Irrelevant But Awesome

We're still about a month away from the official premiere of USA Network's newest Sci-Fi thriller Mr. Robot starring Rami Malek, Portia Doubleday and Christian Slater. However, USA provided a major sneak peek this week when they aired the pilot and I enjoyed the pants off this episode. The first thing you'll notice is that it doesn't exactly feel like your typical USA show. When I tell you a show comes on the USA Network, you immediately start associating it with shows like Monk, Psych or Royal Pains, quirky tv shows that are easily digestible. However, Mr. Robot feels like it would fit comfortably in the Sunday night lineup on HBO or Showtime and that's not just because of the harsh(er) language or mild nudity but just from the overall great quality of the show. And while we're on the subject of what this episode felt like, I got halfway through the episode and just assumed that it was directed or at least produced by David Fincher because it felt so much

I will post every possible scrap of information that I can find about this show from now until the day the show premieres, I don't even care. I have been waiting for something like this pretty much as long as I can remember. Star Wars wins the most anticipated competition this year on a technicality (the technicality being that it's Star Wars) but Ash vs. The Evil Dead is sitting at a very comfortable second place. Check out the trailer below.

If you know much of anything about podcasts, then you probably know about the podcast Serial. The first truly mega hit in the realm of podcasts, Serial did a lot to introduce the format to many people. For the few that don't know, Serial was a spinoff (of sorts) of This American Life which detailed over the course of twelve episodes the case of a 1999 murder of Hae Min Le, a high school student in Maryland. The story also covered the trial and conviction of Adnan Sye, who was her former boyfriend who still maintains his innocence of the crime, and over the twelve episodes, we delve into every possible bit of evidence to see if it can be proven once and for all if Adnan is guilty or innocent. To say that the podcast was a hit would be an understatement. It was downloaded over five million times, the show won a Peabody award the first podcast ever to do so, and there was even an SNL sketch spoofing the series. Serial is without a doubt, podcasting's first breakout hit. S

The above picture was taken as part of the Vanity Fair follow-up over on  StarWars.com . In the article, it was revealed that Serkis would be playing a character named "Supreme Leader Snoke." It has previously been confirmed that the masked figure with the much-debated tri-lightsaber in the first teaser will be Kylo Ren played by Adam Driver. Ren, from what we can tell, is the main villain in the movie and a lot of people are speculating that maybe Serkis's Snoke will be the driving force behind Ren. Are they the re-emergence of the Sith? If Kylo Ren is Sith, we already know there are always two. Clearly the stormtroopers we since in the trailers aren't the Empire, it's been long destroyed but what we see in the trailers are an offshoot of the Empire called "First Order." I think it's safe to say Supreme Leader Snoke is probably the man behind the curtain controlling First Order. All Star Wars fans are weary of CGI characters and upon the anno

Arcades have been struggling for a while now. Recently the only two places that seem to have full fledged arcades and not just a machine or two in the corner, are Chuck E. Cheese's for kids and Dave and Busters for adults. I love the concept of going to an arcade but for a long time that love was powered by the idea that the experience that I could get from an arcade was impossible to get anywhere else. Today, that isn't really the case, because for the most part any experience I might get at an arcade is fairly easy to replicate with a console at home, sitting on the couch. Heck, the last time I saw an full arcade it even had arcade versions of games that I had on my phone like Temple Run and Fruit Ninja. But then along comes Star Wars with what might just be the perfect solution. A new arcade game called Star Wars Battle Pod was released earlier this year, and from the reviews that have been cropping up around the internet, playing this game is an experience worth having.

Back in 2003 it seemed like comic book movies were in full swing. We had no idea of the overwhelming amount of movies based on comics that would be coming over the next decade. But there was one movie that came out back then that pretty much amounted to nothing more than a false start for a franchise, The League of Extrodinary Gentlemen , shortened to LXG to be just to make sure we knew how hip and modern the movie series was going to be. Even though the movie ended on a teaser ready to kickstart a whole franchise, nothing ever came of that, and LXG became one of those "what could have been" moments in comic book movie history that we all bemoan if only the movie had properly respected the source material. While comic book movies and superhero movies have only gotten bigger and better as a genre since then, they never seemed to get around to rebooting The League of Extraordinary Gentleman for one more try. The most recent mention of that was back in 2013 there was talk

Did you know that you needed this in your life? You didn't? Well It's a good thing we're here. Presented without comment (because really what else can be said at this point.)

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is a mega star, that much is undeniable. Wrestling fans love him, action movie fans are in awe of him and even kids who like Disney movies think he's the best. Seriously, this much charisma should be illegal for one human to possess. With all that said, Rock has been on a press tour for his new disaster thriller San Andreas which means Rock gets to reunited with one of his favorite interviewers, Nick Mundy, for Screen Junkies. Mundy's co-workers wanted to do something special for Nick and Rock was quickly on-board. The video below tells the story and I dare you to resist letting out genuine freshly warm-hearted laugh at some point during the video.

It was just yesterday that we released a detailed list of all of the original programming that would be released between now and the end of summer. However it felt like one thing was glaringly missing. See it's been close to a year now since Netflix released it's first season of the fantastically animated series BoJack Horseman and while it was quickly announced that the show would be picked up for a second season, we haven't heard much beyond that. There was a Christmas episode of Horsin' Around, the show within a show, last year but really that's it. So as I was putting together yesterday's Netflix summer lineup, I was a bit bummed that I wouldn't be able to include any new information about the second season of BoJack Horseman. Oh but if only I had waited a mere 24 hours. It was announced today that the second season will in fact premiere this summer and is scheduled to drop on July 17th. Season two is reported to pick up soon after the first season w

And no, he's not short on money. Kasher makes it clear in the description of his  GoFundMe campaign  that he's actually making an increase of money these days. In a move that seems completely satirical, Kasher states that he just doesn't want to pay rent for the month of June, especially since he apparently isn't even going to be home for the majority of the month. This comes on the heels of seemingly everybody coming out with some sort of crowd-funding campaign for just about any frivolous purpose one can imagine. How many well-known figures have you seen post a campaign for their new project over the past couple years? Too many to list, right? Some of which have enough of a following where people will gladly support them to help make that individual's movie in hopes of getting rewarded with promised perks that sometimes never happen. However, some times these campaigns give off a vibe that feels like the producer of the content really wants this project to happ

As the days get longer and outside gets warmer, we know that summer is approaching. Which means it a perfect time to start thinking about all of that Netflix you're going to watch inside in the air conditioning while you eat ice-cream. Netflix has announced a whole slew of original programming scheduled to be released between now and August, so lets take a look at what's coming up in the next few months. May 21st Between: The first Netflix series to focus on a YA audience, Between is a Canadian show about a virus that kills everyone over the age of 21. So it looks like a good bit of Lord of the Flies mixed with some of that YA dystopian genre that's so popular right now. The first season will consist of six episodes and, unlike earlier Netflix shows, the series will not put out the entire season all at once, but instead put out one episode a week starting May 21st. Check out the trailer below. May 22nd Jen Kirkman: I'm Gonna Die Alone (And I Feel Fine): Net

Oh, I'm sorry. Did you have something productive that you were going to do today? Well get that silly notion out of here because clearly this is going to take up the next several days of your life. See, In an effort to make more people aware that brand new episodes of Whose Line is it Anyway? are still being produced on the CW, the channel has released not just all of their new episodes hosted by Aisha Tyler, but in fact every single episode of the original US run as well that was hosted by Drew Carey.   I would say more here, but I'm sure you're still just reading this as a courtesy until I give you a link that you can click on. So here you go everyone! Enjoy!

For those who haven't read the Mad Max review Chris wrote yesterday, the short of it is that you should go and see the movie. Stat. You know how movie reviews looking for the buzz words to get picked as the blurb on the poster tend to call something "an action packed thrill ride?" Well that is actually one of the best ways to describe the new Mad Max film. But not only that, it might be the most visually impressive action movie to come out in the past several years. Apparently there wasn't really a script for Fury Road , but instead there were storyboards about that meticulously detailed out the entire movie. And just like the movie they helped to create, the storyboards and concept art of Mad Max: Fury Road are works of art all in themselves. You can order the book The Art of Mad Max: Fury Road here to pour over each and every image, but for now just a quick look at some of the gorgeous concept art that inspired the movie. Note that the final image ther

Back in 1990, Nintendo hosed a special video game competition that was loosely based on the film, The Wizard. It featured a special cartridge that was to be used for that competition only, and featured three different Nintendo games that were popular at the time. The competition was based on scoring the highest number of possible points in the alotted time limit. That unique cartridge has gone on to become a thing of video game legend as only a handful were ever made and they've since gone on to become one of the holy grails of video game collecting, easily selling for several thousand dollars each on the rare occasion that they've gone on sale. But that's another story for another time. What's exciting today is that Nintendo is reviving and updating their World Championship competition for 2015. Eight Best Buy stores have been selected to host the qualifying events for the competition on May 30th. The stores are as follows. 1717 Harrison St. Sa

Last week, Joel  posted an article  that was basically him telling you to see Mad Max: Fury Road, recommending a movie before it came out and before he had even seen it himself. I didn't really need convincing because I long ago came to the conclusion that I'm totally in the tank when it comes to seeing a movie with Tom Hardy in it. I suppose this would be a good time to mention that I've never seen any of the original Mad Max movies. I saw Fury Road with some friends that invited me on a whim idea. Had I actually planned beforehand to see it (and if it didn't come out the same weekend that I was in a wedding), I would've carved out some time to binge-watch the others. However, being a Mad Max outsider going into Fury Road, I can confidently tell you all that watching the previous films isn't necessary to enjoy this one. This isn't a sequel, prequel or even a reboot, it's a standalone action movie that feels more like "that one time when Max fo

You've probably seen or at least know about the 2008 movie The Spirit directed by Frank Miller. You might also know that the movie was based on the comic book character created by Will Eisner in the 1940s. For those of you who know both of these things, you're probably very aware that the movie from 2008 does not provide a great representation of the source material. Not only does the movie diverge greatly from the character and stories of the series in the 1940s but in doing so it creates a rather poor movie that has gone down as one of the worst superhero movies of all time. But it could have been different. Apparently in 1980, there was an attempt to create an animated film based on The Spirit . Nothing more than a three minute animation pencil test ever came of the project but to hear about it makes you wonder what kind of movie we might have gotten had things gone the other way. For instance, Brad Bird was one of the principle people working on the project. Bird, who di

Note: As this is the second book in a series, the review will most likely discuss things that could be considered spoilers for the first book in the series. Be warned, if you have not yet read the earlier books in this series.  Remember how the first book in The Mortal Instruments series was just good enough to keep reading? Well for the most part, the same thing could be said about the second book, City of Ashes . It's not great, but it does hold your interest just enough to keep going. That is until the end when everything ramps up to a pretty thrilling climax. But we can't just talk about the very end of the book can we. That's hardly a book reveiw. The second book in the series picks up pretty much right where the first one left off, which is a plus for the series. There are instant ramifications for the events at the end of the book. We get to see the characters treat Jace differently now that his father is the main villain of the series. We get to see Clary strug

Did you know that there are currently seven different shows on TV that are about comic book superheroes? No really. You've got Flash and Arrow on the CW, Gotham on Fox, Agents of SHIELD and Agent Carter on ABC, Powers on PSN, and Daredevil on Netflix. You can also throw in Walking Dead and iZombie on AMC and CW as they're both based on comic books for a grand total of nine. Well it looks like even more are coming our way as two trailers have debut for superhero shows that are coming out this television season. First up we have Supergirl on CBS. So this looks a lot like early seasons of Smallville with that "How does a Kryptonian make it in this modern busy world?" kind of feel. I'll give it a go, I did like the arguments about how the costume should look. But if they keep using the term cousin so they never have to say Superman, that's going to drive me up the wall by episode three. Next up we have DC's Legends of Tomorrow on the CW So th

We ended part one of this article on the twins, so lets pick up right there. Again there are going to be big spoilers about Age of Ultron , so if you happen to be one of the last six or so people who haven't gotten around to seeing the movie yet, you should not read any further. Especially since the biggest spoiler of the movie is coming up next. Ok? ok. Spoilers start now. We need to talk for a second about Quicksilver, and his eventual fate in the movie. There have been a few reactions to Quicksilver's death, but here's the one that I actually feel strongest about. Now that Quicksilver has died, he needs to stay dead. Let me take you back across some of Marvel's Phase Two collection of movies, starting with the previous Avengers movie. In that movie we watched Coulson die and it was a very powerful moment. It was the dead of someone who we didn't really expect and in may ways didn't know how much we cared about him until he had died. That's what mad

At the end of March, BBC announced they weren't renewing the contract of Top Gear presenter, Jeremy Clarkson after a physical altercation with TG producer Oisin Tymon, the latest in a string of PR nightmares the outspoken Clarkson tends to create for BBC. Ever since then, we've all wondered what the presenter of the highly popular motoring show would consider as his next news. We got a piece of the puzzle when Clarkson's fellow host, James May stated at the end of last month that he would not be returning, citing a lack of interest in working with a "Clarkson surrogate." That same day, TG Executive Producer Andy Wilman was confirmed to have left the show. Fellow host Richard Hammond also ruled out returning to Top Gear after his contract ran out at the end of March. So what's 3 newly out-of-work tv presenters and an executive producer to do? Make a new Netflix version of their widely successful motoring show. According to  Mirror , they are in tal

I can tell you right now, that I have not seen the new Mad Max movie, so I can't yet recommend it to you personally. What I can say is that based on the reviews of the movie that have already come out, it looks like Mad Max: Fury Road is going to be a fantastic action flick. As of this writing, Mad Max is sitting at an almost unheard of 99% on Rotten Tomatoes, so its pretty safe to assume that it's going to be a great movie. I'm excited about it. But why am I so adamant that you see this movie even when I haven't seen it yet? Let me explain. In this day and age of cinema its somewhat amazing that Mad Max Fury Road got made at all. This isn't a reboot of the franchise, not really. But instead it's the fourth movie in a franchise that started over thirty years ago. (It helps that the movies are standalone like James Bond, but in a post apocalyptic setting) In fact it even has the same director that made the first three Mad Max movies. In a day and age where

Initially, I was going to talk about JTG's new book but after reading it, I decided he really didn't have much to say other than "hey, all that heat I apparently had? It was all my tag team partner's fault." And then JTG went on to shoot on several higher ups in WWE but refused to actually use names. I'm guessing that lawsuit Doctor Aman filed against CM Punk has a lot of these former WWE employees thinking twice about what they say and who they name. Either way, it was a few interesting stories for a dollar, read if you want. And now for why we're all here, Andre the Giant: Life and Legend by Box Brown. This isn't your typical biography. Matter of fact, it's not really a biography at all, it's a collection of stories that are infamously known or told by close friends within the business and presented as a graphic novel. Honestly, this works incredibly well because it's one thing to read how a story unfolds and about just how mammoth An

Last week, we  posted the story  about the investigation into footballs being deflated in the first half of the 2014 AFC Championship Game to give the Patriots' offense a competitive edge. The investigation listed Patriots employees John Jastremski and James McNally as the guilty parties with Patriots quarterback having "some knowledge" of Jastremski and McNally's actions. Yesterday, the NFL issued their  punishment to all 3 men and the Patriots organization . McNally and Jastremski have been suspended indefinitely without pay by the Patriots. Neither man is will be able to be reinstated without prior approval from the NFL and IF either man is reinstated, they essentially are not allowed to do their respective jobs. So if you want to read between the lines a bit, unless the Patriots want to hire these two under a new job, the two of them were basically fired. Tom Brady will be suspended for the first 4 games of the 2015 regular season for conduct detrimental t

Note: This is not a review of Age of Ultron. Not Really. If you want a review, you should go see it. It's pretty good. As good as the first one? Debatable. Very different than the first one, But it is good. What this is, is exactly what it says on the box. A collection of extended, somewhat disorganized, ramblings about Age Of Ultron. Judging by the amount of money it made over the past several days, there is a fair chance that you've seen Avengers: Age of Ultron by now. So for the purposes of this article, we're going to assume that you've seen the movie and will be dealing with a spoiler or two getting down and discussing the bulk of the movie. So consider this a spoiler warning for the remainder of the article. Spoilers Start Now! There is a general feeling when it comes to sequels, especially action and superhero sequels, that the stakes have to be raised the second time out. After all we saw our hero survive whatever threat the first movie had to offer, a

Welcome to the 5-year debate that I've been having with my friends and apparently I stand on an island when it comes to the subject. First of all, Obi Wan is my favorite character in the Star Wars Universe, there's just nobody cooler in my book. At the other end of that spectrum is Jar Jar, Boba and Jengo Fett (I understand I'm in the minority on that stance), and Qui-Gon. I won't say Jinn is the worst character in Star Wars, Jar Jar stands solidly on that pedestal of garbage on his own, but I will say he is the WORST. JEDI. EVER ...that is featured in the movies. #1: Qui-Gon Never Senses Anything. The opening of Phantom Menace features Qui-Gon and Obi Wan being sent to the Trade Federation as a peacekeeping negotiation visit. Obi Wan was quickly uneasy about the whole ordeal, sensing there might be a trap. Qui-Gon quickly shot that down and said he didn't sense anything. Now, of course, one would argue that he was doing that to simply calm a tense apprentic

Once upon a time NBC was the powerhouse channel when it came to television comedy. For well over twenty years, the comedy lineup on NBC Thursday nights was a force to be reckoned with. From The Cosby Show , to Cheers , to Frasier , to Seinfeld , to Will and Grace to Friends , to The Office , NBC comedy lineup was more or less what created to modern version of Must See TV. In recent years though NBC has struggled with their once magical comedy night. While shows like 30 Rock , Parks and Recreation and Community have all been well received critically, earning Emmy nominations, and small but loyal, vocal followings, NBC's comedies have failed to find big audiences. In an effort to regrow that comedy block, NBC tried to bring back some big names including Sean Hayes and Michael J. Fox, only for both of their shows to last only one season each. NBC as a network has slipped from 1st place to 4th place, sometimes lower, in terms of viewers. As time has passed, show after now has f

It must have been a good year for ABC. With the exception of just for shows (The newcomers Christela and  Forever , as well as Resurection and Revenge ) the entire slate of ABC primetime shows will be returning next year. While this includes some shows that were foregone conclusions, (Grey's Anatomy, Once Upon a Time, Scandal) there are a few nice surprises in there. American Crime, despite not getting stellar reviews was a big hit with critics and is getting another season. There is a good chance that American Crime might be up for some awards this fall which may have helped it's renewal. ABC has decided to also renew both of their Marvel TV shows Agents of SHIELD and Agent Carter. While it looks like the proposed Agents of SHIELD spinoff, won't be going forward, the fact that both shows are going to get more episodes is great news. This puts Agents of SHIELD in it's third season which according to Forbes almost guarantees a fourth season renewal next year to e

Principle photography has begun for the next Captain American movie in the Marvel Universe. Fans have been looking forward to this one because it's suppose to be a showdown between Avengers members Iron Man and Captain America with the rest of Shield/Avengers forced to pick sides. With all the new characters introduced in Age of Ultron and new characters on the way within the next year, fans have been wondering exactly who is going to be included. Today, we have a bit of confirmation on the bulk of the cast. Captain America (Chris Evans) Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr) Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) Falcon (Anthony Mackie) The Vision (Paul Bettany) War Machine (Don Cheadle) Scarlett Witch (Elizabeth Olson) Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) Agent 13 (Emily VanCamp) Baron Zemo (Daniel Bruhl) Crossbones (Frank Grillo) Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross (William Hurt) Martin Freeman