Review: ‘Highlander: The American Dream’ #1: The Princes of The Universe Return

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To begin this review, I am a fan of Highlander. The original movie was one of my favorites, that I happened to see after getting into the TV series. At one point I even saw the animated series so yes, I like Highlander. When I saw that that Highlander: The American Dream follows Connor MacLeod, my interest was piqued. There have been other Highlander comics out there but this one caught my eye. It is nice to see Connor MacLeod again that’s for sure. Hopefully it lives up to my expectations. Now it is time to grab my sword and make sure not to lose my head as I dive into Highlander: The American Dream #1.

It’s been a long time since I’ve seen anything Highlander, so Highlander: The American Dream is something I have high hopes for.

Here’s something that works to the advantage of old school Highlander fans, you will likely dig aspects of this book. If you’re not an old school fan or have a working knowledge of Highlander, this might be a tough read. Credit to Brian Ruckley in trying to make this work for even new fans of the franchise. That being said, for the older fans it’s a solid if not messy story. It takes place in Manhattan in the year 1985 as an old friend named Vazilek visits Connor MacLeod. You get a good idea as to why Vazilek is there but then to fill in the blanks, the rest of the issue is a flashback as to how they met. The flashback is also where the story starts to get rough.

Yes I know Highlander has flashbacks to explain how characters met, yet this hurts the pacing of the issue. The Civil War flashback had cool moments but it could have been cut down a lot. Instead of getting more into Vazilek and Connor’s connection by the end of the issue I was itching to get back to 1985. I know there’s only so much you can do in one issue but I would have loved a final page in to establish what’s happening in 1985. I am interested in enough in learning more as Ruckley has a great handle on Connor MacLeod. Even Vazilek is well handled and a cool character, yet I don’t have a full idea as to who the villain of the piece is.

On the other hand with Highlander: The American Dream, the comic is overall artistically sound.

Andrea Mutti and Vladimir Popov are a strong art team for this comic. In doing two different periods for both The Civil War and Manhattan 1985, ultimately The Civil War had more atmosphere to it. Manhattan had some shining moments but The Civil War flashback looked great art wise. Andrea Mutti with Popov’s color make for some rocking sword fights, they are a high point of this comic. Vladimir Popov’s colors on the Civil War segments are beautiful overall. Mutti and Popov worked well together. Mutti didn’t work as well for me with Manhattan but as much as the Civil War segment was a pacing killer, Mutti shined. This comic leaves me conflicted in so many between the writing and the art at times.

I wish this book didn’t leave me so conflicted in the end, but Highlander: The American Dream has that effect on me.

Highlander: The American Dream is built for the hardcore fans of the franchise. If I didn’t know the first movie and the franchise as well as I did, I would be lost. It’s not a particularly bad comic, but it’s a little rough even for the hardcore fan. It’s worth checking out at least; not a high recommendation, but I can see some really digging it. As for me, I’m left conflicted by the whole experience. This comic is one that I can easily say, your mileage may vary.

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‘Rocknaldo’ Takes A Swing At The ‘Steven Universe’ Fandom

By

Anthony Wendel

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Ronaldo seeks rock people in Beach City.

It’s hard to tell if this episode is being mean or giving fans a hard overly deserved lesson. Ronaldo realizes he’s being racist after a talk with Steven (Oh if it were only so easy) and decides to become a Crystal Gem. From their the entire show seems to talk directly to the fandom and remind everyone of some of the problems they generate.

The episode makes you feel divided. Some of the points are just. Ronaldo comes into the Crystal Gems and then tells Steven he’s not doing it right. This is something everyone has experienced at least once. Someone who wasn’t into a series or franchise as long as you have comes along and insists your not appreciating it properly. Insinuating you aren’t as loyal or as big of a fan of them as they are and makes you feel bad because of it. It happens way to often. Poor behaviors like this needs to stop as it creates an atmosphere of elitism. As Steven says, “The second it wasn’t about you, you stopped caring” which is the essence of what eventually creates a bitter fan.

At the same time though, some parts come off as mean spirited. They go straight for the “Sad Anime fans practicing with their Katanas” joke. They also take a swing at the idea of a fan created character as Ronaldo starts insisting his Crystal Gem name is Bloodstone. Not everyone who watches anime, creates a fan character, or attends conventions is necessarily a bad person. At this point it felt more mean spirited than a gentle lesson in fan etiquette.

In the end its not necessarily a bad episode just a bit middle of the road and kind of preachy. It may give some of the fans something to think about though. Maybe everyone will realize they shouldn’t create an exclusionary environment and let everyone enjoy what they love. Ah, its fun to dream.

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Screenplay, Cinematography, Editing, and Animation Oscar Predictions for the 89th Academy Awards

By

Eric Morales

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February 24, 2017

This is Part Two of the Monkey Fighting Robots’ Oscar Predictions for the 89th Academy Awards: Best Original and Adapted Screenplay, Editing, Cinematography, and Animated feature film. My prediction system uses 25 years of data from awards and critics to try predict who the likely winners will be. Come Sunday, we’ll see how well it works. Make sure to check back after the Oscars to see if you beat the system!

Best Original Screenplay: Manchester by the Sea

Less Likely: La La Land

Predicting Best Screenplay of either type is a nightmare this year because of the Academy’s category guidelines. Just about every other award that matters has given Moonlight Best Original, but the Academy considers it an Adapted. So, in all honesty, who knows. The system thinks it’s Manchester, and I’m inclined to agree. La La Land was all about visual and audial storytelling, not so much the story.

Best Adapted Screenplay: Moonlight

Most Likely: Arrival

So the system claims it’s going to be Arrival, which took both the Critic’s Choice and the Writer’s Guild of America awards. Except the system doesn’t understand how confusing the Academy is. Considering Moonlight won almost every Original Screenplay award, I think it’s fair to assume that it’s the lead here.

Best Cinematography: La La Land

Unlikely: Lion

The system says La La Land will take it, which makes sense considering it has taken most of the awards for cinematography this year.

Best Editing: Arrival

Also likely: Hacksaw Ridge

Unlikely: La La Land

This year is a conundrum for Editing. Arrival and La La Land took the Eddies for Drama and Comedy, respectively, while Hacksaw won the BAFTA. Historically, the BAFTA and Eddie Drama are equally weighted, so in theory Arrival and Hacksaw both have a shot. However, the San Francisco Film Critics Circle Awards, which has a weirdly accurate track record for this category, gave it to Arrival and Moonlight. So I really have no idea, but Arrival is alphabetically first in the list, so that seems a good as reason as any to bet on it.

Best Animated Feature: Zootopia

If we’re being honest, I’d rather give this award to Kubo and the Two Strings. It was phenomenally animated, a real technical masterpiece. But Zootopia won the Annie and the Golden Globe, so that’s where the award is going.

Want to see more predictions? Check out Part 1, 3, 4, and 5 of our predictions here!

What are your thoughts on the 89th Academy Awards? Comment below.

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Geekflix – Top ‘Netflix’ Picks For March 2017

By

Anthony Wendel

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February 24, 2017

February is coming to an end. This means it’s time for Shamrock Shakes, four leaf clovers, and green beer. It also means new arrivals coming to Netflix. A new Marvel show is coming but there are a few other titles which deserve some attention as well.

1Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (March 24th)

Before the idea of shared universes with film sequels, there was this gem which showed animated characters from many different studios coming together in one world. It’s a classic film and just might be what can help you survive to the end of the month and more new releases in April.

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Which new arrival are you looking forward to watch on Netflix in March? Leave a comment below and let us know.

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Strong Patrick Irish Red Ale: Beau’s All Natural Brewing Co – A Strong Review

By

Michael Bedford

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It’s been a while since my last review of a beer from Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company, over a year in fact. This is no slight against the Vankleek Hill brewery: I just rarely see any Beau’s brews in the LCBO aside from their Lug Tread Lagered Ale, the only Beau’s brew I’ve previously reviewed. I leave it to you to check that review out for some information on the brewery and my impressions of their flagship beer. My luck changed this week, though. I found a 600-mL bottle of Beau’s Strong Patrick Irish Red Ale waiting for me on the shelf. Though I’ve seen it before, I’ve always been a bit suspicious of their “The Tom Green Beer!”

Strong Patrick Irish Red Ale: Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company – First Sip

When held up to the light, Strong Patrick is a bright shade of vermilion with about an inch of foam that eventually turns into a ring at the top of my nonic pint glass. I get a faint whiff of berries as I take my first sip, and enjoy Strong Patrick’s boozy maltiness. Typical of Irish red ales, Strong Patrick doesn’t rate high on the bitterness scale. Whatever bitterness this beer shows doesn’t seem to be a result of a hops flavour. Instead, this beer’s grainy flavour and oak-y finish provide that bitter kick common to many craft brews. Its moderate carbonation level and oak-infused aftertaste give this beer a velvety mouthfeel — not watery but not thick, and not smooth but not fizzy.

Strong Patrick Irish Red Ale: Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company – Last Sip

Anyone who’s read a previous review of mine knows that although I like a wide variety of beers, my true beer love is a well-hopped IPA, CPA, APA, or AusPA. I missed the hops, especially as I was finishing this beer. Its vanilla-laced oakiness is great, but at 600 mL (with a 6.7% ABV rating) it presents a lot of flavour.

I suggest drinking this beer from a glass. Not that the beer will become bad if you drink it straight from the bottle, but you’ll miss out on the complex aroma and flavours this beer has to present.

Because of its malty, almost sweet, flavour, I and others suggest pairing this beer with a savoury dish. A hardy stew of some kind is a good pick, or, if you’re not as financially challenged as I, try it with some game meats to really bring out this brew’s flavours.

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2017 Oscar Predictions: ‘La La Land’ vs The Field

By

Dewey Singleton - Film Critic

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February 24, 2017

The 89th Academy Awards are Sunday, and it appears the air of intrigue surrounding Hollywood’s biggest night has been replaced with a sense of formality. La La Land received a record-tying 14 Oscar nominations, and it’s widely expected that Sunday night will amount to a coronation of director Damien Chazelle’s latest work. Who else will go home a winner Sunday? Let’s take a look at six of the major awards.

1Best Director

damien-chazelle.jpg (810×540)

Damien Chazelle- La La Land

My heart wants Barry Jenkins to win for his amazing work in Moonlight, but my mind knows that it will be Chazelle. His work on Whiplash was universally praised and landed him this project. His tireless work ethic and dedication to the craft resulted in a film that’s universally adored by fans and voters. He’s already won awards from the DGA, BAFTA, and The Hollywood Foreign Press for his work on La La Land and after Sunday he will need to make room for another award.

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An Over Populated Spider-Man World

By

Brandon J. Griffin

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February 24, 2017

Following writer Dan Slott’s Clone Conspiracy event, Peter Parker finds his world even more crowded than before. Characters have been resurrected, re-branded, and reintroduced into the world of web slinging. Readers have their hands full trying to keep up with an over populated Spider-Man world.

Spider-Verse introduced us all to a seemingly unlimited number of different Spider-Men. Within the context of the story it was a lot of fun, but the effects have lingered, creating a trend. That trend is apparently to try and dilute the significance and individuality of reading Spider-Man (Peter Parker) comic books. While Spider Gwen has been a welcome addition to the family, it’s gotten a bit out of hand.

In the aftermath of Dead No More: The Clone Conspiracy, Slott’s troublesome ending brought some major wall crawlers. Ben Reilly is back and, after shedding his Jackal identity, is apparently returning to his role as Scarlet Spider. Otto Octavius has also returned, but not as Doctor Octopus.

After defeating Ben Reilly, and before his own body dissolved, Octavius transferred his mind into a new body. That body is a perfect clone of Peter Parker. Nothing has been confirmed or announced, but clearly this is an effort to throw Superior Spider-Man into an already web polluted world.

These two major Spider-Men resurrections are in addition to: Kaine, Miles Morales, Peter Parker, Cindy Moon, Miguel O’ Hara, Spider Gwen, Spider Woman, and whatever additional Spider-Verse character finds themselves in the 616 Universe that week. This is a problem, there are simply too many radioactive spider-bitten super heroes. Somebody needs to talk to Dan Slott, or whoever keeps encouraging this, and remind them that we have more than enough comic books to read.

Peter Parker is a special character, he is (was) a one of a kind super hero. Marvel fans would most likely be satisfied with Peter and Miles being the only Spider-Men around. As long as the content we’re consuming is quality, there’s no need for this over-saturation. To me, this is Marvel misunderstanding it’s audience. Spider-Verse may have been successful, but that doesn’t mean it needs to last forever. If that were the case, Web Warriors would have been a massive hit.

Spider-Man books will always sell. No matter how “outraged” fans have been with Dan Slott over the years, Spidey moves units. However that’s no excuse for lackluster story telling, our devotion to the character shouldn’t be taken advantage of. I’m not the first, and certainly won’t be the last, die-hard Spider-Man fan that thinks things have gotten out of hand.

Do you think the Spider-Man world is over populated? Which web-slingers would you keep and which would you do away with? Let us know in the comments!

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The ‘Gambit’ Movie Is Still Happening With Channing Tatum

By

Kieran McLean

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February 24, 2017

There are often films that enter the development stage and never make it to the screen. For a long time, it seemed like 20th Century Fox had scrapped the Gambit movie but producer Simon Kinberg just told ComicBook.com that the film has entered active development and will hopefully film next year.

“It’s in active development. It’s a movie that we hope will be ready to go by the end of this year and shoot next year. We have two or three X-Men related movies this year so it can wait for a moment. The process has been that Channing [Tatum] is as determined about getting the character right as Ryan Reynolds was about Deadpool and Hugh [Jackman] was about this Logan movie. We know that when we get those right, the movie succeeds so we want to make sure we get Gambit right because we want him to be the beginning of a whole new franchise.”

It’s exciting to hear that the film has taken so long because Channing Tatum wants to get it right. Like Kinberg said, both Logan and Deadpool found critical and (hopefully) financial success, so taking that approach to Gambit seems like the perfect plan.

Are you happy to hear that the Gambit movie is still being developed? Be sure to let us know in the comments section below!

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Episode 112: ‘Get Out,’ Tony Cox Talks Star Wars, Brett Kelly Loves Octavia Spencer

By

Matthew Sardo

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February 24, 2017

‘Get Out’ from the mind of Jordan Peele is in theaters right now. The film also has an insane 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. EJ believe ‘Get Out’ will change the horror genre like Wes Craven did with ‘Scream’ back in 1996.

On the second half of the show, Matt has a very interesting conversation with Tony Cox and Brett Kelly of the ‘Bad Santa’ franchise. Cox explains how cool and difficult it was to film ‘Return of the Jedi’ as an Ewok.

Strap yourself in buckaroos! Episode 112 of the Monkeys Fighting Robots podcast is here.

Episode 112 breakdown:
03:00 – ‘Get Out’ Review
33:20 – Tony Cox
43:45 – Brett Kelly

Do you want to be our SUPER-FAN of the week? All you have to do is comment on this podcast to be eligible.

Do you have a question that you would like answered during the show?

Email your questions to matt@popaxiom.com.

About the Monkeys Fighting Robots Podcast

A Gen Xer and a Millennial debate the latest topics in pop culture. One guy is a filmmaker and the other is a journalist, but both are nerds. We make your slowest days at work better. Hosts, Matthew Sardo and EJ Moreno.

Never heard of Matt Sardo?

For starters, he made the Kessel Run in less than 11 parsecs. Prior to that, he gave Doc Brown the idea for the flux capacitor and led the Resistance to victory over SkyNet – all while sipping a finely crafted IPA. As a radio host, he’s interviewed celebrities, athletes and everyone in between. He’s covered everything from the Super Bowl to Comic-Con.

Who is EJ Moreno?

Is he a trained physician? No. Is he a former Miss Universe contestant? Possibly. But what we know for sure is he’s a writer, filmmaker, and pop culture enthusiast. Since film school, EJ has written & directed several short films. He’s used his passion for filmmaking to become a movie critic for MonkeysFightingRobots.com.

Places you can find the show:

iTunes

Stitcher

Reviews are greatly appreciated – How to Rate and Review a Podcast in iTunes

Thank you for listening!

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5 Categories Worthy of Academy Award Consideration

By

Kris Solberg

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February 24, 2017

The 89th Academy Awards is this Sunday. Once again, Hollywood will celebrate some of the best achievements in film across 24 distinct categories. While those categories cover a wide range of topics, from best acting to best sound design, there are several aspects of film making deserving of attention that sadly fall outside of the existing genres.

The Academy Awards has not always consisted of 24 categories. The first broadcast in 1928 only had seven categories, and has expanded its range over the years. In 2001, they finally added a category for best animated feature. With well over 15 years having passed since the last addition, they’re well overdue another shake-up. Below, I have highlighted 5 categories I consider worthy of consideration by the 90th Academy Awards.

5. Best Stunt

For years, films have designed spectacular stunts that seems impossible to carry out in real life. When you learn that someone figured out a way to do it with limited visual effects (or none at all), the achievement becomes even greater. This award would finally give these amazing stunts their warranted recognition. It would be a shared award between the stunt coordinator on a film, and the people carrying out the stunt.

4. Best Voice-Over Performance

Following the release of Her, a discussion surrounding Scarlett Johansson’s eligibility for best supporting actress emerged. It was decided by the Golden Globes that Johansson was not eligble for consideration. Rather than Johansson, and other amazing voice-over talent, needing to fight for a share of the established acting categories, it would make a lot more sense for the Academy to establish a separate category for voice-over performances. Johansson might’ve been the first time people really considered voice-over work an Oscar worthy effort. However, for years voice actors have shown an amazing skill across a wide spectrum of roles. So a category celebrating their achievements is well overdue.

3. Best Motion-Capture Performance

Andy Serkis is probably the most prominent performer within motion-capture. Known from films like The Lords of the Rings, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and more, Serkis has raised a discussion about where visual effects end, and an individual human performance begins. This question could be answered with a category celebrating the best motion-capture performances within a year. Combined with the already existing best visual effects category, this would enable both aspects of a motion-capture performance getting its share of the glory.

2. Best Debut

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), the British equivalent of the Academy Awards, has long had a category celebrating the best debuts of British directors, writers and producers in a given year. A similar award, either celebrating American talent specifically, or worldwide debuts, is a terrific addition to the roster. It would give the Oscars a chance to highlight films that may have gone under the radar of the major categories, but made enough waves to warrant some award accolades.

Best Casting

This is the category that’ll most likely come into fruition at some stage. In 2013, Woody Allen went to bat for casting directors world over, saying they deserved their own category at the Oscars. While the Academy didn’t act back then, it is likely you’ll see an award for best casting at the some stage. Casting directors are a crucial part of any film production, and they’re long overdue their own category.

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