Category Archives: Video

2013 Golden Globe nods are in!

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Today the nominations were announced for the Golden Globe Awards, a show that celebrates the best in television and film. Like we always do at this time, let’s talk up the crop of nominees in the major TV categories. The program with the most nods this year is the HBO miniseries Game Change with 5, followed closely by Showtime’s Homeland with 4. Best Drama Series contenders are Breaking Bad (it’s back!), Boardwalk Empire, Downton Abbey, Homeland (of course), and newbie The Newsroom. Best Drama Actors include Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire), Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), Jeff Daniels (The Newsroom), Jon Hamm (Mad Men), and Damian Lewis (Homeland). Hamm is the only thing representing Mad Men at this year; the fact that the show wasn’t nominated for Best Drama Series is our very first snub! Best Drama Actresses include Connie Britton (Nashville), Glenn Close (Damages), Claire Danes (Homeland), Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey), and Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife). Best Comedy/Musical Series contenders are The Big Bang Theory, Episodes, Girls, Modern Family, and (big pleasant surprise) Smash. Best Comedy/Musical Actors include Alec Baldwin (30 Rock), Don Cheadle (House of Lies) Louis C.K. (Louis), Matt LeBlanc (Episodes), and Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory). Best Comedy/Musical Actresses include Zooey Deschanel (New Girl), Lena Dunham (Girls), Tina Fey (30 Rock), Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep), and Amy Poehler (Parks And Recreation). Best Supporting Actors include Max Greenfield (New Girl), Ed Harris (Game Change), Danny Huston (Magic City), Mandy Patinkin (Homeland), and Eric Stonestreet (Modern Family). Best Supporting Actresses include Hayden Panettiere (Nashville), Archie Panjabi (The Good Wife), Sarah Paulson (Game Change) Maggie Smith (Downton Abbey), and Sofia Vergara (Modern Family).

Snubs? Mad Men, The Walking Dead, American Horror Story, and Game of Thrones are absent in the Best Drama Series category. In fact, Thrones is completely shut out here; even the great Peter Dinklage isn’t recognized in the Best Supporting Actor category. AHS only managed to land a Best TV Movie/Miniseries Actress nod for Jessica Lange’s top notch performance. Though Sarah Paulson’s incredible portrayal of Lana in Asylum wasn’t recognized, she was nominated for Best TV Movie/Miniseries Supporting Actress for her role in Game Change. Sherlock should be able to break into Best Drama Series, too. But alas we’ll have to live with Benedict Cumberbatch landing a nod for Best TV Movie/Miniseries Actor. And another thorn in my side: John Noble of Fringe fame will never get an Emmy for his performance. But he knows he always deserved one, so that’s OK. On the comedy side, notable snubs include Parks And Recreation, Community, New Girl, Raising Hope, and Happy Endings not landing Best Comedy/Musical Series nods. Continue reading 2013 Golden Globe nods are in! →

Google Maps returns to iPhone!

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If you’re an iPhone owner and have been sorely missing Google’s dedicated app for Maps that Apple replaced with their own Map app when iOS 6 was released, well today’s you’re lucky day. At long last, Google has released Google Maps for iPhone and it brings back the glory of the old days; namely a vector-based map service you can actually rely on, Street View that provides 360-degree panoramas of streets and goes inside more than 100,000 places of business worldwide, detailed information for more than 80 million businesses and points of interest, Google local search that aids in discovering places to eat and shop with ratings and reviews, live traffic information, and directions for driving, mass transit, and walking. Pretty much everything you had been used to using with Google Maps on iOS.

But it doesn’t stop there. The most significant enhancement to Maps is turn-by-turn navigation with voice guidance, and it works just as advertised. Also, this latest version of Google Maps looks better than previous versions; it features a new design that’s sleeker and more streamlined than ever before. The map fills up the iPhone 5’s larger screen; a search box sits at the top for you to quickly input addresses and other queries to put Google local search to work; on the bottom left the “three dots” icon can be swiped to the left to reveal a list to enable live traffic, public transit, satellite view, and a quick link to the Google Earth app; if you’ve inputted an address or point of interest a swipe up from the bottom gives you detailed information about the location, including links to Save it, Share it, and enable Street View (swipe down to return to the map); at the bottom left resides the trusty “you are here” icon that when pressed will instantly locate your current position on the map (tap it again to enable smooth tilting and rotating of 2D and 3D views); and when you first open the app it asks you to log in with your Google Account so you can sync your searches, directions, and saved places between your computer and phone–score!

Though it doesn’t pack everything that its Android counterpart has (cashing maps for offline use is noticeably absent here), Google has does a fine job bringing back the glory and then some to Maps for iOS. If you’re obsessed with Flyover and prefer a map that is admittedly more pretty, stick with Apple’s offering. However, if you can live without those things (and Google’s offering doesn’t look so bad) it’s a no brainer that you should hide Apple Maps inside some folder and replace it with Google’s solution. Heck, even Apple CEO Tim Cook advises customers to use alternative map services while his company works out the innumerable kinks. Google Maps has proven over the years to be simple to use and extremely reliable, and that’s what it all comes down to, really. So watcha waiting for?

The new and improved Google Maps is now available as a free download in the App Store. It is compatible with iPhone 3GS and up, iPod touch 3rd-gen and up, and your device must be running iOS 5.1 or later. The app will work on the iPad, but note that it is not optimized for the original iPad and iPad mini screen sizes yet. Catch a fun clip from Google after the break.

[Via Google] Continue reading Google Maps returns to iPhone! →

Movie trailer round-up: ‘Oblivion’, ‘Pacific Rim’, ‘After Earth’, ‘Man of Steel’, ‘The Lone Ranger’ & ‘Iron Man 3’

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First up is Oblivion, the next movie in Tron: Legacy director Joseph Kosinski’s arsenal. It’s superbly sci-fi and with stars Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman, and Melissa Leo at the forefront, it’s shaping up to be an exciting must-see event.

Here’s all we get in a synopsis: “On a spectacular future Earth that has evolved beyond recognition, one man’s confrontation with the past will lead him on a journey of redemption and discovery as he battles to save mankind.” For more, sit back and mash play.

Oblivion hits theatres April 12, 2013. See a grand poster for it in the gallery below.

Jump after the break for more trailers. Continue reading Movie trailer round-up: ‘Oblivion’, ‘Pacific Rim’, ‘After Earth’, ‘Man of Steel’, ‘The Lone Ranger’ & ‘Iron Man 3’ →

‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’ is out this Friday, go behind-the-scenes one more time

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Though the first movie in the Hobbit trilogy hasn’t even come out yet, it already feels like we’ve been on one unexpected and wild journey. Since April 2011, director Peter Jackson periodically dropped production video blogs that brought Lord of the Rings fans behind-the-scenes on the making of his next foray into Middle Earth. Each one explores a different aspect of filmmaking–from the logistics of location shooting to lessons in shooting in 3D–that culminates in an inside look at the grueling yet rewarding post-production process. Taken as a whole, the nine vlogs show just how much effort and sheer amount of hard work went into the making of the Hobbit movies.

And with just a few days until The Hobbit lands in theatres in the States, Mr. Jackson was able to slip one more massive video into our hands. A new 13-minute featurette, embedded above, takes us behind the scenes one more time before the adventure begins. In addition to Jackson you’ll hear from many of the actors, producers, and other creatives behind the making of the film. You’ll also be introduced to new characters, get a better sense of the story, and witness colorful concept art and new footage.

Return to Middle Earth this Friday, December 14 when The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey makes its grand debut.

2012 Video Game Awards winners and exclusive trailers

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On December 7 an energetic (is he ever not) Samuel L. Jackson hosted the 2012 Video Game Awards, this year celebrating its 10th anniversary. The game that won the most Vector Monkey trophies this year was The Walking Dead: The Game from Telltale Games. In addition to being crowned Game of the Year (besting Assassin’s Creed III, Dishonored, Journey, and Mass Effect 3), it also won Best Adapted Video Game, Best Performance by a Human Female (Melissa Hutchison as Clementine), and Best Downloadable Game. Developer Telltale Games was named Studio of the Year for making the title. Borderlands 2 came in close second taking home four Monkeys for Best Shooter, Best Multiplayer Game, Best Performance by a Human Male (Dameon Clarke as Handsome Jack), and Character of the Year (Clap Trap). Journey followed by winning Best PS3 Game, Best Independent Game, and Best Original Score (fun fact: the indie game’s composer Austin Wintory landed a Grammy nomination in the Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media category).

For the full list of winners, jump after the break.

Now in addition to handing out awards, game developers use the show as a platform to introduce gamers to upcoming titles and this year’s bunch was exciting and exhilarating as ever. The following games debuted never-before-seen world premiere trailers: South Park: The Stick of Truth (Obsidian Entertainment), The Phantom Pain (Moby Dick Studios), “The Last of Us” (Naughty Dog, coming out May 7, 2013), Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 (Konami), Dark Souls II (From Software), Assassin’s Creed III: The Tyranny of King Washington (Ubisoft), Gears of War: Judgment (Epic Games), Tomb Raider (Square Enix), Halo 4: Spartan Ops (Microsoft Studios), and BioShock Infinite (2K Games).

Watch all the VGA exclusive trailers after the break. Continue reading 2012 Video Game Awards winners and exclusive trailers →

Movie poster: ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ [Update: An “announcement trailer” has arrived!]

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Today Paramount released the first poster for the highly anticipated sequel Star Trek Into Darkness. Who is that standing in the middle of debris and destruction? Is it Chris Pine’s Captain Kirk, or can it be the film’s antagonist (rumored to be Khan) played by Benedict Cumberbatch?

Whoever it may be, there’s no denying that the poster in general evokes an eerily similar scene of gritty chaos we envisioned with the Dark Knight Rises artwork. In Christopher Nolan’s piece, the crumbling city of Gotham was shaped into the Bat symbol. In J.J. Abrams’ art, a still unknown city on Earth is wasted and its ashes form the iconic Starfleet Delta symbol. Whether or not this imitation was intended by the marketing team (it had to have been, right?!), it serves to tell audiences that Into Darkness (if the subtitle didn’t hint at this already) is going to attempt to tell a gritty, dark tale involving our Enterprise crew and a formidable foe.

In addition to the poster, the studio also released an official synopsis that shines a light on the tightly wrapped plot.

When the crew of the Enterprise is called back home, they find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization has detonated the fleet and everything it stands for, leaving our world in a state of crisis.

With a personal score to settle, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction.

As our heroes are propelled into an epic chess game of life and death, love will be challenged, friendships will be torn apart, and sacrifices must be made for the only family Kirk has left: his crew.

Star Trek Into Darkness is out May 17, 2013. And don’t forget that theatres will be screening the first nine minutes of the film leading into select showings of Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey beginning December 14.

Update (12/6): I found something you’ll want to watch over and over again today. Paramount has dropped a teaser trailer (or what they’re calling an “announcement trailer”) for Star Trek Into Darkness. Each tantalizing glimpse is brief but there are so many of them it’s hard to shake off the sheer amount of excitement and anticipation. The best part, though, has to be what is heard, not seen. Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays the still unidentified villain, narrates: “You think your world is safe. It is an illusion. A comforting lie told to protect you. Enjoy these final moments of peace. For I have returned…to have…my…vengeance. So, shall we begin?” Hey Trekkies, I wonder who that could be…

Watch the teaser trailer after the break. Continue reading Movie poster: ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ [Update: An “announcement trailer” has arrived!] →

First look: ‘Game of Thrones’ season 3 (video)

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It’s not an epic trailer, but here is our first look into the next season of Game of Thrones. The two minute clip takes you behind-the-scenes of production on the third season of HBO’s fantasy series based on a series of books by George R.R. Martin. In it you’ll hear from the series showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, as well as some of the cast including Richard Madden (Robb), Maisie Williams (Arya), and Emlia Clarke (Daenerys). Peter Dinklage also makes a brief appearance and you get to see how Tyrion’s permanent scar looks. With new locations, characters, and an upgraded wardrobe being introduced next year, the upcoming season of Thrones “is the season [we’ve] been anticipating from the very beginning,” says Benioff. Clarke will get your blood pumping with her closing remarks: “The game’s been upped. There’s so much more danger. There’s so much more risk.”

Game of Thrones returns March 31, 2013.

In exposing the design origins of Windows 8, Jensen Harris gives a course in modernity

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Even if you aren’t a Windows aficionado, you should take an hour out of your day to watch this. Jensen Harris, Director of Program Management for the Windows User Experience Team, took the stage at UX Week 2012, a user experience design conference. His presentation is called “The Story of Windows 8,” it details how Microsoft reimagined Windows for the next wave of PCs. He travels back in time to 1992, the year the Start Menu, Taskbar, and many of the other familiar facets of Windows were born. “They were designed to help people do things with computers that they did in 1992, not necessarily with what people do today with PCs, tablets, [and] phones today,” admits Harris. And this is what compelled the company to radically re-engineer the OS. Many things have been updated and refreshed over the years from Windows 95 to Windows 7, but “the basic elements of the user interface have remained the same,” he explains. Instead of waiting to be engulfed by the modern, his team decided to reimagine Windows by defining what is modern.

Over the course of the presentation, Harris gives a grand tour of Windows 8, interweaving and fully detailing the OS’ design principles (namely do more with less, authentically digital, pride in craftsmanship, fast and fluid, win as one).

He makes it a point to highlight the progression of Windows and what makes the latest release stand out from all the others. But what’s most fascinating about this intellectual and informative presentation is its overall theme which Harris calls “familiar usurped by modern.” Before diving into the OS, he spans the video game, smartphone, and automobile industries to compare and contrast “familiar” products and ideas to “modern” ones. It’s a course in shifting the status quo, being bold by leading by example, what it means to think and be modern. For design enthusiasts it’s a captivating watch, and along the way you might just learn all about the painstaking, detail-oriented effort that went into the making of Microsoft’s new OS.

Viral marketing campaign begins for Guillermo Del Toro’s monsters vs. robots epic ‘Pacific Rim’

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Guillermo Del Toro (Hellboy, Pan’s Labyrinth) is working on a modern monster movie called Pacific Rim. It was unveiled and previewed at this year’s Comic Con to a raging audience. It’s a sci-fi epic to look forward to. Instead of construing words, learn what it’s about directly from the source, helmer Del Toro. In a 2011 interview with Wired he said:

“It’s really, it’s a very, very beautiful poem to giant monsters. Giant monsters versus giant robots. Twenty-five-story-high robots beating the crap out of 25-story-high monsters. We’re trying to create a world in which the characters are real and how it would affect our world politically, how it would affect the landscape if creatures like this really came out of the sea.”

Want more? Here’s the official synopsis:

When legions of monstrous creatures, known as Kaiju, started rising from the sea, a war began that would take millions of lives and consume humanity’s resources for years on end. To combat the giant Kaiju, a special type of weapon was devised: massive robots, called Jaegers, which are controlled simultaneously by two pilots whose minds are locked in a neural bridge. But even the Jaegers are proving nearly defenseless in the face of the relentless Kaiju. On the verge of defeat, the forces defending mankind have no choice but to turn to two unlikely heroes—a washed up former pilot (Charlie Hunnam) and an untested trainee (Rinko Kikuchi)—who are teamed to drive a legendary but seemingly obsolete Jaeger from the past. Together, they stand as mankind’s last hope against the mounting apocalypse.

To promote the film’s summer release, a viral marketing campaign has begun in the form of a shaky-cam clip uploaded to YouTube called “BREAKING NEWS: KAIJU ATTACK.” It’s embedded above and it gives viewers a glimpse of the monstrous creatures Del Toro has imagined for Pacific Rim. It comes off as very Cloverfield, but be mindful that the picture will not be presented in shaky-cam format. Interested in following the viral madness? Bookmark the movie’s official site where you’ll find a gallery of concept art and blueprints for the “Jaeger” robotic machines and more glimpses at the Kaiju.

Pacific Rim, starring Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Charlie Day, Ron Perlman, Clifton Collins Jr., Max Martini, Rinko Kikuchi, and Robert Kazinsky, is out July 12. The first theatrical trailer is expected to drop December 12.

More ‘Bates Motel’ stills surface, plus two teaser trailers inside

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Just last week we got our first look at Freddy Highmore and Vera Farmiga as Norman and Norma Bates in A&E’s upcoming Psycho prequel series Bates Motel. So soon after we are fed with 16 more pictures featuring Highmore, Farmiga, Max Thieriot as brother Dylan Bates, Olivia Cooke as Norman’s classmate Emma Decody, Mike Vogel (Pan Am) as Deputy Zach Shelby, Nestor Carbonell (Lost) as Sheriff Alex Romero, Nicola Peltz as Norman’s crush Bradley, plus several shots of the famous “Bates Motel” grounds.

THR is hosting the latest batch of images; click over to their site to view ’em all.

Also new today are two tantalizing teasers for the new series hailing from Carlton Cuse (Lost) and Kerry Ehrin (Friday Night Lights). They are short but oh-so-creepily sweet. Watch ’em both after the break.

Bates Motel premieres on A&E next year. Continue reading More ‘Bates Motel’ stills surface, plus two teaser trailers inside →

Cee-Lo Green and The Muppets spread holiday cheer in “All I Need Is Love” music video

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Cee-Lo Green released a Christmas album earlier this month called Cee-Lo’s Magic Moment; though it contains mostly covers of classic holiday hits like “White Christmas” and “Silent Night,” there is one original track planted inside. To promote the catchy single “All I Need Is Love,” Green collaborated with The Muppets for the second time in his career (remember his colorful rendition of “F–k You” at the Grammys?) in a fun and cheery music video that also features a cameo by The Office‘s Craig Robinson as Santa. The song, which is infused with the classic Muppets tune “Mahna Mahna,” is infectious and by the time you’re done watching this nearly seven-minute clip you’ll be humming All I need is la-la-love! My favorite part is when the newest member of the Muppets family Walter looks up to Robinson and proclaims, “So Santa’s my homie!”

It’s almost that time of year; enjoy. Download the track at iTunes.

Marvel’s “Phase One” Blu-ray collection gets Spring release date, added bonus material

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Marvel’s “Phase One” Blu-ray collection was supposed to come out in September but it was delayed due to lawsuit involving the suitcase packaging. After months of silence, the company is finally engaging with its fanbase with new details surrounding the long-anticipated collections that includes all Marvel Phase One movies–namely  Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor (in 2D/3D), Captain America: The First Avenger (2D/3D), and The Avengers (2D/3D)–plus loads of other content including “special access to S.H.I.E.L.D.’s most confidential archives, including a top-secret Bonus Disc filled with never-before-seen deleted scenes, extended scenes, featurettes and more, including “And Then Shawarma After” featurette.” The collection also includes “exclusive memorabilia (prop reproductions and artifacts) from the motion pictures,” not excluding the redesigned suitcase and the glowing Tesseract.

Marvel apologizes for the delay in the best way they can: by stuffing the Blu-ray set with new bonus material and a look at “Phase Two” material. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige recently spoke with EW and spilled the beans. “We went back to the editor’s assembly of each film and discovered some rare moments that dropped out of the films early on and had not been released on prior discs,” he said. The new material will allow fans “to catch the connective tissue that paved the way toward the Avengers assembling.” He added, “We spent an embarrassing amount of time compiling the ‘Shield Files’ included in the box set to be sure that each character’s file was full of great, movie-accurate props and Easter eggs, which help tie all of the Phase One films together.” And as for the sneak peek at Phase Two? Owners can expect “footage, concept art, and a few new surprises,” he teased. “Also, look for a nod to Iron Man 3 in the Tony Stark S.H.I.E.L.D. file in the box set.”

The 10-disc, limited edition collector’s set (now called Marvel’s Cinematic Universe: Phase One Collection) is now up for preorder at Amazon for $197.10 and it’s aiming for release on April 2. Additional pics below and an alternate ending to Thor after the break!

Continue reading Marvel’s “Phase One” Blu-ray collection gets Spring release date, added bonus material →