Stupid Evil Bastard » Entertainment

Trailer for “The Amazing Spider-Man” hits the net.

Les — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:41:03 +0000

I was skeptical of the first movie under Sam Rami due to the changes they were making, but it turned out to be pretty damn good and even relatively faithful despite the changes they made. I’m also skeptical of this new movie, but if the trailer is anything to go by then it may also be pretty damn good and faithful to the source material. Which is really quite the feat when you think about it.

Check it:

Tony Perkins has a hissy fit over gay relationships in new “Star Wars” MMO.

Les — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:33:24 +0000

Tony Perkins is the Evangelical head of the conservative Family Research Council and he has a big gay chip on his shoulder. So much so that he can’t handle gay relationships being recognized even in fictional universes:

“In a new Star Wars game, the biggest threat to the empire may be homosexual activists!” Perkins announced during his daily radio commentary. “In a galaxy not so far far away, Star Wars gamers have already gone to the dark side. The new video game, Star Wars: The Old Republic, has added a special feature: gay relationships.”

via Tony Perkins: Star Wars ‘surrenders to gay empire’ | The Raw Story.

Oh my! Gay relationships? In an online video game? How will the empire ever survive?!?

According to Tony people are just up in arms over this development, which actually hasn’t happened yet (the ability to have same-sex relationships with companion characters is to be added later) and he cites the following as proof:

“On the game’s website, there are more than 300 pages of comments–a lot of them expressing anger that their kids will be exposed to this Star Warped way of thinking. You can join them by logging on and speaking up. It’s time to show companies who the Force is really with!”

The trouble with that, according to The Raw Story, is that there isn’t anything close to 300 pages on that topic and most of the comments that are there about it are far from angry. A good number of them are asking why the feature isn’t already in place.

Here’s the thing: The last people that Bioware is likely to listen to is a bunch of stuck-up Evangelicals who aren’t paying subscribers. They really don’t give a shit if Tony Perkins and the FRC aren’t happy about gay relationships being in the game. They can make all the noise they want and the only force they’ll be demonstrating is impotence.

It’s not like this is the first Bioware game to allow for same-sex relationships either. Mass Effect had the possibility of a sexual encounter between the same gender — if not same species — in the course of its story and the Evangelicals had a hissy fit over that as well to no avail.

Which isn’t to say that getting all flustered about is a complete waste of time for the FRC. After all, it’s a great way to raise funds. Actually changing anything, however, is probably hoping for a bit much.

I, literally, grew up with video games.

Les — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:13:28 +0000

I can remember Pong and the early days of the arcade where you indicated you were next in line by lining up a quarter on the machine. I remember the Magnavox Odyssey and Odyssey II. I remember PacMan and Donkey Kong and Missile Command. The very first console I ever owned was the Atari 2600 and I played the living hell out of it. I remember the great video game market crash in ’83 and the resurgence in ’85 (via Nintendo’s NES). I remember the following rise in dominance of the Japanese consoles and how in the arcade the future was thought to be Vector Graphics games. Then I remember when the future of arcades was going to be LaserDisc based games. I remember the first CD-ROM titles, the first 3D First Person Shooter, the first 3D graphics cards, and so on.

I was only five years old when the first video games were born. I’ve had a life-long passion for them and my interest led me into computers which has given me a halfway decent career. I’m part of the generation that made the video game industry of today possible. And, boy, has it ever developed in ways we never saw coming. If I could go back and show my ten-year-old self the sort of games that I’m enjoying today he’d flip his lid. Can’t wait to see what the decades to come will bring. #seb #videogames #Birthdays

Embedded Link

How the Video Game Was Born [Design]
This year, the video game turns 40. Let’s call it an occasion to spend a few more hours in front of our TVs, the place where it all started.
In 1951, some 12 million television sets were in existence and Ralph Baer, a television engineer at Loral Electronics, wondered what extracurricular tricks TV sets could do. The company was pushing television tech forward, and Baer mentioned to his bosses that wouldn’t it be fun to incorporate an interactive game element into the experience? Dude was ont…

Google+: View post on Google+

“Doctor Who” tribute video spans the entirety of the show.

Les — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 19:42:25 +0000

If you’re a fan of the revived Doctor Who series then you probably know that the show has a long history — this November with be its 50th anniversary — but may not have seen much, if any, of the originals series. If you’ve got 9 minutes to spare then you can get a taste via the this tribute video that counts the stories from 1963 through the 2011 Christmas special plus various spin-offs and specials:

Probably one of the more comprehensive overviews I’ve seen considering that there’s still 106 episodes missing from the BBC archives. Spotted many of my favorites from both the old and new series. Will have to make a point of hunting some of them down.

Sci-ence! updates “The Red Flags of Quackery” to version 2.0.

Les — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 19:07:23 +0000

Quite awhile back I posted a webcomic by the guys over at Sci-ence! all about “The Red Flags of Quackery” that was a nice little primer on the buzz words and concepts that should warn you that you’re dealing with pseudoscience woo-woo bullshit.

Now they’ve gone and put out a new version 2.0 of the comic:

Click to embiggen!

This really is an excellent guide to knowing when you’re being bamboozled by someone or some product. Another good warning sign is when you see the words “THESE STATEMENTS HAVE NOT BEEN EVALUATED BY THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION! THIS PRODUCT IS NOT INTENDED TO TREAT, CURE, OR DIAGNOSE ANY ILLNESS OR CONDITION!” That’s legalize for “This product is 100% horse shit and only an idiot would buy it.”

If you’re not already following the Sci-ence! web comic, I’d highly recommend you do so.

This won’t make me buy more Warner Bros. movies. This will just mean I’ll see fewer Warner Bros. movies.

Les — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 16:29:49 +0000

There are very few movies I'll buy without having seen them first so if I don't catch it in theaters then the next opportunity would be a rental from Red Box. If WB holds back rentals by 56 days all they'll end up doing is delaying any potential purchase I might make by an additional 56 days. They're not hurting anyone but themselves with this policy. There hasn't been a movie made that I couldn't wait for the rental before deciding whether it was something I wanted to add to my collection. #google+ #movies #stupidity #Warner_Bros.

Report: Warner Bros. Will Stretch New Release Rental Window From 28 To 56 Days

Apparently no longer content with the 28-day window in which it sells DVDs but doesn't allow companies to rent them out, Warner Bros. is reportedly on the verge of doubling that time frame in an effort to starve viewers into starting to buy movies again.

According to AllThingsD, Warner Bros. is gearing up to announce the new window at next week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The 56-day rental ban will apply to Netflix, Redbox and Blockbuster.

Along with the revelation that HBO wi…

And now “The Nutcracker” as sung by disembodied flying heads.

Les — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 17:16:00 +0000

Never say we aren’t a classy joint around here:

“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” trailer hits the net.

Les — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 14:33:04 +0000

Oh, but this is looking good:

Definitely something to look forward to next December.

“Men In Black 3″ trailer hits the net.

Les — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 17:24:44 +0000

Surprisingly, I think I might want to see this. Check it:

Loved the first movie, but was disappointed by the second one. This one looks worth it just to see Josh Brolin channel Tommy Lee Jones.

Games I’m looking forward to: “Diablo III”.

Les — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 17:01:04 +0000

I was a huge fan of the first two games and the third has been far too long in coming. Now we get a glimpse at the opening cinematic:

Arguably the coolest part is that Blizzard is giving the game away free to fans of World of Warcraft for committing to paying for a . . . → Read More: Games I’m looking forward to: “Diablo III”.