Mark Hamill discussed many things in a lengthy new interview with Uproxx. Regarding Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the always vocal actor had this to say:
“I think it’s very ambiguous. Is the last Jedi Leia? Is it me? Is it someone we’ve never met before? Or is it Rey? Because she seems to have the Force as well. So we’ll all wait and see.”
Star Wars: The Last Jedi, is written and directed by Rian Johnson and continues the storylines introduced in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.It welcomes back cast members Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie, and Andy Serkis. New cast members will include Academy Award® winner Benicio Del Toro, Academy Award® nominee Laura Dern, and talented newcomer Kelly Marie Tran.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi is produced by Kathleen Kennedy and Ram Bergman and executive produced by J.J. Abrams, Jason McGatlin and Tom Karnowski. Joining the production crew will be some of the industry’s top talent, including Steve Yedlin (Director of Photography), Bob Ducsay (Editor), Rick Heinrichs (Production Designer), Peter Swords King (Hair and Make-Up Designer), and Mary Vernieu (US Casting Director). They will be joining returning crew members Pippa Anderson (Co-Producer, VP Post Production), Neal Scanlan (Creature & Droid FX Creative Supervisor), Michael Kaplan (Costume Designer), Jamie Wilkinson (Prop Master), Chris Corbould (SFX Supervisor), Rob Inch (Stunt Coordinator), Ben Morris (VFX Supervisor), and Nina Gold (UK Casting Director).
Star Wars: The Last Jedi is scheduled for release December 15, 2017.
Hugh Jackman, the actor who’s played Wolverine for over 15 years, has just unveiled a new poster for his last film as the character, Logan.
This poster is simple, yet effective. Showing the grit in just a single frame, it should entice viewers that either hadn’t heard of the film, or weren’t planning to see it.
How do you feel about not only this new piece of marketing, but the film as a whole? Do you plan to see Logan in theaters? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments section, down below.
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. Click here for the full cast list. The film hits theaters on March 3.
Below Contains Spoilers To Shyamalan’s ‘Split’, So Readers Beware
If you don’t know, now you know. M. Night Shyamalan has connected his iconic film ‘Unbreakable’ with the new release ‘Split‘. It comes as a surprise to viewers and raises some serious questions about what it all means.
With this “Shyamalan Cinematic Universe” building, this could mean a massive change for his career and his projects as a whole. ‘Split‘ has only been out for a few weeks but there’s been so many theories and questions going around already.
I’ll breakdown some of the major inquiries and give my thoughts on each mind-blowing concept from the budding ‘Split‘ and ‘Unbreakable‘ universe.
Reminder, I will go into detail about the finale of ‘Split‘ and the future of films so proceed with caution if you haven’t seen the movie yet!
What do you think of the twist ending to ‘Split‘ and the connections to ‘Unbreakable‘?
Let me know in the comments below!
11. Are All Of The Shyamalan Films Connected?
What if these aren’t the first two films in this “Shyamalan Cinematic Universe”? I started wondering if there’s more films in this universe.
Tying into my previous theory, what if the young boy’s ghost seeing ability in ‘The Sixth Sense‘ is one of these superpowers? Could the freakish grandparents in ‘The Visit‘ be included into this universe? ‘The Village‘ could even live in this universe, given that film’s infamous twist! Hell, this could be a better explanation of why the main characters in ‘The Happening‘ were immune to the plant attack…
Now that there is confirmation that two of Shyamalan’s films are connected, some fans are going insane trying to piece together pieces that might not even be there.
First of all, what is a Braggot? A very old way of making meads, comes from the 1300s, a blend of spices and herbs mixed in with meads, and even beers. There is a honey character as well as bitterness from the hops. One taste is not overwhelming to the other, but you should always get a bit of sweetness in every sip.
Braggots are members of the much bigger family of Meads. Meads brew by fermenting honey and water, and adding spices to make them different. There are quite a few kinds of meads out there, and they are beginning to take off in popularity.
Braggots themselves have not been recognizable in the craft beer movement up until more recently. Since they can be 6% all the way to a 12% ABV, they are unpredictable, and can be hit or miss. Brewers must be cautious.
They also seem to appear more in the midwest, moving on to the Eastern United States. There are meaderies popping up more and more, and are rising up in popularity. B Nektar in Ferndale, Michigan puts their heart and soul into the meads. So much so, they don’t even have any beers in the tap room currently.
If you are ever in Spokane, Washington stop into Bellweather Brewing. Beers brewed here are old world fashion, and they have a braggot worth stopping in for.
Stop into a liquor store and you may notice the aisles are growing more and more with meads. Meads are sold almost as fast as they can be put out.
For being as exclusive as craft beer is, adding another type to the table is welcome. Meads have a permanent place on the shelves, and in our hearts.
Until next time beer snobs, drink some beers and drink some braggots!
When Pokémon Go came out last summer, it took the world by storm. It seemed like there was a news story every day about people doing dumb things while playing the game. It even managed to outshine the more standard Pokémon games released, those being Sun and Moon. Whether or not you managed to catch them all, The Pokémon Company has now unveiled a whole new game for players to become obsessed with.
Pokémon Duel, the brand new mobile game, had nothing like the build-up before its release that Pokémon Go had. In fact, it was more of a surprise to see the game come to mobile stores. This may be due to the new game following on the heels of several other game releases. It’s also a more simple game than the VR-heavy experience of its mobile predecessor.
Unlike Pokémon Go, Duel has nothing to do with catching real world pocket monsters. It’s also not anything like the standard games, either. Pokémon Duel is more like a board game, in line with chess or checkers. Players must move their six Pokémon statues (not Amiibos) across the board to the opponent’s goal. They can battle other Pokémon along the way, but the focus is more on movement-based strategy.
Whether this game has the success of Pokémon remains to be seen. However, as someone who has now spent a day with the game, I’m not sure it”ll be anywhere close for at least a few more days. The loading times still take a while, and a few elements are still confusing. For instance, the concepts of “evolving” statues and “abilities” are still confusing. These are all issues that will likely be resolved through various bug fixes, but for now, I’d advise sticking to other Pokémon games. Or maybe play Yu-Gi-Oh instead.
The deadly secret behind the newly risen Joker is revealed, and it’s about to shake up Terry McGinnis’ world! Terminal has been using the existence of the Clown Prince of Crime to set himself up as the leader of the anarchic gang of Jokerz, but this new revelation may even put his own criminal empire in jeopardy. This is a turning-point chapter in the life of the Batman of the future.
Writing
The revelation of the previous issue doesn’t come into play much here. Instead, this issue serves to debut the new batsuit Terry will be wearing during this series. It has a distinct look to it and some wonderful toys for him to beat bad guys with. Nothing like a good fight scene with Batman gadgets to help the reader remember what makes the character so entertaining to follow.
Unfortunately, the story is moving very slowly with little advancement. Terry needs to make up for the lost time he spent temporary dead before coming back to life thanks to the events of Rebirth. Writer Dan Jurgens has properly set the stage and caught the audience up with what’s happening in the future world. This storyline just needs to end so events can get moving from here on.
Artwork
Pete Woods takes over on art and color in this issue. He keeps the same tone as previous issues which helps to capture the gritty cyberpunk future but thanks to some great effect work helps to make the issue stand out a bit more. Also the abilities and features he shows with the new batsuit are very impressive.
Conclusion
Lots of good build-up here, but there has been enough of an introduction for this comic. It’s time to see what Terry can do as a Batman without Bruce Wayne constantly backing him up. He’s had a long ride as a character and he deserves to finally spread his wings fly.
If there ever were a place that gave random genre series a chance it’s SyFy. The now 24-year-old network regularly presents hungry viewers with new sci-fi, supernatural, and fantasy entertainment to feast upon. Over the years, SyFy shows like Battlestar Galactica and Z Nation have gone on to great pop culture success. Often, though, the magic doesn’t come together and shows like Flash Gordon or Aftermath fizzle fast. Between the Expanse and Dark Matter, SyFy is locked in with solid science fiction. So, to balance things out they added The Magicians last year. Season two of the magic/fantasy story approaches. But if you’re not caught up, you’re probably wondering if The Magicians is mesmerizing or all smoke and mirrors?
Based on novels by Lev Grossman, the easiest way for me to describe The Magicians is like this: It’s Harry Potter: The College Years. Take Hogwarts, make it look like Ivy League, call it Brakebills and that’s the magic school in this universe. Take Hermione and give her a tragic loss in her past that she’s trying to correct. Ron is of Middle Eastern descent and uses drugs to calm voices in his head. And Quentin Coldwater (“Harry”) is the budding hero who is possibly bi-polar and a man-child.
The basics of The Magicians is this: Quentin and his friend Julia grow up in love with a storybook called Fillory. Fillory is basically a wink and nod to C.S. Lewis, including furniture which serves as portals to an alternate world. Magic is said to come from Fillory and while Julia grew out of such childhood fantasies, Quentin held on, learned “normal” magic tricks, and was diagnosed with mood disorders. One day, lo and behold, Quentin and Julia step from our world into the world of Brakebills and a series of events, destined to happen, begins to unfold.
It’s easy to compare The Magicians to Harry Potter. However, the two are little alike. There are no wands in The Magicians, for instance. Instead, most spells are cast a little slower and often with wild hand gestures. I like to picture the actors behind the scenes having to learn all the intricate movements. But the way magic is created in The Magicians is a unique aspect of the show that I find fun and exciting.
On the negative side of things, season one plods along at times and falls short on the world-building front. Intricate hand gestures and some expository lore aside, sometimes things feel matter-of-fact or glossed over. Parts of The Magicians feels rushed, other parts feel a little too by-the-numbers. And if I said any single negative thing about the show it would be: uneven.
I’m sure by now you realize this isn’t a glowing review of The Magicians, but it’s not a bleak one either. The second season of The Magicians begins tonight at 9 P.M. on SyFy. So, if you enjoy genre shows of this nature, binge watching season one (available on Netflix) is worth it. While The Magicians has it’s flaws, it ends strong, opening the door for season two to expand on the show’s raunchy style of magic.
tl;dr: The Magicians is the love-child of Harry Potter and Requiem For A Dream and it’s fun to watch.
During Oscar season, it’s always fun (at least for me) to go back and look through history, at Best Picture Oscar winners of year’s gone by. Some of these movies age like fine wine, others curdle and wilt from our collective consciousness over time.
So here’s a little reindeer game for you: ranking the Best Picture Oscar winners in different decades. Let’s start with what is probably the most difficult of all the decades, the 1970s. Difficult because this was the turning point in American cinema. Difficult because all of these films, deserving of the Best Picture statue or not, are truly wonderful and important – at least, in the sense that movies can be important. Here goes nothing…
All the cool kids like to say The Godfather Part II is better than the original. And this time, the hip thing to do is probably the correct thing to do. The original is a game changer, but its sequel manages to expand an already fascinating epic examination of Italian-American criminals. The dueling storylines between Michael Corleone and his painful downfall, and the rise of his young father Vito (Robert De Niro) in the early days of the 20th century, are on equal footing as far as dramatic thrust is concerned. There is not a false note here.
Stranger Things, the surprise hit summer series, has begun production for its second season. The first season became something of a cultural phenomenon, and its likely the second season will receive similar acclaim. There may not be much in the way of summary details, or what monsters will be attacking. However, we now know a little more about our returning characters, thanks to one of the show’s stars.
David Harbour, who plays Chief Hopper on Stranger Things, attended the Fan2Sea cruise-set comic-con. Harbour was one of many stars who attended, including Gaten Matarazzo, Shannon Purser, and Caleb McLaughlin. During the panel, several new cast members were confirmed for season two, including Sean Astin. Harbour spoke specifically on Astin’s role, saying that Astin would play the new boyfriend to Winona Ryder’s character “much to the chagrin to the Chief of Police.” Harbour doesn’t give any information of how Astin will fit into the Stranger Things world beyond this relationship with Joyce, but it’s still interesting information.
Sean Astin, THE STRAIN
As far as where the show will go, Harbour also talked about where the second season picks up. “It’s a year later in the story, so there are several things that happened last year — like Will has come back — there are certain people in the town that know what happened, and then certain people that don’t know what happened,” said Harbour. Stranger Things’ new season won’t directly pick up from Season One, but will still be closely related. The transition will probably be like transition between the two seasons of Young Justice, the DC cartoon.
Harbour also confirmed the unfortunate fate of Barb. Barb was a flagship Stranger Things character for many, who demanded she return after being killed by the Demogorgon. Harbour said that Barb would not be coming back, but was not forgotten. Apparently, Nancy (Natalia Dyer) feels the same way as many fans, angry that people have forgotten about her friend. But hey, if nothing else, that means Shannon Purser is free to play Squirrel Girl!
If you haven’t already, be sure to binge the eight-episode season now on Netflix!
There’s never a point in Gold, the latest from Matthew McConaughey and director Stephen Gaghan (Traffic), where you don’t know how things are going to turn out. From the early going, the film sets itself up as an archetypal “rise and fall” cautionary tale.
That’s not to say it’s not well constructed or executed. In fact, Gold is an entertaining film, with a compelling, committed performance from McConaughey at its heart.
But the familiarity of the story arc takes something away from the film’s lasting dramatic impact. It’s just a lesson we’ve been taught before in more or less this same way.
Given that, audiences are more likely to be talking about McConaughey’s weight gain for the role rather than the film’s message once the credits roll.
What’s it about?
Based loosely on true events, Gold tells the story of Kenny Wells, a third-generation mining prospector who lives by the same desire to strike it big that drove his father and grandfather.
In 1988, Wells’ fortunes have reached an all-time low. He’s operating the family business out of a bar, his once-reliable financial backers now hesitant to underwrite more land buys for scant returns on investment.
All isn’t terrible for Wells, however. His staff remains fiercely loyal, and his loving, patient girlfriend Kay (Bryce Dallas Howard) remains steadfast in her support.
With the last of his finances, Wells turns to maverick geologist Mike Acosta (Edgar Ramirez), who built his reputation on a massive copper find in Indonesia years before and then watched that reputation crumble as his subsequent ventures failed to yield similar results.
Both at the ends of their respective ropes, the two partner in order to investigate one last Indonesian site Acosta believes will yield a “mother lode.” With local workers toiling beside them in the mud, the two work for months through rains, mudslides, and malaria, once again with little to show for it.
Then one morning, everything changes. Analysis of core samples the miners pulled from deep in the ground reveal an epic gold find, the kind potentially worth billions.
Validated at last, Wells returns to Reno a hero. Once the news of his find breaks, he finds himself courted by all manner of bankers, politicians, and speculators all eager to cash in.
At last, Kenny Wells finds himself winning, and he revels in his triumph. He knew it was out there, and he was right.
Or was he?
McConaughey larger than life (literally)
At the heart of Gold lies the charismatic, complicated character Kenny Wells. What makes him so interesting is that it’s not greed that drives him, as it might others like him.
Pride and belief drive Kenny Wells. Pride in the accomplishments of his fathers, belief in his own instincts and his eventual place among the world’s giants of success — these are what keep the fires going within Wells, and more still. He’s also aware of others’ belief in him, and he strives to be worthy of that belief, to reward their loyalty and faith.
What results is a man who lives every day as large as his expectations for success. Some see him as magnanimous and inspiring in his seemingly boundless energy and belief. Others just dismiss him as crazy and small-time, a hopeless dreamer. What they might agree on is that the man is genuine.
To bring Kenny Wells to life, Matthew McConaughey reportedly gained 40 pounds on a diet of cheeseburgers, beer and milkshakes. Makeup effects thin his hairline, and wardrobe emphasizes the gut of a man who eats, drinks, and loves large and in the moment.
Arguably, those physical trappings may prove too distracting for some audiences. But combined with McConaughey’s innate charm and almost maniac energy, they help yield a very convincing character study, yet another for the talented actor’s resumé.
Stop me if you’ve heard this one …
But for all the strength of McConaughey’s work here, Gold still feels too familiar, too “we’ve heard this story before.”
It’s a shame, because this isn’t the case of a solitary strong performance trapped within a bad film. Edgar Ramirez and Bryce Dallas Howard each turn in solid performances which also complement McConaughey’s efforts. Supporting cast members Craig T. Nelson, Stacy Keach, and Bruce Greenwood all provide memorable turns, as well.
Behind the camera, Stephen Gaghan and cinematographer Robert Elswit (There Will Be Blood) deliver visuals that make the scientific complexities of modern mining palatable, while realistically immersing audiences in jungles both natural and urban. It’s all put together with thought and care to bring the best out of the performers, and at times, it works.
But the script is just too conventional. The story’s plot beats are just a little too predictable for Gold to transcend its genre trappings and result in something great. It also tends to drag in its final act, with each successive scene feeling like it will be the last, only to yield to another narrative beat of questionable importance.
Worth seeing?
For fans of based-on-true-events dramas, Gold is a solid entertainment choice. In fact, it may be worth seeing for McConaughey’s work alone.
But it’s not necessarily a film that needs to be seen in theaters. It may prove just as compelling as a rental or digital download down the road. There are no stunning visual effects or sound editing that require the movie theater experience here.
Just don’t expect anything truly revolutionary, either in the material or the film’s approach to it.
Gold
Starring Matthew McConaughey, Edgar Ramirez, and Bryce Dallas Howard. Directed by Stephen Gaghan.
Running Time: 161 minutes
Rated R for language throughout and some sexuality/nudity.
