I'm not sure whether kids are still forced to climb ropes in gym class these days but back when I was a youngster the rope climb was one of the most dreaded activities in the gymnasium.
There were always a couple of cocky kids who could climb the rope like nobody's business while the rest of us struggled to get off the ground.
Turns out we just needed to learn a few tricks involving our feet and we would have been able to climb that rope like a champ too!
Parkour master Ryan Ford demonstrates the easiest way to climb a rope (the leg-wrap technique) as well as a more advanced technique (fast rope) and a few exercises to get your upper body in shape for the climb.
by Casey Chan on Sploid, shared by Adam Clark Estes to io9
What movie scene scared you the most when you first watched it? Was it something embarrassing? Or is it something you’re still scared of, and if you see anything resembling it in real life, you completely freak out?
by Andrew Liszewski on Sploid, shared by Adam Clark Estes to io9
Every year around the Fourth of July the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission puts on a graphic demonstration of why you should be really careful when setting off fireworks. The video of the demo arrived a little late this year, but if you’re a fan of horror movies, it was still totally worth the wait.
Jurassic World 2 (which would be a bizarre name if Universal ran with it) has been on the cards for a while, but we now have something seemingly concrete about its imminent nature.
According to Jurassic Outpost and ReelNewsHawaii, they’ve collaborated to confirm a production start date for the sequel. They claim to have learned that the film will kick into gear February 27th, 2017 in Hawaii. They do say that they aren’t certain if this is the filming date or when sets are being built, but those things can’t be more than a few weeks apart.
I’m quite intrigued to see where the story goes from here. ‘Dinosaurs run around a park and eating people’ can only have so many legs. They surely will move on from there. (Surely?)
If you binge watched Stranger Things this past weekend, then you spent your time wisely. The series’ creators, Matt and Ross Duffer, transported Netflix’s subscribers back to the 1980s, where kids and government conspiracies run amok. The siblings wrote and directed most of the eight episodes, which, as executive producers Shawn Levy (Real Steel) and Dan Cohen (The Spectacular Now) told us, they approached as an “eight-hour movie.”
Levy directed chapter three (“Holly, Jolly”) and four (“The Body”) of Stranger Things. When I spoke with the director and Cohen, I hadn’t seen all of season one yet, so we mainly covered their collaboration with the Duffer brothers and Netflix, the show’s references, and what to expect from the future of Stranger Things.
Below, read our interview with Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen.
I’m sure you saw it already, but Stephen King tweeted some kind words about the show.
Dan Cohen: That tweet…I mean he is the influence of all influences, alongside [Steven] Spielberg. That tweet went out an hour or two before the premiere Monday night and the brothers couldn’t have loved that more, and certainly started the whole wave of press off nicely. So it was pretty awesome.
When did you first meet the brothers? When did this all get started?
Dan Cohen: I’ve known the brothers and their work for a while. They had written this script they ended up directing, and it was a really good first movie called Hidden. That was a few years back. But the end of 2014 is when we read this pilot and sat with them and started talking about this project and how to bring it to the world. It was really through that and their ideas of how to make it into a show. When you get to meet these guys, they have such humility and a great understanding of the genre and what they want to do, and a deep love and respect for what they are doing, and it’s contagious. You just want to work with them and see them through that journey. It started then. And we took it out to town and then we brought it to Netflix in, I’d say, early March of 2015. They jumped into it and we were off to the races.
Mentioning their love for the genre, it’s obvious watching the show, but it doesn’t only come across as a throwback.
Dan Cohen: Absolutely. I think what’s important is, obviously, there are influences you can spot and a love for that world and period. And the music is a glorious symphony, yet it still feels emotional and conducive to the storytelling. But we didn’t want it to just be a novelty. We wanted it to be, and I quite think it is, a standalone story that just works for having to take place in Indiana in 1983. Independent of those influences, I think the guys did an amazing job crafting a very smart way in of an ordinary group of people dealing with extraordinary circumstances.
The kids are great. How long did it take to put that group together? What about Millie Bobby Brown made her stand out?
Dan Cohen: The search for the kids in general, and including especially Millie, was a long and exhaustive one. Carmen Cuba, who worked with the Duffers before, and has worked with Netflix, and also casted The Girlfriend Experience, has an amazing eye for talent. The Duffers had to really push themselves to make sure that these kids felt like kids and could act, and that it would feel effortlessly organic to 12-year-old friends.
With Millie, she’s an incredible actress and has such a real onscreen persona that is very unique and rare. And so much of her character isn’t done through dialect but, in fact, emotion and what’s going on within her. That is not an easy thing to find. And yet, as you’ve seen in watching the show, Eleven is an integral piece of the show that really ties many storylines together. To have a character that is so specific and kind of a fulcrum of the show and, yet, is not giving monologs, that’s a unique piece of casting. We are so lucky to have had her. The Duffers and Carmen just nailed it in casting. She’s a terrific young actress, and she really nailed it.
[Spoilers ahead for episode 3.]
In the third episode, “Holly Jolly”, when she snaps that man’s neck, you still feel empathy for her, especially because of her reaction.
Shawn Levy: I literally joined you right as you were describing one of my favorite moments when Eleven breaks that fucker’s neck.
[Laughs.] Do you recall any notable tidbits about filming that scene?
Shawn Levy: First of all, nice to meet you over the phone. It was Millie’s idea to do that gesture with her head to break that dude’s neck.
[End spoilers.]
When you all first met with Netflix, how did the pitch go? What did you all do to sell them on the show?
Dan Cohen: They are the dream house. Shawn and myself and the Duffers definitely went back and forth intensely to make sure this went as well as it possibly could. But it was a warm meeting. They had obviously read the script. The brothers had created sort of a mock trailer that was quite fantastic and had an outline, and they had just seen their movie. It was a warm room. And Shawn is an incredible salesman in the room. But I think that we were able to just highlight where we wanted to go.
And to Netflix’s credit, they were asking great questions and were very passionate about it from just a first meeting, not yet officially being in business kind of level. Even though we wanted to go with them undoubtedly, when we jumped in with them we knew they were coming from the right place with it.
Shawn Levy: The way these things work, especially in a pitch like this where the network has already read the pilot, you spend your time talking about where you think the characters will go, what you think the style of the show is. We declared some pretty bold ground rules, starting with the fact that we didn’t anyone to direct it except the Duffers or me. We really, really wanted to approach it like an eight-hour movie.
They were the very first choice. They were our very first pitch. And they bought the entire season within 24 hours. We never had to pitch a second buyer.
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by Andrew Liszewski on Sploid, shared by Adam Clark Estes to io9
Bigger is always better, but you can make anything even awesomer with the addition of fire. That’s what Kevin Kohler, the Backyard Scientist, did with one of those vortex air cannon toys. He not only built one ten times larger, he also uses it to blast rings of propane gas towards an open flame to create spectacular flying rings of fire.
After a crushing jumping knee from Michael Page at Bellator 158, the always tough Evangelista Santos was left on the canvas clutching his face in visible agony.
After initial reports of surgery to repair a fractured skull after the bout, which took place on the Spike-televised main card from The O2 in London, Santos’ ex-wife and current women’s MMA superstar Cristiane Justino posted a clarification and update to Instagram along with a graphic picture and X-ray showing the fracture – and a dent in the skull of Santos (21-18 MMA, 1-2 BMMA).
The male “Cyborg” has “not had surgery yet,” according to Justino, though the injury has doctors worried about continued swelling of the brain.
“Fight fans, Please say a prayer for me Ex husband Cyborg Santos,” the post reads. “Many of you watched him fight on Spike TV this weekend when he suffered this injury while fighting in London. Cyborg is still in the hospital in the UK, and they are not sure when he will be able to fly again. He has not had surgery yet and their is worry the brain can continue to swell causing more damage. @bellatormma is suppose to be responsible for all medical procedures needed to fix this injury from the, however Cyborg is going to be unable to work for sometime and we will be putting together a #gofundme for Fight fans wishing To sponsor him And his Family at this difficult time. Thank you God for your protection, The dr said this very Easily could have been life threatening. Please show your support for the fighters and share!”
According to Bellator commentator Jimmy Smith, the injury was shocking even to a medical professional.
A cut man who had worked as an EMT saw Cyborg after and told me he had only seen an injury like that in a severe car crash
I was making the headline how Alden Ehrenreich was confirmed as Han Solo for Solo film… and realized how odd that sounded. It’s been believed for months that Ehrenreich had the role for the stand-alone Han Solo film (that sounds better), but it was confirmed today at the Star Wars Celebration. The announcement was made at a panel with Katheleen Kennedy, Kiri Hart, Rian Johnson, Chris Miller and Phil Lord.
Miller and Lord co-directed the Lego Movie and 21 Jump Street and will be helming Han Solo. It will be written by Lawrence Kasdan and his son Jon. Kasdan wrote The Empire Strikes Back and The Force Awakens.
The film will take place in the time between episodes 3 and 4, before we find him and Chewie on Tatooine. The film will be released May 25th, 2018.
Joe Quesada has done up a poster for Marvel’s Luke Cage that will be given away at SDCC according to TV Insider. The series that stars Mike Coulter spins out of Marvel’s Jessica Jones starting September 30th on Netflix. The poster will be given away at the Marvel booth during the convention.
HBO’s president of programming, Casey Bloys, has made it official. Season 7 of Game of Thrones will not debut until the summer of 2017. The reason for the delay from their normal spring start? Winter isn’t coming fast enough. The show wants to film the seventh season in the actual winter, which means delaying filming until then.
So a few extra months to wait for Jon Snow, Tyrion Lannister and the rest to return.
And in the same announcement, it was revealed that there will be only 7 episodes in the season, likely leaving the final season to be around 6 to 8 episodes.
This world has the hallmarks of a place you know — maybe it’s something you remember, or a place you’ve imagined. Only, there have been improvements. It is a near-perfect version of that place, and when everything is clicking, it can feel like a better alternative to the one you are in.
For Epcot, the idea was the future, the world it created was an amusement park, and the improvements went toward a quasi-utopian crowd experience — lines that were always moving, an uncanny cleanliness, and the subtle loop of music playing as you visit.
For Stranger Things, the idea is the wonder of ’80s kid-sci-fi
While the season six finale of Game of Thrones offered a glimpse of Gregor Clegane’s undead face, it was not quite a clear image of Cersei’s protector. But actor Hafþór J Björnsson offered Twitter a better look at his new grim visage (via TV Guide):
— Hafþór J Björnsson (@ThorBjornsson_) July 15, 2016
As alluded to on the series, the returned Mountain is the end result of disgraced Maester Qyburn’s experiments with reanimating dead tissue. And his decaying face is a clear indication that Qyburn could not bring Gregor back to life quickly enough.
The effect leaves him look a little more like his little brother Sandor, who may yet have a final confrontation with the Mountain as Game of Thrones enters its endgame.
This new The James Bond Spectre Limited Edition lighter by S.T. Dupont draws its inspiration from the iconic gun barrel image. Here we see the design process as it goes from rough sketch to completion. The lighter is available in black and palladium. Now it says that it’s for Spectre, but this seems to be based on the opening gun barrel graphic in all of the James Bond films. So this would be a cool gift for any Bond fan. http://www.shop.007.com
Pokemon is evidence we’re circling the drain faster now A quick a follow-up to the yesterday’s story about the Pokemon Zombies. One, I had to travel out of state earlier this week – and...
Over a week ago, there were rumblings of some new MoviePasssubscription plans being tested with the subscription service’s CEO Mitch Lower looking to offer a variety of pricing options with an eye towards even offering a plan as low as $20. Now Movie Pass has officially announced their new pricing plans, and the lowest plan actually comes in at $15, but there are some specifics that will change how much you’ll end up paying for the subscription you want.
Find out about the new MoviePass prices and plans after the jump.
Engadget has the official new pricing plans which include an unlimited option that’s pricier than the current subscription offered. Regardless of which market you live in, you’ll have the option to get a subscription that lets you see 2 movies a month, 3 movies a month or an unlimited number of movies each month, but the cost will be different depending on where you live. Higher populated areas will be more expensive. Here’s how the markets and their respective prices break down:
Tier 1 markets: $15 for 2 movies; $22 for 3 movies; and $40 for unlimited
Tier 2 markets: $18 for 2 movies; $27 for 3 movies; and $45 unlimited
Tier 3 markets: $21 for 2 movies; $31 for 3 movies; $50 for unlimited
The good news for cinephiles who want to pay for the more expensive unlimited plan is that the 24-hour window between movie ticket purchases is going away, at least with the new plans. MoviePass is looking to phase out the 24-hour rule in general, but it’s not clear if that’s something that will happen for current subscribers in the near future, or if they’ll only lose that restriction once they are given the option (or likely eventually forced) to choose a new plan.
For now, not all customers are being forced into these new plans, because MoviePass is continuing to research how their customers use the service, especially the new customers they’re hoping to get from these new plans. As for the subscribers who signed up for the test plans that were revealed recently, they can take advantage of the new price plans in September.
The idea behind the new pricing model is to help people who only see two or three movies a month save a little bit of money. To help get more users interested, there’s no longer any pesky cancellation fees or full-year commitments. You sign up for a month, cancel for a couple months, and easily come back later if you feel like it.
This feels like a somewhat better business model for MoviePass, but these new subscription plans still don’t allow you to buy tickets for 3D and IMAX, even though it’s something they’re considering implementing in the future. You also still can’t buy tickets online in advance, which is something that customers in larger cities, where assigned seats are purchased, have been looking for.
As for any future plans for MoviePass, they’re also hoping to include some other bonuses for subscribers, such as advance screenings, deals on merchandise and more. They also hope to get rid of the credit card that accompanies the service now and eventually have it all done through the phone.
As usual, stay tuned for any further updates to MoviePAss.
Before we saw a single frame of actual footage from the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie, we saw concept art of Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Groot and Rocket standing in a line, adopting their most dramatic superhero poses. And now, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is following a similar path. Before official set photos and before a trailer of any kind, we have our first look at the new team line-up via a piece of very cool concept art. And wouldn’t you know it? The original five members are now joined by few new and familiar faces.
So let’s just get right down to it: here’s that concept art, shared by writer/director James Gunn on Twitter and illustrated by artist Andy Park. As you’d expect from a world-class superhero unit, the Guardians don’t seem to be fazed in the slightest by the massive explosions going off right behind them.
Let’s run down everyone in this picture. Chris Pratt‘s Peter Quill (aka Star-Lord) is instantly recognizable, even though his uniform has gotten an upgrade. The same goes for Zoe Saldana‘s Gamora, who hasn’t changed much beyond a new set of clothing. Dave Bautista‘s Drax is still his shirtless self, but the tiny baby Groot on his shoulder suggests that this sequel takes place shortly after the events of the first film as everyone’s favorite sentient tree hasn’t had the chance to grow up. Meanwhile, Rocket appears to be taking his name very literally in the background.
That brings us to the three new new additions to the line-up, two of whom should ring a bell. Standing to the right of the art is Karen Gillan‘s Nebula, Gamora’s adopted sister and a villain from the first film who managed to escape with her life intact. If this art is any indication, she’ll have a change of heart…or at least see some kind of benefit in allying with the team. Speaking of new members of the team with blue skin, you’ll note Michael Rooker‘s Yondu hanging out with the background, which suggests that his temporary alliance with the team from the third act of the first movie may evolve into something more permanent.
But who is that new woman, the one standing between Star-Lord and Nebula? That’s Mantis, played by Pom Klementieff, a character who will only be familiar to the truly seasoned Marvel comic book buffs. In short, she’s a perfect physical specimen with superior strength and martial arts abilities who employs near perfect control of her body and its functions. And as the film’s executive producer Jonathan Schwartz tells Entertainment Weekly, she’s only recently emerged from living in isolation:
She has never really experienced social interaction. Everything she learns about dealing with people, she learns from the Guardians of the Galaxy, which is a very weird group to learn your social intricacies from.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 recently wrapped filming and will be released on May 5, 2017. EW notes that this art will be available to fans at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con.
You might have noticed that some of the luxurious condos lining the Hudson have some very unique names. But they’re not just names—they’re history! Yes, many of the condos situated along the Hudson riverfront overlooking Manhattan actually enjoy historic names deeply-rooted in the rich cultures, traditions, and industrial development of the area. Whether or not you’re a history buff, it’s interesting to learn just where some of these top condos really got their names!
Hudson Tea
It was once the site of the Lipton Tea headquarters. Today, it is a stunning industrial revival building of unparalleled luxury overlooking the Hudson and Manhattan in bustling Hoboken.
Once, Bulls Ferry was a pre-Revolutionary War settlement and home to the family Bull, who operated a ferry transporting people to and from Guttenberg and New York City.
It was the original site of one of America’s most popular coffee brands—Maxwell House. Today, it has been reborn into a luxurious lifestyle of lavish homes and exquisite community amenities.
Dating back to 1890, the Lofts were constructed by Wells Fargo—then a mail company—for storing horses and carts. Today it offers unique condos of soaring ceilings and exposed industrial architecture.
Constructed on the site of the former Bethlehem Steel Shipyard, The Constitution today still overlooks a marina, making it the perfect location for boat owners and luxury-seekers alike.
Discover Luxury with a View on the Hudson Waterfront
Life on the Hudson River is an exquisite luxury experience, and not just at these top 5 condos! No matter where you are, you’re sure to enjoy a lifestyle of lavish homes, stunning amenities, and a bustling social city—in addition to easy access to Manhattan. So take some time to learn more about life along the Hudson in one of its wonderful New Jersey communities. Explore some luxury condos for sale. Discover a lifestyle. And contact me when you’re ready to find your dream home here.
Though it’s still eight months away, we are getting a first look at Guy Ritchie’s upcoming film King Arthur: Legend of the Sword. The film stars Charlie Hunnam as Arthur Pendragon, Eric Bana as his father Uther and Jude Law in the role of Vortigern, the bad guy who kills both Arthur’s father and brother. Vortigern is Arthur’s uncle and has some black magic on his side… so things don’t look good for the future king.
Ritchie gets to check off another English Literary Icon from his to-do list, having already worked on Sherlock Holmes twice with Law. I wonder if we’ll see a James Bond film from him in the future.
by George Dvorsky on Gizmodo, shared by Adam Clark Estes to io9
A growing number of businesses are offering whole body cryotherapy, telling customers it can treat everything from asthma and Alzheimer’s right through to insomnia and arthritis. The US Food and Drug Administration is finally speaking out on the practice, saying there’s no evidence to back the many purported benefits—and that it’s actually quite dangerous.
by Shep McAllister on Deals, shared by Shep McAllister to io9
Back To The Future’s30th anniversary trilogy pack includes all three movies (complete with bonus features on each disc), plus two complete bonus discs full of mini documentaries and behind the scenes footage. At $20 on Blu-ray (or $15 on DVD), it’s also never been cheaper, and we’d need a DeLorean to know how long it’ll be until it’s on sale again.
by Andrew Liszewski on Sploid, shared by Adam Clark Estes to io9
If you didn’t grow up in the American Midwest, you’ve probably never truly experienced the fury of a tornado-spewing summer thunderstorm. Storm chaser and wedding photographer Mike Olbinski edited 60,000 frames worth of timelapse sequences into this six-minute montage called Vorticity that will leave you with a new respect for Mother Nature.
I was making the headline how Alden Ehrenreich was confirmed as Han Solo for Solo film… and realized how odd that sounded. It’s been believed for months that Ehrenreich had the role for the stand-alone Han Solo film (that sounds better), but it was confirmed today at the Star Wars Celebration. The announcement was made at a panel with Katheleen Kennedy, Kiri Hart, Rian Johnson, Chris Miller and Phil Lord.
HBO’s president of programming, Casey Bloys, has made it official. Season 7 of Game of Thrones will not debut until the summer of 2017. The reason for the delay from their normal spring start? Winter isn’t coming fast enough. The show wants to film the seventh season in the actual winter, which means delaying filming until then.
