The 83rd Annual Academy Awards (Part ?)

So we finished watching it and the ballots are in.

Robert 13 guesses correct.
Rikki 12 guesses correct.

Waiting to see if Cailean played along.


Couple of questions:

Was James Franco high while hosting?
Did Christian Bale forget his wife's name?

Bob Hope & Sci Fi

Well folks, bob hope is now being idolized on the academy awards. I love Bob Hope (the pirate and the princess, road to Singapore) he is by far one of the greatest entertainers of all time. I gotta say, i love this years academy awards. Bob Hope and 4 fracking academy awards for INCEPTION. 4 PEOPLE!!!!!!!

I love.

THE WOLFMAN!

Okay folks. The Wolfman just won an academy award. This is the year for sci-fi.

(i truly dislike that film)

Inception

Well here it is folks, the Academy Awards and INCEPTION has won 3 awards already and the night isnt over. THIS IS THE FUTURE PEOPLE!!!!!!

Sci Fi shall inherit the earth!!!!!

The 83rd Annual Academy Awards (Part 1)

So it's starting soon.

The Oscars.


I wanted to take a look at where nerdy movies stand in something as epic as the Academy Awards.

Top 10 Video Games of 2010 By CaptainCailean

There comes a time in every mans life when he sits down late one Thursday night and decides what games this year truly left there mark upon him. We saw Robbie B's list not too long ago, so following in suit is your captain, with my illustrious list of awesomeness. Here goes:

1. Red Dead Redemption
2. Bioshock 2
3. Heavy Rain
4. Assassins Creed Brotherhood
5. Pokemon Soul Silver
6. Castle Crashers (PS3)
7. Spider Man Shattered Dimensions
8. Dante's Inferno
9. Pac Man Championship Edition Deluxe
10. Space Invaders Infinity Gene

While my cohorts may not appreciate Dante's Inferno (in favor of the God of War) i found the game to be far more enjoyable, far more unique, and had tons more replay value than the 3rd God of War. Now, granted I defeated God of War 3, and really enjoyed it, i would have liked to see the downloadable character skins less restricting. You cannot unlock a trophy you missed if you are using one of the many awesome costumes....WHY. For that reason, its off the list.

DVD and BluRay Releases for February 22nd, 2011

Happy Tuesday! On to the DVDs:

Armless is the story of a married couple who is going through problems because the wife thinks her husband is hiding something...he is, he wants to cut his arms off.


I'm hoping this a dark, quirky, dramedy, but I'm not going to give it too much credit.

Glenn the Flying Robot sounds like a title of a children's movie or something like that, but after watching the trailer it seems worst...or better...so bad its good?

The CGI for Glenn is laughable, the beginning of the trailer made the movie seem like a sci-fi romantic, psychological drama, then (out of no-where) a flying robot fight scene between the bronze Glenn and another yellow robot.

Its like Bicentennial Man, but not as good.

Hell, I'd still watch it.

Psych: 9...dumb name...enough to make me think the movie's dumb.


However, I MIGHT watch it.....just because Cary Elwes (of Robin Hood: Men in Tights and The Princess Bride fame) is in it...


But then again, he's in two movies listed above (both of which I own) I could just watch those.

I'm not going to say a thing, I don't want to give anything away about the plot of Season 6.


So, just to let you know, Weeds: Season 6 is out on DVD and BluRay today, so go get it.

Now.

All-Star Superman. Yes, its a cartoon, but when I tell you the all-star cast (which I am geeking out about right now) you'll sooooo want to get it too!

Christina Hendricks (from Mad Men) ------------------------------- Lois Lane
Anthony LaPaglia (the cop friend from So I Married an Axe Murder) ---- Lex
Edward "Ed" Asner (legend) --------------------------------------- Perry White
James Denton (Desperate Housewives) ----------------- Clark Kent/Superman
Linda Cardellini (Scooby Doo) ------------------------------ Nasthalthia Luthor
Alexis Denisof (Buffy and Angel) ---------------------------- Dr. Leo Quintum
There are a few more "Oh, that guy," moments on the imdb page, but these are my favorites.


Happy watching!


-uglyrikki

Who Knew Zombie Slaughters Could Be So Gorgeous? - Dead Island Trailer

I know, I may be a little late in finding out about this one, but how awesome was that!? What has me really excited about this game is that you don't actually play as any of these characters! this is just part of ONE side story in the game. Dead Island has been described as a first-person game, not a shooter though as you will be using items in your environment to slice, bash and rip apart your zombie infected foes. Also, this game is supposed to have an entirely open world map and any part of it is accessible whenever you want to go. It might be tough getting there though as different classes of zombies will stand in your way of.... who knows? Those details are pretty much all that's been released about the game so one can only speculate as to how it will all play out. I'm personally hoping Dead Island has the fast-paced first person action of Mirror's Edge combined with the insane and frantic zombie battles in Left 4 Dead, with some interactive cinematic Heavy Rain elements thrown in for good measure. This is definitely a game to keep your eye on this year as we should eventually start to see gameplay videos in time.

The Smithsonian is a Total Nerd.

The Smithsonian rocks my socks.

It was founded in 1846 and is currently the largest and most extensive museum and research facility.

Just when I thought the Smithsonian wasn't nerdy enough, they got so much nerdier.

The Smithsonian Institute is opening a new exhibit called The Art of Video Games in which they will display games throughout the past 4 decades and the histories behind each game. Now, in our modern age, we have a chance to take part in an exhibit that relates very closely to my generation's childhood (and a few of the generations before me).


How long have you been a fan of video games? Since 2010? 2000? 1990? 1980? 1970?

Well, well well, then just head over to The Art of Video Games and cast your vote on which games should be inducted into the exhibit.


The Smithsonian states that the exhibit will open on March 16th, 2012, and will close on September 30th, 2012. No word on when the voting ends so do it now or forever hold your peace.


I've always wanted to go to the Smithsonian (I am a fan of Bones), looks like I need to start planning my trip for 2012.



-uglyrikki

Nerdy on Netflix- Mindwarp & Ponyo

Well team, here we are again ready to disclose some largely unknown greatness on everyones favorite the Netflix instant que.

This week, a great little piece of cinematic wonderment comes to you straight from 1992, Mindwarp. Starring the ever perfect Bruce Cambell (Army of Darkness...DUH) and Angus Scrimm (Phantasm) this post apocalyptic gem of REDICULOUS is a must watch for anyone with a Netflix instant que. The film is a distopic interpretation of technology gone wrong, with a sprinkling of pig faced monstermen and what some may call, overacting. However, this film surpasses all expectations and is the PERFECT choice for those who love all things Bruce. He is the pan-ultimate badass in this film. Hands down.

Be ready to laugh, and stare in awe at this great little gems ability to entertain and perplex. A must watch.

Up next in a starkly contrasting realm is a beautiful film, Ponyo. From 2008 this film is one in which anyone and everyone can fall in love. The animation is perfect, the voice acting above reproach. It is assuredly a lovely film for the whole family. Directed by Hayao Miyazaki (of whom you should have an intimate knowledge if you are on this blog) the film is a magical telling of a young boy and the sweet little Ponyo (an aquatic little girl that just loves ham) and their journey together, quite honestly its the most amazing story of love and family one could ask for. If you love anime, beauty, the sea or just love life Ponyo is the film for you.

As always this is your Captain signing off!

-CaptainCailean

Flashback Theater - Memento (2000)

With the Oscars just around the corner and since Christopher Nolan's latest, Inception, is up for a few awards including Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay and Best Visual Effects, I thought it would be cool to take a look back at the incredible psychological thriller that got his career off the ground: Memento. This movie stars Aussie actor Guy Pearce (The Time Machine, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert) as Leonard, a man who has a condition not unlike Drew Barrymore's in 50 First Dates, albeit with a much darker twist. He remembers everything in his life up until he suffered a gunshot wound to the head and the last thing he recalls is his wife dying. Unable to create new memories, he tries to track down his wife's murderer and every time he finds a clue he has it tattooed somewhere on his body. But can he remember what they all mean? The supporting cast is excellent as well, there's Carrie-Anne Moss ("Trinity" from The Matrix Trilogy) as a woman who tries to help Leonard get justice, although she has ulterior motives for doing so... And then there's Joe Pantoliano (The Sopranos, and the first Matrix flick as well) as Teddy, a man that seems like he's taking advantage of Leonard's short-term memory deficiency for his own personal gain. Also, there's a great and creepy cameo (shot in black and white) featuring the under-rated character actor Stephen Tobolowsky (Radioland Murders, Heroes, Glee, and most recently Californication).

The real kicker for this movie though is that it starts at the end and ends at the beginning (not

unlike that episode of Seinfeld where they went to a wedding in Africa), and each scene takes you further towards the beginning and builds layer upon layer in each of the characters' personalities. It's not until the very end, err, beginning that you fully understand what is happening to poor Leonard. This movie is so good that once it's over you're going to want to start it all over with the knowledge you gained from your first viewing. I would say more about it, but I don't want to ruin anymore than I might have already. If you've never seen Memento, you'd do well to add it to your Netflix queue or check it out at your local video store. Or even better, buy it. It shouldn't be too expensive as the movie is 10.5 years old. Bonus features on the DVD include interviews with the cast and crew and a full short story "Memento Mori" written by Christopher Nolan's brother, Jonathon Nolan which inspired Christopher's screenplay. Be sure to check out the trailer below:

VERDICT: 9.5/10

Super Sexy NEW Superman

So, we've all known for a couple of weeks now that they have released the casting for Clark Kent/Superman for the film Superman: Man of Steel will be Henry Cavill (of The Tudors and The Count of Monte Cristo fame).

....

:)

Me = very happy. VERY.

...but apparently I'm not the only one...

I went to google images today to look for a picture of Henry Cavill for this blog post, and something caught my eye. People have been photo chopping shopping pictures of Cavill on Superman's body to get their jollies off for all I know.

Here are some of the worst BEST!

Top 10 Graphic Novels for Those Who Hate Comic Books

Top 10 Graphic Novels for Those Who Dislike Comics

So here we go, my very first blog for The News Busters and let me tell you friends it is going to be a doozy. First off, Comic books at times are given a bad wrap. It is as if uneducated people seem to believe they are childlike or always revolving around some spandex clad wearing super being. However, as my first blog and list will show that is not the case. This list is a fundamental introductory course in the Graphic Novel Genre, I hope you will agree. And remember, turning someone onto comics is a very personally rewarding undertaking, go forth!

1. Y the Last Man- 10 graphic novels of sheer awesome. The writing is fantastic, the story original and vastly appealing. The protagonist, one of the most likeable and identifiable in comics ever.

2. Swamp Thing- (following the career of the ever great Alan Moore) these stories speak to the heart of any horror movie lover in the first few, while introducing one of the most unique characters in comic book history. The ethereal struggles and contemplations voice by the ever changing Swamp Thing help to find a metaphysical clarity within the mind of any reader. Plus hallucinogenic sex fruit? Yes you are interested.

3. The Unwritten- Fantastic, poignant, a reflective of the likes of a newer generation of comic book reader. Harry Potter meets J.R.R Tolkens life story. Perfection.

4. Ex Machina- For the politically minded individual, the story of a mayor with some unusual abilities. Many of the graphic novels choose a certain political theme to address while maintaining a psudo-steampunk feel.

5. All Star Superman- The perfect (short) Superman story. Break them into the spandex gently!

6. Fables- Fantastic. Fairy tales were the first super characters, it’s a perfect fit. Ushering them into the modern world, is a mark of genius.

7. Werewolves of Montperllier, The Left Bank Gang, anything by Jason- Hilarious and dark. Anyone interested the darker side of life would love these books.

8. Sin City- Crime and Sex, big boobs and even bigger guns. Frank Miller is a great man and these are great reads.

9. Jack of Fables- My favorite of the Fables books, Jack is a bastard, but man do we love him.

10. Black Hole- Sheer horror movie perfection. Everyone and Anyone would love this book. Hands down.

In all seriousness, buy someone the first novel of these 10 selections and you will have a nerdy conversation going on over dinner. These are cornerstones of the legitimate comic novel industry. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a spandex loving madman, but hey I’ve read all of these too.

For now this is your Captain, signing off!

-CaptainCailean

Robert's Top 10 List of 2010 - Music (Albums)

Music is a very subjective thing. It can affect people in different ways, and everyone has their own personal tastes. The same could be said for any form of art, but for some reason I feel like music is the most important. 2010 was an amazing year for music, with a lot of incredible albums. I listened to a lot, saw a lot of shows, but ultimately this list reflects what I played the most on my iPod and what I chose to pull from the most when making my mix CDs last year. Keep in mind I listen to mostly indie, alternative and electronic music with some rap every now and again. Also if you've never heard any of these songs, I've got you covered with music videos so you can have a little taste. If you like what you hear please support these awesome bands by getting their albums (if you don't have them already). So, without further adieu, I present my Top 10 Albums of 2010:

10. Yeasayer - Odd Blood

9. Big Boi - Sir Lucius Left Foot, The Son of Chico Dusty

8. Broken Bells - Broken Bells

7. Vampire Weekend - Contra

6. Local Natives - Gorilla Manor

5. Sufjan Stevens - The Age of Adz

4. Gorillaz - Plastic Beach

3. Of Montreal - False Priest

2. Surfer Blood - Astro Coast

1. LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening

Runners Up: The Walkmen - Lisbon, Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest, Janelle Monae - The ArchAndroid, The Black Keys - Brothers, Arcade Fire - The Suburbs, Shit Robot - From the Cradle to the Rave, Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

DVD and BluRay Releases for February 15th, 2011

Unstoppable starring Denzel Washington, Rosario Dawson, and Chris Pine. Personally I neither love nor hate Rosario Dawson but I unconditionally love Chris Pine.

I haven't seen it yet, but Robert and I have a plan to watch it this week.

It looks like your basic, run-of-the-mill action movie, except with Dark Chocolate and Baby Blue Eyes.

I already enjoy it.

Today you can purchase All the President's Men on BluRay!

This is a classic that everyone should see at least once in their lives, I would love to watch it on BluRay, but personally, I'm betting it looks the same on DVD.

Dr. Who: A Christmas Carol comes out today. This was a pretty good special, actually I think it is one of the best. Great cast, great story, and the adorkable Doctor, Matt Smith.

Bow-ties are cool.

Gift Ideas for your Nerdy Valentine.

So, there's one day left until VD and I know how hard it is to find the perfect gift, so here are some ideas (I doubt you'd be able to buy these today and get them by tomorrow, but they are more ideas than anything).

1. 8-bit Flower Bouquet - You can't go wrong with flowers, so why not an 8-bit Bouquet from ThinkGeek.com.

Its sweet and funny and best part of all: They will never die!




Sells for $14.99

2. Heart Necklace - What is better than jewelry? Every girl loves something shinny to go around their neck or fingers.

For those nerdy girls, why not a lego heart necklace?



Handmade, sells for $8.95

3. Personalized Rubik Cube - What is more romantic than a personalized gift? Submit a few of your and your significant other's pictures from facebook and get a personalized rubik cube.




Sells for $29.95

4. Giant Bleeding Heart Gummy Candy - Although chocolate is the big thing on Valentines day, why not try something different?

This gift leaves so much room for cliché Valentine Cards.






Sells for only $6.99!

5. Princess Leia Plushie - One of the top sellers on Valentines are stuffed animals.


But who wants a purple dog holding a big heart that says "You're Mine."


Not really something you can have out year round...so why not go to Esty.com and look for a handmade plush of your Valentine's favorite nerdy character.


This one is $20 on Esty.

6. DVD - Or you can always do what I did and got a DVD for my Valentine. 


It's a practical gift and one we can both enjoy.


Personally, I got Archer season 1 on DVD for about $20 at Wal-Mart but you can go anywhere, try Half-Price Books for some great deals on used DVD.












So thats my nerdy shopping Guide, my advice is stick with ThinkGeek.com, Etsy.com, and places like Wal-Mart and Best Buy.

X-Men: First Class - Official Trailer

The new X-Men: First Class came out recently so I thought I would link it here for those who haven't seen it.

It has a great cast of semi-knowns to known-wells. I thought I might mention a few of the semi-knowns:

Jennifer Lawrence, who is playing Mystique, has only done a hand full of films but she was in the Oscar nominated movie Winter's Bone, which I haven't seen, I just know about it because of the Dana Carvey and Mike Myer's Wayne's World sketch on SNL.

Nicholas Hoult, who is playing one of my favorite X-Men characters: Hank "The Beast" McCoy, previously (brilliantly) played by Kelsey Grammer. Hoult might have a familar face if you watch BBC America or are from England, he played Tony in the (British) TV show Skins and I'll be interested to see him play Beast, although I probably wouldn't have cast him as a first choice.

Finally, Lucas Till will be playing Havok, he has one of those pretty boy faces that I feel like I should know, however the only things on his IMDB play that I've seen is Walk the Line where he played the young Jack Cash, but if anyone cares he was in the Hannah Montana movie, but I won't hold that against him, a paycheck is a paycheck.

There a couple of other unknowns to me, so I went to IMDB of one of those and he's in a Twilight movie so I ignored him.

On to the trailer:

Nerdy on Netflix - Buffy the Vampire Slayer

One of the most amazing companies of our time is Netflix. No doubt in my mind that Hollywood Video went out of business because of this website.

What makes Netflix perfect is that for a low price each month, you can watch an unlimited about of movies in a variety of different ways: DVD, computer, internet ready DVD and/or BluRay Player, Wii, XBox360, and PS3.

I watch on my PS3 and this article series is about what nerdy things you can find on Netflix instant.

First one starting off this list is Buffy the Vampire Slayer seasons 1-7 (not including Angel seasons 1-5, because we'll get to that later).

Buffy the Vampire Slayer was an iconic TV series of my youthhood, and is one of the nerdiest things you can find on Netflix. Almost a year ago, Robby B and myself set out on a nerdy journey of TV mastery:

We watched every, single episode of Buffy from the beginning, and thanks to Netflix on the XBox, we did it, it only took about a month and a  half.

I had never seen a episode of Buffy before but became instantly addicted a couple of hours in and now there are days when I seriously miss Giles or I'll have a plethora of naughty dreams about Spike.

If you have Netflix and have a thirst for something nerdy, then might I suggest: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Seasons 1-7. You won't be sorry you did.

Robert's Top 10 List of 2010 - Video Games

Here we are with my first Top 10 list for the blog. These will be a regular thing so be prepared. Scroll down slowly if you don't want to ruin the surprises. Also, as a side note, I'm sure that Cailean and Rikki will disagree with me on some of these decisions but it's my list so they can just leave their angry comments below.

#10. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood

#9. Limbo

#8. No More Heroes 2

#7. BioShock 2

#6. Super Mario Galaxy 2

#5. Pac-Man Championship Edition Deluxe

#4. Castlevenia: Lords of Shadow

#3. Heavy Rain

#2. God of War III

#1. Donkey Kong Country Returns

Runners up: Red Dead Redemption, Halo Reach, Spider-man: Shattered Dimensions, Goldeneye 007, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II, and Alan Wake.

DVD and BluRay Releases for February 8th, 2011

Out on DVD and BluRay today!

I Spit on Your Grave is a remake of the 1978 horror film of the same name. Jennifer Hills is a writer who retreats to small town to continue her next book. She attracts the attention of some depraved locals who decide its time to teach a city girl some good old fashion country hazing...however the hazing quickly turns into sadistic abuse, but before the men can kill her, she throws broke body into a raging river. The men assume she died (already being on the point of death)...but she didn't.

I haven't seen this movie, it had a limited 12 city release and it didn't even reach $100,000 in theaters. Thats pretty sad, when you consider the budget was $1.5 million.

Middle Men. Set in 1995, this film tells the story of Jack Harris, one of the 3 men responsible for the way the masses access porn.

It has an amazing cast which includes: Luke Wilson, Gionvanni Ribisi, James Caan, Kevin Pollack, and (my favorite Beastie) Kelsey Grammer.

This movie also has the coolest tag line I've heard in a while: "The Guys Who Took the XXX to the www."

Haven't see it, but its on my Netfilx queue!

You Again has one of my favorite actresses in it! Kristen Bell, oh how I love you in a semi-lesbionic way. Along with her has an amazing cast of women: the glorious Betty White, the incredible Jamie Lee Curtis, and "there is not Dana here, only" Sigourney Weaver.

Its the story of a girl who finds out her sister-in-law to be is also the girl who bullied her in high school.

Again, a movie I haven't seen yet, but the script could be total shit and I would still love it because Kristen Bell can do no wrong in my eyes.

My Soul To Take seems like its just another horror movie, and be that so, I still want to watch it. Written and directed by Wes Craven, it can't be all bad. Although it doesn't have the best reviews and the storyline is a little weak, I'm sure I can sit through it with an open mind.

IMDB.com lists this movie a 4.5 out of a possible 10. Well, I have to say that I love crappy horror movies over the 9.0 ones.

Although I might not get this movie, I will rent it from Netflix or Redbox.

First ever post!

Welcome to The News Busters, we're here to bring you the nerdiest news we can find in movies, tv, video games, electronics, science, comic books, music, and much more.

Coming soon is The News Busters Podcast, once we get some recording equipment.

But until then, tune in for a daily dose of geeking out.