Director Shane Black has unveiled the first cast photo from the upcoming Predator reboot, titled The Predator. The photo, which can be seen below, includes Sterling K. Brown, Trevante Rhodes, Boyd Holbrook, Jacob Tremblay, Olivia Munn, and Keegan Michael-Key.
Partial cast… beautiful human beings, good people. Also, killers. Cameras roll today. Follow me on Twitter for updates. Wish us luck. pic.twitter.com/vYGgGesW0Y
“Partial cast… beautiful human beings, good people. Also, killers. Cameras roll today. Follow me on Twitter for updates. Wish us luck.”
The film is a reboot of the 1987 action classic that starred Arnold Schwarzenegger and Carl Weathers. Although the property’s update has already been hit by controversy online, the studio is moving forward on the film.
What are your thoughts on the upcoming Predator reboot? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.
The Predator is slated to hit theaters on February 9, 2018.
Arrow, like most comic book related TV or film in recent years, has rarely taken an in depth look at an extremely divisive, current events topic. The Green Arrow of DC Comics lore has rarely shied away from social or political issues at varying times of his comic book history, but the show has been mostly subtle and respectful of its diverse audience. This is not to say others have waved or slugged you in the face their political or social views, but Arrow has not.
Politics V. Pop Culture has taken on lighter issues prior to this, but the Arrow episode ‘Spectre of the Gun’ requires a review and discussion on the basis of its Gun violence and Gun Control debate that made up the bulk of the Season 5 episode.
So lets discuss CW’s Arrow, and their handling of the controversial subject matter, and determine who is the winner in this match-up. For anyone who has not or intends to watch the show, spoilers are just around the bend.
Green Arrow Verses Guns
Arrow Season 5 Episode 13 kicked off with a bang, and then several more, literally. Star City’s City Hall was shot up by several people with a guns. At this point, with everything else going on in Oliver Queen’s city like Prometheus, The Vigilante, and such, who knows what happened there at this point. Especially when Oliver himself and Curtis both shot outside this same building. Once the villain is revealed, it turns out to be none of the above, and the villain immediately becomes a plot device for a larger, real world discussion that permeates the remainder of the episode with the exception of the character Wild Dog’s long-awaited back story. The central antagonist had shot up the mayors office and went on a citywide shooting spree because the previous mayor did not enact Gun Control, more or less. So, how did CW and Arrow’s showrunners and writers handle this divisive topic? What was their overall message in the end? Well, first we would need to start with…
What The Showrunners Say It is
GreenArrowTV reported that the writers and producers had stated their case, and explained what they were hoping to serve up an adult after school special to “Tackle the issue of the day,” according to Executive Producer and writer of this episode.
“I grew up in a time where it was commonplace — like literally every week — for a one-hour drama to tackle the issues of the day. Somewhere along the line we got away from that, the whole industry got away from that.”
Guggenheim went on to explain that Arrow episodes like this were the audience’s one serving of vegetables, amongst 22 “pieces of candy.”
“We went into Season 5 with the desire to, like, OK, it’s the fifth season. We’ve hopefully earned the freedom to. In 23 episodes of television, you can have 22 pieces of candy and one episode of vegetables. We sort of felt that gun violence felt like the right topic, a) because of its topicality but also because of the level of gun violence that is on Arrow.
Also, GreenArrowTV reported that Executive Producer Wendy Merricle said that the Arrow producers and showrunners hope to have more of these servings of vegetables in the future, and hope to showcase both sides of the issues. So, that is what they stated was their goal, but you must be wondering…
What This Writer Says It Is
How they chose to enter this oft heard of and discussed national issue was a little cliché and wrongheaded, but surprisingly, they carried on an episode around it with some emotion and thoughtfulness.
Arrow writers really seemed to be focusing more on a message of unity in this current dark, divided wasteland of American politics 2017. The emphasis and message managed to come through the haze that each side of the debate has a view and often times there’s an extenuating circumstance or valid reason they both view the issue from their sides, and both are just as legitimate as the other. Unity was focused upon in the sense that we need to not just speak amongst like-minded individuals to come to a solution, but rather have an intense discussion with those who think completely contrary to our own views. These ideals were brought to the final conclusion that one can find that we both value the same thing, even if our approaches to the situation is different.
We can only find solutions when we come together, including and considering both sides of the issue within the solution.
The Arrow writers kept Star City’s gun violence solution vague with no real details, other than a political title. Why you may ask? This writer feels that, in the end, it was less about giving the country an exact solution, and more about the aforementioned ideals within this article. The Arrow cast of characters became an example for how issues should and could be dealt with. It was Echo Kellum’s Mr. Terrific character that encompassed the entire episode in one moment between Felicity and Curtis.
“We used to talk about things as a society, you know? We’d debate, and we would argue, and we would still respect each other after.”
“Somewhere along the line that just became… rude.”
“Yeah. It became impolitic to talk politics. I can’t help but wonder that maybe that’s why our country is the way it is today.”
So, the only thing left to discuss is…
What It Actually Is…The Verdict
The verdict is a draw. In typical Arrow fashion, they intended on introducing something without shoving one side down your throat and telling you to mindlessly believe as they do. Unlike in the past, when some of these issues were brought forth, there was a debate. Though, it was over the top at times, and sounded like political bumper stickers arguing.
However, the producers seem to have a tinge of arrogance in thinking they can throw out heavily divisive issues, and pat themselves on the back at the end of every episode feeling like they have solved or pushed the issue and the people into a like-minded compromise, thus creating the graph for a solution to the problem.
While the writers did not solve the Gun Control debate, they did reasonably showcase America’s divided landscape that truly represents most, if not all current issues today.
What Oliver, Rene, and Curtis realize is that both sides of the debate are worth being heard, and without both sides having an input, no issue will ever be solved. Perhaps, if not for the Gun Control debate, but a memo to Washington D.C., take note of how debate and discussion is done.
Following films like ‘Les Misérables‘ and ‘La La Land‘, sound mixer Steve Morrow has said Lady Gaga will be singing live in ‘A Star Is Born‘. In an interview with “Next Big Picture“, Morrow said the pop singer has been pushing the sound team for a unique and challenging method of audio mixing.
Steve Morrow had this to say about the singer’s passion for this project:
“You sit there and you think, ‘Lady Gaga wants all the vocals live. She wants to perform live every single time you see her sing.’ She’s going to be live.”
“She said, ‘Okay, look, here’s what I want: I want all the music to be live as well. I don’t want it to feel like I’m singing to a playback track because it doesn’t feel right to me. I can always tell; it always affects the performance. I want to sing live, I want the band to be live,’”
This film will be Bradley Cooper’s directorial debut and he will also co-star alongside Gaga. The story follows a young singer (Gaga) whose career is given a jump-start with help from an aging, alcoholic movie star (Cooper). ‘A Star Is Born‘ has been remade quite a few times with actress like Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand. Filming begins around April but the award buzz is already pouring in.
What do you think of Gaga and Cooper starring in ‘A Star Is Born‘?
This trailer for Guy Ritchie’s King Arthur: Legend of The Sword is the most Guy Ritchie thing you will see all week. It’s loaded with slo-mo, non-period specific music, and oozing with enough machismo to fill a Hummer’s gas tank.
It looks like a lot of fun…
Robbed of his birthright, Arthur comes up the hard way in the back alleys of the city. But once he pulls the sword from the stone, he is forced to acknowledge his true legacy – whether he likes it or not.
The jury’s still out on whether or not Charlie Hunnam is a movie star. Tom Hardy and Chris Hemsworth might have gotten in his way these past few years. King Arthur: Legend of The Sword (stupid title) should go a long way to solving that conundrum. And fans of the music video Guy Ritchie aesthetic should certainly dig this one.
Aside from Hunnam, we have a gleefully hammy Jude Law – who is enjoying this second act in his career playing gleefully hammy characters. There’s also Eric Bana, Katie McGrath, Hermione Corfield, Annabelle Wallis, and Djimon Hounsou. It will hit theaters May 12.
This week’s The Walking Dead continues to prepare for the inevitable Negan clash. As far as build-up episodes go, this one works relatively well. It doesn’t focus on just one character, as many filler episodes have. “New Best Friends” actually tries to show action for a bit of everyone. As we slog on towards the big, final showdown, the group figures out how to prepare in their own ways.
The strongest part of the episode is how the protagonists return to their roots. Rick uses his survival skills, and strong leadership, to win over new allies. Daryl isn’t afraid to tangle with rivals in order to keep his kin safe. Carol’s fear for the group is well-balanced by her cool handling of Ezekiel’s men. Even Morgan’s dislike of death comes off as understandable, when compared to Daryl protecting Carol. It may feel like the show is rehashing old material, but it’s actually playing to its strengths. These characters are interesting for specific reasons, and “New Best Friends” brings those reasons back.
I’m gonna come out and say it – I don’t like this new group of survivors. Maybe these garbage-dwellers are from the comics, and will prove to be important later on. But as a television viewer, I don’t want yet ANOTHER group to care about. These new survivors also don’t have much going for them, as far as intrigue. They’re creepy and talk different, sure, but all they really provide is more cannon fodder for the protagonists.
King Ezekiel is also beginning to become a bit stagnant. He’s an interesting idea, but doesn’t do much aside from talk fancy. Ezekiel has the same moral code as Morgan, which is an interesting perspective to have, but pairing them up shows they’re not that different. At this point, Richard does more than Ezekiel or his pet tiger. Richard is keeping things interesting, with his drive to kill Negan outweighing his regard for Carol or Daryl. The Walking Dead has introduced two cool concepts for characters – Ezekiel and Negan – but once they’re introduced, they become stagnant. Catch one episode of Ezekiel, and you’ve basically seen them all.
This episode is a nice start to real, boiling action, but it still functions as build-up. There’s only so interesting you can make a prologue to a cooler fight, and “New Best Friends” does an okay job. At the very least, The Walking Dead isn’t spending whole episodes on one story at a time. It’s balancing out various storylines, meaning that all the action is moving forward at the same rate. There’s room to improve with characterization, but this is a pleasant push towards the action we fans are craving.
Tales From the Crypt is returning from the dead (sorry) and headed over to TNT, with the help of M. Night Shyamalan, who’s in the middle of his own awesome resurgence.
Now, it seems TNT and Shyamalan have released a promo clip for the upcoming series reboot, though nothing has been absolutely confirmed as of yet.
This new version of Tales From the Crypthit some roadblocks on its way back to TV last year. Naming rights and character usage issues stalled the project, which is set to be part of a horror block on the cable channel. The status of the series was touch-and-go for a while, but finally got up and running last spring. There’s no news as to its release date yet, but if these promo videos Bloody Disgusting unearthed are to be believed, this thing could certainly head our way this year.
This second one really captures the spirit of the original HBO late-night series. And the former should assure fans of the comic series that the show reboot is in the right hands.
Again, these Tales From the Crypt promo videos aren’t confirmed, but if these are just fan-made promos then TNT or someone needs to get ahold of whoever made these and give them a real job.
It is ironic that a film about the illusion that is the glory days of old Hollywood is the lead contender for Best Picture. It shouldn’t come as that much of a surprise, though, considering it also has a new(ish) visionary director, tight editing, excellent cinematography, and is a revival of the old-school Hollywood musical. If you had to write a recipe for an Oscar winning film, it would look something like La La Land. Which is also ironic, because I’m fairly sure it is going to lose.
The Oscars are a fickle thing to predict. There’s a lot of variables, and their weight depends largely on who you ask. You can follow the guild awards to get a good idea of what the Oscars will pick since the same people vote for both: Spotlight, Birdman, and Argo won almost all the awards that matter. But this isn’t always reliable: 12 Years a Slave, Captain Phillips, and Boyhood all split them up pretty evenly. It often comes down to knowing who the Academy is, and what they like to pick. And much like The Artist in 2011, La La Land is exactly that kind of film.
Except now it is six years later, and the Academy had to contend with a PR nightmare they weren’t so fond of: #OscarsSoWhite. It exposed the problems the Academy Awards have with representing a diverse range of creative, both in front and behind the camera. Far more importantly to the Academy, it lost them money. And that’s the thing to keep in mind above all else when it comes to predicting the Oscar winners in any category: it is a business, and they want to viewers to watch their expensive ad time.
The Academy had to acknowledge their changing audience, and they knew it. Rather, #OscarsSoWhite forced them to know it. The Academy responded, adding their largest class of women and non-white actors in history to their ranks. This year they’ve nominated a historic number of African-American actors and creative. And yet despite these changes, it still seemed almost guaranteed that most of the awards were going to La La Land. Until recently.
See, Denzel’s Screen Actors Guild (SAG) win changed everything. Up to then, Casey Affleck was the shoe-in win for Best Actor. He had every award that mattered and was engaging in an extended and well-supported campaign run. But he was also bringing bad press related to a sexual assault charge from years prior. The Academy was faced with the contentious issue of nominating and perhaps awarding someone who did not deserve a platform. Despite that, right up to the SAGs, it still seemed like it was going his way.
As a quick note, I am not saying Denzel didn’t deserve to win the SAG: he definitely did. But the important part is what this signals for the Oscars. While it is not a guarantee that Denzel will win, every single SAG winner of the last ten years went on to win Best Actor. So it’s incredibly likely at the very least, which is an upset from the near certainty of Casey’s win. Above all, this shows that they are listening. And perhaps I’m giving them too much credit, but it’s possible the Academy is learning.
Best Picture 2016 has always been a two-horse race, where La La Land seemed like the sure winner, despite Moonlight being the better film. But now things are different. Denzel won the SAG. Meryl Streep called out the President of the United States in a now famous speech. The status quo has completely changed in just 30 days.
So now when the Academy has a choice: they can award a movie in which two young white folks try to make it in Hollywood and (arguably) save jazz, or a deeply intimate character driven film about a young, gay black man growing up in Miami. I’ll always bet on the Academy to do what it thinks will get it the most views. So this year, look for Moonlight’s surprise but completely deserved win. Like the glory of Hollywood it depicts, La La Land‘s dominance is an illusion.
‘Fist Fight’ is a hilarious raunch Fest that doesn’t seek to win audiences over with its poignant narrative, but does so with its well-timed comedic elements.
Summary
Fist Fight centers around the events of the senior’s last day of school at Roosevelt High. It’s been a long-standing tradition that the last day of school is also known as senior prank day. In the first few moments, we witness dicks being graffiti on school property, trip wires involving paint, and a random mariachi band who is following the principal (Dean Norris) just to piss him off. It’s enough to drive the coolest teachers to lose their mind and pushes Mr. Strickland (Ice Cube) over the edge. A student decides to pull a prank on Mr. Strickland by messing with the remote control to which he responds by taking an ax and destroying his desk. Mr. Campbell (Charlie Day) happens to witness this incident and ends up in the principal’s office along with Mr. Strickland to explain what happened. Strickland warns Campbell about that they have to stick together and throws in a reminder that “snitches get stitches” Predictably Campbell rats Strickland out and that leads to Strickland being fired. Rather than settle this like adults, Strickland chooses to end this with a brawl after school on the last day.
What I liked
Van Robichaux, Evan Susser, and Max Greenfield have constructed a storyline that is far from plausible but hit all the right comedic notes. No one attempted to put Charlie Day in the role of the “tough” school teacher, they allowed him to play the same neurotic role that we’ve seen in Horrible Bosses, and It’s All Sunny In Philadelphia. They played to Ice Cube’s strengths as well. His humor stems from his tough persona and to deviate from that would have been foolish.
Tracey Morgan, Jillian Bell, and Christina Hendricks were all hysterical. Morgan is, cast as the PE coach that is going to get the whole student body pregnant. Jillian Bell plays the Guidance Counselor who has a thing for younger men. Christina Hendricks plays Ms. Monet a straight edge teacher with a thing for cutting people. All three had chemistry with both Ice Cube and Charlie Day, and it heightened my enjoyment level.
Director Richie Keen tightly structured a majority of the scenes and that allowed the film not to drag. 80% of the scenes in Fist Fight would hit one or two beats and then go right to the punchline. The structure was very similar to most any sitcom you would see. This should n’t be a shock to most as Keen’s directorial experience stems from the work he’s done on television.
What I Didn’t Like
At various points, Fist Fight attempts to make a statement about the educational system, and I’m not sure why they even bothered to do that. No one is going to see this film and expecting to see Stand and Deliver or Mr. Holland’s Opus. Anyone who pays to see this movie is expecting to laugh and nothing more.
Final Thoughts
Fist Fight is the type of film that critics love to bash because it’s easy to do. Some might even go as far as to say that the movie isn’t deep and meaningful. Was that the intended purpose of this film? Criticizing this movie for not being deep enough is the same as ripping apart any of the Fast and Furious films for not having a strong narrative. You go into a Fist Fight or a Fast and Furious film to be entertained. Lucky for us this film accomplishes that.
Spencer & Locke may have the best elevator pitch for any story ever; “What if Calvin & Hobbes grew up in Sin City?” That alone offers immense intrigue and questions that could easily garner a following, especially in the indie comics scene. And indeed the best way to describe this emerging series is as a combination of the aforementioned properties. But, is a really cool premise all Spencer & Locke needs? Or does this comic offer something deeper?
Writing
The story focuses on Locke, and his imaginary friend/stuffed panther, Spencer. Locke did not exactly have a happy childhood, but has now grown up to become a detective along with Spencer. Only Locke can see and hear Spencer move, but the danger they face is real. Series writer, David Pepose, does two things exceptionally well in this comic. The first is creating intrigue in the story, and world. The hook of the story certainly grabs the reader’s attention, but the opening mystery keeps the audience invested. Each page either builds more of this world, or pushes the mystery forward. The second is that Pepose creates an uncomfortable, unsettling mood for this comic. Literally the first page sets the tone, and it goes down further and further into this grim, gritty world.
Art
Jorge Santiago is the series artist along with Jasen Smith as the colorist. Santiago and Smith bring life to the “Calvin & Hobbes meets Sin City” concept aesthetically. Spencer & Locke has two visual tones: the present is the gritty crime noir setting, while the past is a near perfect homage to the original Calvin and Hobbes comic strips. There are times that Santiago’s art with Smith’s colors really look like Bill Watterson’s famous illustrations. The scenes in the present (which is where most of the issue takes place) are not quite Frank Miller’s artwork, but they have their own dark, look with muted colors and heavy shadows. The juxtaposing art styles create a unique clash of context that contributes to the tone.
Conclusion
It is safe to say that there is nothing really like Spencer & Locke out there. The creative hook is enough for readers to take a look, but this comic offers so much more. The characters are complex an interesting, the tone is disturbing and wholly unique, and the final page will have the audience wanting to know more. This book is an absolute must buy, for the unique premise is just the tip of this fascinating ice berg of a story.
Spencer & Locke is currently being published by Action Labs comics.
Zack Snyder briefly discussed the Justice League marketing on his Vero account. While he didn’t give any firm details away, we can safely assume that a new trailer is coming sooner rather than later.
“Trailer is all part of marketing and there is a set schedule for release it’s coming soon don’t worry.”
This is something that fans need to keep in mind. Each film has a marketing schedule, and trailers are dropped when the excitement has started to die down. Considering that DC Extended Universe properties generally have three trailers, we still have a long way to go until Justice League‘s release.
“In ‘Justice League’, fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince, to face an even greater enemy. Together, Batman and Wonder Woman work quickly to find and recruit a team of metahumans to stand against this newly awakened threat. But despite the formation of this unprecedented league of heroes—Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash—it may already be too late to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions.”
When do you think Warner Bros. will release the next Justice League trailer? Drop your predictions in the comments below.
The films stars Henry Cavill as Superman, Ben Affleck as Batman, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Ray Fisher as Cyborg, Jason Momoa as Aquaman, Ezra Miller as The Flash, J.K. Simmons as Commissioner Gordon, Willem Defoe as Vulko, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth, Amber Heard as Mera, Diane Lane as Martha Kent, Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, and Connie Nielsen as Hippolyta.
Justice League hits theaters on November 17, 2017.
