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A new look at the upcoming action film starrng real, active-duty Navy SEALs.

Navy SEALs have been kicking ass to keep America safe since 1961, but they've never had their own movie before. Well, not really. That Charlie Sheen/Emilio Estevez movie doesn't count. Act of Valor, opening February 24, is an action movie that stars real, active-duty Navy SEALs in a story based on actual events. We've got your first, exclusive look at this new 30-second preview of Act of Valor, from Relativity Media, so check it now!

Is Allen Iverson planning a comeback to the NBA?

Allen Iverson and Puerto Rico’s professional basketball league are in talks to possibly bring the former NBA All-Star to the Puerto Rican league. Iverson has been out of the NBA since 2010 when he had brief stints with the Grizzlies and the 76ers. The Philadelphia stay felt a lot more like a farewell tour than an attempt to win and was just as pathetic as his Memphis stay-over.

The problem with Iverson is he’s past his prime. He can no longer be the 1-option on an NBA offense and his game and attitude simply aren’t willing or able to comprehend the concept of team basketball.

Iverson has been the go-to-guy his entire life. Coming out of high school as a top recruit and throughout his stay at Georgetown Iverson was the man. The offense flowed through him whether the coach liked it or not. He took a lot of shots and always dominated the offensive flow. Now that he’s in the twilight of his career his only way back to the NBA is as a role player and that doesn’t seem like something Iverson can comprehend.

His presence with both the Grizzlies and Philadelphia in 2010 felt more like him trying to prove he’s still the go-to-man, instead of his adapting to the reality of his new role in the league. The fact he’s always been a headache for coaches and never really fit in well with teammates is only exacerbated now that he doesn’t have the game to back it up.

It’s unfortunate to see, but Iverson has probably played his last NBA game. Sure, he’s better than many veteran players in the league and could definitely beat players like Derek Fischer 1-on-1, but that’s not what teams want out of Fischer. They want a veteran role player that leads by example and comes into the game in specific spots to have an impact. This appears to be a role Iverson is incapable of filling. 

Photo Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS

The power forward announced his retirement Tuesday after 18 seasons in the NHL.

The San Jose Sharks hosted a press conference on Tuesday to announce the retirement of Owen Nolan, who was a huge part of the franchise for eight seasons after arriving in 1995.  Nolan – who was a five-time All Star – was a power forward that used his size to gain an edge and had a talent for putting the puck in the net.  Though he never won a Stanley Cup, the argument can be made that perhaps he is a future Hall of Famer.

Drafted first overall by the Quebec Nordiques in 1990, over the likes of Keith Primeau, Jaromir Jagr and Martin Brodeur , Nolan spent five full seasons with the Nordiques, a franchise that eventually moved to Colorado, before being traded to San Jose in 1995 in exchange for Sandis Ozolinch.  It was there that Nolan became a legitimate NHL superstar, leading the Sharks to five playoff berths and plenty of memorable moments.  The most memorable moment came during the 1997 All-Star Game – which was hosted by San Jose – when he pointed at Dominik Hasek, explaining where he planned to shoot before he scored his third goal of the event.

Nolan helped lift the Sharks to a major postseason upset over the St. Louis Blues in 2000 and ranks second in goals (206), second in power-play goals (75), third in assists (245) and third in points (451) all-time for the franchise.  His best season came during the 1999-2000 campaign, when he led the league with 18 power-play goals and finished with a career-best 44 goals and 84 points.  On Oct. 4, 1999 he set the team-record with six points in a game against the Chicago Blackhawks. The following season Nolan was on the cover of EA Sports’ NHL 2001 video game.

He was the Sharks captain from 1998 until 2003, when he was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs.  The soon-to-be 40 year-old also spent time with the Calgary Flames, Minnesota Wild and Phoenix Coyotes, finishing his career with 422 goals, 463 assists and 1,793 penalty minutes in 1,200 NHL games.

The Sharks have not said publicly whether the team has any plans to retire Nolan’s number 11.

Photo Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS

Forget about Journey 2: The Mysterious Island... Michael Caine has made some great movies. Here are five of them.

Michael Caine is 78 years old. For 48 of those years, he has been a bona fide movie star. He’s got 155 acting credits on IMDb alone, and two Oscars with his name engraved upon them. The handsome Londoner, born Maurice Micklewhite in 1933, is one of the most recognizable faces in film history, and boasts an iconic cockney twang that exudes authority and, at least until he was playing grandfathers, an undeniable sex appeal. And still he ends up in movies like Journey 2: The Mysterious Island.

There was a time when Caine admitted that he’d make any film for the money alone. In regards to the reviled Jaws: The Revenge, he’s been quoted as saying, “I have never seen the film, but by all accounts it was terrible. However I have seen the house that it built, and it is terrific.” But despite frequent crapburgers like the killer bee epic The Swarm, the thoroughly unnecessary sequel Beyond the Poseidon Adventure and the preachy Steven Seagal vehicle On Deadly Ground, Caine has nevertheless contributed fabulous performances in enough movies to make narrowing down this week’s edition of Five Great Movies a real bitch of a job.

We think we’ve got a good crop here, but as always we’re not claiming these are the best Michael Caine movies, just some great ones. Did we leave out your favorites? Let us know in the comments!

Zulu (dir. Cy Endfield, 1964)

Michael Caine’s first starring role, or at least co-starring, remains one of his best films. Not many actors can make that claim, but then not many actors can say they got their start in a movie like Zulu. The film was directed by Cy Endfield, a blacklisted filmmaker whose previous film, funnily enough, was a 1961 adaptation of Jules Verne’s The Mysterious Island. He co-wrote and directed Zulu as a starring vehicle for Stanley Baker, who co-produced, but Caine’s performance led to big roles very quickly, and he soon became one of the most recognizable British stars in the world.

The film is based on a true story about The Battle of Rorke’s Drift, in which Zulu warriors in South Africa besieged a regiment of the English army for two solid days in 1879. Baker stars as Lieutenant John Chard, who assumes command over the hopelessly outnumbered regiment – consisting largely of wounded soldiers – when Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead (Caine) seems unwilling to cooperate. Today the plot seems a little by the numbers – establish the threat, establish the ensemble cast, plan the attack, watch the attack, hope everyone gets out okay – and fans of contemporary films like 300 and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers will probably notice parallels between those films and Zulu. They’ll also notice that Zulu did it just as well, if not better, than practically any siege picture before or since, thanks to a fantastic cast of British character actors and exciting direction from Endfield that captures the chaos of the battle whilst keeping the actual events of the film clear in every single scene. It’s bravura adventure filmmaking that works just as well today as it did in 1964.

Gambit (dir. Ronald Neame, 1966)

Michael Caine’s performance in Zulu earned him some high profile gigs in the years that followed, including his first appearance as the spy Harry Palmer in The Ipcress File and the starring role in the comedy Alfie, which earned him his first Oscar nomination. But unsung amongst his early films, at least for now, is the delightful crime caper Gambit, co-starring Shirley MacLaine and Robert Lom. I say “for now” because the film is currently being remade by director Michael Hoffman (Restoration), starring Colin Firth, Cameron Diaz and Alan Rickman in the same roles. If you’re worried about that, you probably shouldn’t be: the screenplay’s been written by The Coen Bros.

Gambit, directed by Ronald Neame (who would go on to direct the original The Poseidon Adventure), stars Michael Caine as a thief with a brilliant, intricate plan to steal a rare antiquity from the millionaire Ahmad Shahbandar, played by Robert Lom. The film opens quickly as Caine outlines the plan in full, with MacLaine appearing as his willing patsy and everything going off without a hitch. In fact, the story moves so quickly that you’ll start to wonder how long the film could possibly be, until he finishes his explanation and walks over to MacLaine, who immediately screws everything up. In fact, every single neatly orchestrated machination goes horribly wrong as Caine discovers that his scheme is the kind of thing that only works in the movies. Shahbandar is not the eccentric kook Caine assumed he’d be, MacLaine is not the easily manipulated stooge he’d hoped for, and security systems can actually change. Before long Caine is running around with a hangdog look on his face, frantically trying to stick to the plan even though chaos theory – and hilarity – is in full effect. Caine has never been funnier and MacLaine was rarely this charming. It’s a little hard to find, but Gambit is a forgotten comedy classic worth searching for.

The Italian Job (dir. Peter Collinson, 1969)

Caine appeared in another classic heist caper – this time universally acknowledged – in 1969 with The Italian Job, generally considered one of his greatest films and we are in no mood to argue. The eccentric crime saga stars Michael Caine as Charlie Croker, a career criminal recently released from prison, who plans to pull off a massive heist, in broad daylight, in the middle of a crowd, with a team of misfits at his command, played by the likes of Tony Beckley and comedy legend Benny Hill.

The plot of The Italian Job is rich but not terribly complicated. Caine plans the heist, Caine executes the heist, Caine gets in one of the most iconic car chases ever put on film (a merry romp through Italy in Mini Coopers zooming through, under and on top of everything in sight). It’s the unexpected details and gauche style that makes The Italian Job such a unique treat. Caine gets out of jail and right into an orgy. He has to break back into jail to organize the job with a crime lord played by the great Noël Coward. The classic line, “You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!” The Italian Job exudes 1960s style in a way that feels fresh and sexy, not dated and camp. And it ends with an unexpected cliffhanger that’s bound to confound the audience as much as the film’s aggravated cast. The Italian Job was remade in 2003 with an all-star cast that included Mark Wahlberg, Ed Norton, Jason Statham and Donald Sutherland, and it's actually a rather fun film, but it can't hold a candle to the original.

Get Carter (dir. Mike Hodges, 1971)

One of Michael Caine’s darkest films to date is Mike Hodges’ classic British gangster film Get Carter, which stars Caine as criminal out to avenge the murder of his brother. The film was Hodges’ first film as a director, but he went on to make such films as the Clive Owen noirs Croupier and I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead, and also the camp classic Flash Gordon. Weird career, that guy has.

Caine turns down the cockney charm as Carter, a gangster who returns to his hometown after his brother died in an apparent drunk driving accident. The truth is much more complicated, and takes Carter from amusement parks to amateur porn rings as he exacts soulless revenge against those who wronged his family. Critics were not kind to Get Carter at first, condemning the film for its callous attitudes towards violence and immorality, but the film rapidly gained a reputation as one of the best British films ever made due to its assured direction, smart plotting and Caine’s atypically brutal performance as criminal who won’t let being on the right side stop him from being a total d*ckhead. Get Carter was remade in 2000 with Sylvester Stallone in the lead and Michael Caine in a supporting role. Nobody really likes that version. Watch the original to see why it could never hold up.

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (dir. Frank Oz, 1988)

More lighthearted fun then! Michael Caine’s dodgy period – he made an awful lot of crap in the 1980s – was punctuated by one of his funniest films, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, based on the 1964 David Niven and Marlon Brando comedy Bedtime Story. The film was directed by Frank Oz, whose credits include the musical version of Little Shop of Horrors, the hilarious In & Out and also The Muppets Take Manhattan, which co-starred Oz as the voice of Miss Piggy. The film was quite a hit, thanks to the witty script and affable chemistry between Caine and his co-star Steve Martin.

Michael Caine stars as Lawrence Jamieson, a high-class con man operating in the French Riviera who meets the small-time American grifter Freddy Benson, played by Steve Martin, and uses his influence to usher Freddy out of town. But Freddy’s no fool, he just plays one all the time. Freddy convinces Lawrence to take him on as an apprentice, leading to a particularly hilarious sequence in which Martin pretends to be his dimwitted brother, but before long their differences lead to a wager. Whoever bilks the kindhearted Janet Colgate (Glenn Headly, never better or sexier) out of $50,000 can stay in the French Riviera to practice their art, whoever loses can never return. What follows is a smart and extremely funny comedy of improvisation, as Freddy pretends to be a paraplegic and Caine pretends to be a doctor specializing in his exact condition. Classic slapstick and witty barbs can be found in just about every scene, and although the film’s twists and turns may be a little obvious to fans of this kind of material, Caine and Martin are a perfect comedic pairing who bring out the best in each other as actors. You’ve probably seen (and loved) it already, but if you haven’t you owe it yourself to fix that immediately.

That’s it for Five Great Movies this week. Come back next Wednesday for more of our picks, and by all means, leave us a list of your favorites below!

Strong production and songwriting carry Lacuna to new heights, and First Aid Kit deliver true beauty.

Lacuna Coil

Dark Adrenaline

Century Media Records

Lacuna Coil has been an interesting band to watch grow. A touring monster featuring one of the most strikingly beautiful singers in the history of metal, the band has been on the cusp of being huge for a long time. Their last album Shallow Life got them closer to that goal and the new release, Dark Adrenaline, could see them pull a Thelma and Louise over the cliff of mainstream success. Gone are the old screeching vocals and some of the harsher themes, replaced by what really comes down to heavy pop tunes. That’s not a slight; it’s just a realistic appraisal of what Lacuna Coil brings to the table.

Dark Adrenalinekicks off with one of the better songs the band has ever cobbled together. “Trip The Darkness” boasts a catchy riff backed by epic keyboards that scream big metal hit. When lead vocalist Cristina Scabbia releases her angelic vocals you can’t help but bob your head in approval. She’s the ultimate metal girlfriend. Hot, sensitive and super talented. I can picture hundreds of thousands of teenage girls with dark eye makeup and a Jack Skelington hoodie sitting in the corner of their rooms, smoking cigarettes and rocking back and forth to “Trip The Darkness”.

The same can be said for the follow up jam “Against You”. Keyboards announce the hugeness of the gothic angle just as another sweeping and catchy riff propels the song forward. Track after track Lacuna Coil lays down their particular brand of metal/pop with a formula that doesn’t really change. The band has wedged their sound in-between melancholy and rage.  The blasts of anger spraying randomly aren’t Lacuna Coil’s bag. They speak more to the gothic/metal outsiders, the ones looking for a dark soundtrack to their infinite sadness.

Lacuna Coil’s formula is undeniable and they apply it across the board. Start with keyboards or a catchy riff, add Scabbia’s lush and hypnotic vocals, mix well with a high school diary lyrical content and serve with a garnish of heavy metal anger. Song after song Dark Adrenaline is the same thing. If you dig what Lacuna Coil are laying down, then have at it. If you think the band sucked before, this isn’t the album that’ll change your mind.

For me this kind of metal is boring and derivative. It isn’t bad; it just does nothing for me at all. When I can predict the changes and structure of every single tune based on the song before it, I usually tune out. I also can’t stand Andre Ferro’s vocals on any level. His presence injects a nu metal vibe to Lacuna Coil that they can seriously do without. Cristina Scabbia is gorgeous and sings like an angel. Lacuna Coil would be well served to dump Ferro and let Scabbia run the show. In my humble opinion that would triple their chances at becoming a Metallica sized band.

I don’t know if the decision to cover R.E.M.’s “Losing My Religion” was an honest testament to Lacuna Coils’ love of the song or a tactical grab at bigger radio play. Whatever the reason it’s the most glaring example of how little Andre Ferro means to the band. When Scabbia sings the cover soars, as soon as Ferro enters the fray it becomes something off a Linkin Park covers record.

Dark Adrenalineis a clean, crisply produced collection of heavy pop tunes with massive crossover appeal. Cristina Scabbia was put on this Earth to be a rock star. Her voice is intoxicating and her dark presence screams to be the heroine of sad girls and lonely guys everywhere.  Creatively Dark Adrenaline is nothing new for Lacuna Coil, but it could be the album that finally makes them arena rock champions.

CRAVEONLINE RATING 7/10

First Aid Kit

The Lion’s Roar

Wichita Records

Staying in the female vocal vein I give you First Aid Kit. Composed of Swedish sisters Johanna and Klara Soderberg, First Aid Kit is a folk drenched acoustic project that is both uplifting and heartbreaking to listen to. Their latest release, The Lion’s Roar, is a fuller, richer and more mature offering than their 2009 debut The Big Black & Blue.  The Soderberg’s have become more comfortable in their musical skin and more assured of what they want to do. That certainty allows for First Aid Kit to be braver with this album, even if it doesn’t always work.

Peeling back the layers of First Aid Kit is a warts and all experience. Overall The Lion’s Roar is a heart-warming Band-Aid for the heartbroken and isolated. The Soderberg sisters are young, Johanna born in 1990, Klara in 1993, but they have stoic wisdom that betrays their years.  The opening title track was not the best decision because it rambles. The vocals are wonderful as is the stark guitar line, but it goes on for about a minute too long. Thankfully the sister’s vocals are so good the shaky opener doesn’t really hurt the album, it just doesn’t do it justice.

My choice would be “Emmylou”, a song I defy people not to absolutely love. Outside of name checking Emmylou Harris, June Cash and Johnny Cash, the song exemplifies how good First Aid Kit is when they fire on all pistons. The music puts across the imagery of an old traveler working his or her way across the dusty roads of America. When the Soderberg harmonies enter the fray everything stops. The world gets quiet and just a little more beautiful.

“In The Heart Of Men” has the easy flow of Blood era This Mortal Coil. “Blue” is a more up beat number, cashing in on how much fun a song becomes when you add a xylophone. “To A Poet” puts Johanna and Klara’s vocals in the forefront. The instruments are more restrained, framing the harmonies wonderfully. “Dance Another Tune” is the dramatic tightrope act. It’s not easy for two Swedish sisters to use Native American rhythms to propel their Americana song along but the Soderberg’s pull it off.  It’s these kinds of chances that keep The Lion’s Roar from sinking into hipster folk bullshit. The zither-like sound in “New Year’s Eve” or the basic country structure of “This Old Routine”, every tune manages to try something new while never losing the subtext of what First Aid Kit are all about.

The only glaring misstep is the tune “King Of The World”. The song itself is beautiful, using a combination of church swing, generous hand claps and the mariachi style horns Johnny Cash used for “Ring Of Fire”. Again the sisters tell a sad story with glorious vocals. “King Of The World” sets up to be one of the powerhouse tracks of the whole exercise. Then, for no reason, Bright Eyes Conor Oberst jumps in to sing a line and kills the whole song. The sudden appearance of male vocals is just too striking a contrast against the rest of The Lion’s Roar so the song flatlines. The jaded will claim the inclusion of indie-rock coolness strikes the first dishonest chord on the album but that’s a little too nitpicky even for me.

Ups and downs aside, The Lion’s Roar is the first truly beautiful album of 2012. I hope bands like First Aid Kit (and the equally brilliant Mountain Man) can bring back these classic Americana ideals without also including the vomitous indie hipster factor.

CRAVE ONLINE RATING 7.5/10

Talking anti-used game software in Xbox 720, as well as this week’s major releases.

Welcome to another episode of Next Gen News, CraveOnline’s weekly gaming podcast with your hosts Erik Norris, Joey Davidson, Mike White and Alex Keen.

On this week’s program we’re discussing a rumor that recently reared its ugly head. It’s been reported by Kotaku that the next Xbox will implement anti-used game technology to effectively kill the used game market. Trust us, this is terrible news for multiple reasons. We break down why in this week’s show. We also take some time to talk about all the big releases coming out this week, ranging from Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, The Darkness 2, Shank 2 and more. Listen in to find out our opinions on each.

If you dig the show, let us know in the comments below. You can also follow us on Twitter and subscribe on iTunes. Catch you next time!

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Our take on the Watchmen prequels, Avengers and Spider-Man movie trailers and more!

Hey howdy, buckaroos!  Here we are at Book Report podcast number Ochenta y Ocho, with your hosts, Andy Hunsaker and Iann Robinson, with special guest Blair Marnell from The Idiot Box, because we really needed the full trio here to deal with the official revelation of the Before Watchmen prequel project over at DC.  Are you Team Alan Moore or Team Dave Gibbons?

Also on the docket for discussion are the apparent crossover with 616 Spider-Man and Ultimate Spider-Man in the works, as well as the new Avengers and Amazing Spider-Man movie trailers and The Wolverine sequel release date in July of 2013.  We don't neglect actual comic books, though - X-Club, Swamp Thing, Spider-Man, Lone Ranger, Batwing, Venom, Uncanny X-Force and more get the run-down.

Subscribe to us on iTunes and follow us on Twitter (@CraveBookReport) whenever you can.  Also, be sure to check out Crave Online's other podcasts for all your entertainment needs - there's the "The Idiot Box" for TV, "The B-Movies" for film, "Next Gen News" for video games and "This is REALLY Happening" for comedy. Crave Online's got you covered.

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And, for reference, here is the "Watchmen Rap" that Iann mentions during the podcast.

It's a slow process, but Chi is showing promising signs of recovery, responding to basic commands.

Wanna have the hottest Valentine's Day ever? We ask the (s)experts for spicy tips in this exclusive video.

Hey guys, in case you haven't noticed, Valentine's Day is just around the corner. You do have plans, don't you? Because if not, your girlfriend/wife/whomever is going to be really pissed. But fear not! We've got you covered with an exclusive video featuring some of the hottest porn stars in the world giving you their advice on how to make the most romantic night of the year extra special. And kinky. With special appearances from adult superstars Dana DeArmond, Chanel Preston, Marie McCray, Sativa Verte, Sarah Shevon, India Summer, Jelena Jensen and Ela Darling, who has the most original, geeky, bad ass idea you're ever likely to hear.

NSFW!

Don't forget to check out the fabulous first installment of our Adult Entertainment Expo 2012 (AEE) coverage, featuring exclusive interviews with Bobbi Starr, Charley Chase, Stoya and more!

Check out the full length video for "Hey Girl," the theme song for Fox's breakout comedy, "New Girl"!

Last fall, Fox's "New Girl" quickly become one of the season's most popular new series, thanks in large part to the quirky comedy of Zooey Deschanel.

Created by Elizabeth Meriwether, "New Girl" stars Zooey Deschanel as Jessica "Jess" Dayly, an offbeat woman in her '20s who rebounds from a bad relationship by moving in with three single guys, Nick Miller (Jake Johnson), Schmidt (Max Greenfield) and Winston Bishop (Lamorne Morris). Hannah Simone costars as Cece Meyers, Jess' best friend.

Deschanel also performs the "New Girl" theme song, "Hey Girl." And in this special exclusive video from Fox, Crave Online is proud to present the official full length music video for "Hey Girl," with the entire cast reprising their roles for an impromptu party. 

But that's not all!

Fox has also released an interactive version of the "Hey Girl" music video which allows viewers to choose how the video turns out, which dances Jess will perform and even the theme of the party including Beach and '60s as possible variations!

There is also a special behind-the-scenes clip about the music video on the official Fox "New Girl" site.

Don't miss new episodes of "New Girl," Tuesdays at 9PM, only on Fox!