7 Movies You Can't Miss In 2012

There are so many movies this year that it's really hard to breakdown which ones are worth your hard earned coin. The first quarter of the year is usually reserved for a lot of the stuff that isn't all that great, although one movie does eek its way on to this short list. Keep in mind that this list will not include any Oscar-worthy flicks.

I sifted through the movies that I thought would either be forgotten or simply ignored. After doing the homework, I found the lucky 7 and why you should see them. The list will start at seven and work its way down to what I consider the number one movie you shouldn't miss this year.

7. Snow White & The Huntsman--June 1st, 2012

Go ahead, make fun of me. Yes, Kristen Stewart is in the movie, but we shouldn't immediately write the movie off for that. And who can forget Chris Hemsworth in Thor? He was tailor made for this movie. The movie will also star the lovely Charlize Theron as the evil Queen. The main reason this movie is on the list is because of its unique approach to the Snow White folklore.

Snow White is usually associated with adolescence and animated features. The crazy thing is that Snow White is an incredibly dark tale and it's the tale that director Rupert Sanders wants the world. to see. After watching the trailer I was convinced that going the more dramatic/dark route was a brilliant idea. It's essentially Snow White for adults and I'm okay with that.    

6. Project X--March 2nd, 2012

The tried and true formula of high school/frat house comedies is this: Two losers become rock stars in 90 minutes or less. That's all there is to it. Project X decided to up the ante and perhaps update the formula to version 2.0. Project X is going the Paranormal Activity route with its film style and going with a more HD Handycam look.

I think the concept is a bit overboard, but who cares? This movie is all about complete insanity. I feel that Nima Nourizadeh's directorial debut may have started a new trend in douchebag humor and I'm driniking the Kool-Aid. Check the trailer.






 5. Safe--April 27th 2012

Between Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham, it's difficult for me to pinpoint which one of these brutes is the new Hollywood action hero. I think Johnson may have relinquished the throne when he went all Disney on us there.

Statham has solidified himself as the new action hero and his new movie Safe may be his Die Hard. What I love about Statham is his raw quality. The dude is a genuine bad ass who is proficient in martial arts, a former Olympic swimmer, and has an absurd workout routine. 

Bad assery aside, Safe looks like a great action thriller, but it's the premise that got me:

 A former elite agent takes on a two-tier mission: rescue a Chinese girl who's been abducted by the Triads, then use a safe combination to outwit the Russian Mafia, corrupt NYC officials, and the Triads themselves. 

It's nothing original, but when it comes to action films, are we really concerned about originality? No, we want to be entertained, and that's what Statham does best.

4. Brave--June 22, 2012

A Summer without a Pixar movie is a sad one. While their last effort (Cars 2) may not have been the best, Brave looks to change that. This would be the first time Pixar ventures into a medieval setting (finally), and we can expect the same brand of charm and humor that they're renowned for.

The movie features a strong female protagonist named Princess Merida who breaks old traditions, which leads to turmoil within her Kingdom. Determined to make things right, Princess Merida relies on her archery skills and bravery to restore order. This has all the makings of a classic. With a solid story, a great character, and Pixar behind the wheel, this is one you don't want to miss.

3. World War Z---December 12, 2012

Based on Max Brooks phenomenal novel, World War Z creates a world where Zombies are a reality and shows us the aftermath. Brooks has this uncanny ability to make zombies seem like a plausible thing. He covers things like a World War III scenario, how the economic infrastructure would be destroyed, how humanity as we know it transforms, how the government and military would react, and creates horrific scenario that feels like it could be a reality.

Details surrounding the movie are pretty sparse, but what we do know is that we have the cast, leading man (Brad Pitt), and a release date. This shouldn't be any cause for concern, I've read the novel and Pitt chooses his roles very selectively, so we should be pleasantly surprised.

2. Safe House--February 10th, 2012

Denzel Washington has many gifts, one of those gifts is his talent at taking crap and making it gold. Crap script? No problem, Denzel will still turn in a killer performance and polish a potential turd. To me, that's a gift. This isn't to imply that his new movie Safe House is going to be a turd, I think it actually looks promising.

Washington plays Tobin Frost, a hardened fugitive who is being looked after by a young CIA Agent (played by none other than resident funny man Ryan Reynolds) in a safe house. Of course, nothing goes according to plan and the safe house is attacked. You should expect Washington to do all sorts of amazingly violent things and Reynolds to play a terrified young buck who learns from the master.

1. Django Unchained--December 25th, 2012

Quentin Tarantino movies never suck do they? You ever notice that every time you watch his movies that you always find another reason to love it? Tarantino is undoubtedly batshit crazy, but maybe that's why his movies are so great. He's so good at what he does that actors come to him. His new movie, that was rumored for years to be a western, is a reality now. Check out the plot summary and this incredible cast:

A former slave-turned-hired gun (Jamie Foxx) heads back to the plantation to free his wife from a tyrannical plantation owner (Leonardo DiCaprio) with the help of a German bounty hunter (Christoph Waltz) in Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained. Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Don Johnson, and M.C. Gainey co-star. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

Do you see that cast? I'm not entirely sure, but I'm almost positive Sammy L has been in half of Tarantino's movies. Then we have Don Johnson, Jamie Foxx, and Leo DiCaprio? Like I stated earlier, A-List casts like this are a Tarantino staple. Tarantino has always shared his love of  "Spaghetti" Westerns, and you houldn't be surprised if he pays homage to the legendary Sergio Leone and composer Ennio Morricone. I simply can't wait for this one.

Read more »

First Diablo III Beta Emails Sent Out

To whom it may concern,

For all of those Blizzard fans eagerly waiting for that glorious beta email to pop up in their mailbox, the wait is over.  Blizzard just recently sent out the first 100,000 beta emails for those worthy enough to face the wrath of the Burning Hells.

Geek Asylum will be posting daily details on all the action if you didn't receive the goods. Sorry to all those who have been left at the wayside.

Yours truly,

Eric G

P.S.
Go H.A.M in the paint.

Read more »

Skyrim Patch 1.4 Available Now (for PC)

Bethesda Studios has posted that the latest patch for Skyrim (1.4) is now available through Steam for all PC players. Sadly all console players have to wait a little longer but the studio has said the PS3 and Xbox 360 update will be submitted to the hardware manufactuers this coming week. Lets hope it a speedy release by Sony and Microsoft. Bethesda has posted a full list of the bug and quest fixes to there blog. See if what you wanted to be fixed actually has been.

Thanks to: Teamxbox

Read more »

The Last of Us First In-Game Screenshots

      If you haven't heard yet The Last of Us is a survival horror game coming from Naughty Dog Studios, developer of the Uncharted series. The impressive trailer that was released at this years VGA's set this game to be one of 2012s most anticipated games. GameInformers next issue will have a full feature including interviews with the design team and the writers take on what they saw from gameplay. There is a slight possibility The Last of Us will slip into early 2013 but judging by these newly released in-game screenshots Naughty Dog seems to be on track. Take a look.

Thanks to:

GameInformer and

  ComputerandVideoGames.com 

for the screens

Read more »

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier Trailer!

Ubisoft has just released the single player trailer for Ghost Recon: Future Soldier. It looks like Ubisoft is taking the series into a more intense gameplay than its predecessors. The trailer gives off more of a Call of Duty pace, but delivers a wide arsenal of futuristic weaponry and gadgets. The third person perspective allows for some violent and exciting takedowns. Watch the trailer below.

Read more »

Marvel Comic of the Day: X-Sanction #3

This week's Marvel book of the week is XSanction #3. We start off February with the Red Hulk facing off against Cable, at least from what the cover tells us. Previously we learned that Cable came back from the future to assasinate the Avengers to prevent a disaster. He's already taken down The Falcon, Captain America, and Iron Man. We left off issue 2 with the Red Hulk making his grand entrance and the virus fully engulfing Cable's body.

SPOILERS BELOW

This issue is jam-packed with action. From the get go it's Red Hulk vs Cable, Red Hulk vs Blaquesmith, Red Hulk vs Cable, Cable vs Cyclops, Red Hulk vs Virus, and Wolverine & Spiderman vs Cable. Blaquesmith plays a small role, distracting Red Hulk to let Cable regain footing temporarily.

When Red hulk strikes back at Cable, Cable does something incredible- PORCUPINE POWER! If you see the cover image posted in this article, that's exactly how it looks. Not only that, but after Red Hulk is immobilized, Cable notices the virus leaving himself and beginning to take over Red Hulk. As it does, Cyclops and Hope arrive on the scene. After a heartwarming reunion, and an argument over what Cable is doing, Wolverine and Spider-man arrive to free the Avengers and to kill Cable if necessary. Don't worry, Spider-man was just as confused.

The next thing about this issue is the preview. If you look closely, there are few things in the image that you'll want to look out for in March's final issue. First, it's Wolverine in his X-Force costume and Spider-man in his Symbiote Costume. Could this mean Spider-man will join the X-force? Probably not, but I would hope so. At least have Kaine join it

The other thing to notice is who they're fighting - it looks like Cable. Except Cable doesn't have black hair. The the Red Hulk does! I would have to say the virus takes over Red Hulk for the next issue. So expect March's issue to be Spider-man and Wolverine VS the Red, er, Silver Hulk.

You'd be silly not to track this series. Go to your comic store, spend the $10 (roughly), and grab these three issues. And when #4 comes out, grab that too. It's all setting up for Avengers VS X-men in April, and you won't want to miss that either.

Read more »

Mass Effect 3 Voice Acting Cast

When you play the Mass Effect games its like you are playing your way through a full on feature film. Not a game. That’s what makes the Mass Effect franchise and universe so engrossing. You care about Shepard and all of his brothers and sisters in arms. Which is why when you are making a monumental game such as this you want a cast of voice actors and actresses that can pull their own weight and make the universe that much captivating.

-Going in order of appearance in the trailer-

Martin Sheen played the Illusive man in Mass Effect 2 and was fantastic. He gives off a vibe of unquestionable authority while at the same time has a very spooky, yet mysterious element to his persona. With scores of acting and film landmarks under his belt, such as “Apocalypse Now” and “The Departed”, he is a fantastic choice for the character he was dealt to play.

Freddie Prinze Jr. plays the new James Vega on Shepard's squad of kick ass commandos out to rescue the universe...again. For those of you who don't know Freddie Prinze, he starred in the films “Scooby Doo” (Unfortunately) and also starred in a season of 24. Freddie Prinze is well suited for the role of an experienced soldier.

Seth Green has been around as “Joker” since the first Mass Effect and quite frankly, the Mass Effect Universe and Shepard need him in it. He offers an excellent comic relief element and at all the right moments as well. Seth Green is the mind responsible for the hit show on Adult Swim called “Robot Chicken.” He also starred in movies “Austin Powers”  and “The Italian Job”. Seth Green is the perfect choice for the comic relief in the Mass Effect universe.

Tricia Helfer entered the Mass Effect franchise in Mass Effect 2 as the Normandy's A.I. system labeled EDI (pronounced Eee Dee). EDI stands for Enhanced Defense Intelligence. When you play the Mass Effect games and hear EDI's voice it really doesn’t phase you much as to who the person behind the machine is; when in fact it should. Tricia Helfer starred on arguably the greatest sci-fi drama ever to air on television. Not only did she star in “Battlestar Galactica”, but she was also in the game “Command and Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars”. Tricia Helfer is an outstanding choice for this sci-fi epic.

Ali Hillis plays the sexy and powerful Asari scientist Liara T'soni. She and Shepard go way back and fight side by side. Once you get the chance to explore the character in game she gets much deeper. The side mission you are given in Mass Effect 2 greatly expands on the character and the dynamics within Liara's species. Ali Hillis has starred in the films “Must Love Dogs” with John Cusack and “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” with Robert Downey Jr.

Jessica Chobot is arguably my favorite voice actress in this cast with the exception of Tricia Helfer. Chobot was part of the IGN.com crew and hosted their daily fix video series for over a year. A while ago she announced that she was taking leave at IGN to work on a secret project. I would have never have guessed this is what she was talking about. Ms. Chobot plays Diana Allers who is a reporter and brand new to the Mass Effect franchise. Given the history of romance in these games I wouldn't put the fact that she is a possible love interest past you.

Keith David ,like Seth Green, has been around since the very first Mass Effect. In the Mass Effect he was Shepard's superior officer, which is no longer the case. He has starred in films such as “Platoon” and “Crash”. Keith David has a very unique voice. Its a voice that’s very deep and suited toward his characters military stature and status. His character is very strong and assertive and can motivate anyone of his men to do anything that is required of them. He fits the classic mold of the bold military leader who will fight to the last man.

Jennifer Hale has played the female Shepard since the beginning of the series. I have never played as the female Shepard before so I am not totally acquainted with the sound of her voice. Other titles that Hale has worked on include “Bulletstorm", “Star Wars The Old Republic”, and “God of War: Ghost of Sparta”.

With a cast of voice actors such as these it's easy to see that Bioware is focusing on high quality voice acting. So much talent on one project is hard to ignore. I don't know about you guys, but I will be the guy that is camped out a week early to get the first copy of my collectors edition of Mass Effect 3 once it drops on March 6^th.  

Read more »

2012: Armageddon For Nintendo?

 Imagine a world without any more Zelda and Mario games. Imagine when we’re older, when we all have children, that on their 18th birthday, we give them our old Nintendo systems coupled with the top hits from our time. It’ll be a sad day when Nintendo finally does close its doors for good, and that day might be sooner than we all think.

Last Thursday, Nintendo broke some gut wrenching news; they revealed that between March and December 31st, their fiscal year, they lost $623 million whereas in the previous year, they gained $639 million. For whatever the reason, it’s starting to become clear that this generation wants more hardcore consoles with blood and guts over the classics that we all grew up with.

And no, the news doesn’t end there – They’re also estimating their loss by the end of this fiscal year to be $837 million. The cause? Reports say it’s because the yen is strong – it’s currently at 77.54 to the US dollar in comparison to the 82.90 that it was a year ago. My personal opinion? It’s because this generation wants more hardcore consoles, like PS3 and XBOX 360 to cater to their craving for blood, guts, and multiplayer with all the bells and whistles.

Can the Wii-U stop the money from hemorrhaging for Nintendo? Photograph: Mario Anzuoni/Reuters

Even kids at four years old play games like Grand Theft Auto – kids these days only know of the new Mario and Sonic games, not the classics that us old geezers grew up on. It’s a sad forecast and prediction to say that Nintendo’s name is dying out.

While it delivers in strength and reliable hardware, the games are not as desired as they once were and Nintendo doesn’t want to give too heavily into popular demands because they, like us, still value games from a different time.

The other reason for their loss? Nintendo would rather lose all this money instead of firing their employees. Had it been Sony or Microsoft, employees would be cut without a second thought. Even in Nintendo’s time of depression, they’re still producing the Wii-U. Let’s just hope that the Wii-U will have high sales and that the powers-that-be will keep Nintendo around for a while longer.

Read more »

Soul Calibur V Review

Its been three years since the last Soul Calibur game and Namco has decided it was a good time for another game. Not too short that fans are tired of the game, but not long enough that they’ve all forgotten. Should Soul Calibur V have stayed in Namco’s closet? Or is it a worthy buy? Let’s take a look at what we’re dealing with.

You start out as a holy warrior, Patroklos, trained to slay the Malfested. He faithfully served Graf Dumas for years in hope to find his sister, Pyrrah, who was kidnapped when she was a child by the Malfested and to also get revenge on the vile creatures for killing his mother.

Throughout his journey, he meets people to give him clues on Pyrrah’s whereabouts, so he persists on the journey, fighting and proving his worth to carry the legendary Soul Calibur.

In time, he finds that the only way to rid the world of the Malfested is to destroy Soul Edge – the cursed sword who transforms its wielder into the ultimate evil, Nightmare. All sounds well and easy, but nothing is that simple. The journey for Patroklos is personal – he is torn between either saving his sister or obeying his Athenian guardian mother. Which will he choose?

Well, you have to play through the storyline to find out.

Online play is generic – you both pick your character, choose your settings by difficulty, time limit, and how many rounds you’ll play. You pick your arena and it has the typical soundtrack with the poetic narrative intro, and each character says their starting line. "Aaaaaaaand FIGHT!"

You both beat the crap out of each other until someone wins. It's the same type of setup as any other 3D fighting game. A new feature of the SC series is it picked up the gauge strategy – from taking and dealing damage, it fills up the gauge. Once it is filled, you can blast out a pretty nasty move.

The great thing about Soul Calibur V is that the fighting system is simple enough that mostly anyone can pick up the game and look fancy doing it. However, speaking from personal experience, button mashing will not be an optimal strategy like it was in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. SCV is simple enough that you’ll pick up on the pattern of what button does what, but challenging enough that once you learn each individual’s fighting style, you can cause some serious damage.





Some characters are naturally slower than others and other characters may be easier to use, but there’s a graph akin to Dance Dance Revolution on the difficulty of the character’s use. Another new addition to the series is the very robust character creation feature, which is absolutely incredible.

Soul Calibur lets you customize either one of the fighters or completely create your own from the bottom up. As far as original characters, you can customize their body size, height, voice, pitch and tone, hair, and tons of clothing and accessories. The possibilities are endless.

I have some friends right now recreating Dragon Ball Z characters - that's how customizable this new feature is. I know a lot of you have some original RP characters from your middle school days. Here's your chance to bring it to life, not to mention it's a lot of fun. Pick up the game to explore more possibilities.

Between the easy to pick up and hard to master fighting style, Soul Calibur will satisfy its fan base. With its simple, yet well done storyline, and an amazing character creation option, SCV packs a lot more than your average fighter. That being said, unless you're a die hard Soul Calibur fan, SCV is more of a rent than a buy.

It's definitely a game that's enjoyable to play alone or with a bunch of people. Every game has its quirks, but then again, what game doesn't? If you don't like it right away, give it a little while. You'll learn to love it like I did.

Verdict: 8.0

Read more »

"7500" First Trailer

Ryan Kwanten, Amy Smart, Jamie Chung, and Leslie Bibb all star in Takashi Shimizu's new horror flick "7500". If you couldn't guess within the first 6 seconds of the trailer, it is the name of the flight. This is the only thing since The Grudge that Takashi Shimizu has done.

Ryan Kwanten and Amy Smart are a couple in this film aboard Vista Pacific Flight 7500 with Jamie Chung and Leslie Bibb as hot stewardesses. The flight departs from L.A and arrives at Tokyo which takes a grand total of 10 hours. However, we soon learn that ordinary people are not the only passengers on this flight. A super natural entity resides on the plane to terrorize these poor people.

Gorgeous female celebrities and planes? I am more than willing to bet someone is going to become a member of the Mile High Club.

In any case, I have faith in Takashi Shimizu. I can see this working because this whole movie will take place on  an airplane, making for a forgiving budget and giving Mr. Shimizu more room to work. This dark being is leaving on a jet plane and for the moment we do not know when it will be back again. Keep it locked on the Geek Asylum for all the info.

Read more »

A Look at Ninja Gaiden 3

We're still a little more than a month away from the release of Ninja Gaiden 3 but it's never to early to get some juicy details on what to expect. GameTrailers.com was able to play a level or two from the Xbox360 version and they got to see some of the new abilities that Ryu Hayabusa has gained since we last met.

The dragon sword ability has somehow transferred itself into Ryu's arm which should make for some very excellent kill combos. Also he can now slow time while jumping to aim that insane bow he has. Team Ninja has said they calmed down with the difficulty of Ninja Gaiden 3 to help the noobs out. That might save me an aneurism or two this time around.

Get More: GameTrailers.com, Ninja Gaiden 3 - Preview HD, PC Games, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

Source: GameTrailers

Read more »

Game of Thrones Season 2 Trailer: A Clash of Kings

Whether you are following the books, HBO series or both, I believe a good viewing is in order for HBO's new Game of Thrones Trailer

Season 2: Preview - You Win or You Die

The trailer starts with the spider, Varys of the Kings council telling Tyrion a riddle.  "Three great men, a king, a priest, and a rich man.  Between them stands a common sellsword.  Each great man bids the sellsword kill the other two.  Who dies?"  Varys' riddle resonates throughout the second book and perfectly sets the tone for this second season.

A Clash of Kings introduces a whole new batch of characters that were only spoken of in the previous book/season including the late King Roberts brother, Lord Stannis.  The treachery, brutality, and glory will keep you drooling for more.

"A very small man can cast a very large shadow."

Please share your thoughts about the Game of Thrones new trailer below.

Read more »

Fan-Made Zelda: The Lost Oracle Wii U Trailer

     A very talented and dedicated fan has put their best effort in creating a trailer for a Zelda game for Wii-U. 20,000 YouTube views in one day is a definite accomplishment, maybe not a record, but a nice pat on the back for a job well done. A combination of great art and some good animating makes this seem so real but we know Nintendo could take this to another level.



Lets hope someone at Nintendo sees this and takes it to that level. The Wii-U is going to need some serious platformers to launch the system into any kind of success. Judging from their last quarterly results, they need it desperately.

Thanks to IGN.com

Read more »

Inspiration For The Glorious Uncharted Series

Sony gives a quick behind the scenes look at some of the inspiration and tech used for the Uncharted series.

Read more »

Samsung Galaxy Note Tablet/Phone Gets Release Date

The latest effort to bring a tablet-like experience to your pocket has been underway around the globe for some time, but the states have been left with options that don’t quite cut it. The Galaxy Note is Samsung's latest device in the Galaxy Series that is making its way to the U.S. under the AT&T banner and it is looking to fill your pockets to capacity.

This design is neither phone nor tablet, the hybrid is attempting to carve out its own niche in the mobile device market. With a 5.3in screen, you can imagine that a lot can be done on that sort of real estate and the OS has been tweaked to take advantage in some situations.

Because the Galaxy Note does not have a 7-10in screen that is common on most of todays tablets, using your finger as the universal input can't be accomplished throughout the entire experience. Samsung has included a built-in stylus to accommodate users who aren't used to such a large screen on their phones.

This is a step in the wrong direction. I know all the old school Palm users disagree and I would be happy going back to the days of stylus inputs, but I remember losing every single stylus I’ve ever owned so this does not tickle my fancy. Short of a major life-changing incident, my fingers don’t get lost.

Samsung has also paid attention when building this phone/tablet hybrid, making sure that the under 10mm profile allows you to fit something besides the device in your pocket. With 5.3 inches of screen I can’t see it being anything of any size though (Perhaps a credit card or I.D.).

The overall design of this phone makes it a niche product, not a game changer. Playing in-between large phone/small tablet, the Samsung Galaxy Note has too many disadvantages. The size almost guarantees I wouldn't be putting this is in my pocket, and holding the device with one hand is almost out of the question. Stylus’ need to die the death they should have 4 years ago, (Just let go little buddy) If you feel the need to buy an aftermarket stylus that’s fine, but designing a product around the use of one makes no sense in 2012 on beyond.

One handed use? I don't think so.

The Samsung Galaxy Note pre-orders start Feb. 9^th and will be available on AT&T Feb. 19^th for $300 with 2yr contract.

Read more »

Trailer Mash-Up: The Hunter, Lockout, and More

Welcome to Trailer Mash-Up, our new weekly feature where we round up the best movie trailers that we can find. We figure new look, so why not a new recurring feature? So sit back, relax, and enjoy.

Read more »