Wednesday night filmmaker Guillermo del Toro used Twitter to gauge interest in a third ‘Hellboy’ film. He promised fans if the poll received 100,000 votes in 24 hours he would have a meeting with Ron Perlman and Mike Mignola about ‘Hellboy III.’
Informal poll (let’s see how many votes we get in 24 hours)
Hellboy III
With seven hours to spare 100,000 people voted in del Toro’s poll.
“We have gone past the 100K votes. I will arrange the sit-down w Ron & Mignola to talk HBIII. No guarantee but we will discuss. Wish us luck!!” said del Toro.
Del Toro was able to reach Perlman and was excited for a conversation about the film.
“I spoke with Ron Perlman. He’s in for the sit-down. Will approach Mignola next. Will keep you posted. Very moved by your love of pt I & II,” said del Toro.
The ‘Hellboy’ film franchise is a tough sell to the studios as the two previous films did not do well domestically, but in 2008 ‘Hellboy II: The Golden Army’ did well in the international markets and had a combined gross of $160 million on an $85 million budget. The original ‘Hellboy’ released in 2004 made $99 million with a $66 million budget.
Back in October, Perlman seem like the chance of a third film were dead in the water. Apparently, with the success of ‘Troll Hunters’ del Toro has ahd a change of heart.
“We don’t talk about that anymore… (Del Toro is) busy, and I’m busy. Maybe one day he’s going to call and say, ‘Hey, let’s do it.’ But for right now? We’re happy discovering new worlds to conquer,” said Perlman.
Now an ongoing series! As the Kongs spread through Skull Island and begin to inhabit the land on their own from the humans, they will face its true horrors.
Writing
The new storyline has begun and this book is no longer confined to being a mini-series. What does the series decide to do with this new found freedom? It plays it safe and decides to do some world building so that the audience can understand what is going on with the inhabitants of Skull Island. There is nothing wrong with this, as it still proves to be a very interesting issue.
Valla, a wild Kong, is roaming around and attempting to get accustomed to its new home. As the issue follows the beast around there is a lot of panels without any dialogue. Luckily, writer James Asmus is able to help captivate the audience by showcasing how Valla explores and interacts on Skull Island, including taking the time to bond and defend some triceratops. The issue offers a lot of exploration into a being who can’t speak and can only express itself through its actions but the task of exploring who Valla is as a character is accomplished so well it doesn’t matter it can’t talk.
Artwork
The art helps to tell the story which is taking place in place of the lack of dialog. There are some very emotional and intense moments present in these pages. The art team of Carlos Magno and Jeremy Lawson really help to present a dynamic world full of both beauty and danger.
Conclusion
This series is still keeping up its high standards on its new path. The unexplored world of Kong keeps growing thanks to this comic. Hopefully, the countdown to the upcoming movie will only aid in helping this series to reach more readers. If it doesn’t this book still has a lot to offer even to those who aren’t fans of the Eighth Wonder of The World.
Catwoman aka Selina Kyle has been accused of murdering 237 people and sentenced to death. Batman, with the help of “Bruce Wayne,” was able to reduce the sentence to life without parole at the infamous Blackgate prison. Selina, emotionally vulnerable, asks Bruce for one more night together. So on a star-filled, cold night in Gotham, the Bat and the Cat set out on an evening together patrolling the streets.
“Rooftops part 2” Publisher:DC Comics
Written by Tom King
Penciled, Inks and Colors by Mitch Gerads
Writing
So after the last issue’s heavy dose of sensuality, things stay romantic here but get a little more playful, and a little bit more suspenseful. The playfulness comes in a nice two-page sequence where we get great callbacks to earlier Batman/Catwoman fights. They are in fact direct homages to both her first appearance and her role in Batman: Year One. Juxtaposing those two versions really is a great trick and shows you how multi-faced this relationship really is. It’s a great way to start the book before jumping into the action.
But not before a very powerful (yet elegantly simple) scene where Batman and Catwoman exchange “I love you” vows. It’s a nice quiet scene, and I honestly can’t remember the last time any of these two characters were shown that kind of vulnerability. It’s nice to see a side of Batman that isn’t just a hard-boiled badass and a side of Catwoman that isn’t just an ice-cold seductress and thief. This is what Tom King excels at to me, showing you other sides of the card.
But of course, it IS Catwoman so after a very sincere kiss, she breaks away and Batman gives chase. Here is where the issue turns into one of the great examples of Batman as a detective. It’s a classic set-up of sequences, as Bruce pays a shadowy visit to Commissioner Gordon in order to find Selina’s only true friend (other than Bruce), Holly Robinson (another player in Year One). I won’t spoil what happens WHEN Batman finds Holly, as it was actually kind of surprising, but I will say it’s unexpected and their exchange reveals even more emotions to Bruce Wayne. Again after showing us a very hardcore Batman in earlier issues, Tom King has shown us the heart of the character in just a simple and elegant story. You only need to look at the last panel in the story to sum all of that up. “She stole the night.” Perfect.
Art
Mitch Gerads is just great. Where he gave great softness to the last issues scenes, he gives the right amount of intensity, movement, and darkness to the ones here. He also does a great job in that opening sequence when he re-creates the art from different Batman eras.
His renditions of all the characters are spot on and respect the classics while bringing in his own take. It’s a fine balance that he handles perfectly.
His panel work is crisp and neatly divided, providing a steady and even clip. It’s not muddled or cluttered and feels and looks clean.
The coloring is just fantastic and Gerads continues to draw the best night scenes I have seen in a long time. He and King work great together and pairing them up for this particular intimate story is a great idea.
Conclusion
I really enjoyed this two-parter, and this issue, in particular, was a pleasure. It was a nice change of pace from the heavier four-part arcs that have been the norm for the title and gave it a nice break in rhythm. I’ve said this before but this is a great time for Batman fans to be reading this comic, so go ahead and pick it up. The next issue will begin a new arc titled “I Am Bane” so it looks like this ride is going to continue in full force.
Signs is considered by many to be the last good movie from M. night Shyamalan (though I staunchly disagree). Even though his alien invasion thriller made all the money and was the flashpoint of Shyamalan blending Spielberg and Hitchcock into his own thing, there was always one thing people took major issue with:
“It was good, but that ending…”
Yes, for all the terrific atmospheric work, all the tension, and the vibrant characters and lean direction from Shyamalan, the reveal at the end just about ruined the entire experience for so many. It turns out that these aliens – who have been leaving road maps in crops all across the planet and causing mass hysteria before they eventually attack – are fatally averse to water. H2O. And, well, Earth is 70% water. The idiotic move from these extraterrestrials, seen as a colossal mistake in terms of plot and screenwriting from Shyamalan, was too much for some to handle. They scoffed at such a ridiculous twist and may have decided, right then and there, that Shyamalan had lost his twisting touch.
But what if you take the ending of Signs from a different perspective?
Audiences, whether they wanted to or not, brought preconceived notions regarding aliens into the film with them. Aliens in cinema are always advanced technologically, seemingly thousands of years ahead of human beings in every conceivable area. They are ten steps up on the evolutionary chain, and they are here to either help us or destroy us. But those aren’t the aliens in Signs. These visitors from the stars are desperate, maybe even dying, and they aren’t all that superior to humans.
Think about the way we see them all throughout the movie. One of the early hints of their presence, besides the crop circle that pops up in Graham and Merrill Hess’s (Mel Gibson and Joaquin Phoenix) cornfield, is when Graham and Merrill hear one plodding along the roof making all sorts of racket. They try and corner it, but it escapes. This seems like a pretty low-rent reconnaissance mission. Later, Shyamalan’s Ray Reddy character traps one in his pantry. Would some sort of advanced being with the intellect and technology beyond human comprehension not be able to get out of a wooden pantry?
These aliens are not transcendentally intelligent, and they may also be desperate. They are always spotted alone, never working in groups (save for the one news footage of their ships flying in formation), maybe because there aren’t many of them left and they’re simply trying to find materials for survival. Not advancement. Or they’re just a small team of scavengers. Several possibilities, but almost none of them make their decision to land on a planet that’s three-quarters water enough to upend the entire picture.
From this perspective, Merrill’s explanation that the aliens just left “like they were in a hurry” further emphasizes their desperation. Perhaps they knew this planet was deadly for them, but they had no other choice. Because they needed food, or supplies, or something to get back to their planet or on to a safer one.
Say what you will about the prophetic final words from Graham’s dying wife, or Abigail Breslin’s deified reluctance to water, or Joaquin Phoenix’s batting stance and weird swing, the reveal in Signs makes perfect sense if you don’t think of the invaders as Close Encounters-type superior beings or evolutionary perfection like the Alien xenomorph, but as just another society living somewhere in the galaxy that sent out a team for supplies. Or what if they’re rogue agents from another planet that had no other choice but to stop here? As I said, there are several explanations for their presence on Earth, but just calling the twist stupid is to undermine M. Night Shyamalan’s fresh take on invasion thrillers.
M. Night Shyamalan’s latest, Split, comes out this Friday.
20th Century Fox has now released a red-band version of the new Logan trailer. Featuring additional scenes of violence and swearing, the final trailer offers more story elements and continues to punch is in the heart with overwhelming emotions.
The red-band trailer doesn’t feature many additional scenes, or add anything of note. The only thing worth noting is that this version of the trailer slips a few F-Bombs into the mix, most notably from Patrick Stewart’s iconic Professor X.
You can check out the red-band trailer below, but if you would like to protect your precious ears click the link for the clean version.
SYNOPSIS: In the near future, a weary Wolverine 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.
Starring Hugh Jackman (Logan), Boyd Holbrook (Donald Pierce), Patrick Stewart (Charles Xavier), Dafne Keen (Laura Kinney/X-23), Doris Morgado (Maria), Stephen Merchant (Caliban), Elizabeth Rodriguez (Gabriela), and Richard E. Grant (Dr. Zander Rice). James Mangold is directing and helped on the screenplay along with Scott Frank and Michael Green.
The first official trailer for Logan was a major hint of what to expect in Hugh Jackman’s final Wolverine movie. The gritty tone and emotional themes made a huge impact on the internet, but they were nothing compared to the violent r-rated action teased in this final trailer. As promised 20th Century Fox has released an awesome new trailer, revealing more story and even more epic violence. The trailer (below) also makes it pretty clear that X-23 isn’t someone you would want to mess with.
The trailer narrated by Patrick Stewart’s Professor X continues to promise that Hugh Jackman’s final Wolverine movie will be a bloody heartbreaking event.
SYNOPSIS: In the near future, a weary Wolverine 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.
Starring Hugh Jackman (Logan), Boyd Holbrook (Donald Pierce), Patrick Stewart (Charles Xavier), Dafne Keen (Laura Kinney/X-23), Doris Morgado (Maria), Stephen Merchant (Caliban), Elizabeth Rodriguez (Gabriela), and Richard E. Grant (Dr. Zander Rice). James Mangold is directing and helped on the screenplay along with Scott Frank and Michael Green.
It’s Morphin Time! An awesome new trailer has been released for the upcoming Power Rangers movie. Released by Lionsgate the trailer offers a first look at Zordon, a gigantic Goldar and of course the Zords.
After watching this trailer (below), one thing is pretty clear, we should all be excited to see this film. It definitely looks like the creators are going for a darker, science fiction kind of film and it seems to be working. Even if you aren’t a fan of the old series and movies you can’t deny that these trailers are showing some pretty cool material.
Check out the awesome new trailer below!
SABAN’S POWER RANGERS follows five ordinary teens who must become something extraordinary when they learn that their small town of Angel Grove — and the world — is on the verge of being obliterated by an alien threat. Chosen by destiny, our heroes quickly discover they are the only ones who can save the planet. But to do so, they will have to overcome their real-life issues and before it’s too late, band together as the Power Rangers.
Starring Naomi Scott, Dacre Montgomery, Elizabeth Banks, Ludi Lin, Becky G, RJ Cyler, and Bryan Cranson, Power Rangers Lands In Theaters On March 24, 2017.
Ahead of today’s new trailer, an amazing image has been released for Hugh Jackman’s final Wolverine movie, Logan. The image shows the title character standing in the rain, seemingly from the funeral scene shown in the first trailer.
The interesting thing about this image is that it looks like a screen capture from the film itself. Previous images have been production stills while this appears to be a shot from the new trailer. Either way, it’s a cool new look at Jackman’s older Wolverine, one that will hopefully get you through the day until the second trailer drops.
Official 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.
After the WWE’s “Then, Now, and Forever” One-Shot, the ongoing series begins! The one-shot was a good way to show just what BOOM’s new line of WWE comics would be like. The first story is a great one for sure, the Rise of The Architect of The Shield, Seth Rollins joining The Authority. As the one-shot set up the betrayal of Seth Rollins to The Shield, now get to see the aftermath of that. It’s a clever way to fans a different look into past WWE stories. As strong as the one-shot was, I was curious to see how the ongoing would fare. Time to see together just how the new series of WWE comics fares. Let us remember the rumble as we go forth in this review of WWE #1.
It doesn’t hurt that WWE #1 starts with one of the best recent WWE stories, The Aftermath of the Destruction of The Shield.
One of the best aspects of WWE #1 is the fact that Dennis Hopeless dives into the desire of Seth Rollins. If you’re a fan of WWE, think of this as a new look into a now legendary WWE storyline. It’s a story of pure ambition and determination, from the point of view of Seth Rollins. I commend Hopeless for that, laser focusing on Seth Rollins and telling his tale from his point of view works. In a way, it helps as a cool little primer on The Shield as WWE Superstars and characters in their own right. It’s written in such a way that while you think you know what happened, you don’t know everything. Nicely done there, Hopeless.
Here’s what’s weird: I didn’t fully get into the Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns conflict in the comic. It doesn’t translate as well, and some of the interactions ring a bit hollow on the page. I will say without spoiling much, the interactions with Triple H in the story are gold. Even better, there’s another appearance that works well in the story but I don’t want to share spoilers. I have to say despite some quibbles, Hopeless does well in capturing the full scope of the WWE Universe of Superstars.
I must make a point to mention The New Day back-up. I would be making this world a less positive place if I dare missed it.
I do want to mention The New Day story here, that two-page comic is delightful and wonderfully weird. It continues from the last issue as The New Day has gone back in time on an Optimistic Odyssey. It’s only two pages but it is fun. Ross Thibodeaux is having a blast with the characters and embracing the joy that is Prehistoric Ric Flair. Rob Guillory’s art is amazing capturing the mad ideas of Thibodeaux with brilliant expressions and energy. The bright colors of Taylor Wells are a plus too, they are radiant in positivity. It’s two pages and the perfect way to cap off this issue.
The art in the main WWE story works well for it, really well actually.
Hopeless does well with capturing the balancing act of the backstage and ring battles of the WWE overall, but it helps that he has a good artist. Serg Acuna is a solid fit for this adventure into the WWE Universe. It’s interesting to me, where Acuna excels art wise is in the backstage segments and beginning and ends of the matches in the story. The art doesn’t look as strong in the matches at points in the story. Yet Acuna is one of the better artists I have seen with handling the WWE Universe. I love the way Acuna captures the joy on Seth’s face in the midst of his victories, it’s perfect. There’s a lot of strong expression and storytelling here but his work with Seth, spot on. Hopeless has a great artist to match his vision for this tale.
I take special notice of the coloring in the main story too. Doug Garbark is solid throughout the story, but the beginning where I like how it really comes together. There’s a Money in the Bank segment at the start and you have money green in the audience. The victor is glowing from the light and you see the green behind him, it’s fitting and wonderful for this scene. Take note of that when you check out this book, it works well. Take note of the lettering in this book too, Jim Campbell is great in both this and the backup tale. Special note is the Sploosh effect in the water, I love the lettering there and the font choice, it’s too cool.
Now it is time for the wrap-up to this WWE Comic adventure.
Here’s one thing to note, if you’re not a WWE fan you may not get a lot out of this. That being said if you’re curious about WWE and aspects of the product, I say give this a shot. If you’re already a fan, I can recommend it fairly easily. It’s not perfect, but for the most part, it is fun. It’s one of the better WWE comics I have seen in a long time and I look forward to seeing how it develops in the months to come.
M. Night Shyamalan is one of the most polarizing directors in the business today, so how did his latest film ‘Split’ do under the critical breakdown of our dynamic duo?
On the second half of the show, movie critic Dewey Singleton and Matt Sardo interview Ice Cube about his next film ‘Fist Fight,’ and we close out the show with a conversation with ‘Goonies’ legend Sean Astin.
Ice Cube interview at 45:20
Sean Astin interview at 54:23
Strap yourself in buckaroos! Episode 107 of the Monkeys Fighting Robots podcast is here.
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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 of filmmaking to become a movie critic for MonkeysFightingRobots.com.
