STUFF: News, Technology, the cool and the plain weird

[MIKA27]

Wolverine 3 Solemnly Swears It Won't Be 'A City-Block Destroying CG F**kathon'

Hugh Jackman has revealed his supposedly final outing as Wolverine will have a bit of an unusual title, eschewing both a number and its hero’s traditional name. Perhaps more importantly, the movie will also eschew “CG f**kathons”, according to the script itself.

Jackman announced the film’s title on social media, posting a grainy image of a new poster for the film, revealing the Logan name as well as the image of Wolverine holding the hand of a small child:

Here’s a clearer version of the poster, courtesy of director James Mangold:

Mangold also tweeted out a picture of Logan‘s screenplay, giving us a few clues as to the tone of the movie. Here’s the image in full for clarity (don’t forget to click to enlarge it!):

According to Mangold, it’s the second page of the screenplay — so considering that the first line of dialogue we see from Logan in it is simply “F@@k” followed by getting into a fistfight with a group of hoodlums called the Bangers, Logan is definitely leaning into its R-rating.

What’s most interesting about the page is how the script describes the movie’s approach to violence. Calling out the “hyper choreographed, gravity defying, city-block destroying, CG fuckathon” of other action films (perhaps superhero films in particular) the script declares that Logan‘s characters will get hurt and die from anything, rather than having destruction reign down around them while they escape relatively unscathed.

That apparently applies to Wolverine himself, too — described as being older (the film has been frequently rumoured as loosely adapting the “Old Man Logan” comic book storyline), with his powers not as functional as they once were… including his mutant healing factor, leading to a “constant state of chronic pain” and Logan turning to booze, and an apparent ever-sense of danger for the hero.

Looks like Logan is going to be quite a bit different from what we’ve seen from past Wolverine movies.

[MIKA27]

The Process Of Making These Rare Traditional Noodles Is Fascinating

These traditional Chinese Suomian noodles have been made in Nanshan Village for over 300 years, and supposedly there are only 300 people left in the world who know how to make them. That’s because the process of making these noodles is a little bit more unique than making your typical noodles — it can sometimes look more like doing laundry or weaving tapestry than making food.

This portrait of a man who makes Suomian noodles is fascinating because you get to witness a master craftsman doing his thing. And that thing just happens to be a little bit quirky, because it involves stuff like hanging noodles outside like rope and tying the noodles around two sticks 60 times. But still, he carries a certain amount of respect for the work that only years and years experience can teach (he’s been making these noodles for over 30 years), and it’s a joy to see.

 

[MIKA27]

Google Home

Google have presented their very own answer to Amazon’s wildly successful Echo. The elegant Google Home, like Echo, is a small voice-activated speaker at its core designed to assist you in your everyday life around the house. Tell it to do things. It’s your own Google, always ready to help. Just start by saying, "Ok Google” to enjoy music, get answers straight from Google, manage your everyday tasks, and easily control smart devices around the home.

 

[MIKA27]

Logan's Professor X Looks Older Than Death Itself

Months ago, Patrick Stewart dropped the news that his version of Professor X would be appearing in the third Wolverine film. Now that we know the film is called Logan and it’s set in 2024 (as well as a certain mutant who may be starring in it), director James Mangold has revealed what the Professor looks like in the near future. Turns out Charles Xavier has not aged well.

Compare that to the photo at the top, which is from X-Men: Days of Future Past. That was also Charles Xavier from the future, and though Wolverine may have altered the timeline, it doesn’t seem to have turned out too well for Xavier.

The photo also adds credence to yesterday’s report by The Wrap that revealed a bunch of new details on Logan, among them was this statement: “Professor X (Patrick Stewart) is old and not well. His powers are unstable and at times he doesn’t even remember Logan.” If the Professor is really losing his mind, that’s going to be a bit of a bummer. After all, his power is his mind.

Logan opens in the US 3 March 2017.

MIKA: By the way that certain mutant described as a young girl with “two claws instead of [Logan’s] three”,  which would mean she’s most likely a younger version of X-23/Laura Kinney, the female clone of Wolverine who is actually now the current Wolverine in the comics. She’s been heavily rumoured for the film before, lending credence to the report.

[MIKA27]

The Blade Runner Sequel Has An Official Title And The Lamest Promo Photo Of All Time

In exactly one year from today, the long-awaited (by some) sequel to Blade Runner will finally premiere. To commemorate the occasion Warner Bros. has announced the official title and released this first behind the scenes photo… neither of which are actually that exciting.

The title is Blade Runner 2049, which is pretty perfunctory. Assuming the title does represent the year in which the film will take place — it would be pretty weird if it didn’t — it’s set 30 years after Rick Deckard ran off with Rachael in the first movie, which took place in 2019.

Along with the title comes this photo of stars Harrison Ford and Ryan Gosling talking to director Denis Villeneuve and producer Ridley Scott.

What do you think Harrison Ford is saying here? “I told J.J., ‘You either kill off Han or you aren’t getting Han at all.’ And now I’m finally free!”

[MIKA27]

Minutes Past Midnight Features The Cuddly-Wuddliest Homicidal Maniac Of All Time

Since 2011, Toronto has hosted a monthly genre showcase called Little Terrors, highlighting grim, gruesome, and weird short films around the world. Now the rest of the world can get a glimpse with anthology flick Minutes Past Midnight, which compiles nine of the festival’s most memorable selections, including one that features the adorable and adorably homical rabbit above.

The redband trailer (which is slightly NSFW, in the realms of gore and language) hints at a wide array of frights and, from the looks of it, some pitch-black humour, too.

Minutes Past Midnight will screen in Toronto and at a handful of film festivals in early October.

 

[MIKA27]

BASE Jumping Off A Balcony Of A Skyscraper Above The Clouds Is Pure Crazy

The 75-story Sulafa Tower skyscraper in the Dubai Marina is so tall that it’s essentially above the clouds. So this guy is not just BASE jumping off a super high balcony, he’s also jumping straight into a cloud of fog below. That thick blanket of mystery basically covers the world, hiding everything that’s underneath it (namely: The ground). It’s especially scary because a few seconds after he jumps, he’s surrounded and blinded by the fog until the ground suddenly appears.

[MIKA27]

That Time A Mexican Filmmaker Turned Batman Into A Female Wrestler

Some of our favourite heroes have been the subject of very weird foreign remakes over the years — who can forget Toei’s Spider-Man — but one of the weirdest has to be La Mujer Murciélago, Mexico’s take on the 1966 Batman show… only with a female lead who happened to be a Luchadora.

You may have heard of the less-than-official adventures of Batman en Español in the past, but this new retrospective video by Neon Harbour reminds us of the complete insanity that is La Mujer Murciélago.

Inspired by the Batmania sweeping the US thanks to Adam West, and the popularity of Lucha Libre movies in Mexico at the same time, director René Cardona and writer Alfredo Salazar sought to capitalise on the frenzy by merging Batman into the Lucha Libre genre… and then for good measure, made Batman Batwoman, just as the TV series was introducing Yvonne Craig’s Batgirl.

In La Mujer Murciélago, socialite turned bikini-clad crimefighter Batwoman is tasked with hunting down a mad scientist kidnapping wrestlers and killing them for the fluid in the pineal glands in order to create… a fish/man monster? Anyway, Batwoman has to don a significantly less revealing (but very Batman-ish) Luchadora outfit and infiltrate the wrestling world to find out who’s behind the murders.

It’s as insane as it sounds — but the good news is that the whole film can be found on YouTube for your viewing pleasure. It’s… very weird.

 

[MIKA27]

Stephen Colbert Breaks Down the Most Pressing Issue of Our Time: Creepy Clowns

Around 4 p.m. yesterday, a creepy clown was "menacing" people while "allegedly brandishing a knife" at a Manhattan subway station. The perpetrator even stood in the doorway of trains, blocking people from exiting at their stop, which any New Yorker will tell you is worse than the knife part. It was just another incident in America's raging creepy clown epidemic, which Stephen Colbert broke down around the same time (his show tapes in the late afternoon) across town.

Colbert makes a big point: no clowns are good. Like other brightly colored carnival barkers you might know, these creepy clowns are not outliers from the group—they are just the most extreme example of it. Colbert ridicules people who laugh at clowns ("Haha! He's dressed like he's poor! Look at his swollen feet! Something's seriously wrong with him!"), and with good reason. It's strange to laugh at something that's creepy and not funny, even if you're a child. No excuses.

The Official Take: The First Amendment should be amended so clowns can be banned.

 

[MIKA27]

Komono Walther Watch

Minimal doesn’t have to be boring. With The Walther, Komono has kept a clean design while also adding enough unique elements to make it attention-grabbing. The three dials track hours, seconds, and the date, while the different color combos allow you to select the right piece for your wrist. This all-black look is one of our favorites, but The Cool Material Shop is stocked with a variety of different options. With interesting touches but classic appeal, the Walther is somehow both timeless and modern.

 

[MIKA27]

HP Sprocket Photo Printer

HP Sprocket is a tiny portable printer that allows you to instantly print the pics of your choice that you just took with your smartphone. Small (fits in the palm of your hand) and lightweight to ensure portability, it also has an interesting price point. It uses the ZINK system (zero ink), the colors are on the paper and it´s through a thermal process that you get the defined final photo. The compact device uses the company’s app to print 2x3 photos or stickers, simply connect it to your phone via Bluetooth or NFC. Available for IOS or Android it sure reminds us of the instant Polaroids we use to take back in the eighties. Print the pics of your choice directly from your library or get them from your favorite social media. A fast and easy way to get your memories on paper instantly. 

 

[feral]

That is a neat gadget.

Sent from my ASUS_Z00AD using Tapatalk

[MIKA27]

Today, Ford Ended 91 Years Of Manufacturing In Australia

Today is a sad day. One of Australia’s big two homegrown car manufacturers, and one of half of the iconic red versus blue battle that has shaped our national consciousness on weekends for decades, is finally shutting up shop. Today, Ford Australia produced the final car — a Falcon, with the company’s iconic four-litre inline six — at its Broadmeadows plant.

The last car to roll off the line was finished today, and it’s a beautiful collector’s edition XR6 Sprint in Kinetic Blue. Not only is it a gorgeous car and a lovely piece of engineering, it’s also powered by one of the great Australian engines — the Barra 4.0-litre turbocharged DOHC inline 6 that has powered the XR6 Turbo and Falcon for the last 14 years, with the penultimate FG X Sprint sporting a unique carbon fibre air intake. The Sprint is the fastest car ever produced by Ford in Australia, and the amount of power — 370kW and 650Nm during overboost, or 325kW/576Nm during regular driving — it produces is nothing short of world class.

Ford is moving some manufacturing employees and maintaining much of its Australian presence with the continued presence and growth of its vehicle development operations centre in Victoria, with engineers and technology part of a $300 million push this year alone to contribute to global development of platforms like the popular Ranger.

[MIKA27]

Here's The Official Trailer For The Grand Tour

Guys.. Fast cars. Powerslides. Three idiots cocking about. This is The Grand Tour.

And here is your reminder that we still don’t know how — or even if — we’re going to be able to watch it in Australia.

 

[avaldes]

Oh, that looks like a whole lot of awesome! 

[polarbear]

It'll be streaming on Stan, I believe

[MIKA27]

The First Power Rangers Trailer Is Here And It's Super Serious You Guys

The first teaser trailer for the Power Rangers reboot has been released and it looks like these new Rangers mean serious business. It’s like super duper serious.

The trailer was briefly released on the Power Rangers Facebook page this morning, only to be immediately taken down. It might have been an accidental leak, but a few minutes online was all it took for the trailer to catch fire. Cat’s out of the bag now, as they have since re-shared it for the world to see.

As someone who grew up on Power Rangers, I wasn’t wowed by this thing at all. The reboot’s clearly going for less silliness, more grittiness. There were lots of staredowns set to dramatic music, big explosions, and desperate fleeing from police sirens. At least one-third of this trailer takes place at night, and I’m not even sure the original Rangers knew night existed. Well, if you don’t count that one pirate ship from that one movie.

Plus, no Megazord, and barely a glimpse at one of the Power Rangers suits (we see more of Jason’s abs than we do his suit). And when it happens, there’s no exciting declaration, “It’s Morphin’ Time!” It’s just, “Oh this thing is happening I guess.” Colour me meh.

There were a few quips and jokes in there, but this isn’t the Power Rangers we grew up with at all. Whether that works to their advantage, appealing to a new generation instead of the nostalgia 30-somethings who grew up on the cheese factor, remains to be seen. Power Rangers comes out March 24, 2017.

[MIKA27]

The True Scale Of Nuclear Bombs Is Totally Frightening

Nuclear weapons are already scary enough, but when you dig deeper and find out how powerful the weapons truly are, they get even more terrifying. The weapons we’ve built after the first atomic bombs are so strong that you can basically use Hiroshima as a unit of measurement. The largest nuclear explosion in human history, the Tsar Bomba, detonated with a force of 50 megatons, or the power of 3333 Hiroshimas.

The Russians had another bomb planned that would have been double the force of the Tsar Bomba at 100 megatons (and 6666 times the force of Hiroshima) but luckily they never tested it. I mean, the Tsar Bomba was already as scarily powerful as it can get, since it almost destroyed the plane that dropped it and shattered windows as far as Norway and Finland. (The bomb was tested at Novaya Zemlya in Northern Russia).

Even something like the B83 bomb (which is the largest nuke in the US arsenal) explodes with a mushroom cloud taller than where commercial airlines fly. The true scale of nuclear weapons is really something. Learn more about it with this video by RealLifeLore, which also shows what kind of damage these nukes would do if they were dropped on New York City.

 

[MIKA27]

Forest Whitaker Goes From Rogue One To Black Panther

Forest Whitaker is having a good late 2016. He’s soon to appear in one of the best films of the year, Arrival, and he’ll follow that by playing Saw Gerrera in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Now, in addition to that, he’s just been cast in Marvel’s Black Panther, directed by Ryan Coogler.

Whitaker plays Zuri, an elder statesman in Wakanda. He’ll also be joined by new additions to the film Daniel Kaluuya, Winston Duke and Florence Kasumba. Kaluuya will play T’Challa’s confidant W’Kabi; Duke is M’Baku, leader of a rival Wakandan tribe; and Kasumba will reprise her role from Captain America: Civil War as Ayo, a member of the Dora Milaje.

Here’s a look at Zuri from the comics.

In the film, Chadwick Boseman plays the lead character, T’Challa, alongside Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o and Danai Gurira.

The film opens in the US 16 February 2018.

[MIKA27]

The Trailer For Underworld: Blood Wars Is Sure To Make Underworld Fans Happy

Blood Wars brings back Kate Beckinsale and Theo James reprising their roles in a film that sees some new Lycans (werewolves) hunting for Seline’s (Beckinsale) blood. Beyond that, there’s a lot of guns a-blazing, running, jumping and dark leather clothes. Just what you expect from an Underworld movie.

Underworld Blood Wars, directed by Anna Foerster, opens December 1.

[MIKA27]

The Nearest Earth-Like Planet Outside Our Solar System Could Be A Water World

At a distance of 4.2 light years, Proxima b is the closest potentially habitable Earth-like planet outside our solar system. New research suggests that this distant orb could be completely covered in water. So when do we go?

This past August, scientists with the European Southern Observatory (ESO) confirmed the discovery of a rocky planet in the habitable zone of Proxima Centauri — our nearest neighbouring star. Little is known about this distant planet and whether it has what it takes to foster alien life, but a new study accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal posits the suggestion that Proxima b is covered with oceans, and possibly even a single massive ocean that envelops the entire planet.

Proxima b is a fascinating target for study, and not just because it’s an Earth-like planet in the star system nearest to our sun. The planet has a mass around 1.3 times that of Earth, and it sits in a tight orbit approximately a tenth the distance of Mercury to our sun. That’s not necessarily a problem because Proxima b’s host star, Proxima Centauri, is about 1000 times weaker than our sun. That places it within the habitable zone, where liquid water can reside at the surface.

Observations of Proxima b are few and far between, so Bastien Brugger and his colleagues from Marseille University in France ran a series of simulations to get a better sense of the planet’s composition and radius. Their estimates show that Proxima b‘s radius ranges somewhere between 0.94 and 1.4 times that of Earth, which is about 6300km on average.

Artist’s rendering of the planet Proxima orbiting the red dwarf star Proxima Centauri. 

If the planet’s radius is closer to the lower bound of the estimate, it should be very dense, with a metallic core making up a whopping two-thirds of the planet’s entire mass, and surrounded by a rocky mantle. Any surface water on this planet would contribute to about 0.05 per cent of the planet’s total mass, which is comparable to Earth’s 0.02 per cent. Vast ocean ranges could very well exist on Proxima b.

But if the planet’s radius is closer to the higher estimate, around 8920km, things get even more interesting. In this scenario, the planet’s mass would be split evenly between a rocky centre and surrounding water.

“In this case, Proxima b would be covered by a single, liquid ocean 200km deep,” noted the researchers in an AFP article. “In both cases, a thin, gassy atmosphere could surround the planet, like on Earth, rendering Proxima b potentially habitable.”

It’s easy to get excited about this result, but we need to learn a lot more about this planet before we jump to conclusions. The researchers based their models on the assumption that Proxima b harbours a thin atmosphere — but we actually don’t know what kind of atmosphere this planet has, or if it even has one.

For all we know, it’s a frigid and airless chunk of rock — and not anything that would remotely resemble a habitable planet. But one thing’s for sure, Proxima b is turning out to be the most interesting — and alluring — planet outside of our solar system.

[MIKA27]

The Monster Is A Helpful Reminder That If Your Car Breaks Down In The Woods You Will Absolutely Die

There are many horror films that start with a car breaking down, stranding the protagonists somewhere far from civilisation. The Monster, the latest from Bryan Bertino (The Strangers), raises the stakes on that scenario by making the unfortunate travellers a single mother and her young daughter, and the car trouble is only the beginning of their problem.

Here’s the official synopsis:

Acclaimed horror filmmaker Bryan Bertino (The Strangers) directs this suspenseful and scary new film, in which a divorced mother (Zoe Kazan) and her headstrong daughter must make an emergency late night road trip to see the girl’s father. As they drive through deserted country roads on a stormy night, they suddenly have a startling collision that leaves them shaken but not seriously hurt. Their car, however, is dead, and as they try in vain to get help, they come to realise they are not alone on these desolate backroads – a terrifying evil is lurking in the surrounding woods, intent on never letting them leave…

Of course they’re not alone in the woods. But what is out there, exactly? The suspenseful trailer (and that putting-it-out-there title) offers some terrifying hints.

The Monster, which stars Zoe Kazan (Ruby Sparks), is available now on DirecTV in the US; it will be in theatres and On Demand November 11. An Australian release has not yet been announced.

 

[MIKA27]

The Badarse Luke Cage Soundtrack Is Getting An Equally Badarse Vinyl Release

Marvel’s Netflix series Luke Cage has barely been out a week, but already everyone is talking about it. Among those topics is the show’s incredible soundtrack, featuring spaghetti-western influenced hip-hop beats by Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad. Now, you can get that music in an amazing vinyl release.

Mondo released the Luke Cage soundtrack on vinyl last Saturday, October 8 at 4:00AM AEST. 

Here’s the outside art, by Matthew Woodson, and inside gatefold.

It’s pressed on on 180 Gram “Power Man Yellow” coloured vinyl. To preorder and for more info, follow @MondoNews.

[MIKA27]

Batman '66 Is Teaming Up With Wonder Woman For The First Time Ever

He’s BAM, POW and BIFFed his way through history, but the 1966 version of Batman, as played by Adam West, has never met up with Wonder Woman. Until now, that is: DC Comics just announced it’s releasing a book in January called Batman ’66/Wonder Woman ’77.

Marc Andreyko is co-writing the comic with Jeff Parker, and the illustrations will be by David Hahn and Karl Kesel. “It’s six issues. The first two issues take place in 1944 with a 12-year-old Bruce Wayne. The second two take place in ’66. The final two in ’77,” Andreyko said at New York Comic Con. “We’re introducing a villain who’s never been used on either of the shows but is super-famous in the comic books.”

The DC Twitter then posted a few images, which you can check out below.

 

[MIKA27]

CARDINAL SPIRITS SONGBIRD COFFEE LIQUEUR

Coffee liqueurs aren't hard to find. But you'd be hard pressed to find one as tasty and natural as Cardinal Spirits Songbird Coffee Liqueur. It tastes like coffee, not coffee candy, thanks to the use of freshly roasted coffee in each batch. Coffee, bourbon vanilla beans, cane sugar and vodka are the only ingredients used to make Songbird, and it can and should be used to make one of the best White Russians you've ever tasted.