TV
9 CommentsGods go to war in the first trailer for American Gods
American Gods is only a few short months away from premiering and Starz has released the first trailer for the series. It can be seen below.
Mr. Wednesday is recruiting for his war against the new gods. Believe everything when #AmericanGods premieres April 30 on @STARZ. pic.twitter.com/p5JTz8Urkv— American Gods (@AmericanGodsSTZ) March 15, 2017
If you’re a fan of Bryan Fuller’s Hannibal, the trailer will be especially appealing. The strange, whimsical aesthetic Fuller brought to both that series and Pushing Daisies can be seen in the short trailer. The colors are incredibly vibrant, and it feels almost fantastical in nature. It seems pretty clear that like other shows which rely heavily on a striking visual aesthetic — think Legion — American Gods will play with effects quite a...
Streaming
0 CommentsTwitch viewers blame Green Ranger appearance for stream problems (update)
More than 60,000 people tuned in to watch the Green Ranger make his debut on Twitch’s Mighty Morphin Power Rangers marathon, and collectively lost their minds when the stream dropped.
Although it was simply a matter of coincidence, the irony of the Power Rangers’ most notorious villains in the first season besides Rita Repulsa taking down a stream did not go un-noticed by fans. In the first season, the Green Ranger, who is also known as Tommy Oliver, is a new student at Angel Grove High School. He catches the attention of Repulsa after fighting the Red Ranger, Jason Lee Scott, in a martial arts tournament. The five-part episode in which the Green Ranger makes his debut, “Green with Evil” has become one of the most beloved among fans, and people were anxiously waiting for the episode to...
Cover Story
Issue
26
February 27, 2017
What the game industry thinks of Nintendo’s Switch
We talk with third-party developers and industry executives about what to expect.
Read moreTV
60 CommentsIron Fist actor says Trump presidency negatively affected opinions of show
Iron Fist actor Finn Jones has called out President Donald Trump specifically as one of the reasons critics had such strong, negative reactions to the series.
In an interview with Radio Times, Jones said there are quite a few similarities between his character, Danny Rand, and Trump. It’s because the president is so widely distrusted and disliked by many that critics have a hard time separating Rand’s archetype from Trump’s.
“I think the world has changed a lot since we were filming that television show,” Jones said. “I’m playing a white American billionaire superhero, at a time when the white American billionaire archetype is public enemy number one, especially in the US.
“We filmed the show way before Trump’s election, and I think it’s very interesting to see how that perception,...
Recap
5 CommentsThe Flash season 3 episode 16 recap: Into the Speed Force
Team Flash gets weird with another journey into the Speed Force this week, and who knows what we're supposed to do with it?
You may remember Kevin Smith's directorial contribution to The Flash in the heart-wrecking episode "The Runaway Dinosaur," where Barry wound up stuck in the Speed Force looking for redemption. Well, tonight we send him back to the Speed Force for a hypno-artistic journey into the mind, the past, the dead and regret. But why?
Wally got sucked into the Speed Force last week, allowing Savitar to be released. Now Barry is going looking for him. The team built a device to help tether him to Earth so he doesn't disappear forever, but that doesn't mean he won't be tortured. Barry winds up in a conversation with Eddie, Ronnie and everyone else who has gone the sacrifice...
Streaming
6 CommentsPower Rangers’ most memorable episode airs tonight on Twitch
“Green with Evil” is one of the most memorable events that took place in the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers series, and it will reportedly air around 8 p.m. ET tonight during Twitch’s 17-day marathon.
“Green with Evil” spanned five episodes and is most notable for introducing the original Green Ranger, Tommy Oliver. Tommy’s the new kid in Angel Grove who has martial arts abilities that match those of Red Ranger, Jason Lee Scott. He immediately catches the eye of Pink Ranger, Kimberly Ann Hart, and the evil Rita Repulsa. Replusa puts Tommy under a spell, turning him into the first evil Ranger.
T his is the one episode fans were waiting on leading up to the 17-day marathon Twitch is hosting, which will coincide with the release of the new Power Rangers movie. In the Power Rangers...
TV
19 CommentsLegion is designed to hypnotize, change viewers’ state of mind, creator says
Legion showrunner Noah Hawley has made it very clear that a large part of the show’s success is due to the intense and hypnotic visual effects used in each episode.
Hawley was on stage at South by Southwest (SXSW) for a conversation about his career, which led to questions about Legion and the way he decided to handle it. Hawley said the point of Legion was always to hypnotize the audience. He wanted the series to take viewers and transport them to a different state of mind, experiencing similar viewpoints to the show’s main character, David Haller.
“‘Legion is meant to be a show that is a state of mind. But the problem with TV is that there are commercials,” Hawley said, as reported by Variety. “There’s a hypnotic quality to the way we put it together. I need to get you out of your...
TV
7 CommentsNetflix isn’t making interactive TV shows, but it’s only a matter of time
Last week, a rumor that Netflix was looking into interactive TV shows started spreading like wildfire thanks to a report from The Daily Mail. Turns out, Netflix is doing no such thing.
Netflix told the New York Times it didn’t have any plans on changing the formatting of its shows to include a “choose your own adventure” style of viewing. The company did confirm, however, that it was looking into new models of experimentation, specifically with children’s shows.
“The experiment was focused on children’s programming, more as a developmental learning tool than as some new twist on the modern media sphere’s rush to give you exactly what you want when you want it,” according to the New York Times.
Although Netflix isn’t developing an interactive TV show, there are other companies who are...
TV
7 CommentsGame of Thrones showrunners ignite debate over whether it’s a TV show or movie
If you’ve ever thought Game of Thrones played out as a giant, hours-long movie instead of an eight-season television show, you’d be on the same page as showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss.
Benioff and Weiss took part in a panel over the weekend at South by Southwest about HBO’s flagship series. Besides confirming that the final season season would only be six episodes and English singer Ed Sheeran would be joining the seventh season, Benioff and Weiss also made a comment about the way they viewed their show. Instead of looking at Game of Thrones as an eight-season television show, the two admitted they always thought of the series as a very, very long movie.
The creators see #GameOfThrones as a "73-hour movie."— Josh Kurp (@JoshKurp) March 12, 2017
The off-hand comment about...
News
4 CommentsWatch Breaking Bad re-edited as a pretty good two-hour movie (update)
Update: Looks like it was taken down. That didn’t last long! We’ve embedded the YouTube version, and you can watch the second half at the bottom of this post.
Watching Breaking Bad in its entirety is quite the commitment. The show ran for five seasons, totaling 62 one-hour episodes. It would take you around two and a half days to watch the whole thing if you didn’t take any breaks to sleep, eat or use the restroom.
But what if you can take in some form of the complete story in two hours?
“After two years of sleepless nights of endless editing, we bring you the answer to that very question,” the description of Breaking Bad: The Movie states. “A study project that became an all-consuming passion.”
You can watch the whole thing above, and it’s an interesting way to view the entire...
TV
50 CommentsIron Fist actor defends series after wave of negative reviews
Iron Fist’s Finn Jones has come to the defense of the newest Netflix and Marvel series after it received numerous negative reviews.
Jones told Metro that shows like Iron Fist “are not made for critics,” but are designed entirely for the fans. As such, the lower scores and bad reviews the show has received from critics are coming from people who weren’t fans going into it, according to the actor.
“I also think some of the reviews we saw were seeing the show through a very specific lens, and I think when the fans of the Marvel Netflix world and fans of the comic books view the show through the lens of just wanting to enjoy a superhero show, then they will really enjoy what they see,” Jones said.
Jones’ comments have caught the ire of both critics and fans online who argued over the...
TV
12 CommentsGame of Thrones’ final season will only contain six episodes (update)
Four fewer episodes than usual
Recap
2 CommentsThe Walking Dead season 7 episode 13 recap: It’s all up to Morgan
The Walking Dead turned its gaze toward Morgan and Carol in the Kingdom this week. Really, it’s all about Morgan, and if you're going to focus on one character you might as well choose one of your strongest assets and best actors on the show.
This week's episode asks: Can a missing melon spark a war?
The Kingdom goes to make its regular drop-off tribute to the Saviors, which apparently consists of a dozen melons. A roadblock of shopping carts halts their progress, so Kingdomers Ezekiel, Richard, Morgan, Benjamin and some others go to investigate. Along the way they find a mysterious open grave with the words Bury Me Here written on a makeshift tombstone.
This is all painfully obvious foreshadowing to the upcoming culprit. We saw Richard root around this area earlier, with the shopping...
Entertainment
1 CommentTwitch to stream every episode of Power Rangers
Twitch announced today that it's hosting a 17-day marathon of TV franchise Power Rangers.
The marathon, which will run from March 15 through March 30, features 23 seasons and all 831 episodes of 19 different television series. It's timed for the run-up to the release of Lionsgate’s Power Rangers on March 24.
The shows will air on the Twitch Presents channel, which is part of Twitch's monthly subscription offering, also available to Amazon Prime subscribers. Streamers can also co-host the series, offering their own commentary. Subscribers will be able to grab Power Rangers-themed emotes.
Power Rangers stories follow the adventures of a team of teens who are able to morph into superheroes and travel the galaxy, fighting off evil.
TV
6 CommentsJon Snow warns about ‘The Great War’ in new Game of Thrones season 7 tease
The first teaser for Game of Thrones’ seventh season has arrived, and with it, questions about what the next season holds.
The teaser isn’t very long, and the characters don’t actually appear on screen. Instead, it’s a series of quotes from various factions as their family sigils float across the screen. There are moments with Daenerys Targaryen, Cersei Lannister, and Lady Olynna, but the most important moment comes at the very end.
Jon Snow, who was crowned the new King of the North in last season’s finale, ends the clip by warning someone that the smaller wars they’ve been fighting for the past six years aren’t going to matter when they’re confronted with the last, great war.
“The same thing is coming for all of us,” Snow says as the statues begin to crumble. “There’s only one war...
Game of Thrones
9 CommentsThe first major teaser for Game of Thrones’ seventh season is here
HBO confirmed today that Game of Thrones’ seventh season will premiere on July 16, and debuted the first teaser for the new season. It can be seen above.
There have been tiny glimpses of the characters before today’s reveal, as seen in HBO promotional videos for upcoming series, but there hasn’t been any concrete tease of the new season until now. As seen in the clip, winter has definitely arrived at Westeros.
The great war is here. #GoTS7 premieres 7.16. pic.twitter.com/1Jna10kNuQ— Game Of Thrones (@GameOfThrones) March 9, 2017
Part of the reason the seventh season was delayed was because winter had finally come to Westeros. Until now, each season has existed in an extended summer, but the sixth season ended with the arrival of the colder months. In order to capture the grimy,...
TV
1 CommentGame of Thrones’ seventh season will premiere mid-July
Game of Thrones’ highly anticipated seventh season will premiere on July 16, HBO announced today.
The announcement was made during a Facebook Live event today, which featured fans typing the word “FIRE” into the comments section on a Facebook Live feed to get a block of ice containing the premiere date to melt. Prior to the announcement, HBO had confirmed the show would premiere in the summer, a few months later than when it usually does.
Back in July, showrunners D.B. Weiss and David Benioff said the reason the show was delayed was due to logistics: Now that winter had finally arrived in Westeros, they had to film later in the day and year to capture the dark, grimy essence of the season. Up until now, Game of Thrones has taken place in a perpetual summer, making it easier to release...
Culture
17 CommentsHBO just made 110,000 Game of Thrones fans watch a block of ice melt for no reason
HBO may have managed to anger more than 100,000 Game of Thrones fans today.
The network announced this morning that it would be revealing the premiere date for Game of Thrones’ seventh season during a Facebook Live stream at 2 p.m. ET today. At precisely that time, thousands of people tuned in, assuming it would be a quick announcement and hoping for a trailer.
Instead, they were greeted with an interactive challenge. In order to get the premiere date, they would have to type the word “FIRE” into the comment section and hit enter. Doing so would cause a flame to appear on screen and melt the block of ice the premiere date was trapped in.
Julia Alexander/Polygon
Unfortunately, this went on for just under 20 minutes ... before HBO shut down the stream entirely,...
TV
3 CommentsThe Flash Season 3 Episode 15 recap: Savitar is back
Team Flash is maybe ready to confront this season's Big Bad — and is also very much not prepared. Cue the in-fighting.
Savitar, the ancient robot speed god from the future, is finally back to torment our heroes directly, instead of via prophecy, and the show is better for it. We've been building up enough Team Flash sidekicks to declare war on multiple universes, so bringing everyone back together to face an obvious adversary is a good rallying cry.
Julian is back in the mix and using the device that allows Savitar to take control of his body. Why did they build this device? For reasons! Again, the lead Slytherin talking and having the Saw doll's voice come out is, like, super creepy and awful. The Philosopher's Stone isn't around anymore, but that doesn't seem to faze an evil god with...
TV
4 CommentsRiverdale has been renewed for a second season
The CW’s teen drama centered around the lives of Archie Comics characters, Riverdale, has been renewed for a second season.
Archie Comics confirmed the news on Twitter today. The series, which has had its up and downs in terms of ratings, has been described as Twin Peaks meets Gossip Girl. In its short time on air, the series has also developed a pretty engrossed fanbase, with an active Twitter and Reddit following.
The show follows main characters Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper and Veronica Lodge. Supporting characters, like Jughead Jones, Cheryl Blossom and Reggie Mantle, have also made appearances in the show. It’s not a straight adaptation of the comic book, which was first launched in 1939, but rather a modern take on the characters made famous in the series.
Riverdale currently...
TV
11 CommentsHarry Potter’s Jason Isaacs joins Star Trek: Discovery in captain’s role
Production on Star Trek: Discovery is currently underway, but one of the most talked-about roles will be going to Harry Potter’s Lucius Malfoy.
Jason Isaacs, the British actor best known for portraying the head of the Malfoy family in all eight Harry Potter movies, tweeted out a picture of the Captain’s chair from the USS Discovery, calling it his new seat. CBS later confirmed the actor would be playing Captain Lorca, head of the USS Discovery.
The actor deleted the tweet just 11 minutes after he posted it, but it can be seen in the screenshot below.
Polygon
Despite Isaacs taking on the role of the Captain, he won’t be playing the main character. In previous Star Trek installments, the Captain has typically been the main character as head of the ship he or she...
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