A new Taiwanese poster from Kong: Skull Island has been unviled by Screen Rant, and it highlights just how massive the ape really is in this new incarnation. Check it out below.
What are your thoughts on the poster? Are you looking forward to the film? Comment below!
“Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ “Kong: Skull Island” reimagines the origin of the mythic monster in a compelling, original adventure from director Jordan Vogt-Roberts. In the film, a diverse team of explorers is brought together to venture deep into an uncharted island in the Pacific—as beautiful as it is treacherous—unaware that they’re crossing into the domain of the mythic Kong.”
In a recent interview with Collider, X-Men star Patrick Stewart, who playes Charles Xavier, talked about what makes Logan unique.
“When I saw the first screenplay – the first draft – I was stunned. Shocked. Surprised. And delighted, because diversity has been such an important part of my life and work for over 50 years. ‘Please, please, give me something new and different to do. Don’t make me repeat the same thing over and over again.’ And this was certainly different… Page by page, I saw this developing. I was intrigued and excited by the prospects that stayed with me until the last moment on camera.”
Additionally, the actor commented on working with Hugh Jackman, Dafne Keen, and the director, James Mangold.
“To be, once more, working with Hugh [Jackman], who I’ve been working with from the very beginning, with James [Mangold], who I’d only done one day’s worth of work in the past, but I enjoyed it, and then to be in the company… Dafne Keen, who is the youngest member of the cast and is quite extraordinary. Working with her and with Hugh was a huge highlight.”
What are your thoughts on Stewart’s comments? Are you looking forward to Logan? Drop a comment down below and let us know!
Plot synopsis: “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, 2017.
Road to The Well is a small neo-noir from writer/director Jon Cvak, and a deliciously mean-spirited thriller in the vein of the Coen Brothers’ debut film, Blood Simple. It doesn’t have the leanness or the near perfection of that film (and it isn’t simply some knock off), but despite its flaws, Road to The Well is a sure sign of new talent in the world of bare-bones indie filmmaking.
Frank (Laurence Fisher) is an office drone of a shapeless business who barely hides the disdain for his job beneath a facade of percolating frustration. His boss, Tom, wants him to take a project “up north” for the company despite the fact he wants nothing to do with the gig. His home life isn’t much better, especially when he finds his girlfriend with Tom in a compromising position at an office party.
One night, about the time Frank’s life is being upended, an old friend named Jack (Micah Parker) turns up and the two head out to the bar. Jack has decided to become a drifter in recent years, happy to bounce from place to place and live life as a nomad. It is free-spirited Jack who entices Frank to go talk to the girl sitting up at the bar. Nothing seems quite right, which is the modus operandi for the entire film.
Frank and the girl hit it off a little too quickly and before long wind up in the backseat of his car; without spoiling anything else, a crime is committed, and Frank and Jack must dispose of a body. That’s the simplest way to set up Road to The Well; there are plenty more details and developments which led these two men to this precarious situation, and the bulk of the film involves Frank and Jack finding a place to bury their corpse, running into old friends and making new, very strange, very dangerous ones along the way.
Cvak’s screenplay and direction is terrific in its ability to create mood, develop a sense of dread, and keep the performances and individual scenes consistently bizarre and uneasy. Even when all sense of logic sometimes abandons the film – certain sections feel disjointed or seem to be missing important pieces of information – the dedication to tone keeps the story from spinning out of control. Like when Frank and Jack visit another old friend, sneak their way onto some land he owns to hopefully bury the body, and have a wacko encounter with the nosy neighbor, a retired Army vet (Marshall R. Teague) intent on killing himself. The whole segment is completely detached from the central plot, but its also captivating and weird and a masterful bit of self-contained storytelling. It works, and works well, again blending elements of the Coen Brothers with a Lynchian sense of off kilter madness.
The revelation near the end can be seen from the beginning of the film, but the performances – especially from Fisher and Micah Parker, who channels a young and sinister Benicio del Toro at times – keep even the more obvious plot developments interesting. Although certain moments in the story are telegraphed, this screenplay is honest and sharp.
Road to The Well is a curious picture told with real confidence, an artistic eye for detail, and some impressive, painterly composition from cinematographer Tim Davis. The Coen influence is heavy, but there are (visually) elements of Shane Carruth’s uber low-budget thriller Primer here, and ample stylistic references to David Lynch seeping through the screen. It’s worth seeking out (it’s available on iTunes, Amazon, DVD, Vudu, Google Play, Xbox and Playstation), and it’s probably a good idea to keep the the name Jon Cvak in your memory banks.
It seems that after helming episodes of both The Flash and Supergirl, geek-laureate Kevin Smith is jumping into another comic book based TV show, reports Deadline. This time its Spawnspin-off Sam and Twitch for BBC America. Sam and Twitch was a gritty noir/crime series that had a popular run written by comic book superstar Brian Michael Bendis.
BBC America president and GM Sarah Barnett had this to say:
They were originally introduced in Spawn, and it’s Todd McFarlane’s comic book series about these big-city homicide detectives who face a series of super grizzly crimes that are connected to the occult. I bumped into Kevin Smith at Sundance and he is beyond himself excited about this, about the show
So what do you guys think? Personally, a Sam and Twitch show could be great, and BBC productions are usually high caliber (think Sherlock and Luther). I am excited. Tell us what you think and comment below!
Happy birthday to actor, director, producer, and author, LeVar Burton who turns 60 today. Burton doesn’t look a day over 30, though, because black don’t crack. I’m just saying the man looks good. LeVar Burton might not be a household name to many people, but the actor played three iconic roles over the past 40 years. These roles have shaped generations of people, including me! In celebration of LeVar Burton we look at these three roles and the impact they left.
There’s a theme of teaching, togetherness, and sharing that runs through so much of what LeVar Burton does.
Roots
Most actors never hear their name when it comes to Emmy nominations, but LeVar Burton began his career with one. Burton’s first ever professional audition was for a role in the slavery-era ABC miniseries Roots. In Roots, Burton played Kunta Kinte, a young African who is stolen by slavers and taken to America. Burton plays Kinte during the slave’s teenage years which is essentially a hellish nightmare.
Roots aired for eight nights on ABC back in 1977. The mini-series put slavery and the struggle of African-Americans on television like never before, becoming one of the most-watched TV events of the decade. The Emmy’s nominated Burton for best actor in a mini-series, and the young actor’s career was off to a fast start.
Reading Rainbow
Now free from fictional slavery, Burton spent the next few years making appearances on TV shows and in films. In 1983, Burton became producer and host of Reading Rainbow. The show dedicated to reading featured a book every episode and told stories in a variety of ways including skits and animation. Many celebrity legends like Patrick Stewart, Matthew Broderick, and Helen Mirren lent their talents to Reading Rainbow.
In 2006, after 23 seasons and 155 episodes, PBS canceled Reading Rainbow. I consider this a national travesty since this show did more for reading than most schools. For many kids, Burton’s bright, smiling face is permanently etched as the face of Reading Rainbow which introduced new worlds every week. Since its cancellation, Burton and his company RRKIDS launched a successful Kickstarter campaign and Reading Rainbow is now a app across multiple platforms providing free reading materials for children.
Star Trek
Joining the voyage of humanity through space, Burton took on the role of Lt. Commander Geordi LaForge in Star Trek: The Next Generation (ST:TNG). As the blind chief engineer of the Enterprise, Burton’s LaForge tackled issues of people with disabilities and fell short in love repeatedly (what’s up with that ST:TNG writers?) LaForge’s quiet contribution to ST:TNG was as the human counterpart to Data. In many ways, Geordi was the human Data would likely become, except for some reason Data was luckier with the ladies — what is up with that ST:TNG writers?!
Burton’s LaForge so beautifully presented the human reality to Data’s android fantasy of humanity. LaForge often answered Data’s questions about being human, and the engineer’s responses were much like our own. Some responses were simple matters of decency and common sense, while others were difficult for any of us to answer and Data was left to learn the answer for himself.
There’s a theme of teaching, togetherness, and sharing that runs through so much of what LeVar Burton does. As Kunta Kinte he shared the pain of his ancestors. As host of reading rainbow he shared knowledge and taught us to explore the world within our minds through reading. Geordi LaForge literally kept the ship together and served as the balanced center of a world of cosmic extremes. Throughout his career Burton directed some of the finest episodes of ST:TNG, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager. In all of them, these same qualities permeate the scenes and story. So, on this day of his birth, Monkeys Fighting Robots would like to thank LeVar Burton for sharing his talents with the rest of the world.
Socialite Violet Paige returns to Gotham City followed by a media frenzy. The heiress of a fortune left to her by a father who died in a suspicious accident, Violet is a social media star, gaining fans and critics alike. But she hasn’t just returned to Gotham to care for her sick mother. Like many of Gotham’s populace, Violet hides a secret life and secret abilities. And as she takes to the streets as the city’s newest vigilante, Mother Panic, she will not only embark on a personal quest, but dive into the world’s infamous underworld, and gain the attention of Gotham’s most famous protector and his extended family, and perhaps become a legend herself as well.
Mother Panic #3
“A Work in Progress Part 3”
Written by Jody Houser
Art by Tommy Lee Edwards
Mother Panic created by Gerard Way, Jody Houser and Tommy Lee Edwards
Writing
This issue includes a moment I had been waiting for, the true crossing of paths between Mother Panic and a member of the Bat family. And boy was it good. In a great sequence, Violet comes face to face with Katherine Kane aka Batwoman and they trade blows (and a little flirtation) in a scene that showcases that writer Jody Houser is great at writing action. It’s a witty, fast moving fight scene that pushes the story forward and reveals how formidable Mother Panic really is. She holds her own against a seasoned Gotham City vigilante, and that knowledge is not lost on neither Batwoman nor Batman (who watches from the Batcave as often does). I love this idea of connecting Mother Panic into the Bat-mythos, as she adds an attitude of punk rock flair that reminds me of the early days of the Damian Wayne Robin days.
But there is more in this chapter that just setting up more attitude, as we get to see Violet in her first true heroic moment as she rescues a group of children from the villain Gala (who is also seemingly being set up to be a new Gotham Rogue and Mother Panic’s first nemesis).
Art
The best thing I can say about Tommy Lee Edwards is that he might be drawing the best Gotham City in any comic at the moment. It’s all shadows, strangely colored skies, and rough lines perpetually cast in darkness. His page design and panel layout continue to impress; just look at the excellently paced fight scene above and you will see what I mean.
He also draws a great Batman, and I truly hope we see more of the Dark Knight in this title (which I am totally guessing that we will)
Conclusion
This could easily become a mainstay Bat-title, and you would be making a mistake not jumping on it now. It’s got a larger connection to the DCU than any other Young Animal book, and that connection seems like a natural fit. Pick it up now.
In theaters now, ‘The Great Wall’ is at times visually splendid but is entangled with a blase narrative and a confusing performance from Matt Damon.
Summary
The story centers around two traders, William (Matt Damon) and Tovar (Pablo Pascal) who, when we first meet them, are evading capture and happen upon The Great Wall. They decide to take their chances with the soldiers on the wall (the members of the Nameless Order) rather than fight the mercenaries hot on their trail. They are taken prisoner by General Shao (Hanyu Zhang) and Commander Lin Mae (Tian Jing) just as word spread of an impending attack from the “Tao Tei.”
What are the “Tao Tei”? They are a cross between a Gremlin on steroids, a lizard, and just a dash of horrid CGI. These creatures are far more intelligent than the commanders of the Nameless Order give them credit for, and they begin to systematically pick apart their army during a siege at the wall. It becomes apparent rather quickly that these soldiers are going to need help conquering this foe and it just so happens that William and Tovar are handy with a variety of weapons.
What I liked
At times the shots of the “wall” were quite splendid and gave a real sense of just the enormity of the landmark. The shots of the crane and death battalions scaling down the side and attacking the “Tao Tei” had a Cirque du Solei quality to it. The film certainly had its moments where the visual composition of a shot is terrific. But these moments were far from consistent. Director Yimou Zhang is the same person who brought us House of The Flying Daggers and Curse of the Golden Flower, but his visual storytelling here is much more inconsistent.
What I Didn’t Like
Carlo Bernard, Doug Miro, and Tony Gilroy’s screenplay were void of any entertainment value. The narrative jettisons the audience directly into the complicated lives of William and Tovar and demands that you care about them but doesn’t give you a reason why. William and Tovar were incredibly one-dimensional. Anytime a semblance of character development was about to occur, it was interrupted by some inane dialogue with the commander or threat of yet another attack from the “Tao Tei.”
Matt Damon attempts to put on performance rather than sticking to his typical shtick of “Hey… I’m a southie from Boston” or ” Hey .. I’m a spy with a past.” Unfortunately, someone convinced him that his Irish accent was good enough to portray this character. It may have been better to just toss away any tricky accent; instead, he went with this accent, so profoundly distracting it was more entertaining at times to watch him fight through this than any impending creature attacks.
Furthermore, I’m not sure why Damon even attempts to provide depth to a narrative that apparently didn’t need any. This movie as it was written is just your standard hero standing with the underdogs to conquer an evil entity. Damon has been in this type of film before. Here we stand shaking our heads in disbelief as he mangles one word after another attempting to convince the world he’s from Dublin.
Final Thoughts
The Great Wall is a ridiculous attempt to combine two genres of film without a sound narrative and strong performances to help. This movie cost $150 million to make, and it would be a struggle to point out where that money was spent. It certainly wasn’t on the special effects. No way that it was on the production design. This film’s only hope is that it continues to dominate in the foreign box-office because there’s little to suggest that it will flourish here.
In The House, Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler try and open an underground casino to pay their daughter’s college tuition. As you could expect, things get well out of hand in every direction, and there are stars popping up all around Ferrell and Poehler.
Surprisingly, The House looks pretty funny. Not that Amy Poehler doesn’t still have it, but it’s been a minute since Will Ferrell did anything worth seeing. Check out the trailer:
There are so many directions to go here, and it looks like they explore all the fun gags and stunts that could come with basically turning your home into a mini Vegas. It’s also nice seeing Jason Mantzoukas, well known primarily for his role in the How Did This Get Made? podcast, lighting it up as the idea man. Along with that trio are Allison Tolman, Sam Richardson, Rob Huebel, Michaela Watkins, and all manner of actors you will see and recognize.
The House has a prime mid-summer release date, June 30, which is another positive. Even better than all this, however, is that R rating. Count me in.
The second Star Wars Force Friday event has been announced by Hasbro, reports ComicBook.com. For those who don’t know, Force Friday is when all of Star Wars: The Last Jedi toys will be released to the public by the toy manufacturer. This year it falls at midnight on September 1, 2017. So that night, retailers will begin selling the highly anticipated toys.
This announcement brings with it the packaging for the line of toys. It’s just a small tease, but these ARE new images of the new stars of our beloved saga. And judging by the picture we certainly can tell Finn is back in the battle! Check out the image below and tell us what you think in the comments!
Star Wars: The Last Jedi, is written and directed by Rian Johnson. Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver, Domhnall Gleeson, Gwendoline Christie, Peter Mayhew, Andy Serkis, Anthony Daniels, Lupita Nyong’o Mark Hamill, and the late Carrie Fisher all return. Additionally, Benicio Del Toro and Laura Dern join the cast in new and mysterious roles.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi is set to open on December 15, 2017.
American Horror Story Makes Politics Even Scarier!
Well, Ryan Murphy did it again. The creator of ‘American Horror Story‘ finally revealed what the upcoming season will be about.
Get ready for the 2016 Presidential Election all over again!
On Bravo’s ‘What What Happens Live‘, Murphy announced season 7 has inspiration from the recent election. That’s the only tidbit that was let loose on the show, but it was reported earlier that actors Sarah Paulson and Evan Peters will return
The question about a character being inspired by Donald Trump came up but Ryan Murphy let out a coy “…maybe”. It seems impossible to do ANYTHING with political inspiration now without mentioning the polarizing figure. I could almost guarantee that the outspoken Murphy won’t miss a chance to make a statement!
This is not the first time Murphy dabbled in reality. Previous seasons of ‘American Horror Story‘ have real stories as inspirations. Even Ryan Murphy’s acclaimed show ‘The People vs OJ Simpson: American Crime Story’ dealt with a real murder case. But somehow, the season about the recent election is scarier than anything else…
What do you think of this announcement?
Comment below if you will check out the political seventh season of American Horror Story!
Mother Panic #3
Art
Star Wars: The Last Jedi