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The fifth Terminator movie Terminator: Genisys marks the return of Arnold Schwarzenegger to the franchise. It is a retelling of the events of the first film surrounding Sarah Conner, now rendered in a parallel timeline that has been altered by other time travelers the principles weren’t aware of when they set things in motion. You can’t really call it a reboot, since it is a different story, just set in the same time, and believably connected to the original timeline by the weird but familiar temporal distortions the story is based on …except for a few pesky things like the actors being different and Arnold being 30 years older. The movie could be either a shot in the arm for the franchise, or as terrible as our worst fears. Either way, we have to wait until next summer to see it. -via Gamma Squad
You know how hindsight is 20/20. Three decades later, Julia Lepetit and Andrew Bridgman have figured out how to shorten the plot of the movie Raiders of the Lost Ark in a way that makes perfect sense. It probably wouldn’t have sold quite as many tickets, though.* See the rest of the story at Dorkly.
* I would have bought one anyway because Harrison Ford.
Batman is such an iconic character that it's pretty easy to imagine him in different getups with different gear, and he never seems to lose his Batty appeal no matter what he's wearing.
It's fun to imagine Batman patrolling the streets of a Gotham City from long ago, or embracing the future with a bit of flash and a new attitude, and this universality makes the Caped Crusader the perfect subject for fan art.
Check out this collection of Batman fan art that reveals what he might look like in different eras both historical and fictional. It's like taking a tour of the Bruce Wayne Museum of Possibilities, and proves that no matter the time or place Batman will eternally look sharp!
Last year, people got pretty darn excited when they heard that Disneyland's Jungle Cruise was going to take on a fun holiday twist for the first time ever. Unfortunately, after experiencing the ride, many visitors (myself included) were more than a little disappointed to find out the "Jingle Cruise" mostly consisted of a changed ride script and a spruced up waiting area.
This year though, Disney went all out on the ride, trimming the trees and decking the hippos. Since most of you probably won't get to experience the update yourselves, here's a fun video showing that when it comes to Christmas, even animals can enjoy a visit from Santa -even if it's just to get the chance to munch on one of his famous reindeer.
#RejectedSpells Animate Dead Relationship
— Popehat (@Popehat) December 3, 2014Finger of Pulling #RejectedSpells
— Kenny (@fusionaddict) December 3, 2014Summon Name of Person Just Introduced to You #RejectedSpells
— Jeremy (@jermwar) December 3, 2014The classic role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons is now in its fifth edition. The editors reformulated much of the gameplay, including magic spells. Not all of the spells under consideration made it into the official manuals.
(Photo: Benny Mazur)
Today, on Twitter, people are having fun imagining what those spells might be. They're using the hashtag #RejectedSpells. Some of them, though rejected, could be useful in real life. Here are some of the funnier suggestions:
While it hasn’t made quite as big a splash as Guardians of the Galaxy at the box office, Big Hero 6 has been a big hit with audiences since its release, garnering the franchise a new batch of fans who might not have ever read the original Marvel comic.
With characters who go from being small time nerds to big heroes, characters who are each totally amazing in their own way, it's no wonder artists and crafters immediately went out and made their own Big Hero 6 themed stuff after watching this amazing animated feature!
Here’s a small yet mighty collection of Big Hero 6 themed do-it-yourself craft projects:
1. Big Hero 6 corner bookmarks-
These Baymax, Fred and Hiro shaped corner bookmarks will help you remember where you left off in your favorite book, and they'll look cute while they hang around waiting for you to finish reading.
2. Stuffed Sock Baymax-
Baymax is the large and fluffy runaway star of the film, so it you're gonna make a Baymax toy you gotta go plush! In this easy sewing tutorial a white sock was used to create a perfectly huggable little Baymax plush kids will love!
3. Tadashi Hamada t-shirt tutorial-
Tadashi is the older of the two Hamada brothers and the inventor of Baymax, but he's also one totally stylin' dude. Here's a tutorial that teaches you how to make Tadashi's signature shirt, so you can complete his heroic look!
4. Big Hero 6 bento box-
Just as Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is going to home video, Screen Junkies gives us the Honest Trailer for it. If you haven’t seen the film yet, this contains minor spoilers, but not enough to make you not want to watch it. Frankly, it’s hard to parse a plot out of anything in this video. But I’ll still watch it, because when the scales are balanced between “stupid” and “awesome,” I’ll just make more popcorn. -via Gamma Squad
"Sith Army Knife" | Image: BillyElNino
After the trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens was released, the excitement for some fans was not to be contained. These fans channeled their enthusiasm in various ways, from fan art to analysis of the trailer, scrutinizing every last shot. In addition, as with many popular images circulating on the Internet, a meme was born. Here are some examples of meme files that have been making the rounds.
See more images of the Star Wars: The Force Awakens meme variety here. 
Image (shot taken from animated gif): mundodvd
Image: imgurbannedmebutnowimback
Image: Facebook
Image: Kotay111
Video games are already pretty awesome, but what happens when they get mashed up with another video game or pop culture franchise? You get ten times the awesome in the form of a video that's super fun to watch and would probably be even more fun to play as an actual game!
Here are ten or so mighty funny video game mashup videos, some of which may contain NSFW language:
1. Pony Fortress- Teamwork is Magic-
What could make the kooky crew from the Team Fortress franchise even more fun? How about some cute little ponies courtesy of Sayer Raider's Pony Fortress 2- Teamwork is Magic!:
2. Sonic For Hire-
Sonic is one of the most beloved characters in the video game world, but according to this hilarious series entitled Sonic For Hire by Lowbrow Studios he's also a bit of a slacker.
You'd think with all those golden rings he's always picking up in every world he visits he could afford to pay his rent, but I guess he's just not very good at saving his money:
3. Chuck Norris Vs. Five Nights At Freddy's-
The murderous animatronic characters found in Five Nights At Freddy's scare the wits out of gamers, but they're no match for the Chuck Norris!
This great mashup vid was created by Dane Boe, a guy who probably didn't even jump when one of Freddy's friends popped out of the dark at him, because he had the power of Chuck Norris on his side:
A space traveler of the future has a malfunction and must land on earth. Although no one is left to greet him, he has a “time trap,” a device which allows him to look into the past to find what he needs to repair his space ship. This short film by Michael Shanks is both intriguing and funny. -via Tastefully Offensive
(Photo: SDSU News Center)
Dr. John Putnam is a professor of history at San Diego State University. He teaches an unusual American history course. HIST 557, which is titled “Star Trek, Culture, and History,” uses Star Trek to explore cultural trends in postwar American society. In an interview, Dr. Putnam explained what he hopes that his students will gain from the course:
As I became more engrossed and interested in Star Trek, I realized that the series had something to say about American society. Not only did I hope that students would gain a greater appreciation for Star Trek, but I also saw it as a different and unique way to examine post-World War II history in the classroom. […]
I remind them that this is a history course and the larger history we study and examine is the central part of this. Star Trek is a vehicle from which to do this. In addition, I hope that they learn how popular culture — whether television, film, or music — can offer insight into the values, concerns, hopes and anxieties of society at the time the television series or film was produced.
This statement resonates with me. Recently, I’ve been re-watching the original series, which is something I had not done regularly in perhaps 25 years.
A few weeks ago, I watched “The Cage,” which was the first pilot for the show, shot in 1964. One element that was particularly striking was the enormous weight Captain Pike and Vina gave to maintaining Vina’s illusion of beauty. In her natural form, Vina had a healthy but mangled body. Keeping the illusion was worth remaining in Talosian captivity. The characters accepted this decision uncritically.
That was 50 years ago. I suspect that such a sentiment could not be expressed without objections if newly published today. In a way, “The Cage” is a time capsule of American social history. I suspect that when examined carefully, many other Star Trek episodes and movies would also prove historically illuminating.
-via College Insurrection
Have you heard the news about those people munching freaks the Titans coming face-to-face with the Avengers in New York City?
Well, that’s actually a thing that is happening, and despite initial reservations it actually looks pretty cool if you don't let the multiple inherent problems with this scenario bother you.
It's best just to think of it as a giant monsters attacking New York kinda thang, monsters who happen to look like naked, and sometimes skinless, people who can't stop grinning.
Giant people monsters who can turn NYC into an all-you-can-eat buffet? The Hulk smashing giant monsters? Sounds like the makings of a deliciously bizarre comic book crossover to me!
Read the 8 page Attack On Titan X Avengers crossover here (Comic panels are meant to be read right to left, like manga)
If you wanted to remake the Marvel movie series The Avengers as a retro made-for-TV movie from the 1970s, you wouldn’t even have to shoot film, because it’s already been done. All you’d have to do is go through the TV archives and edit our favorite superheroes together. They’re all here: the Hulk, Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Black Widow, and Hawkeye (which is a bit of a stretch, but it’s funny enough to let slide). We’ve also got Loki and KISS as super villains, which I think works quite well. This guy should do a Justice League version next! -via Laughing Squid
While everyone and their brother on the internet is deconstructing the Star Wars VII teaser (because that’s all we have), Jalopnik wants to focus on the new style droid we got to see.
So, just to prepare everyone, this is going to get pretty damn geeky up in here, so put on whatever protective gear you may need to protect yourself. And know that I'm going to be writing about this from a perspective within the Star Wars universe, and in that universe there is a healthy and competitive market for droids, and I'll be pulling liberally from other canon and canon-ish Star Wars sources. Okay? Let's get all geeky up in here.
He’s right: the discussion includes a categorization of astromech droids, the R-series, possible reasons for the spherical body, and how it may be designed for real work in the Star Wars universe. You’ll understand it if you’re a hardcore fan, but if not, you will learn more about droids than you ever thought you would. -via Digg
