Month: December 2020

Hasbro has made a name for itself continuing the Marvel Legends toy line–which was originally created by Toy Biz–six-inch scale figures that are highly-detailed and have plenty of articulation. In recent years, Hasbro has applied this format to its other properties, like Star Wars with The Black Series, Power Rangers with The Lightning Collection, and G.I. Joe with the Classified Series. Now, Hasbro is digging into Dungeons and Dragons lore with figures based on the Forgotten Realms characters Drizzt and Guenhwyvar.

Dungeons and Dragons lore is incredibly vast, especially when you include Forgotten Realms stories and characters, created by Ed Greenwood and brought into Dungeons and Dragons in 1987. One of the more notable characters from that world is the drow elf Drizzt from Menzoberranzan. This hero of the North has forsaken the ways of other drows along with Underdark–their home. Along in this set is Guenhwyvar, the panther originally from the astral plane which is bonded to Drizzt after he summoned her with an onyx mysterious figurine. That’s the short and skinny, so let’s check the figure out.

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The two-pack comes packaged with some beautiful artwork by Max Dunbar. Aesthetically, it’s very pleasing as you remove it from the packaging. The two figures are set in front of the Icewind Dale backdrop. And all the accessories are laid out.

The official listing states the figures have “multiple points of articulation.” For Drizzt, there are more than 20 points, and for Guenhwyvar, there are more than 15. As you can see below, there are 10 accessories, including Drizzt’s iconic blades Twinkle and Icingdeath, which each come with their own flourishes. There is also an oversized d20, replaceable hands and head, and more.

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The added flourishes and separate head do a spectacular job of showing movement on the character. Check out that hair flow on Drizzt’s head. Comparing it to other Hasbro Pulse exclusive figures, this is one of the most detailed figures available to purchase. There has been plenty written about this character, along with some amazing artwork, and this figure is a great accompaniment for Forgotten Realms fans.

This does come at a steeper price though. Available only through Hasbro Pulse, this two-pack is available for pre-order for $40. That’s not an outrageous price by any means, as some of Hasbro Pulse’s Black Series figures range between $25-$30. Drizzt and Guenhwyvar are available for pre-order now, and will be shipping on December 18, right before the holidays.

Hopefully, this isn’t the last time Hasbro dips into the Dungeons and Dragons pool, as there are plenty of characters worthy of getting their own figures–Strahd von Zarovich, Iggwilv, and Xanthar just to name a few.

While all eyes are currently on James Gunn’s next film, The Suicide Squad, the writer/director is still firmly entrenched in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, prepping Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3. While we haven’t heard much about the project lately, star Dave Bautista, who plays Drax the Destroyer in the MCU, has given a bit of an update.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Bautista said he believed some of the movie’s plot, along with the MCU as a whole, has changed from the initial concept. “I saw a script early on when we were all on schedule and James Gunn was attached before everything went nutso,” the actor explained. “I believe because [Marvel’s] whole calendar has changed [due to the pandemic shutdown and Guardians’ production delays], that storylines have changed, and they won’t intersect like originally planned. Obviously, we lost Chadwick [Boseman], so I don’t know where that leaves Black Panther. I haven’t seen a new script, is the short answer.”

While it certainly seems like Bautista is unsure about what will happen in the next films, and he has yet to see an updated Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 script, it makes sense that the story would be different from what was originally pitched. After all, when Marvel Studios first announced a third Guardians of the Galaxy film, that was before Gunn was fired from the film, before being rehired back. In that time, he’s been heavily invested in making The Suicide Squad and is now working on a companion TV series for HBO Max that centers on John Cena’s character, Peacemaker.

What’s more, production on a third Guardians movie still isn’t set to begin for some time. According to Bautista, “I believe it’s okay to say that we will go into production late next year.”

What’s worth noting in his vague remarks, though, is where Bautista says that the films won’t intersect like it was originally planned to. It remains to be seen whether he’s speaking specifically about Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3, which was set to feature Chris Hemsworth joining the gang as Thor, or if he’s talking about the MCU as a whole.

For the most part, it looks as though a lot of the projects in the works are dealing heavily with the multiverse–WandaVision, sequels to Doctor Strange and Spider-Man–there’s no telling what’s going to happen with the rest of the films. We know Black Widow is something of a prequel, while there are a number of MCU Disney+ shows and movies in the works that we know little about, including Inhumans, which introduced another entirely new cast of characters. Perhaps Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is going to splinter in a number of different directions, before tying all the loose ends together in the future for another massive team-up film.

For now, Marvel fans just have to be patient. WandaVision will arrive on Disney+ in January to give the first real hint of whatever is to come. However, based on the trailers, it’s not going to be a very obvious hint.

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While Season 6 of the highly acclaimed Breaking Bad prequel series Better Call Saul will be the last round for Jimmy McGill and close out the spin-off–two big unknowns circling the show are when the final season will premiere, and what’s next for star Bob Odenkirk. From quarantine, the comic performer has been resuming work on his long-gestating comedic memoir; right around the corner “in theaters only” on Feb. 26, he has Nobody, a new action movie in the vein of John Wick. Check out the trailer, and try to resist the understandable initial impression that this might be a joke.

The similarity to John Wick is not imagined or even that much of a stretch, as Derek Kolstad–one of the creators of the JW franchise–is the writer behind Nobody. Beyond what’s shown in the trailer above, Nobody’s official synopsis describes the film as being about “a bystander who intervenes to help a woman being harassed by a group of men becomes the target of a vengeful drug lord.”

In addition to Odenkirk, Nobody stars Connie Nielsen (Wonder Woman 1984), Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future), and J.P. Manoux (Grey’s Anatomy). IMDb also lists RZA as playing Odenkirk’s brother in the film–huge, if true. Ilya Naishuller (Leningrad) is the director.

However surprising the role might seem for Odenkirk, it telegraphs a level of ambition and business savvy for the writer-performer. Earlier this year, Odenkirk started Cal-Gold Pictures, his first production company. A role like this is for Odenkirk analogous to Simon Pegg’s turn in more mainstream fare in the Mission: Impossible films–participation in films on that level makes personal projects more arguable and likely to get made. So, more than likely, we will be seeing more from Odenkirk overall–and hopefully the final season of Better Call Saul will be here soon (but not too soon).

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2020 has been a real root canal of a year and everyone knows it. We’re only weeks away from symbolically turning the page on this poorly-written chapter that somehow contains both too much and too little plot. To mark the occasion, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has announced it will say goodbye to the year with a charity streaming event.

The event is called “Say Goodbye to 2020 For Good” and will be streamed across Twitch and YouTube. It begins on December 14 and will run through December 18.

A $100K charity Fortnite tournament will be the main event of the festivities, with various streaming personalities taking part. Money raised will go to charities including Black Girls Code, No Kid Hungry, Project Tomorrow, Rise Above the Disorder, The Trevor Project, and Warfighter Engaged, as well as the ESA Foundation, which operates a scholarship program for aspiring game developers.

“The goal of next week’s charity livestream is to bring the video game community together to support those who need it most during these difficult times,” said ESA Foundation executive director Anastasia Staten, in the announcement. “We are joining together with well-known streamers and esports personalities to say goodbye to 2020 in a way that will help so many in 2021. With the support of our sponsors and partners, we hope to make a dramatic impact on some very important causes.”

You can learn more and donate through the official site.

The ESA has reason to say a not-fond farewell to this year. The coronavirus pandemic forced the organization to cancel its annual gaming event, E3. It then canceled plans for a replacement digital event, but it has been consistent in saying that E3 2021 will go forward.

Netflix has debuted the final trailer for its upcoming sci-fi movie and adaptation of Lily Brooks-Dalton’s acclaimed novel Good Morning, Midnight, retitled The Midnight Sky. You can check out all the tense drama below in case you missed the first trailer.

The Midnight Sky is a post-apocalyptic tale that follows Augustine (George Clooney) and his daughter (newcomer Caoilinn Springall) as they race to stop Sully (The Crown’s Felicity Jones) and her fellow astronauts from returning home that is now an absolute frozen tundra.

The film also stars David Oyelowo (Selma), Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights), Demián Bichir (Weeds), and Tiffany Boone (Hunters).

Back in October, Clooney said this is an unfortunate timely film. “I got the script way before the pandemic, but still there were all these other elements,” Clooney says. “There’s the denying of climate change but also the idea of how hateful it’s become, how race and all these other things that are tinderboxes in our country really just require anybody to throw a match in it. That’s why I was drawn to the story because if you play that kind of hatred out over a 20-year period of time, it’s not inconceivable that we destroy ourselves.”

This is Clooney’s seventh time in the director’s chair for a feature film, another one on the way with Ben Affleck called The Tender Bar. The movie is based on J.R. Moehringer’s memoir of the same name of that chronicles his life and his time at his uncle’s bar. Clooney was previously Oscar-nominated for Best Director back in 2006, with only his second time out directing a film.

The Midnight Sky premieres on Netflix December 23.

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Since launching back in November, the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S have sold out of stock almost immediately through online and brick-and-mortar stores. Both consoles can still be purchased, provided that you’re willing to buy them through private sellers and pay a higher price.

Reseller website StockX has seen demand for Sony’s new console climb after launch, with a global demand that has resulted in it outselling Microsoft’s Xbox Series X/S consoles at a rate of nearly two-to-one.

The average price for a $500 PS5 is $900 through the website, while the $500 Xbox Series X usually sells for around $730. According to StockX, it has overseen the sale of “more than 60,000 PlayStation and Xbox consoles globally,” as of December 8.

“Across all domestic and international versions (US, UK, and EU), the two PlayStation consoles (Blu-ray and digital) have been the more popular choice, accounting for 62% of console sales to date, compared to 38% for the Xbox (Series X/S),” StockX senior economist Jesse Einhornhe said to Business Insider.

It’s worth noting that the launch of both consoles has seen a rise in scalpers buying up all available stock as soon as it dropped, leading to shortages and a number of consoles being sold online through Ebay at a massively inflated price. It’s not known just how many Xbox Series X/S units were available for sale since the November launch, although Microsoft has claimed that the start of this generation has led to the biggest Xbox launch of all time.

If you’re looking to see when and where you can find one of the consoles for yourself at its regular recommended retail price, check out our PS5 order guide and our Xbox Series X/S order guide.

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