13 Weird and Wonderful Films Heading Your Way
The following are a few of the films we caught at the Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal. A month-long celebration of the weird and wonderful, the festival features odd offerings from all over the globe, and we’d recommend it to anyone with even a passing interest in films that defy both convention and definition. No word on a release date for the majority of these, but we'll let you know as and when...
The Lure
The Lure is a Polish film that journeys where few Polish films have gone before. In fact, it heads for territory few films venture into: the horror-musical. About mermaids. Who land jobs in a strip club. Yet in spite of that weird set-up, the film is an unadulterated joy. The two sirens in question wash ashore and befriend a musical trio who play in said club. But when one of them falls for the band’s handsome guitarist, it threatens the life of one of the girls, and tears their friendship apart. The story and tone jump all over the place, but the merging of genres – with comedy and sex rubbing shoulders with songs and scares – somehow works. And the musical numbers have to be seen to be believed.
Pokemon Go: Niantic on Why It Removed ‘3-Step’ Tracking
Pokemon Go developer Niantic has outlined to players why it removed the ‘3-step’ tracking display from the game in a new post on the Pokemon Go Facebook page.
“We have removed the ‘3-step’ display in order to improve upon the underlying design,” Niantic explains in its statement. “The original feature, although enjoyed by many, was also confusing and did not meet our underlying product goals. We will keep you posted as we strive to improve this feature.”
According to Niantic third-party services were also to blame.
“We have limited access by third-party services which were interfering with our ability to maintain quality of service for our users and to bring Pokemon Go to users around the world. The large number of users has made the roll-out of Pokemon Go around the world an... interesting… challenge.”
Looking Back at Another Crazy Comic-Con
Thanks to going straight from Comic-Con into the TCA press tour (well, minus that day off mentioned at the end of this episode), this Channel Surfing is going up over a week after it was recorded. So forget a long intro, let's get to it!
For the second time, we recorded an episode while driving home from San Diego Comic-Con, in all of its random, loopy splendor, discussing everything that occurred in what is always our busiest, craziest few days of the year.
Listen to our latest podcast by clicking the lovely red type below - right click to download.
Channel Surfing #266
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Won’t Have Any Infinity Stones
There won't be any Infinity Stones in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, according to director James Gunn.
Infinity Gauntlets won't show up either; in a comment on Facebook, Gunn confirmed there will be "infinity nothing" in the film.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is intended to a be a story about the Guardians, and not a lead-up to anything else—including Avengers: Infinity War, despite some characters, like Thanos, playing a large part in the extended Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Lots of new information regarding Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was revealed during San Diego Comic-Con 2016, including Kurt Russell's costume for the film. During the event, Russell's character was also confirmed; Marvel also debuted the film's new logo, and announced that Elizabeth Debicki will be playing Ayesha.
Top Comics to Buy This Week: August 3, 2016
We all want the best of the best, so let us point out the hottest comics released each week. We spotlight our favorite comics that we know are money-well-spent and new books that look cool and are backed by some top-tier talent.
Check out our picks, then take to the comments to let us know what looks good to you!
Written by Rob Williams & Drawn by Philip Tan | DC
As you might be aware, there's a Suicide Squad movie hitting theaters in a few days. What better time than now to relaunch the comic and induct this team of felons-turned-mercenaries into DC Rebirth?
What Did Captain America Do Now?
The latest chapter of Captain America: Steve Rogers adds new wrinkles to a controversial plot twist.
Warning: this article contains spoilers for Captain America: Steve Rogers #3!
Cap's life took an even darker turn in this issue, which built on the recent reveal that our hero has supposedly been a deep cover Hydra agent since childhood. This time, Cap pledged his loyalty to Red Skull by crashing a Quinjet into a building and apparently killing both Dr. Erik Selvig and Baron Zemo.
Japan Focus Distracted Microsoft, Says Former Xbox Boss
Ever since the launch of the original Xbox, Microsoft has struggled to gain a foothold in Japan, and according to former Chief Xbox Officer Robbie Bach, there wasn't much the company could have done differently to make a bigger splash in that market.
"It’s just a question of focus," Bach explained on the latest episode of IGN Unfiltered. "And it’s a question of where you have assets and where you don’t have assets. And we had no assets in Japan," he added, noting the company "didn’t have relationships with Japanese game developers" aside from "a few isolated ones" for games like Ninja Gaiden, which "were actually more popular in the West than they were in Japan."
Stranger Things Creators Talk About Second Season
Stranger Things hasn't yet been commissioned for a second season by Netflix, but the show's creators do know what they'd do with it given the chance.
According to Variety, creators Matt and Ross Duffer were at the TCA press tour in Beverly Hills to talk about Stranger Things' "bigger mythology."
“We want it to feel like a big movie,” said Matt Duffer. “But there’s a bigger mythology, and there’s a lot of dangling threads at the end. We could explore it if Netflix wanted to continue.”
"It's about giving enough so the audience feels satisfied," said Ross Duffer.
Comic Book Reviews for July 27, 2016
Hopefully you've recovered from the Comic-Con blitz last week, because there are a lot of new comics to check out this week. DC delivered a host of new #1 issues, including Batgirl #1, Nightwing #1 and Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern corps #1. Marvel published the latest chapter of Civil War II and a wealth of new tie-ins to accompany it. Elsewhere, Dark Horse kicked off their Aliens vs. Judge Dredd vs. Predator crossover, IDW debuted their Rom revamp and Image released a stylish new issue of Jupiter's Legacy Vol. 2.
Scroll down to check out our reviews for these and various other new releases, and be sure to let us know your favorite books in the comments below.
DC COMICS
The Best 4K HDR TVs for Your Xbox One S
The Xbox One S is out August 2nd but in order to take advantage of all of its features, you’re going to need a compatible television. Microsoft’s mid-cycle refresh of the Xbox One may seem like a minor upgrade on paper, but the inclusion of HDR and 4K will make games and movies more immersive than ever. At least until Project Scorpio comes bearing VR support.
So before you head out and buy an Xbox One S, take a look at your current TV and decide if it's worth upgrading to get the most out of Microsoft’s new console. If you are upgrading your TV, here’s what you need to know to get the best Xbox One S experience.