‘Last Out: Elegy of a Green Beret’ is a stage-play that captures the struggles military veterans face both on the battlefield and when they return to civilian life. It was written by retired Green Beret-turned-playwright Scott Mann, who wrote it based on his personal experiences he faced. The tour company he partnered with had to shut down to coronavirus concerns, so Mann is taking the play online, adapting for a streaming service.
Mann served in the US Army from 2001 to 2013, choosing to retire after achieving the rank of Lt. Colonel. Each act of the play is based on a different part of his military career.
“I found myself either in Afghanistan or getting ready to go back,” Mann said according to the Army Times.
After retiring, he became a civilian contractor, but said he had lost his sense of purpose from serving in the military. He also developed survivor’s guilt and post-traumatic stress.
He set about to write the play to help with his recovery, intending it to be a five-minute monologue before it evolved into its present formation. He soon realized he could use it as a message to his fellow veterans and their families that they are not alone.
“We need to understand the cost of modern war from the voice of the people who lived it,” Mann said. “There’s no end in sight to threats and war, but if we’re going to continue to send our men and women to fight, then we need to understand what we’re asking of them.”
The ‘Last Out’ four-person cast is made up entirely of veterans or members of a Gold Star family and has been seen in over fifty cities. After the pandemic lockdown made tours problematic, Mann decided to take the play to streaming as a film, hoping it will reach a wider audience.
Tour manager for “Last Out” Alliy Vetzel said, “The play itself was incredible, but the magic of film has allowed us to take it beyond the next level. With live theatre, you really don’t have time to do the things we were able to do in the film.”
Check out the trailer below:
Play Describing The Struggles Of Military Veterans Being Adapted For Streaming
GameStop Is On The Hunt For A New CEO
Ever work at GameStop? As someone who loved video games, I thought it would be a cool place for a second, part-time job. Phew, was I wrong. That place, even in the mid-2000s, was a disorganized mess.
The entire back room was packed with Nokia N-Gages. It was like Fort Knox for unwanted tech. The manager would frisk employees at the end of the night to make sure they weren’t trying to steal N-Gage phones. Yes, really!
It’s no wonder that the corporate office always appears to be in disarray. Reuters broke the news that GameStop is actively looking for someone to replace the current CEO, George Sherman. Even with the spiking stock value thanks to investors from Reddit, GME isn’t holding strong. The stock has been falling and was downgraded by analysts this week.
The model that GameStop has been holding on to even as digital sales soar is outdated. Within a span of about five miles, we have four GameStops. One is in a mall. The next one is in a plaza across from the mall. The other is in a plaza three miles away. The final store is in a mall five miles away.
That’s a lot of GameStops, and they all have the same setup. The front of the story is full of Funko Pops. The middle of the story is littered with expensive replicas, keychains, cheap tech accessories, and statues. The back half has a weird smattering of WiiU, PS3, PS4, and XBOX games. Pre-owned and new titles are mixed in together now, rather than being clearly separated.
Of course, the listing for the CEO position isn’t readily available. If you’d like to throw your hat in the ring, however, check out GameStop’s job listings on Indeed. Maybe they’ll take a chance on some plucky young upstart, and you’ll revolutionize the industry.
Need a little background on the GME stock story? Check out this video:
Did you jump on the supposed stock gravy train from a couple of months ago? Have you worked at GameStop before? Tell us your stories and what you think the company can do to bounce back in the comments.
[Source: Reuters]
Live-Action ‘Mobile Suit Gundam’ Movie Coming To Netflix
Oh. It’s happening. Another anime adaptation is coming to Netflix. Yes, we’re going to get a live-action ‘Gundam’ movie, according to Forbes.
Netflix announced via a tweet, and I bit my lip as I stared at my collection of Gunpla. Oh, what could be in store for us? What changes will be made to appease the people who will never watch it?
Grab your Mobile suits! Jordan Vogt-Roberts has been set to direct and produce Legendary’s first-ever live-action feature film version of Sunrise’s GUNDAM for Netflix.
— NX (@NXOnNetflix) April 12, 2021
Jordan Vogt-Roberts is no stranger to directing large-scale action. ‘Kong: Skull Island’ was pretty good. Well, the parts with Kong and John C. Reilly were pretty good. Other than that, I don’t remember too much about the film. Brie Larson was in there somewhere, right? I vaguely remember Samuel Jackson played Samuel Jackson, too.
‘Gundam’ isn’t something that can really be addressed in one film. That’s what worries me. Can a single cinematic entry encapsulate a property with decades’ worth of movies and shows? What storyline do you pick? Which characters do you focus on? Can two hours of runtime handle the entirety of the Principality of Zeon and the Earth Federation conflict?
I wouldn’t doubt that the film will probably take on the original ‘0079’ plotline but truncated and left open-ended for a sequel. The story will be penned by ‘Lost’ writer Brian K. Vaughan. So, it may have some complex elements. Let’s hope the story goes somewhere.
If you want to see what the ‘Gundam’ movie could look like, check out these cutscenes from the mess known as ‘Gundam 0079: The War for Earth.’ Oh, the mispronunciations and awkward dialog…
What are your thoughts on Netflix’s track record of animation-to-live-action adaptations? Which storylines from ‘Gundam’ do you think would work in a two-hour movie? Let us know in the comments.
[Source: Forbes]
‘Immortals Fenyx Rising’ Team Pleased With Nintendo Switch Version
Remember when Ubisoft was just on top of it? Those early days of ‘Ghost Recon,’ ‘Splinter Cell,’ and the first couple ‘Assassin’s Creed’ titles? Awesome experience after awesome experience. Then something went wrong. Everything became formulaic and way too much DLC.
For a while, I shied away from Ubisoft titles. Then something caught my eye from Ubisoft Quebec. Something that looked kinda like ‘Breath of the Wild’ but with a Greek mythos theme. This videogame had a soft art style. It even had a little bit of that ’90s ‘ttude.
‘Immortals Fenyx Rising’ was the title. The story of a man going from zero to hero when all of the gods and champions of Olympus were missing. It borrowed heavily from the previously mentioned ‘Zelda’ title. Many similar mechanics, but without some of the annoyances found in Nintendo’s original. Having the game also appearing on the Nintendo Switch made it even more appealing. Especially if you’re always on the road like I am.
Of course, the first thing that came to mind was that this game would somehow be deemed a failure. I was wrong, judging by this article at Nintendo Life. On the contrary, the associate director of ‘Fenyx’ was very positive about the Switch’s performance.
Julien Galloudec praised the final product saying, “And for the Switch, it has been a challenge definitely. The key was to look at the game in different pieces and see, depending on the context, what we can optimize, what we can change, what can, for example, be less dynamic without touching the experience. That was a big focus – making sure that no matter the platform, the experience is the same but tailored and tweaked to the platform’s specificities and make sure that the sense of the experience is the same. So that has been quite a challenge, but we are delighted with the results on all platforms, managing to get the best out of it.”
Ports of popular titles on the Switch have been hit or miss. ‘Doom 2016’ may not have been a graphical powerhouse, but it delivered fast-paced action on a mobile platform. On the other hand, ‘Apex Legends’ is not something you want to play on Nintendo’s handheld.
Have you played ‘Fenyx Rising’? What are your thoughts on the game? Is it the right amount of Zelda, or too much?
[Source: Nintendo Life]
‘Jessica Jones’ Actress Carrie-Anne Moss Opens Up About Aging In Hollywood
‘The Matrix 4’ and ‘Jessica Jones’ star Carrie-Anne Moss discussed aging in Hollywood with her friend Justine Bateman during a conversation about Bateman’s upcoming nonfiction book ‘Face: One Square Foot of Skin.’
“I had heard that at 40 everything changed,” Moss said according to The Hollywood Reporter. “I didn’t believe in that because I don’t believe in just jumping on a thought system that I don’t really align with. But literally the day after my 40th birthday, I was reading a script that had come to me and I was talking to my manager about it. She was like, ‘Oh, no, no, no, it’s not that role [you’re reading for], it’s the grandmother. I may be exaggerating a bit, but it happened overnight. I went from being a girl to the mother to beyond the mother.”
Moss described the process as “kind of brutal” and discussed her frustration that male celebrities avoid the same path.
“You don’t feel like you’ve aged much and suddenly you’re seeing yourself onscreen,” she continued. “I would look at these French and European actresses and they just had something about them that felt so confident in their own skin. I couldn’t wait to be that. I strive for that. It’s not easy being in this business. There’s a lot of external pressure.”
“I find it psychotic that we have leapfrogged any conversations that we should be cutting up our faces,” Bateman added. “It’s become normalized. Time out, time out! This is not a fact. This is an idea that we can either pull in and make a belief or not.”
Moss is perhaps best known for her role as Trinity in ‘The Matrix’ trilogy and will reprise the role in the upcoming sequel ‘The Matrix 4.’ Previously, she portrayed Jeri Hogarth in the Netflix Marvel series ‘Jessica Jones’ and as Rebecca Pruitt in TV’s ‘Tell Me a Story.’
‘Friends: The Reunion’ Wraps Filming
‘Friends: The Reunion’ has officially wrapped filming and will be released on the HBO Max streaming service.
Several social media accounts related to the popular TV comedy announced that after a reportedly three-day shoot, the filming has come to an end.
“That’s a wrap,” their Twitter account wrote with a picture. “Could we BE anymore excited!? Friends: The Reunion is coming to (HBO Max).”
That’s a wrap! 🎬 Could we BE anymore excited!? Friends: The Reunion is coming to @hbomax. #friendsreunion pic.twitter.com/bZ7I4h6dWs
— FRIENDS (@FriendsTV) April 11, 2021
According to GeekSpin, the reunion was filmed on the show’s original studio Stage 24 in Burbank, California, despite the show taking place in New York City.
The reunion was supposed to be released with the premiere of HBO Max, but delays to the pandemic lockdowns forced the special to be delayed. All six of the main cast including Jennifer Aniston (Rachel Green), Courteney Cox (Monica Geller), Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe Buffay), David Schwimmer (Ross Geller), Matt LeBlanc (Joey Tribbiani), and Matthew Perry (Chandler Bing) are set to return along with series creators David Crane and Marta Kauffman.
The get-together is not an episode, but an unscripted interview similar to ‘The Fresh Prince OF Bel-Air’ special that was released in 2020. Though Kudrow confirmed that the show had “different facets” to it, including some pre-shots done before filming took place.
TMZ reports that the original fountain from the ‘Friends’ opening theme song will also be featured in the intro for the reunion.
Shooting was delayed in part due to the fact the cast and crew wanted to avoid doing the reunion over Zoom, preferring to have in front of live studio audience like how the sitcom was originally filmed.
“We haven’t all been in the same room in front of people, Kudrow told The Hollywood Reporter in 2020. “I mean, we have privately once many years ago but that’s it. The whole point of this is to be in the same room. That hasn’t changed. And HBO Max is being phenomenally patient and understanding.”
She added, “If everyone’s tested and clean, then we don’t have to be 6 feet apart. Everyone who checks out, so to speak, can sit next to each other on the couch. Because from one end to the other might be 6 feet and one of the two chairs? I thought of that too. But the reunion of the cast and celebration of the show will definitely happen.”
With filming officially wrapped and the announcements made, it would appear that fans can expect to see it stream on HBO Max along with the complete ‘Friends’ episode catalog.
The Unaired ‘Star Wars: Detours’ Coming To Disney+?
Seth Green and Matthew Senreich struck gold with Robot Chicken all those years ago. Even today, I prefer to watch them lampoon ‘Star Wars’ rather than sitting through the sequel trilogy. Can the same be said for their unaired ‘Star Wars: Detours’ project from 2012?
By now, you’ve probably seen clips of the forgotten CGI parody floating around YouTube. Some of the Green and Senreich tropes are there. Overly confident Boba Fett and awkward Vader moments abound. Depending on your personal taste, ‘Detours’ could be considered comedy. I’m a fan of ‘Robot Chicken’, but the charm is in the stop motion. That same type of comedy just doesn’t hit when carried via CGI. Especially CGI that looks nearly two decades old.
The general public, at least Disney+ subscribers anyway, maybe finding that out soon. We Got This Covered is reporting that the “forgotten” is on the way. Apparently, on May 4th, all 39 episodes will premiere. The trailer that premiered so many years ago is below.
Making a judgment call on this show based on that trailer isn’t easy. Some of it feels quite dated, both in the humor and the animation. Stopmotion ‘Star Wars’ is often hilarious when coming from Green and his team. Here it feels like a try-hard effort. George Lucas was involved, apparently. If we’re talking Lucas with a “Prequels” mindset … God help us.
Now, there is a leaked episode out there, but I’m not gonna take the liability to link it. It’s not hard to find, though. Just type in the magic words, and you’ll be blessed with this mess. Beware, the cringe factor may be too much for some. Keep those sickbags on standby.
What are your thoughts on ‘Star Wars: Detours’? Should it be left unaired? Let us know in the comments.
Hasbro Pulse Reveals ‘Star Wars’ Black Series Wedge Antilles Helmet
Who else is thankful for Hasbro’s Black Series of ‘Star Wars’ prop replicas? I am. For years I bought and sold ‘Star Wars’ props on eBay. Man, did those prices get insane during the prequel years. Eventually, all my stock was gone, and I had nothing left for myself.
Then along comes Hasbro with this line of relatively inexpensive replicas. Sure, they may not be super screen-accurate. If you’re putting it up on the wall or on a bookshelf, who will notice? These certainly beat the ones you find at the Halloween stores every year by far.
Now that many of the main characters have had their goods appear in the Black Series, we’re going to start seeing some fan favorites hit the market. The veteran of Yavin, Hoth, and Endor finally gets some love! Yes, Wedge Antilles has made the list with a brand new helmet!
BleedingCool.com reported on the reveal from Hasbro Pulse Fan Fest. During the Star Wars panel, new merchandise was shown off. This, personally, is my favorite thing that popped up.
Those who own Luke’s helmet may notice a number of similarities. In essence, these are the same helmet. It just has different paint and “decals.” I’ve got Luke’s myself, and for the price, it’s a good deal. Buy a motorcycle helmet mount on Amazon and it makes a great bit of decor.
This version of the x-wing helmet does feature different voice lines. It’s great for those of us who miss Wedge. He was underused in both ‘The Rise of Skywalker’ and ‘Squadrons.’
STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES WEDGE ANTILLES BATTLE SIMULATION HELMET – (HASBRO/Age: Adult/Approx. Retail Price: $99.99/Available: Summer 2021). Whether piloting an X-wing or a Snowspeeder, WEDGE ANTILLES wore his iconic helmet into battle against the evil EMPIRE. Featuring highly detailed deco, movie-inspired design, interior padding, electronic lights, and sound FX, this full-scale STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES WEDGE ANTILLES BATTLE SIMULATION HELMET is a great addition to any fan’s STAR WARS collection. Three internal speakers create an immersive surround sound battle simulation experience while synchronized LED lights inside the visor simulate blaster fire from enemy vehicles. Flip the switch inside the helmet to choose between a simulation of piloting WEDGE ANTILLES’ X-wing at the Battle of YAVIN or his Snowspeeder at the Battle of HOTH, featuring communication from R2-A3. Includes helmet and instructions.
[Source: BleedingCool.com]
Exclusive Interview: DJ Slope Talks ‘Pac-Man: The Complete History’
YouTuber Daniel Ibbertson (DJ Slope) has put together part one of a multi-part series focused on a legendary video game franchise. ‘Pac-Man: The Complete History‘ takes us through the yellow puck’s unusual origins. How did the pellet muncher grow into such a hit? Was he really inspired by pizza?
From the often mistaken origin story to the oddity called ‘Baby Pac-Man,’ DJ Slope dives deep into the game’s history. Mr. Ibberson sat down with us to talk about the documentary and what we can expect from the upcoming second installment.
We talk about more than just the documentary during the interview. We discuss the research process. Dan goes into some of the tricks of the trade when it comes to video editing, as well. Check it out below!
If you’ve got an hour to spare, below you can find the first part of the documentary:
The second part of the complete history should be up next weekend. Stay tuned.
For more of DJ Slope’s documentaries, include his investigative research into the numerous scams found on Kickstarter and IndieGoGo, click here. Early access to his videos and other exclusive goods can be found on his Patreon.
New Report Exposes The Controversy Surrounding ‘The Last Of Us’ PS5 Remake
The original version of ‘The Last Of Us’ is getting a remake for Sony’s PS5 video game console, but not without controversy. A new report reveals that video game developers Visual Arts Service Group (VASG) were originally tasked to develop the project, but were demoted in favor of Naughty Dog.
Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier writes that Sony’s desire to develop video game franchises lead to some decisions that gave Naughty Dog the upper hand again.
The San Diego-based VASG was tasked with developing the game following the release of ‘The Last Of Us Part Two’ which the team had done support work. However, Sony seemed ambivalent to the remake project, refusing to give the group the proper funding. Sony Worldwide Studios exec Hermen Hulst was shown a portion of the game’s development but apparently did not like what VASG founder Michael Mumbauer showed him, again refusing to increase the budget of the game.
As a result, Sony demoted VASG to serve as support staff and gave the project to Naughty Dog, who then received more financial support for the remake. Schreier reports that this caused an exodus by several VASG employees, including Mumbauer, who had left Naughty Dog to found the group in 2007.
IGN reports that Sony Bend originally wanted to make a sequel to 2019’s ‘Days Gone,’ but that project was rejected in favor of two developments from Naughty Dog. These projects are thought to be a standalone spin-off of ‘The Last Of Us’ and a new addition to the ‘Uncharted’ franchise.
Little is known about how the remake will work with the gameplay or if additional features will be included. ‘The Last Of Us’ is one of Sony’s most popular video game franchises with the sequel being award-winning and critically acclaimed, though many fans protested the graphic death of Joel, the first game’s protagonist.
‘The Last Of Us’ was previously remastered for a PS4 release.
