group of Turks interupt and demand Vlad to hand over 1000 boys to replenish their army, including Vlads son. Vlad goes to meet with Mehmed the leader of the Turks to plea with them to take him instead of the kids and his son. Since an accordance could not be struck you find Vlad approached by a group of Turks looking to take his son. This was the first of several scenes where Vlad goes HAM on some Turks and this was pre-dracula his attacking ability only enhances. 

The only way to save his family is to become that which men fear, a monster. Vlad confronts the vampire from the cave and consumes his blood. This gives Vlad 3 days to be what men fear and will turn back to his normal self, unless he is unable to fight the urge to feed. If this happens his felt is sealed as a vampire for eternity. 

Watching Vlad with his powers attacking thousands of Turks at a time makes this movie a must see. I give it a 4 out of 5 and highly recommend it! 

Posted by: Joe @thee.social.nerd

Sony's next PS4 update lets you pick up your game where you left off

From Engadget.com

Sony's PlayStation 4 has been a sales success since its launch and recently crossed 20 million units sold to customers. Of course, now that gamers have one they're expecting new features and Sony might be about to pick up the pace. Posts on NeoGAF and Twitter reveal the PlayStation MVP program (apply for access here) is being used to beta test a new update, and the feature list reportedly has some nice additions: Share Play at 60fps(up from 30fps), trophy tweaks, and an improved Suspend/Rest mode that will keep your games and apps ready to go when you return. That last one is a feature the Xbox One already has, and that we've been expecting since the PS4 was announced.

Since the system launched Sony has added bits like PS Now, custom soundtracks and more, but most of its updates brought only vague promises of increased stability. Meanwhile the Xbox One system it's competing with -- which launched with softwarecharitably described as half-baked -- has been patching up feature holes with monthly-ish updates and a beta program letting owners test out features before they roll out widely. If Sony can speed up the curve on software rollouts to match its impressive hardware, everyone will be winning.

Update: Subsequent posts on NeoGAF confirm a planned release later this month or in April, as well as another major feature: the ability to remap control buttons at will. Most games already let you configure controls to your liking, but for those that don't, or some Remote Play setups, it could come in handy -- if it ends up being a part of the next update.

For this and more check out Engadget.com 

DC Collectibles: The Anatomy of Our Newest Action Figures

 Original post is from dccomics.com

We may not always be the most articulate folks out there. But our action figures sure are!

Last week, we asked for your questions about the new DC Collectibles that were unveiled at Toy Fair, and ever since then, the queries have been rolling in. We thought we’d start with one of the most frequently asked: How many points of articulation will be included in the new DC Comics Icons Action Figure line?

Well, to give you a good answer to that one, we need to backtrack a bit. In May of 2014 during our 100,000 Facebook Likes celebration, we asked you, the fans, how much articulation you preferred in your DC Collectibles action figures. The overwhelming vote was for as much articulation as possible. With that sort of response, we couldn’t help but hear you loud and clear, so during the development of the new Icons line, we aimed to develop a universal model that would load up our figures with articulation points.

Below is the complete anatomy articulation breakdown for our new DC Comics Icons Action Figures. Pretty cool, eh?

Be sure to keep an eye on DCComics.com as well as the DC Collectibles Facebook page for more answers to your questions. And look for the first wave of DC Comics Icons Action Figures in stores in November, 2015!

This Amazing Multi Layered Walking Dead Easter Egg Shows How Much Season 1 Is Still Influencing the Show

This article is from MoviePilot.com 

WARNING: Possible spoilers for The Walking Dead TV and comic series ahead.

Now any dedicated fan of The Walking Dead will be able to tell you how much importance is placed on the concept of time in the show. From the very beginning of the show it is something which has been brought up again and again, and now some savvy viewers have realized that the latest reference to time may have been part of an even bigger Easter Egg.

In last Sunday's episode of the show, "Remember," Deanna conducted her interview with Rick, towards the end she tells Rick he needs to decide whether or not his group will stay, saying: 

Rick, it's 3:37pm, you're skeptical, you have a right to be, but it's time to decide, if you're the one that's doing the deciding.

This was the first time in a long time we've heard the exact time mentioned aloud in the show, and as a response to Deanna's question, Rick started winding his watch to the correct time. Now this in itself was, firstly, a cool way of showing how Rick (and the gang) were rejoining the 'real world' where things like time mattered again, and secondly it was a very nice nod to Dale, our sadly deceased wise-old-man of the group who always kept his watch ticking. However, as some people over at The Spoiling Dead Fans have spotted, this small tip of the hat to Dale actually goes further than we could have first imagined.

Now, Dale was probably the first character to really make a point of time in The Walking Dead, when way back in Season 1, episode 4, "Vatos," a character named Morales asked Dale why he continued to wind his watch when it was so clearly unneeded. Dale, paraphrasing Faulkner, responded:

I like what, uh, a father said to son when he give him a watch that had been handed down through generations. He said "I give you the mausoleum of all hope and desire, which will fit your individual needs no better than it did mine or my father's before me, I give it to you not that you may remember time, but that you may forget it for a moment now and then and not spend all of your breath trying to conquer it."

Now aside from the quote itself being great, there's something else this Season 1 gem has given us: the titles for the last five episodes of Season 5. Check them out above in bold, you have from episode 12 "Remember" all the way to episode 16 "Conquer."

Now I know some of you might say that this is just a coincidence, but Season 5B has already provided another Dale reference when Glenn was the only one able to fix Aaron's RV back in episode 11, after Dale taught him back in Season 2. Also just last week there was a nod to Dale in the form of the actor who played the walker who killed Dale, appearing again as a walker in episode 12.

Anyway you slice it, Dale has been all over Season 5, at least in memory.

So now of course, with any Walking Dead Easter Egg you have to wonder if it means even more than what we've already worked out. Could it be hinting that someone else's time is up, or maybe something more obscure - not a character leaving, but a character returning?

Now this is just my theory, so bare with me, but if we take this reference all the way back to its root, it all started with a character names Morales asking Dale why he winds his watch. After Season 1 we never see Morales again, not because he was gruesomely devoured by a hungry walker, but because he and his family left to look for their relatives in Alabama. Nothing has been heard of from Morales since, but that's not to say that they were killed. So, perhaps instead of making it to Alabama, somehow they end up Alexandria? After all, it was speculated that the character would make his way back on screens after a cryptic tweet was sent out by Juan G. Pareja back in October (see above).

But, theories or not we still have the flesh of a few more episodes of Season 5 to sink our teeth into before we get to that all important 90 minute long finale. I cannot wait!

Again, this post and more can be found at MoviePilot.com

Theaters Offer 29-Hour Marvel Movie Marathons Ahead of Avengers: Age of Ultron

Taken from theverge.com

Do you like Marvel movies? Have you evolved beyond the need for sleep? Then you'll be be interested in the Ultimate Marvel Marathons being held at AMC and Regal movie theaters in late April. The 29-hour sessions start at 6 PM on April 29th, and run through the 11 Marvel movies released since 2008's Iron Man in order. People who manage to stick around for the whole thing will be among the first to see Avengers: Age of Ultron — the hotly anticipated sequel is getting special early showings at the end of the marathon.

In addition to a sleep debt and whatever exciting dietary distress is caused by eating only hot dogs and popcorn for almost 30 hours, survivors of the Marvel marathon will receive a commemorative medal. It has the Avengers logo on it, so you can show your family that by staying in a darkened room for a full day and night, you too are a superhero. For the chance to watch too many movies in a row, you can expect to pay around $65.

Again, for this and more check out theverge.com

Wolverine 3 To Begin Shooting Early Next Year

This article and more can be found at ScreenRant.com

Before X-Men: Days of Future Past opened in theaters last summer and before it setbox office records for the long-running series, Twentieth Century Fox made it clear that they would be banking big time on the X-Men franchise and its most valuable comic book characters for years to come. They set a quick release date for a direct sequel, X-Men: Apocalypse, and announced a followup to The Wolverine which would re-team star Hugh Jackman and director James Mangold for another solo character adventure in 2017.

At the time, Jackman made it seems like he knew he was on his way out and hinted that Wolverine 3 (it currently remains untitled) could be his last X-Men film. After all, he’s an aging star in a physically demanding role and repeatedly said his recasting would be inevitable. We since learned that the character was almost recast for X-Men: Days of Future Past, meaning we might have had a younger Wolverine actor starring in movies alongside the older Jackman Wolverine.

That, thankfully for Jackman fans, is no longer the case. A combination of Fox taking the X-Men franchise more seriously than ever, and their inevitable plans to cross it over with the rebooted Fantastic Four movies has Jackman excited. Days of Future Past giving Jackman a chance to play another version of Wolverine in the past alongside X-Men: First Class stars Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fasssbender and James McAvoy helped “refresh” the experience for the Australian star and now he doesn’t want to stop. The Oscar-winning film Birdman and its story of an aging ex-superhero actor (played by original Batman star Michael Keaton) looking desperately to get back into the spotlight helped too:

“I said to my wife, ‘The moral is that I should never stop playing Wolverine. I’ve got to find a way to keep playing him until I die.’ I know that someday they’ll recast the role with another actor…I’d be happy if the role was eventually recast. It would mean that it had become iconic.”

While he can’t talk about it yet, and won’t officially confirm his involvement, we all know Hugh Jackman will also be reprising his Wolverine role (he’s already working out hard to get into mutant superhero shape) next year in X-Men: Apocalypse and it begins shooting in Montreal next month. Jackman previously went on record hoping that it and Wolverine 3 would shoot back-to-back to make it easier on his training but that’s not the plan. James Mangold tweeted the following today:

Wolverine 3 is scheduled for a March 2017 release date so it doesn’t need to shoot this year directly after Apocalypse. Since these dates were initially set, Fox also added two more X-Men movie projects to their production slate which makes separating those two a necessity as well. Deadpool begins shooting very soon for a February release date next year and after Apocalypse shoots, Gambit goes into production for a late 2016 release (also before Wolverine 3). We’re unsure at this point how intertwined the stories of these spinoff films are, or if Jackman is involved in anyway in one or both, but we do know Wolverine 3 and X-Men: Apocalypse have connections.

Jackman does frequently tease his interest in sharing the screen with Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool (again) though so we expect at least a cameo. In his own next movie though, Jackman’s Wolverine will re-team with Patrick Stewart’s Professor X so it’s becoming increasingly clear that these solo adventures could be building towards something larger, perhaps the unannounced 2018 X-Men movie.

For this and more check out ScreenRant.com

The Talk of New Avengers Trailer: The Vision

​Clipped from Yahoo.com

At the end of the trailer, just when Earth’s Mightiest appear to be overwhelmed, the screen goes black, a title card pops up… and for the first time, we clearly see the Vision (Paul Bettany) — an Ultron creation who eventually turns against his creator and becomes one of the most beloved Avengers — blinking to life.

Marvel has been withholding the Vision’s big reveal for months,obscuring his face in the official posters, and leaving fans to scour the toy aisles for clues to his appearance. While he doesn't get any action scenes, his cameo at the end will send geeks happily a-GIF-ing until Avengers: Age of Ultron hits theaters on May 1.

Again this snipbit was clipped from Yahoo.com 

DC Universe MOBA

This article is from GameInformer.com 

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has revealed the launch date for Turbine's free-to-play MOBA set in the DC universe. Infinite Crisis officially releases later this month on March 26.

The game puts players in control of variations of recognizable heroes and villains from the DC Comics Multiverse in a fast-paced MOBA. The game delivers a competitive player vs. player experience as these character variants battle it out in a variety of game modes.

Infinite Crisis is currently in open beta and contains a wide array of heroes and villains ranging from Superman and Joker to Blue Beetle and Hawkgirl. The most recent update added rewards for logging in, as well as upgrade AI. Turbine intends to continually introduce new characters, maps, and modes following launch.

For all of this and more check out GameInformer.com

Chappie Headlines Movies out this Weekend

This post is brought to you by Warrenton 8 Cinema

Warrenton 8 Cinema  

265 Veterans Memorial Parkway

Warrenton, MO 63383

Chappie

In the near future, crime is patrolled by an oppressive mechanized police force. When one police droid, Chappie, is stolen and given new programming, he becomes the first robot with the ability to think and feel for himself.

-IMDb.com

Also coming out this weekend is Unfinished Business

A hard-working small business owner and his two associates travel to Europe to close the most important deal of their lives. But what began as a routine business trip goes off the rails in every way imaginable - and unimaginable - way, including unplanned stops at a massive sex fetish event and a global economic summit.

-IMDb.com

Other movies playing at Warrenton 8 Cinema

We wanted to take the time to thank TJ, Stacey and the crew at Warrenton 8 Cinema 

for more information including showtimes visit warrenton8cinema.com

Posted by: Joe @thee.social.nerd

ARROW: BRANDON ROUTH ON PUTTING ON THE ATOM'S SUIT AND (POSSIBLY) STEPPING IN FOR ARROW

This article obtained from IGN.com so for more about Atom & Arrow visit IGN.com

We finally got a good look at Brandon Routh's high-tech Atom suit in Arrow's "Nanda Parbat" - an episode which also saw Oliver facing an intriguing proposition from Ra's al Ghul, as well as Ray and Felicity's relationship being...taken up a notch.

IGN was able to speak with the Atom himself, Brandon Routh, to get his thoughts on the suit, where Ray Palmer fits into the city, and what it might be like to have the Atom and Superman in a scene together.

A Whole New Suit

"This is different from the Arrow and Arsenal suits, and Canary - it's bada***" Routh said of his new look. "It's a whole different feeling from the Superman suit -- the only other suit that I've been in."

Routh of course played Superman in Bryan Singer's 2006 movie Superman Returns. His costume on Arrow, which is mechanical and allows him to fly, feels far more akin to Iron Man than anything else.

"It's a whole persona," the actor said, thinking about how this look altered his performance. "I mean, so is any suit that you put on, but this one is just different. It's cool."

Superman Vs The Atom

As mentioned, and many know, Routh's role on Arrow marks his return as a DC superhero.

"TV's just a whole different animal," Routh said of the differences between his experience playing Superman and now the Atom. "The speed at which you work; there's that. What's interesting is it's a long growth period, as we're finally starting to get into some of the Atom aspect of it. I was just Ray Palmer for a long period of time. So it's a lot of character development, which is cool and I appreciate. So that's a little bit different. The world of Arrow is certainly different than the world of Superman and Metropolis. We're in a darker world. So they're tonally different. But then you have Flash, which is more like Metropolis -- even looks like Metropolis, the architecture of the police station and all that stuff. So it's cool to be in the world and see that it's expanding. You have all these other superhero entities coming into it."

What If Superman Met The Atom

 "That would be bizarre," Routh laughed when asked what it would be like if - in an ever expanding DC universe on TV - Atom and Superman ever met. "There'd probably be some inside jokes and winks at the camera. But that would be cool. It's such a bizarre thing already for me to be playing this character, and for some people to only be known for playing this character. People young enough who haven't seen Superman Returns are like, 'Oh, that guy's the Atom. What!?! He played Superman!?' I mean, I get that all the time from people who are fans of Chuck. They see me on Chuck, and their buddies are like, 'Yeah, he was Superman too,' and they're like, 'What!?' That's a cool thing for me, because it means that I'm not just defined by one character. Even if that is the one thing I'm known for, hallelujah! That's an amazing thing too. So, I don't know. Anything's possible. That'd be a trip."

Ray Vs Oliver

Oliver's been fairly preoccupied during the second half of Arrow's third season, and now is set to be even more so, which has created space for some new heroes to emerge in Starling City...or Star City, as Routh emphasizes, it should be called.

Ray Palmer and Oliver Queen are two very different men, and it's fairly safe to assume that those distinctions will carry through to their alter-egos.

"I think the difference, one, is how Ray sees the world versus how Oliver sees the world," Routh said. "We obviously have very different pasts and paths to get to where they are now. I can't speak for Oliver I guess, but I'd say that Ray is a 'glass half full' type of guy."

Ray and Oliver's mutual friend, comrade-in-arms (well in computer hacking, anyway), and on again, off again love interest Felicity Smoak seems to be more invested in her dynamic with Ray at the moment. "There may be something she appreciates about hanging out with someone that's of the [more optimistic] ilk," Routh said.

"And he's like her," the actor continued. "The tech talk and cracking jokes and more of a free-wheeling nature. She has to decide whether she wants to dip her toe back into that, helping somebody, like possibly be in a position where they're putting themselves at risk, or say, 'No, I'm done with this stuff.' So that's her decision to make, but I don't make it easy on her. I keep badgering about it, kind of like everything that Ray does. He's very insistent -- hopefully in a charming way."

Both Routh and Emily Bett Rickards (who plays Felicity) have added some some comedic flavor to a series that can otherwise get - in the words of executive producer Andrew Kreisberg - a bit soapy.

"As far as the levity and lightness, that was what [producers] Marc Guggenheim and Andrew Kreisberg really wanted to do with the character," Routh said. "I'm saying their awesome words, and I'm so grateful that the writers have given me great stuff. It's a joy for me to be able to come and crack jokes and have that high energy every day."

What Would Atom Make of Canary

Ray Palmer will be interacting with at least one of the Canaries - Sara - or at the very least with Sara in some form. We spoke with Routh prior to the news that an Atom, Leonard Snart/Captain Cold (Wentworth Miller) and former Black Canary Caity Lotz spinoff series was in the works. We did, however, ask him what he thought of the possibility of appearing in his own show as this character.

"The sky's the limit I think," the actor said. "DC and CW have done a great job between the two shows, kind of creating a platform to launch these heroes."

Before he ventures off into his own set of adventures, though, there will be more to do in Starling City. With Oliver's attention elsewhere, and budding heroes emerging, it's possible that the Atrom would join forces with Laurel's Black Canary and/or Arsenal at a certain point.

"It'd be an interesting matchup," Routh said of a potential Atom/Canary team-up. "They're in opposite places, but they're sharing a similar grief I would think. They could definitely come together about that. For them to fight criminals together would be kind of a funny thing. She needs a little bit of levity in her life too."

Again for this and more make sure you check out IGN.com

Board Game News 3.5.15

Tail Feathers

Plaid Hat games finally released previews of their closely guarded secret, “Project TF” at the NY Toy Fair. The game will be set in the company’s popular Mice & Mystics universe featuring anthropomorphic Mice and Rats battling in the skies on winged mounts. Jerry Hawthorn, a designer for Plaid Hat games has been mentioning his playtesting for project TF for months on the Plaid Hat Podcast and it is wonderful to finally see some information coming out. The game will be a head to head skirmish game with a possibility for some crossover with the Mice and Mystics fantasy adventure game. Below are some images of the miniatures that will be included in the game.

Chew The Card Game

IDW announced a card game based on the graphic novel “Chew” by Rob Guillory to be released this May. The game will allow players to use different characters with special food related powers and cyborg animals to solve cases for the FDA. Chew is one of my favorite comics and I am very excited to play a game based on the franchise.

Repos Production leaked the above image for their expansion to Cash n’ Gun$. The Cop expansion will add 2 new guns to the game, a revolver and a deringer. A new character will also be introduced, the cop, whose job will be to send an alert the rest of the police before the criminals discover him.

Tabletop Day 2015

April 11th will mark Geek and Sundry’s 3rd annual table top day. To celebrate they will be offering promotional material from a wide variety of game publishers. They are offering a regular promo kit that carries $250 worth of merchandise and a premium kit values over $600.

The regular kit contains

1 custom Geek & Sundry card deck

1 Reverse Charades Geek & Sundry edition

1 Dead Man's Draw TableTop Day edition

2 Dead of Winter Felicia Day Survivor Promo packs

1 Evolution Promo Coaster Pack

1 Boot Hill Extra Character Promo Sheet

3 Castle Panic TableTop Day Towers

20 Munchkin TableTop bookmarks

14 Wil Wheaton and Felicia Day Fluxx Promo Packs

1 Three Cheers for Master TableTop Promo Card

8 X-Wing Promo Cards

4 Sheriff of Nottingham TableTop Trophy of Awesome Promo Cards

2 Cash n Guns Blackmailer Cards

2 Dixit Card Packs, 4 Terror in Meeple City Space Cowboy Shuttles

1 Roll For It! Owlbear Promo Card

1 Batman Love Letter

2 Geek Out! TableTop Edition Promo Packs

4 Killer Bunnies Promo Card Packs

1 Zombie Romeo & Zombie Juliet Promo Cards

1 Where Art Thou Romeo?

1 Krosmaster Promo Figure

1 Custom International TableTop Day 2015 Poster

While the premium kit will contain:

1 Reverse Charades Geek & Sundry edition

1 Dead Man's Draw TableTop Day edition

1 Dead of Winter TableTop Day edition

2 Dead of Winter Felicia Day Survivor Promo Pack,

1 BioShock Infinite The Siege of Columbia

1 Clubs

1 Evolution Promo Coaster Pack

1 Boot Hill Extra Character Promo Sheet

3 Castle Panic TableTop Day Towers

20 Munchkin TableTop bookmarks

1 Munchkin Premium Hoodie

1 Fluxx 5.0

14 Wil Wheaton and Felicia Day Fluxx Promo Packs

1 Three Cheers for Master TableTop Promo Pack

8 X-Wing Promo Cards

4 Sheriff of Nottingham TableTop Trophy of Awesome Promo Cards

2 Cash n Guns Blackmailer Cards

2 Dixit Card Packs

4 Terror in Meeple City Space Cowboy Shuttles

4 7 Wonders Wil Wheaton Cards

6 Roll For It! Owlbear Promo Cards

1 Batman Love Letter

1 Dark Seas

2 Geek Out! TableTop Edition Promo Packs

1 Geek Out! Alternate Cover

4 Killer Bunnies Promo Card Packs

1 Zombie Romeo & Zombie Juliet Promo Cards

1 Where Art Thou Romeo?

1 Council of Verona Collector's Edition

1 Krosmaster Jr.

1 Krosmaster Promo Figure

1 TableTop Collector's Coin Pack

1 Custom International TableTop Day 2015 Poster

Catan The Movie

Gail Katz, notable producer of Air Force One, recently purchased the TV and Movie rights to popular board game, Catan. I’m not entirely sure how a story will be made from the game but if it doesn’t involve Harrison Ford screaming at a robber to “GET OFF MY GRAIN!” I’m not that interested.

Above and Below - Kickstarter

Red Raven games started a kickstarter for their new game, Above and Below. The game will have players building cities and exploring a cavern system with their workers. Based on which workers are exploring the labyrinthian depths different stories will develop guiding interesting choices to be made by the players that will affect the course of the game. The kickstarter has two pledge levels for $42 you get can get the base game and $50 will get you the game plus all stretch goals. There’s a reason there is only one backer at the $42 level and FOUR HUNDRED AND SEVENTY EIGHT at the $50 level. It’s a far better deal for just eight bucks.

Hitman Holiday Ending March 12th - Kickstarter

In other kickstarter news, Hitman Holiday will be ending it’s campaign on March 12th. The game is a deductive logic game where each player will be given a secret target to kill before that target can figure out who is out to murder them. Lots of reviewers have been giving Hitman Holiday very positive reviews despite mediocre artwork (no one on this box looks like they’re from the same game) and muddled looking miniatures (see below). The game is very close to reaching its target goal of $18,000 so if you want a chance to straight up murder your friends in a fancy paradise hotel the time to get on board with this project is now.

Microsoft teases at Battletoads Return

For this and more make sure you check out IGN.com

During the Windows 10 event at GDC 2015, head of ID@Xbox Chris Charla hinted that there may be a future for the classic game series Battletoads.

While speaking about games being played between Windows 10 devices, Charla revealed that the Battletoads would be making an appearance in the recently-announced Xbox One version of Shovel Knight. He then went on to cryptically say "I wonder when we'll see them next?"

This isn't an official announcement, but several hints in the past have pointed to the possibility that Rare's tough-as-nails brawler could be making a comeback to modern platforms. Xbox head Phil Spencer has noted his fondness for them in the past and even sported a Battletoads t-shirt while presenting at the Windows 10 event earlier this year. Additionally, in November 2014 Microsoft filed a trademark for Battletoads, explaining to IGN that this was done "as part of its [Microsoft's] business strategy," but had no comment beyond that point. .

Microsoft Sutdios' Creative Director Ken Lobb also hinted at the possibility of Battletoads and other Rare franchises making a return in the future, responding to the question with "Yeah, someday."

For all of this and more check out IGN.com or IGN News on YouTube! 

All New Hawkeye #1: Review

Debuting in comic shops this week is the “All New Hawkeye” Issue 1.  I hear you asking now, what about “Hawkeye” 22?  Well that's a good question that I don't have an answer for.  I know personally I loved the Hawkeye series that was brought to us by Matt Fraction.  It was really great and yet here we are starting with Hawkeye all over again.  Oh Marvel, what are you doing to us?  

I thought I'd do a review of “Hawkeye” since we just got the third and probably final trailer for “The Avengers 2: Age of Ultron.”  I don't think I'm alone here, but shut up and take my money, and why isn't it May yet?  

This series seems to be the spiritual successor to Matt Fraction's series.  For me, this first issue was just as enjoyable as Hawkeye 22.  The sarcastic humor wasn't quite the same, but there definitely was humor in this issue.  Not the kind of humor that makes you laugh out loud, but certainly a smiling to yourself kind of funny, at least that was my experience.  Considering the side story and the end, the subject matter was relatively light.  Clint Barton and Katie Bishop are fighting their way through a Hydra base for S.H.I.E.L.D.  They are searching for secret weapons that were supposed to be located on the base. However, they aren't too happy with their mission since they aren't able to find the weapons.

In between the action, we get an origin story of sorts.  We are given a picture of a young Clint and Barney Barton in their foster home in Iowa...score one for my home state!  The art displayed during these flashbacks is done quite well.  It really feels as though you are watching a flashback scene from a movie and it's like a dreamlike sequence to these scenes.  Later in the issue, a bloody red coloring is used to symbolize the child abuse taking place inside of the house.  For me, as a father, I thought this was a really great way to show the brutality without actually depicting a child being beaten.  

In the “now” panels, you get the same type of art that would be familiar to anyone who was a fan of the earlier “Hawkeye” series.  This art was well done and it really pulls the reader into the actions.  The colors are very vivid and the attention to detail is spectacular.  

Some people might be hesitant to pick this up, especially those who loved Fraction's series.  I have to admit that I was pretty unsure about getting this, but you won't disappointed if you take a chance and get it. I have to say that this issue was a lot of fun and I'll definitely be picking issue number two up in April.

Posted by: Jeff @jeff201

'Captain America,' 'The Walking Dead' lead 2015 Saturn Awards nominations

Check out this article from: hitfix.com

It was a good day for Marvel with the release of the 41st annual Saturn Awards nominations (geared toward genre work on the big and small screen). "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" led overall on the film side with 11 nominations, while "Guardians of the Galaxy" picked up nine. Christopher Nolan's "Interstellar" had a strong showing, too, with 10 mentions.

This year's Best Picture Oscar winner "Birdman" popped up four times, including in the Best Fantasy Film Release category where it dukes it out with films like "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" and "Into the Woods."

Somehow Wes Anderson's "The Grand Budapest Hotel" is deemed a fantasy film, too, while this is the second group, I believe, that has chalked Paul Thomas Anderson's "Inherent Vice" up as an "action/adventure" film. OK… Additionally, the lack of "John Wick" -- anywhere -- is a significant WTF if you ask me.

On the TV side, it was "The Walking Dead" leading the charge with seven tips of the hat.

Check out the full list of nominees below. Winners will be announced on June 25. (Why not just get it over with sooner?)

And as the film awards season finishes its death throes, remember to relive it all at The Circuit.

Best Comic-to-Film Release
"The Amazing Spider-Man 2"
"Captain America: The Winter Soldier"
"Guardians of the Galaxy"
"X-Men: Days of Future Past"

Best Science Fiction Film Release
"Dawn of the Planet of the Apes"
"Edge of Tomorrow"
"Godzilla"
"The Hunger Games:  Mockingjay - Part 1"
"Interstellar"
"The Zero Theorem"

Best Fantasy Film Release
"Birdman"
"The Grand Budapest Hotel"
"The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies"
"Into the Woods"
"Maleficent"
"Paddington"

Best Horror Film Release
"Annabelle"
"The Babadook"
"Dracula Untold"
"Horns"
"Only Lovers Left Alive"
"The Purge: Anarchy"

Best Thriller Film Release
"American Sniper"
"The Equalizer"
"Gone Girl"
"The Guest"
"The Imitation Game"
"Nightcrawler"

Best Action/Adventure Film Release
"Exodus: Gods and Kings"
"Inherent Vice"
"Lucy"
"Noah"
"Snowpiercer"
"Unbroken"

Best Actor in a Film
Tom Cruise, "Edge of Tomorrow"
Chris Evans, "Captain America: The Winter Soldier"
Jake Gyllenhaal, "Nightcrawler"
Michael Keaton, "Birdman"
Matthew McConaughey, "Interstellar"
Chris Pratt, "Guardians of the Galaxy"
Dan Stevens, "The Guest"

Best Actress in a Film
Emily Blunt, "Edge of Tomorrow"
Essie Davis, "The Babadook"
Anne Hathaway, "Interstellar"
Angelina Jolie, "Maleficent"
Jennifer Lawrence, "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1"
Rosamund Pike, "Gone Girl"

Best Supporting Actor in a Film
Richard Armitage, "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies"
Josh Brolin, "Inherent Vice"
Samuel L. Jackson, "Captain America: The Winter Soldier"
Anthony Mackie, "Captain America: The Winter Soldier"
Andy Serkis, "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes"
J.K. Simmons, "Whiplash"

Best Supporting Actress in a Film
Jessica Chastain, "Interstellar"
Scarlett Johansson, "Captain America: The Winter Soldier"
Evangeline Lily, "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies"
Rene Russo, "Nightcrawler"
Emma Stone, "Birdman"
Meryl Streep, "Into the Woods"

Best Performance by a Younger Actor in a Film
Elle Fanning, "Maleficent"
MacKenzie Foy, "Interstellar"
Chloe Grace Moretz, "The Equalizer"
Tony Revolori, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
Kodi Smit-McPhee, "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes"
Noah Wiseman, "The Babadook"

Best Film Director
Alejandro G. Iñárritu, "Birdman"
James Gunn, "Guardians of the Galaxy"
Doug Liman, "Edge of Tomorrow"
Christopher Nolan, "Interstellar"
Matt Reeves, "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes"
Joe Russo, Anthony Russo, "Captain America: The Winter Soldier"
Bryan Singer, "X-Men: Days of Future Past"

Best Film Writing
"Captain America: The Winter Soldier"
"The Grand Budapest Hotel"
"Guardians of the Galaxy"
"The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies"
"Whiplash"

Best Film Editing
"Captain America: The Winter Soldier"
"Edge of Tomorrow"
"Guardians of the Galaxy"
"Interstellar"
"Unbroken"

Best Film Production Design
"Dawn of the Planet of the Apes"
"Captain America: The Winter Soldier"
"The Grand Budapest Hotel"
"Guardians of the Galaxy"
"Interstellar"
"Into the Woods"

Best Film Music
"Captain America: The Winter Soldier"
"Dawn of the Planet of the Apes"
"Godzilla"
"How to Train Your Dragon 2"
"Interstellar"

Best Film Costume
"Dracula Untold"
"Exodus: Gods and Kings"
"Guardians of the Galaxy"
"Into the Woods"
"Maleficent"
"X-Men: Days of Future Past"

Best Film Makeup
"Dawn of the Planet of the Apes"
"Dracula Untold"
"Guardians of the Galaxy"
"The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies"
"X-Men: Days of Future Past"

Best Film Special/Visual Effects
"Captain America: The Winter Soldier"
"Dawn of the Planet of the Apes"
"Edge of Tomorrow"
"Guardians of the Galaxy"
"The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies"
"Interstellar"

Best Independent Film Release
"Grand Piano"
"I, Origins"
"A Most Violent Year"
"The One I Love"
"The Two Faces of January"
"Whiplash"

Best International Film Release
"Bird People"
"Calvary"
"Force Majeure"
"Mood Indigo"
"The Railway Man"
"The Theory of Everything"

Best Animated Film Release
"Big Hero Six"
"The Boxtrolls"
"How to Train Your Dragon 2"
"The LEGO Movie"
"The Wind Rises"

Read more at http://m.hitfix.com/in-contention/captain-america-the-walking-dead-lead-2015-saturn-awards-nominations#uWEIDabPclsoPKqi.99

LivingTheNerdLife.com is teaming with The SaveState

Founders of LivingTheNerdLife.com Ryan @iamryzn and myself, Joe @thee.social.nerd are excited to announce that we will be teaming up with The SaveState.  

Who or what is The SaveState? 

The SaveState is your daily dose of entertainment and tech news. A source for quality podcasts and articcles on all the things you love. 

 We have been following these guys for a while now and they produce amazing videos on their YouTube. The quality of their videos are second to none and as I said before we are exciting to be working with them. We will be including them on our Video's page along with @NerdyGirlNikki and other video's we might share.

Please make sure you go show these guys some love by checking out the link to their YouTube channel here. Also go and check them out on Instagram @thesavestate

Youtube link https://www.youtube.com/user/thesavestate00

Bethesda is holding an E3 press conference for the first time ever. We can only assume Fallout 4 will be announced and shown off! What do you think? Also - Bethesda sued a small indie developer for using the name "Fallout". Do you think they are a big bully?

The ThreeA Virgin

Wow, it felt so good to get this figure. lol. I bought my first ThreeA Ashley Wood 1:12 action figure. Amazed, is the first word that comes to mind. The detail, the weathering, the paint apps. THE ARTICULATION!!!. I’m sold. 

I’m sure a ton of you out there are familiar with ThreeA or own their figures as well, so you already know what I’m talking about. If you don’t know, you should look into it. These things are my newest addiction. I’m seriously 
rethinking my marvel legends vice.

The figure I bought is called TK Slicer Kyuuketsuki. I have to admit I’m not 
familiar with the story these characters come from. I bought the figure based on just liking the way it looks. But now that I see him, I’m going to start reading these stories. Anyway thanks for reading, and keep on collecting

Posted by: Chris @cgoosy

Walker Wednesday

So we have had a few days to let this weeks episod of the Walking Dead sink in. What did you think? 

This weeks episode found the group struggling with accepting their current situation in Alexandria. Some find it easier to give in to some of the benefits of Alexandria while others still haven't completely put their gaurd down.

Don't confuse me saying they give into that easy as them being weak because I don't mean that at all. Take for instance Rick and the now infamous shower and beard cutting scene. Or Michonne brushing her teeth for 20 minutes straight. Some like Daryl are holding on to the fact that they can't trust anyone except each other and isn't giving in to the temptation of a warm shower. Some of them are just more open to the idea that this may indeed be a safe place.

Both sides are cautious and Deana, the leader of Alexandria, conducts interviews with our group members to obtain more information and to place them in jobs in the town. The jobs make me think of the movie Maze Runner, you have Runners who go get supplies, Leaders and then Gatherers who cook, clean etc. Some get their jobs by the end of this episode while some don't.

This episode also introduced us to a few new characters. Carl's new friends Ron, Mikey and Enid. Jesse the new good looking woman on the show and her husband. Deana, her son Aiden and his pal, plus a couple other characters.   

Highlights of this episode:

Rick and Michonne were asked to be Constables of Alexandria

Carol acts weak in her interview and while turning over her weapons

Jesse - the new hot girl! 

Glenn rocks Aiden  

Rick's stashed gun has been taken

Carl tries to make friends

All in all it was a really good episode and I'm looking forward to see how the interaction goes with the group and the members of Alexandria. The winner of the highlights I noted above: Glenn's right fist square on Aiden's nose. I was hoping it was going to happen earlier in the episode and it finally did. It was the little cherry on top of this episode for me. 

For more make sure you go and check out our Podcast on this episode and the others since the mid season premiere. You can find us on LivingTheNerdLife.com at the Podcast page as well as on iTunes! 

Posted by: Joe @thee.social.nerd

Captain America Poster: Age of Ultron

From Cinema Attack @CinemaAttack (twitter)

New SOLO CAPTAIN AMERICA poster for "AGE OF ULTRON"! 

Blizzard Reiterates Commitment to WoW Subscription Fee

Another post from IGN.com so go check them out for more! 

BY LUKE KARMALI Following today’s news that World of Warcraft players will soon be able to buy game time without spending their real world cash, the MMO’s various detractors are likely to be crowing about the imminent demise of Blizzard’s behemoth. Their glee may be somewhat misplaced however, at least according to lead game designer Ion Hazzikostas.

“I don’t know if I would characterise this as in any way being a move away from WoW being a pure subscription MMO,” he said ahead of the news. “I think it’s just offering more access and flexibility in terms of how those subscriptions are paid. At the end of the day, every player in the game has an active subscription or a month of game time that’s been purchased by them or someone else in order to play the game. It’s just about the dual objective of broadening access and letting people have more flexibility about how they pay while striking a blow against the third-party goldselling market that’s been a blight on the game for such a long period of time."

The main aim of the move then isn’t to test the waters for a full shift to free-to-play in the months ahead, but instead about trying to edge out the more destructive elements of the in-game economy. It’s the lucrativeness of the illicit third-party gold trade trade that sees thousands of accounts hacked every year as those involved look for a quick means to gather gold before selling it on. After floating the idea of the WoW Token late last year to a positive response, Blizzard is now happy to make its plans public.

“We needed to get a sense of whether this is something there’s broad support for among our playerbase,” Hazzikostas explains. “We certainly saw advantages in kerbing the behaviour of illicit goldsellers and the third-party market, we’re well aware of all the negative impact that’s had on players who have their accounts compromised and cleaned out in this never-ending thirst for gold, but we floated it at the end of last year to say we were considering it. We were happy to broadly get a very positive response from a large segment of the playerbase on both sides of the potential transaction, who were excited to make use of this feature and had maybe made use of it in other games, and that kind of steeled our resolve that this was the right move going forward for our game.”

Some may be sceptical about the efficacy of such an approach – after all, Blizzard has spent over a decade trying to eradicate goldsellers from World of Warcraft without much success. Why should the WoW Token succeed where the mysterious Warden Programme, Authenticators and dedicated support staff have failed? According to Hazzikostas, the answer lies in base economic theory. Supply and demand dictates that as long as there’s a demand for gold, players will be willing to bend the rules in order to get at a supply of it without thought for the consequences. The theory, therefore, is that by providing a legal and secure means of getting gold in-game Blizzard can become the major supplier of gold once more, cutting off the need for players to look elsewhere.

“Ultimately, the reality is it’s driven by demand. The gold-selling market wouldn’t exist if there weren’t players looking to do this,” Hazzikostas agrees. “As long as the demand exists, the market will exist and the product will exist. As we’ve seen, the illicit creation of this market has tremendously negative effects on the rest of the game and other players. The majority of the gold that ends up being circulated comes from compromised accounts that were cleaned out, sometimes that have been hacked or botted, and we’re fighting an ongoing war against the supply. But I think offering players a much more secure, legitimate option instead of going to a dodgy third-party site - so you can do it legitimately in-game with no worry of being scammed and also helping out another player on the other end of that transaction – it’s just win-win for everybody.”

Though the WoW Token clearly embraces elements of Eve Online’s PEX system, in reality it’s closer to the C.R.E.D.D. model that debuted in Wildstar. Warcraft showed itself long ago to be an amorphous beast, one capable of critically appraising the greatest strengths of its rivals before finding out how best to incorporate them. It’s a trait that’s enabled the MMO to continue growing while its many competitors fell by the wayside, and Hazzikostas isn’t afraid to acknowledge it keeps Blizzard at the front of the pack.

“I think there’s no question we looked at how C.R.E.D.D. worked out in Wildstar, I mean that’s a game that’s certainly more similar to us and our ecosystem than something like Eve. Eve obviously pioneered this with Plex, but theirs is a very different version and a very different game where you can have your spaceship destroyed and lose your Plex and it’s an economy and a world that’s much more driven by money and in-game currency as a direct analogue for power.

“[In WoW] while more gold is useful, it’s not the same lifeblood it is in other games. But looking at how it worked out elsewhere certainly gave us confidence that this was the right way to go.

“I’m certainly not going to object to a characterisation of us as a group that’s willing to adapt and evolve and move with the times because I think we totally do. We’re also looking to improve upon the experience and the features that are out there.”

 Pricing isn’t final yet but, as each Token offers 30 days of game time, it makes sense that it’ll be around as much as a month’s subscription. Despite Hazzikostas’ protestations over this not marking a shift towards free-to-play, it’s still an incredibly significant day in Warcraft’s history. For the first time ever you’ll soon be able to play all the game without purchasing a subscription using real world cash. After a lengthy period of stagnation, the MMO business model is finally changing with even the big dogs finally starting to embrace new forms. Where we go from here is anyone’s guess.

Again for more info from Blizzard and World of Warcraft check out IGN.com

Suicide Squad Movie: Jared Leto's Hairdo?

Taking blurps from the recent post up at IGN.com, David Ayer (@DavidAyerMovies) and Jared Leto (@JaredLeto) shared an entertaining back and forth on Twitter. Of course this isn't big Suicide Squad movie news but still entertaining none the less. Suicide Squad starts filming next month in Toronto.

Here is their Twitter exchange: 

           Something will happen tomorrow. #skwad

          - David Ayer (@DavidAyerMovies) 

          TICK TOCK . . .

          - Jared Leto (@JaredLeto)

          Should we? #SuicideSquad

​          - David Ayer (@DavidAyerMovies)

           - David Ayer (@DavidAyerMovies)

Posted by: Joe @thee.social.nerd