"If the Martians land, they're gonna need a place to stay. Just like everybody else."
Mars. No other planet has inspired as much speculation about the possibility of extraterrestrial life as the Red Planet. There are currently five functioning spacecraft on the surface of Mars, or in orbit above it, searching for signs of life and, while we've yet to find any of the little green men of popular fiction, the latest data from NASA's Curiosity rover indicates that Mars once supported a network of rivers capable of supporting life. But, enough about theoretical microbial Martians. More than anything, Curiosity's discovery got us to thinking about "real" Martians, the kind that thrill and terrify us in popular sci-fi movies, whether they be three-breasted mutant prostitutes, noble savages of a dying planet, or the icky, invader-y type.
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Posted 03.19.13 by BrentJS 
Which Movies Were Game Changers?
Hollywood has been mining literature for source material for years, often with excellent results — 11 literary adaptations were nominated for Academy Awards in 2012 alone — and comic books have inspired several of the most popular and successful movies in recent years. Video games, on the other hand, have proven to be difficult to successfully translate to film. Gamers are often more interested in a game's graphics or the ability to earn achievements than in its plot, so there is often little for the screenwriters to draw upon. As Corey May, co-founder of Sekretagent Productions explained to CNN, "It often comes down to money, as movie studios frequently choose to make films based on the franchises that sell the best, not those with the most cinematic potential."
Still, the success of the Resident Evil franchise — $893 million worldwide and counting— and the prospect of enticing the hundreds of millions of gamers around the world to turn out to see a movie based upon their favorite game keeps Hollywood going back to the video game well for more. Only days ago, it was announced that Ubisoft and New Regency's Assassin's Creed adaptation is moving forward with Michael Fassbender headlining, and there are dozens of other adaptations currently in development, which should be great news for movie fans and video game fans alike. Have there been some turkeys? Absolutely. More than a few, but, despite what CNN's video game expert may think, movies based on video games don't all "stink". In fact, some of them are downright badass. Help us select the video game movies that defied expectations by entertaining us instead of making us groan.
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Posted 10.26.12 by BrentJS