In May 2011, I was working as a personal trainer in a small gym.  I was talking to clients at the treadmills when a breaking news segment came on saying that Osama Bin Laden was dead.  Almost a full decade after 9/11, the most wanted man alive had been killed.  Kind of a big deal.

America had successfully assassinated a man responsible for the deaths of thousands.  Media coverage told us about the elite members of Seal Team 6 and their raid on Osama’s complex.  I knew the manhunt was an exhaustive effort, but I really wasn’t aware of the astronomical odds of its failure were.

And these impossible odds are the crux of Kathryn Bigelow’s ‘Zero Dark Thirty.’  The film follows CIA interrogation “Maya” (played masterfully by Jessica Chastain) as she wages a seemingly one-woman witch hunt for Bin Laden.  Combining documented real events with Bigelow’s grounded direction, Zero Dark Thirty provides a grim, realistic view of these extraordinary events.

An atmospheric dose of summer zombie fun.

XBLA’s “Summer of Arcade” is synonymous with solid mid-year gaming titles.  Summers past gave us gems like ‘Shadow Complex’ and ‘Limbo’, both 2D platformers taking drastically different (and successful) approaches to the genre.  This year’s ‘Deadlight’ attempts to combine the action of Shadow Complex with the moody atmosphere of Limbo, while maintaining a unique voice.

Lofty goals I know, but does it succeed?  For the most part.

‘Deadlights’ is a 2D action platformer set in 1980′s Seattle.  Some catastrophic global event has turned most people into (wait for it) soulless zombies.  Players assume the role of Randall Wayne, a rugged outdoorsman who keeps a surprisingly revealing journal.  Like most post apocalyptic tales, all Randall wants to do is find his wife and daughter amidst the chaos.

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!