Karaoke terrifies me. I don’t sing (well), and choose not to punish my friend by forcing them to listen to me at bars. Yet, if we’re at a karaoke bar, people think it’s “funny” to put your name in for you, or encourage you to get up on stage. (It’s not.)

Yoostar 2, a new video game for XBOX Kinect and Playstation Move, is movie karaoke. And would be WAY less embarrassing at bars.

Using green screen and motion sensing technology, it inserts you into your favorite film clips, and scores you based on the lines and movements you do.

Take a look at Leonard Nimoy re-enacting a scene from Terminator at Yoostar’s E3 demonstration:

The game already has films like 300, The Matrix, Terminator, The Godfather, The Hangover, and Rocky included. I CANNOT wait to re-enact the wolfpack speech!

Would you play this? And what scene would you rock at re-enacting?

You all know that I love retellings of fairy tales and older stories. And this is a wonderful look into the back story of the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz.

Heartless: The Story of the Tin Man from Brandon McCormick on Vimeo.

The lighting, costuming, and score are all beautiful, and the story is heartbreaking. It’s 22 minutes, but well worth it.

Find more films from the creators at Whitestone Motion Pictures.

What famous character would you like a backstory created for?

Sometimes, an internet discovery is just perfect: Like this Mario-themed video, discovered on Movie Monday.

The only word I have to describe this is… beautiful.

Something good came out of the MTV Movie Awards last night: A trailer for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1.

Angst! Snogging! Fights in tents! More angst! This movie has it all.

AND. I. CAN’T. WAIT.

Film arrives by owl post to your local theater on November 19, 2010. WIll you be dressed up at the midnight screening? I probably will.

For those who haven’t heard, Michael Bay will be producing the new live action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles by Paramount and Nickelodeon. Luckily there’s no word on if he’s directing as well at the moment.

I LOVED Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles growing up. (Check out how excited I was about a TMNT notepad today on my twitter!) I don’t want Michael Bay ruining their witty pizza-eating-ninja-behaving ways. Seriously. I will cry.

What’s next in the 80’s-toy-turned-Michael-Bay-movie list? Hopefully not Care Bears. Tenderheart’s not a big fan of explosions.

(And according to IMDB, this is one of 14 projects he currently has in pre-production, including one titled The Birds. I sincerely hope he’s not trying for a remake of Hitchcock’s horror.)

What do you think about this news? Will he do justice to the TMNT? Who would you want to see direct it? Do you want it to be cheesy family-friendly fun, or dark and gritty?

Source: AV Club.

College Humor is at it again with this great commentary on Superhero films:

What do you think of “gritty reboots” of films? I for one love the dark, more realistic tone it sets. And I’m always in for 10 ccs of Daddy Issues.

This fan made Street Fighter trailer is arguably better than any of the actual Street Fighter movies. Enjoy.

Check out Street Fighter: Legacy’s YouTube channel for behind the scenes clips on the fight design, costume, and makeup!

(Special thanks to ZombieJack for the link!)

EDIT:

Here’s another fan-made video, brought to my attention by both Tekknight and Sesh_ . Which one do you like best?

The third Batman movie in Christopher Nolan’s trilogy finally has a release date: July 20, 2012

So you have some time to catch up on Batman Begins and The Dark Knight if for some reason you haven’t seen them yet.

The film is currently in pre-production and doesn’t have a villain listed yet. Who would you like to see as the villain?

(Christopher Nolan has already claimed it will not be Mr. Freeze. Sorry, Arnold. No puns from you this time.)

I found this short film today, and am loving the special effects. “The Raven” takes place in LA in the future, and it looks like their cops (and criminals) have advanced a bit.

I’m a big fan of futuristic/dystopic societies in film, and what kind of statement they’re making about our current society.
Snarkerati created a wonderful list of the top 50 dystopian films–it’s a great place to start if you’re new to the genre.

What’s your favorite dystopian film or story?

I’m a big fan of fairy tales, legends, and mythology. Not frilly princessy pink stuff, but the dark stories passed down from generation. The stories that give people morals and show what social roles different people had at the time.

Even more so, I’m a fan of people who take these old fairy tales and legends and translate them into modern day stories. And Arthur’s Lore does an excellent job of this.

This short film is a modern day re-imagining of the legends of King Arthur. It’s funny, well done, and creative with the names of the characters and locations. It’s only about 15 minutes long and you can watch it here. (Click on Arthur’s Lore on the bottom right). The film does have some NSFWish elements, including violence, a girl in her underwear, and some sexual humor. You know, all the good stuff. You’ve been warned.

Do you have a favorite re-telling of a classic fairy tale, legend, or myth? Tell me about it in the comments!