Category Archives: Video

Disney & Marvel release teaser for upcoming ‘Big Hero 6’ animated pic

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Disney and Disney-owned Marvel are teaming up for the next Walt Disney Animation Studios film. The next film on Disney animated slate, following Frozen, is Big Hero 6. The movie, inspired by the Marvel comics, goes like this:

“Big Hero 6” is a heartfelt comedy adventure about robotics prodigy Hiro Hamada, who learns to harness his genius—thanks to his brilliant brother Tadashi and their like-minded friends: adrenaline junkie Go Go Tamago, clean freak Wasabi No-Ginger, chemistry whiz Honey Lemon and fanboy Fred. When a devastating turn of events catapults them into the midst of a dangerous plot unfolding in the streets of San Fransokyo, Hiro turns to his closest companion—a cutting-edge robot named Baymax—and transforms the group into a band of high-tech heroes determined to solve the mystery. Inspired by the Marvel comics of the same name, and featuring comic-book style action and all the heart and humor audiences expect from Walt Disney Animation Studios, “Big Hero 6” is directed by Don Hall (“Winnie the Pooh”) and Chris Williams (“Bolt”), and produced by Roy Conli (“Tangled”).

Check out the nearly two-minute teaser trailer above. Though it doesn’t set up the plot, it manages to successfully introduce our main characters in a very fun way. In fact, this teaser reminds me of the initial Frozen teaser which introduced audiences to snowman Olaf and reindeer Sven in a playful way.

Big Hero 6 hits theaters in 3D on November 7, 2014.

Movie trailer round-up: ‘Interstellar,’ ‘Cinderella,’ ‘They Came Together’ & ‘Apes’ [Update: ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’]

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Chris Nolan’s next movie has been shrouded in secrecy for some time now. Even the original two-minute teaser trailer didn’t budge with details. The first official full-length trailer that debuted in front of Godzilla, however, manages to paint a better picture. In Interstellar, the Earth has “ran out of food” and Matthew McConaughey is enlisted to travel through a wormhole on an interstellar voyage to save the planet. The plot still isn’t crystal clear but one thing’s for certain: Nolan has yet another super intriguing design in the works. Interstellar opens November 7.

Jump after the break to view more trailers. Continue reading Movie trailer round-up: ‘Interstellar,’ ‘Cinderella,’ ‘They Came Together’ & ‘Apes’ [Update: ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’] →

2014 Upfronts: NBC intros 16 new series

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The Upfronts have come and gone and now it’s time for you to figure out which new shows you’ll be watching when the new TV season kicks off this fall. The networks have picked up their respective pilots to series and you can preview them with tantalizing trailers and juicy synopses. First up is the Peacock!

NBC picked up a whopping 16 new series. This fall three dramas, State of Affairs, The Mysteries of Laura, and Constantine will premiere. Three comedies will also launch in the fall and they are Marry Me, Bad Judge, and A to Z. The rest are being held on the bench to air sometime later in the year: A.D., Allegiance, Aquarius, Emerald City, Heroes Reborn, and Odyssey and comedies Mission Control, Mr. Robinson, One Big Happy, and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Also being held for midseason are returning series Hannibal, the final season of Parks and Recreation, Celebrity Apprentice, and Hollywood Game Night.

The Voice returns to open Monday night where it will be paired with red-hot The Blacklist; on Nov. 17 The Blacklist will go on break and new drama State of Affairs will takeover the 10PM slot. The Blacklist will return on Feb. 1 landing the prime post Super Bowl slot. That special episode will be the first of a two-parter which will resolve when the James Spader drama falls into its brand new timeslot Thursdays at 9 starting Feb. 5. Moving onto Tuesdays, The Voice will air its second hour at 8 followed by new sitcom Marry Me; that, in turn, is followed by returning sitcom About a Boy and Dick Wolf drama Chicago Fire. Wednesdays opens with new Debra Messing procedural The Mysterious of Laura followed by Law & Order: SVU and spinoff Chicago P.D. Reality veteran The Biggest Loser relocates to Thursdays leading into new comedies Bad Judge and A to Z and the final season of Parenthood closes the night at 10 (later in the season drama Allegiance takes over Parenthood‘s slot). NBC expands its genre night on Fridays pairing Grimm with DC comic book based Constantine. Elsewhere, football dominates Sundays.

Jump after the break to view the full fall schedule, trailers for the new fall CBS series, and synopses. Continue reading 2014 Upfronts: NBC intros 16 new series →

2014 Upfronts: FOX intros 12 new series

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FOX is packing 12 new series in total for the upcoming TV season. Three dramas, Gotham, Red Band Society, and Gracepoint, one comedy, Mulaney, and one reality series Utopia will premiere in the fall. The rest are on tap for midseason: dramas Backstrom, Empire, Hieroglyph, and Wayward Pines and comedies Bordertown, The Last Man on Earth, and Weird Loners. Also being held for midseason are returning series American Idol, The Following and the final season of Glee.

The network is putting a lot of faith in the highly anticipated new drama series Gotham to open Monday night; it’s paired with Sleepy Hollow. New reality series Utopia starts Tuesdays and it will lead into that night’s comedy staples New Girl and The Mindy Project. Another reality series Hell’s Kitchen will open the next night followed by new hospital drama Red Band Society. Veteran Bones makes a comeback to Thursday nights where it will provide cushion for new “event series” Gracepoint. Utopia will air again on Fridays following Masterchef Junior. And Sundays, which have been dominated solely by animated series for some time, are now being injected with some live action: following Bob’s Burgers and The Simpsons is the returning Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and following Family Guy at 9:30 is new multi-cam sitcom Mulaney.

Jump after the break to view the full fall schedule, trailers for the new fall FOX series, and synopses. Continue reading 2014 Upfronts: FOX intros 12 new series →

2014 Upfronts: ABC intros 12 new series

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ABC has 12 new series on tap for next season: two dramas–Forever and How to Get Away with Murder–will launch in the fall alongside four sitcoms Selfie, Manhattan Love Story, Black-ish, and Cristela. The rest will follow later in the year: dramas American Crime, Marvel’s Agent Carter, Secrets and Lies, and The Whispers and comedies Fresh Off the Boat and Galavant. Also being held for midseason are returning series The Bachelor and The Taste.

Dancing with the Stars and Castle remained paired on Mondays. Two new sitcoms Selfie and Manhattan Love Story will open Tuesdays leading into one returning drama, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and a new one, Forever. Wednesdays pack four comedies starting with The Middle; The Goldbergs lands a great slot between that and Modern Family. The veteran, award-winning sitcom will serve as a launching pad for newbie Black-ish and then returning Nashville closes the night at 10. Thursdays are completely dominated by Shonda Rhimes: Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal will lead into her latest offering How to Get Away with Murder at 10 (new drama Secrets and Lies will take over Murder‘s timeslot later in the season. Elsewhere, Latina sitcom Cristela is paired with Last Man Standing on Fridays and Sunday’s lineup of Once Upon a Time, Resurrection, and Revenge is unchanged (new drama American Crime will replace Resurrection at 9 when that show’s second season comes to a close). Once Upon a Time‘s season will be aired in two distinct halves again and so will S.H.I.E.L.D.‘s; taking over their slots on the schedule during their extended hiatuses are musical fairytale Galavant and origin story Marvel‘s Agent Carter, respectively.

Jump after the break to view the full fall schedule, trailers for the new fall CBS series, and synopses. Continue reading 2014 Upfronts: ABC intros 12 new series →

2014 Upfronts: CBS intros 8 new series

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CBS has eight new series lined up for next season. In the fall, four new dramas will premiere–Scorpion, spinoff NCIS: New Orleans, Stalker, and Madam Secretary–alongside a new comedy The McCarthys. Two dramas–Battle Creek and spinoff CSI: Cyber–will land on the schedule in midseason with new comedy The Odd Couple. Also being held for midseason are returning series The Mentalist, Mike & Molly, and Undercover Boss.

The Big Bang Theory returns to Mondays to kick the night off leading into another sitcom Mom, and these are followed by new drama series Scorpion and the returning NCIS: LA. TBBT will revert to its Thursday 8PM timeslot when Thursday Night Football concludes in late October; at that point 2 Broke Girls will premiere its third season in its regular Monday 8PM slot. On Tuesdays the flagship NCIS will lead into the latest franchise spinoff NCIS: New Orleans and Person of Interest will follow at 10PM. New drama Stalker is paired with Criminal Minds on Wednesdays and new sitcom The McCarthys is sandwiched between the final season of Two and a Half Men and Elementary on Thursdays. Elsewhere, The Amazing Race relocates to Fridays at 8 and newbie Madam Secretary opens Sunday nights leading into The Good Wife and CSI. Spinoff CSI: Cyber will take over the flagship CSI on Sundays at 10 in midseason.

Jump after the break to view the full fall schedule, trailers for the new fall CBS series, and synopses. Continue reading 2014 Upfronts: CBS intros 8 new series →

2014 Upfronts: The CW intros 4 new series

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The CW introduced four new series for next season; Jane the Virgin and The Flash will premiere in the fall, and iZombie and The Messengers will bow in midseason. Also being held for later in the year are returning series Hart of Dixie and Beauty and the Beast. The Vampire Diaries spinoff The Originals will serve as a lead-in for Jane the Virgin on Mondays and The Flash will open Tuesdays paired with veteran Supernatural.

Jump after the break to view the full fall schedule, trailers for the new fall CW series, and synopses. Continue reading 2014 Upfronts: The CW intros 4 new series →

‘Star Wars: Episode VII’ cast revealed

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At last, the cast of J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: Episode VII has been announced and it includes many familiar faces as well as new, fresher ones. Harrison Ford (Han Solo), Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia), Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), and Kenny Baker (R2-D2) are all back to reprise their roles from George Lucas’ original trilogy. They are being joined by the following newcomers: John Boyega (Attack the Block), Daisy Ridley (Mr. Selfridge), Adam Driver (Girls), Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis), Andy Serkis (The Lord of the Rings), Domhnall Gleeson (About Time), and Max von Sydow (The Exorcist). Eye a candid black-and-white shot of the cast and creatives during the first table read above.

Abrams released this statement along with the announcement: “We are so excited to finally share the cast of Star Wars: Episode VII. It is both thrilling and surreal to watch the beloved original cast and these brilliant new performers come together to bring this world to life, once again. We start shooting in a couple of weeks, and everyone is doing their best to make the fans proud.”

Abrams is directing from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and himself, he is executive producing Kathleen Kennedy and Bryan Burke, and original composer John Williams returns to handle the film’s score.

After the break, Abrams and Kasdan wish fans a Happy Star Wars Day from London. May the Fourth be with you!

Episode VII opens December 18, 2015.

[Via Star Wars] Continue reading ‘Star Wars: Episode VII’ cast revealed →

Movie trailer round-up: ‘I Origins,’ ‘Boyhood’ & ‘Days of Future Past’

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Producer, writer, director Mike Cahill (Another Earth) returns with a sci-fi romance film I Origins.

[It] tells the story of Dr. Ian Gray (Michael Pitt), a molecular biologist studying the evolution of the eye. He finds his work permeating his life after a brief encounter with an exotic young woman (Astrid Bergès-Frisbey) who slips away from him. As his research continues years later with his lab partner Karen (Brit Marling), they make a stunning scientific discovery that has far reaching implications and complicates both his scientific and spiritual beliefs. Traveling half way around the world, he risks everything he has ever known to validate his theory.

The incredibly intriguing and spiritual flick comes into theatres July 18.

Jump after the break to view more trailers. Continue reading Movie trailer round-up: ‘I Origins,’ ‘Boyhood’ & ‘Days of Future Past’ →

Coldplay drops “Magic” music video ahead of ‘Ghost Stories’ May release

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Coldplay is readying their sixth studio album Ghost Stories due out May 19 and in the meantime they’ve dropped two music videos to accompany the record’s two singles “Magic” and “Midnight.” Click the link to watch the negative imagery clip for “Midnight” if you missed out on that last month, and check out Coldplay’s latest offering the clip embedded here. In “Magic,” frontman Chris Martin stars as drunk illusionist as well as the illusionist’s assistant who is after the heart of a young magicienne played by Ziyi Zhang (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon). The black-and-white video features the “silent film” style incorporating Martin’s soothing vocals and the band’s flowing instrumentals. It’s a soft song but it’s definitely an uplifting one, metaphorically and thanks to this music video quite literally, too.

Preorder Ghost Stories today.

Amazon gets into the media streaming hardware business with Fire TV

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On April 2 Amazon unveiled their latest foray into the hardware space. After making ebooks and tablets the online retailer is directly competing with Apple TV and Roku with their very own media streamer called Amazon Fire TV. The $99 box comes packed with myriad subscription-based and streaming services including Netflix, Hulu Plus, and of course Amazon Instant Video with Prime benefits to Amazon’s catalog of exclusive content.

There really are three things that set the Fire TV apart from the competition. First is its raw power. The box is powered by a quad-core processor, a dedicated GPU, 2GB of RAM, and it supports 1080p video and Dolby Digital Plus surround sound. The company is claiming it has 3x the processing power and 4x the memory of Apple TV and Roku. These specs allow for a fast and fluid experience navigating the UI and media playback. Such generous guts support Amazon’s anti-buffering initiative they’re calling ASAP, or Advanced Streaming and Prediction; instead of waiting 10+ seconds for a video to buffer and stream, the Fire TV will smartly predict the movies and shows you will watch and get them ready for streaming so when you hit play it will immediately begin playback. More specs: ’round back you’ll find a port for power, HDMI, optical audio, Ethernet, and USB. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are also inside.

Amazon’s Fire TV also supports voice search. The included media remote sports a mic that listens to your audible search queries. Simply tap the voice button and speak into the remote to instantly search TV shows, movies, actors, directors, and genres. Of course, an on-screen keyboard is provided in case the software can’t pick up on what you’re saying for whatever reason. Note that the remote is paired to the streamer via Bluetooth so direct line-of-sight for control is not necessary.

Additionally, the box is being billed as a gaming machine. Does it compete with heavy hitters like the Xbox One and PS4–no way, but that doesn’t mean it won’t fight to become an affordable way to access easy-to-pickup titles like world-builder Minecraft and racer Asphalt. In fact, Amazon is so dedicated to making Fire TV a gaming destination that it is also selling a separately sold Amazon Fire Game Controller for $39.99 that is very reminiscent of Xbox’s pad featuring dual analog sticks, a d-pad, and ABXY buttons, as well as media controls. And on top of that, the company has formed Amazon Game Studios to develop games exclusively for the Fire TV such as third-person sci-fi shooter Sev Zero. Press the GameCircle button the Game Controller to view leaderboards and achievements across the Internet. Many games are offered today (a bunch of them are free) with “thousands” more on the way. Check out the Fire TV’s games and apps catalog here. Note that most games do not require the separately sold Game Controller for use, however some do.

What else? In addition to movies and TV, the Android-powered box also streams music (Pandora, Vevo, etc.) and it can wirelessly stream your photos and video saved in Amazon Cloud Drive. You can also mirror your Amazon tablet to your HDTV in the same way iOS devices can be paired with Apple TVs and your Amazon tablet can provide a second screen experience by pulling up content that’s related to what you’re watching on the big screen. Last, Amazon FreeTime allows parents to setup personalized profiles for their kids to access appropriate movies, TV shows, apps, and games.

Amazon Fire TV is available for purchase today. Get a closer look at the media streamer and its gaming controller in the gallery below, then jump after the break to see the UI in action, a sneak peek at Amazon-developed games, and the first commercial for it starring the insane Gary Busey.

Continue reading Amazon gets into the media streaming hardware business with Fire TV →