Happy Birthday, Zack Snyder! Relationship Status: It’s Complicated

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March 1, 2017

What is a great director? Is it Stanley Kubrick using the language of film in a way that makes his movies a delight to understand but not-so-great at the box office? Perhaps it’s the anti-Kubrick, Michael Bay, who makes movies that seem motion captured from kids playing with toys but make a billion dollars? Or maybe Spielberg who exists as both a critical and commercial mastermind? The work required to direct a film is not easy, so anyone who completes even one film is a great director in my book. So, on this day of his birth, we look at the films of Zack Snyder, a great director in his own right. What makes him great? The fact that most people reading this either love him or hate him, for starters.

One of our great critics here at MFR, EJ Moreno, sums up Zack Snyder in a way that I completely agree with. Zack Snyder is Michael Bay after a stint at art school. It’s true, Snyder presents all the stunning, visceral visuals of a Bay movie with the slick design and composition of a graphic designer. Even the biggest haters of Snyder’s work have to admit that the man’s movies are beautiful.

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7. Man of Steel, Batman Vs. Superman, and Beyond!

Snyder’s last two films are Man of Steel and Batman Vs. Superman. Man of Steel released in 2013, which I call the year that broke me as a movie fan. It was clear that year that the Save the Cat formula and Michael Bay-esque films were the rule, not the exception. Snyder is another reinforcement of that reality. Like during the late 40s and 50s, Hollywood is back around to going full steam ahead on big, studio sanitized movies.

We’ve reached the most polarizing film of recent memory; Batman vs. Superman features all the best (and worst) of Zack Snyder. As much as I hate that the movie wasted time on Batman’s origin, I also love it because that sequence with the pearls is filmmaking porn to cinephiles. Snyder’s undeniable style exists in every frame. Some scenes bristle with that same level of cinematic porn as the pearls. But, movies aren’t just supposed to be pretty moving pictures. The pictures are supposed to connect for a greater whole. In our modern age of “talkies,” the pictures should connect and dance with dialogue and music, again, for the greater whole. As Snyder’s visuals continue to reach new heights, his desire or ability to make those connections seems unbending.

So, is Snyder a great director? The simple answer is yes. One of the hallmarks of truly great directors is having a style or signature. Like a painter whose works are unmistakable, Snyder’s films are undeniably his. Snyder’s signature is gorgeous and flawless like an airbrushed supermodel. Dominant signatures like Snyder’s or Kubrick’s, or Spielberg’s are also often polarizing which means they’re also unforgettable.

Happy birthday, Zack Snyder!

I love your work, for better and worse. I do enjoy our director/viewer relationship, though, even if it is complicated.

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‘Logan’ To Receive Black And White Version?

By

Aric Sweeny

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March 1, 2017

For one reason or another, black and white versions of films seem to carry a different atmosphere than their colorozed counter-parts. What pops into my head when I think of a movie seeing a colored version and black and white version is 2015’s Mad Mad: Fury Road, where fans were clamoring to see it.

Now, it seems as though we might have another black and white version of a movie on our hands: Logan.

A fan asked the director about it on Twitter, and he responded with:

Workin' on it.

— Mangold (@mang0ld) March 1, 2017

Would you watch a black and white release of Logan? Why or why not? Comment below!

“In the near future, a weary Logan cares for an ailing Professor X in a hide out on the Mexican border. But Logan’s attempts to hide from the world and his legacy are up-ended when a young mutant arrives, being pursued by dark forces.”

Logan stars Hugh Jackman as Wolverine/ Logan, Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier, Dafnee Keen as Laura Kinney/X-23, Boyd Holbrook as Donald Pierce, Doris Morgado as Maria, Richard E. Grant as Dr. Zander Rice, Stephen Merchant as Caliban, Elizabeth Rodriguez as Gabriela, and others.

The film hits theaters on March 3.

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In ‘Batman’ #18, Tragedy Rules Both Hero And Villain

By

Manuel Gomez

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Batman and Bane. Finally, they are face to face. In the middle of a downpour of rain, these dual forces of nature will clash. And we will learn that these two bitter enemies have much more in common than they think; personal tragedy. And that tragedy drives a rage that fuels them both. It is this rage that will bring Batman and Bane into an epic showdown that might just leave only one of them alive.

Batman #18
“I Am Bane part 3”
Publisher: DC Comics
Written by Tom King
Penciled by: David Finch
Inked by: Danny Miki
Colored by: Jordie Bellaire

Damn. I think Tom King might have just written one of the most intense and adequate uses of parallel storytelling I have ever read. Just when I thought I’d seen just about every angle of Batman’s origin possible, King uses the inventive structure to tell not only Batman’s but Bane’s as well. It even goes farther than that; he’s turned Bane into the true antithesis of Batman. These are two men ruined by familial death. He’s even found a way to give the villain, as relentless and terrifying as he is, a sense of deep tragedy. He’s elevated Bane. And, as classic as he has become in years, this is on a whole new level. I don’t think I have ever seen a better Bane.

He’s found a way to give the villain, as relentless and terrifying as he is, a sense of deep tragedy. He’s elevated Bane. And, as classic as he has become in years, this is on a whole new level. I don’t think I have ever seen a better Bane.

With this story arc, King has pushed Batman to his limit and also shown us how Bane is as much a psychological threat as he is a physical one. Bane, like this story, assaults on all fronts and has maximum impact.

Where David Finch got to showcase subtlety last issue, here he brings about intense emotional scenes, and dynamic, powerful action beats. The teary-eyed close-ups will make you pause; the fistfights will make you sit back.

He also draws the best rainstorm I have seen in ages.

But even with all the big moments in this issue, the details are not overlooked. There’s emotion in the faces as always, made all the more moving by the side by side panel juxtaposing of Bane and Bruce as children. This, the longest sequence in the book, focuses on the pivotal and defining moments for both the hero and villain. It’s beautifully written, illustrated and designed.

Danny Miki and Jordie Bellaire swing for the fences here with all their combined might, and it’s a home run of color and atmosphere. Not only are the palette nuances different within Batman and Bane’s flashbacks, the rain sequences would not have the impact they do without the ink and colors. It’s like the pages are wet. You can hear the water falling. It’s combined art assaulting your senses.

It’s not too early at all to rule this new run of Batman as a classic. If you loved everything Scott Snyder did with Greg Capullo in recent years, then do yourself a favor and read this title. That great work is being continued. King and his revolving door of fantastic and varied artistic collaborators are making classic comics here. Do not sleep on this.

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“We Are Groot!” Final ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2’ Trailer Has Been Released!

By

Manuel Gomez

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March 1, 2017

Chris Pratt was recently a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and debuted the final trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.

Check it out:

Refreshingly we don’t get a lot of plot, but we do get plenty of attitude, and of course motherf@cking Kurt Russell there at the end!

What did you guys think? Comment and discuss below.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is written and directed by James Gunn (Slither). The film stars Chris Pratt (Jurassic World) as Peter Quill/Star-Lord; Zoe Saldana (Star Trek Into Darkness) as Gamora; Dave Bautista (Spectre) as Drax; Vin Diesel (Furious 7) as the voice of Groot; Bradley Cooper (The Hangover) as the voice of Rocket; Michael Rooker (The Walking Dead) as Yondu; Karen Gillan (The Big Short) as Nebula; and Sean Gunn (Gilmore Girls) as Kraglin. Newcomers to the cast include Pom Klementieff (Oldboy), Elizabeth Debicki (The Great Gatsby, Everest), Chris Sullivan (The Knick, The Drop) and the legendary Kurt Russell (The Hateful Eight, The Thing).

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is due out in theaters May 5, 2017.

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The Amazing ‘Get Out’ is Really a Micro ‘The Cabin in the Woods’

By

Curtis Waugh

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March 1, 2017

I’m a white guy.

When comparing Jordan Peele’s Get Out with any other horror film, race and specifically the subjective race of the reviewer should at least be addressed if a contrarian point of view is presented. I really Loved Get Out and that’s not contrarian. It is a standard societal warning tale while also being a pitch perfect comedy that lays bare all the machinations that allow a horror film to operate.

What’s probably contrarian is that this film plays at a level about 1/2 the speed of Drew Goddard’s 2012 masterpiece, The Cabin in the Woods. Get Out is a microcosm on a monitor within the universe of The Cabin in the Woods and that’s not a bad thing.

For those of you who don’t remember, The Cabin in the Woods is a deconstructionist horror film which took all the tropes standard to the genre and flipped them on their ends. We got the perspective of why the blondes are dumb in scary scenarios. We understood why the dumb jock who takes charge gets shit wrong. We learned why screwing in the woods is forbidden. In Get Out, we were taught just why the treatment of black people in these certain situations is fucked up.

Get Out and The Cabin in the Woods share such a common DNA that it’s head-scratching to try to understand why the former is performing so amazingly while the latter had an abysmal theatrical run. Firstly, we weren’t prepared for this sort of societal, burn-it-all-down horror in 2012. Blumhouse, which produced Get Out, released Sinister in 2012, a much more standard Conjuring-esque tale that put the production company on the map. That movie was a far cry from today’s socially aware scare flicks, being more a composition of Paranormal Activity and The Amityville Horror.

In 2017, we’re primed and ready for the sort of horror that Jordan Peele is putting out. There’s a reason why that name is so important to this conversation, too. Jordan Peele is a member of the millennial/online community like Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard are not. What Peele lacks in directorial/writing perfection (and don’t get me wrong, his structuring and compositions are top-notch), he makes up for in audience awareness. Everyone of a certain age knows Key & Peele and all the millennial white kids in my screening were talking about how he was able to make this transition before the film started.

What stands out, to me, is that Jordan Peele knows exactly where horror needs to go in the future. He understands what audiences want and knows how to smartly give it to them. Peele also clearly believes in the moving image as his canvas and his directorial career will probably brightly outshine everything else he’ll do. There’s not much higher praise than that.

Except that The Cabin in the Woods did it first, better and with Bradley Whitford.

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The Wesvolution #2: The Walking Dead: TV Establishment

By

Wesley Messer

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February 28, 2017

The Walking Dead is one of the most popular shows on TV, that’s a given. Even after a period of slow burn storytelling, it’s still one of the highest rated shows out there. In a conversation I had recently I thought about this, The Walking Dead is now TV Establishment. It’s a show that is now so entrenched in the television landscape that it isn’t going anywhere. For anyone that complains about the slow storytelling and so forth, it’s now a show that’s firmly established. The series is now one that’s been through so much that it has proven it can stand the test of time. Now you’re probably already thinking, “Why is The Walking Dead now TV Establishment?” well let’s hash this out a bit more. Let the Wesvolution begin!

The Walking Dead is the sort of series that fits perfectly in the TV Establishment.

Now with TV the best way to know a show is now entrenched in our world is what influence it has. For one thing, it has ratings and killer ratings at that. Even when the show lost ratings, it still did powerful numbers on Sunday nights. It is also an influencer in how AMC programs their lineup with Talking Dead and the spinoff series Fear the Walking Dead. Considering that AMC has had a rough time finding any series with the legs this series has, you could say zombies rule the AMC roost. The Walking Dead has become a powerhouse in the TV landscape. When the series is one of the highest rated shows of 2016, even with a ratings drop, that’s saying something. This show is a force to be reckoned with.

I call The Walking Dead part of the TV Establishment because the ratings alone prove it has earned its place there. Now creatively, that’s something to detail in itself. Season Seven has been a slog and a half yet even with that ratings drop, it’s still going strong. When you become part of the TV Establishment, it is tough to get knocked down. Once you are there, you are there and you will likely stay there. At this stage of the game unless something seriously bad happens, it’s going to easily be on TV for ten seasons. It’s interesting to think about too, from popular comic to a bigger than life TV series. Love it or hate it, The Walking Dead is a part of the TV Establishment for a long time to come.

I remember back when The Walking Dead began and no one knew what to make of it. Now look how far it has come my friends. That is crazy.

Now I open up the conversation to you all in the Monkeys Fighting Robots Universe. What do you all think of The Walking Dead? Do you like it as much as you did back in the day? Do you think the series is too big to fail at this point? Feel free to make your voice heard in the comment section below. Till next time, The Wesvolution will not be televised.

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‘Alien: Covenant’ Official Trailer Is Here and Holy Sh*t, It Is Insane!

By

EJ Moreno

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February 28, 2017

Ridley Scott Isn’t Playing Around With Alien: Covenant!

Feast your eyes on the first “official” first look at the newest film in the Alien franchise! Ridley Scott follows up his polarizing film Prometheus with this year’s ‘Alien: Convenant‘.

The cast includes Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Danny McBride, and many more. Fassbender returns after his role in ‘Prometheus‘.

The film is set to be released May 19, 2017 in the United States.

“The crew of the colony ship Covenant, bound for a remote planet on the far side of the galaxy, discovers what they think is an uncharted paradise, but is actually a dark, dangerous world. When they uncover a threat beyond their imagination, they must attempt a harrowing escape.”

What do you think? Will you be seeing this film when it comes out?

Let me know in the comments below!

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Top 5 Forgotten Sci-Fi Shows of the 90s

By

Merinda Brayfield

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February 28, 2017

The 90s were an interesting decade. Technology changed rapidly, Reagan got traded for Clinton with a brief stop at Bush. The economy grew and music went grunge. And the 90s had it’s share of popular television shows. Some of them, like The X-Files or Buffy the Vampire Slayer, have remained part of pop culture. But then there are many forgotten sci-fi shows, like these:

5Earth 2 (1994-1995)

Earth 2

Set in 2192, Earth 2 took place in a world where most humans live in space stations, as the Earth itself can’t support life. Children are growing sick from an unknown and unacknowledged disease that seems to be caused by not living on Earth. So Devon Adair, over the objections of the Council, leads a group of colonists to another world. But the planet isn’t uninhabited, nor is the Council done with them.

Notable for having a female lead, Earth 2 explored many political and ethical themes against the backdrop of colonization. Unfortunately, it also quickly lost the interest of viewers and was cancelled after only one season.

4The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. (1993-1994)

The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

The titular Brisco County, Jr (played by the always amazing Bruce Campbell) is a Harvard lawyer turned bounty hunter, seeking revenge and trying to discover the secrets of the mysterious Orb. Along the way he encounters and joins forces with other bounty hunters, lawyers and inventors.

Set in an 1893 steampunk old west, Brisco County, Jr enjoyed fast-paced humor and genre-mashing action. This one too, lasted only one season, but was well loved by those who watched it.

3Sliders (1995-2000)

Sliders

This show was similar to the better-known Quantum Leap. In the first episode the lead, Quinn, discovers a way to move between dimensions. After the first jump they lose the ability to return to Earth Prime and so must travel from dimension to dimension, trying to go home. In the beginning the show focused more on alternate history, however in the later seasons it switched networks, lost most of the main cast, and became more action oriented.

Fox aired episodes out of order (as happened later with Firefly), leading to continuity issues. The Sci Fi Channel produced the last two seasons, and the show itself ends on a cliffhanger.

2Seaquest DSV (1993-1996)

Seaquest DSV

In 2018, the United Earth Oceans Organization launches Seaquest DSV, a sophisticated new submarine. Captain Nathan Bridger (Roy Scheider) reluctantly takes command. The show followed the adventures of captain and crew as they protect underwater colonies, explore the ocean, and face unexpected threats.

Seaquest started off as mostly science based, with noted oceanographer Robert Ballard providing information at the end of every show. Then the network decided to bring in a younger crew for the second season, introduced aliens, and angered much of the original cast. The third season tried a name change and a ten year time skip, but it wasn’t enough to prevent cancellation mid-season.

1Babylon 5 (1993-1998)

Babylon 5

The best remembered show of any on this list is likely Babylon 5. Ambitiously and meticulously planned across 5 seasons, the show followed the interactions between humans and other species on the titular station as they negotiate a complicated world.

With cutting-edge special effects, the show was almost ahead of it’s time. The world of Babylon 5 is anything but black and white. The show didn’t shy away from topics like religion, war, peace, or hard ethical dilemmas. J. Michael Straczynski guided the show closely and wrote nearly all the episodes.

What other forgotten sci-fi shows from the 90s did we miss? Do you remember these shows? Leave a comment below!

‘Sword Art Online’ Movie Comes To America

By

Anthony Wendel

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February 28, 2017

Have you been itching for more Sword Art Online? Well, rejoice all SOA fans. Sword Art Online: The Movie: Ordinal Scale is coming to theaters for a special one night only event. Presented by Fathom Events, the film will be out on Thursday March 9th at participating theaters.

The movie is set after the events of Mother’s Rosario storyline. Kirito and Asuna have begun playing a new game called Ordinal Scale. The draw of the game is its use of augmented reality to make the action come alive. Unfortunately, they soon find something is wrong, a mysterious force is pulling the strings, and it all ties back to their time in Sword Art Online. Will the pair be able to figure out the mystery before its too late?

The popularity of this anime franchise can’t be ignored. It has garnished enough popularity for the original light novels and several games to be release in American. The light novels sold an impressive amount of copies to the point they appeared several times on Manga section of the New York Times bestsellers list. The entire TV anime can be seen at Crunchyroll just in case you need to play catch up before checking out the movie.

Criticism about the series has been mixed. Many feel the first arc of the first season was the best and the anime hasn’t been able to achieve such greatness since. Despite such harsh criticisms, one of the main draws is the romance between Kirito and Asuna, who have experienced many twists and turns in relationship. The couple even came in at number one on Watchmojo.com’s Top 10 Anime Romances list.

Are you looking forward to the next installment of Sword Art Online and plan on checking out the film? Leave a comment below and let us know.

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‘Inhumans’ Casting Announcement: ‘Hell On Wheels’ Alum Anson Mount as Black Bolt

By

Jen Schiller

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February 28, 2017

As Marvel television news continues to roll in, the company announced the lead today in their upcoming Inhumans series. Anson Mount, lead actor from Hell On Wheels, will again tackle a starring role as Black Bolt, according to Deadline.

A Different Kind of Crown: King Black Bolt

Black Bolt and his brother Maximus (Iwan Rheon) rule the Inhumans; a group introduced to the Marvel TV universe in Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. While each inhuman has remarkable powers, some are more dangerous and harder to control than others. For instance, Black Bolt’s voice has destructive powers which force him to communicate non-verbally and train his mind so that he remains silent even while he sleeps. Inhumans tells the story of the royal family which includes Black Bolt and Maximus. The production team, however, is confident in Mount’s abilities to make this silent role impossible to ignore.

Anson Mount Black Bolt Hell on Wheels — Anson Mount as Cullen Bohannon in “Hell on Wheels”

Executive producer and head of Marvel Television Jeph Loeb believes Mount is a natural to tackle the unique challenges of playing the Inhuman ruler. “His enthusiasm mixed with his imposing almost regal persona made it easy to see why he is our Black Bolt.” Showrunner Scott Buck echoed Loeb’s sentiments, stating: “Black Bolt is a character whose deep complexity must be conveyed without uttering a single word, and I’m very excited to have Anson on board to bring him to life.”

Based on characters from Marvel comics, Inhumans will release in IMAX theatres next September. After the two-episode, big screen premiere, the show will continue on ABC network. The show will either join or replace Marvel’s current network series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., where the Inhumans story line was introduced in season two. Inhumans stars Anson Mount and Iwan Rheon. Episodes one and two are directed by Roel Reine.

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