Welcome, Poweteers, to a brand new original column where we explore the top (and bottom) 5 items we think are relevant to any of a variety of topics that span the imagination. Sit back, read, and respond!

Hollywood has a bad track record adapting cartoons. The Smurfs, Dragonball, The Last Airbender, Scooby Doo… even successful movies like Transformers end up getting panned by critics and alienating lots of fans.

I think there are some toons worth adapting. Either because they’d work just as well or work even better in live action. I’ll tell you why, and I’ll even try to tell you who should play them. [Read the rest of this entry…]

“How can I handle work on a day like today?”

This variation of the line from the 1986 movie “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” is spoken by star Matthew Broderick as he reprises the role in a mere 10 second youtube video. It is titled simply “Coming Soon” and teases a date of “2.5.12” which sports fans recognize as the date of the Super Bowl. The original film was written and directed by the late John Hughes, about a high school senior who dismisses all responsibility for day roaming Chicago with his friends.

Updated: The teaser has been shared on Pepsi Throwback’s facebook page. It is likely a Pepsi Throwback ad. No company has yet claimed responsibility for what is certainly a commercial. Rumours have pointed to Priceline (which recently eliminated William Shatner) and Honda, which would have the aged Ferris driving in a CR-V.

Bueller hasn’t been totally absent in the last 26 years. He was recast once before in a TV series that aired on NBC in 1990 for a dismal 13 episodes before being cancelled, garnering poor ratings even though it aired immediately following the successful “Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air,” and was replaced with “Blossom.” Lyman Ward played Ferris’ father Tom Bueller in the original film and made an uncredited cameo in a following John Hughes film “Planes Trains And Automobiles” in the same role, further linking all the famous director’s movies to the same universe of characters.

There is some precedent for this type of commercial revival, as Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo returned as the Griswalds in “Hotel Hell Vacation” which aired during the 2010 Superbowl as a spot for Homeaway.com, a vacation rental portal. Watch that short after the break.

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Adding Cole from “Infamous” as a Playstation exclusive character was a cool idea. He could work as either an SF or Tekken character.

But Mega Man from the original NES box art? That is crazy! Pac Man in a mech suit? CRAZIER.

What is the amazing truth behind the Bungeling Empire, Sim City, Bomberman, and Choplifter? You’ll be surprised! No, really! It’s pretty surprising! But you’ll have to listen to the podcast to find out. Hint: they’re all connected by HudsonSoft, makers of the TurboGrafx-16, PC Engine, countless awesome 8-bit peripherals, and home of the honeybee — may they rest in peace. Vinnk and Sean reminisce about the company that they thought they knew, but clearly didn’t, and now will miss more than they thought possible.

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As a huge fan of the Underworld series of movies, I took in it’s latest instalment, Underworld Awakening, this week. I generally enjoyed this movie, and while it’s tone was a bit of a departure from the films that came before it, it still works quite well with the rest of the franchise. Kate Beckinsale seems like a vampire herself, as she is still as lovely as she was years ago when this series began.

The film takes place 12 years after Underworld Evolution, after a human cleansing of Vampires and Lycans leaves both species struggling to fight extinction. With the plot centering around fighting powerful companies, engineered creatures and general ass kicking, the movie is reminiscent of a Resident Evil film, though still unique in it’s own way.

My main complaint about the movie would be it’s length. With a total run time of only 88 minutes, and long credits that are probably about 10 of those, the film itself wraps up after about an hour and twenty minutes. With the first film weighing in at over two hours, 133 minutes for the director’s cut, this is a bit disappointing.

Keep reading for more thoughts which will include some spoilers.
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Actor Robert Hegyes, best known for portraying Epstein in the hit comedy Welcome Back Kotter, died of a heart attack early this morning.

Robert’s character, Juan Luis Pedro Philippo DeHuevos Epstein, was the tough guy on the show, often cracking jokes, and often being the subject of them. After Welcome Back Kotter Robert went on to do other TV work and ultimately retired from acting. Robert Hegyes will be missed, and his contribution to comedy will not soon be forgotten.

Source: The Huffington Post

PC gamers on this side of the pacific sure loved their Tom Clancy shooters at one time. Games like Ghost Recon and Rainbow Six bought tactical shooting fans joy, more so than they did when ported to consoles. However, in the early part of last decade, UbiSoft used the Tom Clancy license to create something altogether different: A stealth action game partially inspired by Konami’s Metal Gear Solid. The result was Splinter Cell, a game which told a story of political intrigue and deception, and rose to become one of last generation’s biggest franchises, while making its star, Sam Fisher, one of gaming’s biggest action heroes.
[Read the rest of this entry…]

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