Netflix on Wii – Spring

Yes, it’s true.  As I was deliberating over whether I thought a Roku player would be worth it and if I thought I could afford it, I Googled once more “netflix on Wii” and found this blog.

Following the link to Netflix, I have reserved my disc to be sent when available in the Spring.  Of course, I want it right now, but knowing that it’s coming, and realizing the first 3 seasons of Farscape are available via streaming, I’m pretty much in stream heaven.  (I’d be all the way if all 4 + PW were on, but whatevs.)

It’s only SD, but if you’re such a purist, use your laptop or go buy an XBOX.

So go reserve your disc!  I don’t know if there are limitations, but it doesn’t matter, cuz my copy is coming!  YEAH!

Ponyo Coming to America

Ponyo hits US Theaters in August and according to a source on Nausicaa.net, will debue on over 800 screens. If anyone has info on which screens, please post, but if you’ve had Studio Ghibli films in your city in the past, it’s likely they’ll be there again. This is the largest amount of screens for a Ghibli film by far.

For those who aren’t sure what Ponyo is, check out the youtube trailer below.

Netflix on the Mac? Hooray!

Is it really true?  Can we really watch instantly–a service we’ve been paying for since its inception?  The answer is YES!  I found out the news late yesterday, which apparently occurred on Halloween, but hey, there were other things on our minds (like an election, or something).

Now the question on all you lovely Mac users’ minds is, ok, so how do I do it?  Well, officially it is in its beta testing stage, so you have to opt-in and errors may occur.  This is also only for Intel-based Macs, so if you’re PowerPC, you’re out.  Thusfar I haven’t really encountered any more than on a PC.  In case you didn’t catch that link the first time, opt-in here.

And welcome to 12,000 or so movies (some of them not working the greatest in beta), about 30% of them something you might want to watch, though with Starz Play a little better variety than before.  (I recently watched Pirates of the Caribbean 3–not that that’s saying much about selection still.  Ok, I was just glad it was “free” I mean since I’m in it for the DVD rental.  Anyways…)

So enjoy!

Oh, and one more thing.  This is all possible due to Microsoft’s Silverlight.  Wait.  Microsoft is making it easier for me to watch my Netflix on my Mac instantly?  Shouldn’t Apple have taken care of that for me?  Yes, they should have, shouldn’t they?  (You can still thank Apple for the delay and send them no thanks for the problem actually getting solved.  Apparently they’re so confident we’d rather rent on iTunes they blatantly refused to offer Netflix any sort of help.  Not even a clue.  *sigh*  Oh well, the prices of a great operating system I suppose).  Netflix’s blog gives more details.

Mac Users Rejoice?

According to a recent post on the Netflix community blog, Mac support for the Netflix Instant View service will be available “by the end of the year,” which I guess still falls in line with their earlier post of “sometime in 2008.”

I’m really hoping this isn’t relying on Apple support, which has been the hold up in the first place for the Mac kids out there (they want you to use Apple TV and nothing else).  I guess come December 31, 2008 (but we’ll keep our fingers crossed for sooner) we’ll see.

A Soundtrack So Good It’s Horrible

It’s up on iTunes. Finally you can purchase the soundtrack for Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog. For those who’ve never heard of Dr. Horrible before, see Visual Crack’s review of the blog and where you can watch it. As for the rest of us, back to the soundtrack. Included with your iTunes purchase is:

1. Horrible Theme
2. My Freeze Ray
3. Bad Horse Chorus
4. Caring Hands
5. A Man’s Gotta Do
6. My Eyes
7. Bad Horse Chorus (Reprise)
8. Penny’s Song
9. Brand New Day
10. So They Say
11. Everyone’s a Hero
12. Slipping
13. Everything You Ever
14. Horrible Credits

So fourteen songs for $10. It is priced a bit higher than I would like, but something else we have to consider is where our money is going for this purchase. It isn’t going back to some big studio exec or music exec, it’s going back to Joss and the crew. If we’ve appreciate this entertainment, and I know I have, then giving him some money to produce more isn’t such a bad thing.

So as tempted as I know many of you will be to pirate download, consider at least for a little bit that it is Joss and the crew you are directly hurting. (In other words, just quit being stingy and spend the $10 already).

No official word on a DVD release yet, but rumors are sometime in December (see http://doctorhorrible.net).

In another interesting note, I did a search for Dr. Horrible on Amazon, just out of curiosity. I came up with some very interesting results. Ok, well, mostly goggles. They aren’t Dr. Horrible official, and if someone has found some better ones, do post, but they’re fairly close. There’s also some other options available for those thinking of the fast approaching Halloween holiday. I’m hoping to see loads of Dr. Horrible Halloween costumes posted on the web this year. 🙂

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince POSTPONED?!?

Muggles everywhere pull out your tissues or rioting signs now. If you haven’t heard the news, then know now you won’t be looking forward to a sixth movie in November.

Yes, friends, Harry Potter 6 won’t be joining us until July 19, 2009.

Why the sudden change? Well, other than to anger and annoy fans, WB knows they own Harry Potter fans and because of the writer’s strike the movies for next year are none too looking strong they decided it’s better to make more money later. See here for more details, and if you don’t believe that site, I checked the Warner Bros. HP site. The sad confirmation pictured below.

I was thinking, let’s rally together and force it out, but somehow I’m doubting it will matter. Everyone will still go see it when it comes out, and if the summer line-up for next year is looking so shabby (I guess I’m not seeing how X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Star Trek, Terminator Salvation, Transformers 2 and G.I. Joe–wait, I guess that isn’t super strong…) then it’s probably a better move for them financially to push it back.

Still, it kind of crushes my fall/winter movie hopes. I mean with Beverly Hills Chihuahua and Madagascar 2, I’m sure we’ll get along just fine without Harry……

……

Until 2009 friends.

Missed It?

Apparently there were some pictures of what Two-Face in the upcoming Dark Knight movie would look like circulating around the web but now they’re hard to find. Well, here’s what I could dig up. Enjoy!

The small version.

Best version I could find. Click on it for a slightly bigger copy.

Can I tell you I hated the Tommy Lee Jones version?

This one is more terrifying for me because it looks real.

I don’t get how he could run around, medically speaking, like this as a villain, but whatever. 😉

As to villains for a 3rd Batman movie, obviously we’ll get Two-Face (provided his role is just minor in Dark Knight) but I think it would be cool if they did a faces of villains sort of theme–in other words brought Clayface in as a villain.

I know everyone loves the Riddler, but I’d like to see Christopher Nolan take on some of the less famed villains (like Ra’s al Ghul and the Scarecrow as opposed to the Penguin, Riddler, etc). I think it could be interesting anyways.

Only a few more days will tell. Visual Crack will be doing a Dark Knight IMAX review. Look for it Monday or Tuesday–we’ll likely have two reviews (both Mac and Dee versions), but we’ll see.

Fringe Benefits

As anybody who’s been reading this blog for any amount of time knows, I love The X-Files. I’m absolutely out of my mind crazy impatient for the new movie to hit theaters this month and I will be there when it premieres at my local theater. There is no way I’m waiting for the second showing. I’ll be there alone if I have to.

I’m still in love with The X-Files but I’m also looking forward to a new show that I can only describe as “The X-Files on crack”. It premieres in September, it’s co-created by J.J. Abrams, and the $10,000,000 pilot episode has been leaked (though I really think it was intentional).

From what I can tell, this show is well on it’s way to being one of my favorites. It’s got just about everything in it that I loved about The X-Files. There’s a mythology, the FBI is involved, and there’s science (yes, I’m a geek and proud of it).

I’m not going to give any spoilers for the pilot, but I’m so going to pimp this show until it premieres (and probably throughout the first season). Keep your eye out for news about it and as we get closer to September I’ll be sure to remind you to set your DVRs and VCRs (if you still have one) to record this show. And obviously if I find out any interesting information I’ll be passing it along to you.

What Lies in the Darkness?

I’ve wet myself repeatedly in excitement of the June 28th trailer announcement (among other things) of *dramatic pause* DIABLO III!!! WOW addicts beware! Blizzard really is bringing us a much desired, much anticipated sequel in the Diablo series (for both Mac and PC, yes).

The cinematic teaser is available to watch and if that doesn’t feel you with both excitement and rage (rage that it doesn’t come out tomorrow) I don’t know what will. Blizzard refuses to give an official release date, but gaming gurus around the web are predicting Christmas 2009, but with how much attention Blizzard developers are giving to this game, it’ll likely be 2010. Still, when we get updates, we’ll give them to you.

D3 will be using Battle.net for multiplayer game interaction. I wasn’t the hugest fan of the previous Battle.net for D2–dropped connections, slow connections, etc., but they’ve upgraded it and have it ready to roll for StarCraft II. I guess we’ll see what improvements have been made. It was free before, so hopefully the use of it will be free again (and anyone who knows for certain, please leave a comment).

As for classes, there will be five to choose from–male and female version alike instead of fixed–with the two revealed classes being Barbarian and Witch Doctor (which according to what I’ve read is going to be very similar what Shaman is to WOW).

NOSTALGIC MOMENT: Although I love the World of Warcrack in all its addictive glory (been clean a year now *wink*), I do like to see a game every now and again with a story to it–and that’s what the Diablo series has been for me. (I haven’t yet ventured into Starcraft). I remember the first time I got to see Diablo in D1, and I’m excited to face him again in D3. The wacky maze world in D2, and Mephisto and Baal–all good memories. D3 will be like the high school reunion you actually want to go to. (^_^)

So when the developers finally decide on a release date, you can be sure that Visual Crack will get it and review it–though I’m doubting most of you will wait for the review before you buy.

And if you’ve never played the Diablo series before, they’re probably cheap and could be a fun nostalgic trip, but if you’ve been impressed by Blizzard before, you won’t be disappointed with the new game. When it comes out, get it.

R.I.P. George Carlin

I am in absolute shock right now. One of the most recognizable, funny, and influential comics of our time died yesterday. George Carlin was 71 years old when he died of heart failure. I always thought of him as one of those celebrities that would live forever.

R.I.P.
George Carlin
May 12, 1937 – June 22, 2008