April Fools marks the day when 8 Amazon Go locations will shut down. The locations affected are Seattle, San Francisco, and New York. So did Amazon bite off more than it could chew with these cashier-free high-tech food stores?
Currently, there are 29 Amazon Go locations, primarily located in major cities such as Chicago, New York, and San Francisco. However, the stores were undoubtedly designed for atomized individuals, cutting out nearly all human-to-human interactions while out in public.
According to Geekwire, an Amazon spokesperson said the decision was made after the company assessed a “portfolio of stores and [made] optimization decisions along the way.” The exact reason why these stores were being shuttered wasn’t stated; however, with San Francisco’s rise in crime over the past few years, it’s not surprising that half of the stores closing down are in that city.
Unsurprisingly, two of the stores in Seattle had already been closed before the announcement. Now, Amazon is just making it official. However, this doesn’t mean the company is stopping the Go store rollout. Assumingly, the same spokesperson who confirmed the closures also went on to say, “We remain committed to the Amazon Go format, operate more than 20 Amazon Go stores across the U.S., and will continue to learn which locations and features resonate most with customers as we keep evolving our Amazon Go stores.”
With rumored layoffs and an announcement that the tech giant was looking to cut back on remote workers, it’s hard to have faith in Amazon right now. Could it be spreading itself too thin?
Have you tried an Amazon Go store? With more convenience stores using similar technology to cut back on employees, would these new stores quickly be outpaced by long-established retailers investing in new tech? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
The pilot of the Divine Beast, Vah Rudania, is the latest Hyrule Champion to join the First4Figures line of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild statues. Daruk the Goron is here. He’s happy. He’s husky. His backside is a little exposed.
Don’t worry; there’s only one Daruk statue this time. First4Figures didn’t make six different variants. They even gave this single statue an LED light feature! Daruk is currently available for pre-order at a reduced “early bird” price of $159.99. This discount will last until April 3rd; after that, he’ll be priced at $169.99. The estimated release date is during the fourth quarter of 2023.
●Sheikah Eye symbol featured on the base
●Two (2) Light-up LED modes (Static and Animated) for the base
●Limited edition numbering on the bottom of the base and packaging
●Authentication Card
●Rechargeable battery with USB-C Cable
●Special Premium deluxe box packaging
In case you didn’t get all four Divine Beasts before facing Calamity Ganon, check out the cut scene from the climax of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild below. By freeing all the Divine Beasts, they take nearly 50% of Ganon’s life bar away during the final battle. Trust me, it helps.
However, doing the quests for each Divine Beast can be a pain in the backside. Oh, and Nintendo is still claiming videos of gameplay. That’s nice. Why is Nintendo so behind the times when it comes to streaming?
What did you think of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild? Will you be picking up the sequel? Let us know in the comments section below.
Disney is exploring new intellectual properties following their acquisition of 20th Century Fox through another one of their subsidiaries Marvel Entertainment. They are launching a new comic book imprint based on 20th Century Studios that is being billed as an off-shoot of Marvel in March 2023 with a familiar science fiction title as their debut series.
“The new imprint will kick off with PLANET OF THE APES #1, on sale April 5, shortly followed by Marvel’s upcoming ALIEN and PREDATOR comic book series. Fans will see the 20th Century Studios comic book imprint reflected on PLANET OF THE APES, ALIEN and PREDATOR covers beginning with PLANET OF THE APES #1, ALIEN #1, and PREDATOR #2 in April and moving forward,” Marvel said on their website.
They continued, “Marvel Comics’ new imprint will draw upon 20th Century Studios’ award-winning and pop culture-defining franchises that have reached millions of fans around the globe, including iconic franchises like Planet of the Apes, Predator, Alien, and more.”
Marvel previously had titles based on Alien and Predator but they were released under their main banner, but they will soon fall under the 20th Century Studios imprint.
Marvel editor-in-chief said in a statement, “Ever since we announced our Alien and Predator comics, we hoped to create a special space within our comics line to go even bigger and bolder and keep building on the iconic moments from these properties that we all know and love. This 20th Century Studios comics imprint, in collaboration with our friends at 20th Century Studios, is the perfect way to do that.”
20th Century Studios President Steve Asbell added, “We’ve had a blast working with C.B. and his team and, as lifetime Marvel comics fans, it’s an honor to be a part of such an enduring creative legacy.”
“We think fans will love the fresh takes on these beloved, iconic movies,” Asbell continued.
They also revealed the cover for Planet of Apes #1:
The first issue of ‘Planet of the Apes’ will be available for purchase is Monday, March 6.
After what feels like a year’s worth of waiting, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem trailer is finally here. The animation style Paramount Pictures went with certainly looks familiar, which may be a turnoff to some who didn’t like Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
The best thing I can say about the trailer is that the teenage Turtle brothers act like kids. They’re still learning and making mistakes, apparently. This could allow for some much-needed character development that we haven’t seen in a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie in some time.
Then again, Mutant Mayhem could be a string of stupid random jokes or, worse yet … TikTok memes. We won’t know for sure until August.
The cast appears to be pulling in several classic characters from the comics, ’80s cartoon, and toyline. Leatherhead, Baxter Stockman, Wingnut, Superfly, Ray Fillet, and Genghis Frog will all appear in some form. Jackie Chan was recently announced to be the voice of Master Splinter, too. Meanwhile, John Cena is voicing Rocksteady, and Seth Rogen is cast as Bebop.
The brothers are played by Brady Noon (Raph), Nicolas Cantu (Leo), Shamon Brown, Jr. (Mikey), and Micah Abbey (Donny). Donatello definitely sounds like the youngest of the brothers and will probably be the butt of a lot of the humor.
TMNT: Mutant Mayhem is directed by Gravity Falls writer Jeff Rowe. It’s based on a script written by Brendan O’Brien, who also penned Neighbors and its sequel.
Synopsis: “In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, after years of being sheltered from the human world, the Turtle brothers set out to win the hearts of New Yorkers and be accepted as normal teenagers through heroic acts. Their new friend April O’Neil helps them take on a mysterious crime syndicate, but they soon get in over their heads when an army of mutants is unleashed upon them.”
Months ago, the toys for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem were teased online, but we were forced to remove images of them.
Sentai Filmworks and HiDive are bringing the anime sports film ‘Tsurune: The First Shot’ from Kyoto Animation to the United States for a limited theatrical run. The movie is a spin-off set in between the archery anime ‘Tsurune’ and its sequel series ‘Tsurune: The Linking Shot.”
“Don’t miss the gorgeous film from Kyoto Animation only in theaters,” HiDive said on their website. “Sentai and HIDIVE are proud to present Tsurune the Movie: The First Shot in theaters on April 9 & 10, 2023 for a limited-time, special engagement. Minato Narumiya, along with his friends in the school kyudo club, return for this motion picture event.”
The movie is directed by Takuya Yamamura who co-wrote the script with Michiko Yokote. It has its premiere in Japan on August 19, 2022. Masaru Yokoyama scored the movie.
“When Narumiya Minato joins Prefectural Kazemai High School, he is quickly invited to join the archery club by the club’s advisor, Tommy-sensei. His childhood friends Takehaya Seiya and Yamanouchi Ryohei swiftly agree to join, but Minato is hesitant at first. Because Minato is the rare student with experience in archery, Tommy-sensei orders him to give a demonstration, which Minato does… except his arrow doesn’t hit the target. It is revealed that Minato has developed a terrible dysfunction regarding archery.”
The ‘Tsurune’ anime and film are based on a series of light novels written by Kotoko Ayano and illustrated by Chinatsu Morimoto. It has been published by KA Esuma Bunko since 2016.
It feels like a long time has passed since we followed the travels of Din Djarin and little Grogu in a galaxy far, far away. But with the return of The Mandalorian on Disney Plus, we’re about to get more Mando and Grogu goodness. Although, a lot has happened in the Star Wars galaxy since the mic drop ending from Season 2 of the show. Not only are Din and Grogu back together, but a few other things have gone down that fans may want to be caught up on beforehand.
While it’s not necessary, it’s recommended that fans watch the two episodes of The Book of Boba Fett that featured Din Djarin specifically. They’re basically a prologue to the events of The Mandalorian Season 3 and will ease you back into this story and section of the Star Wars galaxy. Going from the end of Season 2 to the premiere of Season 3 will be jarring to some viewers without the context of what happened in The Book of Boba Fett. But if you decide to just go into Season 3, then you’ll be fine if you can accept the missing prelude.
The Mandalorian Season 3 begins with Din and Grogu saving the Armorer and her faction of Mandalorians on a new planet, during a ceremony to give a youngling their helmet and take the creed. After some review of why Din is no longer considered part of the clan, he is granted permission to travel to Mandalore with Grogu and repent for removing his helmet in the previous season, allowing him to be considered Mandalorian once again. However, the planet was devastated by the Galactic Empire and is considered by many to be a dangerous place to visit, with the possibility of Din not finding atonement there. To prepare for the trip, Din and Grogu visit Greef Carga, played once again by Carl Weathers, to get help. But as usual, distractions get in the way and will cause the Mandalorian to get a little sidetracked and set up a new adventure ahead.
The start of the season is filled with both action and a decent setup for what could be exciting for many Star Wars fans. A lot of things needed to be addressed in relation to where everyone is now after the time that passed since the ending of Season 2. Luckily for everyone, it’s not dragged out or made to feel rushed, but instead has enough to get viewers situated before things kick into high gear for later in the season. While we only see a few key characters here, there’s a big chance we’ll see more along the way in later episodes.
Greef Carga becoming the head of High Magistrate on the planet Nevarro is very interesting because it not only sets up the conflict for later in the episode but also shows a side of the Star Wars galaxy we seldom get to see. Things are getting better under new management for Nevarro, rather than worse or deflated like most other places within Star Wars stories. But this also puts Greef, and Din Djarin by association, at odds with pirates that cause trouble, leading to some tense moments and neat space fights with Din’s modified N-1 Starfighter.
We get to see his ship in action at the start of the episode when rescuing the Mandalorians with the Armorer, but it really gets to move toward the end of the episode. The space chase is the level of quality we like to see with The Mandalorian when the special effects really start to work out, not to mention a lot of the alien costumes and makeup for otherworldly enemies and allies.
The biggest elephant in the room for The Mandalorian Season 3 was how the series would address the absence of Cara Dune, played by Gina Carano in the first two seasons. The unfortunate reality is that no matter how things would go, not everyone was going to be happy with it. It’s a messy situation that puts the show in a weird position, especially with Star Wars fans who care a lot about the canon of the franchise. Luckily the status of Cara Dune isn’t harped on, nor is it addressed without taste or class. In a conversation with Din Djarin, Greef mentions that Cara Dune was recruited by special forces after her work in capturing Moff Gideon at the end of the previous season, meaning that the New Republic has her out in the galaxy fighting more of the remnants of the Empire.
It’s a small line of dialogue, but it does enough to work out the situation as best as the show can. It addresses things without giving Cara Dune a lackluster conclusion or sad outcome because of everything behind the scenes and outside of the show. This leaves things open for a revisiting of the character down the line should things go that way.
We also get a lot of other Star Wars nods and fan service that many will be intrigued by. The same conversation with Greef and Din also brings up that Moff Gideon is being held by the New Republic for war crimes, which may come into play later on in the season. But the biggest thing that will have Star Wars fans excited is the appearance of the Purrgil when Din and Grogu make the jump to hyperspace. Longtime fans of Star Wars Rebels will remember the introduction of the Purrgil, which are giant space whales that travel between systems through hyperspace.
With Grogu being a Jedi and attuned to the force, he can see the giant space whales outside of the ship while Din Djarin is asleep. Some viewers may not know what the Purrgil signifies and write it off, but fans of Rebels will believe that this could be one of many references to the animated show that could be significant in the upcoming Star Wars Ahsoka series for Disney Plus. For this story, it’s a completely irrelevant detail, but for the universe of Star Wars, it points to big things over the horizon.
For a start to Season 3, The Mandalorian is beginning on the right foot with a little bit of everything for Star Wars fans. Those who watch the series will be happy to see Din and Grogu back together again, while other hardcore Star Wars fans following the franchise will be excited at the promising things to come. While this premiere episode is not as strong as some of the better episodes of the previous two seasons of The Mandalorian, it is still a good return to this part of the Star Wars galaxy. If things keep going well, we might be heading towards another great season for The Mandalorian in an ever-expanding galaxy far, far away.
The first two Creed movies were great spinoffs from the Rocky series, further pushing the themes of going the distance and facing adversity through the lens of boxing. Not only did the audience connect with Adonis Creed, the son of Apollo Creed from previous Rocky films, but reconnected with the cinematic icon Rocky Balboa. But eventually, a spinoff series needs to come into its own and solidify its own identity when moving forward, without necessarily abandoning what pushed it to be great in the first place. And fortunately, Creed III is a step in the right direction to do so, despite a few stumbles and hard hits taken in the process. Nobody said the road to greatness wouldn’t be without its bumps and bruises.
Creed III picks up years after the ending of Creed II, following Adonis Creed after he retires as the heavyweight boxing champion of the world. He not only cements his legacy on his own, but continues to build a stable family with his wife Bianca, once again played by Tessa Thompson, and their daughter Amara Creed, played by Mila Davis-Kent. After enjoying the fruits of his labor, an old friend from Creed’s past comes back into his life named Damian Anderson looking to reconnect. Damien had dreams of becoming a boxing champion when they were young, but a sudden event that caused Damian to go to jail separated the friends for years. Adonis tries to help his old friend out, but a series of events leads Damian to overstep boundaries and put the two fighters on a warpath to meet each other in the boxing ring. It’s an old tale of old friends becoming bitter rivals and lines being crossed from the best of intentions.
While Michael B. Jordan continues to do a fantastic job as Adonis Creed in these movies, it’s his dancing partner Jonathan Majors that equally showcases some great acting to draw us into this story. The first half of the film will really have you feeling empathy for Damian Anderson and his comeback story after prison, while also understanding the perspective of Adonis Creed on living his own life and not feeling obligated to the past. This creates a nice divide on who to root for by the final boxing match.
However, much of this gets lost as the second half of the film kicks into gear, where it becomes more clear who the film wants you to root for, rather than keeping things dynamic for the final fight. While the movie never becomes bad at any point, it does lose out on a lot of potentials to become greater because of the change by the end.
The rest of the cast does have their moments, but take a back seat to the dynamic that Adonis and Damian have in their stories. They aren’t forgotten but are not the main focus of what is happening here. Bianca has gone from a performer to a music producer and mother, which may or may not feel right for some fans of her story from the previous films. But it does show growth and progression with her story, and she does have an influence on the lead into Adonis’ fight with Damian at the end.
Her daughter Amara has a real charm whenever she is on screen, both with her expression through sign language and her interactions with Adonis throughout the film. A bunch of her scenes tries a bit hard to set up what could be a future spinoff down the line, which does come off a bit too much, but the heartwarming and funny scenes with her and Adonis definitely are great to watch. They build up Adonis as a fighter who has grown much since we first saw him in the first Creed movie.
But what about the boxing matches? Are boxing fans going to enjoy the sweet science on the big screen? There are a few different fights we see before the final battle. Creed has his matches before his retirement during the prologue, and we also get to see Viktor Drago again, played by Florian Munteanu, in the ring as well. Later on, other fighters take up a lot of screen time in their bouts with Damian before the ending, including Tony Bellew as Pretty Ricky Conlan. The fights are brutal as one would expect, with a lot of great camera angles capturing the action in stunning detail.
When the fights get even more serious you’ll see every detail convey the punishment and pain fighters go through. Some fights last a bit longer than others for different reasons, but they’re good-looking on screen. The traditional montage scenes that the Rocky series is known for are still here, but a little shorter than you might expect. There’s also a very key ingredient missing from them that would’ve been perfect to see, as well as make sense within the context of the story, but is absent completely. Fans will notice how obvious it is and it’s a shame that it couldn’t have been addressed due to complications outside of the film.
The final battle with Adonis and Damian is where some fans of the series will be divided. Michal B. Jordan directs the film and has been open about his influence from anime series he loves to watch, and it definitely shows. Some shots are pulled straight from popular shows anime fans will recognize, but applied to the context of Creed III enough to where it doesn’t feel like copying. And they look very good in motion as well. The double punch to the face, quick shots to the eyes, the gut punch, and other shots can be picked out as you watch the film. But where fans may start to turn off is when the boxing match starts to become a surreal battle in the mind between both fighters.
Visually there are elements that look very cool and work well, but within the context of the Rocky universe, they look very out of place. The Creed movies, and by extension the Rocky series, have always been very grounded in reality with their display of boxing matches and fights. Even though there have been goofy, outlandish, and cheesy moments in the series one can point to, the majority of their stories have always been tied to what was practical and real on the screen. Boxing matches feel like real boxing you would watch on TV, and the spectacle of the sport would be conveyed in a similar fashion. With some of the cinematic choices during the final battle in Creed III things just take a sharp turn outside of where the series has been, and unfortunately don’t land as well as they probably should.
Creed III is still a good movie to go see in theaters or watch on a big-screen television. The shortcomings it has doesn’t make it a low point of the Creed series, let alone the Rocky series. It’s better than the second movie but still comes up short in comparison to the very first Creed film that introduced us to this spinoff. There will definitely be more to come from Adonis Creed that may or may not go in different directions, but if this was the last story we got to complete a trilogy, Creed III ends things off on a solid note.
Are you a fan of the Creed movies or love the Rocky series? Will you be watching Creed III in theaters or catching it on streaming services? Post your thoughts in the comment section down below and let us know!
I’ll never get tired of covering Vampirella-related merchandise. However, buying all these upcoming pieces is getting tough on the wallet, especially when Prime 1 Studios and Sideshow Collectiblesannounce a $1,605 1:3 scale statue of the bloodsucking beauty.
This statue may be one of the best of Vampirella, even better than the 28″ tall statue we wrote about in 2021. It’s the eyes. The artists perfectly captured Stanley “Artgerm” Lau’s illustration of the black-haired vampire. There’s no denying that this is one seductive statue.
Vampirella’s statue stands 21.7″ tall and shows impressive detail; Sideshow says, “Her face is textured with small, sublime pores and translucent skin.” I never thought pore detail would be a selling point, but there it is. Every aspect of the statue is detailed to the extreme. From the chaise to the velvet-looking blanket, it’s hard to say that this statue isn’t worth the hefty price tag.
Sadly, these Vampirella statues will not ship until sometime between this December and May 2024.
Image Source: Sideshow
Image Source: Sideshow
Image Source: Sideshow
Image Source: Sideshow
Image Source: Sideshow
Image Source: Sideshow
“Prime 1 Studio’s impressive artists took the kernel of Artgerm’s cover and expanded on the theme to present a full-bodied Vampirella, complete with furniture and environment. It’s easy to see that Studio’s sculptors were inspired by Stanley’s art, by the intricate delicateness of each of her hair strands. It’s stunning in its layered complexity.”
A “bonus” version of this statue is listed at $1,725. The only difference is that you get a Vampirella logo. Yup. That’s it. Blah.
The variant cover featuring Stanley “Artgerm” Lau costs a pretty high price if it’s in mint condition. However, if you’ve ever seen his Emma Frost cover, it’s beautiful. In his illustrations, the guy has a real knack for creating seductive eyes and excellent skin tones.
Remember Meta’s Horizon Worlds? You know, the Metaverse application being propped up as the next big thing for VR? Well, rumor has it that CEO Mark Zuckerberg is desperate to get the app into as many hands as possible to make it appear less of a failure. That means letting minors (ages 13 to 17) onto the virtual reality platform.
If you’re familiar with Facebook or Instagram, you’ll know that Meta’s products are plagued with security/privacy concerns, deceptive advertising, and possible adverse effects on mental health. So, why not introduce all those things to kids? US politicians appear to be taking a stand against the faltering tech giant.
Two senators, Edward Markey (D. MA) and Richard Blumenthal (D. CT), have expressed concerns about Mark Zuckerberg’s plans to open the Horizon Worlds app to minors. Their worries are not misplaced since Meta has a sloppy track record regarding what is advertised on the company’s various applications, citing failures “to stop ads for tobacco, alcohol, and eating disorder content from targeting teens.”
While I have no love of politicians, I can appreciate Markey not mincing words when it comes to Meta’s failings, stating in a Tweet: “@Meta has completely lost the public’s trust and this latest attempt to bring kids onto the Metaverse is just another flagrant attempt to exploit young people for profit. @SenBlumenthal and I are calling on Meta to halt this dangerous plan.”
.@Meta has completely lost the public's trust and this latest attempt to bring kids onto the metaverse is just another flagrant attempt to exploit young people for profit. @SenBlumenthal and I are calling on Meta to halt this dangerous plan. pic.twitter.com/9IHwwdvPOM
The letter is concise and does not cite any sources when it comes to pediatricians. Zuckerberg’s company has a lot of problems, but the letter comes off more like a publicity stunt, which only garnered 136 likes when this article was published. The story from PC Mag says that the Democratic senators sent the letter to the embattled CEO. Why not just reach out to him in the Metaverse? Oh, yeah … the Metaverse is a little dead.
Last year we covered the news that Earthworm Jim was finally returning to the toy market. The Big Bad Toy Store has announced that the heroic invertebrate is getting a unique and exclusive action figure: Pantless Jim!
This wardrobe malfunction is based on an idle animation from Earthworm Jim‘s groundbreaking first video game adventure in 1994. If you left the controller alone briefly, Jim would cycle through several quirky sequences. One of these includes his pants falling down while he flexes his suit’s upper body muscles. The pratfall results in Jim doing a big-eyed wild take.
The figure includes multiple heads, one with said wild take. His classic red blaster is also included. BBTS does say the character has 27 points of articulation. Hopefully, that includes the newly exposed mechanical legs. Jim is priced at $59.99 and will ship sometime during the second quarter of this year.
Image Source: Premium DNA
Image Source: Premium DNA
Image Source: Premium DNA
Earthworm Jim’s features and accessories are as follows:
6 inches tall (15.24cm)
1/12 Scale
Made of plastic
Based on the Earthworm Jim franchise
Highly detailed
27 Points of articulation
2 Head sculpts
Blaster
The tale of Earthworm Jim, from video game icon to missing in action, is fascinating. My buddy DJ Slope covered the topic on his channel a few years ago:
Although Earthworm Jim has a controversial creator (Doug TenNapel), the series’s real downfall is due to mishandling and inaction. First, the N64 title was terrible; after that, the unique hero would only show up occasionally when the original games were remastered for various platforms. Then there was the whole Intellivision Amico debacle…
I loved Earthworm Jim mainly due to its use of animation. It was an industry I wanted to get into when Disney’s MGM Studios was trying to localize the animation department. Seeing such fluid movement in a video game in ’94 was a big deal, believe it or not. It got even better when EWJ was released on the SEGA CD.
