The Second Episode of ‘AHS: Roanoke’ Explains The Backstory But Still Poses More Questions
Another episode into ‘American Horror Story: Roanoke‘ and things are getting even wilder. How could the creators top raining teeth in the first episode? Well, I guess spit-roasting a man with a pig head on is a good start.
I breakdown the latest episode of ‘AHS: Roanoke‘.
Here is the 4 Ups and 2 Downs from “Chapter Two”.
Ups:
1. The Suspense Is Killing Me
-We are building and building to something major. You can feel the tension rise through the episode and leading up to the upcoming episodes. Now with a missing child and more aggressive hauntings, I can’t wait to see where this goes.
2. Amazing Exposition –Denis O’Hare’s character delivered a bit of a backstory for the house Shelby and Matt are living in. We find out his character used to live in the house and was driven mad. He also disclosed information about the twisted previous tenants.
3.The Documentary Style
-While the narration distracts from the tension at times, this new format Season 6 of ‘American Horror Story: Roanoke‘ has taken is so amazing. Paranormal reenactment shows are popular; glad to see the creators capitalize on it.
4. Lady Gaga & Kathy Bates
-Only appearing briefly but making a big impression, these two ladies stole the episode for me. After many complained Gaga played a version of herself last season in ‘AHS: Hotel‘, I loved seeing her new feral character.
“I am the queen of every hive, I am the fire on every hill, I am the shield over every head. Who am I but both the tree and the lightning that strikes it?”
Downs:
1. Not Enough Scares
-The premiere was a nail-bitter the entire time. “Chapter 2” decided to slow down with the scares and start the slow-burn. A few jump scares were there and first time we see the colony burn someone alive was creepy but there wasn’t much else.
2. Why Are Good People In Horror So Dumb?
-A major problem with the paranormal sub-genre of horror is relying on these characters being complete morons. I’m sorry but if I see two ghostly nurses murder someone in my dining room, I’m leaving ASAP.
Do you agree with my breakdown of “Chapter 2” in ‘American Horror Story: Roanoke‘?
Title: The Magnificent Seven Director: Antoine Fuqua Summary: Seven gun men in the old west gradually come together to help a poor village against savage thieves.
The Hollywood model of the re-make is one that seems like it is based on the idea that a known property is guaranteed to make money back. This model only seems to work about a third of the time as most of the remakes just redo the movie with modern techniques and don’t do anything new or interesting with them. It’s remakes that take an old movie and do something new with them that succeed. The intent behind this remake of a western classic is to take the old model, polish it, add what audiences like about modern movies and see if it works. It’s not a risk but it is better than just re-making the original shot for shot.
The Magnificent Seven takes a classic and modernizes it with a much more diverse and interesting cast with what we expect from action movies but can’t overcome the inherent flaws of its own genre.
PHOTO BY: Sam Emerson
The cast of The Magnificent Seven is probably the thing that I found the most interesting about this film. While the filmmakers have said that they did not cast with the intention of covering a large spectrum of nationalities it appears it may have been more intentional than they want us to believe. The movie doesn’t go out of its way to comment too much on the various races of the characters but it is nice to see a cast that looks like the real world. In reality there were various races of people in the old west and nods to characters like Robicheaux (Ethan Hawke) and Billy (Byung-hun Lee) using the white man’s ignorance to their advantage isn’t commented on, aside from the occasional one line joke. The jokes, however, don’t feel mean spirited in a way that they easily could have.
While Denzel Washington and Chris Pratt could have played these two roles in their sleep, they are also the two that are given the most screentime. It’s not that either of them are bad or good it’s just not that interesting to see Washington being a stoic badass or Pratt crack jokes as a drunk Irish cowboy. It’s the supporting cast that proves to be the most interesting but their backstories aren’t really fully fleshed out. There are some interesting implications that could have been explored, such as the fact that Vincent D’Onofrio’s character hunting Native America’s at some point and having Martin Sensmeier’s character joining them but it’s never really commented on.
The action scenes are fun to watch but they are sparse and spread thin throughout the entire production. There is a large scale gunfight at the end that is fun to watch but the movie takes a long time to get there. It’s running time of two hours and twelve minutes isn’t as long as some westerns but the long lulls in action are common to the genre. While those familiar with the western will likely not find this a flaw, a more modern blockbuster audience might find the waits a little too long.
The Magnificent Seven has some great performances but it still feels as if it was lacking a few things that could have made it great. Perhaps if it played with the genre a bit more it could have been a classic, but instead it is a western modernized for the current blockbuster market. It will probably do well but it’s not going to be the instant classic that it clearly wants to be.
Title: Storks Director: Nicholas Stoller and Doug Sweetland Summary: Storks have moved on from delivering babies to packages. But when an order for a baby appears, the best delivery stork must scramble to fix the error by delivering the baby.
There are two types of movies that are created for a younger audience; a kids movie that is looking to appeal to just the kids and a movie is looking to appeal to the entire family. A kids movie is going to keep a kid occupied for ninety minutes while the parents in the audience take a break. A family movie is going to be enjoyed by everyone. It doesn’t appear that Storks ever had the aspirations to be anything other than a kids movie but perhaps it could at least be a competently made one.
Storks is a mediocre kids movie in all the worst ways that no one is going to remember in a month.
The best kids movies accept that kids are not dumb but are simply smaller adults with their own unique way of looking at the world. However, a lot of adults don’t understand that and seem to think that enough slapstick humor and rollercoaster rides are going to be enough to keep a kid engaged. In this case Storks is very much one of those movies. A lot of the jokes rely on slapstick that just isn’t that funny to someone who isn’t five years old but even they can start to feel a little stale. There are a few good ones, the best involving a wolfpack that takes ‘working as a pack’ to a new level, but they are few and far between. It doesn’t assume that the kids in the audience are stupid but it doesn’t think them worthy of anything really interesting at all.
The moments where Storks tries to transcend being a bright ride are the moments where it stumbles the most. There is a family we very briefly follow where a young boy is neglected by his overworked parents. There are a lot of things here that kids could really relate to but the movie doesn’t spend a lot of time dwelling on it. It’s much more interested in the various cappers that our stork hero Junior (Andy Samberg) and our token human Tulip (Katie Crown) get into. Tulip’s story isn’t even that explored and the implications of her are weird when you think about them too much.
This isn’t a movie that wants its audience to think about the world too much because the plot holes become big enough to fly a stork through. A kid won’t notice but the adults, when and if they decide to pay attention, will be left scratching their heads as they wonder about this world where babies are both delivered and born naturally. The ‘villain’ of the movie has weird motivations that don’t really make sense at the end. This isn’t a movie for the adults in the audience, though, and Storks shoots enough bright colors that the kids are mostly going to keep engaged. It just isn’t anything they are going to remember or care about in the end.
Storks is a mid-tier animated comedy in a year that has too many better alternatives to do well. There are better ways to entertain your kids than to spend the money on this one when a copy of Finding Dory on DVD is much cheaper. The good parts just aren’t good enough to justify the price of tickets and snacks for a family night out.
Paramount Pictures released five teasers for the live-action version of ‘Ghost in the Shell’ during the season finale of ‘Mr. Robot.’ Since they are glitchy and look like the Dark Army, one could have thought they were part of ‘Mr. Robot’ until Scarlett Johansson shows up.
‘Ghost in the Shell’ is going to have an uphill climb to win over fans as the film has received heavy criticism because of casting and has become a symbol of Hollywood ‘whitewashing.’
The original manga from 1989 was written and illustrated by Masamune Shirow. It told the story of the counter-cyberterrorist organization Public Security Section 9, led by protagonist Major Motoko Kusanagi, in the mid 21st century of Japan. The first anime appeared in 1995.
The plot for the live-action film is vague; A cyborg policewoman attempts to bring down a nefarious computer hacker.
The film is directed by Rupert Sanders (Snow White and the Huntsman) and stars Johansson, Pilou Asbaek, Takeshi Kitano, Juliette Binoche, and Michael Pitt. ‘Ghost in the Shell’ is set for release on March 31, 2017.
Marvel is finally taking steps to cross its Netflix shows with Agents of SHIELD. While at the red carpet premiere for Agents Of SHIELD, Marvel boss Jeph Loeb teased the appearance of Jon Bernthal’s Punisher later in the season.
Various guests attended the red carpet premiere however, Leob made a point of announcing Robbie Reyes’ creator, Felipe Smith but also Gerry Conway, who has written various Ghost Rider stories in the past. The interesting thing is that Leob announced Conway as the creator of The Punisher. Leob then reportedly teased Punisher’s appearance in Agents Of SHIELD, take a look at what he had to say below.
“You will understand why I brought all of these people here later in the season, and why it makes sense.”
It certainly seems as though Leob is teasing something big for Agents Of SHIELD, and it wouldn’t be too much of a surprise to see Punisher crossover, especially with Ghost Rider’s successful introduction. These are two very similar characters and inhabit very dark corners of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so I wouldn’t put it past Marvel to bring Bernthal in for an episode to set something up with Ghost Rider.
Do You Want To See The Punisher Appear In Agents Of SHIELD Season 4? How About A Confrontation With Ghost Rider? Be Sure To Let Us Know In The Comments Section.
THE STINGERS—PART ONE! You thought the HOLOGRAMS had it rough back when they had to team up with the MISFITS?! Well, just wait until they meet the European super group taking the U.S. by storm… THE STINGERS! Meet Riot, Rapture, Minx, and… RAYA?!?! Whaaaat?
Writing
After the announcement from the previous issue, Jem and the remaining members of the band have no chance but to move forward. As they work towards finding a new member, the new band on the block The Stingers have arrived and made themselves known not only to the Holograms but also to the Misfits. Obviously, Pizzazz is just thrilled to have more competition.
Writer Kelly Thompson really presents a lot of new problems to be addressed in future issues. Other than the threat of the Stingers to the status quo, Jerrica seems to either be addicted to being Jem or is trying to become Jem on a 24 hour basis. Either way, it sounds like she is heading for an intervention in the near future in a way which will really keep the reader engaged in the story.
Artwork
The book’s art has been taken over by artist Meredith McClaren who has introduced a style which is truly unique. She has brought a style which seems to be a mixture of Japanese manga and Peanuts comics. If this sounds like an intriguing idea, then you owe it to yourself to give this issue a read.
Conclusion
The book has kept a great level of quality and the new arc and art style shows it will not decrease anytime soon. Hopefully the creative team will keep up the fine work and if you are a curious reader who was hesitant to check this title out, this new arc seems to be a great jumping on point.
A new poster from the upcoming season of AMC’s The Walking Dead teases that Negan is “just getting started” with his skull bashing opener which will answer the question ‘Who did Negan kill?’ once and for all.
The poster offers no clues as to the identity of the victim but Jeffery Dean Morgan’s Negan looks to be having a blast no matter who it turns out to be. Who do you think Negan killed?
The Walking Dead returns October 23, 2016 as the first half of season seven sees the group fractured, broken, bereaved and picking up the pieces while living under the thumb of oppression. Negan will have successfully brought the survivors under his will, brutally convincing them to live under his rules with a deadly and horrific example of what happens if they don’t.
Warner Bros. is planning to make big changes to their DC Comics movies. After the negative critical reception to both Batman v Superman and Suicide Squadthe studio has been adapting to make more universally loved films.
Today Warner Bros. CEO Jeff Bewkes confirmed that the studio is working to change the DC Extended Universe, and is making future movies lighter, to match the tone of the comics.
“The strategy worked, the execution did deliver what we wanted to do. We can do a little better on the creative. … We’re right on course or better. The DC Comics characters … have a little more lightness in them than maybe what you saw in those movies, so we’re thinking about that.”
Bewkes went on to discuss the success Warner Bros. found with Ben Affleck as Batman.
“The main thing was to launch DC and reinvigorate it with the fan base, the reboot of Batman with Ben Affleck was a big success.”
According to Variety Bewkes also spoke positively about Gal Gadot’s portrayal of Wonder Woman.
Written and directed by John Michael McDonagh the buddy cop War on Everyone is essentially an American-style movie made with British and Irish money and production companies – usually, it is the other way round. War on Everyone is a more mainstream effort from the director of The Guard and Calvary and a gateway into McDonagh’s style of humor.
Terry Monroe (Alexander Skarsgård) and Bob Bolaño (Michael Peña) are corrupt police detectives in Albuquerque, New Mexico and keep getting suspended. The situation is so bad that their superior officer (Paul Reiser) threatens their jobs if he receives one more complaint about them. Despite this Terry and Bob continue to stake down every criminal in the city in the hope of making a big score, but end up crossing someone they cannot threaten.
War of Everyone is similar to a buddy comedy released earlier this year The Nice Guys: both movies have a duo where one is a family man and the other is a single man who lets his fist do the talking. Both movies also have a 70s motif – although The Nice Guys is more overt with this – it was set in the 70s and had a story involving pornography and the automotive industry. The War of Everyone’s 70s references are in its visuals, like the cars, clothing, hairstyles and editing tricks like the side swipes as well as a quick mention of Starkey and Hutch. War on Everyone has a contemporary setting and jokes have a modern reference, ranging from gaming to ISIS.
The main duo also have shades of Riggs and Murtaugh in the Lethal Weapon series. Bob is a family man, and his home life is what Murtaugh’s would be like if he were an asshole to his kids. Terry is the Riggs’ character and like Riggs Terry lives alone, has huge personal demons and drinks to cover it. Also like Riggs in Lethal Weapon 3, Terry develops a love interest in the form of Jackie (Creed‘s Tessa Thompson), one of the pairs’ victims and he is able to open up to young woman. Terry is made out to be the more sympathetic of the two – having a certain level of morality – while Bob is a hypocrite: complaining if anyone makes racial slurs against him, but has no problem making jokes at the expense of people from African-American and Irish heritage.
Skarsgård and Peña are A great team-up, and they are characters who match some of the best in the genre. Peña has solid comedy pedigree in movies like Ant-Man and Tower Heist and he is suitable as the jerk to everyone but his wife. Skarsgård is an imposing figure – he already showed his action abilities in the underrated The Legend of Tarzanand in War of Everyone is certainly believable as a man capable of being able to knock someone out with one punch. They have a strong rapport with each other, and some of their exchanges have echoes of Jules and Vincent in Pulp Fiction – their interactions are some of the funniest moments in the movie.
There is also a strong supporting cast like Thompson, Stephanie Sigman and Paul Reiser as the police lieutenant who constantly has to chew Terry and Bob out. Theo James is decent enough in his role as the villain, a posh Englishman who uses his legitimate businesses to cover his illegal activities. However, the character was underdeveloped – he is shown to be taking crack and heroin and has no problem functioning as a high ranking criminal; he is even able to box in this condition. The character also seemed to be written as a young man who is playing a gangster, but the movie later shows his family – which leads to thoughts that the character was originally intended for an older actor.
Caleb Landy Jones, best known for playing Banshee in X-Men: First Class was the stand out character from the villains – he was a creepy presence when he first appears with his long hair and made worst when he makes statements that show he’s a pervert. Malcolm Barrett and David Wilmot (a McDonagh regular) were also note worthy as a couple of local crooks – even though one of them is an Irishman – that have to act as Terry and Bob’s informants.
As a writer/director McDonagh is known for having a no holds barred approach and willing to take on everything and anything. His targets include all races and creeds – takes aim against Islam and ISIS – which is just asking for trouble in this day and age with jokes that could be considered inappropriate. This type of humor could offend in the wrong hands, but McDonagh ensures War on Everything is on the right side of the funny/offensive line. The dialogue is similar to his first movie The Guard which was praised by critics but was really overrated – War on Everything is, fortunately, a more consistently funny movie. McDonagh also includes some visual gags like some women in burkas playing tennis and his interest in religion shines through by having a minor criminal also being a Quaker.
While McDonagh makes a funny movie the jokes take precedence over the plot. There is not much direction as Terry and Bob bumble they way through crossing a dangerous criminal his enterprise. It is arguably the point of the movie as the cops are just looking to make money but the plotting is at times confusing regarding what characters are actually doing as they find people and see how they connect. Great buddy cop movies like Hot Fuzz, the Lethal Weapon series, Beverly Hills Cop, 21 and 22 Jump Street etc… still have engaging plots to go with their action and comedy. The premise of corrupt cops shaking down local criminals could easily have worked as a Coen Brothers or Tarantino crime caper, but McDonagh should have developed his story more before filming.
McDonagh’s love for philosophy also makes a presence in War on Everything as characters discuss ideas, facts, and books. We get it, you’re a smart, well-read man Mr. McDonagh; you don’t also need to show off. McDonagh takes the movie down a really dark Avenue with one of its subplots – there is nothing wrong with a comedy having a serious moment or some levity but War on Everything took on a subject that is too dark even for a black comedy.
War on Everything starts out as an energetic buddy comedy that is both classic 70s and modern at the same time. There is a great central partnership with Skarsgård and Peña in the main roles and consistently funny lines throughout, but the thin plotting makes the movie a little tiresome.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will display a whole new side of the galaxy far, far away. The prequel is set to be a darker chapter in the Star Wars story, and will have larger elements of a galactic war.
In an interview with Variety, Disney CEO Bob Iger revealed that he is not expecting Rogue One: A Star Wars Story to be as successful as last year’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens, a movie which grossed a worldwide total of $2.1 billion.
“We never felt it would do the level that Force Awakens did, but based on the response to the trailers and posters, the level of interest is as high as it was for Force Awakens.”
Disney feeling this way is not a major surprise. Rogue One looks and feels like a much darker movie than The Force Awakens, and doesn’t have legacy characters such as Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, and Leia, but will feature Darth Vader which might draw more attention. It is also worth noting that The Force Awakens had a lot more mystery and attention because fans went years without a Star Wars movie, Rogue One is the first example of a yearly trip to the Star Wars universe.
From Lucasfilm comes the first of the Star Wars standalone films, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, an all-new epic adventure. In a time of conflict, a group of unlikely heroes band together on a mission to steal the plans to the Death Star, the Empire’s ultimate weapon of destruction. This key event in the Star Wars timeline brings together ordinary people who choose to do extraordinary things, and in doing so, become part of something greater than themselves.
