Back to the Future Video Game (Click to enlarge)

USA Today has posted an article detailing Telltale Games’ first project out of their freshly signed deal with NBC Universal. In June, it was announced that Telltale would be developing and designing episodic games based on the popular Robert Zemeckis directed franchise.

If the concept art is any indication, Marty McFly and Dr. Emmet Brown will play a huge role in the games. Telltale has announced that members of the original cast will be a part of the game’s core development: Christopher Lloyd will provide his voice, reprising the role of Doc Brown and story duties will be handled by Bob Gale, who wrote the original Back to the Future screenplay. Also confirmed is the appearance of fictional Hill Valley, California and the converted DeLorean time machine immortalized by the movies. No other characters have been announced, but one can be sure that Biff Tannen will return as an antagonist.

During my childhood, Back to the Future was the tops. I must have watched the trilogy at least five times a year and could not wait for a hoverboard to become a reality. I can’t wait to check this out. The fact that Telltale Games is comprised of former LucasArts employees responsible for the Sam & Max and Monkey Island games provides me with comfort that this won’t be a crappy adaptation like all the previous console-bound attempts. If this is a success, I have my fingers crossed for a new Bill & Ted game!

Check out the videos for some examples of previous video game adaptations of the Back to the Future series.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Via USA Today

Move over Stallone, there’s an even older, buffer action star on-screen this summer, and this one’s connected enough to get Steven Seagal in his movie. At 66, Danny Trejo has two years on Sly and has appeared in almost four times as many films. Despite having one of the most recognizable faces in Hollywood, this is the first time Trejo has played the lead role in a theatrical feature. He’s appeared in just about every Robert Rodriguez movie (always as characters with knife-themed names) but the idea for Machete has been gestating since 1995 when they were working on their first collaboration, Desperado. In my opinion, Rodriguez should have made this movie 8 years ago instead of Desperado’s dismal follow-up Once Upon a Time in Mexico. Machete actually has a lot in common with the messy conclusion to the Mariachi trilogy except that its overt sense of humour makes us forgive the jumble of characters shooting their way around a ridiculous plot.

The Genesis

Click here to view the embedded video.

Many of you probably saw the fake trailer for Machete back in 2007 when it preceded the Rodriguez/ Tarantino directed Grindhouse double bill.  It was the only trailer to make it onto the DVD release, Rodriguez thought it would remain a three minute teaser of what could have been until fan demand made him think otherwise. I really wish he had carried on the old, beat-up print aesthetic of the original trailer and Grindhouse movies. Not only would it have made it feel like more of a continuation of that cool project, but I’m sure this process is so old hat by now that an intern at Rodriguez’s special effects house could have completed it in an afternoon.

Releasing this film earlier also would have saved it from being compared to last year’s pitch-perfect blaxploitation throw-back, Black Dynamite. Machete could have been “Mexican Dynamite”, but they forgot the fuse. Rodriguez jumps right into the killing and violence and concentrates mostly on that aspect the whole way through instead of playing more with aesthetics and humour like Black Dynamite did. Of course the jokes are there, for example when a doctor mentions that the large intestine is ten times longer than the person’s height, we know this will be gruesomely illustrated, but the timing is off as it follows the doctor’s comment a little too closely. Again, the set-up is there when one of the bad guys pukes at the first two instances of violence he witnesses, which is hilarious, but they never come back to it, even when he is present during the death of dozens in the final shoot-out.  For me, the biggest laughs came from some of the observational dialogue between two low-level, unenthusiastic henchmen (“I’ve been watching the boss lately and he’s kind of a jerk”), but I still felt as though a lot of jokes were skipped in favour of more over the top action and gore.

More cool shit like this!

I don’t know if Latino culture ever had a cinematic equivalent to the blaxploitation movement, but if they didn’t it seems like Rodriguez is trying to create one 30 years too late. The ‘plot’ is based around border control and animosity towards Mexicans north of their border. Many of the jokes are extremely racial and would be considered highly offensive were the film not written and directed by a Mexican. I’m not sure how people will react to  Steven Seagal playing a Mexican, samurai sword-wielding villain with an accent that completes what may be his worst (or best?) performance to date. With films like this, it’s sometimes difficult to tell which aspects are supposed to be bad and which aren’t.

In addition to Seagal, the film also co-stars Robert De Niro, Jessica Alba, Michelle Rodriguez, Cheech Marin, Lindsay Lohan and Don Johnson (my hat’s off to whomever thought of adding “and introducing” in front of Don’s name in the opening credits). At first glance you may think this cast elevates it from the low budget, straight to DVD fare this film could have easily been, but I maintain that this is a b-movie cast with no real performances to speak of.  Yes, I’m calling De Niro a b-movie actor because I feel that’s the path he’s chosen to take with his career. In fact, the last time I saw him really create a character was in Jackie Brown, and I’m sure Tarantino’s role as producer had a lot do with De Niro’s involvement in Machete, even though he doesn’t seem too picky about his roles these days.

The Result

Click here to view the embedded video.

As you can see, they stuck pretty closely to the original trailer and even re-used some of the footage. Though Rodriguez says he had script completed in the 90′s, it still feels as though he wrote much of the film based around what he had included in the original trailer. Having Machete set-up by anti-immigrant politicians creates a tenuous backdrop in front of which he throws in elements of drug cartels, old rivalries and new romances. All plotlines and surviving characters predictably converge in one of the most inexplicable climactic shoot-outs since Way of the Gun.

Rodriguez actually takes a co-directing credit on this one along with his longtime assistant editor Ethan Maniquis. The end of the film promises not one, but two Machete sequels to come. I predict that if these actually come to fruition that it will be Maniquis taking sole directing credit while Rodriguez takes on more of a producer’s role. Since the often creative employment of his namesake weapon is reminiscent of similar uses in the Friday the 13th series, I don’t think a Jason vs. Machete movie is an unreasonable trajectory if the aforementioned sequels ever get made.

Interesting tidbit: Danny Trejo appeared as ‘Machete’ in Rodriguez’s Spy Kids trilogy and even though it’s the same character according to IMDb, I think that’s likely an oversight. What’s more likely is that Rodriguez never thought he was going to actually make Machete and was running out of sharp objects to name Trejo’s characters after, as I really don’t see how this decapitating maniac fits into a movie aimed at kids.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Tommy certainly takes the cake when it comes to his dork shelf, or rather his dork house! From his life-size Han Solo in carbonite, to his Spider-Man room and full scale dinosaurs, he has definitely got most of us beat in the collectible department.

For more info check out Tallarico.com and Video Games Live for a tour date near you.

Batman: Arkham City (Click to enlarge)

The first in-game stills from Rocksteady Studio’s sequel to the award winning Batman: Arkham Asylum were mysteriously leaked onto the internet today. Besides the enigmatic teaser trailer, this is our first real look at the game. Nothing official has been announced about the Batman: Arkham City to this point, other than its title. We know that the Joker (voiced by Mark Hamill) will be returning along with Harley Quinn, and that the two will be accompanied by many new additions from Batman’s rogues gallery. The screenshots confirm the longstanding rumours that Catwoman and Two-Face will also be appearing in the game.

Two-Face appears in Batman: Arkham City (Click to enlarge)

Needless to say, the shots look amazing and are sure to get any fan of the first game itching to see more; especially any new cinematic or gameplay footage. It’s clear that Rocksteady isn’t recycling too much from the first game, as Batman himself looks a bit different and the environments look suitably more urban.

Catwoman in Batman: Arkham City (Click to enlarge)

Batman: Arkham City is due out Fall 2011 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.

Via Joystiq

Relive Fan Expo 2010 minus the crowds and lines!

Fan Expo show floor (Photo by Jonathan Ore)

Star Trek cosplay (Photo by Jonathan Ore)

Tron Legacy video game with Recognizer (Photo by Jonathan Ore)

Tron Legacy booth (Photo by Jonathan Ore)

Lolita Goth cosplay (Photo by Jonathan Ore)

Disney cosplay (Photo by Jonathan Ore)

Stormtroopers from the 501st Legion (Photo by Jonathan Ore)

Convention centre entrance area (Photo by Jonathan Ore)

Table top games room (Photo by Jonathan Ore)

Toronto Hand Eye Society booth (Photo by Jonathan Ore)

State of Video Games in Toronto Panel (Photo by Jonathan Ore)

Johnny Yong Bosch of Bleach and Power Rangers (Photo by Jonathan Ore)

Packed escalators leading to the convention floor (Photo by Jonathan Ore)

View of Fan Expo 2010 (Photo by Jonathan Ore)

In between entertaining his fans with stories about how he first got into voice acting, his Power Rangers auditions, and a particular tale that involved a homeless person and a 2 lb. bag of quarters, I asked Bosch about a recent interview with David Yost, the original Blue Ranger. Yost, who revealed that he is gay, said that he left the show after he “was called ‘faggot’ one too many times [by the show’s] creators, producers, writers, directors.”

“It wouldn’t surprise me that there were things like that going on,” said Bosch, noting that he can’t recall any specific incidents. “At some point there were rumours that he [Yost] was gay, but I don’t remember any actual harassment. And I don’t really remember who was starting the rumours or who was really saying anything.”

“We all got harassed at certain points,” he continued. “A couple of us were Christians, and as soon as any of us were talking about anything like that, off to the side or whatever, we’d go back to our dressing room and above the door, it would say ‘no bible beating’ or stuff like that.”

Bosch said he didn’t have any problems working with Yost on the show, but some conflict between the two arose during the production of the first Power Rangers feature film. “In the first script, I had quite a bit and I was excited about it, and he complained that because he had been there longer, he should have more [lines, scenes]  and I shouldn’t have more than him. And so in the next script, I had quite a bit less. At least all the fun stuff, you know.” Bosch managed to ad-lib the most memorable line from the film: when the Rangers were given their new powers, each represented by an animal like the wolf or bear, he (as Adam) deadpanned, “I’m a frog.”

“I guess I can understand where he was coming from. At the time I was frustrated. And when the producers told me that’s what he did, I was pretty bummed. But that was then.” He doesn’t claim to have any hard feelings toward Yost or anyone else from the Power Rangers crew.

As for the trained martial artist and voice actor’s Dork Shelf? “It’s all old classic Kung-Fu films. One of my favourites is Shaolin vs. Lama. Or Jade Claw, a.k.a. Crystal Fist.”

All the fun of Fan Expo with none of the smell!

Lego Darth Vader (Photo by Jonathan Ore)

Power Armor Cosplay (Photo by Jonathan Ore)

Little Vader and Princess Leia (Photo by Jonathan Ore)

The Original 1960's Batmobile (Photo by Jonathan Ore)

Stormtroopers take escalators (Photo by Jonathan Ore)

Iron Man (Photo by Jonathan Ore)

State of the local video game industry panelists (Photo by Jonathan ore)

Hasbo Battle of Hoth Diorama (Photo by Jonathan Ore)

Futurama Cosplay (Photo by Jonathan Ore)

Peter Parker Cosplay (Photo by Jonathan Ore)

Final Fantasy XIII Cosplay (Photo by Jonathan Ore)

Resident Evil 4 Cosplay (Photo by Jonathan Ore)

Gurren Lagann Cosplay (Photo by Jonathan Ore)

Gold Ranger costume (Photo by Jonathan Ore)

Dalek Costume (Photo by Jonathan Ore)

Anime Cosplay (Photo by Jonathan Ore)

Daisy, Peach, Toad and Yoshi (Photo by Jonathan Ore)

Red Mandalorian (Photo by Jonathan Ore)

Darth Vacation (Photo by Jonathan Ore)

Bebop and Shredder (Photo by Jonathan Ore)

Link and Ganon (Photo by Jonathan Ore)

Castle Crashers (Photo by Jonathan Ore)

BioShock 2 Big Sister (Photo by Jonathan Ore)

Writing and Producing Video Games Panel (Photo by Jonathan Ore)

Team Fortress 2 Cosplay (Photo by Jonathan Ore)

Scarecrow amongst the crowd (Photo by Jonathan Ore)

Jeff interviews Tommy Tallarico (Photo by Jonathan Ore)

A Little Sister, Will, and a Big Daddy (Photo by Jonathan Ore)

Captain America (Photo by Jonathan Ore)

Autograph Alley (Photo by Jonathan Ore)

Mass Effect Cosplay (Photo by Jonathan Ore)

Sailor Moon Cosplay (Photo by Jonathan Ore)

ReBoot Cosplay (Photo by Jonathan Ore)

Former WWE Wrestlers Lita and Trish Stratus

I’m not sure if it was the excerpts of Misery my dad would read to us at the cottage, or re-renting the corner store’s copy of Stand By Me on VHS over and over again, or perhaps it was the kid’s T-shirt in Monster Squad, but I think I was conditioned from a very young age to like Stephen King. And while I grew out of Star Wars novelizations and Grisham’s legal ‘thrillers’, I never got sick of the King. Perhaps that’s why I wasn’t at all daunted when the brick that is his latest novel made it into my hands.

My delay in writing this review had nothing to do with how long it took me to read the book. Getting through it was as easy as watching a season of a good HBO show. Despite its appearance, it is not a lengthy read. It was captivating, fun, and of course shocking at times, but like a good TV show, it was something I could only really enjoy from the comfort of my own home. In fact, my biggest complaint about this book is its size. Not its length, but the unnecessary girth of the object itself. King admitted he was ‘killing a lot of trees with this one’ but when I actually read it, with its thick paper and short chapters, I began to feel that it was all for marketing.

It was heralded as a return to the beloved, high concept stories with quadruple- digit page counts that he became known for in the 80’s with books like The Stand. Indeed, by presenting the reader with an entire town full of characters, all with their own quirks, motives and problems apart from the shared one, he has created a story with a greater scope than others he’s been putting out in recent years, but does size really equal sales? The paperback version is slightly less cumbersome and therefore a little more convenient for anyone who likes to travel with their reading material and not worry about it causing future back problems.

One aspect of the first edition hardcover I did prefer was how it let the exceptional cover art (seen above) serve as the only plot synopsis provided. The title and the picture of a town beneath a giant dome with a burning plane wreck inside tell potential readers all they need to know. The perpetrators of this cruel experiment remain a mystery throughout most of the story as King concentrates on the chaos that ensues following the dome’s placement in the first pages. When this happens, not only are planes brought down, but limbs are severed and even an unlucky chipmunk finds himself in two parts on either side of the dome. The dome is initially invisible which causes several deadly collisions on the highways in scenes that I imagine will be big special effects hooks for the opening of the Dreamworks produced mini-series reportedly airing next year.

The hero of the book is a typical one for the most part. He is an ex-military drifter picking up some extra bucks as a short order cook at the town diner. After putting some unfriendly locals in the hospital, Barbie is on his way out of town when the dome comes down. Oh yeah, there’s one thing that’s not typical about this hero, his name is ‘Barbie.’ Short for Dale Barbara, but most of the time it’s just ‘Barbie.’ This takes a little getting used to, as the tall doll that has more outfits than King has books can’t help but make her way into the reader’s head from time to time, even when Barbie is kicking ass and taking names.

With their pulpy dialogue, toilet humour and clear divisions between good and evil, King is still writing stories that are very accessible for young people. But these books remain enjoyable for adults who recognize that he uses these trusted tools consciously and more aptly than any other contemporary mainstream writer. Under the Dome is no exception to this and as long as he continues to relish in delivering us our guilty pleasures, this reader will always think Stephen King Rules.

The fifth annual Toronto After Dark Film Festival wrapped up another successful run at the Bloor Cinema this past weekend. The fest featured the Canadian and world premieres of some of the craziest, funniest, most insane and gory films of the year. Yesterday, the festival announced the award winners from this year’s lineup; some 4300 votes were tallied to determine the audience award winners.

I have to say that I’m a little disappointed that Quentin Dupieux’s amazing Rubber didn’t win any of the main prizes. It was by far the most original film at After Dark (for which it won the Fan Choice award) and easily my favourite of the whole festival. In any event, congratulations to the filmmakers and festival organizers for another great year.

You can to read all of our reviews from this year’s festival here and see the full list of TADFF award winners after the jump. AUDIENCE AWARDS, BEST FEATURE FILM

1. GOLD: The Last Exorcism (Read our review here)
2. SILVER: The Human Centipede
3. BRONZE: I Spit On Your Grave

VISION AWARDS, BEST INDEPENDENT FEATURE FILM
The Vision Awards are given out by the Festival in recognition of outstanding independent genre feature filmmaking.

1. GOLD: Heartless (Read our review here)
2. SILVER: The Last Lovecraft
3. BRONZE: All About Evil

AUDIENCE AWARDS, BEST CANADIAN SHORT FILM

1. GOLD: Junko’s Shamisen
2. SILVER: King Chicken
3. BRONZE: Fireman! and Game Night (Tie)

AUDIENCE AWARDS, BEST INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM

1. GOLD: Off Season (Read our review here)
2. SILVER: Pumzi (Read our review here)
3. BRONZE: Deus Irae

For a full list check out the official 2010 Toronto After Dark Film Fest site.

Here are some of the highlights:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Thanks to all the folks for taking the time to talk with us, particularly the local creators and artists. You can see more of Ramón Pérez, Cameron Stewart and Michael Cho over at Transmission X. Also check out Howard Wong’s Blog and Agnes Garbowska’s official site.

If you’re attending the convention this weekend and see us on the show floor please say hello!
Be sure to check back soon to see our coverage of this year’s event.

Fan Expo 2010 runs from August 27th to the 29th.
For more info see the official Fan Expo site.

Classics do a lot of good, but that good is typically exhausted in one fell swoop. Plus that bit of good is usually exclusive to the classic itself. This reigns especially true in horror, where one good thing leads to endless, terrible others. The Exorcist is regarded as one of the most effective and poignant works in horror history, it is just a shame that for decades it would lead to lukewarm attempts, some of which even share the same branding. Same goes for The Blair Witch Project, original and startling for its time, the shaky-cam method became one of those annoying ‘things’ that comes in swarms then hibernates for a few years. Which is why Daniel Stamm and Eli Roth’s The Last Exorcism has a bit of a fight ahead. Instead of seeming inspired by the greats, the film enthusiasts’ gut feeling places it in a parade of hopeless copycats. So forgetting everything, just everything, the champions of the genre and the stack of dirt that grounds them, is this handheld devil one you yourself should risk an encounter with?

Spoilers to follow.

Reverend Cotton Marcus is a good man, he’s lived his life as a liar and a thief but he’s never been out to hurt anyone. He is a shining star in his local community, an addictive priest and more curious a famous exorcist. However his holy water is more snake oil than the blessing of the lord, and starting now he’ll be the first one to tell you. After being rattled by a story of an exorcism related death, he wants to go on the record that the whole field is nothing but smoke and mirrors. To do so, Cotton has agreed to let a film crew document his last gig. Unfortunately for Marcus and his team, this final job goes a little bit deeper than the surface, and Marcus will be forced to confront his own faith after being so close to losing it.

Marcus, played by Patrick Fabian, truly ties the whole effort together. And thank the lord because he’s soaking up the screen 70 percent of the time. Marcus is sly, likable, believable, and even if he’s wronged many before, his moral engagement is one that will click and make you pray for his salvation. He also grows closer to the characters around him, conversing with the film crew as things get more intimate, even growing to understand and cease undermining the ‘backwater’ family he investigates. The film even balances out the possibility that there may in fact be nothing paranormal about the case at all, and while the poster and trailers have probably convinced you otherwise, Cotton Marcus makes a very strong case that theories grounded in reality can be far more disturbing than hellborn options.

It doesn’t take very long for this film to cut its ties with so many bad apples that have landed around it. It proves that its elements, as overused as they may be recently, can be more circumstantial and in fact beneficial to the final product. The first person camera is more of a documentary than discarded found footage, and the bulk of the film, filled with convincing b-roll and casual encounters, makes this more believable as an entry to HotDocs than yet another camcorder tour of hell. Even the exorcism gives the matter more thought than just blaming it all on the devil. It makes you consider our depraved social environment that breeds desperate paranoia, even if there is in fact something lurking in the shadows.

Everything is wonderfully grounded, acting is sharp as a pitchfork and even the ‘horror’ itself is ingeniously reserved, so while cheap thrills are limited, the lasting effect will stick with you while you are trying to sleep at night. If you’ve found yourself tired of typically overused horror tropes, and perhaps even turned off by Roth’s involvement, The Last Exorcism will catch you off guard. This isn’t trying to usurp the classics, but instead does the smart thing by paving its own unique way. The film may make you a believer yet. In one thing or another.

British artist Philip Ridley has only directed three feature films in his career. I must confess that I am not familiar with his first two films, The Reflecting Skin and The Passion of Darkly Noon, but everyone I’ve talked to says they are strange and disturbing experiences. With that in mind, I went into Ridley’s latest film, Heartless, expecting a weird, wild and haunting experience and was not disappointed.

Spoilers to follow.

Jamie (Jim Sturgess) is a young man with a heart-shaped birthmark on his face. Always self-concious about his appearance, growing up with the mark has left Jamie shy and withdrawn. He keeps to himself mostly, living at home with his mother and quietly photographing things around his neighbourhood as a hobby. However, Jamie’s quiet little corner of East London not quite what it seems; the area is plagued by gang violence at night. While most people believe that the seemingly random attacks are just gangs, Jamie soon learns that there is something much more sinister happening. His discovery will give him an opportunity to change things, but at a cost greater than anyone should pay.

Our very own Shelagh selected Heartless for the Toronto After Dark programme this year (read her review here), and I can see why: It was easily the most psychological film playing at the festival this year. Where other films were busy shocking the audience with violence  or amazing them with action, Heartless got in their heads. That’s not to say that there isn’t some pretty shocking violence in the film—a man getting his heart cut out of his body is right up there with the most violent things I’ve ever seen on film—but the movie isn’t about that. The film is about making choices and living with them. No matter what your original intention, when you make a deal with the devil you’ve got to be prepared for the consequences.

Heartless is a moody film, the tone reflects the maddening changes in the character and setting. The film goes from a depressing family story one minute, to horrific Faustian nightmare the next; from idyllic young romance and then back again. Sitting in the theatre I was initially put off by the drastic mood swings the film goes through. The various stages almost feel like completely different films. But the film is about metamorphosis and this is the devil we’re talking about here. If anyone could turn your lonely, living nightmare into a beautiful dream where Clemence Posey was your companion, it would be him. All you have to do is shake his hand and make a promise.

The ending of the film felt very disjointed and confusing, but perhaps that was the point. The rush toward the bittersweet climax was, I hope, intentional. There are a few leaps in logic the film makes near the ending that only make sense if you go with a certain reading of the film and its characters. Ultimately, I don’t know that I really liked Heartless, in fact, the film actually kind of bothered me. Regardless of how I felt though, I was left scratching my head and thinking about the movie well after it was over. If that isn’t at least interesting filmmaking, I don’t know what is.