Martin Scorsese recreated an iconic scene from his 1990 mob masterpiece Goodfellas to quality-check the potential use of digital de-aging technology in his upcoming film The Irishman.
According to Empire, the director enlisted Robert De Niro to re-enact one of the key scenes from Goodfellas, wherein De Niro’s Jimmy Conway orders his high-flying cohorts to dispose of their extravagant purchases to avoid unnecessarily drawing attention to their criminal activities.
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GameStop’s Labor Day sale is officially live. As of midnight on Monday, Sept. 2, you can find a wide range of new deals available on GameStop’s website, and they’re live for today only.
The sale includes popular products that once lived on ThinkGeek’s website (which shut down earlier this summer), like the Poke Ball waffle maker and Thor’s hammer toolbox. The PlayStation Classic is available for just $20 (as a reminder, it launched at $100 MSRP just last December). You can also save on games like Rage 2 ($30), Kingdom Hearts III ($25), and Days Gone ($40). Pre-owned games are buy one, get one 50% off. Retro accessories are 15% off, and retro racing games are 25% off.
GameStop relaunched its website late last week, acknowledging that its old website layout had become “increasingly difficult” to use. The new website features more prominent visuals to help shoppers discover new games and deals, more visibility for trade-in values, a streamlined experience for buying or reserving online pickup for multiple items, and more. This is part of GameStop’s “multi-year, multi-million” dollar strategy to revamp its business plan amid falling stock prices and recent layoffs.
See all Labor Day deals at GameStop
Check out some of the best discounts available now below. Plus, don’t miss some of the other sales happening this week around Labor Day, including some great deals at Ebay.
Games
Accessories
Collectibles
New consoles
Pre-owned consoles
GTA fans have discovered that the mobile port of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is packed with undocumented cheat codes that don’t exist in the original PS2 version of the game.
As reported by Kotaku, a group of GTA fans including YouTuber Vadim M have uncovered the hidden cheats that seem to have been invented to help the development team test and debug the mobile port of GTA: San Andreas.
These include a cheat that unlocks difficult-to-obtain weapons on the fly, perhaps so the developers could test gear outside of specific missions. Another code allows you to skip missions and events by inputting “scriptbypass,” presumably so developers could quickly get to the area they needed to test. Another makes your vehicle totally invincible to any damage – including from tanks.
Music is a huge part of James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy movie franchise. The soundtracks to the two movies are phenomenal, featuring a long list of excellent licensed songs like “Mr. Blue Sky,” “Father And Son,” and “Southern Nights,” among many others. Now, Gunn has revealed which song is the most-requested among fans.
That song is “Dancing in the Moonlight.” Gunn said he’ll never use this song in a Guardians of the Galaxy movie, however, because it would be too predictable.
“I’m asked to include this song BY FAR more than any other,” Gunn said on Twitter. “And this predictability is precisely why I’d never use it. In general, I’d rather be in the business of giving folks the thing they want that they don’t know they want rather than just the thing they know they want.”
Gunn also said on Twitter that there are numerous songs he’s wanted to use in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies that he hasn’t been able to, for whatever reason. He said he was looking to use songs from Alice Cooper, Queen, T. Rex, Stevie Wonder, and Hall & Oates, but it never worked.
I’m asked to include this song BY FAR more than any other. And this predictability is precisely why I’d never use it. In general, I’d rather be in the business of giving folks the thing they want that they don’t know they want rather than just the thing they know they want. https://t.co/hUXzvNIeOj
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) August 30, 2019
But there are LOTS of songs I’ve wanted to find a space for and haven’t been able to. Hundreds. I’ve tried numerous @AliceCooper, @Queen, T. Rex & Stevie Wonder songs, for instance, but I just never found the perfect fit. Same with @halloates “She’s Gone” on Vol 2.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) August 30, 2019
Gunn’s next movie is The Suicide Squad, which he’s making for Marvel rival DC. Gunn said in another tweet that music is an “incredibly important” component to all of his films, and this also include the Suicide Squad sequel. However, the music in The Suicide Squad will be “a lot different” compared to Guardians, Gunn said.
Music is an incredibly important part of ALL of my films, both soundtrack and score. So, yeah. But it will be a lot different than Guardians musically – and in so many other ways. https://t.co/F5pP08YTm0
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) August 30, 2019
The Suicide Squad hits theatres in August 2021, and after that, Gunn returns to Marvel with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Disney fired Gunn from his writer-director job for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 after old tweets of his resurfaced. Disney later hired him back, though this upheaval likely led to a delay. Warner Bros. hired Gunn to write and direct The Suicide Squad during the Disney turmoil.
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World of Warcraft’s Classic edition launched last week to much fanfare. Its release was so popular that it reached more than 1 million viewers on Twitch, surpassing Fortnite and all other games.
Now, it’s been reported that the first player to reach WoW Classic’s level cap of 60 did so with some 300,000+ people watching live.
The player, “Jokerd,” leveled a gnome mage to 60 in three days, 20 hours, and 40 minutes, accordingto Dot Esports. He played on the Mograine server in Europe.
Jokerd is said to be the first player in the West to reach the game’s level cap, though not necessarily the first player worldwide to do so.
According to Dot ESports, Jokerd was able to level quickly by soloing mobs. He also reportedly made use off the layering system that apparently helped him level faster. He wrote on Twitter that he started using layering at level 58, when it was already “in the bag” that he was going to be first to level 60. Jokerd also denied claims that someone else played his account while he slept.
dude i slept 6-8 hours a day, there was no account sharing bro
— JokerdTV (@Jokereed) April 11, 2019
About The Laying Abuse Accusations: I started using layering to my leveling advantage at level 58, at this point it was in the bad that i was first 60 and i wanted to save 1-1.5 hours. Feel free to check my vods, i streamed all of it, also i didnt have mob taggers.
— JokerdTV (@Jokereed) August 31, 2019
WoW Classic, as its name suggests, is a re-release of the original MMO from 2004 with some functionality changes. It’s free for existing subscribers of WoW.
For more on WoW Classic, check out GameSpot’s recent feature, “The Beauty Of WoW Classic Is More Than Just Nostalgia.”
The new Joker movie starring Joaquin Phoenix and directed by The Hangover’s Todd Phillips opens in theatres this October, but the film had its premiere at the Venice Film Festival over the weekend. Reviews for the movie are starting to come in, and to help you get an idea about if the film is worth your time and money, we’re collecting excerpts from reviews here.
GameSpot’s own Joker review from Michael Rougeau said Phoenix turns in an “iconic” performance as the clown price of crime as he delivers a “new, complex version of the character we haven’t seen before.”
You can see a rundown of Joker review excerpts below, while more information on the film’s critical reception can be found on GameSpot sister site Metacritic.
“It might make you uncomfortable, and it will no doubt stay with you long after the curtains close; great movies often do.” — Michael Rougeau [Full review]
“Phillips may want us to think he’s giving us a movie all about the emptiness of our culture, but really, he’s just offering a prime example of it.” — Stephanie Zacharek [Full review]
“What a gloriously daring and explosive film Joker is. It’s a tale that’s almost as twisted as the man at its centre, bulging with ideas and pitching towards anarchy.” — Xan Brooks [Full review]
“It will be tempting for some to declare this the first art film based on a DC or Marvel property, but while it certainly represents a bit of a departure and something of a risk, Joker is ultimately grim-and-gritty comic book nihilism jacked up to the nth degree, wrapped up in a convincing but ultimately hollow simulacra of better, smarter movies.” — Alonso Duralde [Full review]
“Joker isn’t just an awesome comic book movie, it’s an awesome movie, period. It offers no easy answers to the unsettling questions it raises about a cruel society in decline. Joaquin Phoenix’s fully committed performance and Todd Phillips’ masterful albeit loose reinvention of the DC source material make Joker a film that should leave comic book fans and non-fans alike disturbed and moved in all the right ways.” — Jim Vejvoda [Full review]
“Joaquin Phoenix boldly reinvents Batman’s cackling arch-nemesis in Todd Phillips’ dark new vision of the supervillain origin story, also starring Robert De Niro.” — David Rooney [Full review]
The new Joker movie starring Joaquin Phoenix doesn’t open in theatres until October, but the film had its premiere at the Venice Film Festival over the weekend. People there loved it.
According to Variety, the crowd stood cheering for eight minutes at the end of Joker for a lengthy standing ovation with some calling for the film to get attention during awards season.
GameSpot’s review of Joker scored it a 10/10, with other critics also praising it highly. Some reviews were mixed to negative, however, with Time Magazine’s Stephanie Zacharek writing, “Joker … doesn’t have a plot; it’s more like a bunch of reaction GIFs strung together.”
Phoenix was at the Venice Film Festival for the screenings, and he spoke a little more about his character. He said previous performances of Joker by other actors did not influence him.
“I didn’t refer to any past iteration of the character,” Phoenix said. ‘It just felt like something that was our creation in some ways.”
Also at the event, the Venice Film Festival artistic director Alberto Barbera said Joker will go “straight to the Oscars.” Among other elements of the film, people are praising Phoenix’s portrayal of Joker.
In addition to Phoenix in the title role, the movie stars Robert de Niro, Zazie Beetz, and Frances Conroy. Joker is something of a change for writer-director Todd Phillips, who previously made the Hangover and Old School comedies. He also wrote for Borat, which earned him his Oscar nomination.
We’ve reached September, which means the seasons are changing all around the world. New Releases is here to highlight some of the biggest games coming this month. You can take a snowy retreat with Monster Hunter World‘s Iceborne expansion or an island getaway with The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening. You can also stay indoors and take to the basketball court with NBA 2K20. Finally, shooter fans can take on the Locust in Gears 5 or the Calypso Twins in Borderlands 3.
Available on: PS4, Xbox One
Iceborne adds the new Hoarfrost Reach region to the New World, and it’s full of snow, ice, and new monsters to take down. This expansion also adds a Master Rank difficulty for those of you who have already bested all the High Rank hunts. If you’re not quite done exploring the game’s main area, don’t sweat it–you’ll still see some fan-favorite monsters added to that part of the game too.
More Coverage:
Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC, Switch
This year’s 2K basketball game offers the usual dose of modes like MyCareer, MyGM, MyLeague, and MyTeam, but the biggest addition is a series first: you can finally play as all 12 WNBA teams. If you need a break from the basketball court, there are plenty of ways to spend time (and money) on the game’s loot boxes and gambling mechanics too.
More Coverage:
Available on: Xbox One, PC
Gears 5 focuses on Kait Diaz, who will learn more about her own family’s history as she uncovers the Locust’s origins. Gears 5 offers the standard campaign and multiplayer options, but there are some big changes to other modes this time around. For one, Horde mode gives every character unique abilities and ultimate attacks–there’s even a pair of characters from Halo: Reach in the mix. Characters also get special perks in the new Escape mode, a three-player co-op experience where you have to destroy Locust hives.
More Coverage:
Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC
There are new characters to check out in Borderlands 3 as well. Amara the Siren, Moze the Gunner, Zane the Operative, and FL4K the Beastmaster are your Vault Hunters for his adventure. You won’t just be seeking Vaults on Pandora, though; for the first time, you can travel to other planets aboard the Sanctuary III. As usual, expect to find a ridiculous amount of guns as you battle the evil Calypso Twins.
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Available on: Switch
This is a remake of Link’s Awakening on the Game Boy. While it offers the same story and dungeons across Koholint Island, there’s also a completely fresh art style, reimagined soundtrack, and even a special dungeon editor. Tap an Amiibo, and you can unlock extra mini-games and chambers for that dungeon-builder.
More Coverage:
September has just begun, and in addition to the games listed here, Catherine: Full Body and Final Fantasy VIII Remastered are also leading the charge, both launching on Tuesday, September 3. Next week, New Releases will take a look at some less-known games you won’t wanna miss, like GreedFall and Blasphemous.
