Caitlin Snow’s Mom? Killer Frost origin? Upcoming on ‘Flash’

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October 16, 2016

Caitlin Snow meets Killer Frost, and her history with her mom revealed.

Poor Caitlin.

In season two of ‘Flash’, our favorite, adorable scientist gets taken by Zoom, and brought to his lair. During this time period, Caitlin is faced with her Earth Two doppelganger. It seems that everyone has one, so it was only time until we saw hers. Killer Frost, a cold blooded villain, who rocks silver hair and bright blue lipstick turned after being held captive in a cell.

While Caitlin is stuck with Zoom, we learn the relationship that Caitlin has with her mother, and the relationship that Killer Frost has with her mother is mirrored. Both Caitlin and Killer Frost describe their mothers to be narcissists, and Killer Frost used the chilly term “Cold as Ice.”

According to my source, we get the pleasure of being introduced to Caitlin’s mom, Dr. Tannhauser, ( Susan Walters) in an upcoming episode (“Monster”) airing next month. Caitlin reaches out to her mom in order to help her with her impending transformation into Killer Frost.

Executive Producer Todd Helbing talked about the mother-daughter relationship in the EW’s Spoiler Room. “You’ve heard snippets throughout the show so far of how her mom is pretty cold,” Helbing said. “When you meet her, you’ll understand exactly what Caitlin has been talking about and exactly how their dynamic works. You can see how that’s had a long-term effect on Caitlin.”

Caitlin has had a rocky couple of years. Losing her Fiancé, dealing with the lies of the real Harrison Wells, and finding a new and exciting love interest. It’s only fair that she is put through the ringer a couple more times, right?

‘Flash’ stars Danielle Panabaker, Jesse L. Williams, Tom Cavanaugh, Carlos Valdez, Candace Patton, and Grant Guston as ‘Flash’

‘Flash’ Airs Tuesday nights at 8PM on the CW.

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New ‘Doctor Strange’ Featurette Introduces Characters

By

Manuel Gomez

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October 16, 2016

A new Doctor Strange featurette has been released by Marvel Studios, according to ComicBook.com. It seems the studio is really pumping out the footage and information on this one in an effort to get the usually obscure Doctor Strange character into the limelight. Previous clips and information have also really highlighted it’s connection to Marvel Cinematic Universe. The new featurette showcases cast and crew discussing their roles and characters. Producer Kevin Feige, and stars Benedict Cumberbatch (Doctor Strange, Tilda Swinton (The Ancient One), Chiwetel Ejiofor (Karl Mordo), Rachel McAdams (Christine Palmer), and Benedict Wong (Wong) are all on hand. You can watch the clip below.

Doctor Strange tells the story of neurosurgeon Stephen Strange whose life takes a tragic turn after a horrific car accident damages his hands. When medicine fails him, he is forced to look for healing in a mysterious place known as Kamar-Taj. There he learns that this is not just a place for healing but also the sight of a magical battle to save the world. Soon Doctor Strange must choose to return to his normal life or leave it all behind and take his new place as the world’s Sorcerer Supreme.

Doctor Strange stars Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock, Star Into Darkness, ), Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave), Rachel McAdams (True Detective Season 2), Michael Stuhlbarg (A Serious Man), Mads Mikkelsen (Valhalla Riding/Hannibal) and Tilda Swinton (The Grand Budapest Hotel). It is directed by Scott Derrickson, and written by Derrickson, Jon Spaihts (Prometheus), and C. Robert Cargill (Sinister). It opens November 4, 2017, in theaters nationwide.

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Coen Brothers Set to Pen Internet Thriller ‘Dark Web’

By

Will Ashton

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October 15, 2016

As directors, Joel and Ethan Coen haven’t announced their next project following February’s Hail, Caesar! As writers, however, they’ve kept themselves busy. They recently penned George Clooney’s currently-filming Suburbicon. Now, they’re set to write Dark Web, an Internet thriller set up at Fox. There’s no word yet on if they’ve considered directing it as well. That should change in due time.

Based on a two-part Wired article from 2015, Dark Web is a true story centered around William Ulbricht. He’s a 29-year-old idealist who built an online illegal marketplace known as “The Silk Road” under the name Dread Pirate Roberts. Along the way, he became a murderous kingpin. Allegedly.

Best-selling author Dennis Lehane was initially writing the film before the Coens came aboard. It’s unclear if they’ll be influenced by his draft, or start fresh.

Based on its labyrinth twists relating to crime and murder, the story earned comparisons to the Coens’ work, particularly Fargo, as THR reports. Indeed, it’s in their wheelhouse, even though technology rarely — if ever — functions into their work. Perhaps the new perspective will invigorate them? Hopefully, Fox doesn’t give them the same deal they gave poor Lehane.

While the Coens are often known to direct their own scripts, they’ve contributed their pen to more projects away from their lens of late. They wrote 2012’s underwhelming Gambit. They also contributed to Angelina Jolie’s Unbroken in 2014 and Steven Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies last year, in addition to Clooney’s upcoming movie.

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Side Launch Brewing Company: Pale Ale – A Sideways Review

By

Michael Bedford

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October 15, 2016

Side Launch Brewing Company, like many other craft breweries throughout Canada, takes its name from a part of its hometown’s (Collingwood) history. “Side Launch” refers to the practice of launching a ship sideways: you can even watch a video of this engineering spectacle on the brewery’s homepage, along with a short video featuring the brew-master discussing his brews and ingredients.

A big winner at this year’s Canadian Brewing Awards, Side Launch took home the “Brewery of the Year” award along with three other Gold medals! Unfortunately, their Pale Ale wasn’t one of those gold medal winners, but I can always review one of them later. For now, bring on the Pale Ale!

Side Launch Brewing Company: Pale Ale – First Sip

Side Launch Pale Ale pours a cloudy golden, almost orange, colour. This brew leaves a thick layer of head at the top of my glass, easily 1/2″ thick. I get a faint smell of oranges as I take my first sip. This brew is more straightforward than some other pale ales I’ve reviewed. It’s tough to identify what the feature flavour in this brew is. All of the normal IPA/APA flavours are there, but none of them is prevalent.

This pale ale’s dominant flavour is its tartness rather than the usually bitter flavour of IPAs and APAs. Its mouthfeel tends towards the thick and slightly fizzy side of the scale, leaving a malty flavour in my mouth when I put it down.

Side Launch Brewing Company: Pale Ale – Last Sip

At 5.3% ABV in a 473 mL tall can, you can have a few of these in one sitting. Like many other brews I’ve reviewed, though, this one goes down pretty smoothly at 5.3% so don’t lose track of how many you’ve had.

With its tart flavour and thick-ish mouthfeel, I recommend enjoying this brew alongside a steak. This brew’s tartness helps balance out the savoury flavour of red meats. And, its thickness will help soak up any fat you may have forgotten to trim off of your cut.

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Naughty Neighbour American Pale Ale – Nickel Brook Brewing

By

Michael Bedford

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October 15, 2016

As a Canadian writing beer reviews for an American website, I couldn’t resist reviewing Nickel Brook Brewing‘s Naughty Neighbour American Pale Ale. This brew’s name seems particularly apt when considering the political spectacle unveiling itself south of the 49th parallel.

Since I previously reviewed a beer for Nickel Brook, I won’t spend any time here talking about the brewery. You can read all about Nickel Brook’s humble beginnings in my review of their Cause & Effect Blonde Ale. I’ll devote the majority of this review to tasting this naughty brew.

Nickel Brook Brewing: Naughty Neighbour APA – First Sip

Naughty Neighbour pours a semi-opaque golden colour with a thin layer of head that sticks to the top of my glass. I smell lots of citrus as I pour this fragrant brew, and some pineapple as I take my first glug. Naughty Neighbour’s aroma complements its flavour nicely, although I’d like it to be more bitter. As it is, this brew has a sweet and piney flavour that fades to a dry, almost savoury, finish. Pairing well with its mid-range hops flavour, Naughty Neighbour has a thin mouthfeel that promotes taking big gulps.

Nickel Brook Brewing: Naughty Neighbour APA – Last Sip

Available in 473 mL tall cans, Naughty Neighbour is a good sessional ale. Its modest 4.9% ABV rating makes it a beer you can enjoy a few of without getting too naughty yourself. A word to the wise, though, make sure you keep track of how many you’ve had. With its smooth taste and relatively low carbonation level, you’ll be surprised just how many of these brews you can drink in one session.

Naughty Neighbour’s slightly bitter flavour makes me crave salty foods. I suggest pairing this well-balanced APA with fish & chips, salted nuts, dark chocolate, or any standard pub fare.

Although this isn’t a face-scrunching, jaw-clenching bitter, bitter APA, it’s a great one to try if you’re looking for a change from your usual lager.

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Chiwetel Ejiofor On ‘Doctor Strange’ Role, Equal Representation In Cinema

By

Aric Sweeny

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October 15, 2016

In a recent interview, Doctor Strange star Chiwetel Ejiofor talked about what got him interested in the Marvel cinematic universe, as well as equal representation in cinema – via Financial Times.

Ejiofor on his interest in the MCU:

“Marvel has managed to make popular films really accessible and really good. I was very interested in what Joss Whedon did with The Avengers. He’s so skilled as a writer, and he started to really split those narratives and create characters that can intersect and then splinter off into all these individual stories. I think there’s an energy there because they want to make good movies that a lot of people will like, and they feel much more open to ideas.”

He then discussed the visuals of Doctor Strange:

“The first conversations that we had were about the visuals. They’d already created the visual language early on and I certainly hadn’t seen anything like it.”

And finally, Ejiofor discussed the controversy regarding Tilda Swinton playing the Ancient One, as well as equal representation in general:

“I think representation in cinema is a really important issue. There are a lot of films that don’t have any representation at all, are very monocultural, and have mono ideas on what race and gender mean, and who should be stars, and who shouldn’t. Doctor Strange is just not an example of that. It’s something we seem to like to do, turning perfect into the enemy of good. We let other things slide, the 85 percent of the films out there that don’t really attempt to address these issues at all. But because they have entirely white, male casts, we don’t bother to talk about them.”

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‘Wonder Woman’ International Trailer Released

By

Aric Sweeny

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October 15, 2016

A new international trailer for Wonder Woman has been released via Comicbook.com on Youtube. Check it out below.

This new trailer is a condensed version of the kickass Comic-Con trailer we got a few months back, but it does include some new footage sprinkled throughout.

Directed by Patty Jenkins, Wonder Woman stars Gal Gadot as Diana Prince, Chris Pine as Steve Trevor, Robin Wright as General Antiope, Connie Nelson as Queen Hippolyta, and Florence Kasumba as Senator Acantha. Click here to read the full cast list.

“Before she was Wonder Woman, she was Diana, princess of the Amazons, trained to be an unconquerable warrior. Raised on a sheltered island paradise, when an American pilot crashes on their shores and tells of a massive conflict raging in the outside world, Diana leaves her home, convinced she can stop the threat. Fighting alongside man in a war to end all wars, Diana will discover her full powers… and her true destiny.”

Wonder Woman hits theaters on June 2, 2017.

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REVIEW: ‘Borrowed Time’ – Masterclass in Emotive Storytelling

By

Kris Solberg

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October 15, 2016

Telling an effective story can be a challenge for even the most skilled writers. Deciding how to engage your audience in your narrative without giving them too much information, or too little, is an ability not every person has.

With short films, this challenge tends to increase in difficulty. You have a smaller canvas to fill, but it needs to be more evocative if you want your viewer to remember it. This means you need a story that not only captures your viewers attention, but it needs to be told in such a way that they’ll remember it years after watching it. A recent effort that was made available online this week is Borrowed Time, a six minute short directed and written by Pixar animators Andrew Coates and Lou Hamou-Lhadj.

The film tells the story of a weathered sheriff that returns to the scene of an accident he lived through a long time ago. His backstory is unfolded through flashbacks interchanged with small steps towards the site in question. The bleak colors and mellow score by Academy Award winning composer Gustavo Santaolalla (Babel; Brokeback Mountain) create a dreary world for the sheriff to live in. With slight emotive changes in certain parts of the present tense timeline, the film eloquently conveys the emotions of the sheriff without any dialogue. During the flashback, what little dialogue is used adds to the characters present tense emotional state.

With a runtime of six minutes, Coates and Hamou-Lhadj create a film with more emotional impact than most 2 hour Hollywood flicks. It is a powerful masterclass in how to tell evocative and emotional stories. Hopefully Pixar takes note and gives this duo a chance with a feature length movie.

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Slasher Saturday: Ranking All The ‘Friday The 13th’ Movies

By

EJ Moreno

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October 15, 2016

Slasher Saturday Is A Weekly Break Down Of A Horror Franchise. This Week: ‘Friday The 13th’!

There is no doubt that ‘Friday The 13th‘ is a massive part of pop culture. Most people can’t see a hockey mask without thinking of slasher Jason Voorhees. That’s why I wanted to kick of the Slasher Saturday series with this iconic franchise.

Below is a ranking of EVERY Friday The 13th movie from worst to first:

12. Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday

I really don’t want to say much about The Final Friday. It upsets me that they turned the Friday The 13th mythos into some worm slug that possess people and mystical daggers. At least Jason Voorhees looked cool before he was blown up…

11. Friday The 13th: A New Beginning

You want Jason when you are watching Friday The 13th. A New Beginning gives you a guy in a hockey mask. You can tell it isn’t Jason. Plot twist: it’s not. It is a grieving father seeking revenge. A wasted movie in the franchise.

10. Jason X

Where does a horror franchise go to die? Space. Jason X decided to really change up and show a Friday The 13th in 2455. At least this movie has the awesome Kane Hodder playing Jason and a David Cronenberg cameo.

9. Friday The 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan

Sure, Jason really isn’t in New York that long but at least he punches a guy’s head off. Part VIII really marked the decline for the series. It never recovered after Friday The 13th attempted to go to Manhattan.

8. Friday The 13th VII: A New Blood

After the Tommy Jarvis saga wrapped, Friday The 13th needed a new direction. They needed some New Blood. Filmmakers found it by introducing a girl with telekinesis. Finally, someone who can could take on Jason!

7. Friday The 13th (2009)

I seemingly don’t hate this as much as others do. The 2009 remake of ‘Friday The 13th‘ came before the horrifying ‘Nightmare On Elm Street‘ remake but after the decent ‘Halloween‘ so horror fans were moderately less cynical.

6. Friday The 13th Part 2

Being the first film to fully feature Jason doesn’t mean this is anywhere near the best one. Still has that early 80’s cheese and Jason didn’t get his iconic mask yet. Part 2 is stuck in a weird franchise limvo but it’s still fun.

5. Friday The 13th Part III

Well, at least he had his hockey mask this time. This one ranks higher than Part 2 just because of the obvious shift in tone. ‘Friday The 13th Part III‘ knew what kind of movie it was making and really does the franchise justice.

4. Freddy vs Jason

Many hate that Jason is a puppet to Freddy but I think Freddy vs Jason is one of the best narratives within both franchises. Seeing Jason break free & take control easily makes him the one to cheer for. Their end fight is so brutal as well!

3. Friday The 13th (1980)

Before the hockey mask, there was Pamela Voorhees. The first Friday The 13th sets up the films to come beautifully by introducing you to Jason Voorhees through his mother, Pamela (Betsy Palmer). Also, young Kevin Bacon!

2. Friday The 13th Part VI: Jason Lives

After being killed in The Final Chapter and taking a break in Part 5, Jason Voorhees returns in ‘Friday The 13th Part VI‘! With the return of Tommy Jarvis & more humor added, the Friday The 13th franchise got a jolt to the heart.

1. Friday The 13th Part IV: The Final Chapter (1984)

Everyone should know that The Final Chapter is the best film featuring Jason Voorhees. This was supposed to the last Friday The 13th movie; Part IV was so amazing that it kept the franchise alive…for better or worse.

Thank you for reading for the first Slasher Saturday!

Next week will be ‘Nightmare On Elm Street‘!

Do you agree with my ranking of the ‘Friday The 13th‘ series?

Let me know in the comments below.

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Five Favorite Films From The Year I Was Born: 1985

By

David Joseph

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October 14, 2016

Sadly, if you were not born in 1985, that overplayed Bowling for Soup cover song from the early ’00s invariably is what you turned to in your head when the year 1985 is mentioned. However, you just shouldn’t do that. In any case, Great Scott! The year 1985 was a decent year for films, and thus it made it a little difficult to narrow things down. Though, with lists, there can be only some.

Whether you were born in 1985 or not, these films should not be much of a surprise, and this list was compiled based on opinion, and their place in cinema history.

Back to the Future

There are few greater films from 1985, and the ’80s in general, than the Delorean-based time-travel epic, Back to the Future. Iconic characters and vehicles abound, this holds a special place in many ’80s kid’s hearts. Subsequent sequels predicted a few interesting things that came after. Not to mention it being iconic in pop culture, and managing to revive John Delorean’s fledgling car company for a little while.

Fletch

Chevy Chase was not only an epic SNL cast member but one of many kings of comedy through the ’80s and ’90s. In 1985, he played Irwin Fletch, an undercover newspaper reporter. Fletch, and the National Lampoon Vacation films, was Chase at the top of his game. One thing that made Fletch stand taller and loftier above the rest was Chevy Chase’s allowance to ad lib and take the dialogue wherever he chose. There are few comedies better, especially, in 1985.

Silver Bullet

Okay. So, the werewolf looked mostly terrible, and apparently, it wasn’t a perfect Stephen King adaptation, but it was probably the first adaptation many fans saw and fell in love with. Silver Bullet is a Corey Haim led, ’80s cult classic, whether Stephen King wants it to be or not. At least, unlike The Shining, King has never had a bad thing to say about it.

Re-Animator

Re-Animator may only be a cult classic, and likely wasn’t a blockbuster, but it still stands the test of time as being one of most iconic horror/ gore-splatter films in history. H.P. Lovecraft might have taken some issues with the treatment of the source material (Keeping in mind that Lovecraft was a huge Edgar Allan Poe fan, and it showed in this particular story), but certainly, the core elements still existed. Re-Animator was over top with gore, and a certain potentially sexual scene involving a severed head, but all the rest of the ingredients combined make it an epic horror comedy.

Clue

Clue has indeed managed to do what so many board games and video games wish they could have done, succeed as a cult classic while bringing the game faithfully to life. Clue boasts quite a cast, and at no point does it slow down or gives up the pace that keeps the suspense and humor come hurtling toward its three optional conclusions.

Choosing my top five 1985 flicks was extraordinarily difficult, so I created a short runners-up list: Once Bitten, Summer Rental, Cat’s Eye, Day of the Dead, The Breakfast Club, Teen Wolf, and Return of the Living Dead. 1985 was a surprisingly good year for film depending on who you ask, and in this case, it happens to be this writer.

Did your 1985 films make the cut?

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