Roumen.ganeff

Well, so much for biometrics identification, touch readers and crime scene investigations. The Chaos Computer Club announced at their 31st annual convention that the group could now take an ordinary camera photo showing the person's fingertips and reproduce the fingerprint for their own uses. Chalk another one up for the further erosion of personal information privacy. As VentureBeat points out, this doesn't completely denounce biometrics as a reliable form of security, but it does show a pretty big hole that can be exploited and really only stresses that fingerprint security, Touch ID or otherwise, should only be one layer to your secure digital life. Comments

Artist Ralph McQuarrie‘s concept art was a huge influence on most of our childhoods – Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, E.T. would not look the way they did if it had not been for McQuarrie’s illustrations during the development phase. While McQuarrie died a few years back, his work is still a huge influence on the biggest movies coming out today — notably JJ Abrams appears to be going back to McQuarrie’s old unused Star Wars concept designs for Star Wars: The Force Awakens — see some examples here. LucasFilm helped produced Ralph McQuarrie: Tribute to a Master for Star Wars Celebration VI in 2012. You can watch the five part Ralph McQuarrie documentary embedded after the jump.

Ralph McQuarrie Documentary

The official description for Ralph McQuarrie, Star Wars Concept Artist: Tribute to a Master follows:

Ralph McQuarrie, concept artist of the original Star Wars trilogy, was essential in bringing the characters, ships, and locales of a galaxy far, far away to life. In this special retrospective, Star Wars creator George Lucas, Industrial Light & Magic effects legend Dennis Muren, and many others discuss the impact of McQuarrie, his artistic gifts, and his legacy. This is part of the Ralph McQuarrie tribute Dreams and Visions Press produced for Star Wars Celebration VI in 2012, drawing from interviews conducted for a feature length documentary on Ralph McQuarrie that is currently in production.

The post Ralph McQuarrie Documentary: The Artist Behind The Magical Visuals Of Star Wars appeared first on /Film.

 

Last week, we took a look at the highest rated movies of 2014 on IMDb. Today we look at the worst (lowest) rated movies. Again, the movies are rated year round by IMDb users, and provide one of the largest sampling of mainstream public opinion on films. Find out which 40 films are on the IMDB worst movies of 2014 list, after the jump.

Note: IMDb is a good resource, and I even believe it can be a great source for gauging public opinion of a film. That said, sometimes fan communities spike the ratings for highly anticipated new releases, or in this case for hated movies and franchises. This list was compiled on December 16th 2014, consisting of English-language films which had at least 1,500 votes. (To eliminate micro releases few people have seen.)

You will notice some trends on this list:

• The abundance of lower budget horror and thrillers. While we saw some indie genre films in the highest rated list, it seems the bottom of the year claims a lot of the direct-to-video genre films.
• There are also a handful of faith based movies. I haven’t seen any of them and can’t speak to their quality (I wouldn’t expect to like the few listed here) but I think its safe to assume that Kirk Cameron’s Saving Christmas high (or low?) placement on this list is likely the result of a community of people who don’t agree with the filmmaker’s religious or political beliefs spiking the vote. I’m not saying the film isn’t bad, I’m just saying its extreme placement is likely the result of mob-style voting.
• You will also see quite a few bad comedies – From big Hollywood studio releases like Sex Tape and Tammy to smaller indie films like Space Station 76.  Even the recently-departed Robin Williams couldn’t keep A Merry Friggin’ Christmas off this list.
• And while Dwayne Johnson’s Hercules was rated slightly better than the films on this list, you will find two other Hercules movies in the bottom 20.
• And the list also contains a bunch of direct to video sequels that don’t look very good.

Lowest Rated English-Language Feature Films Released In 2014 With At Least 1,500 Votes

42. I, Frankenstein
5.2/10
Frankenstein’s creature finds himself caught in an all-out, centuries old war between two immortal clans.
Dir: Stuart Beattie With: Aaron Eckhart, Bill Nighy, Miranda Otto
Action Fantasy Sci-Fi

41. Extraterrestrial
5.2/10
A group of friends on a weekend trip to a cabin in the woods find themselves terrorized by alien visitors.
Dir: Colin Minihan With: Brittany Allen, Freddie Stroma, Jesse Moss
Horror Sci-Fi

40. A Merry Friggin’ Christmas
5.1/10
Boyd Mitchler and his family must spend Christmas with his estranged family of misfits. Upon realizing that he left all his son’s gifts at home, he hits the road with his dad in an attempt to make the 8-hour round trip before sunrise.
Dir: Tristram Shapeero With: Joel McHale, Lauren Graham, Clark Duke
Comedy

39. Sex Tape
5.1/10
A married couple wake up to discover that the sex tape they made the evening before has gone missing, leading to a frantic search for its whereabouts.
Dir: Jake Kasdan With: Jason Segel, Cameron Diaz, Rob Corddry
Comedy

38. The Quiet Ones
5.1/10
A university professor and a team of students conduct an experiment on a young woman, uncovering terrifyingly dark, unexpected forces in the process.
Dir: John Pogue With: Jared Harris, Sam Claflin, Olivia Cooke
Horror

37. A Good Marriage
5.1/10
After 25 years of a good marriage, what will Darcy do once she discovers her husband’s sinister secret?
Dir: Peter Askin With: Joan Allen, Anthony LaPaglia, Stephen Lang
Thriller

36. Rage
5.0/10
When the daughter of a reformed criminal is kidnapped, he rounds up his old crew and seeks his own brand of justice.
Dir: Paco Cabezas With: Nicolas Cage, Rachel Nichols, Max Ryan
Action Crime Thriller 

35. Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones
5.0/10
Jesse begins experiencing a number of disturbing and unexplainable things after the death of his neighbor…
Dir: Christopher Landon With: Andrew Jacobs, Jorge Diaz, Gabrielle Walsh
Horror Thriller

34. God’s Not Dead
5.0/10
College philosophy professor Mr. Radisson’s curriculum is challenged by his new student, Josh, who believes God exists.
Dir: Harold Cronk With: Shane Harper, Kevin Sorbo, David A.R. White
Drama

33. Space Station 76
4.9/10
A 1970s version of the future, where personalities and asteroids collide.
Dir: Jack Plotnick With: Patrick Wilson, Liv Tyler, Marisa Coughlan
Comedy Drama Sci-Fi

23. See No Evil 2
4.9/10
A group of friends pays a late-night visit to the city morgue to surprise Amy (Harris) on her birthday…
Dir: Jen Soska, Sylvia Soska With: Glenn Jacobs, Danielle Harris, Katharine Isabelle
Horror

Continue Reading IMDb’s Worst Rated Movies of 2014 >>

The post IMDb’s Worst Rated Movies of 2014: From ‘Tammy’ To ‘Saving Christmas’ appeared first on /Film.

Even if you tried to assemble the least-likely cast for an adventure movie about Roman soldiers moving through China, you probably wouldn’t come up with the lead trio of Jackie Chan, Adrien Brody, and John Cusack. But that’s the cast for Dragon Blade, a Chinese film that has just debuted a trailer. Brody plays Roman general Tiberius , who (in the film at least) is trying to take control over the “silk road” — that is, the overland trade route from China to the West. Cusack is another Roman general, Lucius, and Chan is a Chinese officer who sides with Lucius. Check out the Dragon Blade trailer below.

While this film is said to be inspired by history, there’s a lot of invention and fantasy here. (“Silk road” is a term that was never used at the time, and the general Tiberius also didn’t venture into China, just for starters.)

Back when the film was announced, the $65m production was said to be the most expensive Chinese-language film yet made. The story is inspired by the story of a legion of Roman soldiers that supposedly found its way into China. And so this features Cusack’s Lucius leading 1,000 soldiers into China during the time of the Han Dynasty, with Tiberius and many thousands of soldiers on their tail.

Here’s the Dragon Blade trailer, followed by a welcome message from Chan and Cusack. 

Directed by Daniel Lee (Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon and Black Mask), Dragon Blade is set to open in China on February 19th, for the Chinese New Year. There’s no US distributor or release date at this point. [trailer via The Playlist]

The post ‘Dragon Blade’ Trailer: John Cusack and Adrien Brody Meet Jackie Chan appeared first on /Film.

I would be a good bet that most crooks are nabbed not because of clever police work, personal carelessness or some other influence, but from good old self-inflicted hubris. One of the so-called Lizard Squad agreed to be interviewed and was also on camera during the entire interview. Now It's only a matter of time before face-recognition software has a positive lock on his identity and is apprehended by the police. Pride goes before the fall, but stupidity rules them all. Comments

If you are a big fan of the Middle Earth trilogies and have some spare time to do a quick DIY project, you just have to gather together the components for the WarSting Hobbit Sword kit. Once completed, the WarSting will glow blue in the presence of unsecured wi-fi and even leave a message for the owner of the unsecured network. Comments

This Christmas, the collective entity of /Film pooled their efforts together to present this gift. Earlier this week, I polled all our writers and editors for their top ten holiday films of all time. I then gave each film on each list a 1 to 10 ranking. 10 points for first place, 1 point for 10th place, and added up the results. What were the results? Pretty predictable, if you ask me, but fun nevertheless.

Still, there were plenty of great movies on the list and weird subplots to explore. For example, only two of us put the same film number one, and it just so happens to be our overall top pick. However, another writer hasn’t even seen that movie. (Until late last night, as it turns out.) Which film is it? And what did it beat out? You’ll have to click below to read /Film’s 20 Favorite Holiday movies of all time.

20th (Three-way tie)  - About A Boy (2002), Go (1999) and Lethal Weapon (1987)

These three films each came in 5th place on three different lists, but no one else event mentioned them. Probably because, when you think of these movies – all wonderful in their own ways – Christmas isn’t really the first thought. Well, maybe with Lethal Weapon because writer Shane Black is obsessed with Christmas.

17th (Two-way tie) - The Ref (1994) and The Shop Around the Corner (1940)

Each of these films came in fourth place on two different lists and received no other votes. Again, it goes with the last spot where each film is great (Shop Around the Corner is kind of the other Jimmy Stewart Christmas movie) but that aspect is might be overshadowed for a reason or two. Still, nice that they got represented.

15. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

I honestly thought Jack Skellington would fare better. The classic stop-motion animated film made two lists, topping out at #6 on one. Maybe the fact it’s both a Christmas movie as well as a Halloween movie lost it some points. Still, a great movie and a worthy entry onto the list.

14. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (2005)

Shane Black loves Christmas. Whenever possible, he sets his movies there and this being his directorial debut, Christmas is always in the background in an otherwise unrelated twisty, turny, insanely underrated and awesome detective thriller. It made two lists, topping out at #6.

13. The Apartment (1960)

Billy Wilder’s all-time classic film, Christmas or not, only made one list but it was #1 on that list. (Find out who on the last page). That’s probably because most people wouldn’t necessarily consider this a Christmas movie, even though it plays a mjor role in it. It’s usually just thought of as one of the best films ever, period so, it’s nice to get some holiday representation.

12. Gremlins (1984)

Frankly, another surprise. Gremlins not cracking the top ten on this website seems crazy. In fact, it did make four lists – same as the #1 overall film – but topped out at #7. Watching the movie today, 30 years after its release, it still holds up for its unique, dark humor, crowd pleasing antics and unforgettable creatures. Plus it’s unabashedly Christmas.

Continue Reading Slashfilm’s 20 Favorite Holiday Movies of All Time

The post /Film’s 20 Favorite Holiday Movies of All Time appeared first on /Film.

Kat Dennings takes a break from TV with the film To Write Love On Her Arms, which is inspired by the true story of a young woman who founded a charity group after her own battle with addiction and depression. Just as the actual charity, also called To Write Love on Her Arms, is based around outreach through non-traditional means such as music festivals and social networking, the film sees Dennings as a young woman who escapes some of her problems through music — though as the trailer indicates, that’s not necessarily a totally safe haven. The film looks like a blend of realism, fantasy, and light message delivery; watch the To Write Love on Her Arms trailer below.

To Write Love on Her Arms opens in March. Trailer via Sony.

Based on the true story that started a global movement, To Write Love on Her Arms presents a vision of hope, healing and redemption. Emmy® Award winner Kat Dennings (“2 Broke Girls”) stars as Renee, a Florida girl who struggles with addiction and abuse. In a creative blend of artistic fantasy and music conflicted with hard reality, Renee discovers the value of genuine friendships and embarks on a daunting yet courageous journey towards recovery. The film also stars Chad Michael Murray, Rupert Friend and Corbin Bleu.

The post ‘To Write Love on Her Arms’ Trailer: Kat Dennings Deals With Addiction appeared first on /Film.

It looks like Kim Dotcom took a page out of the Sony playbook by rewarding the hackers. Oh well, at least he got to play Destiny on XBL. Mega founder Kim Dotcom has saved Christmas for many Playstation and Xbox gamers. In what he describes as a Christmas Miracle, Kim Dotcom appears to have stopped Lizard Squad's DDoS attacks by handing out 3,000 vouchers for premium Mega accounts, worth $99 a piece. Comments

Update: In a tweet early this morning, PlayStation support wrote: "PS4, PS3, and Vita network services are gradually coming back online - thanks for your patience." Save for some apps experiencing issues, Xbox Live appears to have been cleared of con...

NASA has come up with a cheaper and safer way to reach Mars? Well what are we waiting for? Let's start shooting stuff into space! Now new research lays out a smoother, safer way to achieve Martian orbit without being restricted by launch windows or busting the bank. Called ballistic capture, it could help open the Martian frontier for more robotic missions, future manned expeditions and even colonization efforts. "It's an eye-opener," says James Green, director of NASA's Planetary Science Division. Comments

If convicted, Uber drivers face two years in prison and an $18k fine. No worries though, Uber doesn't believe its "appropriate" for the South Korean government to punish drivers for trying to make a living. Uber is facing more heat in Seoul, South Korea, where prosecutors have indicted the car service's local subsidiary with violating a public transportation law, the South Korean Yonhap News Agency reported on Wednesday. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office also named Uber CEO Travis Kalanick in an indictment for violating a law that prohibits unlicensed entities from providing transportation services. Comments

Does it really matter that the MPAA settled for $4 million instead of the reported $80 million? Hotfile didn't have $4 let alone $4 million and they shut down immediately after the settlement so what does it matter now? Last December the MPAA announced one of its biggest victories to date. The Hollywood group won its case against file-hosting site Hotfile, who agreed to a $80 million settlement. However, this figure mostly served to impress and scare the public, as we can now reveal that Hotfile agreed to pay 'only' $4 million. Comments

It was during German trade show IFA that LG's home appliance boss Jo Seong-jin allegedly damaged a Samsung washing machine while visiting a local store. He may have thought that his actions were mere high-school hijinks, but his Korean rivals don't s...

One of the greatest allures of self-driving cars is the prospect of never needing your own vehicle -- you could just catch robotic rides whenever you want personal transportation. Well, Singapore is about to explore how well that concept works in pra...

Portuguese street artist Odeith was born in 1976 in the small town of Damala. He first began to create his drawings back in the 80s. But only in the 90s he became interested in graffiti. Beginning with the year 2005, Odeith received international recognition, thanks to his unique anamorphic graffiti technique. Until 2008, the author lived and worked in Lisbon, where he had his own tattoo parlor. Now, he lives in London.

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Just like that

Сегодня плохая Варшава.

В Варшаве я уже был до этого несколько раз. Каждый раз город, да и в целом страна, на меня производили депрессивное впечатление. Однажды я даже придумал туристический лозунг для польской столицы: "Варшава - лучшее место для самоубийства!" На самом деле никаких аномалий с самоубийствами нет ни в Варшаве, ни в Польше в целом. Может быть я просто каждый раз приезжаю сюда в неудачное время. Но мысли в Польше посещают меня самые мрачные. Варшава очень странный город. Такое впечатление, что на машине времени переносишься в 90-е годы.

Что же самое плохое в Варшаве? Самое плохое, как и во всей Польше - еда. Вы заметили, что нигде в мире не существует ресторанов польской кухни, кроме как в Польше? Это не случайно. Поляки совершенно не умеют готовить. Зашел в один из ресторанов, который рекомендовали читатели - уровень еды, как в заводской столовой. Изучил разные сайты, обошел еще 3 якобы лучших ресторана польской кухни в городе - везде очень невкусная еда. В других городах аналогичная картина. Польской кухни не существует. Очень хорошо готовят венгры, чехи, украинцы... но только не поляки.



01. Начнем нашу прогулку с центра города. В самом центре стоит Дворец культуры и науки, одна из так называемых "Сталинских высоток". После развала Союза поляки начали очень переживать по поводу наличия у них высотки, одно время на даже хотели снести здание. Вскоре сносить передумали, а решили вокруг построить много небоскребов, чтобы никто на сталинскую высотку не обращал внимания.


В итоге понастроили кучу стеклянного говна, так что Дворец культуры и науки смотрится еще лучше, чем раньше. Ситуация с этим зданием до сих пор жутко бесит польских патриотов.


02. Свою ненависть к сталинскому наследею поляки выражают в уродливых вывесках и рекламе на здании. Очень странное отношение....


03. Вообще с рекламой в городе все довольно грустно. Завешивают баннерами целые здания.


04. Что действительно стоит ненавидеть полякам - так это подземные переходы. Тоже советское наследие, только, в отличие от высотки, вредное. Переходам тоже досталось от польских рекламщиков - все увешано рекламой. Смотрите, какой ужас.


05. Что не закрыто рекламой - отдано под торговлю.


06. На улицах рекламные щиты, баннеры, торговля... Совсем не европейское отношение к центру города.


07.


08. Польский язык красивый и понятный без перевода.


09. Ну вот... обратите внимание на детали, ту же вывеску наверху. Прямо Восточная Европа начала 90-х.


10. В Польше почему-то очень трепетно относятся к приставке "Евро". Везде Евромода, Евроджинсы, Евроремонт.


11. Ассортимент магазинов довольно уныл...


12. Про трамваи будет отдельный пост. На многих остановках почему-то нет навесов. Странно.


13. Просто лавочка стоит и все.


14. Старый город не мешало бы немного отремонтировать.


15. Центр Варшавы почему-то завален рекламой проституток.


16. Они тут повсюду. Странно, но другой нелегальной рекламы я не заметил.


17. На окраинах развалы, где продают все, от мебели, до старых вещей...


18. Тут все совсем грустно.


19. Народ довольно бедный, продают все...


20.


21. Один из рынков.


22.


23. В Варшаве легализовали парковку на тротуарах. Это очень плохо. Приличные страны так себя не ведут.


24. Знак парковки елочкой.


25. Водители не всегда думают о пешеходах.


26. Если польского водятла не ограничивать столбиками, он поставит свою повозку на тротуар.


27. Еще пример парковки


28. Парковка в одном из дворов.


29. Центр города


30. Ну и куда это годится?


31. В приличных городах так себя не ведут.


32.


33. Не все подземные переходы в Варшаве закопали. Есть над чем поработать. Иногда улицу вообще не перейдешь. Все очень запутано. Чтобы люди не бегали, ставят заборы, но люди все равно бегают через дорогу.


34. В Варшаве есть велодорожки, но спроектированы они очень странно.


35. Так проектировать нельзя. Если есть параллельная парковка, то велодорожка должна идти за ней.


36. В Варшаве воруют велосипеды.


37.


38. очень некрасивый вход в метро.


39. Спальные районы как раз и вдохновили меня на девиз про самоубийства.


40. Тут, конечно, от совка не избавились. До боли знакомые планировки, панельные дома...


41. Даже веселенька раскраска домов не спасает.


42.


43. Лавочки украли.


44.


45.


46.


Завтра будет хорошая Варшава. Не пропустите ;)




Посты по теме:

Россия:

Сочи: Хороший / Плохой
Адлер: Очень плохой
Владивосток: Хороший / Плохой
Владимир: Хороший / Плохой
Екатеринбург: Хороший / Плохой
Петрозаводск: Хороший / Плохой
Самара: Хорошая / Плохая
Сыктывкар: Хороший / Плохой
Тверь: Хорошая / Плохая
Тула: Плохая / Хорошая
Черкесск: Плохой / Хороший

Мир:

Белград: Хороший / Плохой
Вильнюс: Хороший / Плохой
Киев: Хороший / Плохой
Львов: Хороший / Плохой
Минск: Хороший / Плохой
Тирана: Плохая / Хорошая

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Блог обновляется очень часто, поэтому пропустить что-нибудь интересное не так уж и сложно. Специально для таких случаев у меня есть email-рассылка. Это красиво оформленная подборка самых важных постов за прошедшую неделю для тех, кто заходит сюда нечасто. Одно письмо каждые семь дней - обещаю, что никакого спама вы от меня не получите. Если надоест, вы от нее легко отпишитесь. А если вдруг закроют ЖЖ и запретят соцсети, у нас с вами будет рассылка, это как тайный клуб:



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So this is timely: USA Network has given a series order to its hacker thriller project starring Christian Slater. The cable network

Tech giants say proposal would 'do harm to consumer welfare'

File under: Latest News

Photo credit: YouTube / Kidzidzi Kidzidzi YouTube / Kidzidzi Kidzidzi Parking in tricky spaces can often faze the most experienced of drivers. However, pulling out of a half-empty car park is a slightly different prospect. Not if you're one Canadian BMW driver, though. continue reading

File under: Latest News

Photo credit: SWNS SWNS A Smart car owner has won a year-long legal battle after receiving a £50 ticket for parking her car with the rear tyres against the kerb. continue reading

If you have children you will no doubt have experienced the heart stopping moment when you realize the little one has wandered off and you cannot see them anywhere. You might imagine, then, how the average King Penguin parent might feel when they return to feed their chick. Yet it is all part of the King Penguin’s master plan for the survival of the next generation.

In what has to be the biggest day care facility on this our ark in space, thousands upon thousands of king penguins group their offspring together in a (largely successful) attempt to stop them dying in the sub-zero temperatures of South Georgia. They are also better protected from predators in this huge gathering.

Salisbury Plain in England is famed for being the site of King Arthur’s last battle. The Salisbury Plain you are seeing here is named after the original and is on the remote South Atlantic island of South Georgia, home to an even greater diversity of species than the Galapagos. The king penguin colony is, of course, by far the most visible.

The king parent penguins literally herd their chicks together. You can see the swathes of chicks separated from their parents, noticeable by their long, downy brown coats. Ensuring that the chicks survive is no mean feat and this collective act is the only way to create an environment warm enough to nurture them. While the chicks huddle together the parents shuffle, wobble and pretty much bounce down to the sea to catch the next meal for their voracious progeny (they are sublimely graceful once in the water, however).

There they will forage until they have enough food stored to make it worthwhile trekking the arduous route back to their youngest family member. While they are away other parents will stay behind to ensure the protection of the little ones.

It takes an extraordinary 13 months to raise a chick. As it cannot regulate its body temperature until it nears adulthood they need 24 hour care. Yet the adults are required to be working parents. If you need to catch fish to feed the chick this is not possible to guarantee its survival your own. So, when in need, birds of a feather, well, you know the rest.

Such an extensive length of time to raise a chick means that the king penguins do not mate every year. Generally they will breed twice every three year cycle. The feathers and a thick layer of blubber help keep the chicks warm while mum and dad are away. In fact such is the layer of blubber on the chicks that they can patiently wait for their parents for several weeks if necessary. Yet there is always safety, company and comfort in numbers.

The parents are generally gone for several days so this form of collective care is vital. One can only guess at when the king penguin originally had this brightest of bright ideas but the idea, it seems, caught on in a big way.

Forgive the pun but it adds a whole new dimension to the saying standing chick to chick – as it were.

Director Scott Derrickson gave Marvel fans an early Christmas present late Sunday night when he posted an image that appears to be Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange. It was accompanied by the quote “Strange but not a stranger,” from the Talking Heads song ‘Burning Down the House.’ Is it fan art? Is it official? Probably somewhere in the middle. But either way, it’s an endorsement from the director of the Phase Three film set for release November 4, 2016. Check out the mysterious Benedict Cumberbatch Doctor Strange image below.

Here’s Derrickson’s tweet.

"Strange but not a stranger" – Talking Heads pic.twitter.com/30lPiwfGhk

— Scott Derrickson (@scottderrickson) December 22, 2014

And here’s a better look at the Benedict Cumberbatch Doctor Strange image.

Again – this is not official. In fact, it’s almost certainly a really good piece of fan art. (Or, maybe, some concept art.) But the fact the director of the film tweeted it for the world to see gives it a little more weight. Even if this isn’t the final look of the character, it’s obviously a pretty good approximation of what we’ll see in theaters come November 2016.

What do you think of the image? Is that about you expected?

Here’s the full press release from Marvel about Cumberbatch playing the role:

Benedict Cumberbatch has entered the world of the mystic arts.

The actor will star in Marvel’s “Doctor Strange,” scheduled to hit theaters November 4, 2016. The film, directed by Scott Derrickson with Jon Spaihts writing the screenplay, will follow the story of neurosurgeon Doctor Stephen Strange who, after a horrific car accident, discovers the hidden world of magic and alternate dimensions.

“Stephen Strange’s story requires an actor capable of great depth and sincerity,” said Producer Kevin Feige. “In 2016, Benedict will show audiences what makes Doctor Strange such a unique and compelling character.”

Cumberbatch rose to international prominence with his critically acclaimed turn as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s most famous creation in “Sherlock,” currently preparing its fourth season. The series’ most recent season earned Cumberbatch the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie in 2014, after winning the BAFTA/LA Britannia Award for British Artist of the Year in 2013.

Cumberbatch most recently starred in “The Imitation Game,” playing famed mathematician and logician Alan Turing, and will soon be seen in “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” as Smaug and the Necromancer. For the role of Smaug, Cumberbatch stepped into the world of motion capture to bring the dragon to life. He will next be seen in Scott Cooper’s film “Black Mass,” the story of Whitey Bulger coming to theaters next September, where he stars opposite Johnny Depp and Joel Edgerton.

The star’s other credits include the Academy Award-winning “12 Years a Slave,” “War Horse,” “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,” “August: Osage County,” “Star Trek Into Darkness,” “The Fifth Estate,” and “Parade’s End.” Benedict will be returning to the stage this summer in Hamlet at the Barbican with Lyndsey Turner directing. His last stage performance in Danny Boyle’s Frankenstein opposite Jonny Lee Miller awarded him the Olivier.

With “Doctor Strange,” Cumberbatch is just the latest actor to join the bold Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, introducing new heroes and continuing the adventures of fan favorites across multiple films.

 

The post See Benedict Cumberbatch as ‘Doctor Strange’ Via Director Scott Derrickson appeared first on /Film.

The first collaboration between Marvel Studios and Netflix is Daredevil, which features Charlie Cox as blind New York City attorney Matt Murdock, who assumes a heroic alter-ego to fight crime in Hell’s Kitchen. The second collaboration will be A.K.A. Jessica Jones, which will star Krysten Ritter as the title character, a former superhero turned private investigator. And the third will be Luke Cage, featuring a guy who, in Marvel Comics lore, gained powers through experiments done to him in prison. Now we’ve got the primary Luke Cage casting, as Mike Colter — long rumored for the part — has been cast in the title role. 

Marvel reports that Colter, of Halo: Nightfall, The Following and The Good Wife, will play Cage. He’ll show up first in A.K.A. Jessica Jones, as a man Jones runs across while doing a job. As Marvel says,

During the course of an investigation in New York, private investigator Jessica Jones encounters the enigmatic Luke Cage — a man whose past has secrets that will dramatically alter Jessica herself in ways she could never have imagined.

Cage won’t just be a guest character on Jessica Jones’s show, but a recurring role. In comics, Cage and Jones have a romantic relationship, but we don’t know just how that will be written here. In fact, we don’t know who the main creatives will be on Luke Cage. Melissa Rosenberg is the Executive Producer/Showrunner for A.K.A. Jessica Jones, so she’ll help launch the character on TV.

After the 13-epiode A.K.A. Jessica Jones series runs, Cage will get his own series. Then all three lead characters will team up with Iron Fist, the lead of the fourth Marvel Netflix series, for the limited series The Defenders.

The post Mike Colter Cast as ‘Luke Cage’ for Marvel and Netflix appeared first on /Film.

Want to see a ton of photos from the premiere of Agent Carter? What’s the status on Daredevil? How much of X-Men: Days of Future Past was Matthew Vaughn’s? Is Wonder Woman greenlit? How might Ant-Man tie into Captain America: Civil War? How does Amy Adams describe Ben Affleck in Batman v Superman?  What did James Gunn think the post-credits scene of Guardians of the Galaxy was going to be? Read about all this and more in today’s Superhero Bits.

Thanks to the cast and crew for an amazing experience directing the season finale of #Daredevil. Goodby, NYC. Peace and love!

— Steven DeKnight (@stevendeknight) December 21, 2014

Daredevil showrunner Steven DeKnight has revealed production is done.

Matthew Vaughn told Collider about 90% of his X-Men: Days of Future Past ideas were in the movie.

Spoiler TV has some cool images from the next episode of Gotham.

Speaking to Vulture, Wonder Woman director Michelle MacLaren said as of a month ago, there was no script or greenlight on Wonder Woman.

MTV talked to Amy Adams about filming Batman v Superman.

Moviefone also talked to Amy Adams about Batman v Superman and she said she has scenes with Ben Affleck.

It’s a few months old, but I hadn’t seen this rumor about the connection between Ant-Man and Captain America: Civil War. Potential spoilers. (Thanks to Comic Book Movie.)

Joss Whedon talked to EW about his use of artificial intelligence in Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Continue Reading Superhero Bits >>

Due to the amount of graphics and images included in Superhero Bits, we have to split this post over THREE pages. Click the link above to continue to the second page of Superhero Bits.

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