Geek News Highlights - The Artificial Intelligence Edition
By Robin-Leigh Chetty 5 November 2014 | Categories: newsFirst trailer for Neill Blomkamp's Chappie surfaces
Neill Blomkamp, one of South Africa's leading directorial talents, has been carving out a solid name for himself within the sci-fi movie fraternity ever since District 9's debut in 2009. Now the first trailer for his latest endeavour Chappie has surfaced, and again uses the sci-fi genre as a medium for dissecting some pretty hard hitting social issues. In it, viewers are introduced to the eponymously named robot, as he explores the often perplexing modern day world, this time round with a distinct South African edge.
Other notable appearances in the trailer include Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire, The Best Marigold Hotel), who plays a young engineer who brings Chappie to life. Assisting him in Chappie's learning process are South African Zef music stars Die Antwoord. Also added to the mix is Hugh Jackman (The Wolverine, Prisoners) who plays the antagonist in all this. Set for release on 6 March 2015, we cannot wait to see more from this locally flavoured sci-fi flick.
Marvel teases Japanese crossover with Attack on Titan
We're big fans of anything to do with Marvel, and the same goes for the anime series, Attack on Titan. So when we heard that a mashup of the two universes was set take place in Japan, we were more than enthused. The news comes courtesy of Marvel senior vice president C.B Cebulski, who took to Twitter and teased a pic featuring Spider-Man slinging through the air as two Titans (Eren Yeager and Annie Leonhart) crash through buildings in the background.
The picture was captioned "Not a joke, folks. Attack on Titan and the @Marvel universe are crossing over! In 2 weeks. In Japan. Want a teaser?" With no date detailed on when the two worlds will meet, we can't wait for more info to be divulged on what could be a very interesting crossover.
Artificial intelligence experimentation features in Ex Machina trailer
It seems like a banner week for robot-themed movie trailers, as the first one for the sci-fi thriller Ex Machina has recently debuted. Taking on a different approach to the possibilities posed by artificial intelligence, compared to Chappie, this film attempts to blur the line between man and machine. Directed and penned by Alex Garland, Ex Machina focuses on the efforts of two programmers as they attempt to make AI a reality.
Using a rather attractive and charming female robot to bring their AI vision to life, the two programmers' sanity starts coming into question as they begin to lose control over the experiment. Destined for cinemas next year, 10 April to be more precise, Ex Machina is one of a slew of new films that try to answer the mysterious world that AI presents.
High octane cars aplenty in new Furious 7 trailer
Now for a change pace, moving on from robots to machines of a different nature altogether, and more specifically the high octane vehicles that The Fast and The Furious franchise is famed for. Now the seventh installment in the series named Furious 7, the movie wrapped up filming in spite of losing one of its main cast members, Paul Walker, in tragic accident earlier in the year. As per the franchise's norm, the trailer is a chock-a-block with death defying stunts as the usual suspects attempt to pull off a rather ambitious heist.
Along with the sizeable braun of Vin Diesel and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Furious 7 sees Jason Statham (The Transporter, The Expendables) join the cast as the man tasked with bringing the team to justice. With James Wan behind the camera and release in select IMAX theatres scheduled for its 3 April 2015 opening, Furious 7 promises to be an all-action ride.
Vinyl soundtrack for GTA V landing 9 December
Along with the enhanced version of GTA V (review) set for release on PS4 and Xbox One come 18 November, Rockstar Games has something in store for all the audiophiles out there. In conjunction with Mass Appeal Records, the game developers are set to debut an expansive vinyl version of GTA V's soundtrack. The limited edition box set will feature a total of 59 tracks found in the game, including GTA V's original score and songs featured in the in-game radio stations.
Rockstar is also adding a few new tracks for this special edition, and this vinyl version will differ slightly from the digital one available on outlets like iTunes, with a total of 5000 copies expected to hit select US retailers on 9 December. Pricing for the special edition GTA V soundtrack is yet to be disclosed.
Steve Jobs biopic still looking for lead as Christian Bale drops out
It seems like Hollywood has forgotten pretty quickly about Ashton Kutcher's Jobs, which debuted a year ago. Now a new Steve Jobs biopic has been greenlit, with Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire) slated to direct. Also confirmed last week was Christian Bale, who was rumoured to have confirmed his part in the movie playing Jobs himself. Now a few days on, it's being reported that Bale has pulled out of the project, with the Hollywood Reporter citing that he felt the role was not right for him.
It appears as if this role could be ill-fated, as Leonardo Di Caprio was also linked to play Jobs, but decided to pull out as well for similar reasons as Bale. As the search for a new actor to portray the Apple co-founder continues, Seth Rogen's name has also been bandied about as an option to play Steve Wozniak, Apple's other co-founder.
Most Read Articles
Have Your Say
What new tech or developments are you most anticipating this year?