MOVIES: The Prestige Rises

Well with the imminent release of The Dark Knight Rises, there's no doubt that we're going to receive a flurry of trailer "mash-ups" for the movie. Most of them will be stupid, poorly edited, and a waste of our time. But some...some will be brilliant. Dominaz3000 has used Michael Caine's speech from The Prestige regarding the three acts of a magic trick and applied it to the three films of the Nolan Batman saga. The result is probably the best mash up trailer I've ever seen. This honestly gave me chills as the dialogue worked so brilliantly to describe the Batman trilogy. Check this out and revel in the awesomeness of nerds.

MOVIES: Batman is so screwed.

Well the new trailer for The Dark Knight Rises has hit the internet today. Is there really anything else I need to say to get you to watch it? Bask in the glory now.

MOVIES: Three movies you NEED to see this week!

But not for the movies themselves. In the next week alone there are three movies coming out, 2 which came out today, that have trailers before them that will be worth the price of admission. So here they are.

1. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (In select IMAX theaters)
Why?: This one is number one on my list because not only will you get to see Mission Impossible which currently sits at a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, but because you'll get to see a six freaking minute long prologue to The Dark Knight Rises. From what I've heard so far the prologue is pretty sweet but apparently it's almost impossible to understand what Bane is saying with the combination of his heavy accent and Darth Vader mask. At least it's still Batman stuff. But here's the catch, the prologue is only showing in IMAX theaters and not even in all IMAX theaters. Click HERE to see a list of all the theaters where you can catch the prologue!

2. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
Why? This one is a little less important and maybe not quite as worth it as the first one. Sherlock doesn't interest me too much and the movie is getting decent reviews so far, but apparently there's a trailer for The Dark Knight Rises beforehand. I haven't heard any news about the trailer since everyone is talking about the prologue before MI. It still might be worth checking out if you want to see it on the big screen, but expect it on Youtube very soon anyways.

3. The Adventures of Tintin
Why? Well firstly because for some reason this movie has managed to peak my interest over the past couple of weeks. The action looks fun and early reviews peg it as a lighthearted, Indiana Jones type adventure. The story of Tintin is apparently insanely popular over in Europe and it's somewhat of a passion project for Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson. But the real reason to see it? Our first trailer for The Hobbit will be showing before Tintin!!! YES! After years of development, directors jumping in and dropping out, countless do-overs on the script and a billion other problems, The Hobbit is finally happening! As excited as I am for The Dark Knight Rises, The Avengers and much more that comes out next year, nothing has me tingling with exitement quite like The Hobbit. It's one of my favorite books of all time and I just can't wait to get lost in Middle Earth once more. Now it's likely that this trailer won't show much of anything but just to see a Hobbit walking around on the big screen again will make me scream like a little girl who just touched Tyler Latner. So yes, I am going to see Tintin and I suggest you do the same!

MOVIES: Be strong my friends!

So I just got a heads up that the prologue for The Dark Knight Rises which will be attached to the new Mission Impossible in select IMAX theaters this weekend has leaked online. I can't say I'm surprised. It kind of sucks that we live in a time where anything that people are truly excited about gets thrown all over the internet before its creator intended. So I urge everyone to refrain from spoiling the prologue and pay to see it in theaters this weekend! Not just because Mission Impossible is getting insanely good reviews, but because the thing that makes things like The Dark Knight Rises so great, is the painful waiting that we have to endure before we get to experience it. I remember the clock finally striking midnight when The Dark Knight hit theaters and that beautiful opening shot of the camera zooming in on the buildings as it pulled me to the front of my seat. I had waited over a year for that movie to hit theaters and the moment had finally come. Don't make that moment a grainy Youtube video while you sit alone in front of your computer. Make it f**king epic like it's supposed to be!

MOVIES: The Dark Knight Falls

Dang. A new teaser poster was just released for The Dark Knight Rises and it's freaking intense. So look at it and be scared of what Bane will do to Batman.

MOVIES: I'm now interested in the new Sherlock Holmes movie.

Why? Not because I care in the slightest about Sherlock Holmes but because I care deeply about The Dark Knight Rises. It is rumored that perhaps a second trailer for TDKR will air in front of Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows when it hits theaters on December 16th. Also, if you see Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol in IMAX on a 70mm screen then you will get a substantial prologue to TDKR so I would also highly recommend checking that out. This is now two movies I'll be going to see for the sole purpose of seeing Dark Knight Rises stuff.

For the full story jump over to Collider HERE!

NN REVIEW: Batman: Arkham City

Batman. He has always been my favorite super hero. He is so incredible to me mostly because he actually has no super powers. Just billions of dollars and a hate for evil. In Arkham City you become the caped crusader plunged into a society of thugs and psycho villains. The Joker is sick and in an attempt to get the cure, he infects you as well. This sends you on a wild goose hunt through Arkham City in which you encounter almost every notable Batman villain imaginable as they all seek to control Gotham.

Now I just finished the campaign and I haven't done too many of the side quests so far so this review is based solely on the main story line within the game. Let's start with the most obvious...the graphics. Arkham City is truly breathtaking. It's dark, dank, filthy, grimy, gritty and gorgeous to look at. There were countless times when I was on my way somewhere for a mission but found myself aimlessly gliding over the rooftops simply being badass. Occasionally I'd stumble across a group of thugs and swoop down from the shadows to teach them a lesson. The story line also provides you with some truly breathtaking sequences looking over the scope of Gotham and Arkham City. As the story progresses, Batman's suit becomes tattered and torn and there is a constant sense of Bruce being stretched to both his physical and moral limits purely based on how he looks. If for some reason you can't find the combat, story, voice acting or anything else enjoyable...you'll love how this game looks.

In addition to looking pretty, Arkham City is a hell of a lot of fun to play. The combat is at times fast paced as you'll find yourself stuck in the middle of about 20 thugs but at other times it is the epitome of stealth. It is possibly the most fun I've ever had in a game, sitting high above a room watching my enemies aimlessly patrol. As soon as one of them splits from the pack I glide down from the darkness, land silently behind him and take him out. Before the others even find his unconscious body I'm back in the rafters planning my next attack. The way this game truly makes you feel like Batman is something that I think we all wish more video games could do these days. You get a real sense that these thugs struggle with following orders from a villain they obviously fear when they know they will likely have to face you at some point. It's awesome hearing them talk confidently about taking you out until they find a fallen comrade and their heart rate spikes while their mood changes from calm to nervous to terrified.

The score of the game is also brilliant. At times just dull tones much like in The Dark Knight which is perfect for when you decide to lurk in the darkness and strike fear into the heart of your enemies. But once the combat gets going the music picks up and it almost feels like you're playing a movie. Along with brilliant voice acting across the board, it's nearly impossible to not get caught up in the story of Arkham City.

The campaign moves along briskly and you always get the sense of moving on to the next step. There are plenty of villain appearances and I think one of the complaints that people might give is that some bad guys show up for almost too short of a time. Batman has such a plethora of brilliant baddies at his disposal that I was actually happy they decided to go with less of more rather than more of less. It was awesome getting to see so many familiar faces as they all revealed their motives for trying to take over Arkham City. I'm not sure how many hours exactly it took me to beat the campaign but I've basically been playing it non-stop since the evening of its release day. At a rough guess I would say the campaign should take you around 10 hours. It alternates between you playing as Batman and Catwoman but thankfully the Catwoman segments are short and few. This is not to say that Catwoman isn't fun to play because she definitely is. But she's just not Batman.

There is so much more I could say about this game that makes it incredible but I don't think I need to. Every review that I've seen has been almost perfect and everyone I know who has bought the game so far can't put it down. The story is intriguing, the visuals breathtaking, the action both subtle and harried, the voice acting sharp, the soundtrack dark and the overall experience is...for lack of a better word...Batman.

My Rating: 10/10

VIDEO GAMES: Arkham City immediate impressions.

So yesterday on a bit of an impulse I rushed to Gamestop and purchased Arkham City. I never got a chance to play Arkham Asylum not out of a lack of interest but out of a lack of time. I had obviously seen plenty of gameplay videos, awesome trailers and damn near perfect reviews for Arkham City but I still wasn't quite sure what to expect. What I've experienced so far is one of the most incredible feelings of badassery (yup just made that up) that a game has ever given me. A mission I was on last night required me to take out 5 guys with guns in a room. They were all randomly patrolling and linked up with heartbeat monitors so they would know when one of their comrades was incapacitated. As I sat in the rafters waiting for one to split from the pack I couldn't help but feel like the boogey man. It was so satisfying to listen to them talk about the mysterious Batman, some of them terrified and some of them chomping at the bit to knock my face in. Finally one of the guys made a wrong turn and ended up alone in a corner. I silently glided down from the ceiling, landed behind him, and without a sound knocked him out cold. Before the others even realized what happened I had grappled back up to the ceiling to continue stalking my prey. They quickly discovered the body and their moods changed from "calm" to "nervous." You know how awesome it feels to be the thing that these guys are terrified of? They began patrolling once more, this time keeping in a tighter formation. Eventually one more split from the pack for just a moment but that's all I needed. The trend continued until only one petrified bad guy remained whom I interrogated for information before smacking his head against the wall.

I am not good at the games that require you to be stealthy which is very much a part of Arkham City. But I'm starting to get a hang of it and I'm realizing that the thrill in these Batman games comes not from fighting 10 crones at once but at instilling fear into each and every one of them as you lurk in the shadows, waiting to strike. I'm pumped to continue exploring Arkham City until my life gets completely taken over on 11-11-11 by Skyrim. My recommendation? Go buy it...like right now.

VIDEO GAMES: Gotham needs your help!

Batman: Arkham City hit shelves at midnight last night so now's your chance to go buy it! With literally almost perfect reviews across the board I can pretty much guarantee that you'll enjoy it. I'm going to need to think about where I am financially but there's a chance I'll end up getting it sometime tomorrow.

REMINDER: A couple cool things coming up.

First off I'd like to remind everyone that tomorrow marks the premier of season 2 of The Walking Dead! Season  1 started off incredibly and then took a few missteps towards the end. Hopes were that season 2 would learn from the first season's blunders but issues during the offseason, including the show's creator and head man Frank Darabont stepping down have left us all wondering whether season 2 will actually improve upon the first. I still have high hopes and I think AMC knows how to make their shows quality even in the midst of adversity. Here's hoping!

Also! We are only 3 days away from the release of Batman: Arkham City. If you've been hiding in a box for the past couple of weeks you may have overlooked its 9.5 on IGN, 10 on Game Informer, 4.5/5 stars on Joystiq and 9.0 on Gamespot. Needless to say Arkham City is shaping up to be one of the top games of the year even with heavy competition on the horizon. Personally I never played Arkham Asylum, not because of lack of interest but more so lack of time. I'm thinking I'll wait until my schedule cools down so I can play both Asylum and City but I'm not sure I'll be able to put off buying City for very long.

MOVIES: In The Dark Knight Rises...Batman and Bane will fight.

And pictures and videos from the set of them fighting have surfaced online. Now I don't know about you but personally I don't want to learn/hear/see everything from this movie before it comes out. So I'll provide you with a link to the page on Collider that shows all of the pictures and videos. As for myself, I glanced briefly at a few of the photos but I don't really want to watch the videos. Although, considering the movie is still a year away, I can tell it's going to be nearly impossible to keep myself in the DARK. Hit the link if you are so inclined!

Here's one of the pics...for the rest and the videos hit this link:

MOVIES: Some new photographs RISE!

Well, Christopher Nolan's finale to the incredible Batman trilogy has begun filming on location in Pittsburgh. What does this mean for us?? A plethora of leaked photos and videos from set, that's what. The first few have surfaced today showing full body shots of Bane in costume and a sweet looking Batpod (Batmobile) out on the streets of Gotham. I honestly love Bane's outfit, I think it makes him seem almost like a military commander to me. It's hard to put into words how excited I am for The Dark Knight Rises; much more so than The Avengers simply because director Christopher Nolan has already proved twice that he knows exactly how to treat Batman.

Here's some of the photos. The others and the two videos can be found here: