Geek Culture
May’s Most Anticipated New Releases
As the merry month of May dawns again, blockbuster season and televisions second run premieres are upon us. These are a few highlights bursting forth from the genre world via Hollywood, Canada and points beyond this month.
“Avengers: Age of Ultron” (In theaters May 1st)
After a well needed rest from trouncing Loki and the forces of evil, Marvel’s team of uber-heroes return for their next round of clobbering. This time they face off against Ultron, the self-fulfilling android prophecy originally created from adamantium by Hank Pym. Differing from the comics, this new incarnation of Ultron comes to life as a byproduct of Tony Stark’s (Ironman—played by the ever affable Robert Downey Jr.) defensive program designed to bring about world peace. Never saw that twist coming, did we. Will the Avengers be able to defeat this highly adaptive villain in time for the 2018 sequel? Only time will tell. Either way, it will be one of the most exciting new releases of the 2015 blockbuster season.
“Defiance” Season 2 (On Netflix/Amazon Prime May 19th)
Need to catch up on your “Defiance” backstory before season 3 premieres on June 12th? Check out Netflix and Amazon Prime on May 19th (currently available on Hulu Plus). Keep up to date on the happenings in the independent colony of Defiance and all the Voton-human integration difficulties and the challenges of recolonizing our now alien world.
“Tomorrowland” (In theaters May 22nd)
If you’ve ever set foot inside a Disney theme park, you’re likely familiar with Tomorrowland. Somewhat of a misnomer, this world of tomorrow features the flying cars and robot servants from a future dramatically divergent from our own. The premise for this flick has George Clooney strapping on his sci-fi boots as a would-be inventor who knows a little more than he’s saying about the magical pin which proffers visions of a tomorrow land to a young woman–hence, the film’s namesake. Of course, in the film as in life, many of our ideal tomorrows have, like good intentions, paved the road to a figurative or literal hell.
“Penny Dreadful” Season 2 Premiere (On Showtime May 3rd)
Showtime’s potpourri of gothic supernatural delight begins its second season with the predators becoming the prey. After being forced to destroy his daughter Mina to save Vanessa, the vampires are none-too-pleased with Sir Malcom. As a result, they retaliate against their would-be destroyers. Meanwhile, Dr. Frankenstein continues his diabolical quest to reanimate Brona while under the thumb of his psychotically driven creation.
“San Andreas” (In theaters May 29th)
This action thriller should keep disaster film fans on clutching their seats. It should also be a little bit of revenge for anyone who’s dealt with rush hour traffic in LA. Likely filled with scads of CGI devastation, this little sleeper of a film follows chopper pilot Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as he tries to rescue his family after The Big One hits California. Expect lots of rubble—and not just the popcorn remnants beneath your feet.
“Extraterrestrial” on Netflix (On Netflix May 12th)
If you missed it before, this 2014 sci-fi/horror film arrives on Netflix this month for your streaming pleasure. Starting from a unique premise, a group of young friends isolated in a wooded cabin are assailed by alien baddies—rather than a man with a mask and a machete. Slasher film tropes may abound, though. Will the jock die in some unseemly fashion while trying to bone the cheerleader? Will the stoner be probed while trying to hook up with the snooty preppy girl who loathes him? There’s only one way to find out: kick back and load up this B-grade fare popcorn fare.
“Mad Max: Fury Road” (In theaters May 15th)
Since taking a breather from the post-apocalypse to make a saccharine pig movie or two (not that there’s anything wrong with that), George Miller returns to the wild and wooly post-apocalyptic Outback. This time he does so without an inebriated, curmudgeonly anti-Semite—at least not as its titular lead (although we may catch a glimpse of the original Max). And this sequel promises to be one of the most action-packed new releases of the season. Miller reputedly shot the film based primarily on storyboards instead of a script. As a result, audiences can expect less dialogue and more dynamic set pieces as a new generation struggles in a world short on oil but long on bondage gear.
“Between” Series Premiere (On Netflix May 21st)
After an enigmatic outbreak decimates everyone over 21 in the burg of Pretty Lake, a pregnant minister’s daughter (played by Jennette McCurdy) struggles to deal with life minus the geriatric set. With six episodes of this Canadian-penned Sci-Fi drama slated for release, as well as a web series featuring yearbook interviews with different high-schoolers, there are plenty of ways to get exposed to the televisual contagion. Just make sure to quarantine yourself with enough beverages and snacks.
The never-ending saga surrounding Microsoft’s proposed $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard has a new participant. Today, Senator Maria Cantwell, a Democrat from the state of Washington, said some things about the subject that were hard to understand.
The senator, whose remarks were reported on by ResetEra, spoke at a Senate finance committee hearing on “the president’s 2023 Trade Policy Plan,” which we are sure was quite interesting.
Senator Cantwell said that she had been told that Sony “controls a monopoly of 98% of the high-end game market” despite the fact that “Japan’s government has allowed Sony to engage in blatant anti-competitive conduct through exclusive deals and payments to game publishers, establishing games that are among the most popular in Japan.”
This 98% statistic is highly deceptive because it ignores PC, Nintendo, and mobile games and instead refers to Sony’s adoption rate over Microsoft in Sony’s native country of Japan, a fact that shouldn’t surprise anyone who is even somewhat familiar with the video game business.
What can we do to rectify these problems and create a level playing field, she said of US Trade Representative Katherine Tai after charging Japan’s Federal Trade Commission with improperly failing to look into this purported “exclusionary conduct”?
It is absurd to claim that Sony has a monopoly on the Japanese video game market, as Luke Plunkett of Kotaku correctly points out, “because Sony doesn’t even have a 98% share of the market for the God of War series, a title they own, as Steam is getting 30% of every sale on PC.”
It goes without saying that we can’t expect elected officials to be experts in every field, but this is a visible step at a time when the ongoing attempt to buy the company is at a very important point.
Is it significant that Microsoft, along with Nintendo, maintains its headquarters in Redmond, Washington—Senator Cantwell’s district—or that Microsoft has given Cantwell more than $500,000 over the past two decades? Let us leave that up to you.
Pizza Possum is an arcade action game in which you, a possum, attempt to consume as much trash as you can without being discovered. It is a web-based sequel to the anarchy simulator Untitled Goose Game.It will eventually be available on the PS5.
We couldn’t help but notice that the possum in the title doesn’t look like the cute Australian possum that comes out at night to visit people.On the other hand, it looks like the horrible North American opossums are the ones that will attack trash cans and cause general chaos.Even though we think the second choice was better in terms of theme, we prefer the first one and are happy to explain why.
Your thoughts on Pizza Possum? Does it possess the necessary mass appeal to successfully skitter along the back fenceline while setting the dog off in the process?
Resident Evil 4 is now out, and the excellent remake can be bought right away.Even though you probably plan to play it all this weekend, you can take comfort in the fact that The Mercenaries, Resident Evil’s almost-required challenge mode, will be available as free DLC on April 7.
The mode’s exact details are still unknown, but if it’s anything like previous versions, you can expect some pretty hard tasks to test your skills.
You’re stumped about something? If you are still debating whether to purchase Resident Evil 4 Remake, be sure to look at our exhaustive guide for the answer or our in-depth review. Are you spending this weekend playing Resident Evil 4? Are you anticipating The Mercenaries?
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