We here at Criminal Element are quite appreciative of a good heist tale. So if you have a crack team of criminals and con men that double as illusionists and magicians, you have our attention. Above are the first few minutes of the movie Now You See Me. Watch closely and see if you can spot the trick of the tricks. Also, what card did you pick?

We've all encountered a robot story of some kind at some point. Or at least we are all aware of the premise. Man creates machine, gives machine life, and then said machine eventually goes about removing man from the face of the planet. It's been that way since Madame Shelly wrote The Monster into all of our nightmares. But what happens when the machine isn't bent on genocide, but instead settles for simple homicide?

Below is the short film called ABE. It is the story of a robot with a voice quite similar to HAL 9000 and who is quite creepily and convincingly a serial killer. What is interesting is that it strips away every single ounce of humanity from what a lot of us think of when we think of sociopaths and psychopaths. I love the detachment that the robot manages, and it somehow makes the driving force behind a show like Dexter more real by introducing a machine instead of another human. Thoughts?

Above is a video from author T. Michael Martin about whether or not Horror is good for us as readers and as people. He raises a lot of very good points, with one of the most important, in my opinion, being “can stories affect us?”  I for one tend to agree with him in that, if they don't affect us, then what's the point?

But why stop at Horror? Can dark stories, be they Horror, Crime, Noir, etc. provide a service beyond just occupying our vacation hours and providing entertainment? Or are they merely violence for violence's sake, contributing little much beyond escapism? Do we need them to do more?

Okay, I think that got all the rhyming out of my system, maybe. Okay, yeah, I’m done. Though, I did leave out the addition of a healthy sprinkling of Ghostbusters, but that doesn’t rhyme, does it? Anyway, above is the trailer for R.I.P.D. starring Ryan Reynolds, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Bacon, and Mary Louise Parker. If you’ve ever found yourself wanting more Men In Black, but this time with a sassy undead cowboy and his straight-laced, modern-day partner, well, this just might be the movie for you.

The movie looks like it will be a hoot. And by hoot I mean a wonderful popcorn movie to whittle away a 100+ degree summer afternoon. Based on a comic by the same name, R.I.P.D. is about a contemporary cop who gets killed in the line of duty and is then invited to join the post-mortem police force, the Rest In Peace Department. Their job is simple enough: keep the world of the living safe from all the nasty things that go bump in the night. What do you say, are you in?

The short film above, thankfully, has nothing to do with with disappointing Poe-turned-detective film from last year. It is the seven-minute short for the sci-fi thriller, The Raven, soon to be a major motion picture starring Liam Hemsworth of Hunger Games fame.  Here's the plot summary:

Chris Black possesses a power that could lead to the destruction of the current regime, and they will stop at nothing to destroy him. The chase is on as Chris runs for his life in this sci-fi thriller set in an alternate and futuristic Los Angeles.

The short looks like your average sci-fi thriller fare, complete with a few “ripped from the headlines” adds, such as the use of police drones. However, where it gets pretty interesting is that the short was filmed on a budget of $5k, which is saying something for the effects and use thereof by the director of the short, Ricardo de Montreuil. The even better news is that de Montreuil will be directing the full-length, fully budgeted film.

I know I’m in. How about you?

It’s over. The time has come once again to rebury our dead and take stock. Or you could celebrate; I suppose it all depends on how you view certain characters. But we all know that AMC’s The Walking Dead has shambled on down the road and won’t be coming back until October. But the question remains, how are you going to be spending the zombie off-season?

Myself? I’ve taken comfort in Telltale Games’s AMAZING five-chapter, choose-your-own-adventure style game, The Walking Dead. I’d do anything for Clementine you hear me?! Ahem. There’s also plenty of zombie literature out there for those so inclined. But what about you? Everyone here at Criminal Element wants to know: what you are going to be doing? Answer in the comments and you’ll be entered for a chance to win a copy of Juggernaut by Adam Baker ... you know, just to get you started.*

*To enter for a chance to win one of three copies of Adam Baker’s Juggernaut, make sure you’re a registered member of the site, and then simply leave a comment below.

TIP: Since only comments from registered users will be tabulated, if your user name appears in red above your comment—STOP—go log in, then try commenting again. If your user name appears in black above your comment, You’re In!

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A purchase does not improve your chances of winning. Sweepstakes open to legal residents of fifty (50) United States and the District of Columbia, who are 18 or older. To enter, fill out entry at http://www.criminalelement.com/blogs/2013/04/walking-away-from-the-walking-dead-adam-baker-juggernaut  beginning at 8:45 a.m. Eastern Time (ET) April 5, 2012. Sweepstakes ends at 8:44 a.m. ET on April 12, 2012 (the “Promotion Period”). Void outside of the 50 US and DC and where prohibited by law. Please see full details and official rules at http://www.criminalelement.com/page/official-rules-juggernaut-comment-sweepstakes. Sponsor: Macmillan, 175 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10010

Have you ever thought that the story of AMC’s hit zombie drama, The Walking Dead, feels a little familiar?

You are not alone. Intrepid Reddit user, JimmyLegs50, has put together a little thing he calls Zombie Story, which systematically proves that The Walking Dead is really the same thing as the Pixar animated classic, Toy Story. These pictures are just a sample. You can check out all of them at the movie site, GeekTyrant. I have to say, though, they look AWFULLY similar…

Who doesn't remember The Shining? Whether it is the original 1977 Novel or the equally terrifying 1980 Stanley Kubrick film, we've all been... haunted by Stephen King's creation. I, for one, have never been able to look at a hotel in the same way. Especially some of the less...commercial ones here in the Northeast, or any of the towns old enough to have a bit of history to them in the country.

All that being said, you may or may not have heard about Doctor Sleep, September's upcoming sequel to The Shining. Set to follow the psychic son of The Shining's ill-fated protagonist, Doctor Sleep finds Dan Torrance working at a hospice and helping the dying. Here's the official blurb:

On highways across America, a tribe of people called The True Knot travel in search of sustenance. They look harmless—mostly old, lots of polyester, and married to their RVs. But as Dan Torrance knows, and spunky twelve-year-old Abra Stone learns, The True Knot are quasi-immortal, living off the “steam” that children with the “shining” produce when they are slowly tortured to death.

Haunted by the inhabitants of the Overlook Hotel where he spent one horrific childhood year, Dan has been drifting for decades, desperate to shed his father’s legacy of despair, alcoholism, and violence. Finally, he settles in a New Hampshire town, an AA community that sustains him, and a job at a nursing home where his remnant “shining” power provides the crucial final comfort to the dying. Aided by a prescient cat, he becomes “Doctor Sleep.”

Then Dan meets the evanescent Abra Stone, and it is her spectacular gift, the brightest shining ever seen, that reignites Dan’s own demons and summons him to a battle for Abra’s soul and survival.

Got your attention yet? Well here's the man himself reading a special excerpt.

A new BBC America thriller is all set to answer a question of ever-growing importance. Can a clone commit identity theft? I for one think it is a more than fair question. Here's the synopisis for their new SciFi thriller:

Sarah has always lived the life of an orphan outsider. But a clone is never alone.

Sarah hopes that cleaning out a dead woman’s bank account will solve all her problems. Instead, her problems multiply – and so does she. [...] “Orphan Black” features rising star Tatiana Maslany (“Cas & Dylan,” “Picture Day”) in the lead role of Sarah, an outsider and orphan whose life changes dramatically after witnessing the suicide of a woman who looks just like her. Sarah assumes her identity, her boyfriend and her bank account. But instead of solving her problems, the street smart chameleon is thrust headlong into a kaleidoscopic mystery. She makes the dizzying discovery that she and the dead woman are clones… but are they the only ones? Sarah quickly finds herself caught in the middle of a deadly conspiracy and must race to find answers about who she is and how many others there are just like her.

The trailer below is good enough to catch my interest!

Soon to be released nationwide, revenge-flick master Park Chan-wook’s Stoker looks like it has everything that can make a noir fan ravenous. Mysterious murder? Check. Sinister stranger? Check. Slow corruption of an innocent? Double check. What more can we ask for? Here’s the synopsis:

After India’s father dies in an auto accident, her Uncle Charlie, whom she never knew existed, comes to live with her and her emotionally unstable mother, Evelyn. Soon after his arrival, India begins to suspect this mysterious, charming man has disturbing ulterior motives, but instead of feeling outrage or horror, the friendless girl becomes increasingly infatuated with him.

If you are not at all familiar with the Korean director’s original “Revenge Trilogy” featuring the amazingly dark and twisted Oldboy then this looks to be a good place to start. The trailer below is enough to make me eager to watch it, what do you think?

Say that you are an aspiring young adventurer and amateur cryptozoologist. You’ve decided that you are going to travel the world to find answers to some of our time’s bigger mysteries. What’s the deal with Chupacabra? Is there a Mrs. Bigfoot? What’s the plural of Sasquatch? The main thing is that if you want to go hunting Yeti, you’ll have to abide by the law.

In 1957, in an effort to establish lasting diplomatic relations with the country of Nepal, the U.S. government issued regulations for the hunting of the Abominable Snowman himself. They are:

1) Royalty of 5000 Rupees must be paid to the government of Nepal. (You always have to have a permit to hunt after all…)

2) In case the Yeti is found, it can be photographed or caught alive, but it must not be killed except in self-defense. All photos taken, or the creature itself if captured alive or dead, must be surrendered to the Government of Nepal at the earliest convenience. (Seems…reasonable.)

3) News and reports throwing light on the existence of the creature must be submitted to the Government of Nepal and must not be shared with the world press. (I mean news like that gets out, you’re going to have FLOCKS of hunters, right?)

Got to say, looking at these regulations, it would be much better to be the Abominable Snowman than his/her American cousin Bigfoot. Last May, the State of Texas’s Department of Parks and Wildlife indicated it might be okay to hunt Bigfoot and kill it dead. I’d pray for Nessie. At this point, her days seem numbered.

What do you get when you mix a fanatic fandom for a fictional TV show, Charles Manson, and the disturbingly growing trend in serial killers on network television? Why the new show Cult, of course, which is about a fictional TV show—also called Cult—whose rabid fans may be showing their appreciation by murdering and abducting people. Confused yet?

The show is centered around an investigative journalist who has a brother obsessed with television. Jeff Sefton (Matthew Davis, once-beloved as Alaric from The Vampire Diaries), the journalist in question, gets all the more interested in his brother’s viewing habits when said brother disappears without a trace.

Along with the behind-the-scenes journalist, there’s the in-front-of-the-camera charismatic cult leader, the vaguely Manson-like Billy Grimm, played by “actor Roger Reeves” (the checks from the CW go to actor Robert Knepper). Playing against Billy Grimm on the show-within-the-show is former cult follower-turned-FBI-agent Kelly Collins. This show character is played by “actress Marti Gerritsen” (her family and IMDB know her as Alona Tal). Skye Yarrow (Jessica Lucas) is a backstage research assistant, thank heavens, who’ll end up working with journo Jeff Sefton to find out where the show’s fandom ends and effed-up-ness begins. Clear as mud?

What do you say, are you in for this one, too? Bet there’ll be trading cards!

Back at the beginning of the month a Miami woman learned a very valuable lesson: you can’t mouth off to a judge. Eighteen-year-old Penelope Soto appeared before a judge for the illegal possession of Zanax. The young girl proceeded to giggle and sass the judge throughout the hearing, even when the judge asked her if she was currently under the influence. Not getting any good answers, the judge set her bail to $5,000 and dismissed her. Turning to leave, Penelope said, “adios”—so the Judge went ahead and doubled her bail.

Apparently outraged by the fact that a silly man in a black dress can dictate her punishment, Penelope did what any self-respecting teenager would do to one’s elders: she flipped him the bird. The big difference between your principal and a state-appointed judge, though, is that the judge can find you in contempt of court. Want to guess how Penelope’s judge handled it? He slapped her with contempt and sentenced her to 30 days in jail.

Appearing again before the bench, Penelope apologized for her previous behavior and admitted to being under the influence of Zanax and alcohol. Judge dropped the contempt charges and vacated her 30-day jail term.  Who says that the courts don’t work?

This Sunday marks the return of AMC’s The Walking Dead, are you game? Need to catch up? No problem, check out Regina Thorne’s recaps here on Criminal Element.

Even if you’re not waiting for the show to return, you have to love apologetic Daryl, he is awfully sorry for messing up the carpet after all.

Anyone else miss the good ol’ days of Americans squaring off with Communists? I mean where’s Rocky beating the crap out of Ivan Drago? Where’s the good feeling of watching Patrick Swayze shout “WOLVERINES!” while blowing up a Soviet tank? Well, we won the Cold War, though it may be a bittersweet victory. Yeah, we don’t have to worry about mutually assured destruction, but we also don’t really have a bad guy anymore. But you can’t keep a good villain down.

This week marked the beginning of a new FX show starring Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys called The Americans. Keri and Matthew play Soviet spies implanted in 1980s America. The first episode wasn’t bad, and I recommend checking it out if you have a chance. Above is the trailer, what do you think? Did you watch the first episode?

We all know the line right? You know the one, say it with me, loud and proud. “Hello, My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father. Prepare to die.” And if you don’t happen to know that line, then you should go and find a copy of The Princess Bride right now. Stop reading and find this movie. Not only does it have pirates, wrestling, fencing, rescues, escapes, et. al., but it has Peter Falk as the world’s greatest Grandpa. Anyway, I’m getting distracted. So what happens when you wear this quote on a plane? You get accused of terrorism.

Wynand Mullins of Sydney, thinking that it was nothing more than a silly quote from a good movie, wore the line proudly on his t-shirt. He was then approached by a flight attendant who said that people were intimidated by it. Meanwhile, the person sitting next to him found the whole affair pretty funny. Mr. Mullins admitted to not having another shirt freely available and hoped to get a pilot’s shirt, just to see how everyone reacted. The flight attendant left and didn’t make contact with him for the rest of the flight. I mean, it could have been worse, he could have been a Sicilian, and we all know what happens when you mess with a Sicilian when death is on the line.

What happens when you have MI-5’s Matthew Macfadyen and Jerome Flynn from Game of Thrones together in a BBC original police procedural? Why Ripper Street of course. Here’s the official synopsis:

Haunted by the failure to catch London’s most evil killer, Inspector Edmund Reid (Matthew Macfadyen) now heads up the notorious H Division, the toughest district in London’s East End. Charged with keeping order in the chaotic streets of Whitechapel, Inspector Reid is soon drawn deep into the seedy criminal underworld of Victorian London—where fear always lurks that each new murder could mark the return of The Ripper.

What do you say, are you in?

To say that all of us here at Crime HQ are fans of British television would be a bit of an understatement. Not only do we keep track of all the best shows they are not showing in America (get on that BBC!) but we have one or two particular favorites that we pay special attention to. We’ve also mentioned before that there is a whole slew of things out there on the Internet that are free to watch and pretty awesome. So, what do you get when you combine free TV with British television? The Hulu series Spy.

Spy is about a poor guy who likes Sudoku and has a dead end job. He desperately wants the approval of his hyper-intelligent son, whom he won sole custody of in a rather nasty divorce. So what’s he do? He quits his job at some generic version of Best Buy and goes out into the world, looking for something better. What he accidentally finds is a position with MI-5.

The show is a lot of fun and well worth the watch; it stars Darren Boyd and Robert Lindsay.

Don’t believe me, check it out for yourself online. Or you can tease yourself with the clip and trailer below.

What don’t you expect from the New Year? Probably many things, but I bet that “Getting Mugged by Oompa Loompas” is somewhere on that list. Yet as a man in England found out, you should always expect the Spanish Inquisition Oompa Loompas!

A 28-year-old man from Norfolk, England, was recently assaulted by two orange-skinned Oompa Loompas. How do you know they were Oompa Loompas and not just little people who had too much carotene you ask? Why because they were in costume of course. That’s right. Two individuals took the time to paint their faces, put on green wigs, and also dressed up in “hooped tops.” To be fair though, the Oompa Loompas did have two accomplices, a man and a woman. No word yet as to whether the man was wearing a purple felt coat.

Hat Tip: Huffington Post