Ooh, Shiny!

Hey, look! We found a thing on the internet! We thought it was cool, and wanted to share it with you.

First Trailer for Masters of The Universe Reboot

EppuLeave a comment

Oho—another upcoming movie that I’ve missed: He-Man and pals are getting a reboot. Here’s the first Masters of The Universe trailer:

Masters of The Universe – Official Teaser Trailer by Amazon MGM Studios on YouTube

Well, now. This is clearly an origin story. I’m hazy on how—and why—would little Adam be sent to Earth to hide and what, exactly, there is at Castle Grayskull to protect in this version of the story. Perhaps that’ll become clearer in future trailers.

The protagonist is played by Nicholas Galitzine, a complete unknown to me, but the supporting cast has some very big names like Morena Baccarin, Idris Elba, Jared Leto, James Purefoy, and Kristen Wiig, and smaller familiar ones like Alison Brie, Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, and Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson.

Like Molly Templeton said at Reactor magazine, so far it “looks like the generic version of Thor: Ragnarok, as ordered from a questionable website.” Agreed! Also, some clips and effects look almost like they’re copy-pasted from other Marvel Cinematic Universe content.

I haven’t bothered to dig up the MCU cinematographers or visual effects companies for comparison, to see whether there is a real overlap or whether this could be a case of a visual language being increasingly adopted within the genre movie industry in general. (It could also be a blatant case of stylistic copying to try and lure in MCU fans, of course.)

But I do have to wonder, if visuals across big productions are starting to resemble each other to this extent, what does it forebode for future genre action movies? I’ve gotten quite tired of the stagnant action movie structure, to be honest. For a while the larger story arc across the separate MCU movies was interesting, since it had never been done before on that scale. (In fact, MCU reminds me of Babylon 5, the first to introduce really extensive story arcs for SFFnal tv shows.) But is there going to be anything interesting that’ll define action franchises anymore? Thematic differences like fast custom cars (vroom vroom!) or superpowered individuals or big monsters will remain, sure, but anything worth caring about? I guess I’m hankering after a paradigm shift in action movies, really.

Annnyway. 🙂

Travis Knight is directing a script by Chris Butler, Aaron Nee, Adam Nee, and Dave Callaham. Callaham at least I recognize from the 2014 Godzilla, Wonder Woman 1984, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.

The release date for the U.S. and U.K. for MotU is listed as June 05, 2026.

Hey, look! We found a thing on the internet! We thought it was cool, and wanted to share it with you.

Teaser Trailers for Avengers: Doomsday

EppuLeave a comment

Someone observed that in about a month, we’ve had four teasers for Avengers: Doomsday. It is, indeed, unusual.

The ones focusing on fathers(!), Steve Rogers and Thor, were released at the end of December 2025:

Steve Rogers Will Return | Avengers: Doomsday in Theaters December 18, 2026 by Marvel Entertainment on YouTube

Thor Will Return | Avengers: Doomsday in Theaters December 18, 2026 by Marvel Entertainment on YouTube

The trailer about Professor X and Magneto came out at the beginning of this January:

Avengers: Doomsday | Only in Theaters December 18, 2026 by Marvel Entertainment on YouTube

And the Wakandans trailer a good two weeks ago:

Avengers: Doomsday | Only in Theaters December 18, 2026 by Marvel Entertainment on YouTube

My first thought was: I wonder what has changed that Marvel has disrupted their pattern of marketing? Then I saw the plot synopsis on IMDB: “Plot under wraps.”

Ah. Likely they’re after hype, probably spurred on by the less than stellar performance overall of phases four and five of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

As the teasers are really short, we obviously don’t get much detail, however. It’s intriguing and refreshing that so much of the Steve Rogers trailer concentrates on him smiling and just holding (presumably) his baby. An interesting choice for such a short clip.

It’s also refershing that an uber-masculine franchise such as MCU is now mature enough to discuss not just fathers and sons from the perspective of being the son, but also becoming the father. We had a version already in Avengers: Endgame and a glimpse in Thor: Love and Thunder, but it seems it may now get a somewhat larger share of attention.

What does baffle me is why we see so many fewer women on screen than, say, in Avengers: Endgame. The current cast listing on IMDB is also very, very man-heavy. It’s like someone suddenly developed an overwhelming case of cooties…

We’ll have to see how many of my impressions change in the coming months as more trailers are released, as I’m sure they will be.

At this writing, the release date for Avengers: Doomsday is either December 17 or 18, 2026, depending on location.

Hey, look! We found a thing on the internet! We thought it was cool, and wanted to share it with you.

Trailer for The Death of Robin Hood

Eppu1 Comment

Oh, I had not come across this—a new Robin Hood adaptation is coming to the big screen. It involves an old, wounded Robin, and they’ve scored quite a big name for the titular role: Hugh Jackman.

Here’s a trailer:

The Death of Robin Hood | Official Trailer HD | A24 by A24 on YouTube

There are some impressive locations and cinematic beauty, like when the little girl (who sounds like one of the protagonists) and Robin meet in the woods and he promises to make her a bow. Sadly, though, I find the trailer a bit too vague; too many flashbacks to Robin’s past, perhaps? Also, some of the scenes are too dark to see. While that’s a benefit for me when really graphic violence is depicted, I can’t say I really care for either. (I wish the movie business would get out of the if-it’s-fantasy-it-must-be-explicitly-violent-because-Game-of-Thrones-was-and-that-did-great rut already!)

It seems that Jackman is the only name I know from the cast. Even the writer-director Michael Sarnoski is completely unknown to me, so I can’t even guess at the style of story this might be. I do like what I see of the adult and young female protagonists, though (played by Jodie Comer and Faith Delaney, it looks like).

While there is something to be said for a tale where a man and a girl form a meaningful connection, this doesn’t look like a movie for me. (Like I implied in my post about the 2025 Red Sonja reboot, there is no longer a need to see absolutely everything SFFnal if you want to see anything, since the selection has grown so much.) We’ll see if that changes with further trailers.

According to IMDB, The Death of Robin Hood has only two release dates at this writing: one for Mexico on May 28, 2026, and merely 2026 for United States.

Hey, look! We found a thing on the internet! We thought it was cool, and wanted to share it with you.

A WoW Player Housing Treasure: Winter Sauna by CottageWizard

Eppu2 Comments

The next World of Warcraft expansion, Midnight, will be released at the beginning of March, but one of the new features—Player Housing—was made available already at the beginning of December 2025.

This early access has been hyped quite a bit in some circles—we were certainly excited about it, and followed various news items. A lovely feature I stumbled upon is the Midnight beta gallery of user-submitted builds at Wowhead.

There are so many inspiring houses and rooms at the gallery, with inventive uses of items and decorative elements—not surprising from gamers, right? 🙂 However, I want to especially highlight one: a Winter Sauna Cottage by CottageWizard.

Wowhead CottageWizard Winter Sauna Cottage Mashup Sm

In real life, little cottages like this are quite popular here in Finland, and typically contain a multipurpose room (or two) plus a sauna room with washing facilities in a corner.

CottageWizard describes the idea like this: “Winter sauna cottage built on the Midnight Beta. Tried to create the illusion of a snowy environment without snowy housing items! This was created at house level 3.”

The whole is really, really impressive. I absolutely love it! And, having messed about in the housing editor, I can see how much effort went into the build. The facade. The snow. (Snow!) The covered firewood storage. Towels on their pegs in the hallway. Creating the wood panels and benches in the sauna. The added platforms and beams in the room (e.g. as molding in the kitchen area). The kitchen backsplash.

What I don’t get is how the snow outside is achieved. I wish CottageWizard had included a little more detail; I’ll have to ponder that a bit.

But the sauna is absolutely perfect! The heater (kiuas) is protected with railings, as it should. Wood paneling throuhgout, ditto. Buckets (barrels) of water and ladles. A couple of levels of seating to adjust your bathing experience when it gets too hot or cool. A window is a bonus. (But HOW does it look snowy outside?!?! HOW?!?) There even is a sauna whisk (vihta or vasta, depending where you’re from) and a thermometer on the wall!

LOVE. IT!!! 😀

Images: screencaps from World of Warcraft: Midnight beta release by CottageWizard via Wowhead, mashup by Eppu Jensen

Of Dice and Dragons talks about games and gaming.

Darude: A Finn Immortalized in World of Warcraft

Eppu1 Comment

Lately Erik and I have been preparing for the new player housing in World of Warcraft, to be released before the upcoming Midnight expansion. Before that arrives, though, there’s a little detail in the current expansion, The War Within, that I want to save for posterity. (Even if it’s just myself. 🙂 )

Blizzard is known for using references to pop culture personages or phenomena in WoW. What comes immediately to mind is Rio Duran (a Duran Duran reference) in Mount Hyjal, Harrison Jones (Harrison Ford / Indiana Jones), the Very Light Sabre swords (Star Wars lightsabers), and Haris Pilton (Paris Hilton) in Shattrath City, for example.

Now there is also a compatriot of mine! The Finnish artist Darude has been immortalized as D’rude, a randomly appearing NPC found in delves. One of the mob’s abilities is Sandstorm, which confirms it. “Sandstorm” was Darude’s big hit single in 1999, and still pops up here and there.

WoW TWW Nightfall Sanctum Drude
Wowhead Krionix Drude

Incidentally, the “Sandstorm” music video with parkour and running (so much running!) around southern Helsinki was directed by Juuso Syrjä and has become a bit of a hit, too, with over 300 million views.

Darude – Sandstorm by Darude on YouTube

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Darude’s career, a Sandstorm Run event was held in Helsinki, Finland, at the end of this August. We were not in town for it, but we did save a map of the route and walked it later for our own enjoyment.

Anyway, Finland was mentioned! Torille! 🙂

Reddit Finland Mentioned Torilla tavataan

Images: Screencaps of D’rude by Eppu Jensen and by Krionix via Wowhead. Finland Mentioned by moerkoet via Reddit Finnishmemes.

Of Dice and Dragons talks about games and gaming.

Mapping Middle-Earth

Erik1 Comment

Want to see something amazing? Check out this project to create a detailed map of Tolkien’s Middle-Earth using modern geographical software.

The level of detail is incredible. There are both 2D and 3D versions of the map that you can zoom in on and fly around like a modern digital map. Here’s a view of Rivendell and the nearby Misty Mountains from the 3D version.

The Middle-Earth Map is a project Micah Vander Lugt, a geographic information sciences analyst. It’s great to see people put their professional skills to work on hobbies that they’re passionate about!

Hey, look! We found a thing on the internet! We thought it was cool, and wanted to share it with you.

Star Trek: Discovery Theme as Disco!

EppuLeave a comment

There’s a brilliant version of Star Trek: Discovery theme—in disco style:

Star Trek Discovery Theme but the theme is DISCO by Craven In Outer Space on YouTube

It really packs a lot into its minute-and-a-half running time. I can’t figure out a single thing that’s extraneous or out of place; everything fits either into disco or Discovery, even the tempo change at the end. Ha! 🙂

Found via Daniël Franke on Mastodon.

Hey, look! We found a thing on the internet! We thought it was cool, and wanted to share it with you.

Thumbs & Ammo Nopes Out of Gunplay

Eppu2 Comments

The other day, I was rummaging around in some old stuff when I found this. The blog Thumbs & Ammo collected movie posters or screencaps with firearms replaced by a thumbs-up.

Some of my favorites are below.

Thumbs n Ammo Pierce Brosnan
Pierce Brosnan as James Bond by Pulai A. via Thumbs & Ammo
Thumbs n Ammo Laurence Fishburne
Laurence Fishburne in Matrix Reloaded by Jonathon J. via Thumbs & Ammo
Thumbs n Ammo Sigourney Weaver
Sigourney Weaver and Carrie Henn in Aliens by Elliot D. via Thumbs & Ammo

And saving the best for last:

Thumbs n Ammo Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope by James L. via Thumbs & Ammo

Epically hilarious! 😀 Looks like the blog hasn’t been updated in a good while, though. Shame.

Images via Thumbs & Ammo

Hey, look! We found a thing on the internet! We thought it was cool, and wanted to share it with you.

Official Trailer for the Rebooted Red Sonja

EppuLeave a comment

The Red Sonja reboot I mentioned a while back has a trailer out now:

Red Sonja | Official Trailer HD by Samuel Goldwyn Films on YouTube

Hm. Not very many fantasy elements, merely the large cyclopian monster on the arena. Other than that it reminds me of Game of Thrones and not in a good way, sadly.

I’m looking forward to another trailer—at least I’m hoping we’ll get another one—and a few more details, since at this writing it still doesn’t look like there will be a theatrical release in Finland.

Finally, a PSA since some people on the Internet seem to need it: this version of Sonja does not wear a chainmail bikini. I am not an expert in armor, but I do know what chainmail looks like, and this isn’t it. This is scale mail of some sort.

According to IMDB, this version of Red Sonja is already out in Australia, Greece, and Kazakhstan, with releases coming in the U.S. (Aug 13, 2025), Ireland (Aug 18), and Thailand (Aug 21).

Hey, look! We found a thing on the internet! We thought it was cool, and wanted to share it with you.

Trailers for The Fantastic Four: First Steps

Eppu1 Comment

For a long time, superheroes and mutants were kept apart in Marvel Cinematic Universe screen adaptations due to contractual hassles. No more! Wolverine & Deadpool started opening doors and pulling characters from their earlier, separate silos into a more comprehensive world.

The Fantastic Four is now getting a new adaptation. The group’s gone through a few attempts before. I haven’t seen the 1994 version, but it looks like the lovechild of ST:TOS, the original MacGyver series, and Indiana Jones. I am okay with the 2005 and 2007 adaptations as far as the characters and actors are concerned. Alas, the 2015 abomination was dreadful all round, except for Michael B. Jordan and Kate Mara.

The upcoming movie looks to integrate the Fantastic Four into the MCU. Here’s the teaser trailer…

The Fantastic Four: First Steps | Official Teaser | Only in Theaters July 25 by Marvel Entertainment on YouTube

…and the first full trailer…

The Fantastic Four: First Steps | Official Trailer | Only in Theaters July 25 by Marvel Entertainment on YouTube

…and the final trailer:

The Fantastic Four: First Steps | Final Trailer | Only in Theaters July 25 by Marvel Entertainment on YouTube

It seems quite cheesy at first—very sixties, and the tv show intro that the full trailers start with is so corny. The Silver Surfer and Galactus seem appropriately celestial, but these clips don’t really give us much; they just imply a run-of-the-mill slugfest. I’ve gathered that’s not all, though, that the multiverse is somehow involved.

I do like Pedro Pascal’s work, but I can’t quite see him as Reed yet. Vanessa Kirby should also be fine as Sue, but I know next to nothing of Joseph Quinn (playing Johnny Storm) or Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Ben Grimm; although technically I have seen him in Andor s1, but am drawing an absolute blank on his role).

A month to go and I still have no idea whether it’s worth seeing this on the big screen. MCU’s really struggling lately.

FF:FS is set to premier on July 25, 2025.

Hey, look! We found a thing on the internet! We thought it was cool, and wanted to share it with you.