Jersey Jack Pinball reveals Wizard of Oz crystal ball functionality

Makers of the Wizard of Oz pinball machine have been keeping a secret.  Every time anyone asked about the crystal ball on the playfield and what it "does", they would coyly avoid the question in a way that made it obvious it was going to do something cool.

Today they have revealed the crystal ball's functionality, and it is undeniably cool.  The crystal ball, like in the movie, will display video.  Many people suspected this was what they might be planning, but it's pretty neat to see them pull it off.

Cool pinball t-shirt on Threadless

One two three FOUR FIVE six seven eight NINE TEN eleven twe-ehh-ehhh-ehhh-ehhh-ehhh-ELVE! Really cool pinball-related shirt I just noticed on Threadless.  I do have to say, I wish it came in another color besides white.  A light parchment yellow would have rocked it retro.

 

 

It's $23.50 and you can get it here on the Threadless website.

Like Timmy, I was on the fence about Jurassic Park 3D

I just saw the news via Wired's GeekMom blog that Jurassic Park is returning to theaters this coming April.  In 3D.  My first reaction was, "Do they have to 3D EVERYTHING?"

There is a teaser trailer for it.  I next thought, "What's the point of a teaser trailer for Jurassic Park 3D on my computer?"  I saw the film 13 times in the theaters when it first came out, even more times than I saw the Lord of the Rings trilogy films combined.  Jurassic Park was magic for me.  I wanted Laura Dern's boots.  I wanted to be a chaotician.  I wanted us to clone dinosaurs.  SO BADLY.  My point being, I'm more than familiar with the trailer, and obviously it's not going to actually be 3D.

I'm kinda sick of 3D this and 3D that, even though most of the time it's done pretty well.  One problem with going to see a movie in 3D is that if you want to take the glasses off, the movie looks crappy.  Our kids are all about wanting to take the glasses off about 20 minutes into any given movie.  Furthermore, making a movie become 3D when it wasn't originally shot with 3D in mind is not always going to work.  It was a colossal failure for Clash of the Titans, if I recall.

But heck, I'll watch this trailer...

And as the music swelled and all those memories came rushing back and tears considered forming in my eyes, I jumped off the fence.  Of course that is exactly why there is a teaser trailer... to remind you about the magic.

Count me in.  They could have just re-released the film like they did for Jaws at our local theater.  Because in the end, getting to see Jurassic Park one more time in a theater... in IMAX this time? I'm ready to go back.  To Jurassic Park.

Avengers Pinball Confirmed

It's been called "the worst-kept secret in pinball" but the cat is well and truly out of the bag now on Stern's next pinball machine, and it is indeed going to be Avengers (advertisements for "Avengers coming soon from Stern" have shown up in a couple trade magazines this month).  It's assumed that the machine is being designed by George Gomez, and as he himself said about some of the whitewoods of his current project, "some of 'em are green..."  I'm all the more certain about my prior speculation of this meaning a Hulk Limited Edition version of Avengers pinball. 

And while Stern still has made no official announcement or released details beyond "Coming soon", some pinball retailers are already taking pre-orders.  The rumor mill has also hinted that this will be a very different design from the typical "fan layout" that Gomez is known for (he is also the designer of Lord of the Rings, one of the most highly regarded modern pinball machines, and definitely an example of the fan layout style).

There's a good chance that more information will come out in the IAAPA (International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions) show next week (November 13 - 16) in Orlando.

The Pinball Resurgence continues to grow

I'm not the only one saying pinball is coming back, you know. On a recent episode of G4's X-Play, Andrew W. K. investigated the pinball scene in New York.  One thing you'll notice is that they kick off by saying, "Pinball is making a big resurgence..."  Not "pinball MAY be making a resurgence" or "there are signs pinball is making a resurgence".  Just sayin.

This segment takes place at Reciprocal, which I'm told also happens to be the new home of our Shadow pinball machine.

The King of Belair

Just try and tell me the Fresh Prince song isn't going thorugh your head now.

Best Pinball Video of 2012

This video gives me joy (thanks so much to the Nerdcore blog for the heads-up!).  This is the opposite of the pinball experience at Disney Quest.  It was filmed at an arcade called Lost Ark Video Games in North Carolina, clearly a place where they love and care for their machines.