My Blog About Other Stuff

This is Arc-Tangent, my blog where my art doesn't go, but all the other things that I talk about on a regular basis get dumped. Art by Arc @Archymedius

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Homefront is a movie about Jason Statham's life after he's retired from being Jason Statham and he's raised a daughter. Unfortunately for him, he never stops being Jason Statham, and James Franco is out to see that he puts an end to his Stathamness. In other words, it's the perfect Thanksgiving movie.

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The Never Ending Story: JK Rowling and Warner Bros. Are Heading Back to the Wizarding World

The new series of films penned by Rowling will follow Scamander in the course of writing his book. Scamander is known throughout the wizarding world as one of the former headmasters of Hogwarts, many, many years before Mr. Potter came on the scene.

Just what exactly this new series of films will be like is up to Rowling and Warner Bros., but you can probably expect some adventure as well as journey into the deeper facets of the society of wizards and witches woven behind the world of muggles (aka us).

Via [Entertainment Weekly]

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The cool thing about Sony's new PS Vita TV

As someone who has a TV in the living room and the bedroom, it's nice to be able to do the same things in my living room as in my bedroom. Right now that's not possible (first world problems, I know). My PS3 and Xbox 360 are hooked up in the living room and my Wii in the bedroom. This way I can at least get Netflix to play while I go to sleep. But if I wake up in the morning on the weekend and I don't want to leave the comfort of my bed (lazy, I know), I can't play my PS3 or Xbox 360.

With the PS Vita TV that could change. I could leave all my consoles connected to my big TV while using the PS Vita TV in my bedroom with a Dual Shock 4 and all my problems would be solved. Of course, that would require that Sony would bring this nifty little box to the US, and right now they're not saying if they will do that or not. There have been plenty of times in the past where we haven't gotten the cool new PlayStation tech, so hopefully this time it will be different.

Via [Kotaku]

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Just Say No: Roland Emmerich is planning on rebooting Stargate

Roland Emmerich, the man behind Independence Day, White House Down, and Stargate has gone to MGM to suggest rebooting the Stargate movie franchise. He was one of the original men behind the 1994 film that eventually spawned 17 years worth of television, but apparently that legacy is not enough for him. According to IGN, he's already talked to MGM about a new Stargate movie that would act as a reboot and be split into three parts.

Second of all, just don't. Reboots aren't a good idea unless you are certain you can do it right. Now, given that Emmerich is rebooting his own film, maybe that's for the best, since it will be in the hands of the original maker. But still, as much as I'm all for Stargate and I want more, I don't think this is the way to go about it.

Thirdly, Emmerich should not get ahead of himself. He's currently working towards a sequel to Independence Day, and he's trying to rope Will Smith in, even though he was originally not going to be involved. Why don't you just focus on one thing for now Emmerich and then continue on this Stargate reboot idea later.

Finally, I want in. Look, I know I'm mostly against this reboot film idea, but hey, if a long time fan of Stargate can get in on the action, why not me? I know my stuff, and if he can at least work in some way to use some of the stuff that was set up in the TV show, I'll be all the more useful. Plus, he could think about bringing in the writers and creators of the TV series. Why not bridge the gap? If you can't do that Roland, then I say no to your reboot. Just no.

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Why? Why is there a RoboCop reboot you ask? Have you seen Hollywood these days? It's stuck in the 80s and early 90s, and because of that, they fondly remember when RoboCop first came to theaters back in 1987. Well, 24 years later he'll reappear for the first time in the reboot of the franchise. Check out the long awaited first trailer for the movie about a former cop, now mostly machine cop. And just to be clear, this is not a gritty Inspector Gadget reboot.

RoboCop comes to theaters (again) February 7, 2014.

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Batman has nowhere to run in Batman: Arkham Origins. I'm still not entirely sold on the new voice actors, but at least the game looks as good as its predecessors. Even though technically this game is meant to be the predecessor. So, if Batman dies in this game, then that means none of the other Arkham games can happen. PARADOX!! (*I got chills*)

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Not April Fools' Day: Nintendo Has Announced The 2DS

No joke. Nintendo has unveiled a new handheld called the 2DS, which is a "slate" version of the 3DS (that means it doesn't fold like the clamshell model) that has all the same functionality except that there is no 3D. Basically, it's a flat 3DS that has it's 3D slider permanently set to off. Here's a picture:

So, you may be asking, "Why? Why Nintendo? What the hell is this for?" Reggie has answered this question: 

“We’re always thinking about what we can do that’s new, unique, different, and brings more people into this category that we love...And so with the Nintendo 3DS, we were clear to parents that, ‘hey, we recommend that your children be seven and older to utilize this device.’ So clearly that creates an opportunity for five-year-olds, six-year-olds, that first-time handheld gaming consumer."

Essentially, it's a 3DS geared toward that pesky 5-7 year-old market. I'm not sure how much Nintendo hopes to gain out of this. Sure, I totally get wanting to make your games more accessible to all ages, but do you really have to create a whole new version of the handheld?

Nintendo is no stranger to new models of the same handheld, given that there were quite a few for each Game Boy back in the day, as well as for the Game Boy Advance, DS, and 3DS already.

While at first look this seems pretty ridiculous, I get it. But I still find myself saying "Really?"

Via [IGN]

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SHERLOCK Season 3 Coming to the UK New Year's Day

That's right, rumor has it that BBC's Sherlock will be returning for its third series on January 1, 2014. Which means it probably will be many months into 2014 before it hits the Colonies. Lame, but hey, it's better than nothing.

Via [Bleeding Cool]

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This is Bungie's latest ViDoc for Destiny, a game I sincerely hope exceeds what they have done in the past with Halo. It looks damn fun, and it might be the only MMO like title I'll ever be interested in playing. Thanks Bungie.

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Be kind, and put shit back where it goes!

(via ctrl+alt+del)

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No More Book Movies!

Hey Hollywood and associated peoples: STOP MAKING BOOK MOVIES! Instead, make book TV series.

The Problem

Many times, adapters of novels keep characters and overall plot points similar to the book itself, but then they go around changing things haphazardly. Take the Bourne films. Some of the characters have the same name as in the books, or something similar, but the films are such a hodgepodge of stuff from the books that they barely resemble them. This is exactly the case with the Percy Jackson films (I'll rant talk more about that some other time).

Then there's Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, both of which were done quite well, but they're not perfect. Huge chunks of the novels were removed, characters lost entirely, things were added that weren't necessary, but on the whole, these films are regarded as somewhat of a success when it comes to adaptations.

The point is, most adaptations aren't that good thanks to the limitations of a movie. Sure, you have a big budget, and if you're crafty like Peter Jackson, you can get the production company to spring for three movies instead of one for a single book (a la The Hobbit), but that still doesn't solve the problem.

The Solution

TV. HBO has proven that television inspired by books works rather well (Game of Thrones, True Blood). One of the main reasons behind this is time. An hour long TV show spread over 12 episodes gives you a lot more time to work with characters and plot from the book. A whole season can be focused on a single book, and each episode can be a couple of chapters. Less ends up getting cut from the original story, less people complain, and you can tell the story in a deeper way.

Characters don't seem so rigid or 2D in a TV series where you're given time to build them up and to see why they are the way they are. You can delve into back story, and not have to cut out entire sections of a book and reduce it to a sentence by a character saying "Gods had kids with humans, I'm one of the offspring, a demigod, and there's a prophecy that I'll decide the fate of the world." That kind of nutshelling is for later on, after the universe is established better, so probably the second season.

For TV you can draw out cliffhangers, those nasty parts of the book where you didn't want to stop reading because you had to know what happened next. This, while super frustrating for viewers, is an excellent tool for keeping them coming back and leaving them hungry for more.

So Hollywood, I may not have outlined all the advantages of TV over a movie for books, but come on, it makes more sense. Back in the day, authors used to serialize their books, publishing a few chapters here or there every week. Sound familiar? So please, no more book movies. Finish up the series you have out there now, like The Hunger Games, and then move to TV. You'll be happier, we'll be happier, and maybe you won't make the terrible mistakes of Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters ever again.

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A group of Chicago hackers target Aiden in the Gamescom trailer for Watch_Dogs. I'm glad I pre-ordered the PS4 version.

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The latest inFAMOUS: Second Son trailer shows off Delsin's ability to absorb other conduits' abilities as well as another conduit, Fetch. I cannot wait until this game comes out. It's the primary reason I'm getting a PS4.

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The PS4 Launch Line Up

And here's the PS4 launch title list:

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag

Battlefield 4

Call of Duty: Ghosts

DC Universe Online

DriveClub

FIFA 14

Just Dance 2014

Killzone Shadow Fall

Knack

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes

Madden NFL 25

Minecraft

NBA 2K14

NBA Live 14

Pack-in Playroom

Skylanders: Swap Force

Tiny Brains

Warframe

War Thunder

Watch_Dogs

Via [IGN]

In comparison to the Xbox One launch line up, this also looks a little disappointing since I'll be picking up a non-exclusive title, Watch_Dogs. Though I am considering Knack as well. The PS4 launch window does look a bit brighter with inFAMOUS: Second Son (which I will most definitely be picking up) and The Order: 1886.

Plus, the Sony Gamescom press conference introduced the PS4's long list of indie titles headed to the console, as well as their discount program for cross-generation titles.

Oh yeah, and the release date of November 15th is a pretty nice. Where are you on that Microsoft, huh? So, who's getting a PS4 and with what game?

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This trailer is why I'll be playing Dead Rising 3. Though it is weird to me that the hero sounds like Andy Samberg crossed with MacGyver.

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The Xbox One Launch Line Up

Here's a list of the Xbox One launch titles straight out of Gamescom:

Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag (Ubisoft, Ubisoft)

Battlefield 4 (DICE, Electronic Arts)

Call of Duty: Ghosts (Infinity Ward, Activision)

Crimson Dragon (Grounding/Land Ho!, Microsoft Studios)

Dead Rising 3 (Capcom Vancouver, Microsoft)

FIFA 14 (EA Sports, Electronic Arts)

Fighter Within (AMA Ltd., Ubisoft)

Forza Motorsport 5 (Turn 10 Studios, Microsoft Studios)

Just Dance 2014 (Ubisoft Paris, Ubisoft)

Killer Instinct (Double Helix, Microsoft Studios)

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes (TT Games, Warner Bros. Interactive)

Lococycle (Twisted Pixel, Microsoft Studios)

Madden NFL 25 (EA Sports, Electronic Arts)

NBA 2K14 (Visual Concepts, 2K Sports)

NBA Live 14 (EA Sports, Electronic Arts)

Need for Speed: Rivals (Ghost Games, Electronic Arts)

Peggle 2 (Popcap, Electronic Arts)

Powerstar Golf (Zoe Mode, Microsoft Studios)

Ryse: Son of Rome (Crytek, Microsoft Studios)

Skylanders: Swap Force (Vicarious Visions, Activision)

Watch Dogs (Ubisoft Montreal, Ubisoft)

Zoo Tycoon (Frontier Developments Ltd., Microsoft Studios)

Zumba Fitness: World Party (Zoë Mode, Majesco)

Via [IGN]

The bold ones are the ones I will be playing on Xbox One. Did you notice that there is only one game up there? Personally, that makes me a little sad for the launch of Microsoft's next console. I was hoping to get to play Destiny sometime soon, but that may be pushed back to June 2014, alongside Titanfall. Lame.

You might be asking, "What about Watch_Dogs? Or Need for Speed?" I plan to play those on my PS4, mostly because I'm more used to playing those type of games with the PlayStation controller. So, at launch, my Xbox One will probably turn into my entertainment unit (by that I mean Netflixbox One) and my PS4 and Xbox 360 will be my gaming platforms.

What about you?

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Welcome to Arc-Tangent

What's going on Internet?

This is my tangential blog about stuff that isn't related to my art stuff (which you can find here, here, and here) or my PhD/astrophysics stuff (that's here). This is the other stuff that fills my brain: video games, movies, TV shows, books, music videos, and opinions and whatnot about all those things.

Got a question about literally anything? Ask it.

Got something to share about almost anything? Submit it.

In the meantime, read what I have to say, share it, comment, hate it, love it. Whatever. You can also check out all my previous work similar to this at 1amgeek.