Studio Ghibli’s latest animated feature is a charming blend of small characters, big hearts, and grand adventure.

With the advent of CGI animation, traditional animated films are a dying breed. But if one studio knows how to fully utilize the hand drawn medium it’s Studio Ghibli. Often referred to as the “Disney of Japan,” Ghibli has a long list of critically acclaimed features including ‘Kiki’s Delivery Service’, ‘Princess Mononoke’, and ‘Ponyo’.

Prestigious pedigree aside, I was curious to see how ‘The Secret World of Arrietty’ held up against its CGI counterparts. And to be honest, it’s in a league of its own.

Adapted from Mary Norton’s ‘The Borrowers,’ the story focuses on the titular Arrietty, an adventurous teenage girl who lives with her parents in a quaint, country home. Or underneath it to be more precise. Arriety and her family are “Borrowers,” tiny people who live in hiding alongside normal humans. To survive, they borrow things like food, tissues, and other supplies that people wouldn’t notice were missing.

Want to pimp your new iPhone 4S or iPhone 4?  Do you have an 8-bit heart?  Then this contest is for you!

Simply tell us what your favorite NES game is and why, and we’ll choose a random winner to receive the above pictured iPhone skin.  Keep in mind the iPhone skin (courtesy of Etsy’s killerduckdecals) will only fit iPhone 4 and 4S models.

Be the envy of all your nerdy friends and sound off in the comments below!

Today is the day America!  The iPhone 4S and new iOS5 are live today and people are lining up across the country to get their hands on the latest Apple swag.

The 4S looks the same as the iPhone 4, with all the new bells and whistles you’d expect from Apple.  The updates under the hood include faster processors, an 8MB camera, and features such as iCloud access.

Sh!t getting real in Monroe.

Nowhere is safe from the insanity!  Even my hometown of Monroe, LA (pictured above)  is hot with Apple fever.  Did you wait in line, pre-order, or just not give a crap?  Let us know in the comments below!

It’s been over ten years since the original Deus Ex was released, delivering a new benchmark in action/RPG gaming.  With a giant world, versatile combat, and a truly unique atmosphere, Deus Ex delivered on all of its lofty promises and then some.  Fans have finally received another entry into the Deus Ex franchise with the prequel, Deus Ex Human Revolution.

But can lightning strike twice?

With the tremendous critical success of Deus Ex, it’s hard not to expect great things from Human Revolution.  And I’m happy to report that Eidos Montreal delivers.  Set in a futuristic Detroit, players control Sarif’s chief of Security Adam Jensen.  Sarif is a pioneering corporation in the field of human augmentation, offering cybernetic enhancements (both life saving and cosmetic).  Need a new leg? They can do that.  Want to increase your brainpower?  Have a neural hub installed.

In 1993, you needed the uber expensive Sega CD peripheral, or a douche/rich friend who had one (f#ck you Cameron) to enjoy the greatness of Sonic CD.  Thanks to Sega’s classic Sonic revival, that will soon change.

Serving as a prequel to Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Part I, Sonic CD will be released for XBLA, PSN, iOS, Android, and PC formats.  Pretty much anything with a screen will have access to Sonic CD.  SCD holds a special place in gamers’ hearts as it greatly jazzed up the heralded Sonic 2 formula adding new moves, time travel (you see the past, present, and future of stages) as well as Metal Sonic.  Why a Metal Sonic? Because he kicked ass, ’nuff said.  The early ’90s were also home to a Metal Urkel so don’t hate.

Sh#t just got real for strategy/RPG fans as Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions has finally been released for iPhone.

Final Fantasy Tactics was a cult classic on Playstation, and received an anime cutscene makeover and updated translation on the PSP remake (which  introduced the ‘War of the Lions’ to the title).  Tactics’ brilliant story, use of FF’s beloved job system, and grid based combat was received as chess on crack, and many a soul has been hooked since.

FFT for the iPhone introduces even more tweaks to the narrative, updated visuals, and (thank GOD) a quick save/resume feature.  All of this can be yours for the unabashedly steep price of $15.99. Pretty f-in pricey for an iPhone title, but ask any heroine addict if there is truly a thing as too expensive.

I want to snort this.

The popular DVD by mail service Netflix has people who are “too busy to stop by a video store” up in arms. The reason? They want more paper.

Starting September 1st, Netflix will charge customers for unlimited DVDs by mail and unlimited streaming movies separately for a total of $15.98 a month ($7.99 per service). While $7.99 for unlimited DVDs is Netflix’s cheapest rates so far, the unlimited streaming service has always been a free addition to any Netflix plan.

One of the worst movies ever made, available instantly.

Granted the ‘New Releases’ page on Netflix’s streaming service is very misleading. “New” referring to anything that has just been slapped on their server be it Lord of the Rings or something ancient like the original King Kong. Regardless, it’s no surprise that current subscribers are a tad peeved about being charged for a service that was previously free.

How Catwoman can do this is beyond us.

In what has already been a nerd fueled summer with the likes of Thor, X-Men, Green Lantern and Transformers, one can easily forget about the real heavyweights around the corner. And by heavyweights we mean ninja trained, playboy billionaires.

Next summer Christopher Nolan’s critically acclaimed Dark Knight franchise returns to theaters with ‘The Dark Knight Rises.’ The above teaser poster was recently released, and rumor has it that the teaser trailer for DKR will premiere with ‘Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2′ this weekend.

This boy wonder sure hopes so!

A film that lifts your spirits. (In 3-D!)

There’s something about old people that’s inherently funny.  Be it their physical ailments, cranky demeanors, or time stamped wardrobes, there’s always a cheap chuckle to be found.  Equally as entertaining are dogs, whose behaviors have been mined for comedy gold to the point of species stereotyping.

And while any chump off the street can string together a scenario involving old people and dogs that caninduce laughter, leave it to Pixar (and their unrivaled sense of imagination) to tell a story with old people, dogs, a gender confusing bird, AND an overzealous boy scout that yields more than laughter.  You’ll laugh, you’ll cheer, and you’ll fight back tears.

The folks at Pixar are by no means strangers to material that’s sniffle inducing.  Be it Wall-e’s incredible loneliness, the loss of Nemo’s mother, or in Up’s case, an old man losing his wife during their golden years.

Up starts off on a high note showing future geezer Carl, as an adventurous young lad who falls in love with the even more quest seeking tomboy, Ellie.  A fantastic montage shows the pair in love throughout the decades dealing with all of the curve balls life throws at them, but never faltering in their affections.  They plan to one day follow in the footsteps of their childhood hero, super adventurer Charles Muntz, who disappeared on a trek to Paradise Falls in South America.

Sadly, Ellie passes away and Charles is left to live his remaining years without his childhood sweetheart by his side.  This turns the lovable Carl into the curmudgeonly Mr. Fredricksen.

You see all of this sweeping love story and feel the pain of loss and loneliness in the first ten minutes of the film.  After this quick six hundred seconds (if you have a heard and/or soul) then like me you’ll be immediately attached to these characters.

Without spoiling anymore than the trailer reveals, the rest of the plot involves Russell, a Wilderness Explorer trying to assist Carl and earn his elderly assistance badge.  At the same time, Carl’s home is taken away from him and he is forced to move to a retirement community.  Wanting to fulfill his promise of adventure to Ellie, Carl (a balloon salesman) fills his house with… well… balloons and sets sail for Paradise Falls in South America.

As luck would have it Russell ends up joining the foray and the comedy gold ensues.  Carl and Russell eventually team up with Dug, a dog equipped with a talking collar, in efforts to protect Kevin (a female exotic bird) from wayward adventurer turned bad guy Charles Muntz.

The writers of Up have done a phenomenal job of securing Carl, Russell, Kevin and Dug into the Pixar Walk of Fame.  Each character’s journey is both touching and enjoyable, all the while never feeling like a total downer.  Even the tears evoked by Carl’s love for Ellie are tears in the vein of sweetness rather than gut wrenching depression.

Every tiny detail, from the way Russell struggles with abandonment regarding his father, to the way the simple minded Dug immediately falls in love with anyone interesting (as only dogs can), just adds to the experience.  Up’s story is coherent, whimsical, charming, and above all entertaining.  Add in the stunning (STUNNING) Disney Digital 3-D and you have what is arguably the most polished Pixar film and one of the most endearing animated films to date.

The Verdict:

If old folks make you laugh, go watch Up.  If dogs make you laugh, go watch Up.  If you hate movies altogether… go watch Up.  I walked away with a laugh on my face and a sincere desire to spend some quality time with my loved ones.  Pixar’s known for their ability to target the wonders of childhood and imagination, and Up may be their highest benchmark yet.

(9.0/10)

Do yourself a favor and watch this movie.

The best at what he does?

I remember walking away from the midnight premier of X-Men: The Last Stand with my fanboy heart crushed.  The faults spread beyond unnecessary characters and plot holes, things like the immediate night to day transition as Magento’s army crossed the bridge made X3 not just a bad X-men movie, but a bad film in general. 

Hating both Brett Ratner and Fox for their abortion of a franchise near and dear to my heart (especially considering how truly great X2 was) I swore to never get excited about any X-men film news in the future.

Then came the trailer for X-men Origins: Wolverine.