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SR Pick: The Superhero Movie Chart

Kofi Outlaw — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:44:21 +0000

Superhero movies are a pretty big deal here at Screen Rant and debate about superhero movies is an even bigger deal. Whether it’s a violent argument cordial disagreement over whether Iron Man was better than The Dark Knight, what the next Superman movie should be about or which actors should be cast as our favorite heroes onscreen – we tend to debate it all.

I guess our geektastic reputation is starting to precede us a bit, because someone thought it prudent to direct us to an online chart, which basically details the financial history of just about every major superhero-based movie ever released (at least the ones based in the Marvel and DC universes). The chart is pretty sweet, easy to follow and (best of all) chock-full of useful ammunition for geek-debates.

The chart is broken down into ranges based on box office earnings, with little factoids like budget costs and records broken to help you truly understand just how successful (or not) some your more beloved (or hated) superhero movies have been. The chart comes from the website Koldcast Web TV Network, where you can read a great accompanying article tracking the development of superhero movies over the last two decades or so, ultimately resulting in the wildly lucrative cinematic sub-genre that we know and love today.

For our purposes here at SR, we thought we’d simply pass on the chart itself. Have a look:

Click image for full size chart

Head on over to Koldcast Web TV Network if you want to read the full article.

Like I said: great ammunition for your geek debates, right? And the trivia bits they throw in there will make you look pretty smart at your next Comic Con party. Kudos to Koldcast for putting this thing together. I have a strong feeling that we here at Screen Rant are going to be referencing this chart in our posts for a LONG time to come.

What did you think – cool chart, or do you know it all by heart already because you’re just the (un)cool?

Source: Koldcast Web TV Network

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SR Picks [Video]: X-Men Origins: Magneto Concept Trailer

Rob Keyes — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 04:03:12 +0000

One of the many potential X-Men movies pushed into early development after X-Men 3: The Last Stand was an origins solo film for the master of magnetism, Magneto, played of course by the talented sir Ian McKellen in the X-Men trilogy.

I was always skeptical of a Magneto origins film, thinking it wouldn’t be as bankable as many projects touted, but this trailer (using X-men trilogy scenes and Star Trek music) does make it seem pretty epic. That being said, a lot of that awesomeness comes from the music.

Check out this fan-made concept trailer by YouTube user silverlightsaber after the jump.

The only issue here is that it presents Magneto when he’s older and we know the origin film would have to be about him when he’s young, learning his powers, defining his beliefs, working with professor X to start the school, build cerebro, etc. This is a story I hope and think will be explored as part of X-Men: First Class and would work perfect having Magneto working alongside Professor X as a teacher before they separate paths. Not too mention how well that would tie into the Bryan Singer’s first X-Men movie.

As we know, a Mangeto film would re-cast the actors we know and love from the X-Men franchise and I believe that’s the big sticking point for Fox Studios who have pushed aside X-Men Origins: Magneto for the time being to focus on the plethora of other X-related projects in development.

What do you think of this trailer and would you still like to see Magneto’s origins on the big screen?

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SR Picks [Video]: X-Men Fan Becomes Pyro

Rob Keyes — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:52:16 +0000

This is one of those ideas I’d say is very bad but at the same time, it’s pretty damn cool.

Everett Bradford put up a YouTube video to demonstrate what he calls “The Prometheus Device” and since then, it’s been popping up on geek and tech sites all over the web.

The device emulates what we see from the character of Pyro in X-Men 3: The Last Stand, sans his power to manipulate the fire once launching it out of his palm. Check out the demo video for the neat-but-incredibly-dangerous device below.

I’m impressed by both the device, its functionality and the bravery of its user, Mr. Bradford. I expect this dude will easily get a job with this spreading all over the net like wild fire. Get it?

This video went up on Monday and he promises a follow-up to go through the components and its construction so if you’re interested in how it was made, check his YouTube channel in the coming days.

Screen Rant does not endorse the use of technological devices to emulate super human powers.

What do you think of the flame thrower? Maybe he’s gunning for a role in X-Men 4?

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[SR Pick]: Bill For ‘The Hangover’ Bachelor Party

Paul Young — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:34:16 +0000

This summer’s breakout hit has to be The Hangover. Everyone expected it to be funny and do well at the box office, but no one expected it to eclipse the $400 million worldwide mark. In case you didn’t know (or couldn’t guess), The Hangover 2 is already filming and planned for a Memorial Day 2011 release.

The film revolved around a group of four guys who head to Vegas for a bachelor party and after a night of raucous activities, can’t find the bachelor, have a baby to take care of and a tiger in their bathroom. Needless to say, all the pieces come together at the end of the film but have you ever thought to yourself “Man! How much would a night like that cost?”

I know my bachelor party was not quite that elaborate. I just had 4 of my best buds over to the house; we smoked cigars and played spades until 3 a.m. then fell asleep. Total cost was $60 for the cigars. There were no strippers, drinking or hotel rooms and for sure no tigers; all of those items would have driven the cost up. But by how much?

Surely Vegas strippers and beer can’t be that expensive. As for hotel rooms, William “The Priceline Negotiator” Shatner is always telling me I can get a last-minute Vegas hotel room for under $100, and since thousands of people go to Vegas to get married every year, how expensive can that really be?

Well, a few weeks ago we posted a fantastic graph by Jack Satin, who claims to be everything Vegas, showing the best and worst bets on movie involving Vegas in the story. Today he has put together a receipt with a total estimated cost for the entire Vegas trip, including discounts, for the four guys from The Hangover. I sort of wonder how he managed to get a cost for a tiger, the GHB and getting tasered.

Either way, it’s a great list and the receipt basically runs you back through the movie. I found myself chuckling while reading it as I remembered each scene of the movie related to the cost.

How much did your bachelor/bachelorette party cost and do you have some wacky stories or pictures you’d be willing to share?

The Hangover comes out on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Copy December 15, 2009. Enjoy the picture below:

Source: Jack Satin

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SR Pick [Video]: The Horribly Slow Murderer with the Extremely Inefficient Weapon

Rob Frappier — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:46:42 +0000

In the grand history of horror films, we’ve seen psychopaths slaying their victims with a veritable armory of weapons. Freddy had his claws, Michael Myers had his butcher knife, Leatherface had his chainsaw, and so on, and so forth. To be perfectly frank, finding creative and terrifying ways to kill people has become something of a lost art. Luckily, there are still bold and creative-minded filmmakers working in the horror industry; filmmakers like Richard Gale.

Gale’s most recent project pushes the very limits of horror. It dares to ask the question: How many years can a man fight for his life against an evil unstoppable force? If you have the stomach, watch the 10-minute trailer below. Be advised, in addition to the heart-pounding terror, there is some adult language.

If you’re still reading this, I applaud your strength. A lesser person would have fainted at the sheer power of the trailer. Just imagine the pain. You wake up, the spoon is there. You go to sleep, the spoon is there. You take a shower, the SPOON IS THERE! Day after day, there’s no escape from the madness. I won’t lie, I had to close my eyes for the last half.

All joking aside, The Horribly Slow Murderer with the Extremely Inefficient Weapon is a terrific lesson in short filmmaking. Gale has a pitch-perfect feel for the genre, and his script is filled with humor. Furthermore, on a technical level, the film looks great and reflects an attention to detail that often escapes other directors. According to Gale’s website, his horror spoof has already earned 12 film festival awards.

But what I think isn’t what’s important (at least not all the time). What did you think? For more information on Richard Gale and a list of live screenings for The Horribly Slow Murderer with the Extremely Inefficient Weapon, check out the director’s personal website.

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SR Pick: Place Your Bets – Vegas Movies By the Numbers

Paul Young — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 02:15:45 +0000

Ah Vegas! Home to Siegfried and Roy (the one munched on by a tiger), CSI, the World Series of Poker, legal prostitution, fabulous shows, the mob and lots and lots of gambling. After trying the family friendly route, over the last couple of years the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce has tried put back the reputation of Sin City back to more an adult atmosphere, focusing on the great shows but at the same time reminding adults that “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.”

That is a great pitch line but when every one of my friends come home from Vegas, they go to the priest, the lawyer or the doctor (obviously some things do NOT stay in Vegas.)

Las Vegas has also been the backdrop for many movies throughout the years; films of every genre have been shot there: Action, thriller, horror, comedy, drama. And when you start to think about it, it really makes sense. Hollywood studios are always taking big gambles with large sums of money in hopes that their movie investments pay offs will be huge (rimshot!). Alas, the payoff does not always come through for them, which brings me to the graph below brought us by Jack Satin at SatinMovie.com.

It’s an interesting look at every movie that has come out since Swingers that has been set in Vegas. It also shows their Rotten Tomato Fresh Rating, then compares the movie’s budget to what the film brought in domestically and internationally. It’s a fantastic work of art and I may print it out and hang it on my wall. Ultimately it just proves one thing – Swingers was the best bet ever for a Vegas film. “You’re so money!”

Click on the picture for the full size version.

I’m actually surprised to see some films had such a stupidly large budget – $80 million for The Flintstones sequel, wonder who lost their job over that one? While others had a rather thin budget – $4 million for The Cooler, a much underrated film even though we see William H. Macy’s um… one armed bandit. What this chart proves to me though is that no one at a major Hollywood studio knows how to gamble to win. They might as well stay home and scratch off a truck load of $2 Monopoly Lottery Instant Win cards. They’d have a better chance of recouping their cost instead of wasting $40 million on Very Bad Things (pun intended).

What do you think of the graph and what is your “name” while you are staying in Vegas? I go by Rumple Stinklejeans and I use a Romanian accent.

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SR Pick [Video]: The Dark Knight vs. Blade Trailer

Kofi Outlaw — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:09:18 +0000

Bloodthirsty creatures of the night are stalking the streets of Gotham City. They are the undead, and they hunger for the blood of Gotham’s citizens. As one savage killing leads to another, Gotham’s Dark Knight, Batman, takes to the moonlit streets to track down the bloodsucking killers before Gotham is overrun by legions of the undead.

However, Batman is not the only one on the case -- for where there are vampires there is Blade, the vampire hunter hellbent on his mission to rid the world of nightstalkers forever. But when The Day Walker clashes with The Dark Knight, can the two heroes put aside their differences to save Gotham from the vampire hordes?

That very question is the heart of the new upcoming superhero crossover film, The Dark Knight vs. Blade, and we here at Screen Rant have your very first look at the full theatrical trailer!

The Dark Knight vs. Blade stars Christian Bale and Wesley Snipes, reprising their iconic roles as Batman and Blade. Gary Oldman and Kris Kristofferson aslo return as Commissioner Gordon and Whistler, respectively.

But enough talk -- onto the trailer!

Ok, so by now you know that this isn’t an ACTUAL movie trailer, but rather another cool mashup from “Silverlightsaber” the YouTube guru who brought us past classic superhero movie mashups as “The Incredible Hulk vs. Wolverine Trailer” and “Superman vs. Superman (Christopher Reeve vs. Brandon Routh)“. The mashups are pretty entertaining and The Dark Knight vs. Blade is certainly a cool entry in the series, as far as I’m concerned.

What did you think -- are you sorry you won’t be seeing The Dark Knight vs. Blade in a theater near you?

Source: YouTube

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SR Pick: Star Wars Tauntaun Sleeping Bag

Kofi Outlaw — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 18:43:28 +0000

We all remember the scene from The Empire Strikes Back: Luke Skywalker and Han Solo trying to survive the sub-zero temperatures of planet Hoth by finding shelter in the stomach of a Tauntaun. For you Star Wars enthusiasts out there, your reenactment sessions are about to get a little more “authentic,” as you too can now find shelter from the frozen wastelands (your front yard in winter) inside your very own Tauntaun stomach!

What started out as an April Fools joke has now became a reality for sale; Think Geek is offering Tauntaun sleeping bags to those who want, starting this November.

Here’s the April Fools joke that started it all (it makes for a pretty good press release if you ask me):

In the sub-zero wasteland of the planet Hoth, only the strong survive… and of course those lucky Jedi protected by the thick skin of a Tauntaun. Now after exhaustive movie viewing research and analysis ThinkGeek Labs has isolated the exact synthetic compounds needed to re-create Tauntaun fur. What have we done with this supreme knowledge? Created a Tauntaun sleeping bag of course.

Pretty humorous. Now for the actual description of what you get for your money:

This high-quality sleeping bag looks just like a Tauntaun, complete with saddle, internal intestines and plush lightsaber zipper pull. Now when your kids tell you their favorite Star Wars movie is “Attack of the Clones” you can nestle the wee-ones snug in simulated Tauntaun fur while regaling them with the amazing tale of “Empire Strikes Back”.

* Classic Star Wars sleeping bag simulates the warmth of a Tauntaun carcass
* Built-in embroidered Tauntaun head pillow
* Plush Lightsaber zipper pull
* Great for playing pretend “Save Luke from the Wampa” games
* Teach your children about the best Star Wars movie ever
* Fully Licensed Lucasfilm™ Collectable
* Enough room for adults, plenty of space for kids
* 100% Polyester construction, Machine washable
* Bag Dimensions -- 33″ x 67″ (not including head pillow or legs

That lightsaber zipper really does seal the deal, if you ask me.

Think Geek should have limited quantities of the Tauntaun sleeping bag in stock sometime in early November, priced at $99.99. If you would like to purchase one, go HERE to place your order.

BONUS: In case you have kids too young to understand why you want them to sleep inside of some weirdo animal-themed sleeping bag, just show them this clip and tell them “It’s from the old Star Wars movies -- the ones that DIDN’T suck.”

Source: Think Geek

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SR Pick: Own A Replica ‘Dark Knight’ Motorcycle Suit

Anthony Ocasio — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 18:51:52 +0000

Have you ever been riding your motorcycle, fighting crime, saving the day and talking in an awkward deep voice, while wondering what you could wear so that people would take you seriously as a superhero? Well, wonder no longer as a Canadian company, Universal Designs, is now offering an officially licensed replica of Batman’s motorcycle suit from The Dark Knight.

Yes, that’s right. This isn’t your run of the mill cosplay, or some Halloween costume with the rubber band mask. This suit has been replicated from the original patterns used to create suit Batman sported in TDK. With sizes ranging from XS to XXL, they can accommodate everyone from bat-men that don’t have any bat-muscle, to those superheroes that had a little too much “super dessert.”

Check out the official sales-pitch:

“In The Dark Knight^TM Christian Bale’s new Batman^TM suit makes it’s debut in a stunning array of segmented armor allowing for ease of movement, comfort and delivers an overall sense of real world credibility like never before. Our Replica Leather Motorcycle Suit takes this same concept one step further as a fully functional, ready-to-wear Screen Accurate Replica Motorcycle Suit. Make no mistake, this is not a costume. As a ‘replica’ of what Batman^TM ‘wears’ this motorcycle suit has been brought to life with real world function and use…all the while paying tribute to the screen used Batman^TM suit in a way fans of The Dark Knight^TM expect to see in all it’s glory.”

Now, I know what you’re thinking, “But Anthony, I don’t ride a motorcycle.” That’s no problem, the folks at Universal Designs have thought of everything. Instead of ruining the surprise, I’ll let them tell you.

“Not a motorbike rider? No problem, the internal CE approved body armor is easily removable making this a truly easy and cool looking ‘fashionable’ Batman^TM leather jacket.”

Well, there you have it. Even the non-motorcycle hero-type can enjoy this wonderful suit. Alright, let’s get down to business. What does it all come with? Well, you will not only receive a wonderfully designed and custom made leather jacket, but also the pants and gloves as well.

What? Still not enough information? What’s that I hear? “Anthony, tell me more!” Alright, well I’ll hand it back over to the folks at Universal Design to fill you in.

- Strong Cordura Mesh Base with Heavy-duty 4 way stretch Spandex
inserts.
- Removable CE Approved Body Armor in both Jacket and Pants
- Highly detailed, removable lightweight interior lining.
- Form Molded Leather and Kevlar Armor Sections.
- Made from Quality Tanned Cow Hides.

“But what about the gloves?” Oh, alright…. I spoil you, I really do.

- High Impact (Kevlar Lined) Cowhide Knuckle Guards.
- Skid Resistant Kevlar Lined Outer Palms.
- Adjustable Wrist Strap.
- Floating Knuckle Armor Area. Designed to ease hand tension
- Ribbed Cowhide Leather Palm (Full Leather Base and Finger Tips)
- Air Flow -- Sponge Mesh Top Detailing, Heavy Duty Spandex Inserts.

But wait, there’s more! Check out this video highlighting the suit:

There you have it. You get the high-quality, heavy-duty, form molded jacket with the Kevlar armor sections… you also get the soft, comfortable and obviously stylish pants AND you get the high impact, skit resistant gloves. Now, for all this… the jacket, pants AND the gloves? How much do you expect to spend? $1 million? $2 million? $17?

Well, with this special, limited time, offer, you can have the complete set -- jacket, pants AND the gloves -- all for the low low price of…

$10,000? (BOO!!)
$5,000? (BOO!!)
$2000? (BOO!!)

Surely $2000 is a fair price for all these high quality, professionally designed, officially licensed pieces, right? (BOO!!)

Alright… Alright… How does $1000 sound? (YAY!!!!) Ok, Ok… I’m going to do you one better. You can get everything, the jacket, pants AND gloves for…

$998.00 + S&H (YAY!!!Anthony, you rule!)

There you have it folks. Any of you would-be super heroes can get the entire Dark Knight officially licensed replica motorcycle suit for $998.00.

…And they’re not done. What about those on a budget? They’ve got something for you. Don’t want to spend $998.00 all at once? No problem… they’ll allow you to split it into 3 monthly payments.

What about the people that already have gloves or pants? They’re thinking of you as well. You don’t only have to buy them as a suit, but can order them individually as well.

JACKET : $689.00 USD / $798.00 CAD
PANTS : $425.00 USD / $489.00 CAD
GLOVES : $79.00 USD / $89.00 CAD

With quantities limited to 1000, you better hurry before they run out.

(Jokers need not apply.)

::commercial end::

All in all, it’s a cool idea. I like the look and when you first see it, you instantly want one. Well, maybe you don’t want one, but you’ll sure try one on if it’s available. That being said, there’s something about the back of the pants that look a little bit off to me (see pic above). Still, if you’re a fan of Batman and got $1000 lying around, why not go for it? Even if you can’t get everything, I’m sure some $79.00 gloves would still be cool.

With that, I’d like to leave you with some words to live by from Universal Designs, “Fashion, Function….all Batman^TM”

I believe that sums it up nicely.

The Dark Night replica motorcycle suit is available for order until October 31^st so if you’re interested you’d better order soon. Orders will be delivered 1^st quarter of 2010.

Source: Universal Designs

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SR Pick [Video]: How ‘Terminator’ Should Have Ended

Paul Young — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 22:24:21 +0000

Screen Rant seriously has some of the best readers anywhere. They are always on the lookout for new and interesting things to share with us, which we in turn share with you. Today we bring you a video courtesy of long time reader/commenter/troublemaker Lencho -- Thanks Bro!

Today’s SR Pick was created by a very talented group of individuals over at HowItShouldHaveEnded.com, and after watching a handful of their previous videos I can safely say “they put their foot in this one” (I know someone has heard that saying before). They have some excellent Flash animators and have chosen to share their skill with the world. They take some great movies that had less than great endings and then, well, show us how it should have ended.

They just put out episode 20 and it addresses how the Terminator franchise should have ended. It’s odd that they bring this up now because the Terminator franchise is currently up for sale. Maybe if they pool together enough couch cushion money, they can buy it. Anyways, watch the video below and enjoy a great take on the Terminator story:

Funny stuff right? If you get a chance watch the Superman episode, might be my second favorite. My wife wants them to change the ending to Nights in Rodanthe so that Richard Gere doesn’t die…Dammit! Did I just give away a spoiler? I’m pretty sure I’m safe with the spoilers for that movie on this particular site. I, however, would get ripped to shreds on the Lifetime Network blog.

Are there any movies HISHE haven’t done that you would like to see the ending changed on? Personally, I would like to see a different ending to 3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain -- what? I said it! Bring the pain boys!

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SR Picks [Video]: Darth Vader Meets His Match

Rob Keyes — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 01:36:36 +0000

I love the classic Star Wars movies and I can’t see myself ever getting over that passion.

On that note, we have for you an awesome video spoof featuring Darth Vader in an alternate version of the events surrounding the Death Star and its inhabitants (pre-destruction) from the first Star Wars movie.

SCI FI Wire picked up on a tweet from actress Ming-Na who linked to the following video from two years ago. It’s based on a scene from A New Hope, re-created perfectly with one major exception…

… the addition of one new character, a love interest of our favorite Darth Vader.

Check it out:

Poor Darth Vader just wants to be loved…

Very high production quality! I’m impressed how they meshed the characters, costumes, style and dialogue perfectly with that of the original film. They could make an entire film like this.

What do you think of today’s SR Pick?

The original Star Wars hit theaters May 25, 1977 and it’s still awesome.

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SR Picks: Four Fun Charts For Geeks

Rob Frappier — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 14:41:35 +0000

Here at Screen Rant we love charts. Lucky for us then that over the past couple of months, a whole slew of fun movie-related graphs have hit the net. Check out four of our favorites below.

–

Our first movie chart comes from the guys over at GeekTyrant. As you can see, it’s a graph comparing the relative size of a bunch of famous movie monsters. At the bottom of the scale is our old knife-wielding friend Chucky, from the Child’s Play franchise. The biggest baddie on the chart is “Clover,” the 180 ft. tall monster from J.J. Abrams’ 2008 blockbuster Cloverfield.

Movie Monster Size Comparison

For a full-size version of the graph, click the image.

Interestingly, the thing that I like about this graph the most are the monsters in the middle. For instance, did you know the Rancor was 30 ft. tall? I sure didn’t. It really puts Luke Skywalker’s challenge in perspective, you know? I mean, the Rancor dwarfs the Tyrannosaurus Rex. It must have taken a lot of force (wink, wink) to bring it down. Anyway, moving on…

–

The Things You’re Most Likely to Find on the Cover of a Fantasy Book

While not necessarily movie related, this chart appeals to the geek in all of us. Coming from Orbit Books (via our friends at io9), the chart shows the most popular elements featured on the covers of fantasy books published in 2008. Unsurprisingly, swords top the list. I wonder how that category might further be broken down. For instance, are fire swords more popular than glowing, magical swords? Coming in at the bottom of the chart are the beautiful, yet terrifically unmanly unicorns.

It’s a pity the chart doesn’t track cleavage, because I can guarantee that would be somewhere near the top. Almost every fantasy book out there has at least one or two scantily clad women (sometimes humans, sometimes elves) clutching onto the story’s broad shouldered, sword-wielding hero. It’s sort of expected, right? Alternatively, we sometimes get to see a sword-wielding Amazonian woman on the cover, but even then there’s always some bountiful bosom for the reader to leer at. But, I digress. Moving on…

For the remaining two awesome Screen Rant-approved movie charts, click to the next page…

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SR Picks [Gear]: For Harry Potter Fans – A Working Magic Wand

Paul Young — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 00:26:37 +0000

Attention all ye Hogwarts alumni! We have for ye today one of the greatest modern marvels since the invention of the Hot Air Spoon. How bored are you of always playing with your wand and thinking to yourself “I wish my wand did more than just magic.” Well The Wand Company of England has heard your thoughts (they are after all, witches) and have met your desires with *trumpet blares* THE KYMERA MAGIC WAND!

That’s right, now you too can control anything in your house that works off an infrared remote with a simple flick of your wrist and a few magic incantations. Want to make the volume louder? Simply twirl your Wand right and say “Volumiticus Upsadasium.” That very loud Billy Mayes Garden Weezel commercial giving you headaches? Simply twirl your Wand to the left and recite “Volumiticus Downflorium.” Presto! You have full volume control.

What’s that you say? An owl from the magical land of Hogwarts just landed and has a message but you can’t hear it because Maury show is too loud? Easy remedy: Thrust your Wand forward and say “Muticus Commericalidium.”

The Kymera Magic Wand can learn up to thirteen different IR (infrared) commands from multiple devices. Programming is easy – you just need to point the Wand at the device’s remote, send the command from said remote, pour 4 ounces of ox blood, add 2 sprigs of Flitterbloom, and 3 pulverized sneezewort leaves and *POOF*; the remote and is now operational.

Here are all of the magical movements required for the Wand to control your devices: Twirl Right, Twirl Left, Push Forward, Pull Back, Big Swish, Single Tap Down, Single Tap to the Side, Double Tap Down, Double Tap to the Side, Flick Up, Flick Down, Flick Right and Flick Left.

Now the following verbal commands are optional, but I would recommend using them (especially with company in the room) for greater effect:

Volume Up – “Volumiitcus Upsadasium”

Volume Down – “Volumiticus Downflorium”

Volume Mute – “Muticus Commericalidium”

Channel Up- “Changfundus Upsadasium”

Channel Down -”Changfundus Downflorium”

Previous Channel – “Previareo Channelorum”

Power On – “Powideous Onification”

Power Off – “Powideous Offiliarious”

Tune to Cinemax – “Displaius Porngraphicum”

Mute Wife and Tune in Sports – “Muticus Annoyendo Mondaurla Footronum”

The wand does very much exist, although I may be reaching slightly on the programming side and verbal commands; it is a very interesting and unique take on a specialized remote control. At around $75 US, no doubt the company will sell a boat load of them. However, if you want one you will need to go reserve it now, because come October 1^st the only people that will receive a Kymera Magic Wand will be those with pre-orders.

Do you plan on pre-ordering your Kymera Magic Wand by the The Wand Company Ltd.?

A shout out to The Movie Blog for bringing this to our attention.

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SR Picks [Video]: Marvel vs. DC vs. Disney Musical

Rob Keyes — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 11:28:48 +0000

One of the only reasons I still go to YouTube is to watch videos from ItsJustSomeRandomGuy, the mastermind behind the “I’m a Marvel…and I’m a DC” web series where he uses DC, Marvel and other action figures to touch on current happenings in the comics/movie/tv universe and poke fun at the characters through well-written all-audience parodies.

With that said, of course there had to be a parody made on the Disney-Marvel merger… and of course it had to something special. So what did he do? He made a musical!

They put a lot of work into this one… if you can’t bare the sing-along, stick with it till the end because Batman and Spider-Man have a little conversation about the Disney acquisition.

What do you think?

We here at Screen Rant love these vids and have posted several as Screen Rant Picks.

Have your feelings on the Disney-Marvel deal changed at all?

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SR Pick [Video]: Hitler Hates Movie Remakes

Vic Holtreman — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 01:17:53 +0000

Today we bring you as a “Pick” our very first real Screen Rant video! Our prolific UK writer Ross Miller has taken the popular excerpt from the movie Downfall (which chronicles the final days of Hitler) and laid captions over it to spoof what he might think of today’s trend of excessive movie remakes and movies based not only on video games, but even board games like Candyland and Monopoly.

We’re certainly not the first to use this video for some fun, but I think Ross did a great job of it.

Check it out below and let us know what you think!

If you enjoyed that, please spread the word and encourage us to try our hand at more video content.

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SR Picks [Artwork]: Jocks vs. Nerds at the Box Office

Vic Holtreman — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 22:21:11 +0000

The gang over at MovieFill.com comes up with some pretty interesting ways of putting out movie-related statistics. This time they compared the box offices take of “Nerd movies” to those of “Jock movies.” In other words, superhero movies vs. sports themed films – and it’s a blowout: The nerds kicked the jocks’ collective butts.

Not only did the superhero films make almost four times as much money, they actually had a higher rating from critics on average than the sports-themed movies (that one surprised me).

They came up with this spiffy graphic listing the box office grosses of both genres over the last 10 years (click on the image below for a much larger version):

Average per film of over $154MM for superhero movies vs $39MM for sports movies. Also overall superhero flicks garnered an average rating of 54% positive reviews vs. 43% positive based on the figures from RottenTomatoes.com.

Now of course this isn’t a definitive list (not EVERY sport was included – they tried to keep the number from each genre the same) but it’s kind of fun thing – especially if you’re more of a nerd than a jock.

Source: MovieFill

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SR Pick [Video]: Green Lantern vs. Deadpool

Rob Frappier — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 04:31:19 +0000

When news came out that Ryan Reynolds was going to star in the upcoming Green Lantern film, many fans (including some of us here at Screen Rant) wondered whether Reynolds would be able to manage the double duty of playing Hal Jordan and Deadpool at the same time. Well, the creators behind the hilarious “I’m a Marvel…and I’m a DC” web series asked the same question.

Check out the video below.

If you haven’t seen the “I’m a Marvel…and I’m a DC” web series before, stop what you’re doing right now and head to the YouTube channel of ItsJustSomeRandomGuy. Modeled after the famous “I’m a Mac… and I’m a PC” ads, the Marvel/DC videos combine equal parts dry humor and fanboy nerdiness into ridiculously funny two minute episodes. Some of the previous characters featured in the videos include Spiderman, Superman, Hellboy, The Hulk, and Rorschach. My personal favorite involves Iron Man and Batman.

While the Green Lantern/Deadpool video was made for laughs (”Bet you never met anyone with a yellow inner monologue before… BAM!”), it raises some interesting questions about Reynolds’ involvement in the franchises. While I doubt Reynolds will run into any problems initially, what happens if Deadpool or Green Lantern spin off into their own multi-picture franchise? Will Reynolds be able to sustain both roles? Let us know what you think in the comments.

BONUS:

For a great interview with the creators of the “I’m a Marvel…and I’m a DC” web series, check out this link from Marvel.com.

A nod to /Film for the pick-up.

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SR Pick [Video]: Unfinished Avetar Trailer Leaked Early

Paul Young — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 00:15:51 +0000

Fan boys around the world, get ready to for the ultimate geekasm! People, big and small, old and young, ugly and not so ugly, are clamoring around the world to watch James Cameron’s new $235 million dollar, effects laden, eye-popping extravaganza titled Avatar! Don’t believe me about the hype surrounding this movie? Then you obviously weren’t one of the web users that crashed the Avatar website Monday trying to get free tickets to watch 16 minutes of glorious Avatar footage.

Well, since we can’t bring you the real trailer until August 21^st August 20^th, we decided to show you a trailer put up on YouTube by user davechandler. The graphics and special effects are far from finished and I’m sure they will be touched up and “kick-ass-ified” for the world-wide official release, but they give you a pretty good idea of what to expect. Enjoy!

What did you think? You can almost see Sam Worthington jumping in a battle suit and kicking some defenseless Na’vi butt. I mean, if I had a battle suit and was stranded on an unfamiliar planet, that’s the first thing I would do. Especially the pink one, I have a black spot in my heart for pink furry things and he/she/it would be the first one to go down.

Have no fear though; the official trailer for Avatar should release tomorrow. Stay tuned to Screen Rant’s Movie Trailers page to watch it when it drops.

Are you excited to watch Avatar and were you able to get free tickets to the extended viewing?

The real Avatar opens December 18, 2009.

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SR Pick [Video]: Inglourious Plummers

Paul Young — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 19:55:36 +0000

As Screen Rant readers may be aware, this Friday, Quentin Tarantino’s highly anticipated film Inglourious Basterds bludgeons its way onto theater screens in what is sure to be a bloody, violent (if not dialog heavy) film. What you may NOT be aware of, is that before Tarantino came along, Mario did it first, using his plunger of Justice to crack some Koopa shell!

The guys over at Gamer Vision have put together a humorous Inglourious Basterds parody video involving Toadsworth as Brad Pitt (funny mustache and all), Mario, Luigi, Toadstool and the Princess playing the parts of the Basterds and Koopa and his henchman playing the parts of the Nazis. Well done guys! Check out the video below.

My favorite scene was Mario running through the tunnel shooting fireballs out of his hands -- good stuff! Actually, the video makes me wonder if a hardcore action film of Super Mario Bros. isn’t well over due? Make it a little dark, a little brooding and for goodness sake, leave Dennis Hopper out of it!

Are you looking forward to watching Inglourious Basterds and what do you think about a more up-to-date darker version of Super Mario Bros.?

Inglourious Basterds opens August 21^st, 2009.

Source: Gamer Vision

Image Source: Blog by Ramunas

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SR Pick [Video]: The Shorts Of Neill Blomkamp

Ross Miller — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 19:22:39 +0000

Neill Blomkamp makes his full-length feature-film debut with District 9 today (unfortunately for us Brits, it doesn’t open until September 4th). Blomkamp was once attached to direct the on-off-on-again Halo movie, and a lot of people had their doubts about him directing District 9 (under the eye of producer Peter Jackson) simply because he was a “newbie.”

You may not know that before he set his sights on feature films, Blomkamp was a short film and commercials director. District 9 is actually based on his short film called Alive in Joburg from a few years ago – the short is incredibly ambitious and it was almost inevitable someone would try to extend it into a full-length version – Why not the guy who did the short film?

However, as evident from the rave reviews of District 9 (including from our own Vic Holtreman), Blomkamp has done a fine job with his first full-length movie. The naysayers are probably sorry (if they’re not, they should be) for discounting him so early.

Today’s Screen Rant pick is a neat playlist showcasing Blomkamp’s short films, including Alive in Joburg and one he did for Halo. Check two of the video(s) out below:

ALIVE IN JOBERG

HALO 3 SHORT

For more short films by Neill Blomkamp, check head over to the YouTube Playlist.

I was quite surprised to find out Blomkamp did the very cool dancing robot car ad – just shows you how unrecognized a lot of these commercial directors go sometimes. I’m glad to see someone like Blomkamp going from short work to feature films. If District 9 is anything to go by, it certainly won’t be the director’s last.

What do you think of Blomkamp’s short work? Which is your favorite?

As stated, District 9 opened today in the US, and opens in the UK on September 4th.

Source: YouTube (thanks to InContention)

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