Author: Trafficblast

Before Super Bowl LIII officially began, viewers were treated to a few trailers, one of which was for Alita: Battle Angel, the upcoming blockbuster movie adaptation of the Japanese manga series. The movie is directed by Robert Rodriguez and produced by James Cameron, and its special effects are front and center in the short trailer.

Spectacle looks like its going to be a big part of the Alita: Battle Angel viewing experience and, between shots of Vector–who is played by Mahershala Ali–hunting the titular cyborg, we get to see some impressive shots of the futuristic setting. There’s also some very threatening looking bad guys floating around.

Alita: Battle Angel also stars Jennifer Connelly (Hulk), Ed Skrein (Deadpool), and Jackie Earle Haley (Watchmen). When the first trailer for Alita was released in 2017, it sparked some controversy for the look of the title character–specifically, her unnaturally large eyes. At the time, Rodriguez explained at San Diego Comic Con that he wanted a realistic depiction of the source material, which in turn stayed true to James Cameron’s wishes to bring the manga to life.

To watch this year’s Super Bowl, you can head over to CBS Sports and catch the game, along with the adverts and trailers, live.

The Super Bowl was in full effect on February 3, airing on CBS, where the L.A. Rams took on the New England Patriots to determine which team is the best in the NFL for the 2018 season. However, there were a good chunk of people watching this game around the world for the weird and funny commercials. So why not keep track of some of the best ones that aired during the big game?

Listen, I know comedy. I was once paid $50 to do standup at a cosmetology school, but that’s besides the point. Throughout the evening, we’ll be reporting some of the funniest, silliest, and wackiest commercials from the evening. From Harrison Ford yelling at his dog with a collar equipped with Amazon Alexa to the Bud Knight getting murdered by The Mountain from Game of Thrones, there were some fantastic TV spots this year.

If you’re looking for every single new TV spot for this year’s Super Bowl, don’t worry, we have a list of everything that aired during the big NFL game for you as well. For now, here are the funniest commercials we saw during the evening.

Olay Won’t Save You From Murderers

Sarah Michelle Gellar pops into this Olay ad which aired during the 1st quarter. Apparently, her Olay facial products have worked so well, she can’t unlock her phone with her face anymore.

Audi Fever Dream

A man finds himself inside an electric Audi, but it was all a dream, as he was choking on a cashew.

Game of Thrones Bud Light

In quite possibly the weirdest crossover commercial of all time, the Bud Knight was murdered by The Mountain from Game of Thrones. Dilly dilly?

Amazon Alexa

There were plenty of items that incorporated Alexa which didn’t work out. The best bit of this star-studded commercial was Harrison Ford’s dog ordering dog food.

Alexa Can’t Eat Pringles

While stacking Pringles to make a new taste combination is something we all do, an Amazon-like device, in this commercial, is depressed it can’t taste them.

Buble Rebrands Bubly

Acclaimed singer Michael Buble has decided to rename PepsiCo’s product Bubly by taking a marker to every single product.

Tony Romo In Easy Mode

Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo shows us all what his easy mode is like, which includes a golf putt that even I could make.

The Super Bowl has come and gone, but in the aftermath, Pixar revealed a trailer for Toy Story 4. The gang is back, but they’re not all together. Buzz is all on his own, and in quite the predicament.

In the new trailer–which you can see above–Woody and Bo Peep are back together again, but where is Buzz Lightyear? Well, he’s now at the state fair, but he’s not there visiting. He’s now a prize for one of the games. We also get to meet a couple of new, fluffy characters, who aren’t too friendly to Buzz.

Back in November, we got our first look at the upcoming movie and that included an introduction to the new character Forky, voiced by Tony Hale. However, since then, fans of the longtime series weren’t too sure what this movie was about.

Toy Story 4 hits theaters on June 21 and sees the return of Tom Hanks (as Woody), Tim Allen (Buzz), Annie Potts (Bo Peep), Joan Cusack (Jessie), Blake Clark (Slinky Dog), Wallace Shawn (Rex), and John Ratzenberger (Hamm). The movie will be directed by Josh Cooley, who wrote 2015’s Inside Out.

All Phase 4 Characters Revealed In The Opening

During the opening, there are a few quick flashes of characters, all in black, white, and red: Wasp, Nick Fury, Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, Falcon, Scarlet Witch, Guardians of the Galaxy, Black Panther, Winter Soldier, and Vision. The majority of these folks were dusted off at the end of Infinity War. So why show these characters before the Marvel Studios logo? Because this is the future of the MCU.

Aside from Nick Fury, no one here is a Phase 1 character. The characters we know and love from the MCU are probably going to die if they weren’t in that quick opening montage. Why would Marvel choose those characters to show? Why is it happening so quickly? It’s because these characters are the future, which actually really bums me out because Scott Lang wasn’t there.

Halftime has concluded for the 2019 Super Bowl, where the New England Patriots faced the Los Angeles Rams. And while CBS offered a halftime show featuring Maroon 5 and Atlanta’s own Big Boi, WWE delivered something completely different–shirtless people punching each other.

The resident wrestling nerds of GameSpot could not have been happier about this, as WWE’s Halftime Heat aired on the WWE Network, along with YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. And if you’re someone who frequents GameSpot, then you know Mat Elfring and Chris E. Hayner are going to talk about wrestling. Just like any PPV, we’re going to review the match.

You can watch the match for yourself below. Halftime Heat starts at 3:34:29.

Aleister Black, Ricochet & Velveteen Dream vs. Tommaso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano & Adam Cole

Wow… Triple H kicks off the whole thing by saying, “If you are all in as a fan, then NXT is for you.” Shots have been fired, and they didn’t need to be. Or maybe I’m looking way too much into the “all in” aspect of his line, which was the largest independent wrestling shows of 2018: one I got to attend. The atmosphere is bizarre, considering this is taking place inside the Performance Center and the crowd isn’t as big nor as rukus as a normal NXT crowd. Sure, it got better as it went on, but it didn’t start off too hot. Velveteen Dream feels so out of place in this match, in the best way possible. His NFL-inspired ring gear is awesome, and he’s the only wrestler on his team who is 100% personality. He rounds out the group really well. Then, there’s Ricochet, who I could watch flip around the ring all night. The dude is a complete innovator.

Around the 10 minute mark, I noticed I’ve turned into a morose mouth-breather as my jaw has been completely dropped after a series of insane high spots. As this match progressed, we got some amazing spots, and Adam Cole became the whipping post for Team Dream. I wasn’t surprised by the outcome of this, by any means. It delivered exactly like I thought it would and was the perfect counter-programming for CBS’ halftime show.

The only real problem–for me–with Halftime Heat was that the in-ring storytelling aspect of wrestling wasn’t really as solid as it could have been. It was primarily tons of high spots to get new folks engaged with the product, which is perfectly fine. This match played as more of a Greatest Hits than a full-fledged wrestling match. I guess the only real question I have for WWE is, “Who is watching Halftime Heat that already isn’t super familiar with the WWE and NXT products?” Regardless of my nitpicking, this was a blast, and I hope WWE does this again next year.

Side note: Hey, WWE Network. Work on your app on Smart TVs. During a 16 minute match, it crashed on me three different times, including during the finish.

— Mat Elfring (9/10)

When WWE announced that NXT was going to have its own Halftime Heat event, it was great news because I don’t really care for Maroon 5. That said, it also meant the brand would have to deliver the absolute best it has to make for a compelling Super Bowl alternative. Thankfully, NXT delivered in a massive way and had to make a few new fans tonight, between airing live on the WWE Network and across the company’s streaming platforms. Right from the start, it was clear that the small crowd at the performance center was made up of die-hard fans that were ready to be loud, as each NXT Superstar–six of the brand’s top names–made their way to the ring.

What followed was an exciting six-man tag match loaded with high spots, everyone getting in their signature moves, and an actual story. It was all set up at the end of TakeOver: Phoenix, when the three heroes and three villains had a pull-apart brawl, something that overflowed onto Halftime Heat. I honestly can’t say enough about how great this was, even with some shaky production work at the beginning of the broadcast. It’s hit some highlights, though.

• Velveteen Dream’s football-inspired attire was amazing, as were the tackles he doled out early in the match.

• Having a female referee preside over Halftime Heat was so smart. Those who watch NXT already know women are referees for some matches. However, for non-fans, having a female in charge helps to show how much the role of women in WWE has changed over the last few years.

• Shawn Michaels joining the commentary team for the show was the right move. He’s clearly super passionate about NXT as one of the brand’s trainers and it showed in how he spoke about the action. Honestly, they should utilize him in that role more.

• If this didn’t make you a believer in Ricochet and his ability to do literally anything, I don’t know what will. That said, he defies gravity regularly and I love it.

• Something this match did was allow each talent to show off their style of fighting. For Aleister Black, this means kicking as hard as he possibly can and itlooks so painful for his victim each time.

• I know wrestling fans are split on the overuse of the superkick. I love it and loved how it was on display here.

• I love Tommaso Ciampa and think he’s a great NXT Champion, but find me a better heel than Adam Cole, I dare you.

— Chris E. Hayner (10/10)

Carol and Yon-Rogg

It’s taken us a while to get official confirmation of just who, exactly, Jude Law is playing. But now that we know he’s Yon-Rogg, and the moments between he and Carol take on an interesting subtext. In the comics, Yon is a Kree extremist who deeply hates and resents humans and considers the original Captain Mar-Vell, Carol’s mentor, to be a traitor to the Kree race. In the MCU version of events, it looks like Yon will be straddling some sort of line between the two, acting both as a malevolent force against the humans and a sort of mentor to Carol.

Based on how intensely they’re sparring (or, y’know, just straight up fighting) in this scene, we can imagine that that particular dichotomy causes some real tension between the two of them.

During the Super Bowl, a new Captain Marvel trailer debuted (as did an Avengers Endgame trailer). And, as we’ve seen in the past, it again has people asking whether Captain Marvel the character has always been a woman. As with so many things in comics, that’s a complex subject, as detailed below.

While we’re a couple months away from Marvel’s next movie, Captain Marvel, the second trailer has arrived, and yes, she’s still punching old women in the face. The character has a very confusing history, which has led to a few people to question who this character is. More specifically, some are not sure why she’s a woman. To the average person who isn’t well-versed in comic book lore, this can all be a little confusing. Don’t worry, we’ll get you up to date and explain it all as quickly as possible.

First are foremost, comic book continuity is confusing and full of plot holes and errors. Keeping track of what’s gone down in stories for the past 80 years or so can be quite the task. However, Captain Marvel at Marvel Comics is a woman and has been for the past six years, and the character behind the mask–Carol Danvers–has been a part of the collective comic book universe for 50 years now. When Danvers took on the role of Captain Marvel, it made the character relevant again, which it hadn’t been for 30 years or so.

So let’s talk Captain Marvel. There are three main characters using this name. The first is DC Comics’ Captain Marvel–who goes by the name Shazam now. He’s actually a young boy named Billy Batson who becomes a superpowered adult when he yells “Shazam.” He’s the DC hero in the red suit with a giant yellow lightning bolt on his chest. Zachary Levi will be playing the character on the big screen on April 5, 2019.

Then, there’s Marvel’s first Captain Marvel, Mar-Vell. He was the captain of a Kree militia and a protector of the universe. Mar-Vell died in 1978 after inhaling poisonous gas and getting terminal cancer. He’s been resurrected a few times, and still shows up every now and again but he hasn’t been a heavy hitter for decades.

So that leaves us with Carol Danvers, the current Captain Marvel. Throughout the years, many people of various sexes and races–both alien and human–have fought under this mantle, but Danvers was the person that made this character relevant again. If you grew up in the ’90s and watched the X-Men cartoon, you know who this character is. In the realm of X-Men: The Animated Series as well as comic book canon, Rogue got her super-strength and flight by sucking the life out of Ms. Marvel, Carol Danvers. However, Danvers eventually recovered, and years later, after the Avengers vs. X-Men storyline, she took on the mantle of Captain Marvel. Her backstory is wildly confusing, as is almost every cosmic character from Marvel’s silver age. However, her origin is getting a little bit of a clean up in the new movie.

You can learn more about the character by checking out her history video above to see just how insane it is or wait until Captain Marvel hits theaters on March 8, 2019.

Something is going on with Respawn, although it’s still not confirmed officially what that is. Leaks have circulated throughout the weekend regarding a new game called Apex Legends; whatever it is, the developer will be sharing details during a stream at 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET / 4 PM GMT.

Respawn CEO Vince Zampella sent out a tweet during the Super Bowl that linked to a Twitch account called Play Apex. This account is scheduled to host a livestream on Monday. There is zero context to what the stream will be about, as neither Zampella’s tweet or the Twitch account reveal specific details.

Zampella’s message seems to reference the leaks, saying, “Looks like everything is unlocked now? Fun. So, if you like Respawn, our games or even me, you should tune in tomorrow. Our stream starts at 8 AM PT and we’ll tell you everything about Apex Legends. Everything.”

Respawn is the developer behind Titanfall and Titanfall 2, two popular first-person shooters that see players engage in large-scale battles as either agile Pilots or powerful Titans. Titanfall 2 is one of the most critically-acclaimed shooters in recent years–we gave it a 9/10 in our review and listed it as one of our top games in 2016–and fans of it have been clamoring for more since its release.

In Titanfall 2, unlike its predecessor, you can pick which faction you choose to fight for in multiplayer. One of those factions is the Apex Predators. The Apex Predators are also featured heavily in the game’s campaign, as the group of merciless guns for hire who serve as Titanfall 2’s primary antagonists. Seeing as Respawn is no longer making more post-launch content for Titanfall 2, it’s probable that the upcoming live stream is for something brand new. Even so, the Twitch channel’s name implies it still might relate back to the 2016 game.

We’ve known for a while that Respawn has been working on another Titanfall title. The developer has actually confirmed its working on three games right now–Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order, some Titanfall-related game, and an unnamed VR title. During an EA quarterly earning call, the company’s CEO Andrew Wilson announced that at least two Respawn games would release in 2019. One of those has been confirmed to be Jedi Fallen Order, which is scheduled for release sometime before the 2019 holiday season, but we have no official word on what the other title(s) might be.

Rocket on the Beach

Rocket Raccoon is notably absent from the moment outside of the Avengers compound, leaving us to wonder just what, exactly, he’s been up to since the snap as the last Guardian of the Galaxy on Earth. We get a pretty pointed shot of him entering a house on the beach (note the lobster traps behind him) but very little context to work from. Rocket doesn’t have much history on Earth, but his love of weapons and engineering might mean he went searching for Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne who, if you remember from the end of Ant-Man & The Wasp, moved their conveniently portable home to the beach after Jan was recovered from the Quantum Realm.

Of course, both of them were turned to dust in the snap, so hopefully Rocket won’t be too disappointed if that’s actually where he’s at and who he’s looking for. Then again, this might be a completely different beach house–though it seems a little unlikely that any of our main protagonists secretly purchases some beachfront property in between all their world-saving antics. Though, we suppose, Hawkeye did have a secret farm for so many years, so stranger things have happened.

If you’re watching the 2019 Super Bowl, you probably saw plenty of Bud Light commercials over the course of the evening–many of which were about corn syrup. However, during one spot in the second quarter, the Bud Knight met his demise at the hands of The Mountain.

It was turning out to be another silly Bud Light ad, where the King and Queen were enjoying a couple of beers and about to watch the Bud Knight triumph during a joust. At least, that’s what they thought would happen.

Sadly, the Bud Knight was knocked off his horse during this exhibition, and the new champion was none other than Gregor Clegane, also known as The Mountain from HBO’s Game of Thrones. Clegane walked up to the fallen knight, and used his thumbs to gouge out his eyes. We’re all presuming the Bud Knight is now dead.

It didn’t end there. A dragon flew overhead and burned everything to the ground. Is “dilly dilly” no more? This was easily one of the oddest commercials during the final NFL game of the season.

While this was a sad moment, we were all reminded that Game of Thrones is returning for its final season this April. The first trailer for the new season aired back in January in a cryptic teaser, which didn’t contain any actual footage. However, it did hint at the fates of members of the Stark family.

Game of Thrones returns to HBO for its final season on April 14 at 9 PM ET / PT. And you can watch the Super Bowl live while the game is still going on.