During the build up to Captain America: Civil War, many fans speculated as to which character would be killed; to some, their pick was Steve Rogers himself. This previously possible scenario would’ve followed the comic, which made it a popular choice. In a recent Q & A with directors Joe and Anthony Russo, coming to us via Hitfix, the brothers revealed that killing Cap was once a possibility.
Anthony Russo:“We never talked about killing Cap in this one, right? No.”
Joe Russo: “We did for a beat. We talk about everything.”
Anthony Russo:“I think the thing to remember is, we do talk about every possible scenario over and over and over again for months and months and months. We talked about it. But it never made its way into a realistic outline.”
Joe then went on to talk about their choice to not kill a character at the end of the film.
“We talked about lots of potential characters dying at the end of the movie. And we thought that it would undercut what is really the rich tension of the movie, which is this is Kramer vs Kramer. It’s about a divorce. If somebody dies, it would create empathy, which would change and allow for repair, and we didn’t want to do that.”
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige was also at the Q & A, and he briefly talked about the goal of Civil War heading into Infinity War, as well as the differences between the original comic story and its film adaptation.
“Well, the ending was always more about fracturing the team completely before getting into Infinity War.”
“In the amazing comic book story, which certainly the conceit of this movie is based on and some of the specifics — during their big battle, which has a hundred times as many characters, a character dies. And we talked about that for a while. And, ultimately, we thought what happened to Rhodey would be enough of a downer.”
There are a select few titles from the 1980’s that fall under what might be classified as “guilty pleasures”. They’re a bit campy, but with enough charm to provide an entertaining distraction from the outside world. For no other show is this more true than Macgyver. Starring Richard Dean Anderson as a charismatic leading man able to paperclip his way out of anything, this show offered seven seasons of creative yet bizarre entertainment.
In their infinite wisdom, CBS has attempted to remake the series with a modern day setting. However, like most remakes of 80’s nostalgia, this show never stood a chance. With the rise in popularity of TV crime dramas, which started in party due to the very show it’s trying to emulate, the show struggles to stand out as anything out of the ordinary.
This new version sees the role of the man armed with a Swiss army knife taken over by Lucas Till (X-Men: Apocalypse). In the opening scene, we find our hero attempting to retrieve a weapon from a dangerous villain. While it appears he successfully accomplished his mission, he is startled at his rendezvous point by an armed henchman (played by Vinnie Jones). Despite cooperating, the henchman kills his girlfriend, and leaves Macgyver for dead.
This is where the show runs into its first stumbling block. Immediately it is trying to make the audience care for Macgyver through visual storytelling that lacks any real emotional weight. The audience does not know enough about either Macgyver, his girlfriend, or their relationship to truly care about the ramifications of what is unfolding on screen. It lacks the sensation of any real consequence, which undermines its placement in the show.
From this point on, the show turns into a checklist of cliched action tropes. Without spoiling exactly what happens, suffice it to say, the show struggles to find a creative way to establish its concept. That isn’t to say it’s not entertaining. Till and his cast mates perform admirably with their characters, and the writing has moments of ingenuity. However, it struggles to stand out as anything creative or worthwhile. It seems more like an attempt to copy C.S.I., N.C.I.S., or any number of crime procedurals that have aired in the last decade, rather than a fresh idea.
The biggest shame of all is that they took a creative character piece and turned it into a paint-by-numbers ensemble drama without any charm or personality. While it does a respectable job entertaining its audience, it is unlikely to emerge as anything memorable.
Three new TV Spots for Marvel’s Doctor Strange have been released online via Comicbook.com on Youtube. You can watch them down below.
“From Marvel comes DOCTOR STRANGE, the story of world-famous neurosurgeon Dr. Stephen Strange whose life changes forever after a horrific car accident robs him of the use of his hands. When traditional medicine fails him, he is forced to look for healing, and hope, in an unlikely place – a mysterious enclave known as Kamar-Taj. He quickly learns that this is not just a center for healing but also the front line of a battle against unseen dark forces bent on destroying our reality. Before long Strange – armed with newly acquired magical powers – is forced to choose whether to return to his life of fortune and status or leave it all behind to defend the world as the most powerful sorcerer in existence. Join Strange on his dangerous, mystifying, and totally mind-bending journey.”
Doctor Strange features Benedict Cumberbatch as the Sorcerer Supreme, Tilda Swinton as The Ancient One, Rachel McAdams as Christine Palmer, Mads Mikkelsen as Kaecilius, Benedict Wong as Wong, and Chiwetel Ejiofor as Baron Mordo.
With Kira’s dad on the loss, he decides his only opinion is to use the arrow to create a new Stand User. What does he create? A man who has the ability to fire a super powerful gun? Someone who has the ability to create a beetle which is so powerful it can rip people apart? Or perhaps even a being has the ability to destroy everything with a void he wraps around himself to become a destructive wrecking ball of death. No, he finds a boy who enjoys playing Rock, Paper, Scissors. Oh Jojo, you so crazy.
Yes the newest Stand user is named Ken Oyanagi and with his Stand, Boy Man Man (It’s Boys II Men. Come on translation team. Are you really worried about a lawsuit?). Ken uses his stand, to play people in Janken (Rock, Paper, Scissors) and if he beats them enough times he gets their powers. It should be known the animation team found a way to make it the most extreme game of Janken in the history of existence. Leave it to anime to make a mundane game like Janken into something over the top and awesome.
The episode also shows Yukako hanging out with Josuke and Okuyasu without Koichi around. It’s always good to see when a guy’s girlfriend is able to hang with his friends and become part of the group when he’s not around. Especially when they were previously a villain who kidnapped said friend.
The real question is how long will Kira’s dad keep making more Stand users There is still 13 more episodes to the season so there is a good chance there will still be a few of them coming out of nowhere to help Kira and his crazy ideals. Not like he needs any help though.
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable is streaming on Crunchyroll.
Several Marvel Comics characters have family issues, and Tony Stark is no exception to that rule. Right now, the big question is “Who’s your daddy?”
The new International Iron Man series reveals Iron Man’s real parents were not Howard and Maria Stark. Written by Brian Michael Bendis, this is bound to take Tony in a new direction.
In an Entertainment Weekly interview, Bendis says the aim is to really explore Tony’s character and what makes him tick. With the discovery of his real parents, this will prove to be quite an adventure.
“We have this character Tony Stark, who has over the course of the last two years become the crown jewel of the Disney-Marvel empire,” he says. “People couldn’t be more interested in Tony, and we have all this opportunity to find out where Tony fits into all of it.”
International Iron Man #7 reveals Tony Stark’s biological mom and dad were two S.H.I.E.L.D agents. As previously shown, Amanda Armstrong fell in love with a fellow operative named Jude. Soon afterwards, she became pregnant.
What’s more, Jude served as a HYDRA double agent. Desperate to save his family, he leaked info- only for Amanda to fatally stab him. What a way to die- at the hands of your lover.
Now, that’s really got to hurt.
Unwilling to deal with these events, Amanda left S.H.I.E.L.D and put little Tony up for adoption. From there, Howard and Maria came in to raise the boy as their own. At Amanda’s request, they kept the boy’s name of Anthony.
Thank goodness the MCU still has Howard and Maria as Tony’s parents, because this plot twist would be very difficult to pull off.
International Iron Man #7 is now on sale.
At least the MCU movies are different from the comics.
There’s been a dramatic shift within the comic book industry these past three months. Marvel’s stranglehold in the sales has weakened to DC’s newest relaunch, “Rebirth.” The relaunch is a return to form for the company’s most famous superheroes and other IPs. So far, the initiative has been a huge success as reflected in both the sales and the recent marketshare. But, how did this happen? DC is usually considered the Pepsi to Marvel’s Coke in most facets, including comics. While their current dominance might be temporary, it’s hard to ignore their recent decisions to attract buyers. So, without further adieu, here are five reasons why Rebirth is a success.
*Note: All the pictures you see are just there for aesthetic purposes and are merely recommendations of books I like in the Rebirth line. There will be a more official list later.
5. It actually wasn’t a reboot.
Like just about every comic fan, when I heard the words “rebirth,” I thought reboot. It wouldn’t be the first time the company has done one, and most fans are pretty polarized about The New 52, and what consequences it brought. So, there was a lot of skepticism toward what this event. However, to everyone’s surprise, the poorly named initiative was not a reboot. Instead, I would consider it something different, a jumping on point for new and old readers to familiarize themselves with everything DC. Rebirth is respecting pretty much all of the DC continuity that’s ever been published. We’ll go back to some of the books and why they work, but overall it created an accessibility the company was lacking these pass few years.
4. A tried and true formula.
One of the main focuses on Rebirth was getting to the core of these characters. Why we love them, why we feel for them, and why we want to read more adventures about them. The focus on each book is on the title character, and what they represent: Batman is the detective, Superman saves the day, Wonder Woman is searching for the truth, etc. The New 52 was plagued with overarching conspiracies, confusing premises, and a focus on deconstructing the character rather than building on them. Some (like Monkeys Fighting Robots contributor Gary Maloney) may argue that some of the stories can be cliche and by the numbers. However, I argue that one must create a status quo before it can be destroyed and played with. Also, as a side note, I personally haven’t found a single comic in Rebirth to be downright awful. There are plenty that aren’t great, and some that aren’t very good, but nothing terrible.
3. The price and quality of each book.
Whether the comic is twice-monthly or monthly, all DC Rebirth titles (with the exception of one so far) are $2.99. We’ve come a LONG way from the days of comics being less than two bucks, but the 2.99 pricing certainly allows more affordability for customers. While the twice-monthly shipping does raise a concern that you’re actually spending $5.98 a month on a series, the $2.99 per book is an easier investment for single issue. It gives fans a chance to try out a book, and make a decision on sticking with the series. All the titles are printed on a quality paper, have the same amount of story pages, and are bounded well. The staples aren’t obnoxiously sticking out in the middle of the issue. Plus, as a fan, I actually prefer twice-monthly, because I can follow the stories easier.
2. Returnability on all titles.
A lot of comic books collect dust when they aren’t sold. Often retailers can’t return them, so they’ll find ways to get rid of them through sales and what not. DC has been offering returnability for a lot of their issues. This is great for stores, because it allows them to decipher which comics are worth keeping, and which ones aren’t for their customers. DC will buy the comics that aren’t selling back and this creates a stronger dialogue between retailer and company. When both entities are working together in harmony, this creates a happier experience for all parties involved.
1. DC Rebirth #1 was fantastic for new and old readers.
Regardless of the story’s quality, which was a damn good story by the way, DC Rebirth #1 was a great comic for any level of DC fan. Whether they’ve been reading the company’s work all their lives, they’re fans of the movies and shows, or they’re just casual fans of the character, everyone could read this. It brilliantly explained the DC Universe, it raised good questions that made fans want to know more, and it was accessible. For $2.99 fans got an 80 page comic that contained zero ads. That will always be a more favorable option for readers. And I personally believe that Rebirth has been a great step for the company. The comics have been fun and affordable, the company is making smarter choices, and it’s exciting to see where they go next. Hopefully, DC keeps this momentum going, because right now they are on fire.
Big Rig Brewery has two restaurant/brewery locations in Ontario and a variety of their beers are available in the LCBO. And, though Big Rig is a new brewery, they’re making a big impression. Winning four Golds and one Bronze at the 2016 Ontario Brewing Awards, this is a craft brewery to keep an eye on.
In fact, the beer I’m reviewing here, “Release The Hounds Black IPA,” was one of Big Rig’s Gold medal winners in the “Dark IPA” category. I was lucky enough to find a couple 473 mL cans of this award-winning beer at my local LCBO. Now let’s find out if this dog will hunt …
Big Rig Brewery: Release The Hounds Black IPA – First Sip
This is a dark IPA, and aside from its lack of foam it looks like a stout. It pours a very dark brown with a thin layer of head that dissipates quickly. Release The Hounds has a malty flavour that reminds me of roasted nuts. This gives way to a seriously bitter hops finish, as all IPA’s should. Its thick-ish mouthfeel is the perfect vehicle for its transition from malty to bitter.
Big Rig Brewery: Release The Hounds Black IPA – Last Sip
I’m a big fan of bitter beers. Just look at my glowing reviews of the IPA‘s, APA‘s, CPA‘s, stouts, and dark ales I’ve tasted! And, I like this brew a lot, but I don’t suggest serving it at a party. You will undoubtedly offend the delicate tastebuds of a lager-only crowd. Plus, at 6.2% ABV this isn’t really a party beer. With its almost smoky flavour and bitter finish I suggest enjoying this tasty brew as part of a savoury dinner in combination with smoked fish or a gourmet pizza. Or, if you’re poor like me then try some salted nuts.
New Game was the only show I was excited about watching every week this season. I know it’s sad, but its true. New Game! satisfies some very simple desires for me as a person, all wrapped up in an irresistible package. It’s is a shining example of how to do Moe Slice of Life for the, more adult mind, and not make it gross. (yeah I know there are many others that do this, New Game! isn’t the only one.)
When I think about what keeps me invested in a show, narrative is usually the first that pops into my mind. Now it may be strange to say but New Game! has a more gripping narrative than more plot driven shows, and here’s why. New Game! is about things we can immediately relate to. Everything that comes with a new job is understandable for anyone who’s been in the work force. With this easy to understand premise we don’t have to dwell so much time on setting up these facts. Thus the show can get on with its story and focus on all the things that make it great, like the narrative. And even if you don’t know what its like to be in the work place for the first time, the reasoning behind why someone would feel this way is easy enough to understand even if you have near zero empathy. The narrative is again simple but relatable, it’s about an 18-year-old girl named Aoba who’s just been hired to work as a character designer for a game company. She now gets to work under someone she has always admired and work on her favorite game franchise, all while being the company noob and learning the facets of video game production.. The series follows them completing the game in a light-hearted and comedic fashion, embracing the comedy and yuri bait but always relating it to work. That’s what brings you back every week. Everything that happens more or less is based around either the production of the game, Aoba learning her job, or game culture itself. Nothing ever seems to happen that goes against what the point of the show is and in doing so it feels more compelling as say another moe slice of life show (not to point fingers). New Game! has a hook and never lets that hook go, which is smart. I tuned in because I wanted to see girls who worked in the game industry, and every week it felt like that’s what I got. So I liked New Game! because it held my attention because of its plot always being present, or nearby enough for me to keep caring. But that’s beginner stuff when we’re talking about what makes a good show. Let’s talk about what really made the show for me.
I probably have an unhealthy obsession with girls who are borderline gay for each other. I’m not talking about Yuri because I don’t mean actual lesbians, but friends who are so close, the line almost gets blurred. In New Game! almost every girl has this sort of relationship with at least one other character in the office, and I love it for that. Not to mention that every pair works well together and its easy to see how they would function in a romantic relationship, because the show always relates their connecting to the narrative of the show. Again bringing everything together in a package that makes you care and keep caring. To use my favorite ship as an example. When the game is near completing and with a looming deadline, Rin (The Art Director) gets sick and Kou (The Lead Character Designer) takes her home and nurses her back to health and to make sure she gets her rest and doesn’t work. This melds well into the show because it’s clearly related to the story of the show. They’re at a deadline and something unexpected happens, Rin gets sick. Everyone knows whats its like to be under crunch time and the pressure it entails. Rin tries to brush it off as no big deal, which is very, Japanese work ethic, of her. Kou decides that her health is more important and brings her home. Now that we have the narrative correlation clear we can focus on the character and personal part. Kou and Rin have been best friends since before joining the company and Rin has always been the one looking out for Kou. Now their roles are reversed and we get to see a contrast to how their relationship is normally. Once that is all established them acting like a married couple with Rin wanting to have Kou feed her is just the icing on the cake. The icing is the best part for sure. But it wouldn’t matter without the other stuff, unless you were just looking to get off. In which case I could direct you to some more effectively potent material.
When it’s not showing off it’s gay undertones, New Game! is giving us that Moe feeling that we so often find in shows littered with only cute girls. I mean the show doesn’t feature a single boy. Literally their whole company is made up of females, that’s a win in a of itself (Not a feminist comment). But getting to see cute girls that have nerd interests is the real victory here. And to top it off they never seem like they aren’t real people. “Logan what does that mean?” Well it means that when a character does something cute it is often grounded in that character and within reason. For example, Kou the Character designer tends to overwork herself and stays overnight at work a lot. So there are a lot of scenes of her waking up from under her desk in only her underwear. Now its cute to see her waking up for a number of reasons, some perverted other’s not so much. But it’s tied to game development again because she is working overnight. It shows her work ethic and personality. And we get to see her looking adorable in her t-shirt and panties. With everything working in unity it all feels natural and relatable. Would you want to wear you’re pants or work dress to bed, hell no you wouldn’t. New Game! doesn’t just make us go “Awhhhh” it makes us go “Awhhhh, I totally get that.” It makes the Moe stuff relatable and believable and lets us get invested.
But what is investment without growth right? Well New Game! has that too. While not all, at least three characters go through some sort of growth. For Aoba its learning to not be satisfied with what she can do presently and always strive even though she may fail or fall short. For Kou its learning to deal with past mistakes and grow so you can accomplish something you’ve failed. It’s similar to Aoba’s growth but Kou actually did run away from her failure and its more about her accepting that than realizing it. Nene (Aoba’s friend) learns that finding things you’re good at often comes at trying something new. She uses her game savvy experience to help debug the new game and finds that her attention to detail and care for what she’s doing is a talent of her’s. This may sound all pedantic if you haven’t seen the show but it does such a good job investing you in the characters that these lessons are felt as real as the characters feel, which is a lot.
I don’t know how many times I’ve said it but I’ll say it again. New Game! takes all its elements and grounds them to a narrative that never loses its place and that’s why it works so well. Some flaws I would have to give New Game! is that it doesn’t always earn its emotion that’s its going for, and intentional sad movement’s often comes off as comedic or cute. There are a lot of characters that just feel like they are part of a checklist of tropes and don’t serve really any other purpose. It’s mostly forgivable because they have such genuine interaction that it isn’t even noticeable unless you’re looking for it. I say that because Umiko is my girl and I don’t want to call her out on being so much of a trope it hurts. She does help with Nene’s development so there’s points there. I wouldn’t call it a flaw but I wish Hifumi would have been more in the show, I felt like she was either the sex symbol or the butt of a joke. I guess all the characters are like that in a way but Hifumi is so adorable it almost feels cruel. I still smile overtime I get embarrassed, so maybe I’m part of the problem. Anyway I can’t really tell if I’ll ever want to revisit New Game!, much like I wouldn’t want to revisit my first time in the work force. But I can say that it will surely stick in my mind as one of the great examples on how to do Moe Slice of Life right.
With the recent passing of Curtis Hanson, it seems appropriate to view the late director’s body of work. Over a 45-year career, he tackled dramas, comedies, crime, and psychological thrillers. Due to his battle with Alzheimers’ disease, Hanson dropped out of the public eye in recent years. His last movies were Too Big To Fail and Chasing Mavericks. What follows is a ranking of Hanson’s five best Hollywood films.
5) The Hand That Rocks The Cradle
Hanson’s first thriller is a pretty good movie
The Hand That Rocks The Cradle is an unnerving psychological thriller. It concerns a young mother who ends up being the subject of a psychotic stalker who seeks to destroy her family. Rebecca Mornay’s performance as the vengeful Mrs. Mott is the film’s biggest highlight.
4) The River Wild
The River Wild is another of Hanson’s best thrillers. Meryl Streep plays a former river guide who takes her family on a rafting trip. Along the way, they fall afoul of two violent criminals. As a leading lady, Streep holds her own opposite Kevin Bacon’s sinister villain. Hanson’s flick is tightly-paced with high stakes and gripping sequences.
3) 8 Mile
8 Mile is one of Curtis Hanson’s most engaging movies
8 Mile is an interesting gem for cinephiles, because it succeeds in focusing on the world of hip-hop. In a dramatic performance, Eminem delivers a solid turn as a young white man in the 1990s who aspires to be a rapper. The movie won Best Original Song for “Lose Yourself” at the 2002 Academy Awards.
2) Wonder Boys
Underrated and ignored, Wonder Boys is one of Hanson’s best works
Wonder Boys is an underrated moment in Hanson’s career. Based on Michael Chabon’s novel, the plot concerns a frustrated writer as he tries to finish his fourth book. Hanson’s cast includes Michael Douglas, Tobey Maguire, and Robert Downey Junior. Due to poor marketing, the movie did not do well at the box office, but it is seen as one of Hanson’s finest works. According to Emmanuel Levy, “Wonder Boys is spiked with fresh, perverse humour that flows naturally from the straight-faced playing.”
1) LA Confidential
Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce star in Curtis Hanson’s LA Confidential
LA Confidential is regarded as one of 1997’s best motion pictures. Hanson manages to adapt James Ellroy’s massive novel into a tight-paced thriller. The film features an all-star cast with Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kevin Spacey and Kim Basinger. Although Titanic swept the Oscars, Hanson won Best Adapted Screenplay, and Basinger won for Best Supporting Actress. As of 2016, it still holds up
In a recent interview with io9, comics creator Kelly Thompson discussed the all-new Hawkeye series where Kate Bishop gets promoted from sidekick to main hero.
What Do Kate Bishop and Veronica Mars Have In Common?
Thomson had a lot to say about the trouble Kate will get into and out of in Hawkeye. She described the feel of the series as “Veronica Mars with superheroes… Kate will be taking on P.I. cases – both her own personal mission that brought her back to L.A., and the clients she finds.” Thompson also explains the series will pick up where the Fraction/Aja/Wu series left off, in both plot and character development.
Everything Old is Young Again (Unless it’s Clint)
Thompson gives credit to both Fraction’s Hawkeye and the Gillen/McKelvie run of Young Avengers for making a Kate Bishop-led book possible. Kate was introduced in Young Avengers over a decade ago. However, Hawkeye reintroduced Bishop to readers when it blew up online. The series was helped by Clint’s role in Avengers films, though Fraction’s unique approach to storytelling boosted also its popularity. Readers were pulled in by the social media buzz, and stuck around for the banter between Bishop and Barton.
Young Avengers, where Kate made her debut, showed her with superheroes her own age. Thompson alludes to a possible appearance in the new book from another Young Avenger. “I love the Kate-America friendship, so yes, I’m going to do everything I can to get her in the book. Editor Sana Amanat and I have already talked about what that arc should look like, but I don’t like to over promise. You’d be surprised how quickly the landscape can change on these things. I’ve been burned before!”
Hawkeye is written by Kelly Thompson, with art by Leonardo Romero and Jordie Bellaire.
Thomson had a lot to say about the trouble Kate will get into and out of in Hawkeye. She described the feel of the series as “Veronica Mars with superheroes… Kate will be taking on P.I. cases – both her own personal mission that brought her back to L.A., and the clients she finds.” Thompson also explains the series will pick up where the