Review: ‘Mighty Morphin Power Rangers’ #8: High Tension

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October 31, 2016

The world is on lockdown. The Dinozords, now under the Black Dragon’s control, are stationed around the globe invoking Rita’s word as law. With the Rangers left powerless, Rita calls upon Tommy to make the ultimate sacrifice or risk Angel Grove’s survival.

Writing

A lot happens in the issue which helps to expand the story and keeps the tension steady from previous issues. First, Bulk and Skull’s blog makes a reappearance as a framing device to show just how bad the situation has become. The military forces of the world can’t deal with the threat of the Dinozords, which are now under Rita’s control, and attempt to blow them up. This idea alone of governments around the world working to have to fight against the Power Rangers is a truly unique concept, and writer Kyle Higgins should really take a bow for introducing it.

Also, Zack and Tommy finally bury their grudge. It’s good too see them coming to terms with what happened and trying to move on from it. Important character moments like this is what makes the comic so entertaining. Now if they can only work on wrapping up this first storyline and introducing more elements from the Power Rangers mythology, this series will continue to be a must read.

Artwork

Once again the effect work really steals the issue. Hendry Prasetya is able to use different colors to make graphics which would never have been possible on the actual show. The holographic display monitors are particularly appealing and help to showcase the advance technology the team has at its disposal.

Conclusion

The action and drama are at a high point, but as the story continues, it’s time to ask how long it will last. This book has the potential to continue telling great stories with these characters for a long time. From here, fans need only hope a satisfying ending is delivered, but given what has happened so far, they don’t have to worry about much.

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Rick Famuyiwa Leaving ‘The Flash’ Is Disappointing, But Not That Big A Deal

By

Nick Enquist

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October 31, 2016

Rick Famuyiwa publicly announced today that he was leaving The Flash due to “creative differences” between him and Warner Bros. Famuyiwa is the second director to leave The Flash after Seth Grahame-Smith departed the film back in April. Famuyiwa’s departure is especially shocking, considering The Flash is supposed to be in preproduction.

While the split is unfortunate, Famuyiwa gave kind words about the departure and the DC Extended Universe.

“When I was approached by Warner Bros and DC about the possibility of directing The Flash, I was excited about the opportunity to enter this amazing world of characters that I loved growing up, and still do to this day.”

“I was also excited to work with Ezra Miller, who is a phenomenal young actor. I pitched a version of the film in line with my voice, humor, and heart. While it’s disappointing that we couldn’t come together creatively on the project, I remain grateful for the opportunity. I will continue to look for opportunities to tell stories that speak to a fresh generational, topical, and multicultural point of view. I wish Warner Brothers, DC, Jon Berg, Geoff Johns, and Ezra Miller all the best as they continue their journey into the speed force.”

Sources claim that the Dope director wanted The Flash to be an “edgier” film, but those rumors cannot be confirmed nor denied. While this news certainly has cynical fans and internet reporters even more weary of the DCEU, the fact of the matter is that this really isn’t that big of a deal.

Is this news disappointing? Yes. I for one, was really excited to see Famuyiwa’s take on The Flash. Dope is one of my favorite movies of all time. His unique sense of humor would’ve really worked great for Barry Allen in my opinion. And I really would love to see him on a bigger project with a huge budget But, film directors leave projects like these all the time. Even when the movie is in preproduction.

A great example of this behavior happened at Marvel with 2015’s Ant-Man. For years that was Edgar Wright’s baby. He worked on it for a decade, but then suddenly Wright left the project, and Adam McKay took over. Then McKay left and Peyton Reed took over. Both Wright and McKay left due to “creative differences.” In McKay’s case he left just over a year before Ant-Man‘s release date.

And in the end Ant-Man turned out to be a perfectly fine film. It wasn’t great, but it was entertaining despite the fact that everyone thought the movie was doomed. This also happened with Thor the Dark World when Patty Jenkins left. Marvel and Disney are known for keeping their directors on a tight leash for their films. Marvel wants to keep their movies to a certain standard, so their quick to clash with a director’s vision.

Oh God, let's hope Johns hasn't gone mad with power already. — Oh God, let’s hope Johns hasn’t gone mad with power already.

Warner Brothers is learning the lesson that a cinematic universe can’t be created through various film directors’ visions. There needs to be people in charge of this universe to make it work. It sounds like the producers and executives are making stronger decisions on how the films are made. Hopefully this means that there will be less editing and meddling on their part after the movie has been filmed.

We can argue about this decision all day long, but it’s the decision that they’re making. And especially after two critical bombs and one with very mixed reviews, the DCEU needs to start churning out audience pleasing hits in order to stay relevant. And this is coming from someone who liked those movies. Again, I am disappointed in Famuyiwa’s departure, but a film universe is bigger than one director. Hopefully Famuyiwa will come back to the DCEU in one way or another, like Adam McKay is to Ant-Man. Time will tell, but for now I just hope for a bright future for these DC properties.

At the time of this article The Flash is scheduled to be released March of 2018. The film might be delayed due to Famuyiwa leaving. Check back at Monkeys Fighting Robots for more details.

Tell us who you think should direct The Flash in the comments below.

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‘Boo! A Madea Halloween’ Review: Scary For All The Wrong Reasons

By

Will Ashton

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October 31, 2016

Perhaps more so than any previous Tyler Perry movie, Boo! A Madea Halloween is a stunningly lazy film, one that almost refuses to have purpose or meaning throughout its incessantly tedious 103-minutes. But why should one expect otherwise? Apparently, the film’s genesis came from a throwaway joke taking aim at the actor/writer/director in Chris Rock’s own acting/writing/directing effort, Top Five. What’s next, a Madea Halloween movie? I guess so. The idea of Madea dealing with Halloween ignited creative passion. Or I have to assume that’s the case, because not one ounce of inspiration is visible throughout this aggravatingly meaningless movie, one that exists almost exclusively for financial gain.

There’s little point discussing the plot of Boo! A Madea Halloween, mostly because there’s hardly any plot at all. When straight-laced attorney Brian (Perry) needs to stop his 17-year-old daughter Tiffany (Diamond White) from attending a local fraternity’s annual Halloween bash, he calls up his reckless aunt Madea (Perry) to keep an eye on her during the nightly proceedings. She brings her brother Joe (Perry), Aunt Bam (Cassi Davis) and her friend Hattie (Patrice Lovely) along for the ride, because why the hell not, and they get haunted by Tiffany’s fake ghouls around the house. Former Disney Channel starlet Bella Thorne, YouTuber Yousef Erakat and musician Tyga round out the cast, some mischief is pulled and everyone learns the value of family or whatever. If they didn’t put any effort into this plot, why should I?

As a character, I find Madea insulting and culturally regressive. As a recurring fixture of popular entertainment, however, I find her a disturbingly fascinating figure. As someone who has inexplicably seen every Madea movie to date, including the animated direct-to-DVD release Madea’s Tough Love, I’m perplexed by Perry’s ability to bring the black community two steps forward and five steps back with every single project he does, outside of David Fincher’s control. The astoundingly awfulness of each film gets more staggering each time. For as often as he tries to push himself dramatically outside of the popular wig and dress, Perry simply refuses to retire his most famous stage-and-screen character. From a financial perspective, it makes perfect (and unfortunate) sense, especially considering how this one might possibly be his most profitable to date, even though it’s quite honestly the absolute worst (though Madea Witness Protection gives it a run for its money). From a creative standpoint, however, it’s evident that Perry, the creator, has no real love or passion for this character anymore. He’s merely doing what’s expected of him.

Sure, he’ll laugh a couple times for the blooper reel during the credits, and he’ll do what he can to incorporate as many laughs as possible in each extended scene. But there’s no joy in his eyes. There’s little inspiring him beyond the paycheck, and these movies do make a tidy profit, no matter what, it seems. There was barely anything driving Madea before, but if you were to watch Diary of a Mad Black Woman (which he didn’t direct, by the way) and Boo! A Madea Halloween back-to-back, you’d see just how desperate, shallow and aimless these films have become. It would be embarrassing and pitiful if it weren’t so offensive and socially degrading.

Suggesting Madea is the African-American Ernest is too easy. She has already gone to prison, entered witness protection, saved Christmas and did bad all by herself. I can only assume later installments find Madea in space, going back to school, joining the army or visiting Vegas, but only the future will reveal such foretells as truth or fiction. The sad reality of the matter is that Perry seems to not only have little respect for the audience, but has little in mind for himself. As a self-made person of color who earned his billion dollar name through hard work, ambition and persistence, moviegoers should demand more, and Perry should expect more from himself. It’s saddening to know that he could become a powerful role model for young writers, filmmakers and entrepreneurs everywhere, yet he so often squanders his talents, potential and influence on aimless, degradingly uninspired comedies, where scenes will drag on for literally ten minutes or more with no plot progression, character development or laughs to be found. It’s a troubling, annoying problem, but it’s mostly a deeply saddening one.

I could continue bashing Boo! A Madea Halloween for all its problems, from its clunky pacing to disengaged supporting performances to hasty editing to flat lightning to totally uninspired cinematography, but what point is there to do such things? It’s clear Perry is a brand now, and he’s going to continue churning these things out until they no longer have an audience. I found it concerning to see more than 3/4ths of my audience were older white people, and sadly comical to see one of the few people of color in the audience loudly fart before the movie started. I’m not sure if I can address Perry or not, but I can only hope audiences stop going to these movies. If cinema is truly dying, I don’t want to know these are the kind of films that might honestly live on. This new Madea movie is pretty scary, but for all the wrong reasons.

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Michael Fassbender Drops Some Wild ‘Alien: Covenant’ Details

By

Larry Taylor - Managing Editor

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October 31, 2016

In a new interview with Irish Times, Michael Fassbender recently let us know just how big his role will be in Alien: Covenant. And the info he gives us is pretty fascinating.

WARNING: SPOILERS!

Fassbender said in the interview that not only will he play David, the android from Prometheus, but Walter, a newer version of David. Huh?

“I am allowed to say I am playing two robots – Walter and David. I think what’s great about it is that Ridley has gone back to the original DNA of Alien, the horror element of that. But is also has the scope and the scale of Prometheus. Ridley has cut it already. He is a machine. He is an incredible human being and he was in such good form. He is such an imaginative and mischievous figure.”

That sounds pretty crazy, and AVP Galaxy also says that Walter is not going to be a fan of David in the story. Because somehow they know a ton of stuff about this movie, and I believe them. They have a ton of details about this new development.

So not only do we get Fassbender back in the Prometheus sequel, we get TWO Fassbenders! Count me in.

Alien: Covenant comes out August 4 next year.

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Casey Affleck Set to Star in ‘Villain’, a Wacky-Sounding Revenge Flick

By

Larry Taylor - Managing Editor

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October 31, 2016

Casey Affleck is, for most of us, the stronger of the Afflecks.

When it comes to acting that is; Ben is a pretty damn good director and a decent actor, but Casey is (for the most part) a master in front of the camera. And that’s led him to a number of terrific prestige pictures, one of those being this fall’s Manchester By the Sea, sure to be a major player during awards season.

But Casey obviously wants to do something different, which leads us to Villain, a film he wrote and is set to star in, according to the Deadline report. Check out this nutso synopsis:

“Villain is a gritty and grounded thriller about the origins of a modern-day vigilante. Affleck stars as a man who loses everything after a home invasion leaves his family dead and two bullets lodged in his head. Miraculously, he survives and develops a unique power to see into people’s past, present and future. With this gift, he goes on a mission of revenge to find the men who killed his family and in the process clean up his city long overdue for justice. But as his vigilante acts become more frequent and violent in nature, his arrival as the city’s much-needed hero may be the announcement of its most prolific villain.”

So it’s like a superhero origin story, but it’s like Death Wish, and it sounds pretty awesome in theory. Who knows, it could be a complete mess and it could be released in January or something, but maybe Casey has really nailed this thing.

Villain will be directed by Swedish filmmaker Mikael Marcimain, whose most recognizable credit – at least stateside – is second unit director on Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. This sounds like an interesting project for an interesting star, who is clearly ready to step out of his prestigious safe zone.

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REVIEW: ‘The Walking Dead’ S7 Episode 2 “The Well” [SPOILERS]

By

Jon Barr - TV Editor

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October 31, 2016

How does a show like The Walking Dead follow such a high stakes premiere? Last week, we go the answers to last season’s questions, pleasing many fans (but not all of us). Rather than pick up on the action of last week, however, “The Well” focuses on the few protagonists left out of the Negan action. It feels like a loss of momentum, but it’s something that had to happen. The show picks up the remaining loose ends before launching into the impending insanity of Season 7. The Walking Dead provides us a look into the characters it kept in the dark, with a fairly well-paced introduction of the Ezekiel, the newly emerging power player.

Carol and Morgan are two of the more distinct personalities of the show. We’ve seen their dynamic evolve over the past season, as they slowly become more amicable. “The Well” introduces a new dynamic to each, which will likely play out in different ways for each. Morgan is more open to violence against humans, shown by his gun handling and apprehension towards coaching Ben. Carol’s flashes of seeing walkers as people may be a one-off novelty, as it doesn’t seem to affect her slaying abilities. However, it’s clear she’s not quite the unfeeling badass she once was. If nothing else, seeing Carol reprise her role as the unassuming housewife is rather amusing. These two characters are interesting, but not enough to make me forget about what I want to see of the main group.

Ezekiel is a peculiar new addition to the series. The Walking Dead has set a high bar with Negan, the show’s newest antagonist. Throwing yet another new character into the mix, so quickly after Negan, is a risky move. Thankfully, Ezekiel sets himself apart just enough to feel interesting. His self-awareness about his phony personality could prove to either be entertaining or obnoxious. Particularly if they let this community theater actor identity undercut the capable leader he is. It will largely depend on how much they play up his kingly attitude, as opposed to his more real persona. The same rationale applies to how cool Shiva the tiger will be. If she’s made into a cool-looking cheesy novelty, rather than a Lucille-like companion, it’ll likely get old.

As someone who hasn’t read the comics, it’s interesting to see what they’re setting up here. Having a character named King Ezekiel ruling The Kingdom seems foreboding. Perhaps this will be the next big power colony meant to take on Negan. It’s certainly more memorable than The Hilltop, which we saw for one episode last year. However, The Kingdom might prove to be another Deanna/Alexandria situation, where Rick & Friends take out the ruling class, taking it over themselves. While Carol and Morgan are separated from the main squad, it’s nice to see the world is well-connected. If Rick, Ezekiel, and whoever the hell lives at Hilltop these days team up, then they just might be able to take down Negan.

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Mike Perkins On Internet Trolls In The Comic Book Industry

By

Matthew Sardo

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October 31, 2016

Comic book artist Mike Perkins has been part of the industry since 1993, with his most notable work from the Ed Brubaker’s run on Captain America. Perkins is currently working on Carnage and his indie book Rowans Ruin from Boom! will be out in trade paperback form in December.

The first annual MegaCon Tampa came together over the weekend, and Perkins took the time to talk with us about the epidemic of internet trolls in the comic book industry and how as a nerd culture we can move past it.

“I think there is more of a freedom of speech on the internet, on the message boards and that doesn’t necessarily mean its a good thing. Because of the anonymity of it, they are more embolden to harsher opinions in a way. I think that is a problem. I don’t really read the message boards because you usually read the message board or read reviews or something on the message boards and everyone hates your work. But then you realize it’s only perhaps 20 of them who keep going backwards and forwards and all this kind of stuff. I think it is more of a problem with the entire message board activity, rather than the actual people,” said Perkins.

“I don’t know if we can (drowned out the negative on the message boards). A lot of the times you come across these people at conventions, and they are sweet people. But you put them with this mask behind them and it’s just like, ‘everything is rubbish, and everything is bad.’ They just have that cage in-between them and the person that they are affecting, and they don’t understand that they are real people. It’s scary, really. I don’t know if there is anything we can do about apart from reminding people that the people they are criticizing are real people and they have feelings,” said Perkins.

Perkins makes some great points and as long as this conversation continues we are making progress.

Perkins does keep himself well insulated from the negativity as the artist only has a Facebook account and is not part of Twitter.

How would you fix the issue with internet trolls? Comment below.

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‘Han Solo’ Cinematographer Bradford Young Talks Film’s Direction

By

Ryan Malik

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October 31, 2016

Earlier this year it was announced that the Star Wars character Han Solo will get his own spin-off film. Now, the Han Sol: A Star Wars Story cinematographer Bradford Youngsheds some light on the projects tone and direction, according to Comicbook.com

Young stifles any misgivings fans might have about the film’s directors (Phil Lord and Chris Lord ) being the right choice to helm the second Skywalker-less entry:

“These cats are subversive, don’t let it fool you,” he said with a laugh. “They are prepared to say exactly what they wanna say and it’s complex, it’s layered, it’s smart, it’s visual, it’s dramatic, it’s funny, it’s uneasy, it’s unexpected. These cats are—I’m honored to have them in the list of directors I’ve worked with, that’s for sure.”

Young goes on to say that the team at Lucasfilm are behind them one hundred percent:

“Nobody at Lucasfilm is asking us to betray that [Star Wars formula], they’re saying ‘We’re in full support of what you do and we wanna make sure that we’re able to help you do it in the best way.’ It’s gonna feel like a Star Wars film, but we’re definitely gonna break some rules, and we’re encouraged to do that… Visually, narratively that’s a good mandate. They really are about, from what I’ve seen so far, supporting up and coming artists, artists who have a strong vision and voice and perspective, and they really wanna permeate the films with those kinds of voices.”

Giving a billion-dollar-grossing franchise to up-and-coming directors shows the trust Disney and Lucasfilm has for them. It’s an unprecedented and possibly risky direction to take.

The Han Solo movie doesn’t even have a title yet or a specific plot. What is known: the movie will follow the adventures of a young Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich) prior to events in A New Hope.

Donald Glover, who will play a young Lando Calrissian, is the only other actor cast thus far. Phil Lord and Chris Miller will direct from a screenplay written by Jon Kasdan and Lawrence Kasdan, the latter of whom wrote both The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.

Han Solo: A Star Wars Story will hit theaters sometime in 2018.

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Diego Luna Talks Realistic Approach to ‘Rogue One’ & Jyn Erso

By

Ryan Malik

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October 31, 2016

The countdown continues: there is a little over a month to go until Rogue One: A Star Wars Story hits theaters. Fans are clamoring for information to whet their appetites. Diego Luna, who plays Captain Cassian Andor, says that Rogue One will be the most realistic Star Wars movie yet, according to a report from starwarsnewsnet.com

The site translates responses from an interview Luna gave to the Mexican branch of Vanity Fair. He talks about his character and the tone he wants to convey through him:

“I wanted to make my character more natural and realistic. Although people expect the tone of the film to be fantasy, it actually is quite the contrary. It’s an intimate story that feels real.”

Luna goes on to explain why he believes Rogue One is the most realistic film in the fabled series:

“I think of all the Star Wars films released so far, Rogue One is the most real one, which is about the people. The characters are very similar to us. They are heroes with no powers. What they have is a conviction and desire to change reality.”

This fits with the trailers, which show darker, grittier scenes. The film’s plot centers around Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), a girl who unites a bunch of rebels to steal the blueprints for the Death Star.

Luna also reveals a detail about the story’s point of view:

“The story in the movie is seen through the eyes of Jyn Erso.”

Could this suggest that the entire movie is a first-person perspective, much like Goodfellas? Will voice over be present? Only time will tell.

Other stars include Mads Mikkelsen, Ben Mendelsohn, Alan Tudyk, and Forrest Whitaker. It is directed by Gareth Edwards, from a screenplay written by Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story hits theaters on December 16, 2016.

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Where Are They Now: Rob Zombie’s ‘Halloween’ 2007 Remake

By

EJ Moreno

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October 31, 2016

Where Are The Stars Of 2007’s ‘Halloween’ Now?

It’s been nearly 10 years since ‘Halloween‘ was remade by Rob Zombie.

The polarizing remake leaves horror fans in heated arguments to this day. Even recently, the director of the original John Carpenter decided to open up about his feelings about the remake.

“I thought he took away the mystique of the story by explaining too much about [Michael Myers],” Carpenter said. “I don’t care about that. He’s supposed to be a force of nature, he’s supposed to be almost supernatural, and he was too big, it wasn’t normal.”

All of that aside, the 2007 ‘Halloween‘ remains an important part of modern horror. It launched careers, reinvigorated some, and even ended some careers.

Check out below where the cast of the Rob Zombie’s ‘Halloween‘ is now!

7. Danielle Harris

Danielle Harris was part of the ‘Halloween‘ franchise before she even acted in the remakes. Harris played Jamie Lloyd in ‘Halloween 4‘ and ‘Halloween 5‘ from 1988 and 1989 respectively. Rob Zombie eventually casted her to play Laurie Strode’s best friend. Since starring in the remakes, Danielle Harris remained an important member of the horror genre with films like the ‘Hatchet‘ franchise.

6. Malcolm McDowell

This man was a legend before ‘Halloween‘ and has remained one since. Malcolm McDowell is best known for his work as Alex in ‘A Clockwork Orange‘ but with over 250 acting credits, you may know him from anything. McDowell has been in the industry since the late 60’s but new horror fans know he played Dr. Sam Loomis in the 2007 remake. He was also recently in Zombie’s ‘31‘.

5. Sheri Moon Zombie

It’s easy to track where Sheri Moon Zombie is now. Just look at any movie that her husband Rob Zombie is releasing. Before 2007’s ‘Halloween‘ and after, she’s always the centerpiece of his films. Rightfully so…her brand of crazy fits perfectly into the sick Rob Zombie movie universe. Sheri Moon Zombie has staked her claim as one of this generation’s Scream Queens.

4. Daeg Faerch

How did young Michael Myers turn into a rapper? Well Daeg Faerch made it possible. Since starring as Michael Myers in his youth, Faerch has starred in independent films as well just launched a rap career. Daeg Faerch also has a movie coming up where he co-stars with Sophie Turner from ‘Game Of Thrones‘ fame. Find his work his work at Facebook.com/DaegFaerch!

3. Tyler Mane

Tyler Mane is the monster of a man who played Michael Myers. He’s played various roles in Hollywood from Sabertooth in ‘X-Men‘ to Ajax in ‘Troy‘ but nothing fit him quite like ‘Halloween‘ did. He shined in half of 07’s remake but really got to showcase his talents in 2009’s ‘Halloween II‘. Since the movies, Mane has launched his own production company called Mane Entertainment.

2. Scout Taylor-Compton

Scout Taylor-Compton starred in the 2007 remake as well as the sequel. She plays the lead character Laurie Strode to mixed reviews. No one could replace Jamie Lee Curtis but she did her best with the material. After the ‘Halloween‘ franchise, she’s gone on to star in many independent horror films. Scout Taylor-Compton also played rocker Lita Ford in 2010’s ‘The Runaways‘.

1. Rob Zombie

The man behind 2007’s ‘Halloween‘. Rob Zombie had the tough task of recreating the iconic 1978 film and do a follow-up. The movies are polarizing but that’s nothing new for him. After doing this franchise, he moved on to the giallo-inspired ‘The Lords Of Salem‘ and the recent halloween themed movie ‘31‘. What’s next for Zombie? Trying to release his hockey movie ‘The Broad Street Bullies‘!

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