Tag Archives: Samuel L. Jackson

Movie Trailers

Robocop Remake – Trailer Released and It’s Better Than You Think

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When news that a remake to Robocop was coming out, the internet almost imploded with the sheer volume of venom and bile that was unleashed. The original Robocop has always had a warm place in the hearts of  fans. The clever mix of ultra violence, angst and social commentary meshed well to give us a truly stunning piece of ’80s cinema. So it’s understandable that there may be a certain amount of tension when a new version is released. Even this reviewer was slightly nonplussed by the news, and when shots of the new suit came out face palms were felt all around the world. It looked pretty dire and people could hardly believe they were thinking of using this version over the classic silver suit Peter Weller wore. It did not really exude confidence in the new film. Well now it is time to put up or shut up because the new trailer is out. See what you think below.

So there you go. Now I do not know how this trailer went down with everyone else, but personally, I liked it. The tone still seems to be dark, but not as gritty as the original. The darkness is still there hidden under all the shiny metal and techno heavy visuals. Hopefully it will not suffer the same fate as the Total Recall remake, where the futuristic look over shadowed the fact that the film somehow managed to take all the fun out of the movie and made it a dreadful bore. This trailer is anything but that, with the action coming at you thick and fast and for once you can actually see the events as they take place, rather than say the Transformers franchise where the gleaming metal battles all gel into a CGI mess.

Let’s not forget about the cast, and boy what a cast. Samuel Jackson, Michael Keaton, and Gary Oldman are just a few of the names involved, and they certainly seem to be enjoying themselves. Unlike the OCP from the original where most of the people working for the company were dicks (and we loved them for it, who can forget Dick Jones, Bob Morton and Clarence J.Boddicker), here it seems Oldman is to be the scientist with a heart, while Keaton is chewing up the scenery in a more corporate way than his predecessors.

Giving Alex Murphy and his family more screen time seems to be a good call as it adds a nice dynamic to the tale. How do decide if your husband should be given a new lease on life but lose some of his humanity? These clips with the family should make for some touching scenes in the movie if the trailer is to go by.

robocop remake trailer samuel

robocop remake trailer oldman

The new designs look great. ED 209 has been slightly revamped, and as much as I love the old clunky model I am interested to see how this new, more streamlined version will fare on-screen. The new suit after all the moaning does look good in action. The visor sliding up and down adds a nice element, and again helps to keep the human side of Robocop visible more. The scene with numerous Robocop models taking on the Alex Murphy Robocop certainly interested me and the voice is spot on. The main downside to this is there is no police presence in the trailer that I could see. So the dynamic that Murphy and Anne Lewis had in the original seems to have been removed to focus more on Alex Murphy’s family issues. I can see the point, but it does not mean that I a tinge of remorse we are going to lose that side of the movie. But that’s what happens with change.

robocop remake trailer family

Let’s just get one thing clear in our minds. This is never going to be Paul Verhoeven Robocop. That movie is irreparable. But much liked other remakes that have worked (Dawn of the Dead, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Star Trek) it has taken the core idea and given it a different spin. Do we forget about the original Texas Chainsaw movies now that the remake has been made? Of cause not. Both live together in cinematic harmony and both have their own fan bases. Could we have room for two Robocop’s? I believe so, but only if the film is good. The last thing we need is another shitty remake. Fingers crossed this will be the former rather than the later, and if it lives up to the promise of the trailer we could be in for a treat. No matter what, Peter Weller’s iconic turn in the role of Robocop will never be forgotten, but maybe we can find a space for Joel Kinnaman portrayal too? I would like to think so, we’ll just have to look past that PG-13 rating first…

Movie Trailers

Oldboy: Red Band Trailer Released for Spike Lee Remake

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Oldboy; Back in 2003 South Korean Director Park Chan-wook released one of the more screwed up movies I’ve seen, and most of it was awesome. Well now, 10 years later it’s getting the old American Remake treatment from none other than the often controversial lightning rod Spike Lee. This time around Josh Brolin will be in the lead role, and from the looks of this first trailer, things are already a little different than I remember.

Continue reading Oldboy: Red Band Trailer Released for Spike Lee Remake →

TV

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – Charles Gunn & Sam Jackson…

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ABC is set to announce their fall schedule on May 14th so we figured it was about time to round up all the news we could find on Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and put it in one handy dandy place.

First, let’s look at confirmed cast members. Of course we all know about Carl Gregg and his Agent Coulson returning from the dead (or was he ever dead?) but there have been quite a few other cast members added, not the least of which is Angel alum and most recently, Arrow assassin, J. August Richards. It hasn’t yet been announced who Richards will play, but I think we can all agree, it doesn’t really matter because he is that good. Maybe it’ll just be the return of Charles Gunn…

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

In addition to the three cast members we’ve already discussed here, those being Ming-Na Wen, Iain De Caestecker, and Elizabeth Henstridge, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. also includes Chloe Bennett from Nashville and Brett Dalton. Bennett is Skye and Dalton is the up and coming Agent Grant.

While it is nice to hear about these new characters and who will be playing them, we all are asking the same thing… what about Nick Fury and Maria Hill? Well as for Nick Fury, Samuel L. Jackson was asked about it during an interview with MTV and here’s what he had to say.

So Nick Fury as S.H.I.E.L.D.’s version of Charlie? I could live with that. Of course it would be even better if Jackson were to make cameos occasionally, but that might be asking a bit much. As for Maria Hill? Well Joss Whendon told TV Line that we shouldn’t “expect” her because obviously Smulders has a busy schedule with not only How I Met Your Mother, but also various other projects, but that she could make an appearance. In my dream world, Smulders would wrap up HIMYM and immediately take off her Robin Sparkles costume and put on her S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform. Throw in a stop at SNL (how has this not happened yet?) and, well that would just be great.

Of course everyone is looking for more news and insight to the show and who better to go to than Agent Coulson himself, Clark Gregg. Screenrant caught up with Gregg at the Tribeca Film Festival.

It’s always nice to see when an actor has such a fondness for the character they play and Gregg certainly does for Coulson.

So that gets us all caught up and ready for the upfront next Tuesday where it’s pretty much a sure thing that Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will be announced. Could ABC finally making a run at beating CBS? They certainly have that potential so we’ll have to wait and see.

What we’ll also have to wait and see? If Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark/Iron Man makes an appearance on the small screen. When asked by EW about it he said, “You know what? There’s no telling. I am open to everything.” which doesn’t mean no. That’s pretty much all fans need to get their hopes up so here’s to Iron Man on S.H.I.E.L.D.!

Movie News & Opinions

Samuel L. Jackson and Franco Nero Talk “Django Unchained”

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First and foremost, let me jump in feet first by saying that Django Unchained is an incredible movie. I think it’s one of Tarantino’s best. Of course, the primary controversy surrounding the movie deals with the perceived liberal use of the most offensive word – typically referred to as the “N-word”. Was the word used liberally? Absolutely. Was it out of context? No. It’s two years before the Civil War in the deep South, where slavery was in full swing. Southern slave owners and proponents used the word almost exclusively to describe slaves – and freemen, for that matter. So, with that now in context, check out what happens when an interviewer is put on the spot by none other than Samuel L. Jackson himself when he attempts to ask Jackson about the controversy surrounding the use of the word in the movie. The interviewer’s discomfort is, in a word, epic. The magic begins at the 13:56 mark. PS: there’s a few f-bombs in there too.

Continue reading Samuel L. Jackson and Franco Nero Talk “Django Unchained” →

TV

SNL: 38.9- Martin Short/Paul McCartney

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Whatever your feelings on Saturday Night Live (although I assume if you are here reading a review of SNL you are indeed a fan), there is no denying that it is a part of our culture, both entertainment and current events wise. Very often those two worlds collide and it falls on the shoulders of SNL to toe the line of sensitivity and recognizing that messed up things have happened while still doing their job as a late night variety show. Already this season they’d dealt with “Superstorm” Sandy and then this week, had the unenviable task of being funny the night after a national tragedy. I think we can all agree that the cold open of the New York Children’s Choir singing “Silent Night” was gut wrenchingly simple and perfect.
New York Children's Choir SNL

When Martin Short was announced as host there were plenty of people who pissed and moaned like littleTom Hanks SNL babies that SNL had to have an episode that appealed to “old people”. Well call me an old lady if you want, but I loved it. He started off the show in fine fashion, walking through the halls of the studio meeting up with old cast members and hosts, and even a random llama. One does have to wonder if Tom Hanks has a second home next door and just pops on over when he’s bored or something. No complaining from me! Of course when you see all those former cast members it’s easy to get your hopes up that they’ll pop up in the rest of the episode. Sadly, this was not the case but it was still a great episode.

That being said, one of the sketches with a cameo was right off the bat and it was one of the worst of the night. This has happened enough this season that I’m wondering if they’ve made a conscious decision to put weaker sketches up front to see if they perform better. If it is, listen to me now SNL- it’s not working. Even though Alec Baldwin’s Tony Bennett is frighteningly good, and Martin Short as his younger brother, Picadilly CervixJerry was funny, the sketch as a whole just fell flat. There was a few laughs but there’s only so many times you can laugh at the same poop joke.

Apparently I’m able to laugh repeatedly at vagina jokes however, because the “Royal Family Doctor” sketch had me rolling. Of course “Her Downton Abbey” started off the chuckle but by the time they got to “Church of Taint Andrews” I was a goner. I had to pause the show to give myself a moment to try and gather my senses and be able to move on. Of course they would put Bill Hader in this one because he is so well known in his ability to keep his composure and not break character. Such an admirable trait he has. Of course who could blame him though? Best sketch of the night, bar none.

http://www.nbc.com/assets/video/xnxx-92/widget/widget.html?vid=1427024

This week was yet another slam dunk on the pre-filmed short. I know there were people who were really nervous about what the show would look like without Andy Samberg’s digital shorts but I’ll admit it, I haven’t really missed them. That’s not true, I have missed them but I don’t feel like the show is lacking because they are no longer there. “You’re a Rat Bastard Charlie Brown” was spot on. While Bill Hader’s Al Pacino was fantastic, Martin Short’s Larry David was downright eerie. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen Martin Short do Larry David but I’m hoping this wasn’t the last time because damn, that was perfect. I wonder if he’s available for parties?

Hillary Clinton Weekend Update SNL

I was so looking forward to Weekend Update because I thought for sure there would be a Stefon sighting and if not Stefon than surely Drunk Uncle. Nope, it was “Girl you wish you hadn’t started a conversation with at a party”. That’s a fun character with some great lines but I was disappointed. Between that and Vanessa Bayer’s “recently Bar Mitzvah’d boy”, Weekend Update was a bit of a let down minus a few shining spots in the “news” stories.

Samuel Jackson SNL

Of course the sketch that everyone was talking about afterwards (and during for that matter) was “What’s Up With That”. It’s a sketch that if I’m not really liking the host, I’ll usually fast forward through but being Martin Short and a Christmas episode, plus having Carrie Brownstein there, and Samuel L. Jackson… I watched, and I am so glad I did. Of all the Martin Short characters to show up, I was least expecting Jackie Rogers, Jr. A pleasant surprise! I think we can all agree though, Samuel Jackson dropping the f-bomb and Keenan Thompson’s quick “hey now, that costs money” was the highlight. It’s by far the most I’ve ever laughed at that sketch. Well Jason Sudeikis and his red track suit usually illicit a laugh or two but nothing like ill-timed profanity.Paul McCartney and Nirvana

Paul McCartney with the guys of Nirvana. That could be one of the coolest statements I’ve written in a long time.

I think the Restoration Hardware sketch was only funny because I know those people. Hell, I’ve been those people. And I can not tell you how badly I’ve coveted that big ass plane propeller they’ve got. Completely impractical and serves zero purpose, but I still want it.

Caleb and Monty were my second favorite sketch of the night. There is nothing not funny about Martin Short screaming in Paul McCartney’s face. Doesn’t matter what he says, it’s going to be funny. When the sketch started I had said to myself “huh, usually they have the big name acts perform three times” so I wasn’t too surprised when the set opened up to the New York Children’s Choir again. It was a great way to end the show.

Speaking of the end of the show, I really wish the local affiliates would just watch the end of SNL and choose to delay their next show a few minutes so we could see the entire goodnights. It’s one of my favorite parts of SNL and there is nothing on Inside Edition that is more interesting. It’s the middle of the night people, cut off the end of an episode of Knight Rider or something. Overall? Easily the best episode of the season. Maybe it’s just because I like when the alumni come back to play, but seriously it was quite enjoyable. A great way to cap off the fall season. Jennifer LawrenceThe show will return on January 19th with Jennifer Lawrence and The Lumineers and I’ll see you then. Have a great holiday SNL fans!

GAMING

A Recap of the 2012 Video Game Awards

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Last year I watched the Video Game Awards for the first time ever and reacted pretty harshly to the show. To summarize the article, I found the 2011 VGA’s to be immature and pandering. Some of the most memorable moments of the awards perpetuated the worst stereotypes of an industry that is still plagued by issues of sexism and sexuality. And even disregarding that, recognizing the work of the medium’s most talented artists and writers took a back seat to celebrity shills cavorting about on stage.

I don’t think I have lofty expectations for these awards. I said in last year’s recap:

[box_light]”I understand that the show is a vehicle for game trailers and commercials. I don’t expect or want the grandeur and extravagance of the Oscars. All I want is for the producers to treat the fans, and more importantly the game creators, with respect and at least pretend to care about our medium.” [/box_light]

And this year the Video Game Awards did exactly that. The turnaround that Spike TV made between 2011 and 2012 is admirable. This year’s awards excised a lot of the superfluous nonsense, like the augmented reality stuff (Which I genuinely enjoyed, but admit in hindsight was a waste of use) and the weird Nickelodeon game show-style contests going on in the periphery. The 2012 VGA’s focused instead on the games, and while some of the sketches and performances fell flat, the entire night was without question a show for gamers, about games.

The awards opened with Eric Cartman beating Bilbo Baggins to death with a cane. Of course, this was a shameless tease for South Park: The Stick of Truth, but it was an entertaining introduction to the show (It’s also one of the more anticipated games of 2013) and succinctly opened the night. Samuel L. Jackson took the role of host this year and did a pretty good job with what he had. I’ve gained a lot of respect for award show hosts since hearing Louis CK explain how much of a nightmare these things can be, so I can’t even fault Jackson or his writers for the lackluster jokes. The running gag throughout the show was ‘Sam Jackson Mode’, a gameplay tweak that added Jackson into all types of games and had him use his iconic badassery and curse words to get results. It heralds back to those old MTV awards skits that superimposed celebrities into movies.

I thought this was pretty clever. Far more entertaining than any of the gimmicks from last year’s show, at least. These moments also served to highlight the different games nominated this year, which fall all over the spectrum in terms of genre, scope and play-style. Regardless of what can be said for the VGA’s in years past, they seem to always do a stellar job nominating games that deserve to be recognized. This year took that concept even further, almost to the realm of controversy, by including smaller, independent games in the Game of the Year category. It’s sparked a lot of debate over what constitutes a “Game of the Year” or even a video game for that matter, A challenging discussion, and one that merits a lot of thought. I’m at odds with myself on the matter. I think Journey is easily one of the most worthwhile experiences in gaming this year, but to compare it to something like Assassin’s Creed III, which nearly takes up all of Journey’s playtime before even introducing the protagonist. It’s hard to put them on equal footing. As I did last year, I’ll list the nominees, the winners and my picks below.

Before I do that though, let’s talk reveals. There were some startling trailers last night that caught a lot of people by surprise, and some that were expected but nonetheless welcomed with excitement. The VGA’s premiered new trailers for Tomb Raider,  The Last of Us and Bioshock Infinite, which the community already knew about, but continue to look impressive. We were also treated to announcements for Dark Souls II, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 and, the steal of the show, a mysterious game called The Phantom Pain.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSfajBs2nyQ

This trailer was announced with very little explanation, and it credits only a previously unknown team, Moby Dick Studio, for development. Now, there are pages and pages of speculation, theorizing and educated guesses pointing to the idea that this is either a new teaser for Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes, Metal Gear Solid 5, or a similar Hideo Kojima game. I will err on the side of caution and say that this looks like a very interesting new IP, I look forward to hearing more about it, and that you should immediately go and read this NeoGAF page on the subject.

Ground Zeroes and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance were both noticeably absent from the awards, as was The Last Guardian once again, to my chagrin. GTA V was nowhere to be seen either, but I expected this with their newest trailer released so recently. Rockstar marches to the beat of its own drum, Video Game Awards be damned.

Alright, now for the nominees and winners. Like last year, winners will be in bold and I’ll mark my picks with an arrow (

[box_light]

Game of the Year:

The Walking Dead: The Game
Assassin’s Creed III (Review)
Dishonored (Review)
Journey
Mass Effect 3 (Review)

Studio of the Year:

Telltale Games
343 Industries
Arkane Studios
Gearbox Software (

Best Xbox 360 Game:

Halo 4 (Review)
Assassin’s Creed III ( Borderlands 2
Dishonored

Best PS3 Game:

Journey
Assassin’s Creed III ( Borderlands 2
Dishonored

Best Wii/Wii-U Game:

New Super Mario Bros. U ( The Last Story
Xenoblade Chronicles
Zombiu

Best PC Game:

XCOM: Enemy Unknown ( Diablo III
Guild Wars 2
Torchlight II

Best Shooter:

Borderlands 2 ( Call of Duty: Black Ops II
Halo 4
Max Payne 3

Best Action Adventure Game:

Dishonored
Assassin’s Creed III ( Darksiders II
Sleeping Dogs

Best RPG:

Mass Effect 3 (
Diablo III
Torchlight II
Xenoblade Chronicles

Best Multiplayer Game:

Borderlands 2 ( Call of Duty: Black Ops II
Guild Wars 2
Halo 4

Best Individual Sports Game:

Hot Shots Golf World Invitational
SSX ( Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13
WWE ’13

Best Team Sports Game:

FIFA Soccer 13
Madden NFL 13
NBA 2K13 ( NHL 13

Best Driving Game:

Need For Speed: Most Wanted ( Dirt: Showdown
F1 2012
Forza Horizon

Best Song in a Game:

“Cities” by Beck – From Sound Shapes
“Castle of Glass” by Linkin Park – From Medal of Honor: Warfighter
“I Was Born For This” By Austin Wintory – From Journey ( “Tears” by Health – From Max Payne 3

Best Original Score:

 Journey ( Call of Duty: Black Ops II
Halo 4
Max Payne 3

Best Graphics:

 Halo 4
Assassin’s Creed III (
Dishonored
Journey 

Best Independent Game:

Journey ( Dust: An Elysian Tale
Fez
Mark of the Ninja

Best Fighting Game:

Persona 4 Arena ( Dead or Alive 5
Street Fighter x Tekken
Tekken Tag Tournament 2

Best Handheld/Mobile Game:

Sound Shapes ( Gravity Rush
LittleBigPlanet PS Vita
New Super Mario Bros. 2

Best Performance by a Human Female:

Melissa Hutchison as Clementine – The Walking Dead: The Game
Emma Stone as Amanda Cartwright – Sleeping Dogs
Jen Taylor as Cortana – Halo 4
Jennifer Hale as Commander Shepard – Mass Effect 3 (

Best Performance by a Human Male:

Dameon Clarke as Handsome Jack – Borderlands 2 ( Dave Fennoy as Lee Everret – The Walking Dead: The Game
James McCaffrey as Max Payne – Max Payne 3
Nolan North as Captain Martin Walker – Spec Ops: The Line

Best Adapted Video Game:

The Walking Dead: The Game ( Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two
Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes
Transfomers: Fall of Cybertron

Best DLC:

Dawnguard – The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim ( Leviathan – Mass Effect 3
Mechromancer Pack – Borderlands 2
Perpetual Testing Initiative – Portal 2

Best Downloadable Game:

The Walking Dead: The Game
Fez
Journey ( Sound Shapes

Best Social Game:

You Don’t Know Jack
Draw Something ( Marvel: Avengers Alliance
Simcity Social[/box_light]

And that was the 2012 Video Game Awards. If you missed the show or want to see it all again, the entire thing is available on Game Trailers. I was so happily surprised with the show this year, and I’m glad I decided at the last second to watch. Here’s to a great 2013, whose first quarter looks to be a massive wallet drain!