007 Trailer, Box Office, Wanted Secrets, Lego Gun and Smith's Scientology School

007 Quantum of Solace Trailer - Bond 22 is coming November 7th and the trailer is finally out. The story is a continuation of the last film where the boyfriend of Vesper seeks out revenge against 007 for her death and in turn 007 is looking for revenge against those that put in her that position to begin with. The trailer will be released in theaters with Hancock. Click the link above for HD version.


Wall-E, Wanted Rule Box Office - The two movies did a one-two punch at the box office. One is G rated, the other R and yet both did well showing that their remains a solid market for both the young and the older. I saw both and recommend both. Wall-E took in $62.5 million making it the second highest June opening for Disney. Wanted is second with $51.118 million making it the most successful R-rated opening yet. Get Smart hangs on to third with a $20 million take losing a little under 50% of its sales from the previous weekend. Kung Fu Panda ($11.746 million) and The Incredible Hulk ($9.226) round out the top 5.

Wanted Stunt Secrets - An article in Wired, timed to help promote Wanted, reveals how some of the stunts where performed. Some of those stunts where amazing so after seeing the movie its worth checking out how they did that.

Lego Gun - Watch the below video for a Lego gun that fires off Lego bullets. Click the link above to buy (sadly) instructions on how to build one you.


Will Smith's Scientology School - The fall of Will Smith continues as he Scientology web closes around him. He has started his own school which is staffed partially by Scientologists with the goal of teaching the Scientology way. If judging by past history, their methods are usually a crock of shit and designed to entice more into the fold. The school is supposed to open next fall and I think the parents that sign up is worth looking into as I bet most, if not all, will be Scientologists.

Wall-E Review

Wall-E is one of the best movies released this year and probably the best movie yet produced by Pixar. It’s an entertaining, sweet film that tells a complete story with very few words. The animation is detailed, gorgeous and conveys robotic emotion in amazing ways and with sound. I don't really understand how the Pixar team managed it but they took a square robotic trash compactor and made it a fully realized character with as much depth as the traditional 3-D human character would have.

The story itself is pretty simple, the robot is lonely. Another robot comes and a bond is formed and when the she-bot is taken away, he follows her. The result is many amazing and sweet moments around the message of excess waste and human indifference and laziness.

If you do not see any other movie this summer at least see this one. Make sure you see it with a crowd of kids as their joy, giggles, and gasps make the movie that more enjoyable.

Wanted Review

Wanted is a movie that ignores the rules of physics, contains superhero like powers without the superhero element and has over the top stunts and special effects. Basically it’s the perfect summer popcorn movie where you sit, enjoy your two hours and leave. Sure it has its mistakes, plot holes and ignores the rules of gravity but that’s all part of the fun of the movie. It has a theme of the regular guy who becomes extraordinary but then the movie made the point of him having unlimited funds and a special power so that he could do that.

Angelina Jolie, with her tattoos, expressions and just her presence reminds you why she is regarded as one of the most beautiful woman in the world. She honestly doesn't do much but look sexy, but then that’s all she needed to do. James McAvoy and Morgan Freeman both seemed to enjoy their roles as pseudo good guys that kick ass and enjoy doing it.

The story itself is silly with a twist that you probably where not looking for and honestly only existed to create an ending to the film. You could probably spend all day making fun of the script problems and other things but that is not why you watch a popcorn movie. You watch to have fun and enjoy yourself for a few hours and this movie succeeds in that regard. I was highly entertained and recommend you see this movie on the big screen in a crowed theatre to fully enjoy it.

Lego, Solace Trailer and Goldblum

Lego Q&A - Gizmodo continues its series from Lego, this time covering the many questions and stats about the bricks.

Lego Cathedrals Video - Click the link for a video of the storage warehouse of Lego that contains 19 billion Lego pieces a year across 65.6 square miles of shelf space all controlled via computer and robots for on demand needs. Very impressive in scope.

Quantum of Solace Teaser on Monday - Around 1pm US time, 007, Quantum of Solace trailer will be released. Below is a video of the first 10 seconds.


Jeff Goldblum Joines Criminal Intent - Once again Chris Noth is leaving behind is Mike Logan character when Law & Order Criminal Intent ends its current season. The reason why is unknown but its been announced that Jeff Goldblum will replace him. Not sure if this is a good thing or not.

Dr. Horrible Teaser, Eagle Eye Trailer, Kevin Smith and Charter

Dr. Horrible Teaser - From the mind of Joss Wheden (Buffy, Angel, etc) comes a webisodes staring Neil Patrick Harris. From Whedon "It's the story of a low-rent super-villain, the hero who keeps beating him up, and the cute girl from the laundromat he's too shy to talk to." It looks good.

Teaser from Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog on Vimeo.

Eagle Eye Trailer - Latest movie from Shia LaBeouf that comes out September 26, 2008. "In the fast-paced race-against-time-thriller "Eagle Eye" Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan are two strangers who become the pawns of a mysterious woman they have never met, but who seems to know their every move. Realizing they are being used to further her diabolical plot, they must work together to outwit the woman before she has them killed." I have a crush on Monaghan so I will be there just for her.


Kevin Smith on George Carlin - Kevin has written a great article for Newsweek where he remember the last great comedian.

Charter Delays Customer Spying Program - The internet service provider has chosen to delay their user tracking programs (for directed advertisement and who knows what else). They claim its concerns that customers have voiced. The real reason is bad press. I am betting they are hoping that time will delay interest and they can quietly start doing it under the radar without anyone knowing.

Dark Knight Spot, Doctor Who Finale, Lego Vault, and Audit

Batman and Joker Spot - A new TV spot is out for the upcoming The Dark Knight that shows a bit more of the interactions between the Joker and Batman in the movie.


Doctor Who Teaser - The season finale of Doctor Who is coming and out is a new teaser that hints at the return of the principle cast members from the last 4 seasons and from Torchwood. The show is actually good sci-fi and just a darn entertaining show. If you don't watch it, you should be.


Lego Secret Vault - Gizmodo has a video that takes a peek in Lego's vault which contains mint, unopened boxes of all 4,720 sets that Lego has released. Some of then, such as the space boxes and castle boxes I have owned and still have in the attic. I also remember desperately wanting the train sets but also spending the money instead of NES games.

More Justice Department Corruption - As a sign of the times, an internal audit has concluded that Alberto's Gonzales department was corrupted politically to the point where interns and new hires where filtered by their political leanings. It basically became some bizzarro department where die-hard Bushies only allowed.

George Carlin 1937 - 2008

Sadly famed comedian George Carlin died of a heart attack yesterday. The funny man's influence is lot larger then most probably know. His lines are repeated often, his HBO specials are still hilarious today, and his work in movies is usually memorable even if the movies themselves where not. His most famous contribution to pop culture was the "Seven Dirty Words" in 1973 that led to a Supreme Court case that declared them "indecent but not obscene" and gave the FCC leeway in deciding what indecency was on the airwaves. In November he was going be given the 2008 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor by the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

"Part of what my impulse is with things I've said or done, I think it is an attempt to demystify these things, to take them out of the realm of the forbidden and the disgusting and the off-base, and to at least bring them into the discussion" - George Carlin

How George Carlin Change Comedy
7 Great George Carlin Clips
More George Carlin clips

Get Smart Rules Box Office - Despite sub par reviews, Get Smart managed to exceed expectations by five million and land $39 million over the weekend. I expect the drop will be significant for next week. The other new movie, Mike Myers universally panned "The Love Guru", took in a pathetic $14 million and probably will quickly drop off the radar as its pushed even further aside by next week's Wanted and Wall-E. Incredible Hulk and Kung-Fu Panda both took in $21.7 million. Chances are Hulk will probably not another sequel though as it will probably just eke out profitability.

Android Delayed, Difficult - The WSJ is reporting that Google's Android may not be the iPhone killer the non AT&T providers where hoping for. Its probably going to be delayed at least a year (I bet more), difficult to program for compared to the iPhone, and the OS still isn't locked down so it’s constantly changing. Long story short, if you are not getting an iPhone because you think Android will be better, you might as well stop waiting, it will be a while and more then likely need to wait for 2.0 anyway so the bugs are worked out.

MPAA, Due Process A Waste, Just Pay Up - In a story of the bizarre, a lawyer for the MPAA is basically saying that people should be charged as guilty and pay up and they should not have to bother with something as difficult as "proof". Proof is just so hard so why waste time demanding it.

Star Wars Retrospective Part 5

Gametrailers.com took a two month break but its back. Now that the Metal Gear Solid Retrospective is finished, the next installment of the Star Wars series is out. Part five focus on the games that re-create the series battles.

Lego Space Center, Death Star and

Lego Kennedy Space Center - Click the link for a video that shows off Kennedy Space Center complete with shuttles, buildings, etc all built with 750,000 Legos.
Lego Allanz Arena Stadium - Gallery that shows off the stadium built with 1,300,000 Legos and 30,000 mini-figures. It resides at the Munich, Germany Legoland.

Lego Death Star - A $400 Lego set that contains 14 scenes, 21 mini-figures and built from 4000 bricks. As the video at the link above shows, it has lots of goodies built in too. Click here for a gallery and description.

Lego Digital Designer - If the above has inspired you, Lego offers the Lego Digital Designer that lets you use 763 different Lego brick types to virtually create any creation you come up with and then order the bricks to build it for real.

Lego Airbus A380 - Another video, this going over a 1:25 scale lego plane made with 75,000 bricks that took 600 hours to assemble.

Trailers, Knight Rider GPS, and 15 CEO Pay-offs

Terminator 4 Salvation Trailer - AICN has a description of the teaser trailer for the movie that will be release with The Dark Knight on July 18th. I wouldn't be surprised if it pops up on the internets before then.

Wall-E Trailer - A third trailer for Wall-E is out. The movie starts in theatres next week. Its Pixar which is all I need to know.


The Mummy 3 Trailer - I enjoyed the other Mummy films as good old fashion popcorn fun. This one looks like more of that and even better it has Jet Li. About my only complaint is the gorgeous Rachel Weisz wouldn't reprise the role that made her famous. The film is out August 1st.
Knight Rider GPS - It’s a new device from Mio that makes use of William Daniel's voice to give you a little KITT love. Whenever it’s released, it will be $300, about average for GPS devices.

15 Most Astonishing CEO Pay-Offs - It must be good to become a CEO of a big company. No matter how well you do or do not do your job, you are assured of a multi-million dollar pay-out whenever you are shown the door. I look at the below numbers (which don't include additional benefits worth millions) and kept help but wonder how many of their employees (and customers) that kind of change could have helped.
1. Lee R Raymond, Exxon - $351 million for retirement
2. Edward Whitacre, AT&T - $158.5 million retirement
3. Richard Handler, The Jeffries Group - $202 million retirement (after only 7 years)
4. Michael D. Eisner, Disney - $1 billion+ estimate, forced out
5. Henry McKinnell, Pfizer - $213 million, forced out
6. Jack Welch, GE - $9 million per year for life plus many benefits for retiring
7. Charles Prince, Citigroup - $42 million + $53 million in stock, retired
8. Stanley O'Neal, Merrill Lynch - $161.6, forced retirement
9. Robert Nardelli, Home Depot - $210, forced out
10. James Kitt, Gillette - $165 million + $13 million for taxes, forced out due to merger
11. Dick Cheney, Halliburton - $34 million retirement + yearly compensation + 430,000 stock (which the Iraq war helped increase in value)
12. Angelo Mozilo, Countrywide - $23.8 million, force out after nearly destroying the company
13. Robert Toll, Toll Brothers - $17.2 million retirement + 2% of companies earnings before taxes
14. John Mack, Morgan Stanley - $40 million + stock bonus
15. Lloyd Blankfein, Goldman Sachs - $60.7 million bonus

Atari Mod, Fth Avenue Mystery, Candidate Wives, and Operation Fair Game

Portable Atari 7800 - Master gaming modder Ben Heck has come out with another mod, this time a portable version of the Atari 78-- with a 7-inc screen, driving/paddle controller and A/V output jacks.

Court Overturns Grounding - In a rather bizarre case, a court judge in Canada overturned the grounding of a 12 year-old citing it unfair. The child was grounded for how she was using the internet and not allowed to go on a trip. He is in a custody battle with the ex-wife so you can imagine what her goals are and the child has very little to do with them. End result is the judge making a decision on what is a parental issue since clearly there were no child endangerment issues. The case should have been tossed and now maybe the judge too.

Cindy McCain Complains - About a month or so after Michelle Obama was attacked by republicans for her so-called lack of patriotism, Cindy (under fire for her tax secrets) has decided its just not fair. The wives should be left alone. Convenient this didn't come out on behalf of Michelle. They are selling their image to the American public as a means of selling their husbands which means they have allowed themselves to be put under the same scrutiny. If they can't handle it, then quit campaigning.

Mystery on Fifth Avenue - Interesting article about an apartment built with secret compartments and messages for a family that may now be turned into a movie by JJ Abrams.

Operation Fair Game: Stop - A video that covers some of the history of the Fair Game policy and the misinformation Scientology is trying to get out about it. Also discusses their tactics in trying to stop the poor press the Anonymous movement is causing them, all based on the Fair Game policy.

Operation Fair Game: STOP from Pelvidar on Vimeo.

Lego Wall-E, Vista Tweaks, and Dark Knight Viral Videos

Lego Wall-E - Click the link for a gallery of pictures of Wall-E in Lego form with moving neck, arms and treads.

Vista Tweaks - Helpful tips to fix the annoying User Account Control, stop Windows from rebooting after a windows update, remove the click sounds, fix compatibility mode, reduce hard drive grind, stop annoying pop-up notifications and more.

Dark Knight Viral Campaign - The viral advertising campaign is in full swing now with a new one involving a pizza place that leads to a semi-intro of two face (video). Another is "Gotham Tonight" show (below) and also having actors share that "I believe in Harvey Dent" and endorsing him for Gotham DA. The line about Harvey is a direct lift from "The Long Halloween" graphic novel.

Final Fantasy, Death Race, Hulk, Heroes DVD, and Free Speech

Final Fantasy Tactics A2 Trailer - The game is getting another remake, this time for the Nintendo DS. I already have the original PS One game, might get this one.


Final Fantasy IV on DS Preview - Another video, this time covering some of the changes made as Final Fantasy IV (FF II on Super NES in states) gets upgraded for the Nintendo DS. It’s my favorite game of the series (cause of the story) so I am there when it comes out sometime in July.


Death Race Trailer - Click the link for a trailer for the remake coming out in August. It stars Jason Statham who has shown an ability to pick fun, entertaining movies.

Hulk Rules the Box Office - Shaking off the 2003 movie, the Incredible Hulk took in $55 million to rule the box office despite stiff competition from Kung Fu Panda. Overall the numbers are better then expected and the reviews seem to be good overall. I recommend the movie.

Heroes Season 2 DVD Details - The season that seemed to drag on, especially anytime those annoying twins showed up, is coming to DVD. Loved the first season, hated the second. However, it seems this is known as the S2 DVD set has lots of bonus content such as alternative season ender, season 3 sneak peak, audio commentaries (gasp, the stars actually participate) and more.

US Freedom of Speech vs. Rest of the World - An interesting article from New York Times that discusses how the US handles free speech versus the rest of the world. The main focus is "hate" speech laws that many countries have enacted and how those laws may not be as good as people thought.

Legendary Effects Wizard Stan Winston Dead

Stan Winston
April 7, 1946 - June 15, 2008
Stan Winston, the man that pioneered visual-effects in movies over the last 25 plus years has died at the age of 62 after a seven year fight with multiple myeloma. He died Sunday night, June 16 at his California home.

Technically his death is not Transformers related but without his trail-blazing and inspiring work, the live action Transformers probably would not have existed. His work helped create the blockbuster, special effects fun we now enjoy.

Stan Winston has won four Academy Awards for makeup, visual-effects and animatronics work. He is only one of two special effects wizard to have a Walk of Fame start.

For his impact on the film industry, you just have to read through his filmography and see his work on The Terminator movies, Predator series, Aliens series, Jurassic Park series, and Edward Scissorhands, just to name a few. His final projects include Avatar, Jurassic Park IV, and Terminator 4. He also created special effects company Stan Winston Studio whose recent work includes Indiana Jones and the upcoming GI Joe.

"I don't do special effects. I create characters and I use the tools of special effects necessary to do it," - Stan Winston, 2003

Russert, Punisher, Watchman, Hulk, and Galactica

Tim Russert Dead at 58 - The famous political commentator Tim Russert died today of a heart attack at work. He was the host of Meet the Press since 1991 and a regular commentator for all things political over the years.

Watchman Trailer Date - Chud's sources are saying the first trailer for Watchman, an adaptation of the comic book, is coming out with The Dark Knight, so July 18th.

Punisher: War Zone Teaser Trailer - The new trailer for the Punisher with Ray Stevenson in the role. I have to admit the trailer doesn't do it for me. The movie is scheduled to come out December 5th.

Edward Norton, A Sense of Humor? - The egomaniac that is Edward Norton poke his head out to actually make a little fun of himself and the Hulk. It’s a goofy video aired on last night's Jimmy Kimmel Live show. Click the link to see.

Galactica in 2009 - Battlestar Galactica ends the first half of its final season tonight with an apparent job-dropping cliffhanger. The conclusion of the series is expected to air in the first quarter of next year, so a long long wait. In addition it’s possible the final episode could be expanded to three hours meaning the final count will 12 episodes for the series.

Special Comment: Unimportance of Being John McCain

Keith Olbermann aired another Special Comment yesterday. This time the target of his ire is John McBush...McCain dismissing nailing down a time of the return of the troops as not important. The full transcript is here.

The Metal Gear Retrospective Part Six

Metal Gear Solid 4 is out and the overall story can be quite confusion the way its jumped around over the years. GameTrailers.com has put together a 20 minute video to try and explain the story arc using the Metal Gear Solids games as sources. The video is the final part of the excellent Metal Gear Retrospective series.

The Metal Gear Retrospective Part 5

The next installment of the Metal Gear Retrospective is out. Part five covers all the portable versions of the saga. The final installment will be out in a week or so and will attempt to cover weave the saga together in a unified story similar to an attempt made for the Legend of Zelda series.

The Onion, iPhone Cost, Smurfs, Hulk, and Clone Wars

World of World of Warcraft - The onion strikes again, this time with a report of a "sequel" to World of Warcraft where players create avatars...that play World of Warcraft. It is hilarious piece.

'Warcraft' Sequel Lets Gamers Play A Character Playing 'Warcraft'

iPhone 3G True Price - Gizmodo did a little number crunching to determine how much owning an iPhone 3G will set you back over the course of a two year contract with AT&T. The conclusion: $1975. This is based on AT&T cheapest plan of $39 for 450 minutes, $30 unlimited data plan, and $5 200 messages SMS. I really want this phone but still not sure if paying that extra $35 a month (for data and SMS) gives me doubts. But doing business with AT&T considering its reputation is even more dubious. I am curious to see if there new 3G network can handle the load.

The Smurfs Are Coming? - Sony Animation has indicated it plans to bring the 80s cartoon about tiny blue woodland creatures that like to say "smurf" alot to the big screen. I grew up on the show but not entirely sure it’s something I want to see "modernized" or on the big screen.

Hulk Director's Cut on DVD? - According to reports, apparently the Louis Leterrier/Edward Norton cut of the upcoming Hulk film cam in at around three hours. Marvel Studios demanded a faster pace cut so the final film is now 106 minutes. What to do with the remaining 70 minutes? Put em on DVD of course. I guess have to wait until see the movie to decide if the longer version is worth it.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Another trailer for the upcoming CGI movie. Personally the whole Clone Wars thing just doesn't interest me. I rather see CGI stuff of the extended universe stories post Return of the Jedi.