The Hobbit Trailer

The first trailer of The Hobbit has arrived. I've got to say I'm not as excited as I thought I would be. All the players were introduced in it including Fili, Kili, Oin, Gloin, Dwalin, Balin, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Dori, Nori, Ori, and Thorin Oakenshield. It's been a while since I've read the book and the movie sparked a lot of confidence in me. I'm not worried about how good this movie is going to but it didn't really show me anything that got me excited or that I haven't seen before. For now I can't wait to see what the next trailer beholds before this releases December 14 of 2012.

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New Dark Knight Rises Trailer

As I'm sure most of us have seen the Dark Knight "teaser" trailer, it did not show much. Now we finally get to see more of the players in this story and their roles. It appears that Selina Kyle is in the mix to rob the wealthy.it was great to see her don her "cat suit". We also have Tom Hardy(Inception,Warrior) playing the brute Bane. In this iteration of Bane it seems that he almost seems to be a terrorist and mastermind that destroys a football field and breaks out the prisoners of Arkham. It looks like the stakes are highest than they ever have been with all out war on the streets of Gotham. There are a few actors that make an appearence including Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Marion Cotillard, both from Inception. There have been many rumors considering what characters they are going to be playing. This trailer did not give an inkling as to what roles they will be playing but at least they made a brief appearence. This trailer was very satisfying and I can't wait to see more especially when it comes out in the summer of 2012. This is going to be a MUST SEE, no doubt.

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Pablo's Graphic Novel Holiday Buying Guide

Here's some graphic novels you may want to get for the holidays for yourself or that special nerd in your life.

Batman & Robin: Batman Reborn written by Grant Morrison, art by Frank Quitely and Philip Tan $14.99

This graphic novel which is a collection of the first six issues of the dynamic duo of Dick Grayson as Batman and Damian Wayne as Robin. This book has some of the best most colorful art I have ever seen. Being that it is the first six issues it only gives you a taste of the new, fresh, interesting, great, truly dynamic duo of Dick and Damian as Batman & Robin. The biggest problem that I had with this book is that it left me with much to be desired in fact I can't wait to get the next book. It's not that this is a bad book it just felt like everything was just starting to gel perfectly and then it ended. Despite these minor complaints that just excite me to get the next collection of this team it's still a BUY.

Uncanny X-Force: The Apocalypse Solution written by Rick Remender, art by Jerome Opena and Leonardo Manco $15.99

The art is bad for the first seven pages but after that it's all gravy as we overweight Americans say. Seriously though Leonardo Manco draws the first seven pages and it looks awful. The rest of the art is dark, gritty, grimy, and realistically perfect for this "new" team of X-Force consisting of Wolverine(of course), Archangel, Psylocke, Deadpool, and Fantomex. At first this is an introduction of the team, then becomes a death defying mission to find and execute the resurrected Apocalypse. The story flows all too well and the characters could not be written more perfectly.This book collects Uncanny X-Force #1-4, material from Wolverine: Road to Hell(the badly drawn pages), and seven pages of catching up on all things X-Force that has happened in the last few years from Wolverine's point of view. This is the best written and most good looking X-book out there hardcore fans and newcomers alike. I'm so glad I bought this and I suggest you do to therefore this is a BUY.

Batman: The Killing Joke Deluxe Edition written by Alan Moore, art by Brian Bolland $17.99

As bright and colorful as this book is it is chilling and disturbing. This is the story that left Barbara Gordon(Batgirl) crippled and quite possibly worse. This is also the story of an average man that lost everything one day and went mad. In other words this is quite possibly the greatest Batman story ever told and drawn. The art is as riveting as the story itself. This is a must BUY for any and all Batman fans.

Uncanny X-Force: The Dark Angel Saga Book 1 written by Rick Remender, drawn by Billy Tan and Mark Brooks $24.99

Not knowing or reading anything about X-Force is completely fine as Rick Remender does a superb job showing you through story telling who X-Force is and what they do. From start to finish this book is fun, intense, gut wrenching, and heart wrenching. Billy Tan's art is as perfect and similar to Opena's as he sets the tone for this book and team. Mark Brooks art isn't as dark or gritty but makes for an easy transition as this team embarks on a mission into The Age of Apocalypse. This may only be book 1 collecting issues 8-13 but it couldn't have been more satisfying of a read or more of a BUY.

Batman: Year One written by Frank Miller, art by David Mazzucchelli $14.99

This is the four part origin story of Bruce Wayne and Jim Gordon's first year "cleaning up" Gotham City. As I'm sure all of you have read my Batman: Year One animated film review you know what I think but I'll go ahead and tell you again. It's a more dark, realistic story that is more about Gordon than Batman and works perfectly as such. The brilliant story telling and exquisite art alone are worth a BUY but also has 40 pages of extra material. Whether you consider yourself a hardcore Batman fan or just a casual reader this classic retelling of Batman's origins is easily a BUY.

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Netflix Instant Queue of the Week

I'm going to attempt to recommend a movie every week that you ordinarily wouldn't watch. Hopefully I can find a good one every week.

This week's movie is Troll Hunter

It's a found footage style film about, what else, a guy who hunts trolls. It's really cool if you don't mind subtitles. If not, skip it.

--- Moose

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Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Review

Hey. I have about 100 hours in Skyrim so far. I’m kind of depressed. I feel drained. I feel like I’ve wasted my week. Oh wait… Nevermind. No I don’t. It was kickin’ rad! Let me tell you why.

First, if you are a fan of the previous installments of the Elder Scrolls series (at least Morrowind and Oblivion), you should have no problem diving in headfirst and mountain-goat-ing it to find the next Daedric Shrine. It plays nearly identical to Oblivion with some upgrades.

The biggest upgrade has to be dual-wielding. Whether you want to create a Dark Elf ranger with two scimitars or play a Battlemage that wields a mace and shoots lightning out of the other hand, you can do it. It eliminates any need from having to choose a specific class, allowing you to design your own.

The combat animations are upgraded tremendously also, but except for the special kill scenes, you’ll hardly notice.

An infinite number of dragons. Moving on.

This story is set in Skyrim, a northern realm of Tamriel, which is in a tumultuous civil war between the Imperials and the Stormcloaks. The Stormcloaks wish for the Empire to let Skyrim remain independent. You quickly find out you are Dovakiin or DragonBorn. You have the ability to absorb slain dragon’s souls and spend them to unlock words in the Dragon language. You first learn the words by finding them etched into stone in a dungeon or at a dragon’s summit. These are called Shouts, having up to three words in a Shout, growing more powerful with each word learned. Most are handy, but I’ve found a few that are worthless even at level 10.

Nighttime adventuring looks a little bland because of all the snow, although some areas have an Aurora-Borealis sky going on which is awe inspiring. Climbing up mountains just to get a view of the land, is something to behold. The landscape of Oblivion was nice, but this is ridiculous. I recommend climbing to the highest point by the 7000 Steps. The textures on everything are perfect until you climb high and look down. They become rough painted and tiled textures, but with a world this big, I’m not complaining.



I’ve explored a lot of dungeons and ruins and temples and almost all of them were fun. Even though half of my time was almost grinding to level up an attribute, I found that I haven’t found any quest or fight tedious or boring. I finished the main quest in about five hours, but it’s so easy to get sidetracked that you won’t ever finish it unless you focus. That being said the only qualm I have with the game is that you get basically nothing for completing the main quest. That’s a very odd thing.

Once again, magicka is split up into schools: Alteration, Illusion, Conjuration, Destruction, and Resoration. All these schools and skills have skill trees laden with perks. I urge you to spend your perks wisely based on the class you want to play, as they come few and far between once you hit level 30. Dual spells allow you to cast a spell with both hands, giving it a much more powerful effect. I believe my Fireball does 50 points, but dual casting it does about 125. This works for any school.

I could write a hundred pages on the things I’ve seen so far, but I won’t because A) I’m lazy and B) just because.

I love the freedom of this game and this series. I love the style. I love the story. I love the soundtrack and the voice acting. This is my favorite game of all time.

Verdict: BUY

--- Review by Moose

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Batman: Year One Review

DC has done it again with their translation of Frank Miller and David Mazzuchelli's four part origin of Batman: Year One. The way the art and animation was done it made for a perfectly seamless transition. The voice cast was superb in choice and performance. Batman: Year One has such an immersive compelling story that it may be the best example of comics turned into an animated film.

This is a more realistic telling of Jim Gordon and Bruce Wayne's first year trying to clean up Gotham. This story is just as much about Batman as it is about Gordon in fact I felt like it was more about Gordon than anyone else which is what makes it so great. I've heard that Christopher Nolan used the comics Batman: Year One as inspiration for Batman Begins and you can really tell. Personally I think this is better than Batmans Begins. I won't give away any more about the story because you really should see it for yourselves.

Speaking of Christopher Nolan this truly had a star Hollywood cast as he does in most of his films. Ben McKenzie voiced Bruce Wayne/Batman, Bryan Cranston played Jim Gordon, Eliza Dushku as Catwoman/Selina Kyle. Usually I'm so obsessed with finding out who the actors are and distracted by the actors voices but instead I was quickly immersed by the great story and show the actors were putting on. It's not that the actors changed their voices, they just did such a spectacular job portraying their characters through delivery of tone and emotion.

In closing this is the best animated film I have ever seen. The story was so realistic and intense that it truly was an emotional roller coaster for me. The actors blew me away so much so that I didn't even feel like I was watching an animated movie. As far as extras go, Eliza Dushku got her own short as Catwoman which was great because I had felt that they had lessened her character in the film. This was probably due to the illicit nature of Selina Kyle as a prostitute in Year One. As always with DC animated films there were hours of extras such as Batman: Year One digital comic Chapter 1, multiple interesting commentaries, trailers, Justice League: Doom sneak peak as well as others. What I'm trying to say is that Batman: Year One on Blu-Ray could not be more of a BUY.

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Keith Apicary Interview

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Captain America Review

This movie did what others have failed to do, it made you fall in love with the main character and made you want you to be like him. The entire cast was spectacular, graphics were magnificent, character progression and development very well done. There was very little wrong with this movie. The story was really strong even if it was a little predictable at times but only because I'm a comic book reader. There was only a few things I didn't like in the story and it was only because I'm a big Bucky fan.

This film made me fall in love with the character of Steve Rogers all over again. For those of you who may or may not know Bucky Barnes has been Cap in the comics. Just recently though Steve Rogers reclaimed his shield and title as Captain America. This movie proved why Steve Rogers is the true, undeniable, perfect super soldier and Captain America. What truly makes this movie great is that it has heart. It makes you care for the characters and fear others. Hugo Weaving was genuinely scary and intimidating as the Red Skull. As for Chris Evans he could not have done a better job as Steve Rogers. Everybody in the film was fantastically cast especially Sebastian Stan as James "Bucky" Buchanan Barnes. I loved how they portrayed Steve and Buckys' relationship. It gave it a more realistic feel.



There was a few parts throughout the movie that I felt were specifically for me as a comic book fan. That is another reason this movie really did it for me. As I said before the character development and progression was top notch because the character grew and they actually showed all of Steve's strengths. I loved how they hit on every facet of his personality and abilities such as that he is an artist, great strategist, and his outstanding leadership.

This incarnation was quite true to the comics and where it strayed it either made it better or worse depending. I personally would liked to have seen more Bucky as well as something more close to the comics in regards to his death. I would also have liked to see more WWII battle but we can only hope they make a Captain America/Howling Commandos movie. In closing I would say that this is the best Marvel and summer movie so far due to fan service, strong story, great writing, smooth, natural graphics, an amazing cast, and impeccable character development and progression. Captain America: The First Avenger is a double buy for me, I've seen it twice and I will definitely be buying it on Blu-ray.

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Tekken Review

Hey guys its another review by your friendly neighbor German Man (AJ) this time I will be reviewing Tekken, the movie, in this movie The year is 2039. World wars have destroyed everything and territories are run by corporations, the mightiest -- and cruelest -- of which is Tekken. Jin Kazama (John Foo) witnesses the death of his mother Jun (Tomita) by Tekken in the slums known as Anvil. Vowing vengeance, and armed only with his street smarts and raw fighting skills, he enters a dangerous and potentially deadly combat tournament, where he must defeat the world's most elite fighters to become the "King of the Iron Fist."Enough with the back story, lets get into what I thought. First off I went into this movie with very low expectations, I had heard it was horrible from numerous sources but I thought I would give it a chance and now I am glad. The movie turned out to be very entertaining and full of action. I have to admit that I have only played Tekken the video game only a few times, from what I know it wasnt really a game with a story but I could be wrong. The way they portrayed this movie was done quite well, camera angles were done fantastic, in most action movies I tend to feel motion sickness, in this one I did not, also the characters were greatly casted and I feel like they delivered their mediocre lines quite well. I'm not sitting here telling you this is a fantastic movie, but it kept my attention and made me wonder what was next.

Stand out performances are Jin (John Foo) this was his first lead character role and he nailed it, he showed me the right amount of emotion needed for this character and his stunts were mostly done by him, fantastic job. Christie Monteiro (Kelly Overton) was beautiful just like in everything she does, she also portrayed the character very well even though Christie Monteiro was suppose to be Jamaican but I was able to over look that because she is gorgeous. Last but not less to mention was Kazuya (Ian Anthony Dale) the villain of the movie, and a somewhat of a Star Wars reference you find out he is Jin's father, but he looked the part perfectly and truly was the best delivered actor in the cast.



So to wrap up, I only had a few issues with the movie and it was just minor things, I wish I would have seen more scenes with his mother training him, also the love interest switched from one actress to another, but nevertheless both were nice eye candy. so I am going to have to conclude with a very strong "RENT" actually I hadn't known that this movie was in theatres until the Blue Ray was out but I thought I would spread the word on this movie. Stay Classy Planet Earth! AJ Out!!!

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Cowboys and Aliens Review

This movie should be called Cowboys vs Aliens or Cowboys & Indians vs Aliens. For those of you that have played Red Dead Redemption that's what this is but with aliens which to be honest I wouldn't mind playing a Red Dead DLC like this movie. The cast was great, a few big names in it. The story was pretty straight forward.



As I said this was very similar to Red Dead Redemption. The story is about an amnesiac cowboy named Jake Lonergan who wakes up to find out that he has some sort of contraption on his wrist. Instantly action ensues and you later find out that Daniel Craigs character is a bandit that left his gang for a woman. He keeps on having flashbacks of this woman so you get the feeling they were in love. Harrison Ford played a rich cattle rancher, Woodrow Dolarhyde, that Jake Lonergans gang robbed. Sam Rockwell's character was a bar owner/tender with an attractive Mexican wife. The aliens come into play when they attack the town that Jake is passing through and abduct it's citizens. Jake joins up with Dolarhyde and the rest of the town to go after these creatures and find their people. After that the story more or less turns into the generic alien movie.

The thing about this film is that the main cast is really good, has a pretty solid director, and good fight scenes yet somehow this ended up just being good not great. I think most of it is due to a mediocre script because the cast was great. I wasn't disappointed by this movie and it definitely wasn't bad it was just ok. This one is a rent for me.

Pablo Gunner

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Game Of Thrones Season One Review

***Minor Spoilers: I will not give any information regarding surprises or major plot points***

Creators David Benioff, D.B. Weiss

Cast Sean Bean, Mark Addy, Jason Momoa, Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke, Harry Lloyd, Peter Dinklage, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Jack Gleeson

In mid April, HBO debuted the much anticipated series Game of Thrones, based on the series of books ‘A Song of Fire and Ice’ by the American Tolkien, George R.R. Martin. I knew this would be arduous, but HBO is arguably the best network for original content. (See: The Wire, Deadwood, Sopranos)

For some reason, the other premium cable networks had other medieval shows at the time as well; Camelot on Starz and Borgias on Showtime. It’s weird how these things happen, like Deep Impact and Armageddon. Snakes on a Train was released on DVD right before the theatrical release of Snakes on a Plane. Same with Transmorphers and Transformers. In all of these cases, one is not like the other. Game of Thrones is the clear leader.

Adapting a book or graphic novel is a rough task, managing the most efficient ways to grab all of the key points, but not hold back so much as to offend the die hard fans. I haven’t read the books because I can’t read, but I’ve talked to a few that have and they are extremely happy with the show.

Game of Thrones is a perfect mix of swords, strategy, politics, lust, and humor, mostly from Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister. The first episode, “Winter is Coming”, can be a bit confusing as it introduces almost all of the main characters in less than an hour, but make it to episode two and you will be hooked. The storytelling and character development are too good to pass up. I can’t see anyone hating this show.

The show is told through four sets of stories, all of them intertwining. The Starks, The Lannisters, The Baratheons, The Targaryens. I can prove imperically that these stories are enthralling enough to make a kid with ADHD sit still long enough for an entire episode. The show spends just the right amount of time on one character or one part of the story before moving to a new one, which is the downfall of similar shows.

Watching week to week is immensely frustrating though. This is a show that you’ll want to watch straight through on a Sunday. The finale gives you just enough information that things are about to get crazy. If you haven’t seen it, find a friend who has it DVR’ed. Go. Now.

I give this debut season a VERY STRONG BUY THE BOX SET IMMEDIATELY UPON RELEASE.

--- Moose

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Thor & Loki: Blood Brothers Review by Pablo Gunner

Thor & and Loki: Blood Brothers is a motion comic translated from a four part limited series comic that came out in 2004 written by Rob Rodi and drawn by Esad Ribic. The comic is titled Loki so you can tell that this motion comic is trying to ride off the popularity of Marvel's "Thor" film. I don't know about you but when I hear Thor I think "battle", and this is anything but. This is a tale about Loki after he has defeated Thor and become Lord of Asgard.

The writing is very Shakespearean therefore quite wordy and at times confusing. Despite that though the story is really good. When it comes down to it this is about Loki, his inner struggle with all the weight of having to be the Lord of Asgard including as to whether or not to end Thor's life now that he has finally defeated him, and has him in chains. By the end of this story you will feel sympathy for Loki as they take you on a journey into Loki's past memories of him and Thor.

The voice cast was pretty solid, though you won't find any big names here. The voice actors all did a great job especially the actor who voiced Loki. The only character whose voice I didn't care for was Thor. They made him sound like a big, dumb Asgardian jock which was probably done on purpose since that's the light he was kind of "drawn" in this.

Why Marvel continues this motion comic crusade, (besides the fact that it's cheaper), I know not. The art is used and taken right out of the books. When they stray from that art it appears out of place and unfinished. Instead of continuing with motion comics which tend to feel just odd they should just concentrate on turning these comics into full animated films which DC has been quite successful with. Well enough about me ranting about motion comics.

What is all comes down to is that Thor & Loki: Blood Brothers is boring and too wordy as a motion comic but as a comic its genius. Why I'm really trying to say is that the Thor & Loki: Blood Brothers motion comic is a PASS, but the four part Loki series is a total BUY. The issues are available to buy digitally at only 1.99 each.

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