Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows Outshines in the Box Office

Shareholders must be impressed, as Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows has surpassed its predecessor in the global box office earnings.  The first movie which hauled in a worldwide gross of $524.4 million has been outdone, as the Game of Shadows earned $186.7 million domestically and $342.3 million internationally.  This brought in total a grand sum of $529 million dollars to the Sherlock Holmes title, according to Warner Bros. Pictures.

This was anounced by Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution, alongside Kwan-Rubinek, President of International Distribution at Warner Bros. Pictures.

Now these current earnings are just beating the benchmark mind you.  The second movie is still earning and will continue to outdistance itself from its first movies earnings.  Produced by Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows has drawn large crowds on opening night and repeat business since its debut late December.  It’s continued success and great reviews must have given it momentum as the film rolled out internationally.  In the states, the movie opened at #1, spending six weeks in the U.S. top ten.  Meanwhile, the film was #1 internationally for three straight weeks, holding the position from the weeks of January 8 to January 23.

Fellman had this to say about the movie’s success:

Our successful box office continues to prove the appeal of Sherlock Holmes, especially in the hands of guy Ritchie and his amazing cast, led by Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law.  The film had outstanding results throughout the holidays and continued to gain traction well into 2012.

Kwan-Rubinek added,

Rolling out this film internationally has been tremendously exciting, as the film has clearly resonated with audiences around the globe.  The first ‘Sherlock Holmes’ was such a tremendous success overseas, and to surpass that number in these same markets is truly a remarkable achievement. We congratulate the filmmakers and cast, as well as our international teams, on these excellent results.”

Sue Kroll, the Studio’s President, Worldwide Marketing went on to say,

‘Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows’ gave moviegoers another opportunity to experience Guy Ritchie’s fun and inventive take on the legendary detective.  The movie is a great adventure – complete with action, humor and great characters. Congratulations to the filmmakers and cast, who were truly our partners in bringing Sherlock Holmes back to an enthusiastic worldwide audience.”

Robert Downey Jr. switches his role from the arrogant Iron Man, to reprises his role as the world’s most famous detective, Sherlock Holmes, based on the stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.   Think of it, in this interpretation of Holmes, he continuously follows his weird experiments while being socially, uhm, unique.  He continues to act out and drag others into his wild world, without ever consulting them about their needs.  Then there’s the not so clean living.  It’s basically Sheldon Cooper merged with a Frat boy version of Batman.  Jude Law returns as Dr. Watson, college and openly ‘just friends’ with Holmes.

The first movie really struck me as a new type of buddy cop genre film, which I hereby dub, Bromantic-Action-Comedy.  At first I was going to call it Bromantic-Action, but it sounded off.  I honestly was surprised that in either movie, Holmes did not bring out a copy of the bro-code; from the television “How I Met Your Mother”; and start quoting it at Watson.

Official synopsis of the movie:

Sherlock Holmes has always been the smartest man in the room…until now. There is a new criminal mastermind at large—Professor James Moriarty (Jared Harris)—and not only is he Holmes’ intellectual equal, but his capacity for evil, coupled with a complete lack of conscience, may give him an advantage over the renowned detective. Holmes’ investigation into Moriarty’s plot becomes more dangerous as it leads him and Watson out of London to France, Germany and finally Switzerland. But the cunning Moriarty is always one step ahead, and moving perilously close to completing his sinister plan. If he succeeds, it will not only bring him immense wealth and power but alter the course of history.

The chase scenes in this movie reminded me a lot of classic Jackie Chan movies, where everyone is running around and fighting in a colorful setting.  Swinging from rafters and doing parkour tricks, the sequel continues to overuse the bullet time sequences popularized in the 2009 film.  It’s even skirted in the movie that Holmes’ abilities are more preternatural in nature, maybe even based on innate fortune telling, rather than to his reasoning skills.  Whatever this skill is, I’m sure studios are trying to conjure up their own to decide if a sequel to this movie will be made.

Will this series run out of steam, or will the success of the first two movies propel studios into making more?

Papercutz Slices Releases New Parody “The Hunger Pains”

Papercutz is known for their publishing of great graphic novels for all ages and types of readers. Their Slices series is styled from the best MAD Magazine satires that incorporates abject silliness and incredibly funny moments. Their new parody, “The Hunger Pains” is the 4th part if their Slices series and features all of your favorite characters from the novel, The Hunger Games… well sort of.

Publisher Terry Nantier said.

“As luck would have it our unauthorized parody graphic novel is available now in bookstores everywhere for fans who just can’t wait. Though not planned, and certainly not part of an overarching marketing strategy, this is the kind of community service Papercutz is famous for.”

“The Hunger Pains” follows young woman, Ratkiss Everspleen beginning on the Day of the Deleting. The heroine volunteers to fight for Ditch 12 in an annual televised battle to the death. Of course her old friend, Peeka Choo, giant blocks of gelatin, highly evolved monkeys, and tin men with chainsaws are some of the obstacles she must battle through until the end.

The series follows their other hit parodies such as “Harry Potty and the Deathly Boring” and “Percy Jerkson and the Ovolactovegetarians.”

Editor-In-Chief Jim Salicrup stated that,

We can’t be more proud of this one. Every page is a rewarding experience, and with a big-budget film adaptation out this week it will find the wider audience it deserves.

Although the movie is based on the actual novel, not their parody. It doesn’t matter because evens fans of the original will find this parody hilarious.

“The Hunger Pains” was written by Stefan Petrucha and illustrated by Rick Parker.

Each Papercutz Slices graphic novel is 64 pages, full color, and 6″x9″. They are priced at $6.99 or $10.99 for the hardcover and you can find them

at all major retailers, bookstores, comic book stores, and digitally on comiXology.com.

ABOUT PAPERCUTZ

Papercutz is dedicated to publishing great graphic novels for all ages. Popular with reluctant readers and gifted readers alike, Papercutz graphic novels for kids, tweens, and teens include a wide range of genres, including humor, action adventure, mystery, horror, and favorite characters. Papercutz hits include THE SMURFS, LEGO® NINJAGO, GERONIMO STILTON, NANCY DREW, and more.

A Hen In The Fox House Written by David Lubar

Back around 1982, I was hired by Sirius Software to design and program games for the Atari 2600. Sirius had originally planned to not only develop the games, but to manufacture and publish them. Since they already published computer games on floppy disks, this didn’t seem like an unreasonable leap. But somewhere along the way, they discovered that the publishing side of the cartridge business would require a substantial amount money. So they found a partner who had an abundance of cash and a desire to be a game publisher. All of a sudden, though I was still an employee of Sirius, I was actually designing games for Fox Games, a division of 20th Century Fox. In retrospect, this was a positive event, since the change meant Sirius took longer to go out of business than they would have without a partner.

Soon after I started working on my first game, we were invited to a premier screening of two Fox movies, to see if we wanted to use either for a game. I caught a ride to the theater with one of my co-workers, Mark Turmell, who’d just bought a Porsche. That’s not relevant, but I love to name drop.

One of the movies we saw at the preview, Six Pack, had potential. It was about a group of kids and a crusty racer. While the idea of doing a racing game was fun, this was the Atari 2600, which was slightly limited in it’s graphics, memory, and processor speed. (Though our team leader, Larry Miller, went on to write the great racing game, Enduro, for Activision.)

The other movie we saw that afternoon was so inappropriate for our needs, I want to ease into my description of it rather than just blurting out the details. Remember, we were writing video games for a system that was mostly pitched to kids and families. Okay. The 2600 was a game system for the whole family. Keep that in mind. Ready? The movie was The Entity. If you remember it, you can picture my reaction as I sat in that auditorium, having been brought there for the purpose of finding game-worthy material. For those of you who missed this cinematic gem, it’s about a woman who was repeatedly raped by an invisible spirit. Yup. Can you picture how that would translate into a video game? Mommy — why is my joystick slippery? So that was my first taste of the Hollywood glory. But things got better.

For one thing, Fox had money. Which meant they could afford TV ads. I totally lucked out. The ad for my first game was made by the same genius who made Tron. I’ll be the first to admit that the ad was way better than the game. Though the game did include some nice features, like two-player same-screen co-op (because I love hyphenate words), and a pause switch.

At one point, we were told we could base a game on any movie in the Fox catalog. Yeah — any movie. Take what you want. Being a science-fiction fan, I instantly claimed Fantastic Voyage as my own. For those of you who have never seen the movie or read Isaac Asimov’s novel, the story involves injecting a miniaturized crew and submarine into a human body, so the crew can perform delicate brain surgery. Remember — this is for the Atari 2600. So the artery was represented as a parallel pair of jagged lines. The player’s ship had to blast through clots, bacteria, and other hazards. It could regain health by shooting enzymes, which I represented as tiny keys, in homage to what I’d learned in high school biology. The game got progressively harder, mostly by narrowing the arteries. (I guess that’s better than getting progressively narrower by hardening the arteries.)

My next game was named after Flash Gordon, though the connection was pretty slender. Okay — the connection didn’t really exist, except that the game was set in space. A third game, which I had given some sort of slick name like Alpha Mission, was renamed by Fox after a film nobody had ever seen, Space Master X-7. I wasn’t happy about the name, but I was definitely happy about what happened next, because it gave me my greatest piece of nerd credibility. The game had a bit (okay — eight bit) part in Revenge of the Nerds. One of the characters plays it after they get kicked out of their dorm. The game itself was fairly slick. I was trying to emulate the vector-graphics look from classic coin-op games such as Asteroids. For the 2600, it was a pretty nice piece of programming.

Later on, I had a chance to go in the opposite direction. Absolute Entertainment had put together a simulated video game for the movie, Toys. The simulation was created by merging displays from two Super Nintendos. Eventually, I was one of the programmers asked to help create an actual SNES version of game.

I had another brush with the movies years later, when I was offered the chance to write three spinoff novels based on the Lost in Space movie. This offer was made before the movie was released, and before I escaped from my starving-author years. So I had a bit of incentive to take the deal. But I had a feeling it would not be a rewarding project, so I declined the offer. Sometimes, you guess right.

As for my option experiences with my own novels, there’s not much to tell. I’ve had inquiries, and couple near misses, but nothing has crossed the border, yet, from fuel for my daydreams to cash in the bank. But who knows? If I can get the honor of bringing a classic novel by Isaac Asimov to the glory of the 160-pixel four-color screen, anything can happen.

Guest post written by author David Lubar. He has written numerous books and is also an electronic game programmer, who programmed Super Breakout for the Nintendo Game Boy, and Frogger for both the SNES and Game Boy. As a game designer, he designed the game Frogger 2: Swampy’s Revengefor the Nintendo Game Boy Color. He is also known for his Nathan Abercrombie, Accidental Zombie series. 

New Trailer Released For Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

The new trailer, which originally debut at WonderCon in Anaheim, California, has finally made its way online. The film, based on the novel of same name written by Seth Grahame-Smith, follows our 16th president and the truth about the life he lived… as a vampire hunting bad-ass.

The film adaptation is being directed by Timur Bekmambetov produced by him and Tim Burton. In the film, President Lincoln’s mother is killed by a supernatural creature, which fuels his passion to crush vampires and their slave-owning helpers.

The cast of the film includes:

  • Benjamin Walker as Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States.
  • Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Mary Todd Lincoln, Lincoln’s wife.
  • Rufus Sewell as Adam, the lead vampire villain.
  • Jimmi Simpson as Josh Speed, Lincoln’s friend and assistant.
  • Dominic Cooper as Henry Sturges, Lincoln’s mentor in vampire hunting.
  • Anthony Mackie as William Johnson, Lincoln’s valet and friend.
  • Robin McLeavy as Nancy Lincoln, Lincoln’s mother.
  • Alan Tudyk as Stephen A. Douglas, an American politician from Illinois.
  • Marton Csokas
  • Cameron M. Brown as Willie Lincoln, Abraham and Mary’s son

You can watch the new trailer below and the film is set to hit theaters June 22.

Trailer For First Episode of Walking Dead Video Game Released

Now that season 2 of AMC’s hit show, “The Walking Dead” is over, it is a perfect time to get pumped about the new video game release based on the series. The game comes from Telltale Games and Robert Kirkman, who is the creator and writer of the “The Walking Dead,” and now they have a released a brand new trailer for the upcoming game.

This first trailer features the first of five monthly episodes of the “Walking Dead” video game that is set to be released in late April on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360® for 400 Microsoft® Points, on PlayStation®Network for $4.99 and on PC and Mac as a season pass for $24.99 from the Telltale Online Store and other digital outlets.

The trailer for the game was created by animator and director Daniel M. Kanemoto. He blended together both 2D and 3D imagery that incorporates both the series and the original comic book. Telltale games had actually asked Kanemoto to create the trailer because of his “fan made” title sequence he had made for the series.

Dan Connors, the co-founder and CEO of Telltale said this about the game:

This trailer really shows off how our artists have managed to take the 2D art style of the comic books and create a 3D world allowing fans to truly interact with Robert Kirkman’s world for the very first time. We hope that fans will like what they see and be excited by the chance to join the cast of the game; we promise they’ll die horribly!

Kirkman also added this regarding the game:

Telltale has done a phenomenal job in making a game that meets the expectations of fans. Running around with a gun isn’t what ‘The Walking Dead’ is about; it’s about how people caught in an apocalypse deal with facing their own death every day, and the horrible choices they have to make to survive. Telltale’s game series has captured the spirit of the comic books perfectly.

The plot of the video game follows Lee Everett, a convicted criminal that has been given a chance for redemption in the apocalyptic world of the undead. Players will be able to experience different events, meet people and visit locations through out the world of the comic book and series. And, the actions of players and their choices will affect how the story plays out across the entire game series.

You can watch the new trailer for the video game below:

Female Leads vs Male Leads Round 2 Winners

The second round between our Female Lead Bracket vs the Male Lead Bracket has concluded! It was a tough round with many close calls, but in the end the fans spoke up and we have the winners for round 2. Next we have Round 3 which is the semi finals for each bracket. We will have one winner from both brackets after this which will battle in the finales next week.

Congratulations to each of the winners from the match-ups! And also congrats to the female lead bracket that edged out the male leads completely!

You can see the winners from each bracket below:

The Four Winners Include:

  1. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
  2. Dark Parties by Sara Grant
  3. The Line by Teri Hall
  4. 21 Erased by Barbara Rayne

Round 3 match ups will begin March 27, and continue till March 29th. We will announce winners on March 30th.

The Match-ups are as follows:

  1. The Line vs Dark Parties
  2. Uglies vs 21 Erased

So be sure to check back on March 27th, to begin voting on the semi-finals, and check in with us on Twitter for updates on the competition!

4 Reasons John Carter Faltered At The Box Office

We were all pretty excited about John Carter when it hit theaters… that is everyone who knew it existed. I can’t begin to tell you how many questions I fielded about this film from my coworkers who hadn’t even know it existed until it began failing at the box office. So the question stood: How does a film that spent millions of dollars on marketing, lose $200 million and bomb at the box office?

Disney’s huge film John Carter hit theaters last week and has since begun its downward slide into the box office flop home base. Even though our critics here gave the film a great review, many other critics scored it poorly. As a result, Disney is expected to lose roughly $200 million because of the project.

We expect the film to generate an operating loss of approximately $200 million during our second fiscal quarter ending March 31. As a result, our current expectation is that the Studio segment will have an operating loss of between $80 and $120 million for the second quarter.” Said a statement from Disney.

So what happened between the post-production and the release? It was slated (at least by the studio) to be one of the big hits on the year, so far as the studio was already working on a script for the sequel. (I think it is safe to assume that isn’t happening now). Yet now the film, which cost $250 million to make, has grossed much less than that at $30.6 million domestically.

So there are basically 4 reasons why this film flopped at the box office (although it might do better on DVD who knows).

The Reviews:

Aside from the one published here, the reviews for this film was subpar to say the least. The film only gained a 53 rating on Metacritic, which is surprising because it’s rare that a family-friendly release is smashed by the critics. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times rated the film 2.5 out of 4 stars. Owen Glieberman of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a D rating, feeling,

“Nothing in John Carter really works, since everything in the movie has been done so many times before, and so much better.”

Other critics proclaimed the film to be to long, and undeniably boring. The reviews pretty much all so-so.  Not to great, but not terrible. But who wants to go spend 20 dollars to see a film in theaters that is only so-so? The film may do better when released on DVD but it doesn’t appear to be going as far as the studio imagined in the theater.

The Marketing

I think this is where they made their biggest mistake.  There was so much that they could have done to draw attention to the film, but in the end they just didn’t. They could have touched on the fact that the film was directed by the guy who wrote and directed hit Pixar films WALL-E and Finding Nemo. Or they could have mentioned it was based on one of the most loved novel series by well-respected novelist, Edgar Rice Burroughs. Or that the 95-year-old story influenced much of sci-fi culture, as we know it now. But no, there was no mention of director’s abilities, or even a simple line like that the story came from the writer who created Tarzan.

But the trailers just got worse.

The movie’s very first teaser trailer left most audiences saying, “what IS that?” And by the time the Super Bowl ad for the film had played, people weren’t paying attention to it. The studio released so many incredibly similar ads and trailers for the film, that by the time it actually hit theaters, no one cared anymore because they couldn’t really tell what the film was even about. Even a former studio marketing chief stated that,

This is one of the worst marketing campaigns in the history of movies

They went on to say that,

It’s almost as if they went out of their way to not make us care.

Which, as it turned out, most people didn’t by the time the film was released.

Oddly enough, for a film that banks on the action aspect of its story, the first trailer and some others were utterly devoid of the effects and action points that was the biggest selling point for the story. Most trailers should have a “wow!” factor that hooks in audiences from the beginning. But unfortunately, John Carter didn’t.  Especially the first trailer that was meant to have been the summer hook for the film lacked any special effects or “wow!” factors that would make the audience want to see the film (and even wait a year or so to do so, like the Hunger Games.)

The lack of a good trailer stemmed from the fact that regrettably, the director, Stanton, didn’t have any of those special scenes ready for the summer trailer release. He was new to the live-action world of filmmaking and most scenes even remotely awesome for the trailer were still unfinished by the time the first trailer was expected to be released. So basically they had nothing to create a decent trailer with.  Thus audiences received a lackluster and boring trailer that didn’t explain much about the storyline or hook us in to want to see more.

Even worse, when the first full-length trailer came out in November, to compensate for the unintentional bad first trailer, it was entirely in the other direction. All action shots with no explanation of the storyline, the character or the film and why audiences should want to see the man on Mars.

It seemed they couldn’t just find a happy medium.

They also landed on an incredibly bland title for a sci-fi film. The original novel is called A Princess of Mars as a part of the Barsoom series. Any variation on any of the titles from the series would have been better than a name that sounded like the “ER” character got sent to space.

Many also commented that the film seems too reminiscent of another blockbuster failure, the film adaptation of Prince of Persia. (And who wants to be reminded of that film?) A desert setting that makes everything look brown and dirty? Check. Long, and not so luscious locks on our main hero? Check.

The Director

Don’t get me wrong. I am not bashing Stanton; I think he is a brilliant director. But his first live-action film shouldn’t have been this one. Mainly because this was a book that he, as a fan of the series, had a fierce loyalty to that wouldn’t budge. He had this kind of ego regarding the film, and just couldn’t fathom that people didn’t know about the original series, and therefor wouldn’t be interested in seeing his adaptation. And because of his creative control, despite urges from the marketing departments, Stanton won every argument, resulting in the failure of the ad campaign and ultimately the flop of the movie.

One Disney executive added:

You only get one shot at making a first impression … and that first trailer, it never jumped off, never did anything to catch that wave of anticipation that all new movies crave. That’s what so critical for a movie like this.

It seems that Stanton was pretty invested in the film looking like he always imagined it to be when he a child, and in turn the rest of the world, who hadn’t read the novels, didn’t quite get it.

The Inspiration

I think something that is often overlooked regarding the film faltering in the box office. The movie just seemed so…. Done already. The original series inspired so much of modern science fiction that looking at John Carter now seems like the themes and characters are over played even if it was the original inspiration.

One of the most obvious is the Star Wars franchise in which much of the film is derivative of the Barsoom series.

Check it:

Princess Leia and Princess Dejah. Oh yeah and they both wear those sexy bikinis.

Evil Sith an Evil Sith Insects.

That thing Leia stands on next to Jabba also happens in Carter.

The Banthas were also inspired by the banths.

Avatar was also reminiscent of the novels by Burroughs.

“Every great scene in the book has been reaped,” explained Don Murphy, the producer of movies like Transformers and Real Steel. “It’s all been done before, so you actually have to find a way to make and market it in a way that’s actually less faithful to the original material.” (Murphy had also tried to bring John Carter to the silver screen almost a decade ago, but was never able to fully get it going.)

However, despite urging to deviate from the source text, Stanton refused, probably feeling like the film was going to be the next great sci-fi series like he always imagined.

Conclusion:

Basically, you should never attempt to adapt a film that you glorify. When you do this, like Stanton, you lose the ability to look at it objectively and figure out how to work with it. Stanton tried and it flopped. He wasn’t ready for the live-action world, he wasn’t willing to compromise, and thanks to the terribly marketing of the film most people don’t even know what the film is about or that it existed over the weekend.

It seems it was doomed to fail before it even began.

The Walking Dead Season 2 Finale Swarms the Cable Ratings!

AMC’s “The Walking Dead”, continues to garner high ratings.  First it was broken in October 2011 with the season 2 premiere of the show.  Clocking in 7.3 million viewers.  In February, the show did it again, raising the bar to 8.1 million viewers for the mid-season premiere, the highest in cable history.  Well, it was up until the season finale last Bloody Sunday.  Again it has shattered its own basic-cable ratings for a second time this season.  According to the Hollywood Reporter, the show brought in 9 million viewers.  A zombie show that draws in mindless zombies that infect and create more mindless zombies.  Go figure.

As I take out my leather journal that contains the secrets of the future; dyed the color of police telephone box blue; I would like to issue a warning to any who have not watched AMC’s “The Walking Dead”, especially the season two finale.

Spoilers: You have been warned.

A herd is formed by the appearance of a helicopter.  One moved towards it with purpose.  others followed.  Then they kept walking a straight line, not knowing who was following whom.  It was like watching so many hipsters going towards the Apple store for their new iPad 3.

Now that Shane is dead, the invisible force field that protected the farm and all that dwell on it has weakened.  I think it was powered by the undiscovered fission produced by high school drama.  Nature of course abhors a vacuum, so an zombie herd immediately appears to fill the void that Shane’s homicidal tendencies has left behind.  Could the season finale actually be about surviving a real zombie threat?  Sweet Jeebus!  This is one episode of “The Walking Dead” I did not see coming for once.

In true zombie genre fashion, everyone flips out and makes moves that are questionable to survival.  It’s as if this is everyone’s first exposure to real zombies and has put them into shock.

Rick somehow gets flanked by zombies that were originally far behind him.  Rick and Carl then run into a barn, thus getting Carl and himself boxed inside.  Rick then lets zombies into the barn.  Instead of running, casually walks to the ladder almost within arm’s reach of being killed. Carl then sets zombies on fire with kerosene, while he and Carl wait in the protective comfort of wood and hay shelter.  They set the fire on the ground, so how could it possibly spread further?

Then there’s the rest of the group, who are unable to form coherent strategies without their genius leader Rick; or the sound of someone flipping out.

Team Humans first plan: Waste ammo and gas, driving around the farm in circles and shooting the walkers.  The idea is to get the attention of the dead and lead them off the farm.  Instead, let’s everyone drive, sow chaos and do donuts in the grass.

Team Humans second plan: Attempt to evacuate fifteen minutes after the walkers are first spotted.

Hershel does his best to stay as long as possible.  He needs to have the farm.  It’s his legacy, plus it’s always good to own land.

Lori can’t seem to keep a track of her child.  So she holds up the evacuation to look for him some more.  In fact, no one keeps an eye on Carl.  It’s not as if they’re engaged in work all the time.  Why can’t anyone keep an eye on the kid?  Here’s an idea.  How about give the kid a mentor, who passes on skills that he can later use to survive?  When the kid learns all that he can, he’s released from that mentor and on to the next babysitter.  If you want off babysitting duty, make the kid demonstrate a new skill with competence.  Sorted!

Team Humans third plan:  Drive away and hope for the best.  There is no set meeting place or technology to help them communicate.  The plague you see has somehow taken out all walkie-talkies and CB radios.

Team Zombies plan:  Find live flesh and eat them.  It’s worked out rather well.  I hope they win.

Oh, and some supporting cast get eaten.  Really, let’s stop the RV and park right outside a burning barn surrounded by zombies.  Oh mister red shirt.  I hardly knew your name.

Once the immediate threat are over, it’s time to sink back into drama.  To save time, let’s just list them off.

Lori is mad at Rick for killing Shane in self defence.

– Yet Lori was also the one to tell Rick that Shane was a threat.

– She also went out of her way to explain to Shane that she is thankful for all the things he’s done to protect her and Carl thus far.

– Lori also goes out of her way to tell Shane that she doesn’t know who the father is of the unborn child within her, again giving Shane false hope.

Carol wants to be feel safe.  To do this, she needles Rick with her nagging, while attempting to get Daryl to turn on Rick.  You know, because he’s the leader they deserve, not the one that they need.  In the awesome Batman sort of way.

Carl begins to cry knowing that his dad has killed Shane, even though he’s responsible for indirectly killing Dale.  Stupid kid.

Rick lays out how their new situation will work, which is:

1. Everyone shuts up.

2. Everyone does as he says.

Everyone appears upset at this outburst and are shocked, as if they were oblivious to their own idiocy which causes it.  It’s almost as if you can hear the gears of mutiny turning.

Instantly the force field is back up and no more real zombie threats are to be had.

While other plots may have appeared within the season finale; such as the television series first introduction to the sword-wielding heroine, Michonne, played by Danai Gurira.  The best part of the finale is the finale shot.  A backdrop of the prison, which in the gloom of the pale moon light, looks like Castle Hogwarts.  If we’re lucky, maybe Snape will replace Shane.

Watch The New Teaser Clip From Twilight Breaking Dawn Part 2

Summit Entertainment made a smart decision a few weeks ago when they decided to air the first official trailer for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 during the previews for The Hunger Games. But they also released a short tease clip for the trailer that will hit theaters on Friday. The clip is only 14 seconds long, but that is enough to appease twihards till Friday.

Part 2 will open in theaters on November 16th and is also directed by Bill Condon with the script coming from Melissa Rosenberg. The film is based on the fourth novel in the Twilight book series, written by Stephenie Meyer.

The official plot for Part 2 continues after the birth of Bell and Edwards daughter, Renesmee. Bella is now official a vampire and is enjoying her new life and abilities. Problems ensue (And not because Jacob is creepily in love with their daughter) when vampire Irina, thinks Renesmee is an immortal child. Creating vampire children has been outlawed by the Volturi. They promptly decide to destroy Renesmee and the Cullens. But in order to survive, the Cullens gather other vampire clans from around the world to help prove that Renesemee isn’t an immortal child and protect their family.

The Cast of Part 2 Includes:

All actors listed for Part 1 will reprise their roles in Part 2.

  • Mackenzie Foy as Renesmee Cullen, Edward and Bella’s daughter who is half-human half-vampire, imprinted on by Jacob Black (werewolf/shape-shifter). She can transmit her thoughts into one’s mind through words and/or pictures.
  • Dakota Fanning as Jane, a loyal servant to the Volturi
  • Cameron Bright as Alec, a loyal servant to the Volturi
  • Charlie Bewley as Demetri, a loyal servant to the Volturi
  • Daniel Cudmore as Felix, a loyal servant to the Volturi
  • Noel Fisher as Vladimir, one of the twelve founders of the ancient, but deceased, Romanian coven
  • Guri Weinberg as Stefan, one of the twelve founders of the Romanian coven
  • Lee Pace as Garrett, an adventurous nomad
  • Joe Anderson as Alistair, a solitary nomad
  • Judi Shekoni as Zafrina, a member of the Amazon coven
  • Tracey Huggins as Senna, a member of the Amazon coven
  • J.D. Pardo as Nahuel, a vampire hybrid
  • Rami Malek as Benjamin, a member of the Egyptian coven

You can see the teaser clip below:

Future Apocalypse VS Global Catastrophe Round 2 Winners

The second round between our Future Apocalypse bracket and the Global Catastrophe Bracket has concluded! It was a tough round with many close calls, but in the end the fans spoke up and we have the winners for round 2. Next we have Round 3 which is the semi finals for each bracket. We will have one winner from both brackets after this which will battle in the finales next week.

Congratulations to each of the winners from the match-ups!

You can see the winners from each bracket below:

The Four Winners Include:

  1. Legend by Marie Lu
  2. Ashes by Ilsa Bick
  3. The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch
  4. Birthmarked by Caragh M. O’Brien

Round 3 match ups will begin March 22, and continue till March 25th. We will announce winners on March 26th.

The Match-ups are as follows:

  1. Legend vs The Eleventh Plague
  2. Birthmarked vs Ashes

So be sure to check back tomorrow, March 21th, to see who won in our other brackets (Female Leads vs Male Leads), and check in with us on Twitter for updates on the competition!