Over at Ace's, this week's gaming post begins with a couple of trailers for upcoming VR girlfriend games (or maybe just different development stages of a single game). GoGM says, "I refuse to believe that this is the same VR Japanese schoolgirl waifu sim I was promised last year" and links to the previous one.

The newer one is in English and features a beautiful blonde woman, likely in her early 20's. You're with her outdoors at a beach cottage.

The previous one is in Japanese and features a high school girl, likely age 16. You're with her in her bedroom.

Which neatly summarizes how they view the respective audiences, don't you think?

Posted by: Steven Den Beste in General Entertainment at 11:58 AM | Comments (17) | Add Comment
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This is how I watched the race today. I tuned in about lap 35 (out of 70). A few comments:

Bottas had a very uncomplicated race today, at least in the second half. He was between 20 and 30 seconds behind Rosberg the entire time, and between 5 and 15 seconds ahead of Raikkonen, which means there wasn't any drama. All he had to do was keep driving, and he did. So Williams gets a podium today.

McLaren didn't have a good day, and they aren't having a good season. But today was particularly bad: both of their cars quit the race due to mechanical problems. It must be maddening for a driver to pull into the pits and never leave again.

This is an awesome track: there was a lot of passing.

And no crashes or collisions during the part I watched. That is always a good thing. Hulk spun out (and Grosjean got a 5 second penalty for it) so we had one yellow flag, but since Hulk's car was fine, he just turned it around and got back on the track, so it didn't affect the race.

I imagine Rosberg is frustrated that he couldn't catch Hamilton, but still: finishing 1-2 isn't terrible in anyone's book.

At one point Rosberg asked the pit how much fuel Hamilton had, and the pit refused to tell him. That's exactly right; good for the pit!

Posted by: Steven Den Beste in General Entertainment at 11:46 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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...and he isn't even dead yet.

They're going to do a "Boba Fett" origin movie. Which is nuts; we already know where he came from, and we've seen him die.

The beloved character was primarily played by English actor Jeremy Bulloch in "The Empire Strikes Back” and "Return of the Jedi.”

"Beloved"? He's a villain, a dirty rotten scoundrel!

When they chose Jango Fett as the genetic source for all the clone storm troopers, part of his price was that they give him one to raise as his son, which he names Boba.

What kind of story can they tell about that?

I suppose they think they can pull this off. After all, the first sequel trilogy (eps 1-3) were about Darth Vader, but we'd already seen Darth Vader do a heel-face-turn just before he died heroically. But Boba Fett's death was a laugh-line. (The desert monster burped just after swallowing him.)

I guess all Lucas can do these days to comfort himself is count all his money...

Posted by: Steven Den Beste in General Entertainment at 05:41 PM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
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There's a movie coming this summer called "Pixels". It's an enhancement of something that's shown up a lot of times before in small videos on YouTube, but it looks like they've done an excellent job of it, high budget. Let's hope the script is up to the job, and the acting rates.

It reminded me of a short piece I first saw something like 30 years ago as a filler on HBO called "Arcade Attack". (And let me just say right now that any guy who wears a pompadour deserves to get zapped by space aliens.)

UPDATE: It also reminds me of this.

Posted by: Steven Den Beste in General Entertainment at 04:22 PM | Comments (10) | Add Comment
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This is really good. I have no idea where he found it, but it's perfect.

Those people were originally older than I was, and I look like that now. (I particularly like the comb-over. Which I don't have to do because I didn't go bald.)

Posted by: Steven Den Beste in General Entertainment at 06:59 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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Sharktopus vs. Pteracuda starring Robert Carradine.

UPDATE: Here's the trailer. The CGI is surprisingly good for a Roger Corman movie.

Posted by: Steven Den Beste in General Entertainment at 11:40 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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There's going to be a live-action movie based on Ghost in the Shell, and Scarlett Johansson will star.

Posted by: Steven Den Beste in General Entertainment at 02:40 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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1 You need some scriptwriters & director with enough depth to handle a very well-written & complex character.  Since that isn't going to happen, it's going to be terrible.
Most especially since the nature of the entire story is "what is Human?", which I doubt most in Hollywood can handle, since they barely qualify themselves.
If the screenwriters have any wisdom, they'll use one of the Stand Alone Complex episodes that was set in Germany.  It would give them a lot to work with, without having to stretch anyone too far.

Posted by: sqa at January 05, 2015 03:52 PM (Updvq)

2 There's been threats rumors about a GitS movie for years... this is the first time I've ever seen a name attached to it, though.  I am now officially scared.

Posted by: Wonderduck at January 05, 2015 05:56 PM (jGQR+)

3

Mamoru Oshii, who (Fortunately.) had little to do with the GitS franchise outside the movie, did have a certain Polish actress in mind for the role of the Major in a live-action movie IIRC.  I do think Hollywood would be doing a great service to the world if they kept Oshii from getting his hands on any part of a live-action movie, since it would result in a nearly constant monologue that would turn into idiotic idealism (Patlabor 2, I am looking at you.).

There has been rumblings about a GitS live-action movie for years now.  Sometimes more and sometimes less serious.  Not sure what this news would qualify as, though.

It is a good thing for Scarlett Johansson to have said to be attached to the project, since her stock has been steadily rising with her participation in the Marvel movies.

Posted by: cxt217 at January 05, 2015 06:08 PM (zlDqA)

4 Noooooooooooope.  Can't see that working, although again, more because I just don't think Hollywood would even address the background or story.  Or characters.  I imagine it starts and ends with "Like Terminator, except it's a girl.  A hot girl, of course.  Scarlett Johansson would be good.  She shoots things, assassinates people, blows up computers and can go invisible."
Also, I like Patlabor 2!  All three Patlabor movies, for their faults, do a great job telling stories with background imagery, setting, atmosphere and music.

Posted by: Ben at January 06, 2015 03:33 PM (xwKZ5)

5 Not to mention that the GitS show(s) tend to dwell upon bureaucratic infighting within the Japanese security forces/government.

Of course, in GitS, "bureaucratic infighting" can result in blood being spilled so maybe that's not all bad.

Posted by: Mark A. Flacy at January 07, 2015 05:57 PM (vEp0w)

6 Hmm, should have added this:

I'm sure that Hollywood will do the same bang-up job that it did with "Starship Troopers".

Posted by: Mark A. Flacy at January 07, 2015 05:58 PM (vEp0w)

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There's a movie coming out this month called "Predestination", which is based on "All you Zombies" by Heinlein. I wonder if it will be any good?

Posted by: Steven Den Beste in General Entertainment at 08:33 AM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
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I think this must be one of the signs of impending apocalypse: There's a spinoff of My Little Pony where the ponies have become human girls. And they form a band. Three bands. In competition with one another. It's called Equestria Girls.

If the Japanese had done it, they'd have bigger boobs and we'd be able to see their panties...

Posted by: Steven Den Beste in General Entertainment at 10:04 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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I'm watching the last game of the World Series on the web:

It's actually a very pleasant way to watch it, because I don't have to put up with any of the garbage that real TV tosses in. I just get the game action, including each pitch as it's tossed.

UPDATE: Pressure!

KC (home team) behind by 1. Bottom of the 9th and two men are already out, and Gordon is at bat. He singles to center and the fielder has an error and he takes 3rd.

And you want to think the next batter isn't feeling it? Unfortunately, he popped out to 3rd base, so the Giants won the game (3-2) and the series (4-3).

I've read people complaining that neither team was really the best in their league. Maybe not, but they gave us a real nailbiter of a series.

Posted by: Steven Den Beste in General Entertainment at 06:19 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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