Actor Michael Rooker shared a new image of his character from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Yondu. Check it out below.
As you can see from the photo, the character is getting a much more comic accurate look in the sequel to Guardians.
“Set to the backdrop of ‘Awesome Mixtape #2,’ Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continues the team’s adventures as they traverse the outer reaches of the cosmos. The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mysteries of Peter Quill’s true parentage. Old foes become new allies and fan-favorite characters from the classic comics will come to our heroes’ aid as the Marvel cinematic universe continues to expand.”
Are you a fan of Yondu’s new look? Let us know in the comments section below.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 hits theaters on May 5, 2017.
If there’s one thing Star Wars fans love to do, it’s speculate. Who are Rey’s parents? Is Ahsoka Tano alive or dead? Was Jar Jar Binks secretly a Sith lord? We obsess over the endless possibilities in the galaxy far, far away, and now we have standalone anthology films to keep the obsession alive. Thanks Lucasfilm! Here are our top ten predictions for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story…
1. Darth Vader Will Kill Director Krennic
Director Orson Krennic’s main goal is to get himself in a position of power. He worms his way into the Death Star superlaser project with aspirations of being one of the Emperor’s right hand men. Clearly he doesn’t achieve his goal, as he’s never seen in the original trilogy. Krennic fails to stop the rebels from stealing the Death Star plans. That’s not the kind of failure that gets you demoted; that’s the kind of failure that earns you a visit from the Dark Lord of the Sith.
2. Grand Moff Tarkin Will Make An Appearance
There’s been a lot of talk that Tarkin is “confirmed” for Rogue One, especially after a recent teaser trailer was released. This is all hearsay, and there’s no proof that Tarkin will definitely appear. However, Tarkin does run the Death Star in A New Hope, and his role in the Rogue One novel Catalyst shows that he has a (hostile) relationship with Director Krennic. The Grand Moff will appear in the film, if only to revel in Krennic’s failure.
3. Jyn’s Whole Company Will Die
A lot of people have been saying that these rebels have to die in Rogue One to explain their absence from the original trilogy. That’s not true; it’s a big galaxy, and there’s a lot happening there that has nothing to do with the Skywalkers. However, this is being sold as a gritty war picture, so there’s going to be some losses. Jyn’s troops may all have to sacrifice their lives to ensure that the Death Star plans get into Princess Leia’s hands. The only one that might make it out is Jyn, but I contend that even she’s not safe.
4. Vader Will Be The One To Kill Them
Darth Vader loves killing rebels; it’s one of his favorite things in the galaxy. Moreover, he’s the Empire’s version of Winston Wolfe, its go-to guy to clean up other people’s messes. So when Krennic fails to stop Jyn’s squad, the Dark Lord will step in and take care of business. The fact that he’s hot on Princess Leia’s tail at the start of A New Hope proves that he’s in the vicinity when the Death Star plans are delivered.
5. There Will Be A Traitor In Jyn’s Company
Rogue One is a spy movie, and what’s a staple of spy movies? The double cross. Someone in Jyn’s band will be revealed as a traitor who’s been reporting to the Empire. The most likely candidates are Chirrut Îmwe or Baze Malbus, both of them being outsiders. My money’s on Baze.
6. Galen Erso Sabotages The Death Star
Jyn Erso’s father Galen plays a pivotal role in the construction of the Death Star. And if you read Catalyst (which you should), you’ll know that he was basically tricked into helping. He’s actually a pacifist, and wants nothing to do with the war. Galen’s work is on the Death Star’s superlaser, something that gives off a tremendous amount of energy. Perhaps his designs called for thermal exhaust ports to help release the excess heat. The exhaust ports would only have to be two meters wide, roughly the size of a womp rat, and just big enough for Luke Skywalker to target and trigger an explosion.
7. Leia Will NOT Make An Appearance
Rogue One ends just a few minutes before the start of A New Hope, leading many to think that Princess Leia will make a cameo. However, Her Worshipfulness won’t actually make a physical appearance at any point. Jimmy Smits is returning to play Bail Organa, Leia’s father, so she will probably get mentioned, but that’s all.
8. The Star Wars Rebels Crew Will Get A Small Reference
If you’re not familiar with the Disney XD show, it takes place shortly before the events of Rogue One. None of the characters will actually make an appearance in the film*; they don’t have enough mainstream recognition for that. But there is a good chance that we’ll hear a reference to Phoenix Squadron, or maybe Commander Sato. Star Wars loves its easter eggs, and this would be a great one for the hardcore fans.
(*The only possible exception to this is Chopper. We might get to see the cantankerous droid rolling around in the background at some point.)
9. Krennic Kills Galen
Spoiler alert: the Death Star is fully operational in A New Hope. So Krennic is obviously able to bleed Galen of his knowledge and get what he needs from him. There’s not much reason to keep him around after that, even if they were old school chums (seriously, read Catalyst). Galen will do something to help Jyn and her band of rebels in the third act, something that allows them to succeed, and Krennic makes sure he pays for it.
10. Rogue One Will Plateau At 87% On Rotten Tomatoes
While I obviously hope it gets 100%, Rogue One will actually end up earning a solid B+, making it the 4th “best” Star Wars movie according to the review aggregator.
What’re your predictions for Rogue One? Tell us in the comments, or tweet us @monkeys_robots (tweet me @The_Great_Ace)!
During Brazil Comic-Con this past week, new Logan footage was shown. UniversoX-Men published a description of the unseen footage, which was then translated by X-MenFilms.com. Read the description down below.
“Hugh Jackman himself debuted an exclusive clip via video message. There’s no big spoilers. It showed Logan, Charles Xavier and Laura (X-23) having dinner with a family in a house on a farm. They’re on the run, fleeing from someone and don’t reveal to the family that they’re mutants. When questioned about their true intentions for being on the road, Xavier and Logan give different responses, in comedic fashion.
Laura is described as acting wild, eating dinner with her hands and no silverware. Logan tries to teach her how to eat and there’s a sense of a father-daughter type relationship between them.
Logan then tells the family that Xavier used to be a school principal. Xavier expands on this, calling it a ‘school for students with special needs.’ He says that Logan was also at this school.”
Manchester by the Sea is a hard movie in every sense of the description.
It focuses on emotionally hardened characters whose lives have been defined by tragedy and loss. It’s set in a place and time defined by the harsh cold of winter.
Most importantly, it approaches those characters, that place and time with a deliberate lack of sentimentality. The goal for writer/director Kenneth Lonergan seems to be harsh, but liberating emotional truth.
Lonergan achieves his goal in the film thanks in part to the work of a brilliant ensemble led by Casey Affleck. The cast all around should be in the various awards conversations come Spring, but its Affleck and the emotional barrenness that he projects that drives the film. It’s no overstatement to say his is career-defining work here.
What’s it about?
Affleck plays Lee Chandler, a janitor for apartment buildings in a Boston suburb. Lee’s good at his job — he’s handy and versatile. But he keeps himself closed off to everyone, and often rubs tenants and those around him the wrong way with his aloofness.
Lee finds himself called back to his hometown of Manchester-by-the-Sea when his older brother Joe (Kyle Chandler) dies after a long illness.
To Lee’s great surprise, Joe asked in his will that Lee be made guardian to his teenage son, Patrick (Lucas Hedges, Moonrise Kingdom). As he tries to adjust to his new responsibilities, he’s forced to face a number of difficult challenges.
The first is, of course, Patrick. Though they were close when the teen was a child, Lee finds he barely knows his nephew, or how to handle him.
Then there’s the question of staying in Manchester, a place full of ghosts and painful memories for Lee. Townsfolk see him on the streets and whisper about him. His ex-wife, Brandi (Michelle Williams), still lives there, a reminder of the heartbreak that drove him to leave.
The longer Lee stays, the more difficult it becomes to remain closed off, to keep his pain to himself. He finds that in order to be what Joe hoped he could be, he’ll have to make peace with the past.
Most importantly, he’ll have to forgive himself for his role in the terrible tragedy that left him broken.
Lonergan keeps things stark, minimal
Lonergan scripts many scenes in Manchester by the Sea with little to no dialogue. Many of these scenes are built around depicting Lee’s solitary existence.
Unclogging toilets. Shoveling snow. Fixing leaks in ceilings and getting furnaces working. Drinking a beer at a crowded bar after work without saying a word to anyone nearby.
Lonergan tasks Affleck with informing these scenes with tension. He challenges the actor to convey Lee’s efforts to stay walled off even when forced to deal with people day in and day out. Those efforts are especially complicated when he’s asked to look after Patrick and to face Brandi again.
Through it all, the writer/director trusts his lead actor to come through, and shows faith in audiences’ ability to comprehend without it all spelled out in exposition. Lonergan also avoids a chronological telling of the story — it flows in and out of past and present, following where Lee’s emotions direct in each scene.
What results is a film that captivates because it demands audiences’ investment. There’s nothing easy here, nor should there be, and ultimately it leads to a rewarding experience.
Affleck, cast tremendous
Casey Affleck meets the challenges set forth by Manchester by the Sea with impressive command of his craft. His Lee is like an old wound, scarred over and kept hidden, but still raw. The role demands projecting a very complex array of conflicting emotions, all of which he delivers. It’s nothing short of a masterpiece of a performance.
There isn’t a false note to be found anywhere in the supporting cast, either. Williams, who is darn near always excellent, shines in limited screen time – her scenes with Affleck inform much of emotional landscape of the whole film, though they only share a handful of scenes.
Lucas Hedges, meanwhile, shows talent to watch out for in the future with his strong take on Patrick. Had it been written and performed differently, it’s a role that could have dragged the film down with forced sentiment. Hedges keeps Patrick real and relatable — his experience with loss and dealing with difficult change feels “true.”
Worth seeing?
Make no mistake. Come Golden Globes and Oscar nomination time, Manchester by the Sea will be in the conversation in a number of categories. If you like looking at the list of Best Picture nominees and noting that you’ve seen all of them, make a point to see this film, because it will be on that list.
Is it a fun movie to watch? No. But it is a rewarding one, one that should set a standard for talent and execution in character-driven dramas. In that regard, it’s one of 2016’s best, and thus should not be missed.
Manchester by the Sea
Starring Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams, Kyle Chandler, Lucas Hedges, Gretchen Mol and C.J. Wilson. Directed by Kenneth Lonergan.
Running Time: 137 minutes
Rated R for language throughout and some sexual content.
With less than two weeks until its release, Lucasfilm has given us a new clip for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The clip (and it’s a clip not a teaser or trailer!) is fifty-seconds long.
The footage features Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), and K-2SO (Alan Tudyk) inside of a ship. They are about to take off to the war zone of Jetta.
You can watch the clip below.
https://youtu.be/qH-K1xQsOc0
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story stars Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Mads Mikkelsen, Ben Mendelsohn, Alan Tudyk, Donny Yen, Valene Kane, Riz Ahmed, Genevieve O’Reilly, Jimmy Smits, James Earl Jones, and Forrest Whitaker. It tells the story of the rag-tag team who steal the famed plans for the first Death Star, an act that allows for its destruction by the rebels in Star Wars: A New Hope. The film is directed by Gareth Edwards, from a screenplay written by Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will hit theaters on December 16, 2016.
Universal Pictures Sunday night released the first trailer for ‘The Mummy,’ as the studio attempts to create a monster cinematic universe.
Thought safely entombed in a tomb deep beneath the unforgiving desert, an ancient princess (Sofia Boutella of Kingsman: The Secret Service and Star Trek Beyond) whose destiny was unjustly taken from her is awakened in our current day, bringing with her malevolence grown over millennia and terrors that defy human comprehension.
From the sweeping sands of the Middle East through hidden labyrinths under modern-day London, The Mummy brings a surprising intensity and balance of wonder and thrills in an imaginative new take that ushers in a new world of gods and monsters.
The film stars Tom Cruise, Annabelle Wallis, Jake Johnson, Courtney B. Vance, and Russell Crowe. ‘The Mummy’ is directed by Alex Kurtzman from a script by Jon Spaihts and Christopher McQuarrie.
Universal Pictures relaunches the monster universe on June 9, 2017.
Kenneth Lonergan’s sensational film, Manchester by the Sea is the first film this year which left me utterly speechless. In the hundreds upon hundreds of movies that I’ve been lucky enough to review over the years, none have contained such a staggering palette of emotions. Manchester by the Sea encapsulates the complexities of life with a level of authenticity so visceral one can’t help but be moved by this film.
The filmcenters on the story of Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck). Affleck is a janitor who lives in a tiny basement apartment in Boston. Chandler is summoned to Manchester when he learns his brother Joe (Kyle Chandler) has suffered a heart attack. He arrives as quickly as possible but soon discovers that his brother has passed away. During the reading of the will, Lee is stunned to learn that his brother has named him the guardian of his only son Patrick (Lucas Hedges).
Now, this decision isn’t totally out of left field. At the beginning of the film, we flashbacked to a scene of a young Patrick fishing with Lee and his dad on their boat. Patrick at a young age did seem to have an affinity for his Uncle Lee, but that was so long ago and now Lee is a broken man. He keeps to himself and drinks quite heavily. If he’s completely bored, he ventures into random bars and picks fights with strangers. The people of Manchester look at him strangely, and his ex-wife Randi (Michelle Williams) rarely talks to him. It’s not hard to understand that he has a past in Manchester, but we aren’t privy to that until much later.
While some might feel waiting to find out what Lee’s past is a tad bit melodramatic, in reality, it’s how life operates. Rarely do we find things out right away. When the audience does finally piece together his past, we realize it’s much worse than anyone anticipated. This realization does help the audience understand Lee’s resistance to being Patrick’s guardian.
Lonergan has a great handle on pacing throughout the film. In some cases, he throws in an extended flashback that provides necessary background knowledge on Lee. Other times the director uses quick cuts from scenes to not only maintain the momentum of the narrative but allow that one moment to stand out. For example, the scene at hockey practice where Lee has to tell Patrick what’s happened to his dad while he’s at hockey practice. The scene is a quick shot of Lee pulling Patrick aside on the other side of the rink followed the look of devastation on Patrick’s face. The pacing of the moment made it seem entirely authentic, and his reaction shattered the hearts of the audience watching it.
However, this film isn’t just a constant tragedy from start to finish. Manchester by the Sea balances adversity with laugh-out-loud moments. For every moment where Lee is trying to confront his demons, there’s another where Lee is trying to give advice to Patrick on dating. For example, mere days after the death of Patrick’s father, he asks Lee if his girlfriend can stay the night. Lee doesn’t care but a second after he agreed to allow her to “stay over,” he turns to him and states, “You know about rubbers and stuff right?” Not only does this show how awkward Lee is at being anyone’s father, but it also shows off his dry wit which breaks the tension repeatedly throughout the movie.
The brilliance of this filmisn’t the complexity of its themes. Lonergan has masterfully crafted a narrative which acknowledges the complex nature of living. How do you guide a teenager to make good choices when dating many girls when you’ve screwed up in the past? How can you help a son cope with grief when you don’t even know how to handle it yourself? How can you tell someone to live their life when all you want to do is go back to your life of solitude? How can you tell someone that love will find them when your one true love left you broken? Manchester by the Sea deftly proves that living isn’t a collection of bumpy beginnings and Hollywood endings. “Living” is a collection of intricate moments that are often either – mundane, beautiful, or tragic, which hopefully shape us for the better.
Manchester by the Seawill be considered a serious contender for Best Picture at any number of awards shows and rightfully so. While Michelle Williams isn’t in the film for very long, her scenes are so powerful that she will be considered for awards as well. However, the story of this film is Casey Affleck. His performance is so nuanced and his moments with Lucas Hedges are so powerful that he’s a lock to be at least nominated for Best Actor once Oscar nominations are announced. This type of performance is reminiscent of Brie Larson in the film Room and we know how well that turned out for her.
The release of the Jurassic Park online slot in the mid-1990s marked a real turning point for movie-based virtual slots but, really, movies and slot machines have been very comfortable bedfellows for a very, very long time indeed. Major movie releases have always found their way onto all sorts of different media including comics, pinball machines, video games, novels and toy lines so it’s not exactly surprising that they would find their way to casinos worldwide but there’s still something about the bond between the two media that make movies and slot machines work so well together.
Take, as a simple example, canadascasinos.ca/slots/tomb-raider, an online video slot game based on the popular series of video games and movies, Tomb Raider. It’s a bit of an outlier in that it’s based as much on a video game as it is on a movie but the very fact that it’s based on a franchise actually only makes it the perfect case in point.
Tomb Raider is a huge property with a built-in fanbase that follows it across multiple platforms, including licensed comics from Dark Horse Comics and an upcoming movie reboot starring the always brilliant Alicia Vikander, which hints as to why exactly it’s such an obvious fit for the slot machine market, like the one at casinobonusonline.ca.
The simple fact is that slots were traditionally very simple machines consisting of little more than inserting a few coins and pulling a lever to have a bunch of basic icons spin around in the hope that these icons land in a formation that causes the machine to pay out several times what you put in. They were simple enough to be a huge hit but slots desperately needed some serious sprucing up if they were to have any hope at all in competing in an increasingly diverse and innovative gaming market. This was especially true when gaming hit the home market and slot games had to compete against the millions of other options at huge, online stores like amazon.ca.
Movies really were, and are, the simplest and best option to upgrade the attractiveness and playability of slots without ever compromising on their trademark accessibility and easy winnings. What movies give slots, almost by definition, is both recognizability that often comes along with a seriously dedicated and passionate fan base and a terrific selection of graphics, music and sound effects to choose from. Just imagine how easy it is to draw someone’s attention to a slot by utilizing everything that comes with Star Wars.
This is especially true of something like Star Wars, the Marvel films or, well, anything to come from the folks at disneychannel.ca but it applies to cult films like Goodfellas too. Some films are more visually inventive and some have bigger fanbases than others but any movie brings something to a slot, whether virtual or real, in the form of brand recognition and an established audio-visual theme.
As time has gone on, various comics, TV shows and video games have lent their brands to slot machines but movies remain the original and arguably best theme-creators for the humble slot machines. And, in the case of video slots, some nice sub games too.
If you go scrolling through the seemingly endless amount of titles on Netflix, you may stumble upon a TV show called Dramaworld. Best described as the answer to what would happen if Last Action Hero had a baby with The Truman Show, this comedic drama follows Claire (Liv Hewson) as she gets drawn into a new world populated by some of her favorite Korean TV shows. In this world she needs to work as a facilitator (think puppetmaster) to fix the romance between Joon (Sean Dulake) and Seo-yeon (Noo-Ri Bae) in order to save Dramaworld. As her mentor Seth (Justin Chon) tells her, every show needs a happy ending in order for the world to survive.
The show does a good job in selling its premise in a way that’s both humorous and meaningful. Claire is an interesting character who brings a genuine joy to the events that unfold in the early episodes, and seeing her grow throughout the season gives the show a natural sense of progression. During the middle and latter parts of the season, the show starts being more of a drama with slight comedic element, which is a shift from its earlier tone, but strong acting and writing keeps the show interesting throughout the season.
As the events in the show unfold, Claire realizes that not everything is as it seemed at the start. Things are happening in Dramaworld, and she needs to figure out who’s behind it all in order to get everything back to normal. This also leads to the main issue with the show, in that Claire takes an unreasonably long amount of time to figure out who’s behind everything. Especially when she’s sold as a character who watches a lot of dramas, it would be reasonable to expect her to solve the mystery a lot sooner. It’s a minor annoyance overall, but definitely one that detracts a few points away from the show’s final few episodes.
Beyond that, the decision to keep the show bilingual between English and Korean is a strong stylistic choice that helps the show stand out. The way the show answers why Claire can understand Korean is also quite clever. In addition, the strong cast helps the show come alive, and the stellar writing throughout by Josh Billig and Chris Martin keeps the show interesting until the last seconds of the final season. This is definitely one worthy of a weekend binge whenever you get the chance!
While attending an event in Tokyo, Marvel legend Stan Lee had high praise for Tom Holland’s portrayal of Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War and next year’s Spider-Man: Homecoming.
“Tom Holland is the greatest. We are so lucky to have him. I had lunch with him back in the states a few months ago, and he was born to play Peter Parker. He’s perfect, and you’re going to say the same thing when you see him.”
How do you feel about Holland’s portrayal of the web slinger?
Spider-Man: Homecoming hits theaters July 7, 2017.
Director Orson Krennic’s main goal is to get himself in a position of power. He worms his way into the Death Star superlaser project with aspirations of being one of the Emperor’s right hand men. Clearly he doesn’t achieve his goal, as he’s never seen in the original trilogy. Krennic fails to stop the rebels from stealing the Death Star plans. That’s not the kind of failure that gets you demoted; that’s the kind of failure that earns you a visit from the Dark Lord of the Sith.
