The newest Supergirl poster continues a network trend by adapting a classic cover from comic books, according to Variety.com. The poster, which features Superman holding an unconscious Supergirl in his arms, draws inspiration from the 1985-6 Superman mini-series “Crisis on Infinite Earths”.
Now That We Can Actually Say the Name…
While Supergirl is dead on the original cover, Melissa Benoist’s Kara is merely unconscious. The poster promotes “The Last Children of Krypton”, episode two in Supergirl‘s second season. According to Executive Producer Andrew Kreisberg, it also reveals a shot originally meant for season one.
However, the shot would have been more ominous considering the show didn’t have a Clark Kent at the time. Kreisberg describes the original plan: “When Superman rescues her from Reactron, we actually wrote in there that [the shot] was going to cut off his head so you could just see his body holding her in that classic pose”. The poster idea was renewed when Tyler Hoechlin joined the cast as Superman. Kreisberg explains that the script for “The Last Children of Krypton” “…actually says, ‘We’ll have a “Crisis on Infinite Earths” pose here’”.
Supergirl’s poster is the second throwback from a CW show based on a DC property. When The Flash promoted Jay Garrick’s debut, the network used an image from 1961’s “Flash of Two Worlds” book. Both the “Flash of Two Worlds” and the “Crisis” images use comics lettering and an aging effect around the edges.
Based on DC comics properties, Supergirl stars Melissa Benoist (Kara Danvers/Supergirl), Tyler Hoechlin (Clark Kent/Superman), Chyler Leigh (Alex Danvers), Jeremy Jordan (Winn Schott), Mechad Brooks (Jimmy Olsen), and David Harewood (Hank Henshaw/J’onn J’onzz).
All things considered, filmmaker Michael Moore has kept pretty quiet this political season. Yeah, he wrote several topical posts on his blog, but this is Michael Moore. The man who made Fahrenheit 9/11 and singlehandedly (almost) took down George W. Bush’s second term run for the White House. Surely now, in the most heated political season of our lifetimes, and possibly ever, he’d have something to contribute to the conversation? Sure enough, it appears Moore has, indeed, made his Fahrenheit 9/11 for 2016. He just kept it a secret — until now.
As Moore announced on Twitter (via The Guardian), Michael Moore in Trumpland is the latest from the controversial filmmaker, and it’s soon set to make its big premiere. Like, try tonight. Well, if you’re in New York City, that is. It’s playing in the IFC Center at 9:30 PM and tickets are free — if you come first. The box office opens at 8:30 PM. The documentary will then be officially released tomorrow, October 19, on iTunes. It’ll also have a one-week run in New York and LA.
According to its official description, Michael Moore in Trumpland is the film “Ohio republicans tried to shut down.” It follows Moore’s recent one-man show, where he “dives in the heart of TrumpLand in the weeks before the election.” It is a trim 73 minutes long, and it sounds fairly similar to Slacker Uprising, the online-exclusive documentary Moore released back in 2007.
Although the details were left vague, Moore stirred the pot leading up to the film’s release, as noted by Slashfilm on Sunday. The documentary, therefore, wasn’t necessarily a complete shock, but it’s still surprising, particularly given how little fanfare was involved. Nevertheless, while Michael Moore in Trumpland isn’t likely to change any voters’ opinions — especially this late in the game — Moore’s humorous, often pointed commentary should be a welcomed relief amongst all the chaos during this hectic election year. It serves as Moore’s follow-up to last year’s Where To Invade Next, the director’s first film since 2009’s Capitalism: A Love Story.
Welcome to New Zealand! Enjoy some kiwi (the fruit, not the bird), the polite and peaceful people, and watch one of many great horror-comedy films created by the locals. New Zealand is home to beautiful locations and known to most movie-goers as the place where Middle-Earth exists. But the land slightly above the land down under has a peculiar sense of humor and horror that combines into some fantastic films.
Dead Alive (Braindead) – 1992
Long after Dawn of the Dead’s subtle humor, but long before Shaun of the Dead’s subversive style, there was Dead Alive from none other than Peter “Lord of the Rings” Jackson. A zombie virus infects Lionel Cosgrove’s mom, and he does everything he can to keep it a secret. Unfortunately, the secret gets out with gloriously gory results. Dead Alive (known as Braindead outside the U.S.) is horror-comedy at its best and features plenty of gruesome scenes that’ll keep the effects-hungry viewer happy.
Black Sheep – 2006
Genetic experiments turn the sheep of a farm into disease-spreading were-creatures. That’s right; it’s werewolves meets sheep! As ridiculous as it sounds it’s even more ridiculous to watch. Black Sheep is beautifully shot with cinematography from Richard Bluck. The writing and directing are sharp. The effects are handled by none other than Weta. The overall film is too fun to pass up.
Housebound – 2014
Kylie Bucknell (Morgana O’Reilly) is sentenced to house arrest for trying to rob an ATM. Unfortunately, the house she’s bound to belong to her mother and step-father. Soon after moving in Kylie encounters creepy teddy bears, ghosts, and more. Housebound is bonkers in hilarious ways that need to be seen to be believed. It’s funny, scary, and even has a subtle layer of complexity if you’re into that sort of thing.
What We Do In The Shadows – 2014
It took way too long for the arrival of a horror-comedy like What We Do In The Shadows. The film follows four centuries-old vampires who aren’t exactly up to speed on a lot of modern day trends. Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Conchords) and Taika Waititi (Hunt for the Wilderpeople) wrote and directed this fun flick that includes so much more than just vampires.
Deathgasm – 2015
Heavy metal + demonic apocalypse = one hilarious movie rollercoaster ride. Deathgasm tells the story of two metalhead friends who start a mediocre band and make the best of their equally mediocre lives. One day the pair find sheet music from one of their favorite bands. After playing the song, they unleash a demonic apocalypse. Hilarity ensues as does a story of friendship and love. The single best scene in the film includes A LOT of dildos.
Horror-Comedy Honorable Mention: The Frighteners – 1996
Before Peter Jackson ran off to live in a hobbit home and forget all other types of film, he was the king of horror-comedy. The Frighteners stars Michael J. Fox as a Frank Bannister, an architect who loses his wife in a tragic car accident. After the accident, Frank is able to speak with ghosts and uses the ability to make money. Jackson’s direction and the effects from Weta keep the ride going even while the comedy and characterizations are inconsistent.
An action-packed trailer for Assassin’s Creed landed on Tuesday morning. The trailer offers fans yet another look at the cinematic adaptation of the popular video-games.
Compared to the first trailer, we get a deeper look into the world of Assassin’s Creed. We are also treated to a lot more of Michael Fassbender’s present day character Callum Lynch, and how it is he ends up working with Abstergo.
Through a revolutionary technology that unlocks his genetic memories, Callum Lynch (Michael Fassbender) experiences the adventures of his ancestor, Aguilar, in 15th Century Spain. Callum discovers he’s from a mysterious secret society, the Assassins, and amasses incredible knowledge and skills to take on the oppressive and powerful Templar organization in the present day.
Assassin’s Creed opens in theaters worldwide on December 21st, 2016.
Mega-star Leonardo DiCaprio is the early stages of pitching a Captain Planet film. The news comes from ComicBookResources.com via The Hollywood Reporter. Dicaprio’s own production company, Appian Way, is trying to secure the rights to the beloved and much watched 90s cartoon series. He is teaming up with Scream Queen’s star Glen Powell, who would be scripting the movie with writing partner Jono Matt. DiCaprio’s passion for environmental issues is well known and it’s no surprise he’d be interested in a property with so many similar themes. In fact, he’s already produced a film on global warming, the documentary The 11th Hour. Captain Planet’s original plot and themes revolved around an international group of teenagers with elemental based abilities. Called “Planeteers” and led by the Earth spirit Gaia, the heroic teens fought all manner of pollution and environmentally damaging villains. When it was needed, the five kids combined their will and powers to summon the titular superhero to save the day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogMBLRHJYXU
Captain Planet and the Planeteers is an American animated environmentalist television program created by Ted Turner, Robert Larkin III, and Barbara Pyle. It was produced by Pyle, Nicholas Boxer, Andy Heyward and Robby London, and developed by Pyle, Boxer, Heyward, London, Thom Beers, Bob Forward, Phil Harnage and Cassandra Schafhausen. The series was produced by Turner Program Services and DIC Entertainment. It was broadcast on TBS from September 15, 1990, to December 5, 1992. A sequel series, The New Adventures of Captain Planet, was produced by Hanna-Barbera and Turner Program Services and was broadcast from September 11, 1993, to May 11, 1996. Both series continue today in syndication.
Scooby-Doo: 47 Years of Snacks, Ghosts, and Mysteries
Everyone loves a mystery. That’s why Scooby-Doo has endured for nearly five decades and continues to entertain. Besides the Law & Order franchise launched by Dick Wolf, there may be no other longer-running procedural on television.
THE BEGINNING
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! first aired on September 13, 1969. That episode, “What a Night for a Knight,” set the tone and formula that every episode after would follow:
•The gang happens upon a mystery perpetrated by a ghost or monster.
•The gang splits up to investigate. Shaggy, Scooby, and Velma; Fred and Daphne.
•A chase with the ghost accompanied by a groovy pop song.
•The ghost is unmasked, revealed to be a greedy human.
Fred Silverman, the executive in charge of Daytime Programming at CBS in the late 1960s, thought a mystery cartoon show had the potential to be a big hit. Producer Joseph Barbera (of Hanna-Barbera cartoon fame) agreed.
Barbera told story writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears to develop the show with character designer Iwao Takamoto. The original idea centered around a teenage rock group and their dog who would solve mysteries between gigs.
After the first pitch, the rock idea was dropped. Silverman thought the dog should be the star. Ruby and Spears retooled, ultimately settling on the now-famous premise: a bunch of teenage friends and their talking Great Dane traveling around the world solving mysteries.
The Great Dane’s original name was “Too Much,” taken from a popular phrase at the time. Thank God they didn’t go with that name. Otherwise I wouldn’t be writing this article because there would be no show to write about. Credit Frank Sinatra and his “do-be-do-be-do” riffs in his classic standard “Strangers in the Night” for inspiring Scooby’s name.
The four humans were based on characters from The Archie Show and The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. Each went through a few name changes before cementing their identities as Norville “Shaggy” Rogers, Fred Jones, Daphne Blake, and Velma Dinkley.
Even the show’s title went through changes. First it was Mysteries Five, then Who’s S-S-Scared?, and ultimately Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! when it aired.
(Above Character designer Iwao Takamoto’s drawing that sold the series)
The show was a hit. Nearly sixty-five percent of the CBS Saturday morning audience tuned in regularly. The original series only ran two seasons, but that was long enough to create a legendary character.
THE MIDDLE YEARS
Or the dark years. Yet, to know what makes a character successful, it’s imperative to know what makes it awful. And in my opinion, most of the iterations between 1972 and 1988 were exceptionally bad.
The first spin-off had Mystery Inc. teaming up with a different celebrity every week to solve a mystery. The guest stars ran the gamut from Batman and Robin to Sonny and Cher to Jonathan Winters and Don Knotts.
The animation for these episodes is subpar at best. Flipbooks have better fluidity. It’s embarrassing to watch. But it was somewhat successful; this team-up formula would manifest again and again over the years.
Scra– (excuse me; gotta throw up).
Scrap– (sorry, not done yet)
Let’s try this again…
Scrappy-Doo – Scooby’s runty nephew – was added during a lull in popularity to reignite interest in the series. Which he did. But that’s the only good thing the narcissistic, hydrocephalic, Napoleon-wannabe ever did. He’s a pox. A blight. The only character in the history of episodic television remotely as useless and unnecessary is Dawn from Buffy The Vampire Slayer.
Yet Scrappy has his supporters. It’s beyond my comprehension as to how any REAL Scooby fan can like the annoying waif. He damn-near euthanized the series!
Although, of late, Scrappy Hate is becoming the norm. He was the villain in the first live-action Scooby movie and hasn’t shown up in animation since.
No, scratch that. In an episode of Scooby-Doo: Mystery Inc., a statue of Scrappy gives Daphne a scare. Fred’s response: “We promised we would never speak of him again.”
Limit your Scooby-watching to The Scooby-Doo Show and The Scooby-Doo/Dinomutt Hour, the only decent series during this time. Each episode follows the classic mystery-solving formula. And with Scooby’s cousin, Scooby-Dum, along for the hijinks. While Dum has his faults, his worst joke is infinitely better than anything Scrappy ever says or does.
THE SCOOBY-DOO DETECTIVE AGENCY
On September 10, 1988, Scooby and the gang clawed their way back into relevance with A Pup Named Scooby-Doo. Producer Tom Ruegger (Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs) revived the classic formula, with one twist: the gang would be in middle school. Essentially, it’s a prequel to the original series; yet more comical and cartoony.
The stand-out feature in every episode is the music by John Debney. It’s all 1950s and 1960s rock ‘n roll. Ruegger and Debney even brought back the chase songs. The best, of which, is “Bad Guys.” It’s a doo-woppin’, scattin’ tune that puts a lot of today’s Top 40 to shame.
THE REVIVAL
Outside of video games, coloring books, and Burger King toys, Scooby remained docile during the 1990s. That changed in 1998 with the direct-to-video release of Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island.
In this animated movie, Mystery Inc. has grown up and gone their separate ways. Velma owns and operates a mystery bookstore. Shaggy and Scooby sniff out contraband at an airport. Only Fred and Daphne remain together, working on the show Coast to Coast with Daphne Blake.
The gang reunites for Daphne’s birthday and sets out to find real ghosts for Daphne’s viewers. They end up on Moonscar Island, at a plantation haunted by a pirate ghost and his crew. In an unexpected (and welcomed) shift, the ghosts turn out to be real.
Everything about this movie is perfection. The animation, the darker story, the voice acting, the music. Sweet Jesus, the music! Third Eye Blind performs the theme song while Skycycle sings the chase songs. A soundtrack was even released!
https://youtu.be/sQ1AAJUUOuw
The movie was so popular, a follow-up – Scooby-Doo and the Witch’s Ghost – arrived a year later in 1999.
THE BIG SCREEN
The success of these animated features told Warner Bros. that there was a market for more Scooby. In 2002, the live-action movie Scooby-Doo was released. Written by James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy), it was a decent adaptation of the cartoon.
In 2004, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed was released. What’s awesome about this one is the premise: a new villain makes the costumes of Mystery Inc.’s most infamous ghosts come to life. It’s the rare example of a sequel being better than the first.
A third live-action movie was rumored to be in the works, but never went into production. The sequel didn’t make enough money to merit another adventure.
BACK TO ANIMATION
The Scooby property was still popular. What’s New, Scooby-Doo?, the first new animated series since Pup, aired on the WB network from 2002-2006.
Scooby-Doo: Mystery Inc., premiered in 2010 on Cartoon Network. This was the first Scooby cartoon to have an overlying story arc for its 52 episodes. The comedy was more adult. More focus was put on the horror aspect.
The newest incarnation, Be Cool, Scooby-Doo!, currently airs on Cartoon Network. It has no right to be Mystery Inc.’s successor. The humor is forced, the animation mediocre, and the character designs for Scooby and the gang are THE WORST. Imagine if Seth MacFarlane had no talent and drew Scooby-Doo. That’s what this is. The worst is Velma. Her lips look like they were caught in a vacuum for an hour.
Until the next inevitable animated series, stick to the animated movies. A new one has been released every year since 1999. Some are quite good (Abracadabra-Doo; Scooby-Doo and the Loch Ness Monster). Some are quite awful (Moon Monster Madness; the two team-ups with the WWE).
Regardless, new Scooby movies and cartoons are constantly in production. Mickey Mouse doesn’t even get that kind of attention now.
Earlier this year, Warner Bros. announced that Scooby-Doo would be back in movie theaters. This time as a computer-animated feature tentatively titled S.C.O.O.B., directed by long-time Scooby producer Tony Cervone. Plot details are sketchy to non-existent right now, but Warner Bros. has high hopes for it. S.C.O.O.B. is expected to launch an entire Hanna-Barbera cinematic universe.
After countless mysteries, devoured boxes of Scooby Snacks, misplaced glasses, overly-elaborate traps, screams, and laughs, it’s safe to say that Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, Velma, Daphne, and Fred aren’t going anywhere.
Except to eat a snack before investigating their next mystery.
Sky High – you remember it, right? That colorful, teen-drama superhero film that came out years ago? Well according to an interview coming out of The Hollywood News, a sequel might be in the works.
The news outlet caught up with directors Walt Dohrn and Mike Mitchell about their interest in the recently announced Shrek 5, which led them to express interest in a Sky High Sequel.
“It’s between that [Shrek 5] and we’re working on a sequel to Sky High. We’ll see how that goes.”
Sky High came out on July 29, 2015, and earned a profit of roughly $86 million on a $35 million budget.
Would you be interested in a sequel? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments.
AMC Monday afternoon released the first mini-episode of ‘Fear The Walking Dead Passage’ a spinoff from ‘Fear the Walking Dead.’ The episode introduces a person in a biohazard suit and an injured women.
Do you think either one will survive and make their way into ‘Fear the Walking Dead’ season 3?
Last year the network released ‘Flight 462’ which introduced Alex (Michelle Ang) to the series. ‘Passage’ will run 16 episdoes and will air each week before ‘The Walking Dead.’
FEAR THE WALKING DEAD PASSAGE: PART 1 A fearsome survivor agrees to help an injured woman in exchange for an apocalyptic sanctuary. A new installment of the 16-part series is available every week on amc.com, the AMC mobile apps, and on-air during premiere episodes of ‘The Walking Dead.’
‘The Walking Dead’ returns to AMC for its seventh season on October 23.
This episode is so full of action it feels like it was meant to be an exact counter point to all the dialogue and set up from the previous episode. It’s quickly revealed Gjallarhorn is already trying to find ways to screw over the Tekkadan crew as instead of giving the full back up they were promised, they get only one ship. Orga doesn’t mind though as he knows it will allow his team the opportunity to take the pirates down and get all the glory if they succeed.
Two big pieces of information are revealed about the new, unnamed masked man. First, he is not McGillis using his alias of Montag as the new guy makes it a point to curse McGillis’ name bitterly. Second, he has a Gundam frame of his own. The machine looks a little bare bones right now, but by the time he goes into combat, it will more than likely be a force to be feared.
The action is intense, but the episode isn’t without a few moments where the animation quality drops. It is also painfully obvious when the quality does fall thanks to the fights being placed out in space. Kind of hard to cover up the fact the machines aren’t being drawn with such fine detail when they are the only objects on the screen.
Overall the episode is very entertaining and helps to showcase just how far Tekkadan has come as a team. There is no doubt they will be able to make it out of this first mission without any type of difficulty. The real problem comes from what the rest of the season will introduce to make the audience afraid everyone is going to make it out alive.
Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphan Season 2 is streaming on Daisuki.
Shrek 5 is happening people. With each passing day, we come a few steps closer to its completion. Call it a miracle. Call it the end of times. Call it a fleeting studio’s desperate attempt to cash in on their most beloved and financially successful property, even though they effectively retired the series nearly ten years ago. But it’s coming. Prepare yourself for its big, green, pointed ears arrival in 2019.
Today sees the project’s first real development since it was announced back in July. Michael McCullers, an SNL veteran best known for co-writing the Austin Powers sequels with Mike Myers, agreed to pen the new film.
The news came from The Hollywood News (via ComingSoon.net). Walt Dohrn, a Shrek 2 screenwriter and the director behind DreamWorks Animation’s upcoming Trolls, and Mike Mitchell, the director behind Shrek Forever After, revealed the project update. Mitchell notes Shrek 5 has “a pretty good story” and that McCullers “came up with a really great idea that they’re exploring.” Dohrn then followed with the following: “There’s more story to tell there and we’re ready to help tell it for sure,” as if he’s addressing everyone questioning the film’s existence on Twitter and elsewhere.
There’s no word yet on who will direct, but Dohrn and Mitchell are interested. So it’s pretty likely they’ll get the job. With that in mind, they also expressed an interest in making a sequel to Mitchell’s Sky High, which would be pretty neat, even though it’s over ten years later and the original wasn’t necessarily a box office smash. It’s Disney, though, so we’ll see what happens there.
Shrek 5 will not be McCullers’s first time working with DreamWorks Animation. He also wrote next year’s The Boss Baby, which released its first trailer today. He also contributed to 2014’s overlooked Mr. Peabody & Sherman. In addition to their Austin Powers work, Myers and McCullers also wrote the unproduced Sprockets together, based on the popular recurring SNL sketch. It’s among the most well-known screenplays that didn’t come to completion, at least in comedy circles. McCullers’s also wrote and directed Baby Mama (what’s with this dude and babies?), and — outside of his DreamWorks Animation work — he also wrote the upcoming Hotel Transylvania 3 for Sony Animation.
On September 10, 1988, Scooby and the gang clawed their way back into relevance with A Pup Named Scooby-Doo. Producer Tom Ruegger (Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs) revived the classic formula, with one twist: the gang would be in middle school. Essentially, it’s a prequel to the original series; yet more comical and cartoony.