Category: News

2015 Harvey Awards Final Ballot Announced

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The 2015 Harvey Awards Nominees have been announced with the release of the final ballot, presented by the Executive Committees of the Harvey Awards and the Baltimore Comic-Con. Named in honor of the late Harvey Kurtzman, one of the industry’s most innovative talents, the Harvey Awards recognize outstanding work in comics and sequential art. They will be presented September 26, 2015 in Baltimore, MD, in conjunction with the annual Baltimore Comic-Con.

Nominations for the Harvey Awards are selected exclusively by creators – those who write, draw, ink, letter, color, design, edit, or are otherwise involved in a creative capacity in the comics field. They are the only industry awards both nominated and selected by the full body of comic book professionals. Thank you to all that have already participated by submitting a nomination ballot.

Final ballots are due to the Harvey Awards by Monday, August 31, 2015. Full submission instructions can be found on the final ballot.  Voting is open to anyone professionally involved in a creative capacity within the comics field.  Final ballots are available at http://www.harveyawards.org/2015-final-ballot/. Those who prefer paper ballots may e-mail harveys@baltimorecomiccon.com.

This year’s Baltimore Comic-Con will be held September 25-27, 2015.  The ceremony and banquet for the 2015 Harvey Awards will be held Saturday night, September 26th. This will be the tenth year for the Harvey Awards in Baltimore, MD.  Look for more details soon as to how you can attend the Harvey Awards dinner.

Congratulations to all of the nominees!  If you know a nominee, please pass on the good news using email,  Facebook, and Twitter.

 

The Point Radio: The Kroft Magic Is Back

So many of our Saturday mornings were spent deep inside the imaginations of Sid and Marty Kroft. Now a new generation will have the same opportunity as Marty returns to TV with a new show, MUTT AND STUFF, for Nickelodeon. Marty talks about that plus the classics like BANANA SPLITS and SIGMUND. Then, reality show pioneer, Tami Roman (THE REAL WORLD, BASKETBALL WIVES) explains about how she is shaking things up on WE TV’s MARRIAGE BOOT CAMP.

More in a few days including a visit with Michael Rosenbaum (SMALLVILLE’s Lex Luthor) on his new bad guy role. Be sure and follow us on Twitter now here.

U.N.C.L.E. – New Trailer, New Game

U.N.C.L.E. – New Trailer, New Game

Warner Bros kicked off their annual visit to San Diego with a new trailer for Guy Ritchie’s take on the 60’s spy series The Man From U.N.C.L.E., kindly releasing it online so we wouldn’t have to suffer through grainy and keystoned phone footage.

The trailer is largely an extended version of the first teaser trailer, with a smattering of new scenes featuring the snappy dialogue and slick editing that Guy Ritchie is known for… save for that period he was married to Madonna.

There’s still no use of Thrush as the name of the “international criminal organization”, and it sounds more like “UNCLE” is of a code name for the pair, as opposed to an actual agency.  But at its core, the original series was The Napoleon and Illya Show, so as long as the chemistry between the stars works, there’s every chance the film will succeed. And judging from what we’ve seen, it certainly seems like they do well together.

In addition to the trailer, Warner Bros announced an online game, The Man From U.N.C.L.E.: Mission Berlin. It’s a third-person perspective game in the style of Grand Theft Auto, with your choice of either Solo or Kuryakin running and driving through various secret missions.  Currently playable on the web at www.manfromunclegame.com, it will soon be available at both the Apple and Google app stores soon.

New Die Hard Collection Comes in Nakatomi Plaza Package

unnamed (1)LOS ANGELES, Calif. (July 8, 2015) – Ever wanted to scale Nakatomi Plaza with John McClane, just like in the first Die Hard? On October 13, fans can do just that with the NAKATOMI PLAZA: DIE HARD COLLECTION! Featuring all five of the franchise’s action-packed films in a replica of the legendary Los Angeles tower, this limited edition collection is McClane-approved and like nothing you’ve ever seen before, making it the perfect gift for action and Die Hard fans everywhere.

Every limited-edition set comes with all five films on both Blu-ray™ and Digital HD as well as an explosive hour-long featurette that celebrates this iconic franchise with filmmakers and talent interviews. The Nakatomi Plaza also honors Hans Gruber and the vanquished villains from the series with collectible cards only found in the box set. And if that wasn’t enough, check out the 32-Page, behind-the-scenes book on all the secrets of the movies that even the most die-hard fans may not even know!

NAKATOMI PLAZA: DIE HARD COLLECTION FEATURES:

Blu-ray & Digital HD Versions

Die Hard
Die Hard 2: Die Harder
Die Hard: With A Vengeance
Live Free or Die Hard (includes Unrated Version)
A Good Day to Die Hard (includes Unrated Version)
Blu-ray Bonus Disc: “Decoding Die Hard”
5 Exclusive Villain Collectible Cards
32-Page Behind-The-Scenes Booklet on the Franchise

Lego Unveils Doctor Who Playset

After numerous teases and sneak peeks, Lego released the official video for the Doctor Who playset for their contribution to the “Toys to Life” video game category, Lego Dimensions.

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It’s happening! Oh my God it’s happening!

In addition to the interaction with the starter set characters of Batman, Gandalf and Wyldstyle, the trailer features a tantalizing crossover with fellow Doctor Emmett Brown and the town of Hill Valley from Back to the Future. With the Daleks, the Cybermen and a few other friends at the end, the best advice for watching this video is…don’t blink.

At San Diego Comic Con, an event with the cast of the show revealed that not only will Peter Capaldi lend his voice to the game, but Jenna Coleman will appear as Clara and Michelle Gomez as The Master.  The playset as shown in previous photos features The Doctor, the TARDIS, and Baker-era companion K-9. No product information has been shared concerning physical figures of Clara or Missy, though Dalek and Cyberman figures will be made available as a Fun Pack, currently scheduled for January.

Of all the properties appearing in Lego Dimensions, none more than Doctor has the potential to feature additional figures and playsets.  So far only the three-figure Dimensions set has been announced, and along with Portal, will be featuring a stand-alone playset through their Lego Ideas line.   An article at Gamespot.com reveals a staggering amount of screenshots and potential gameplay, suggesting that there may be more game available than first expected.

Lego Dimensions will be released on September 27.

Iron Giant gets Dusted Off, Gains New Scenes for Theatrical Run

 

The_Iron_GiantThere is a ton of coming out this week now that Comic-Con International is here. But this news release has us very, very excited considering this underrated animated classic is getting a chance to enchant a new generation of viewers.

 

Burbank, CA, July 8, 2015 – Warner Bros. Pictures is proud to announce that the animated action adventure The Iron Giant will be re-released this fall, remastered and enhanced with two all-new scenes as The Iron Giant: Signature Edition.  It will be released in theaters for a limited engagement through Fathom Events.  The Iron Giant: Signature Edition arrives to theaters for a special event screening on Wednesday, September 30 at 7:00 p.m. local time, with an encore event in select markets on Sunday, October 4 at 12:00 p.m. local time.

The ticket on-sale date and theater locations for The Iron Giant: Signature Edition will be announced this August online atwww.FathomEvents.com. The event will be presented in select movie theaters around the country through Fathom’s Digital Broadcast Network.

When The Iron Giant arrived in theaters, it was hailed as an “instant classic” (Joe Morgenstern, The Wall Street Journal).  “Imagine E.T.as a towering metal man, that’s the appeal of this enchanting animated feature” (Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times).  And the world soon learned another “giant” had arrived as well: filmmaker Brad Bird, who made his stunning directorial debut with this film and has gone on to win two Oscars, as well as worldwide acclaim for his work on both animated and live-action features.

Winner of nine Annie Awards, The Iron Giant is the tale of an unlikely friendship between a rebellious boy named Hogarth (voiced by Eli Marienthal) and a giant robot, voiced by a then little-known actor named Vin Diesel.  The voice cast also included Jennifer Aniston and Harry Connick Jr.

The film was produced by Allison Abbate and Des McAnuff from a screenplay written by Tim McCanlies.  Adapted from poet Ted Hughes’ book, The Iron Man, The Iron Giant was first released in the summer of 1999 by Warner Bros.

Following the re-release of the film in theaters, a high-definition version of The Iron Giant: Signature Edition will be available to purchase from digital retailers in the fall of 2015.

The Point Radio: Why LA SLASHER Is Bloody Real

We finally make it on set of the SyFy series KILLJOYS and the cast explains why this is a show you should be spending your summer watching. Plus reality TV gets a bloody visit from the LA SLASHER. Director Martin Owen talks about this much buzzed about new indy film.

We are headed to ComicCon., Follow our reports direct from the floor here #ThePointSDCC  and follow us on Twitter now here.

Box Office Democracy: Ted 2

ted2I was disappointed by Ted 2 and considering I didn’t think much of the original Ted I’m not sure where the hell I get off feeling like this. Ted was a flimsy frame upon which a few passable jokes were hung and Ted 2 is a slightly flimsier frame with fewer decent jokes but it makes a huge difference as Ted 2 collapses into joyless wreckage. It’s a lot like watching five back-to-back episodes of Family Guy without commercials in a dark room that you’re socially conditioned not to leave or do anything else in but watch the screen. I guess what I’m saying is Ted 2 is an awful lot like a nightmare you can’t wake up from.

Good comedy has to come from some sort of relatable character base and that simply isn’t present in Ted 2. The characters are just whatever they need to be to get the next punch line to work and have no consistency from scene to scene beyond Boston accents. Amanda Seyfried replaces Mila Kunis as the female lead and narratively we go from a woman disappointed that Ted and John (Mark Wahlberg) have no ambition in their lives to a woman who finds John to be a real catch despite his only character traits present in this film are being really hung up on his ex and consuming a copious amount of pornography. I suppose the shrewish girlfriend is a slightly more tired cliché than the inexplicable attraction to a loser trope but it isn’t fantastic work. Giovanni Ribisi returns as the villainous Donny who I had completely forgotten from the first movie because that movie also felt like it never had any stakes so why would anyone bother to retain any of the information? If Ted 3 comes along in three years I certainly won’t remember John Carroll Lynch played the bad guy in this movie an I think Lynch is a fantastic underrated actor unfortunately wasting his time here.

Setting aside the thin characters and the plot that doesn’t seem to care enough about its own integrity or consistency to even be worth seriously discussing the movie just isn’t that funny. I’m not going to say I never laughed but I’m sure I laughed fewer than ten times. It’s comedy that wants to get laughs by being shocking either by being gross or being inappropriate or sometimes even by being obscure and I’m not sure Seth MacFarlane is capable of surprising me in these ways anymore. I’m too on my guard to not see every race joke coming and I’m now too familiar with his childhood pop culture to laugh uproariously when they use a song from Revenge of the Nerds for their musical montage. I’m sure this does much better among a younger audience who are probably still sitting through their first million smoking weed jokes but if you’ve seen more than your fair share there’s nothing new or exciting here and unfortunately that applies to most of the material.

 

Star Wars Rebels: Complete Season One Forces Way onto Shelves 9/1

Star Wars Rebels Season OneBURBANK, California, June 26, 2015 –– Star Wars Rebels: Complete Season One delivers all 15 action-packed episodes plus never-before-seen bonus material and cast/crew interviews revealing the magic behind the making of the hit series. Releasing on Blu-ray and DVD on September 1, this is a must-add collection to the library!

In the first groundbreaking season of Star Wars Rebels, young hero Ezra Bridger joins the clever but motley crew of the starship Ghost in their resistance against the Empire. As the series begins, Imperial forces have occupied a remote planet, ruling with an iron fist and ruining the lives of its people. Ezra and his new rebel friends — Hera, Kanan, Sabine, Zeb and Chopper — embark on daring adventures in their fight against oppression across the galaxy, receiving help from familiar heroes such as Lando Calrissian, Ahsoka Tano, and Jedi Master Yoda. Pursued relentlessly by the Imperials and a Jedi hunter called the Inquisitor, this tenacious ragtag band of rebels will find itself in the crosshairs of none other than Darth Vader when season one closes in a shocking two-part finale.

Star Wars Rebels is created by Dave Filoni (Star Wars: The Clone Wars), Simon Kinberg (X-Men: Days of Future Past, Sherlock Holmes), and Carrie Beck. The Lucasfilm Animation production is also executive-produced by Filoni and Kinberg as well as Greg Weisman (Gargoyles).

Featuring the voices of Freddie Prinze Jr. (I Know What You Did Last Summer) as Kanan, Vanessa Marshall (Young Justice) as Hera, Steve Blum (The Boxtrolls) as Zeb, Tiya Sircar (The Internship) as Sabine, Taylor Gray (Bucket and Skinner’s Epic Adventures) as Ezra, David Oyelowo (Selma) as Agent Kallus and Jason Isaacs (Harry Potter) as the Inquisitor.

Bonus Features:

Blu-ray:

  • Rebels Infiltrates Star Wars Celebration (Exclusive to Blu-ray)
  • Season One shorts: “The Machine in the Ghost,” “Art Attack,” “Entanglement,” “Property of Ezra Bridger”
  • All DVD Bonus (see below)

DVD:

  • Rebels Recon: 14 behind-the-scenes featurettes
  • Star Wars Rebels – The Ultimate Guide
  • Star Wars Rebels Season 2 – A Look Ahead

Disc Specifications:

Release Date:              September 1, 2015

Format:                       Blu-ray (2-Disc) & DVD (3-Disc)

Rating:                         TV Y7 FV

Run Time:                   Approximately 330 minutes (not including bonus)

Closed Captioned:      Yes

Aspect Ratio:              1:78 (Widescreen)

Audio:                         5.1 Dolby Digital

Languages/ Subtitles:   English, French & Spanish

 

About the TV Show:

New episodes of Star Wars Rebels Season Two premiere this fall on Disney XD.

Enter to see #RogueCut of X-Men: Days Of Future Past at SDCC free!

XMDOFP_RogueCut_Invite_V5To celebrate the home entertainment release of the X-Men: Days of Future Past Rogue Cut Blu-ray on July 14th we’re hosting a contest!

On Saturday, July 11th, the never-before-seen extended #RogueCut edition of X-Men: Days of Future Past will be screened at the Reading Theater in the Gaslamp District of San Diego. And we’ve got the chance to give away 10 pairs of VIP access wristbands. That’s guaranteed access to a screening!

We’ll be choosing winners at random, the only requirement for winning is that you will be in the area and able to attend. No San Diego Comic-Con badge needed! All you have to do to enter is comment on this article using a valid email address and you’ll be entered for a chance to win.

Don’t worry if you don’t win passes, you will have the opportunity to gain two VIP (guaranteed) access tickets to the screening by purchasing the X-Men: Days of Future Past Rogue Cut Blu-ray through one of these locations:

  • The Fox booth on the show floor (Booth #s 4229)
  • The Nerd HQ/IGN Lounge (Children’s Museum)

Additional seating will be available to fans on a first-come, first-served basis.

Beyond the two VIP tickets for the special screening, fans that purchase the Rogue Cut early on Blu-ray and DVD during Comic-Con will also score a limited edition lithograph, celebrating 15 years of the X-Men franchise. Rogue Cut will contain nearly 90 minutes of extra features including deleted scenes, featurettes and gag reels, sure to engage the most ardent enthusiast.  This entire package of content will be available at MSRP $19.99 and is a must-have for every X-Men fan.

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ABOUT X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST ROGUE CUT

With a never-before-seen, alternate cut of the film—plus nearly 90 minutes of all-new, immersive special features, the X-Men: Days of Future Past Rogue Cut takes you deeper into the X-Men universe than ever before. Rogue makes her return as the all-star characters from the original X-Men film trilogy join forces with their younger selves and unite to battle armies of murderous Sentinel robots who are hunting down mutants and humans alike!

Remember, all you have to do to enter is comment on this article using a valid email address and you’ll be entered for a chance to win. May the odds ever be in your– no, that’s the other Jennifer Lawrence film franchise. Good luck! See you in San Diego!