Historically, Hollywood has a pretty terrible losing record when it comes to turning video games into films. No one knows how film makers have made such a mess of turning (mostly) good stories into complete garbage that is so far removed from their source material. From Super Mario Brothers to Street Fighter, Bloodrayne to Max Payne, the majority have been just plain bad and nothing more than cheap, cash tie-ins. The level of writing within games has long rivalled that of film standards, the character development and plot has become as important as visuals and how realistic explosions are. So with good writing in place, characters already visually realised, and pretty much most of the hard work done, why is it so hard to translate a game to a film?

 The fundamental problem that can ruin any project is laziness. If a director or anyone involved doesn’t have a good knowledge of the source material then it will never work. Now, not all films that have come from games have been bad. There has been quite a few that have done the source material proud, So what games have yet to make it to the big screen, and which ones would work well if handled correctly.

Half Life 2

The original Half Life was released back in 1998 to critical acclaim, a first person shooter than no doubt forever changed the shape of the genre. The follow up Half Life 2 was released in 2004 to yet more universal acclaim, winning even further game of the year awards. With such an undeniably great game with an immersive story, it is only right for a film to come from it.

But as with all game to film conversions, can an intense and immersive game experience translate into a 2 hour motion picture? First problem, and a crucial one, is that the protagonist Gordon Freeman doesn’t actually utter a single word throughout the entire game series. Quite difficult to convey in a film. Drive handled the silent type well in Ryan Gosling, but he at least had a few lines. After rumours about JJ Abrams possibly taking the reigns of the adaptation, there hasn’t been any further word. Not to mention he picked up the reigns of a franchise far bigger than Half Life; Star Wars. Maybe in the near future, Abrams could dedicate himself to making a Half Life movie a reality.

For the role of Gordon Freeman, three actors instantly spring to mind. Bryan Cranston, who already has the scientist persona down, Edward Norton or even House MD Hugh Laurie would make a great main character. The film itself would be pretty action-packed, and trying to cram over several hours of gameplay into a film would be tough to do, but surely a game series that is so critically acclaimed like Half Life deserves a well made film.

 Max Payne

Something needs to be done to erase the terrible Mark Wahlberg film from existence. When the trailer first hit the internet back in 2008, it showed relative promise, it looked the part, the tone was spot on and of course the bullet time was on display. But when Max Payne was released, it turned out to just be another lazy film makeover, with very little relevance to the source material. Mark Wahlberg even admitted that he didn’t play the game himself, and by the looks of things, no one else did either.

Max Payne has everything needed for a genuinely good modern film noir; the pessimistic protagonist, the bleak world, revenge and femme fatales. Out of all the games on this list, Max Payne should have been the easiest to replicate on the big screen. The game has the look and feel of a movie, down to the noir-esque monologue from Max throughout the game, and has enough engaging characters and moving plot line that the film can work without the need of constant action.

A big part of all Max Payne games is the bullet time heavily borrowed from The Matrix, which came out just before the first Max Payne game. Since then, the slow motion, bullet trailing sequence has been replicated so many times that it will be difficult to pull it off without looking a cheap imitation. But if Max Payne can be done right, it would be a modern film noir masterpiece.

Metal Gear Solid

The definitive stealth game, probably one of the greatest games of the Playstation era, Metal Gear Solid. Hideo Kojima’s masterpiece debuted on the original Playstation back in 1998, and is still held as one of the greatest games of all time. What was even more groundbreaking than the tactical gameplay was the engaging cinematic storyline, score and voice acting. The stage seems to be set for a film version, but as with all great things in the video game world, such a film would have to overcome numerous obstacles.

Kojima even admitted back in 2006 that a film version was in development, but without the original voice actor of Solid Snake, David Hayter onboard. Then in August 2012, Konami announced that Columbia Pictures will be producing a live-action film, but no further news has surfaced since then.

Since the first game in 1998, numerous sequels have been released, all covering the immense back story and multi-layered world of Metal Gear, there is almost too much choice in making a film. It isn’t hard to imagine that a series of films could cover a large number of storylines and easily be as successful as the Bourne trilogy. With Metal Gear Solid, most of the important elements are in place, as Hideo Kojima not only created Metal Gear Solid, but also directed, produced and co-wrote the game. All that is missing is the studio to back it correctly and involving the right people, those who care deeply for the franchise.

The word Television is from the ancient Greek word  “tèle” means “far” and the Latin word “visio” means “sight”. Television is a device or a form of technology that receives and transmits moving images or otherwise known as “movies” that are sometimes monochrome or black and white and at other times in full color.

The moving images that it receives from a nearby broadcasting station is projected in three dimensions by the cathode ray tube or “CRT” and it also has an audio decoder to reproduce the sounds from the transmitted radio signals through the audio speakers. It is mainly used for entertainment, information and education. It is also referred to as a television set, television transmission or television program.

Unlike the internet where it is still struggling to compete with TV even nearing the completion of its third decade since it was made for public use; TV took over print media and radio broadcasting overnight! The world quickly catch on and before we knew it, TV had become a global phenomenon. Today there are approximately 4.7 billion units of television throughout the world and they range from the old cathode ray tubes to the flat LCD and plasma screens and all the way up to the latest LED curved TVs. In fact, there are more TV sets than computers in the world today and it seems computers and the internet has yet to surpass TV’s dominance in the mainstream media world.

Here are some of the latest innovations on television today:

The various innovations that companies have developed today makes television almost unrecognizable except for developers and providers adding the suffix “TV” at each new idea that they conceived. Apparently it’s no longer just about a broadcasting station and the box with moving pictures in it! In order to understand what these innovations are allow me to break it down to you in bite sizes. TV nowadays could be…

1) 3DTV – is a semi-total immersion television system that uses multiple techniques such as multi-view display, stereoscopic display,  2D-plus-depth, and other forms of 3D display which makes the object on the TV screen appear to have dept and form just like real objects are. In other words it makes viewing movies on a 3DTV seem realistic! It is one notch below holograms as you will need a specially-designed 3D glasses in order to see the images projected from this type of TV set. The benefits of having a 3DTV is that it makes learning more fun for kids who wants to learn about space and the universe or what’s in our oceans at the comfort of their living rooms. Watching movies that are heavily incorporated with CGI (computer generated imaging) takes you right in the middle of it, which is a completely different experience than just watching the same movie from an ordinary TV. One way 3D images are produced is by offsetting the images and separating them to each eye (left and right), then use passive color filters and a light source to project the image in a singularity all the while the 3D glasses help solidify the images from the viewer’s perspective.

2) Cable TV – CATV or cable television is a system that delivers TV programs through the use of coaxial or fiber-optic cables. Those who wish to subscribe to TV programs offered by CATV companies has to pay for them and that’s why cable television has been a major success back in the 1980’s and 1990’s. The benefits of subscribing to a cable TV network is that you’ll have hundreds of channels and vast TV programs to watch all day everyday; while the disadvantage is that due to the fact that TV shows and movies are sometimes played more than 3 times a day, you will get bored eventually. The take-away is that when you have a busy schedule and you absolutely need to catch up with the episodes of your favorite TV shows or when there’s some very interesting shows that you need to take down notes from.

3) HDTV – or otherwise known as high definition TV or hi-def TV is a modern innovation that came out in the latter years of the first decade of the new millennium. HDTVs has a resolution display between 720p – 1080p which is basically 0.92 megapixels to 2.07 megapixels and that’s like more than 5 times normal! In February 2008 the FCC ordered all TV broadcasting frequency in the United States be set to high definition standards, because the federal government will use all the lower bandwidths exclusively. Perhaps the best benefit that HDTV brings is that you won’t ever have fuzzy signals again.

4) Smart TV – is a cross-between TV and internet as it has the attributes of both. Examples of Smart TV include Apple TV, Amazon TV, Google TV, MeeGo, Plex, Roku, Samsung, TiVo and more! Companies that offer Smart TV programming requires users to buy a set-top-box which is some sort of a receiver (much like cable and satellite TV systems) where you can get exclusive access to paid TV programs. Besides gaining access to TV programs you can also get games, internet access and special offers through the Smart TV vendor which is even better than ordinary TV.

5) Satellite TV – it’s  almost very similar to cable TV except for 2 things: a) network coverage can extend beyond the US, and b) providers always broadcast in HD bandwidth which is very desirable for subscribers. TV programs may or may not be the same as cable TV providers offers and severe weather conditions can disrupt satellite broadcast which is an obvious weakness for satellite TVs. Satellite TV providers also offer a bundled service that includes TV, internet and telephone service.

6) Internet TV – is also called Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) where mainstream media TV and alternative TV programs are converted into digital signals and are offered for either free or paid subscription over the internet through video streaming technology. Advantages of internet TV is that you can access it from your desktop home computer, your laptop computer, your tablet computer and even your smartphone. And what’s not to like about mobile TV watching your favorite shows while you’re on the go? Absolutely nothing! Another thing that you may like about internet TV is that you can participate in their forum discussions in real time as a fan and sometimes even interact with the stars and other people involved in creating and developing these shows.

7) PPTV – another emerging digital television is known as peer-to-peer television or PPTV. It is very popular in Asia, particularly in China, Korea, Thailand and other nearby countries – this is because the technology was developed in Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China. For now the system is mostly compatible with Microsoft’s Windows OS (operating system) and you can watch TV shows, movies, sports, news and other special coverages right off of the browser. If it will be marketed worldwide, then we may see it soon on other platforms.

Other possible future TV innovations include holographic imaging and virtual reality TV although it may take years for us to see it into fruition as the marketing aspect of these innovations is such a huge obstacle to get around with. Still, the number of innovations that has so far been developed are leaps compared to what we had just a decade ago which are very impressive. Whatever your preference is you can be sure that you will absolutely enjoy these wonderful new innovations for TV.

It has been over 20 years since Kevin Smith made his directorial debut with Clerks back in 1994. And now, after many years of teasing and dropping hints of the third film, Kevin Smith has finally revealed a release date for the much anticipated sequel to 2006’s Clerks II. With the returning duo of Jay and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes) joining the cast of Rosario Dawson and Jeff Anderson, Clerks III will finally be the film that fans have been waiting for.

The original film Clerks, was Smith’s debut and has gone on to become a cult favourite. Shot entirely in black and white due to budgeting restraints, saving money and time on having to correct colour in post-production due to lighting issues. The film follows a couple of store clerks who worked in a convenience store, the store where Kevin Smith actually worked in at the time. The store only allowed them to film when the store was shut so Smith had to film throughout the night, grab a few hours sleep and then resume working during the day.

But Clerks III almost didn’t even happen, Smith tried so hard to get the film financed in time for the 20th anniversary but no company was picking it up. Most noticeably was the Weinstein Company declining the $6million asking price from Smith, it was only when his latest feature was panned that companies were interested in other projects of Smith’s. Tusk, a horror film about a podcaster who goes missing in the backwoods of Manitoba starring Justin Long received unfavourable reviews across the board. But luckily, this meant that the Clerks series will finally have the sequel to bring the trilogy to an end.

Smith has confirmed that filming will begin in Philadelphia in May 2015 with a release date of August 2016, coming exactly ten years since Clerks II was released back in 2006. As for the plot, it is still very much under wraps with no clue as to what it will focus on, or even exactly who will feature. Jeff Anderson, who played Randal in the first two films, mentions on Kevin Smith’s podcast that the script to Clerks III will be a different kind of film to the first two. Smith also goes on to claim that the third and final instalment, at 137 pages, will play like The Empire Strikes Back of the Clerks trilogy.

Clerks III will be released in August 2016 and a 20th anniversary vinyl edition of the original film’s soundtrack will be available soon.

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The Angulo siblings have spent their whole life in New York, but they never left their apartment for almost 14 years. The only glimpse to the world beyond their walls was through cinema, as the children became huge film fans in the confides of their parent’s apartment. Filmmaker Crystal Moselle met the Angulo brothers out around town as they were walking around, together in a pack, which lends itself to the name of the documentary about the film-loving Angulo’s, The Wolfpack.

Moselle spotted an unusual group of kids on First Avenue looking bewildered and out of place, all dressed in sunglasses like the characters from their favourite film, Reservoir Dogs. Curious as to what these seemingly lost group of children were up to, Moselle befriended them and thought they would make an interesting documentary. Their father Oscar, a Peruvian immigrant, is a devout Hare Krishna follower who was incredibly paranoid of the outside world in New York, worried that the city would corrupt his children. So he opted to keep the front door locked at all times, never allowing his children to experience life beyond those walls. Their mother, Susanne from the mid-west of the US, was the only education that the children received.

It took a while for Moselle to gain the Angulo’s parents trust, but eventually she was allowed within their world. Expecting these children to be damaged somewhat by being trapped in the same building for so long just watching classic films, it was a pleasant surprise to Moselle that the gang came across as the most gentle, insightful, curious people she had ever met. The seven children, Bhagavan, twins Govinda and Narayana, Mukunda, Krisna, Jagadesh, and their younger sister Visnu are huge film fans and have watched over 5000 movies. The have always enjoyed re-enacting favourite scenes from films with whatever props they could find around the house. Moselle found it interesting in how these films shaped the Angulo children’s views of the world outside. The Dark Knight left a particularly large impact on Govinda where he felt that he could believe that there is another world, and that it made him believe it was possible to escape this world. Which in fact is what happened. An escape which happened when one of the brothers managed to make his way out of the apartment, and this act of escapism paved the way for all the other siblings to escape too.

Now, everyone but Visnu, the eldest sister who has learning difficulties and stays at home. For the other brothers, they are finally moving on in their life away from the walls of their parent’s apartment. Bhagavan is learning how to dance at a hip-hop group, Govinda has moved out of the apartment and is now working as an assistant cameraman and aspires to be a director of photography. Younger brother Narayana works for an anti-fracking organisation and has a strong interest in the environment. The first brother to leave the apartment though was Mukunda who is an aspriring director and writer. The only members of the family still living at home with the parents are Krisna and Jagadesh.

The Wolfpack premiered at Sundance Film Festival last month and claimed the Grand Jury Prize for Best US Documentary and will be released soon.

Horror comedies are a rare breed, but when they come along they will either be a huge hit, or a whimpering disappointment. Destined to go on to become cult hits forever. Ghostbusters certainly achieved the former back in 1984 and is still much loved to this day, by blending horror elements with comical characters. Shaun of the Dead followed suit in 2004, becoming the world’s first Rom-Zom-Com.

Edgar Wright’s feature film directorial debut, after the cult favourite Spaced, perfectly blended the zombie horror genre with comedy. The vampire genre is up next and Taika Waititi’s What We Do in the Shadows is the first feature since Boy (2010). Co-written by Flight of the Conchords’ Jermaine Clement, the film follows three flatmates as they struggle to deal with modern life, paying bills and dealing with difficult housemates, and they all happen to be centuries old vampires.

Shot in a mockumentary style, like This is Spinal Tap, the film follows four centuries old flatmates; Viago, Deacon, Vladislav and Petyr as they struggle to adapt to modern life. Sharing a flat in the suburbs of Wellington, New Zealand, the film stars both Taika Waititi and Jermaine Clement, who previously worked on Eagle vs Shark (2007). Clement, who is one part of New Zealand’s fourth most popular folk duo, Flight of the Conchords, with Brett McKensie. Before it became a comedy hit on HBO in 2007, the comedy band was a popular BBC radio series. With the second season ending in 2009 with no further seasons, Flight of the Conchords are on permanent hiatus until a potential film or reunion tour happens. Joining Jermain Clement in What We Do in the Shadows is another Flight of the Conchords regular in New Zealand’s comic Rhys Darby as a werewolf called Anton.

Up until very recently, What We Do in the Shadows had great trouble with distribution within the United States. With only a limited release in the US, just two venues, it needed a Kickstarter campaign to increase distribution. Started in January, the campaign needed $400,000 in order to fund the incredible expenses required for distribution throughout the United States. This includes promotional material such as posters, trailers, advertising, publicity and of course the film reels themselves. Luckily, the target was achieved by 13th February and ensures the film was distributed around the whole of the US. The film was scheduled to be released on the 13th February in New York at Landmarks’ Sunshine Cinema and then on the West Coast in Los Angeles at the Arclight Cinemas/Hollywood. But with the target exceeded, What We Do in the Shadows can now

What We Do in the Shadows opened at the Sundance film festival in 2014, as well as being in the official selection of esteemed festivals such as SXSW, Berlin and Toronto film festivals. The film also was awarded the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto Film Festival in 2014. The film has also done well outside the festival circuit by being warmly received by most critics with the UK’s The Guardian’s resident film critic Peter Bradshaw describing it as one of the best comedies of the year.

The US wide release of What We Do in the Shadows is set for March this year and is available worldwide.