Michael Fassbender starring in and co-producing Assassin's Creed film originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 09 Jul 2012 09:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Report: King of Kong director bringing back WarGames originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 24 Jun 2011 19:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We can't be gaming all the time, despite our best efforts, and from time to time we'll actually take advantage of the movie-playing abilities on our gaming systems. JBO features our top picks for XBL, PSN, Netflix's Watch Instantly and Blu-ray each week.

Recommendation of the Week:

The Killer (Blu-ray: $29.99 MSRP, much lower at most retailers)
This week's recommendation is a bit tongue in cheek, mostly because the video quality isn't the sharpest in the world. Granted, the source material is 21 years old, but I've seen what they can do with movies like The African Queen and The Wizard of Oz on Blu-ray, so why not one of director John Woo's and actor Chow Yun Fat's best films, The Killer? Still, all of that complaining aside, the film does look better than I've ever seen it look on home video format, and it runs circles around the murky theatrical print I saw back when I was in college. While probably not a disc you'll slap in to show off how much Blu-ray rocks, it still looks fantastic, and it's got a completely new interview on the disc with Woo (where's Yun-Fat, though?) that is well worth it. There's also a Q&A session where he talks about The Killer and Hard Boiled. This is being produced by Dragon Dynasty, a joint company venture from the Weinstein brothers and Genius Products, and I'm hoping things improve a bit in the transfer department. Let's get Chow Yun-Fat's God of Gamblers, A Better Tomorrow trilogy, City on Fire, and Treasure Hunt on Blu-ray, stat.

Continue reading JBO: Joystiq Box Office, April 5 - April 9

JBO: Joystiq Box Office, April 5 - April 9 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 09 Apr 2010 21:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We can't be gaming all the time, despite our best efforts, and from time to time we'll actually take advantage of the movie-playing abilities on our gaming systems. JBO features our top picks for XBL, PSN, Netflix's Watch Instantly and Blu-ray each week.

Recommendation of the Week:

The African Queen (Blu-ray: $39.99 MSRP, much lower at most retailers)
Can you believe Humphrey Bogart only won one Oscar in his lifetime? It was for this movie. Personally, I think he was robbed from winning it for Casablanca, but The African Queen is a worthy win as well. He really delivers a powerful performance as Charlie Allnut, the rough and tumble boat captain working his boat, the African Queen. But it's Katherine Hepburn who really turns in a tour de force performance as Rose Sayer, a tough as nails missionary in East Africa. Paramount recently completed a massive 4k restoration on this title, and it looks simply amazing on Blu-ray. The standard Blu-ray set gets you the movie, while the slightly more expensive box set comes with a CD of the original radio production of The African Queen (with Bogart) and Hepburn's book The Making of The African Queen or How I Went to Africa with Bogart, Bacall and Huston and Almost Lost My Mind. Seriously good filmmaking and performances against a wonderful story based on C.S. Forester's novel of the same name. Highly recommended. Now someone just put Bogey's The Caine Mutiny on Blu-ray and I'll be happy.

Continue reading JBO: Joystiq Box Office, March 29 - April 2

JBO: Joystiq Box Office, March 29 - April 2 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 02 Apr 2010 20:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We can't be gaming all the time, despite our best efforts, and from time to time we'll actually take advantage of the movie-playing abilities on our gaming systems. JBO features our top picks for XBL, PSN, Netflix's Watch Instantly and Blu-ray each week.

We're back! The Game Developer's Conference in San Francisco and South by Southwest in Austin combined to double-whammy JBO out of existence, but it's back with a vengeance this week, even during the midst of PAX East. So read the gaming news, cue up a movie, and let us know what you're watching.

Recommendation of the Week:

Breaking Bad (Blu-ray, Season 1 -- $49.95 and Season 2 -- $39.95, lower at retailers)
Why are you reading this? You should be watching Breaking Bad. Seriously, I can wait until you're back to carry on. The internets will still be here. Back? See what we're talking about? Bryan Cranston is pure genius in this as a man at the end of his rope. He's a low-paid high school science teacher with a disabled son and a pregnant wife. He's working a demeaning second job at a car wash just to make ends meet, and, on top of that, he finds out he has inoperable lung cancer. So what does he do? He decides to start cooking crystal meth so he can leave his family a small fortune. The opening scene of episode one is worth the cost of both sets alone. This is genius basic cable programming from AMC that just started its third season this past week, so catch up on the first two seasons with these Blu-rays that look ultra-sharp with tons of extras.

Read on after the break for the rest of our recommendations, then chime in below!

Continue reading JBO: Joystiq Box Office, March 22 - March 26

JBO: Joystiq Box Office, March 22 - March 26 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 26 Mar 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We can't be gaming all the time, despite our best efforts, and from time to time we'll actually take advantage of the movie-playing abilities on our gaming systems. JBO features our top picks for XBL, PSN, Netflix's Watch Instantly and Blu-ray each week.

Recommendation of the Week:

Ponyo (Blu-ray, $39.99 MSRP, much lower at most retailers)
If you don't know who Hayao Miyazaki is yet, then you need a crash course in gorgeous Japanese animated films with amazing storytelling. He's like the Japanese Walt Disney, and Ponyo is his latest film. It's a wonderful fantasy that was inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid and he's put his own particular spin on it. A young boy named Sosuke rescues a female goldfish, Ponyo, and they set off on an adventure together. The Blu-ray disc includes an ultra-crisp transfer of the film, which features hand-drawn animation, and a look inside Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli. We're offering up five sets of Miyazaki films with this Joystiq Box Office, so read the rules at the bottom of the post to enter. Five winners will receive Ponyo on Blu-ray, and standard DVDs of My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service and Castle in the Sky. Truly magical filmmaking.

Read on after the break for the rest of our recommendations, and let us know what you're watching!

Continue reading JBO: Joystiq Box Office, March 1 - March 5

JBO: Joystiq Box Office, March 1 - March 5 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 05 Mar 2010 20:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We can't be gaming all the time, despite our best efforts, and from time to time we'll actually take advantage of the movie-playing abilities on our gaming systems. JBO features our top picks for XBL, PSN, Netflix's Watch Instantly and Blu-ray each week.

Recommendation of the Week:

Stingray Sam ($12 HD digital download, $18 DVD, $49 deluxe)
Cory McAbee is one cool character. He's produced art, music, short films and feature films, and he's at his best when he's combining art and movie together. Last year at Sundance, he premiered his newest feature film, Stingray Sam. Set in the future, two interstellar cowboys who just happen to be convicts are given a shot at freedom, if they complete one mission. Along the way they encounter a lot of wacky stuff, and sing some bizarre songs. Songs that will stay with you long after you've seen the movie, like the Lullaby Song. It combines science fiction, music, Westerns and pure wacky in a package of pure delight. We have three copies of the Stingray Sam DVD and soundtrack to give away this week, so just read the rules and comment below, letting us know what your name would be if you were an outer space cowboy.

Read on after the break for the rest of our recommendations, and let us know what you're watching!

Continue reading JBO: Joystiq Box Office, February 15 - February 19, plus Joyswag!

JBO: Joystiq Box Office, February 15 - February 19, plus Joyswag! originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 19 Feb 2010 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We can't be gaming all the time, despite our best efforts, and from time to time we'll actually take advantage of the movie-playing abilities on our gaming systems. JBO features our top picks for XBL, PSN, Netflix's Watch Instantly and Blu-ray each week.

It's Christmas! So we're going to recommend a slew of holiday movies that might peel you away from your gaming loot, or TBS' all-day Christmas Story marathon, AMC's all-day National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation programming, or even the Spike TV Bad Santa all-day extravaganza. Also, with the holidays in mind, we're going to be giving away ... wait for it ... MOVIES with each Joystiq Box Office post on Friday from today through January 1! Simply leave a comment below telling us what you'll be watching on your Xbox, PS3, PC, PSP, DS, OMG or whatever, and we'll pick two winners at random each week to receive a nifty prize. This week we'll be giving away one copy of Jim Henson's Labyrinth on Blu-ray, and one copy of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 25th Anniversary Collector's Edition Blu-ray set, complete with pizza box packaging and a beanie! Read the complete rules at the end of this post, and good luck!

Recommendation of the Week:

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang ($34.99 suggested retail, lower at many retailers)
On paper this probably sounded a bit strange: shoddy burglar Robert Downey Jr. solving crimes with a homosexual Val Kilmer? Is that what kept people away? This ended up being one of the better films from both of these actors, and it all opens with a scene at a Christmas party. A pretty unforgettable (and realistic) Christmas party thrown in Hollywood. There aren't a slew of special features included here, except for the commentary track from writer/director Shane Black, and Downey and Kilmer. There's a gag reel thrown in as well, and both of those make this a must-buy. This is a terrific film that many people didn't get a chance to see, and it's well worth picking up. I just wish it had made enough money to spark a sequel.

Read on for the rest of the recommendations, and as usual, we'll see you at the popcorn sta -- well, actually, we won't see you at all. But you catch our drift. Plus, be sure to tell us what you'll be watching, or what you've seen recently that bowled you over.

Continue reading JBO: Joystiq Box Office Holiday Edition, plus Joyswag!

JBO: Joystiq Box Office Holiday Edition, plus Joyswag! originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 25 Dec 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We can't be gaming all the time, despite our best efforts, and from time to time we'll actually take advantage of the movie-playing abilities on our gaming systems. JBO features our top picks for XBL, PSN, Netflix's Watch Instantly and Blu-ray each week.

Recommendation of the Week:

Star Trek: The Original Series (Blu-ray, all three seasons, prices vary)
All three seasons of Star Trek: The Original Series will be available as of December 15, which is when Season Three comes out. Besides the awesome bloopers and flubs, it also has the entire unaired original Trek pilot in the set. Bizarrely, this was the original opening monologue: "Enterprise log, Captain James Kirk commanding. We are leaving that vast cloud of stars and planets which we call our galaxy. Behind us, Earth, Mars, Venus, even our sun are specks of dust. A question: What is out there in the black void beyond? Until now, our mission has been that of space law regulation, contact with Earth colonies and investigation of alien life. But now, a new task. A probe out into where no man has gone before." Seems like a good thing they changed it. "A probe out into" is a bit much. Trek has never, ever looked or sounded (there's a new 7.1 mix!) better, and you can pick this up in a box set, or get the individual seasons. Beam us up.

Read on for the rest of the recommendations, and as usual, we'll see you at the popcorn sta -- well, actually, we won't see you at all. But you catch our drift. Plus, be sure to tell us what you'll be watching, or what you've seen recently that bowled you over.

Continue reading JBO: Joystiq Box Office, November 30 - December 4

JBO: Joystiq Box Office, November 30 - December 4 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 04 Dec 2009 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We can't be gaming all the time, despite our best efforts, and from time to time we'll actually take advantage of the movie-playing abilities on our gaming systems. JBO features our top picks for XBL, PSN, Netflix's Watch Instantly and Blu-ray each week.

Recommendation of the Week:

The Office: Series One (Netflix Watch Instantly)
While everyone was quick to sneer at the American version of The Office on NBC and say "Oh, it's not as good as the original," that new show has gone a long way towards proving itself. However, they're right ... it's still not as good as the original. Now the entire British run of The Office is available on Netflix. If you haven't seen it yet, dive in here with the entire first series, then move on to Series Two and the Specials. Ricky Gervais hasn't struck box office gold yet in America (his movies Ghost Town and The Invention of Lying have fallen a bit flat), but The Office is more than good enough to make up for it.

Read on for the rest of the recommendations, and as usual, we'll see you at the popcorn sta -- well, actually, we won't see you at all. But you catch our drift. Plus, be sure to tell us what you'll be watching, or what you've seen recently that bowled you over.

Continue reading JBO: Joystiq Box Office, November 9 - November 13

JBO: Joystiq Box Office, November 9 - November 13 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 20:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We can't be gaming all the time, despite our best efforts, and from time to time we'll actually take advantage of the movie-playing abilities on our gaming systems. JBO features our top picks for XBL, PSN, Netflix's Watch Instantly and Blu-ray each week.

Halloween looms right around the corner! In preparation for a spook-tacular weekend full of fun and frights, we present you with an all-horror edition of Joystiq Box Office. Although in all honesty, nothing tops Trick 'r Treat from a couple of weeks ago. You owe it to Halloween to check that out. Of course, being the geeks that we are, we'd also like to remind you that Battlestar Galactica: The Plan is now out on Blu-ray, DVD, PSN, and the Xbox Marketplace. It's not their best work, but hey ... it's more Battlestar Galactica!

Recommendation of the Week:

Monsturd (Netflix Watch Instantly)
Yes, this is seriously a movie. A fugitive on the run accidentally falls into a sewage tunnel, which is also where a chemical company has been dumping their toxic waste. As a result, he becomes Monsturd: half-man, half-poop. I kid you not. There have been poop monsters in movies before, like the transformed Chet in Weird Science and the Golgathan from Kevin Smith's Dogma, but nothing compares to Monsturd. It's actually not a bad send-up of the classic 50s frightfilms, and the tagline for the movie is "Don't get caught with your pants down!" How can you go wrong?

A lot of you have been asking about the pricing on certain Xbox releases. For instance Red Cliff is 800 ($10) to rent in standard definition, as opposed to the normal rental price of 320 ($4) for SD. The reason for this is that it has not yet been released in theaters, and is exclusive to the Xbox 360, Amazon, and certain VOD outlets. The film actually opens on November 18, so the added price is for the benefit of seeing it early.

As usual, we'll see you at the popcorn sta -- well, actually, we won't see you at all. But you catch our drift. Plus, be sure to tell us what you'll be watching, or what you've seen recently that bowled you over.

Continue reading JBO: Joystiq Box Office, October 26 - October 30, Horror Edition!

JBO: Joystiq Box Office, October 26 - October 30, Horror Edition! originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We can't be gaming all the time, despite our best efforts, and from time to time we'll actually take advantage of the movie-playing abilities on our gaming systems. JBO features our top picks for XBL, PSN, Netflix's Watch Instantly and Blu-ray each week.

Recommendation of the Week:

Red Cliff (VOD, Amazon, and Xbox 360: 800 ($10) SD to rent)
John Woo is back! And thankfully this isn't the John Woo who directed Paycheck or Windtalkers. This is more like the Hard Boiled, Hard Target John Woo ... just on a massive scale. It's an epic film based on actual historic events and battles that took place in China around 208 AD. Chinese audiences were treated to a four hour long version that was split into two parts, and it has become the highest grossing film in Chinese history. American audience are getting a version that's been heavily edited down to 2.5 hours, but it is still well worth watching. Three epic battles, stealth, trickery, and martial arts action. Plus it reunited John Woo with actor Tony Leung who co-starred in Hard Boiled with Chow Yun-Fat. Don't balk at the running time, because it is worth every minute. Check out an exclusive clip of the movie over at Cinematical.

A lot of you have been asking about the pricing on certain Xbox releases. For instance Red Cliff is 800 ($10) to rent in standard definition, as opposed to the normal rental price of 320 ($4) for SD. The reason for this is that it has not yet been released in theaters, and is exclusive to the Xbox 360, Amazon, and certain VOD outlets. The film actually opens on November 18, so the added price is for the benefit of seeing it early.

As usual, we'll see you at the popcorn st -- well, actually, we won't see you at all. But you catch our drift. Plus, be sure to tell us what you'll be watching, or what you've seen recently that bowled you over.

Continue reading JBO: Joystiq Box Office, October 19 - October 23

JBO: Joystiq Box Office, October 19 - October 23 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We can't be gaming all the time, despite our best efforts, and from time to time we'll actually take advantage of the movie-playing abilities on our gaming systems. JBO features our top picks for XBL, PSN, Netflix's Watch Instantly and Blu-ray each week.

Recommendation of the Week:

Black Dynamite (In actual theaters -- get out of the house and treat yourself!)
Remember Michael Jai White? The dude played Spawn in the forgettable movie, and was seen without makeup or a mask as Gambol in The Dark Knight. However, you've never seen him as a jive-talkin', nunchuck-swingin', butt kickin', fro-wearin' guy who gets results. From the website: "When 'The Man' murders his brother, pumps heroin into local orphanages, and floods the ghetto with adulterated malt liquor, Black Dynamite is the one hero willing to fight all the way from the blood-soaked city streets to the hallowed halls of the Honky House." You owe it to yourself to see an amazing return to blaxploitation.

As usual, we'll see you at the popcorn st -- well, actually, we won't see you at all. But you catch our drift. Plus, be sure to tell us what you'll be watching, or what you've seen recently that bowled you over.

Continue reading JBO: Joystiq Box Office, October 12 - October 16

JBO: Joystiq Box Office, October 12 - October 16 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 16 Oct 2009 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We can't be gaming all the time, despite our best efforts, and from time to time we'll actually take advantage of the movie-playing abilities on our gaming systems. JBO features our top picks for XBL, PSN, Netflix's Watch Instantly and Blu-ray each week.

Recommendation of the Week:

Anvil: The Story of Anvil (DVD: $24.98 MSRP, cheaper at most retailers)
Just for the record, I'm not a fan of heavy metal. It's just never been my thing. But this documentary about a band you've never heard of just came out on DVD, and it's one of the most moving, amazing movies I've seen in a long time. You'll laugh, cry, play some air drums or guitar, and ultimately be won over. Steve "Lips" Kudlow channels more emotion in this movie than most actors ever do in their lives, and you'll understand why he's kept this failed band going for 30 years. By day he works at a depressing school catering job, and in his spare time he and longtime childhood friend (and drummer) Robb Reiner rock as heavy metal band Anvil. The film chronicles their history, a failed European tour, and what life is like for the flipside of Metallica or Slayer. Highly recommended.

As usual, we'll see you at the popcorn st -- well, actually, we won't see you at all. But you catch our drift. Plus, be sure to tell us what you'll be watching, or what you've seen recently that bowled you over.

Continue reading JBO: Joystiq Box Office, October 5 - October 9

JBO: Joystiq Box Office, October 5 - October 9 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 09 Oct 2009 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We can't be gaming all the time, despite our best efforts, and from time to time we'll actually take advantage of the movie-playing abilities on our gaming systems. JBO features our top picks for XBL, PSN, Netflix's Watch Instantly and Blu-ray each week.

Recommendation of the Week:

Jim Henson Double Feature: Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal (PlayStation 3 - Blu-ray disc, $27.95 MSRP per movie, cheaper at most retailers)
Both of these classic Jim Henson movies have been released on DVD before, but this is their first time to Blu-ray, and the first time they've looked so good. Whether it's a magical world full of Skeksis, Gelflings and ultra-powerful crystals, or a magical world full of David Bowie, Bogs of Eternal Stenches and Jennifer Connelly (hubba hubba), the imagination that Jim Henson put into his movies was amazing, especially in a day and age before CGI. One interesting note is that when the Jim Henson Company sold the Muppets to Disney, they retained the rights to Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal, amongst other properties. They've been working on another Dark Crystal film, and I sure hope it comes to theaters one day.

As usual, we'll see you at the popcorn st -- well, actually, we won't see you at all. But you catch our drift. Plus, be sure to tell us what you'll be watching, or what you've seen recently that bowled you over.

Continue reading JBO: Joystiq Box Office, September 28 - October 2

JBO: Joystiq Box Office, September 28 - October 2 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 02 Oct 2009 21:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We can't be gaming all the time, despite our best efforts, and from time to time we'll actually take advantage of the movie-playing abilities on our gaming systems. JBO features our top picks for XBL, PSN, Netflix's Watch Instantly and Blu-ray each week.

This week marks the start of Fantastic Fest at the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin, TX, where this writer will be embedded for the next week. It's a celebration of movies in the vein of geek: sci-fi, horror, anime, weird Asian cult movies and more. With that in mind, we're skewing this week's Joystiq Box Office towards the weird.

Recommendation of the Week:

Ong Bak 2 (Xbox Live Marketplace: 1200 ($15) HD, 800 ($10) SD to buy)
How do you train an orphan to survive? By kicking him into a murky pit full of alligators. If he can survive that, he'll have no problem with the rest of life. That's just the opening scene. The rest of the movie is full of martial arts action, including stunts involving herds of elephants. It's beautifully shot, full of action set in ancient Thailand and goes above and beyond your typical Hollywood fare. Directed, written and starring Tony Jaa, it confusingly has nothing to do with Ong Bak: Muy Thay Warrior. Too bad they didn't give it another name, but rest assured you don't need to see that movie to enjoy this one. In fact, only see that before this if you want to confuse yourself. It's a bit more expensive because it's exclusive online to the Xbox 360 and just hitting theaters as well.

Read for the full list on a system-by-system basis just after the break, where you'll also find a special trailer for Ong Bak 2 to help convince you that you need to give it a shot. As usual, we'll see you at the popcorn st -- well, actually, we won't see you at all. But you catch our drift. Plus, be sure to tell us what you'll be watching, or what you've seen recently that bowled you over.

Continue reading JBO: Joystiq Box Office, September 22 - September 25

JBO: Joystiq Box Office, September 22 - September 25 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 25 Sep 2009 21:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We can't be gaming all the time, despite our best efforts, and from time to time we'll actually take advantage of the movie-playing abilities on our gaming systems. JBO features our top picks for XBL, PSN, Netflix's Watch Instantly and Blu-ray each week.


Recommendation of the Week:

Metropolitan (Mac/PC or Xbox Live, subscription required: starts at $8.99 per month):
Pretentious, talky, and without any action in it whatsoever. So what makes Whit Stillman's classic Metropolitan so good? He just has a way of making the upper crust of New York seem vapidly interesting. The characters seem extremely real, and even though it's a slow film, it doesn't seem like a long one. Although Stillman hasn't directed a movie since 1998's The Last Days of Disco, his writing and directing has influenced both Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach. Watch Metropolitan and you'll see why.

Read for the full list on a system-by-system basis just after the break. As usual, we'll see you at the popcorn st ... well, actually we won't see you at all. But you catch our drift. Plus, be sure to tell us what you'll be watching, or what you've seen recently that bowled you over.

Continue reading JBO: Joystiq Box Office, August 10 - August 14

JBO: Joystiq Box Office, August 10 - August 14 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 14 Aug 2009 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We can't be gaming all the time, despite our best efforts, and from time to time we'll actually take advantage of the movie-playing abilities on our gaming systems. JBO features our top picks for XBL, PSN, Netflix's Watch Instantly and Blu-ray each week.

With the sad passing of writer/director John Hughes yesterday, we're featuring an all-Hughes JBO. The man left a lasting impression on audiences and filmmakers throughout the 1980s, and his movies helped define that generation while providing them with numerous lines to quote.

Recommendation of the Week:

The Breakfast Club (PlayStation Store: $4.50 HD, $2.99 SD to rent, $9.99 to own SD):
Nothing says the 1980s more loudly than The Breakfast Club, and the iconic Simple Minds song "Don't You (Forget About Me)" has been drilled into many heads as an anthem for Generation X. It's a near perfect film, although John Hughes' original cut was two and a half hours long. Universal trimmed it down to 97 minutes, and destroyed all of the negatives. Talk about boneheaded. Apparently Hughes himself had the only complete copy. Let's hope we can see it some day.

Read for the full list on a system-by-system basis just after the break. As usual, we'll see you at the popcorn st ... well, actually we won't see you at all. But you catch our drift. Plus, be sure to tell us what you'll be watching, or what you've seen recently that bowled you over.

Continue reading JBO: Joystiq Box Office, August 3 - August 7

JBO: Joystiq Box Office, August 3 - August 7 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 07 Aug 2009 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We can't be gaming all the time, despite our best efforts, and from time to time we'll actually take advantage of the movie-playing abilities on our gaming systems. JBO features our top picks for XBL, PSN, Netflix's Watch Instantly and Blu-ray each week.

Recommendation of the Week:

For All Mankind (Blu-ray: $39.98 SRP):Quite possibly one of the most beautiful and touching Blu-ray discs you'll ever own. We're right in the middle of the 40th anniversary of the first moon landing, and this Criterion Edition Blu-ray of For All Mankind is full of gorgeous, mostly unseen footage brought back from the Apollo missions. It's backed by quotes from the astronauts involved, and a fantastic Brian Eno score. If you watch this and don't tear up at least once, then you're dead inside.

Read for the full list on a system-by-system basis just after the break. As usual, we'll see you at the popcorn st ... well, actually we won't see you at all. But you catch our drift. Plus, be sure to tell us what you'll be watching, or what you've seen recently that bowled you over.

Continue reading JBO: Joystiq Box Office, July 13 - July 17

JBO: Joystiq Box Office, July 13 - July 17 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 17 Jul 2009 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Apparently, happy is the new angry (Uggh, I apologize; I hate the "X is the new Y" phrase as much as anyone). While the Angry Video Game Nerd series continues to grow in popularity, a legion of imitators -- err, "inspirées" -- have arisen from the depths of YouTube. While most appear to simply swap "Angry Video Game Nerd" with a few synonyms and reduce the effort, quality, and obtainable entertainment of the video, one manages to make the formula something completely his own. Alaskan native Derek, AKA lophatjello, has created the "Happy Video Game Nerd." While the self-explanatory premise may sound eye-roll-inducing, one would be hard-pressed to ignore his passion for the retro games he highlights after watching a video of his. And that is a quality which I value greatly: unbridled passion and optimism for gaming. We're too often deluged by a flood of pessimism and jaded cynicism from the gaming world.

Very recently, Derek covered the NES semi-classic Ducktales. He labels it as a "kick-ass licensed game." This is a notable statement, as conventional gaming knowledge tells us that a license is often indicative of a terrible game. While there are always exceptions to rules, I feel confident that most who are reading this post can agree that licenses are too often a kiss of death. Yet the HVGN is correct; Ducktales is a pretty awesome licensed game. Here, in my humble opinion, are the Top 5 games based on popular film and television.

The Top 5 is a weekly feature that provides us with a forum to share our opinions on various aspects of the video game culture, and provides you with a forum to tell us how wrong we are. To further voice your opinions, submit a vote in the Wii Fanboy Poll, and take part in the daily discussions of Wii Warm Up.

Top 5: Licensed Games That Don't Stink originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

You're in the Movies to make B-movies via Xbox Live Vision originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 14 Jul 2008 14:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Luke Goss to star in Tekken film originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 12 Feb 2008 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Hollywood's next victim: Clock Tower originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 22 Jun 2006 21:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Google's Da Vinci Code puzzle quest launching soon originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 16 Apr 2006 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.