Saturday.May.17.2008

No More Missing Pieces?

By Lex Walker

Remember about 5 years ago when Hasbro, Parker Brothers and the whole board game lot thought to imporve sales of their products by airing TV commercials encouraging 'family game nights'? You saw a fun nuclear family order a pizza and then sit down to live the suburban dream of happiness and familial love with their favorite board games.. Simpler times.

Hasbro is pleased to announce Hasbro Family Game Night for the Wii and PS2. Now you don't even need a family. Hot damn! Hosted by Mr. Potato Head, now loners and loving families alike can take part in all the classic Hasbro fun in a new format.

“We’re giving families a new way to bond and play together,” said Chip Lange, Vice President and General Manager of EA’s Casual Entertainment Label. Hasbro Family Game Night offers parents and their children a digital party experience full of classic brands they know and love. Between original and new rule settings, an easy-to-play party mode and a customizable game room feature, the variety and choice promise hours of fun family play.”

Connect Four, Battleship, Yahtzee, Boggle, Sorry! and the all-new Sorry! Sliders feature multiplayer options allowing families (and the friendless loners) different ways of enjoying these classic games.

Read more about: Hasbro, Games, PS2

Friday.May.16.2008

The Illusion of Choice in GTA IV

By Tristan Cooper

*SPOILER ALERT*

If you haven't beaten the story missions in GTAIV, you probably don't want to read any further. If you have: come in, let's have a chat. 

Another review of GTAIV is pretty irrelevant at this point. If you're reading this, it probably means you already own the game and have spent several hours engaged in Liberty City. A thousand words detailing that this game is pretty good and a recommendable purchase would be a waste of everyone's time. You've probably already seen the game's mind-boggling critical acclaim.

There simply isn't much left to say regarding the actual gameplay itself. Countless reviewers have gone over the mildly improved combat and driving, the busywork of in-game relationships, and the polarizing multiplayer. Everyone seems to agree that the lesser gameplay elements become more enjoyable because they take place in such a compelling world, like a dime-store model airplane held together by some NASA-approved adhesive. Guiding you through that world is more or less a pretty typical revenge/gangster story. Or rather, it would be if it weren't a video game.

Niko is introduced as a war-rattled immigrant unsure of the future and haunted by the past. We feel sympathy for him as the game starts out, but it's not long before his undeniable nature reveals itself. He (and you) execute Vlad, a former employer, for sleeping around with Roman's main squeeze. Sure, Vlad was kind of a dick, but did what he did to Niko's cousin warrant a death sentence? As the game progresses, Niko always finds a reason to bite many of the new hands feeding him (though he can be found going out for drinks with the ones he doesn't kill). The only constant in his life is loyalty to family and a few select friends. That, and money.

As you're introduced to more mobs and gangs that need a faceless thug for dirty work, you're occasionally presented with choices. One mission has you chasing a gang leader to the top of a building in the projects; when you corner him, he promises to repent and disappear if you spare his life. Sure, you annihilated forty guys in your pursuit up the stairs, but if perhaps this guy appealed to your better nature, you have the choice to let him go. 

Another rather simple mission gives you a secluded spot, a sniper rifle, and the lives of two brothers in your hands. Who do you kill? Will it be the scummy drug addict who only fools himself with the possibility of rehabilitation? Or is it the corrupt cop who turned his back on his family? Each of these guys have asked you to kill the other, which means whoever lives is essentially a murderer. It comes down to personal preference; who do you like better? Or if you've read ahead in FAQs, which in-game perk do you want more? Either way, you're breaking up an already unsteady family.

After a couple dozen hours of gameplay, you finally meet the man Niko is after. Darko Brevic betrayed Niko and killed his brethren during the war, and Niko has been after answers ever since. But there isn't any elaborate chase or final showdown -- Darko is thrown at your feet already defeated by years of drug addiction. It turns out that the only reason he turned on the men he grew up with was the same reason Niko's already assassinated half of Liberty City: money. We see that Darko is just a weaker version of Niko -- just as Florian (er, Bernie) sits at the opposite side of the spectrum, doing his best to forget the past and make a life for himself.

This would have been a great point to end the game, but Niko has accumulated a few too many loose ends. Eventually you're given one last choice: continue the cycle of violence by killing another former employer (Dmitri), or attempting to put the past behind you by making one last deal with someone who has betrayed you before (again Dmitri). Roman urges you to stop the bloodshed, get this deal over with and make a clean break. Kate -- your sort-of girlfriend at this point -- warns you that Dmitri isn't to be trusted (and should probably be dealt with). Whomever you decide to listen to is the one who ends up being sacrificed. It's a cheap way of manipulating the audience; figuring out which they care about most, and taking that away. It's a bit of an insult to those of us who have spent thirty or forty hours to get to this point (and motivates the player to rush to that elaborate chase and final showdown), but it's not without reason.

Up until this part in the game, you are intended to have the impression that you have some control over Niko's character via choices you made about whether certain people should live or die. Despite these occasional choices, Niko has still been a murdering psychopath throughout. No matter what you did along the way, Niko's life is destroyed and the game ends with revenge. Just because Niko had a change of heart or two on his months-long killing spree doesn't change the fact that he's a miserable, despicable, deplorable excuse for a human being who has done more harm than he could ever make up for. He's a monster. You, the player who ended lives for money and personal gain, are a monster. You don't deserve a happy ending. The game doesn't offer one.

Read more about: Games, PS3, Xbox360, Grand Theft Auto IV, GTAIV

Friday.May.16.2008

A Better Look at Goku and Bulma in 'Dragon Ball'

By Arya Ponto

Here's a better (and colored) look at the Justin Chatwin Son Goku picture that we posted before. It even includes a photo of Emmy Rossum as Bulma. This is from a feature on Japanese mag Weekly Young Jump. Thanks to DBtheMovie blog for the scan.

If you notice, the Goku and Bulma pics seem to come from one larger image. Could that be the poster? 

Read more about: Movies, Dragon Ball, Justin Chatwin, Emmy Rossum

Friday.May.16.2008

Charlie Kaufman and Jon Brion Reunite for 'Synecdoche, New York'

By Arya Ponto

Jon Brion is once again scoring a Charlie Kaufman movie. Perhaps impressed with his work on Michel Gondry's Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (which Kaufman wrote), Kaufman has recruited Brion to score his directorial debut Synecdoche, New York.

The info came from the official press kit from the Cannes film festival, where Brion is listed for the music credit. 

Synecdoche, New York certainly looks to have the same dream feel of Eternal Sunshine. In the film, Phillip Seymour Hoffman plays a theater director who builds a replica of New York City in a giant warehouse for his ambitious play.

Read more about: Movies, Music, Jon Brion, Charlie Kaufman, Synecdoche, New York, Cannes Film Festival

Thursday.May.15.2008

'The Dark Knight' Coaster is Now Open!

By Arya Ponto

It's May 15th. Do you know what that means? Six Flags Great Adventure has opened up the Dark Knight roller coaster ride. So go and ride it already and get terrorized by the Joker as you scream through this indoor coaster.

Check out the highlight video below.

Video

The one in Chicago opens on the 21st.

Read more about: Movies, Six Flags, The Dark Knight, Batman

Thursday.May.15.2008

Posters and Info for 'Tokyo!' Anthology

By Arya Ponto

When I posted the Cannes festival line-up, I briefly mentioned that the film that intrigue me the most is the anthology pic Tokyo!, featuring directors Michel Gondry, Leos Carax and Bong Joon-ho each directing a movie set in Tokyo.

This movie is jumping even higher on my must-see list after seeing these images released on the movie's official site. Accompanying the synopsis for each film is a postcard image for the short that, for all intents and purposes, we'll call the teaser posters:

Three short films compose the movie. Each segment is freely inspired by Tokyo and shot in the heart of the city. Tokyo! is a symphony interpreted in three dissonant parts, reflecting the image of the metropolis.

Interior Design by Michel Gondry: the surreal fable of a young couple who moves to Tokyo in search of a future. While the boy's ambition is clear - be a movie maker- the girl drifts gradually apart. Both of them will be drowned in the immensity until the girl, feeling alone, discovers something strange.

Merde by Leos Carax: a mysterious man spreads confusion on the streets of Tokyo through a succession of irrational and provocative acts. "The Creature of the Sewers" as the media have dubbed him, arouse passion or repulsion. He will be captured, judged and then…

Shaking Tokyo by Bong Joon-Ho: He is a hikikomori - like many others in Japan, he has withdrawn from all contact with the outside world .When the pizza delivery girl faints during an earthquake, the unthinkable happens - the man falls in love. Will he take the unimaginable step : leaving the dead security of his apartment for the streets of Tokyo? 

Check out stills from the film here. 

The official site also has the trailer as an intro, but skip that and watch these two really cool short teasers instead.

Read more about: Movies, Poster, Trailer, Tokyo!, Michel Gondry, Leos Carax, Bong Joon-ho, Interior Design, Merde, Shaking Tokyo

Thursday.May.15.2008

David Lynch Teams with Jorodowsky and Herzog? Mind Blown, Again

By Arya Ponto

More jaw-dropping collaboration news coming from Cannes, as reported by THR: David Lynch has aligned himself with two indie projects too juicy not to gobble up. And Marilyn Manson is involved!

Project #1 is My Son, My Son—a low budget horror/drama based on the true story of a San Diego man who acts out a Sophocles play in his head and proceeds to kill his own mother with a sword. I'm guessing the play is one of the Oedipus Cycle.

The low-budget feature will flash back and forth from the murder scene to the disturbed man's story. A guerrilla-style digital video shoot on Coronado Island is tentatively set for March.

Herzog co-wrote the film with his longtime assistant director Herbert Golder and looks to direct. This will be his next film after that Bad Lieutenant remake. Lynch is executive producing.

Project #2 is King Shot, Alejandro Jorodowsky's Sin City-like metaphysical spaghetti gangster movie that was announced two years ago, starring Nick Nolte and Marilyn Manson. Manson isn't exactly a new name to Jorodowsky, having been previously cast in the (now defunct) El Topo sequel Abelcain (formerly known as The Sons of El Topo). In King Shot, Manson will play a prophet.

Lynch's production company is developing the film, and they've signed Asia Argento and Udo Kier to be in the film. That's one radical cast there, and with Jorodowsky helming, it's sure to be a really, really cool film. Its producer Eric Bassett has said that it's got enough sex and violence to warrant an NC-17. We believe it. Lynch again executive produces.

Cannes: where eccentric directors get together and awesome shit happens.

Read more about: Movies, Werner Herzog, David Lynch, Alejandro Jorodowsky, Marilyn Manson, Nick Nolte, Asia Argento, Udo Kier, My Son, My Son, King Shot, Cannes Film Festival

Thursday.May.15.2008

Toadies Reunite, Announce New Album

By Tyler Barlass

Read more about: Music, Toadies

Thursday.May.15.2008

Sinatra Immortalized on Postage Stamp

By Tyler Barlass

Read more about: Music, Frank Sinatra

Thursday.May.15.2008

'The Strangers'—A 'Funny Games' Wannabe?

By Arya Ponto

When I first heard of the plot for The Strangers, my immediate thought was "this sounds kind of like Funny Games without the irony." Of course, it's not like "family terrorized by home invaders" is a new concept for a horror movie (I'm partial to Last House on the Left myself), but the fact that the sadistic bastards in The Strangers use the nonchalant reason "Because you're home" and seem to treat the break-in as a game can't help but spark memories of Funny Games.

Well, now it's starting to look like they're inviting comparisons with the release of the new poster, which is oddly reminiscent of the Naomi Watts Funny Games remake poster, don't you think?

As for the film itself, I'm curiously reserving judgment. The extended clips I saw at Comic Con last year looked major craptacular, but subsequent trailers and TV spots (as well as this super creepy poster) have somewhat lifted my interest. My problem with what I saw was how it came across as just another survival horror story with the same gritty look and the same frenetic tension.

Sorry, but horror used to be a genre with creativity and flair. Even the nastiest, most mean-spirited of the bunch (like the aforementioned Last House on the Left) retained some level of fun and theatrics. It's what separates horror films from snuff—the artistry of it, and the embrace of the fantastic and the macabre. It's why we horror buffs worship people like Carpenter and Argento and Miike. Now it's just a bunch of ugly-looking movies with hysterical women being sadistically and uncomfortably tortured in pseudo-realistic manner. I will never understand the idea of more "believable" murder being scarier. "This can happen to you!" Well, no shit. But if we're talking about the dangers of crazy assholes with murderous tendencies, the crime statistic on my local papers scares me more than some movie. Horror movies should scare because of certain imagery and film techniques you employ, not the threat of a plausible execution.

My hope is that The Strangers can redeem itself by serving up more of the creepy images teased in the spots.

Read more about: Movies, The Strangers, Funny Games, Poster

Thursday.May.15.2008

Joker Bust Much Better Than Action Figure

By Arya Ponto

Who wants to claw through a mob to get those Joker action figures when you can these wonderful busts instead?

Hot Toys Collectible Bust created these two busts of Christian Bale's Batman and Heath Ledger's Joker for The Dark Knight. These stand 9.5 inches tall and they will be released later this year.

Check out some pics and marvel at the level of detail on these things:

Read more about: Movies, Product, Joker, The Dark Knight, Batman

Thursday.May.15.2008

Where Do You Go From 'There Will Be Blood'? NOT 'Metal Gear Solid'

By Arya Ponto

UPDATE: Collider contacted producer Mike De Luca, who says that PTA doing MGS is “completely false and ridiculous.” De Luca was a producer on Boogie Nights and a friend of PTA's, so I guess he would know (aside from being the one producing the movie).

Original Article:

Right now, how many gamers are having their head blown over the following supposition:

Paul Thomas Anderson directing a Metal Gear Solid movie.

This supposition might come true, provided that Konami's Aki Saito didn't have his directors confused. Kotaku reports from a Metal Gear Solid 4 junket, where Brian Ashcraft spoke to Saito. Saito is handling the film negotiations, and says that "Paul Thomas Anderson is interested." Could he possibly mean Paul W.S. Anderson, the video game rapist? Apparently Saito specifically said Paul Thomas Anderson, but it's still possible that he confused the two Andersons. It's not hard to imagine that Paul W.S. Anderson would be really interested in molesting making Metal Gear Solid. In fact, I'm willing to bet that this is a misunderstanding, but hey, stranger pairings have happened.

Back in March, it was reported that producer Michael De Luca (21) and Columbia Pictures are making the movie, and was in talks with Equillibrium director Kurt Wimmer for him to write the screenplay. Saito, however, mentioned that Konami wants MGS creator Hideo Kojima to be a hands-on producer on the film, and that they're still picking the right Hollywood studio that will give include them in the process as such. So is the deal with Columbia fell apart? Is Kurt Wimmer not writing it? It sounds more likely that if PTA is directing, he'll be writing as well.

Most importantly, if this ends up being the real deal... Daniel Day-Lewis as Solid Snake?

Read more about: Movies, Games, Metal Gear Solid 4, Metal Gear Solid, Paul Thomas Anderson, Paul W.S. Anderson

Thursday.May.15.2008

Ask Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro Your 'Hobbit' Questions

By Arya Ponto

Can't wait for The Hobbit? Have some burning questions you're curious about? Want to know more about the production first hand? Feeling a little Tolkien in your loins? Peter Jackson is inviting fans to come chat with him and The Hobbit director Guillermo del Toro for one hour in a live web cast.

Click the image to register.

Read more about: Movies, The Hobbit, Guillermo del Toro, Peter Jackson

Thursday.May.15.2008

VIDEO: Actual Wall-E Animatronic Robot

By Arya Ponto

I just about died of glee watching the following vid. Disney/Pixar has created this life-size animatronic Wall•E to roam the streets of LA in promotion of the movie. You can also spot them at Disneyland, I'm told.

It moves exactly like how we've seen Wall•E move in the movie. It probably doesn't work as a trash compactor, though. How cool would that be? Just have a robot sort my garbage out and turn them into manageable cubes. Oh, dreams.

They need to make this retail.

Read more about: Movies, Pixar, Wall-E

Thursday.May.15.2008

Four Seasons Hotel Helps Men Fight 'Sex and the City'

By Arya Ponto

Attention all testicularly-equipped persons: are you dreading May 30, 2008? That's the weekend Sex and the City comes out, and we at JPP sympathize with the guys who are afraid of feeling left out at home when their wives and girlfriends go out with their all-girl posse to see the movie.

Don't worry, because Four Seasons New York also sympathize with your plight and have created an Anti-Sex and the City hotel package for the guys. It's available from May 30th through August 31st, priced at $2,000 an evening. The package includes:

• One round of "anything but Cosmos" in The Bar
• Steak Dinner in 57 Restaurant*
• Complimentary DVD library featuring Rambo, Die Hard and Full Metal Jacket
• "Clog Your Arteries" breakfast the following morning in the guestroom or one of the hotel's dining outlets
• Double-bedded accommodations

That DVD library cracks me up. "Ughhh, arr, girlfriend watch Sarah Jessica Parker face. Me am watch Rambo blow stuff up good. RAHHH, STEAK!"

If you have two grand to spare, there's your boys night out plan for you. 

Read more about: Movies, Sex and the City: The Movie

Thursday.May.15.2008

Jonah Hill's '21 Jump Street' Movie

By Arya Ponto

I have fond memories of watching a Johnny Depp I didn't know on 21 Jump Street as a young'in. I loved it. It had a catchy theme song. But the prospect of turning it into a movie never occurred to me because, well, it was a pretty dumb idea.

The original late 80s series revolved around a group of undercover cops who look young enough to pass as high school kids, so they're stationed in a high school to catch troubled youths. It's an unlikely premise for a series, given how undercover operations work. For a comedy movie, though, it has tons of potential for humor. Maybe that's why Sony has tapped Jonah Hill to write and executive produce the movie, though it's not clear if Jonah is aiming for a comedy (Hey, Seth Rogen is writing a superhero action movie).

It's also not known if Jonah wil star or if he's strictly writing. If you ask me, it's sort of a given that he stars, considering his boyish looks. Remember how Seth Rogen was supposed to star in Superbad, but he looks too old for the role so it's given to Hill? Jonah's only a year younger than Rogen. They could show him shaving his beard and suddenly transforming into a kid.

The show was famous for having PSAs at the end of each episode and tackling "problematic" teen issues. Somehow I doubt that Jonah Hill would do the same, unless he's going to make a complete mockery out of this practice. The movie--if it was aiming for a comedic tone--could feature Jonah Hill preaching abstinence to the school's female populace. Or something.

One thing I insist they keep in the theatrical version, of course, is this masterpiece of a tune:

Read more about: Movies, TV, 21 Jump Street, Jonah Hill

Wednesday.May.14.2008

Meshuggah "Bleed" Music Video Now Online

By Jason Perry

I'll be honest, I can't really tell what's going on in Meshuggah's new video "Bleed", but it definitely delivers on violent imagery. Maybe I need more drugs.

The video was directed, written and edited by Ian McFarland and Mike Pecci.

"Bleed" is off Meshuggah's new album obZen, which landed the Swedish metallers at #59 on the Billboard Top 200 back in March.

Read more about: Music, Meshuggah, obZen

Wednesday.May.14.2008

REVIEW: "Home Before Dark" by Neil Diamond

By Jason Perry

Read more about: Music,

Wednesday.May.14.2008

The Briggs to Release 'Come All You Madmen'

By Jason Perry

LA's The Briggs are set to release their new effort, entitled Come All You Madmen, on June 17.

Founded by singing guitarists brothers Jason and Joey LaRocca, The Briggs are rounded out by Chris Arredondo on drums and Ryan Roberts on bass. The Brigg's fourth release features that tight, in-your-face sound the band has honed to perfection with six solid years of touring under their belts with the likes of Bad Religion, Flogging Molly, Anti-Flag, The Living End, and Dropkick Murphys.

The dozen blistering tracks on Come All You Madmen were penned on acoustic guitar while out on the road with Dropkick Murphys. Teaming up with The Mighty Mighty Bosstones bassist Joe Gittleman as producer, the band was determined to keep their ferocious live sound intact.

Creating a more aggressive, yet melodic and folky record, Come All You Madmen finds The Briggs at their very best.

"We figured there was no point in f**king around in making a boring, safe record," Jason LaRocca declares, "so we turned it up a notch, pushed our own limits out of the comfort zone. We went more extreme."

Featuring guest appearances from punk rock icons Brian Baker (Bad Religion, Minor Threat), Ken Casey (Dropkick Murphys) and Dicky Barrett (The Mighty Mighty Bosstones), Come All You Madmen erupts with explosive, anthem-like working class street punk. From the soaring guitars on the fist-pumping "Charge Into The Sun" to the hometown shout out on "LA" and the marching beats of the Irish inspired sing-along "Mad Men" and the acoustic folk offering of "Oblivion," The Briggs continue to establish themselves as one of punk's most respectable and memorable acts.

Catch The Briggs this summer as they tour the U.S. on the Van's Warped Tour. The band was already recently added to the lineup for both the Reading and Leeds Festivals in the UK this August.

[Press Release via Earshot Media]

[Photo by Kevin Estrada] 

Read more about: Music, The Briggs

Wednesday.May.14.2008

Neil Diamond Shines on Top of Billboard 200

By Jason Perry

Columbia Records is proud to announce Neil Diamond's Home Before Dark debuted at the number 1 spot on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart after selling 145,840 copies.  Produced by Rick Rubin, Home Before Dark is Neil Diamond's first number 1 album of his storied 48-year career. Diamond has appeared in Billboard's top 10 on 13 occasions, most recently with 12 Songs in 2005, which debuted at number 4.

To celebrate the release of his 27th studio album, Neil Diamond treated his fans to an intimate homecoming show at New York City's famed Bitter End, where he began his career nearly 50 years ago.

We'll have a review of Home Before Dark up on JPP tonight. In the mean time, check out Diamond performing "Pretty Amazing Grace" at the aformentioned Bitter End show.

Read more about: Music, Neil Diamond