Category Archives: Video

Kid Cudi returns to his childhood high school for inspirational TED talk

Music, News, Video,

It’s been fun following Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi’s career over the years, from his humble rap beginnings to his recent exploration into rap-punk-rock fusion. He never lets his fans forget where he comes from–that’s Cleveland, Ohio if you didn’t know. Last February, he went home to give a TED talk at his old high school, Shaker Heights High, where he shared with an excitable audience his experiences growing up in the music industry. For Cudi fans, it’s a brief but intriguing trip inside the mind of the rapper turned rocker/actor. In general, though, it’s an informative speech with an aim to push everyone to make goals and reach to fulfill them. Cudi gets surprisingly candid with the crowd (at one point he even invites up an old high school friend he hasn’t seen in many years) and offers sound advice for his fans, the haters, and all.

Click here to watch the 20-minute TED talk on YouTube.

Movie trailer round-up: ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’, ‘Independence Day: Resurgence’, ‘Star Trek Beyond’ & ‘Fantastic Beasts’ (Update)

Movies, Video, , , , , , , , , , ,

Director Bryan Singer is ready to introduce the world to Apocalypse, the first mutant from which all mutants descend. Also, he’s totally evil and stuff and wants to annihilate mankind and create a new world order over which he will reign. Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis, Ex Machina, Star Wars: The Force Awakens) plays the villainous mutant who has amassed the powers of many other mutants since the beginning of recorded time, becoming immortal and invincible in the process. A disheartened Magneto (Michael Fassbender) joins the dark side once again to take on Professor X (James McAvoy) and his team of misfit mutants in an epic war to save the world from irreversible destruction. Jennifer Lawrence (The Hunger Games) and Sophie Turner (Game of Thrones) also make impressions in this debut trailer for X-Men: Apocalypse as young versions of Mystique and Jean Grey, respectively. The wide ensemble cast also includes Nicholas Hoult, Rose Byrne, Tye Sheridan, Olivia Munn, Lucas Till, Evan Peters, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Alexandra Shipp, Josh Helman, Lana Condor, and Ben Hardy.

Singer’s followup to his successful Days of Future Past hits theatres May 27, 2016.

Update (12/13): 20th Century Fox has dropped the first official trailer for Independence Day: Resurgence and you can watch it now after the break.

Update 2 (12/14): Following a leak in Germany, Paramount has released the first trailer for Star Trek Beyond a tad early, but we’re not complaining! Find it after the break.

Update 3 (12/15): Warner Bros. is giving Harry Potter fans a peek at the anticipated spinoff Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. By now you know where to find it. Continue reading Movie trailer round-up: ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’, ‘Independence Day: Resurgence’, ‘Star Trek Beyond’ & ‘Fantastic Beasts’ (Update) →

Movie trailer round-up: ‘Captain America: Civil War,’ ‘Zoolander 2,’ Now You See Me 2,’ Disney’s ‘Zootopia’ & the stunning ‘Little Prince’ [Update: ‘Batman v Superman’]

Movies, Video, , , , , , , , , ,

Tensions rise as the world governments demand accountability for our heroes’ actions in the first trailer above, pitting friend against friend.

Friend #1? Captain America. Friend #2? Oh, that’s Iron Man.

In Marvel’s third Cap movie, it’s Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) versus Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) as the superheroes take sides in a Civil War of epic proportions. In Age of Ultron, the Avengers inadvertently made quite the mess and killed innocent bystanders in their quest to destroy Stark’s rogue artificial intelligence. Captain America: Civil War picks up shortly thereafter at a time when the government is forming a system of accountability in regards to calling in the Avengers for combative assistance. Stark takes sides with the politicians as he believes in strong government regulation of his rag-tag team of heroes. Rogers, meanwhile, is not a fan and therein lies the fracturing of former friends.

Civil War almost feels like a third Avengers movie. In addition to the usual Cap supporting players like the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), Falcon (Anthony Mackie), and Crossbones (Frank Grillo), Civil War also features lots of Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), and of course Iron Man (Downey, Jr.). Making his debut here is Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther, and everyone’s anticipating Tom Holland’s Spider-Man to enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe at this point.

Captain America: Civil War is out May 6, 2016. Pop into the gallery below to see some shiny theatrical posters featuring Cap and Iron Man duking it out.

Jump after the break to view more trailers.

Continue reading Movie trailer round-up: ‘Captain America: Civil War,’ ‘Zoolander 2,’ Now You See Me 2,’ Disney’s ‘Zootopia’ & the stunning ‘Little Prince’ [Update: ‘Batman v Superman’] →

James Franco travels back in time to save JFK in ‘11.22.63,’ the next series from J.J. Abrams & Stephen King

Television, Video, , , , , , , , ,

J.J. Abrams and his production company Bad Robot (Lost, Fringe, Person of Interest) aren’t tipping toes into the world of subscription-based streaming; with 11.22.63, the ubiquitous storyteller is diving in head-first. Abrams’ latest TV series is coming to Hulu in 2016 and it’s based on Stephen King’s 2011 novel of the same name. King (Under the Dome) also serves as executive producer. Here’s the official logline, time travel included.

Hulu Original series 11.22.63 is a thriller in which high school English teacher Jake Epping travels back in time to prevent the assassination of President John F. Kennedy — but his mission is threatened by Lee Harvey Oswald, falling in love and the past itself, which doesn’t want to be changed.

Movie actor James Franco, best known for stoner comedies such as This is The End and Pineapple Express, takes a dramatic turn as lead character Jake Epping and the supporting cast includes Chris Cooper (The Bourne Identity), Josh Duhamel (Battle Creek), T.R. Knight (Grey’s Anatomy), Cherry Jones (24), Sarah Gadon, Lucy Fry, George MacKay, and Daniel Webber.

The series’ first teaser trailer rests above and packed inside the 30-second clip are more than enough tantalizing glimpses to appropriately whet your appetite. “I’m gonna tell you something that’s gonna seem crazy,” says an off-screen narrator. “If you go through there, it’s 1960.” Chills is the proper response.

Prepare for you next binge as 11.22.63 rolls out on Hulu on February 15, 2016. Happy President’s Day.

Microsoft rolls out revamped Xbox One user interface

News, Technology, Video, , , , , ,

On November 12, Microsoft rolled out a new Xbox dashboard update and it brings a totally revamped user interface to the surface along with backwards compatibility. Microsoft’s been keen on doling out monthly updates to its home video games console/entertainment hub, and this latest one is its boldest yet.

Xbox One now features a UI based on Windows 10 with a focus on speed, efficiency, and social interactions. Along the top you’ll notice four sections: Home, Community, OneGuide, and Store. Inside Home, you’re presented with your most recently used games and apps, and your pinned games and apps live below them under a category titled “My stuff.” Along the left-hand side there’s a new Guide pane that presents quick access to Friends, Parties, Messages, Notifications, Settings, and app-snapping functionality. From here you can also sign-in and manage users. This pane can be accessed at anytime (read: inside games and apps) by double-tapping the Xbox button on your controller. Inside Community, you’re presented with an activity feed filled with unlocked achievements, screenshots, and clips shared by your friends. Here you can interact with them with likes, comments, and sharing. Above the feed, there are buttons to refresh it and dive into your Game DVR. Next to the feed you’ll see what’s trending on Xbox Live with quick access to content from sources like Xbox and YouTube. A new OneGuide section features trending entertainment offerings across TV, movies, and sports. App channels from content providers like Amazon and Crunchyroll provide quick access to preferred programming. Last, there’s Store; when this section is selected it auto-expands to reveal sub-sections Games, Apps, Movies & TV, and Music. These redesigned storefronts highlight popular media and make it easy to discover and search for content thanks to large thumbnails and detailed splash screens.

In addition to the faster, streamlined UI, the “New Xbox One Experience” brings with it Xbox 360 backwards compatibility, a feature that gamers have been clamoring for ever since launch. Microsoft is launching the initiative with 104 Xbox 360 titles on Xbox One, and it promises more to come as soon as December. You can view the complete Backwards Compatibility Game Library right here, and you’ll want to bookmark that link to stay updated about future additions. Oh, and it’s been confirmed that multiplayer-enabled games will support cross-play between the 360 and the One–how cool is that?!

Kinect owners may notice that motion-activated gestures are no longer supported by the dashboard with this update. There’s no need to fret, though. An even more natural way to navigate the system is coming and that’s Cortana integration. Soon you’ll be able to call up Microsoft’s digital assistant to perform even more advanced commands; finding out if a friend is online, inviting a friend to a party, and recording and sharing gameplay to your activity feed will be handled swiftly by Cortana in the near future. Also coming in 2016 is DVR functionality, so you can look out for that, too.

I’ve spent some time with the updated dash and I’m happy to report that it’s a breeze to use. The redesigned Home, Community, OneGuide, and Store sections present consolidated and streamlined portals into the best of what Xbox has to offer. Accessing your content and sharing your achievements are simple affairs. Peering into your Xbox Live community (Friends list, Parties, Messages, etc.) is made much more efficient thanks to the new Guide. Your favorite Xbox 360 titles are injected with new life on Xbox One; in addition to emulating them on your console, you can also take advantage of Xbox Live’s latest features including taking screenshots, recording Game DVR clips, and even game streaming to Windows 10 devices. In an effort to make Xbox One an easily accessible destination to play games with friends and consume streaming entertainment, Microsoft succeeded with flying colors with the New Xbox One Experience.

In case you haven’t automatically received the NXOE yet, you can manually download and install it inside Settings. And if you’ve got time to kill, jump after the break to preview the nooks and crannies of the new UI with Xbox’s Major Nelson. Continue reading Microsoft rolls out revamped Xbox One user interface →

Dory swims back to theatres this summer in ‘Finding Nemo’ sequel

Image cache, Movies, Video, , , , , ,

Here’s a first look at Disney & Pixar’s sequel Finding Dory. It picks up six months after the events of 2003’s Finding Nemo and it explores the origin story of everyone’s favorite forgetful blue tang fish, Dory (voiced by Ellen DeGeneres). Instead of getting lost like Nemo does in the original, in the sequel Dory and friends (including clownfish Nemo and Nemo’s father Marlin) go on an adventure in search of answers about her past. Along the way we’ll discover Dory’s parents (voiced by Diane Keaton and Eugene Levy) and we’ll find out where she learned to speak Whale. The first teaser trailer, embedded above, is a slice of nostalgia as it instantly transports you back to the animated blue ocean we all fell in love with in ’03.

Andrew Stanton returns as director. Filling out the star-studded voice cast are Albert Brooks, Ed O’Neill, Kaitlin Olson, and Ty Burrell.

Finding Dory swims into theatres June 17, 2016. Pop after the break to view the initial theatrical poster. Continue reading Dory swims back to theatres this summer in ‘Finding Nemo’ sequel →

Jimmy Kimmel strikes again as parents prank their kids over missing Halloween candy

Hilarity, Television, Video, ,

Every Halloween Jimmy Kimmel tells parents to prank their children by telling them that mommy and daddy ate all their candy. You’d think that some kids might catch on to this annual, cruel joke. Some do! But for the most part, the joke lands and it lands hard. Turns out children are wired to completely freak out and cry in sadness and anger when they’re told that all of their Halloween candy is gone. Parents and Jimmy Kimmel Live audiences (myself included!) can’t help but belly-laugh at the mere sight of these ridiculous reactions. It’s schadenfreude at its finest, and it never fails to completely and utterly entertain.

Happy Halloween, kids!

Supernatural ‘Preacher,’ AMC’s latest comic book adaptation, aims to please

News, Television, Video, , ,

A supernatural Preacher, a gun-toting ex, and an Irish vampire walk into a bar…

During last Sunday’s Morgan-centric installment of The Walking Dead, AMC aired this first-look trailer at the network’s latest comic book adaptation. Preacher, which lasted 75 issues from 1995-2000, was published by Vertigo and hailed from witer Garth Ennis and artist Steve Dillon. The TV adaptation has been a dream project for Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, the comedic duo behind Knocked Up, Superbad, and Pineapple Express. The frequent collaborators are teaming up to bring the cult comic book to life, along with writer Sam Catlin (Breaking Bad). Catlin will also serve as EP and commands showrunner duties.

Preacher is the story of Jesse Custer (Dominic Cooper, Agent Carter), a conflicted preacher in a small Texas town who is inhabited by a mysterious entity that allows him to develop a highly unconventional power. Jesse, his ex-girlfriend, Tulip (Ruth Negga, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), and an Irish vampire named Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun, Misfits) embark on a journey to, literally, find God.

And man, does it look fun. In Rogen and Goldberg I trust. Preacher lands on AMC in mid-2016.

Netflix and Amazon original series rule in November: Marvel’s ‘Jessica Jones’ & more inside

News, Television, Video, , , , , , , , ,

The month of November is dominated by highly anticipated new original series from Netflix, and one from Amazon (and no, it’s not Transparent). Skip after the break for the full rundown on what to watch this month, streaming service edition. Continue reading Netflix and Amazon original series rule in November: Marvel’s ‘Jessica Jones’ & more inside →

‘Star Wars’ drops theatrical poster and trailer ahead of ‘Force Awakens’ December release [Update: New character posters]

Image cache, Images, Movies, Video, , , , , ,

The new Star Wars is just a little over a month away from hitting theatres–can you believe it?! To satiate fans’ eager anticipation, Disney and Lucasfilm have released the official poster for J.J. Abrams’ The Force Awakens as well as the official full-length theatrical trailers that clocks in at 2 minutes and 35 seconds. Eye the poster above, and watch the new trailer after the break.

On a slightly depressing note, said poster is surprisingly not illustrated by iconic artist Drew Struzman. Special effects master and my friend Greg Aronowitz says it like it is in his latest blog post titled, “You disappoint me, Disney.” Though I didn’t grow up with Star Wars, I empathize with Greg’s ultimate grief over Disney attempt at replicating Struzman’s work as opposed to simply using it.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens December 18.

Update (11/4): Today a slew of new posters hit the ‘Net, each featuring a major player from The Force Awakens. Newbies Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Finn (John Boyega) look fiercely confident with their respective staff and blue-bladed lightsaber. Kylo Ren’s (Adam Driver lightsaber emits a sinister red hue. And then, of course, we have our returning franchise veterans, Leia (Carrie Fisher) and Han Solo (Harrison Ford); thanks to some fancy photoshop, they both have aged incredibly well. All in all, I’m definitely digging the design motif here–the left side of each poster draws a distinct vertical line. What can it mean? Also, where’s Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill)? Here’s not here, and he isn’t even positioned in the official theatrical poster posted above even though everybody else is. Abrams certainly has a trick up his sleeve here, and I can’t wait to get to the bottom of this mystery. Eye the new character posters in the gallery below.

Update 2 (11/6): Another new trailer–this one’s international and is targeted towards the Japanese audience–has landed and it features new, never-before-seen footage. What are you waiting for–it’s embedded after the break!

Update 3 (12/5): A sixth character poster starring the third hero newbie is here! Eye Oscar Isaac’s Poe Dameron in the gallery below. Notice that the X-Wing fighter’s portrait does not mimic the others; he prefers flying machines to lightsabers, after all.

Continue reading ‘Star Wars’ drops theatrical poster and trailer ahead of ‘Force Awakens’ December release [Update: New character posters] →

Happy Back to the Future Day!

Hilarity, Movies, Television, Video, , ,

Great Scott, we made it! In Back to the Future Part II, Doc Brown and Marty McFly travel to the future, specifically October 21, 2015. And that day is today! No, we don’t have flying cars, but the Cubs are in the playoffs and Biff is running for president! To celebrate this special occasion, check out this BTTF reunion staged by Jimmy Kimmel. Christopher Lloyd and Michael J. Fox return in character for a fun, 10-minute conversation about the present future they arrive in, via Delorean DMC-12, of course. Then, jump after the break to watch Lloyd as Doc once more in a special announcement hyping the Blu-ray trilogy.

In other BTTF news, Nike has announced a followup to its Nike Mag sneaker. Unlike its predecessor, the 2015 Nike Mag will, in fact, feature power laces that lace themselves, just like they do in the movie. As we near the end of 2015, more details are bound to surface so stick it here for when that happens.

‘Paranormal Activity’ prank spooks unsuspecting house hunters

Hilarity, Movies, Video, , ,

Are you a fan of the Internet pranks that truly terrify people in the name of good marketing? Well, today’s your lucky day. I’ve got a juicy one here for you, and it comes from Paramount, the studio behind the Paranormal Activity franchise. To boost awareness for The Ghost Dimension, the sixth and final film in the franchise, PA producer Oren Peli has dropped this highly entertaining prank video that follows unsuspecting house hunters entering the original haunted house featured in the 2007 original film. Peli shared the clip on his Facebook page with the caption, “Can you blame me for selling my house?” Fun fact: Peli, who wrote and directed the first one, shot it in this very San Diego-based home that he owned at the time. Now watch as the open house hauntings make those who enter quake in fear and scream bloody murder.

Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension opens October 23.