Big Shiny Robot! will be giving away a set of Volume 3 and 4 of the animated X-Men cartoon series.  In order to win, all you need to do is add Big Shiny Robot! to your facebook and update your status to read, “Big Shiny Robot! (www.bigshinyrobot.com) is where I get all of my geek news!”

Then just comment here or on facebook and let us know that the deed is done.

If you’re the winner, we’ll send you an email or a facebook message asking for your address. If you don’t have a facebook profile and don’t want to start one, send us an email and we’ll enter you in the contest anyway. But just be sure to tell your friends about us. (Click the contact us link above for our email address.)  Hurry though, the contest ends September 15th!

Volume Three includes the ever excellent Dark Phoenix Saga and Volume Four features an epic showdown with Apocolypse.  This set is a must have for any X-Men fan.  For those of you too eager to see if you’ve won the contest, they’re released on September 15th and you can preorder them from Amazon here.

Variety is reporting that FOX is set to reboot the Fantastic Four franchise and give it a fresh start. While Akiva Goldsman is set to be producer, the same guy who wrote the script for the forth-coming Green Lantern movie, Michael Green, is on board to write the script.

The 2005 “Fantastic Four” and 2007 sequel “Rise of the Silver Surfer” were directed by Tim Story and starred Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans and Michael Chiklis. Since the deals for the reboot are just getting made, it is unclear if any of them will return.

Though Marvel Entertainment owns and finances properties like “Iron Man” and “Thor,” Fox controls “Fantastic Four” in perpetuity — as long as it continues making the films. Fox has the same arrangement on Marvel Comics properties “X-Men,” “Daredevil” and “Silver Surfer.” Marvel is a producer and financial participant through a licensing agreement.

It’s no secret that both F4 films were less than… “Fantastic” (I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist.) but does FOX really have the chops to “reboot” a bad set of films they were responsible for in the first place? Of all the studios that own Marvel characters, it has been FOX that I have been the least impressed with. I’m hoping that maybe, just maybe, one of these days FOX will hit their stride and put together some great Marvel movies as they did with the first two X-Men films. Of course, in an ideal world, Marvel would use their newfound parent company, Disney, to buy back some of these properties and keep everything in house (which would be sure to incite more bitching and moaning about how people think Disney will ruin their beloved Marvel characters), but it seems for the time there are no plans to do so.

And in the mean time, this robot is left wondering when his beloved Daredevil will finally get a second chance…

Yahoo News posted this:

LOS ANGELES – The Walt Disney Co. says it is acquiring Marvel Entertainment Inc. for $4 billion in cash and stock, bringing characters like Iron Man and Spider-Man into the Disney family.

Under the deal, Disney will acquire ownership of 5,000 Marvel characters.

Disney said Monday that Marvel shareholders will receive $30 per share in cash plus 0.745 Disney shares for every Marvel share they own.

It said the boards of Disney and Marvel have both approved the transaction, but it requires an antitrust review and the approval of Marvel shareholders.

Wow, this is really surprising if it turns out to be true. Especially if they sold the whole kitten-caboodle for 4 billion dollars.

Budgetron here with a quick addendum to this post.  Let’s all think about the awesomeness of this news, shall we?  Now, I know a lot of you think that Disney is the devil, and anyone could easily make that claim based on what the money handlers have done, I’m sure.  BUT!  How many of you would say Pixar is the devil?  No one!  (Or at least you better not)  Well, Pixar’s own resident creative genius, John Lasseter is chief creative officer at Disney.  And just think of what Pixar or Disney under Lasseter’s direction could do with Marvel characters if given the chance.

And think about how awesome the latest Marvel produced movies have been compared to the Fox/Sony produced Marvel movies…now, with “the devil” owning Marvel, they may have the muscle necessary to buy/fenagle back the rights to produce Spider-Man/X-Men/etc. movies whose rights had been bought prior to Marvel producing their own masterpieces.  This is exciting no matter how you slice it.

UPDATE:  Marvel inker superstar Tim Townsend posted the following on his DeviantArt page:

“Just talked to Joe Quesada and he assured me that this is just like the PIXAR deal and that nothing about the way we do business will change. Assuming DISNEY sticks to that agreement then this could ultimately be a very good thing for Marvel and comics in general. We shall see!”

Hey folks, Arse-bot here. Here are a few updates the good folks over at SHH! have posted:

UPDATE #1: In a conference call, the companies said that the deals for movies for characters at other studios (Spider-Man, X-Men, etc.) will stay in place under the terms set by Marvel and the other studios.

UPDATE #2: John Lasseter met with Marvel last week about a possible team-up between Marvel and Pixar and got “pretty excited, pretty fast.” They say there’s definitely an opportunity there.

UPDATE #3: The deal with Paramount Pictures to distribute “Iron Man 2,” “Thor,” “Captain America” and “The Avengers” stays in place as well, but Disney would like to self-distribute down the line. “When the time comes we’ll take a closer look at it.” It was actually stated that the deal still included five films, so that is one more film after “The Avengers.”

I’m not even really sure how to begin this game’s review.  It opens into a dark, beautiful, hi-resolution world that I didn’t believe Eidos could provide.    As you escort the captured Joker into Arkham Asylum after capturing him during one of his evil plots you are treated to the opening credits, and are allowed to soak in the gorgeous environments they’ve built for you.  The voice-overs are fantastic,  almost every voice actor being the original from the animated series.

Above:Batman teaching the Joker why being lippy is bad

The free-flow combat system is almost perfect, allowing you to switch gracefully between moves, and leap effortlessly from henchman to henchman. A spidey-sense like alert will go off above enemies heads to show you when countering is appropriate, and the higher your combos climb the more impressive your attacks, and achievements become.

The stealth take downs are another beautiful addition, whether sneaking up behind your opponents Splinter Cell style, or descending upon them from a gargoyle overhead, every moment in the game is exciting and feels dramatic. The game of course is full of bat-gadgets galore, and includes EVERY Batman villain I can remember except for Cat Woman, I don’t think she made the cut after her horrible video game.

Above: More henchman feel the batfist

If you’re a gamer, if you like super-heroes, if you like good games, this is your game. It has everything to offer, with a basic learning curve, and a gorgeous environment.
I tip my hat to Batman, and its developement staff
Summary

• graphics 10
• story 10
• controls/gameplay 10
• sound 10
• overall 10

I tried to find something to mark the game down on so that it didn’t clear perfect.. and I couldn’t Game Informer said this game had a shot at game of the year the same way that Bioshock did, and I agree. This game rocks. Go Buy It.

I went to my local Carmike Cinemas to see Quentin Tarentino’s latest opus, Inglourious Basterds, and I must say I was worried going in.  Reviews have been mixed, split right down the middle, but I was determined to see for myself what Tarentino was up to.  He’s easily one of my favorite filmmakers and any new offering from him is a welcome respite from the normal dreck I’m subjected to at the cinema.

Basterds is equal parts Dirty Dozen, Guns of Navarone and, perhaps The Young Lions as well as some French masterpiece about the love of cinema that I’ve never seen but am confident of its existence.   The film  is divided up into chapters that at times can seem disparate from each other, but all tie together nicely by the last couple of chapters of the movie.

The film is gory and fun, well-written and well-acted.  All in all this was a very, very solid entry into Tarentino’s filmography.

One particular aspect of the film that I loved more than most was how Tarentino seemed to pay homage to film projectionists, people who care about film, cinephiles and passionate people willing to battle the Nazi’s for what’s right.  There’s also a bit of a love-letter/history lesson about nitrate film and even the film itself is used in the plot to kill Hitler and his lieutenants.

Which is why it was so disappointing to me that I saw the film in a theatre that was projecting a 35mm print and the projectionists really didn’t seem to care.  From the get-go, the film was blurry at times, the print was scratched in a few key places, there were missplices at the reel changovers, there were missing frames, the credits burned out after 15 seconds and 3/4s of the film was slightly out of frame.  It was so frustrating to watch the film (which I enjoyed very much) run by a group of kids who obviously didn’t care enough about the film to play it properly.  But maybe that’s not fair, maybe Carmike Cinemas is to blame.  I worked as a projectionist for over 10 years and a lot of those were for Carmike Cinemas (I got laid off when they decided that four theatres in one building isn’t enough even though I think it’s two or three too man) and it’s a systemic problem they have.  They make the managers double as projectionists (which I did happily) but they give the management too many screens and things to take care of to truly make the projection top notch.

And as the credits started, the film began to burn, which is a shame, since I love watching credits and doubly so during Quentin Tarentino movies because the music is always so compelling.  (In fact the use of Ennio Morricone in this film made me very, very happy.) I went out in to the lobby to demand a refund for the poor projection and the breaking of the film, but, alas, I saw the last show of the night and the management was stretched so thin that there was literally no representative of the company there to even assuage my anger.

And so here I am, writing this.

If any representative of Carmike Cinemas manages to read this, I would be happy to accept a refund.  And I would also be happy to offer some suggestions to fix the problem.  Namely, hire dedicated projectionists that are cinephiles and actually care about film and make that their ONLY responsibility.  And don’t let them be in charge of more than 5 or 6 projectors at a time.  I know the company has a long history of tripping over dollars to pick up dimes (I saw it everyday as part of management there), but this is something that is too important to worry about the cost.

In the meantime, go find a digital projection version of Inglourious Basterds, or see it at an art house where the projectionists are far more likely to care that the film plays well.

The latest installment of the Nintendo Crystal Chronicle series hit the Wii a few weeks ago, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life As A Darklord. It offers players a shot at fighting on the wrong side of the law for once. You play as the defeated Darklord’s daughter, Princess Mira. Working her way to fame by defeating renowned heroes. Her aim is, of course, nothing short of world domination.

It has a unique tower defense type game play, where you build floors into a tower, and then place monsters on the floors to stop heroes from getting to the top, where the crystal containing the essence of your father lies.

It introduces five different monster and enemy types, each of them conflicting differently to opposites. So each type has a strength and a weakness. That’s where most of the strategy comes in, especially because heroes can skip floors if they’re already occupied.

The waves come actively, as you build floors (which come in a variety of types) simultaneously while you place monsters. The waves progressively get harder and harder through each assault, and they can also kill your monsters as they advance, or cause hazardous status effects, or even knock down a whole floor at once. On top of all this they have boss stages where they will throw a boss into one of the waves. Just another challenge to look forward to.

The game starts out a little slow, just to introduce you to the system, but it builds quickly, and is very expansive. Far more so than the Crystal Defender games (which are a lot simpler, but easily just as fun.) One of the elements I like about this game is it is a bit more like an RPG, as far as you go on optional side quests and collect different artifacts that power you up.

Even at some of the early stages I had some close calls, where a hero was on the top floor of my tower, but like a lot of tower defense games, the farther you get, the more complicated it gets, but also the more you can annihilate the enemies with ultimate fire power. What sets this one apart is how few chances you get. Death can happen very suddenly.

Unlike most tower defense games I’ve played, this one actually has a story. Although it isn’t very compelling it is pretty funny. It’s also brief enough, that it doesn’t drown out the gameplay in any way.

For 1000 Wii points, it has a lot of playability. It also has some expansions that seem like they might be worth checking out. On the downside, I have never been a fan of paying for additional content, and this game has almost $70 dollars worth of extra stuff you could buy. The nice thing is, you don’t need to, you get a really good game for $10.

To sum it all up. I think the greatest thing this game has going for it is its harder to get bored of a game when you are constantly killing heroes. (Or at least knocking them out of a tall tower.) Even though Mira is a pretty cute little girl, and her right hand man happens to be a stuffed animal named Tonbetty, just having it in the back of your head that everything you’re doing is a step towards deeper darker evil, keeps it sharp and fun.

Big Shiny Robot is giving away THREE copies of the indie movie, Dakota Skye, on DVD! The film follows a 17 year-old girl who has the supernatural ability to recognize a lie as it’s being told. Now a cynic, Dakota becomes interested in her boyfriend’s best friend who appears to never lie, or is he just able to conceal it?

Dakota Skye is a charming indie release and racked up six awards during its run in film festivals back in 2008 and will make a solid addition to anyone’s DVD collection. So, how do you win a copy?

It’s simple, and there are two ways to enter! Just go to Big Shiny Robot’s Facebook fan page and leave a message on the Dakota Skye story saying “Give me a copy of Dakota Skye on DVD!” and your name will automatically be entered to win a copy, absolutely free! We will contact you to request your shipping information if you are selected as a winner. The other way to enter is to simply send us an e-mail (bigshinyrobot@gmail.com) with the subject line “Give me a copy of Dakota Skye on DVD!” with your contact information.

You have until Sunday to enter! Good luck!

Imagine having the ability to recognize a lie – any lie – as it is being told. The idea sounds appealing, until fully thought through. DAKOTA SKYE explores this concept through a gifted 17 year-old girl, who, unable to trust the people she loves, grows disillusioned with life. Newcomer Eileen Boylan (Sleepover, “South of Nowhere”) charmed audiences with her fresh performance as Dakota Skye as the film earned six awards during its 2008 film festival run. This summer, DAKOTA SKYE debuts on DVD loaded with special features including an audio commentary, making-of documentary, outtakes and bloopers, and more. DAKOTA SKYE arrives in-stores July 21 for $24.98SRP from E1 Entertainment.

“In this era of unorthodox superheroes on both screens large (Hancock) and small (TV’s “Heroes”), Dakota Skye manages to fly high.”

– Creative Loafing

For as long as she could remember, Dakota Skye (Boylan) has been cursed with a super power; she has the ability to see the truth in any lie she hears. From small, harmless white lies, to the more devious kind, they have come from the people that she should trust the most; her family, friends and teachers. Now 17, cynical and aloof, she finds little joy in life, until her boyfriend’s best friend Jonah (Ian Nelson) comes to town. Unlike everyone else, Jonah doesn’t lie. But is he really that squeaky-clean, or is he Dakota’s arch-nemesis, a villain who has found a way to conceal his deceit from her?

Vertigo had announced a little over a year ago that they were going to be publishing some books under a new label: “Vertigo Crime”. Telling Crime/Noir/Mystery stories, they would all be novel sized black and white hard covers. Now, after much anticipation, the first two volumes are being released tomorrow (next week for Amazon.com and the bookstores). The first of the two is Filthy Rich which I will be reviewing henceforth, and the other Dark Entries which will be reviewed by another robot shortly.

Written by: Brian Azzarello (100 Bullets, Joker)  With art by: Victor Santos (Young Ronin)

Filthy Rich tells the story of Richard “Junk”, a man who fell from football grace because of an injury, who, in his old age, is now starting his new job as a used car sales man. But this big lug is obviously not suited for selling cars, or even talking to people for that matter. He’s only good for two things: being big, and giving “it” to meaty women. His rich boss soon sees this and hires him to be his sexy daughters bodyguard (or at least keep her out of trouble and her face out of the papers.)

It’s all told like a classic Noir story: a big guy that talks with his fists, a few dames, maybe a bloody murder or two down the line, and a slight twist at the end. It definitely gave me everything I expected going in and more. The thing I love the most about this book though is just how it feels. The small black and white hard covers are a great idea. It’s the perfect size and length to take around with you for an afternoon and enjoy a crime story.

Even though I might be a little young to fully appreciate the format, I am now 100% all for it. Especially if they can keep the quality of the writers so high. Brian Azzarello did a very fine job with a very Raymond Chandler feel to his book, and I don’t think we could ask for a more perfect book to kick off this new series.

As far as the art in the book is concerned, I would just say that I’ve seen a prettier picture here and there, but the art fit right into this book marvelously, and it told a good story.  The sequentials were solid and felt cinematic in a way that’s sometimes hard to pull off with black-and-whites.

It does have a beckoning price tag at $19.99, but that can easily overlooked by reading my tale.

When I first looked at the cover art, my first thought was it was a fine looking cover, but I have to say while I was reading this in a public place, no less than four people asked about it based on the cover art alone. So what I’m trying to say is this: if you buy this book, you will be popular. Worth 20 wing-wangs? Certainly.

At the end of the day, I can’t wait for more titles to come out from Vertigo Crime and go buy the first two when they come next week!

To order Filthy Rich on Amazon, just click that link.

There was a lot of concern after Comic Con that Kick-Ass may not get picked up by a studio, or that if it did it would have to be toned down… a lot.

Well, it seems that those concerns can more than likely be laid to rest as Lionsgate has picked up the distribution rights for the film.

Official Press Release from Lionsgate:

LIONSGATE(R) Set To KICK-ASS With Filmmaker Matthew Vaughn’s Hotly Anticipated Superhero Action Comedy

Studio Acquires U.S. And Canadian Rights To Comic Book Adaptation From Director of LAYER CAKE and STARDUST

Buzz Sensation At 2009 Comic-Con, It Stars Nicolas Cage, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Breakout Stars Aaron Johnson and Chloe Moretz

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Aug. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — LIONSGATE((R)) (NYSE: LGF), the leading next generation studio, announced today that it has acquired U.S. and Canadian distribution rights to KICK-ASS, the hotly anticipated action-comedy from writer/director Matthew Vaughn (LAYER CAKE, STARDUST). Based on the groundbreaking, best-selling comic by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr., KICK-ASS stars Nicolas Cage (the upcoming SEASON OF THE WITCH, KNOWING, NATIONAL TREASURE), rising star Aaron Johnson (the upcoming NOWHERE BOY), Christopher Mintz-Plasse (SUPERBAD) and Chloe Moretz ((500) DAYS OF SUMMER). The screenplay is written by Vaughn and Jane Goldman. The producers are Matthew Vaughn, Brad Pitt, Tarquin Pack and Kris Thykier; Millar and Romita Jr. are co-producers. The announcement was made today by Joe Drake, Lionsgate President, Motion Picture Group, and Co-Chief Operating Officer, and Jason Constantine, Lionsgate President of Acquisitions and Co-Productions.

KICK-ASS was the buzz sensation of the July Comic-Con in San Diego, where early footage was shown to wildly appreciative fans. The film is a privately financed independent production from Vaughn’s Marv Films and Plan B Entertainment, and is currently in post-production. Lionsgate anticipates a wide release in 2010.

Said Constantine, “Matthew Vaughn is an amazing talent and a true original, and he has brought a whole new mindset to the action genre with KICK-ASS. KICK-ASS redefines the boundaries in terms of humor, action, story, character and tone — it’s the kind of movie that reminds us of why we go to the movies in the first place. Lionsgate is thrilled to bring KICK-ASS home to give it the next-generation launching pad it deserves.”

Said Vaughn, “Making and financing KICK-ASS has been an amazing experience, and we’ve had two important goals from the start: make a singularly entertaining film and find the right studio to release it. With Lionsgate, I know that I’ve got a supportive and fearless team behind me. It’s going to be fun working together to bring the film to audiences and those who are already fans of the comic book.”

Said Pack, “The massive response we received at Comic-Con has been hugely important in launching the next wave of momentum for the film, and Lionsgate’s marketing and distribution talents are a perfect fit for us. Lionsgate is a studio that is not afraid to do things differently, and that is the attitude that has characterized KICK-ASS from the very start.”

The deal was negotiated for Lionsgate by Constantine, Eda Kowan, Senior Vice President of Acquisitions and Co-Productions, Wendy Jaffe, Executive Vice President Business & Legal Affairs, Acquisitions and Co-Productions; and by WME and Matthew Johnson of Ziffren, Brittenham, Branca, Fischer, Gilbert-Lurie, Stiffelman, Cook, Johnson, Lande & Wolf LLP, on behalf of the filmmakers.

SYNOPSIS

A twisted, funny, high-octane adventure, director Matthew Vaughn brings KICK-ASS to the big screen.

KICK-ASS tells the story of average teenager Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson), a comic-book fanboy who decides to take his obsession as inspiration to become a real-life superhero. As any good superhero would, he chooses a new name — Kick-Ass — assembles a suit and mask to wear, and gets to work fighting crime. There’s only one problem standing in his way: Kick-Ass has absolutely no superpowers.

His life is forever changed as he inspires a subculture of copy cats, is hunted by assorted violent and unpleasant characters, and meets up with a pair of crazed vigilantes, including an 11-year-old sword-wielding dynamo, Hit Girl (Chloe Moretz) and her father, Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage).

So, there you have it! Seems like it’s going to be a good partnership, and I can’t think of a better main-stream studio to distribute this film…

If you missed the Comic Con footage of how awesome this movie is going to be, you can check it out here.

In Part 2 of our interview with Chris Claremont about his latest foray into the X-Men universe with the brand new book X-Men Forever.  In Part 1, we talked about the risks at stake in the X-Men Forever universe and some other things.

In Part 2, we talked about appearances in the book by other members of the Marvel Universe (and which ones show up at Logan’s funeral in issue #10).  The topic turned to his interest in writing any comics in current Marvel 616 continuity (post House of M, Civil War, Dark Reign, etc.).  We also spoke of the timeline and continuity of this series and he talked more about that.  The most interesting thing he said about the timeline issues of this book was that, “What we know, or think we know, as readers isn’t necessarily what the characters know in a specific time as themselves.”

Make sure to come back Monday for Part 3, where we talk about what he thinks about what people have done with his creations in his absence (among many, many other things, including some hints about the future of the X-Men!)…

For those of you who  just want to listen to the whole thing, the full audio can be downloaded from the Geek Show Podcast’s iTunes feed here.