Tarzan on The Planet of The Apes is the crossover fans wanted but never thought to ask for! Written by Tim Seeley and David Walker, the story centers around the reunion of Tarzan and Caesar who, in this iteration, grew up with Tarzan, and their united fight against an enemy that threatens their home while contending with issues at home. The story delves into very familiar subject matter and successfully brings the worlds of Tarzan and The Planet Of The Apes together in a cohesive timeline.
The strongest points in this comic come from how seamlessly the worlds of Tarzan and Caesar come together. While it could have ended up coming off as a gimmick, the writing elevates the premise and draws the reader into this universe. The story opens on a flashback which serves as both a backstory to the current predicament and a crash course into this brand new world. It is fast paced but not rushed and never misses an opportunity to slow down for smaller moments when it needs to.
The art is also used expertly to capture and sustain the feel and tone of the story with great detail put into the aesthetic of the world in a way that would please classic Burroughs fans and fans of the original Apes series.
While the book is a blast, it isn’t without some flaws. For one, despite the entertaining value, the story does seem predictable at times, especially with the choice of villain. Which isn’t the writer’s fault because these classic stories come with their very specific and iconic adversaries. There was also one particular piece of dialogue that felt like it was there purposely to be a homage to the classic Apes films.
Overall, Tim Seeley and David Walker have set up a world that can definitely go to new and exciting places with these classic characters and yet continue to feel familiar to the audience.
Clint Eastwood’s films – the ones he directs anyway – ebb and flow in odd ways over time. Typically, his films are lauded, awarded, celebrated as masterworks when they are first released. But time dilutes their impact more so than any other director’s works. Recently, however, save for the divisive but popular (and subpar) American Sniper, Eastwood has been struggling.
Think about the impact of Million Dollar Baby in 2004, the Best Picture winner that year; with 2016 eyes, the boxing drama has faded from the national consciousness, slotted as a decent but somewhat cloying story. The same fate met his one-two punch of Flags of Our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima. More recent efforts (Jersey Boys, anyone? J. Edgar?) have been simple bores.
To be honest, it’s been about a decade since Clint Eastwood’s work behind the camera has had any true staying power. But, of Eastwood’s 35 films he’s directed (this weekend’s Sully is #35), the quality far outweighs the mediocrity. From thrillers to westerns to wallops of undeniable dramatic intensity, here are Clint Eastwood’s 10 greatest films as a director.
10. The Eiger Sanction (1975) – Eastwood’s fourth film as director focuses on an art professor who also happens to be a hired assassin. No, it isn’t based on a true story (or is it?!). This is one of his only forays into some sort of espionage thriller, as his Professor Hemlock must take a job where he winds up in Switzerland trying to find a Russian killer. The plot is infinitely more muddled than that, but it remains something altogether unique from the rest of Eastwood’s subdued catalogue in its globetrotting scope and adventurous spirit.
9. Heartbreak Ridge (1986) – Clint Eastwood fits the hard-living Marine gunnery sergeant character better than just about anyone this side of R. Lee Ermey. Heartbreak Ridge fits Eastwood’s grizzled persona and, while it might fall into typical storytelling rhythms – rough drill sergeant has to whip cocky kids into shape – the film has authenticity coursing through its veins. The rough-natured boy club of the military, coupled with the energy and tension among so many well-constructed characters, elevate a standard plot.
8. Million Dollar Baby (2004) – Yes, Million Dollar Baby is cloying and it eventually drowns in melodrama. And yes, it’s a boxing movie, the most worn sports genre in cinema history. And yet, Eastwood’s direction, his starring turn as Frankie Dunn – reluctantly (always) taking female boxer and white-trash offspring Maggie under his wing – still pulls us in. We can see certain twists and turns coming a mile away, but this film still manages to throw around some of its emotional weight in spite of its generic DNA.
7. The Bridges of Madison County (1995) – I know my father wasn’t the only old man suckered into seeing this movie with their wives under the guise that “it’s a Clint Eastwood movie.” This is something entirely different than what pops expected; zero bullets are fired. Eastwood pulls way back, adapting Robert James Waller’s novel of heartbreak and longing, with a patient, loving eye. He and Meryl Streep star, and the brief respite they share in the middle of their predetermined lives is wonderfully light and eventually soul crushing.
6. Absolute Power (1997) – On the heels of Madison County, Eastwood returned to the thriller genre with one of the most under appreciated political/heist thrillers in the subgenre. Eastwood plays an expert jewel thief who, wait for it, is estranged from his daughter and family. On a job one night, he witnesses the Secret Service murder a woman with whom the president is having an affair. Gene Hackman oozes evil as the president, and the duo of Dennis Haysbert and Scott Glenn are perfect as Secret Service agents. Eastwood’s film begins with an enrapturing murder scene, then builds from there.
5. Play Misty for Me (1971) – Clint Eastwood’s directorial debut encapsulates everything that works about him behind the camera, especially in thrillers. He again stars, this time as a radio deejay who, after having an affair with an adoring fan (Jessica Walter, terrific), winds up in a whole heap of trouble. A precursor to Fatal Attraction, Play Misty for Me exists on the razor’s edge of incredible tension, yet it still manages to stay within itself without ever spinning out of control.
4. The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) – Even if it didn’t have that kickass poster, The Outlaw Josey Wales would be one of Clint Eastwood’s three or four greatest westerns. Joey Wales is a Missouri farmer and Civil War veteran who must leave his new peaceful life behind to avenge the death of his family; he also happens to be wanted man. Eastwood’s familiarity with the genre is on display in his second western as a director – the first being High Plains Drifter – as he manages to perfectly balance the dramatic moments with the intense action.
3. Mystic River (2003) – Some may dismiss Mystic River as another Eastwood melodrama, but for me this will forever be a powerful drama filled to the brim with unforgettable performances. Sean Penn leads the charge as Jimmy, a man ripped apart by the murder of his teenage daughter. His childhood friend, Dave (Tim Robbins), is a suspect, and another, Sean (Kevin Bacon), the investigating officer. The fact that these three men share a childhood polluted by the abduction and sexual assault of Dave deepens the text of the film, and pulls us further into the way all of these men’s lives have been destroyed over time. But in the middle of this boy’s tale, let us not forget the incredible performances from Laura Linney, channeling Lady Macbeth, and Marcia Gay Harden, as Dave’s troubled, uncertain wife.
2. A Perfect World (1993) – In the wake of Unforgiven’s success, Eastwood snuck in a quiet little masterpiece in the fall of ’93. Kevin Costner’s escaped convict, Butch, builds a surprising paternal relationship with his young “hostage,” Phillip/Buzz, and the pursuit of Eastwood, Laura Dern and federal marshals build and ominous road to reckoning. While the tension is terrific in A Perfect World, the relationships between its central players is the real draw. Eastwood captures the texture and sprawling openness of mid-century Texas, and shows us the inner turmoil of the characters with subtle beauty.
1. Unforgiven (1992) – It’s fitting that Clint Eastwood’s greatest achievement both in front of and behind the camera would be a deconstruction of the very genre which created his legend. Unforgiven is not an anti-western as so many people claim – there are still all the elements of the genre in play here – but an examination of what makes men violent in a world seemingly ruined by bloodshed for decades. It’s just as these outlaws and dusty plain towns are on their way out that we see the plight of Will Munny, a man who knows very little outside of killing despite his best intentions. “Killing is a hell of a thing” he says, and Unforgiven is a beautiful, powerful examination into the blackest hearts of humanity.
The cast for Collateral Beauty is amazing, if the movie itself looks to be a little melodramatic. Though, that isn’t always a bad thing.
Will Smith leads a cast that includes Ed Norton, Kate Winslet, Keira Knightley, Helen Mirren, Naomie Harris, and Michael Peña… wow. Here’s the trailer:
We don’t have much of a synopsis for Collateral Beauty, but you get the basics from this trailer. Will Smith’s character suffers a tragic loss and shuts down while so many people around him try and pull him back into life. This could go one of two ways, and I don’t really see it anywhere in between.
This could be a tremendous film, an award-contending melodrama full of terrific performances. Or… it could be a straight up disaster. These ensemble life-affirming films are almost always one or the other, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it’s the former and not the latter. That title isn’t the most promising either way.
It looks like a reboot of The Crow is finally happening. According to a new report from The WrapJustice League star Jason Momoa will lead The Crow remake which is set to begin filming in January 2017. Corin Hardy is still set to direct the comic book adaptation.
Momoa’s involvement in the reboot means the actor will move quickly from one comic book role to another. James Wan’s Aquaman has a 2018 release date, so Momoa will have a busy few years of filming comic book movies.
As a new adaptation of James O’Barr’s classic book, the reboot won’t simply remake the 1994 film, and is said to be a true adaptation of the comic. The production company behind The Crow fell into financial trouble in the last few years, but the announcement of the reboot seemingly confirms that they are back on their feet and ready to start producing the long awaited remake.
The Crow will introduce Jason Momoa as Eric Draven, a murdered man who with the help of a talking bird returns from the dead to bring vengeance to the men that killed him and his fiancée.
Are you excited to see The Crow make a return to theatres? How about Jason Momoa’s casting? Be sure to let us know in the comments section below!
I haven’t seen all of Netflix’s exclusive content, but The Little Prince is definitely among the best they have to offer. The Little Prince takes overused themes with overused characters and an overused story to bring us something so genuine it almost hurts. The Little Prince is sincerity at its finest, its real with every single emotion it is expressing and even though it takes on so many ideas, it never falters in tone or presentation. It proves that there is more to a story than the sum of its parts.
We’ve all heard the story of an uptight little girl and parent with the best intentions. They move and while the girl is trying her best to stick to what her parent have taught her, an unconventional old man comes in and opens the girls eyes to fun and wonder, while re-accounting a story the old man experienced in the past. Mind you this is only the first half of the movie. It’s predictable at every turn but it’s not trying to be unpredictable. Its trying to make you remember something.The Little Prince is told in a way where it speaks to parents and children about the same subject simultaneously. It’s also very self-insertive. With the movie going so far as to not give any of the characters actual names. I’m pretty sure this is to present the lack of individuality this world has. It also represent’s how when we grow up we are so defined by our titles that what we do replaces who we are.
The Little Prince’s narrative is pretty “by the book” up until an hour in. The story with the little girl and the old man/aviator mostly lasts about an hour with a two-minute conclusion at the end. Most movies that use this dynamic end up falling short and incorporating things that don’t really have anything to do with the story or sidetrack the themes. The Little Prince decides that its going to take the “Girl” (I have no idea what to call her besides that…) and test her against all the idea’s that she had been exploring. But it’s not her who develops surprisingly, it’s the Little Prince from the story, all grown up. The second half almost feels out-of-place but it has so many characters that we’ve already seen; so it grounds the situation even though the environment and whats going on doesn’t feel like the first half at all. What it does feel like though is a continuation of The Little Prince story that the girl was reading up until this point. By having context to how the boy see’s the grown ups from the other asteroids versus how he sees them now as an adult, it helps us understand exactly what our views can turn into and why we would rationalize them. (It is a little confusing as to why any of this happened, but I’m pretty sure The Little Prince was tricked by a snake or something) For the girl its a chance to help the Little Prince remember what he had forgotten in a very meta way.
There’s two endings to this movie, which feels right since there is two stories being told here. Like I said earlier there’s one for us adults and one for the kids. When the Little Prince gets back to his rose and finds out she’s dead, the message really hit home in a clear and concise way. The Little Prince knows that he can’t go back with things being the same. His rose is dead, but not forgotten. He doesn’t forget what he had before but can’t go back to it, and it doesn’t matter. He exists now instead of in the past with the memory of the rose and thus balances his life. The message for us is that we can do the same thing. There are things we forget and lose for no reason as adults. We can’t go back to those times but its important that we don’t forget them. Not just for ourselves, but for our kids so we can help them grow up. This is what being a parent is all about. Which is weird since the parent in this movie doesn’t really have this realization, it’s just us the audience. The girls resolution is that she can finally be herself and grow up without losing the things she had gained from the old man/aviator. He dies just like the Little Princes rose, but she’ll continue to cherish the things he showed her. By the end of the movie she has destroyed the idea of things needing to be essential, and redefined what essential means. Now essential doesn’t just have to mean progress, it is all the things that make you special and worthwhile. Its more of a blatant resolution but it’s for the kids to realize so it wouldn’t be as subversive as the Little Princes arc.
The way The Little Prince tells a story with it’s art designs is also very creative. While I don’t necessarily enjoy the CG Disney/Pixar character designs, I do like the worlds aesthetic and its contrast with The Little Prince story that the girl is reading. The real world is really gray and undersigned, in a way it’s very essential, nothing is added for flair or fun. But the story world is so lavish and the most simplistic things have life breathed into them. Not only that but it gives an idea of how the old man/aviator see’s his past. Then when in the movie’s second half it takes all the fairy tale paper mache character designs and brings them into the real world, the conflict of getting back what you lost feels more real and important because it’s not just something the character’s are feeling, us as viewers want it to go back to the way it was, to how it should be. Except for the Little Prince, he can stay a kid forever because space magic. Also the movies unexplained logic of the moving fox doll and the way asteroids are just floating in our atmosphere are never once brought up. It’s all just a matter of fact. I don’t know whether to call this lazy writing or symbolic of the way a child see’s a world versus an adult whose world view is already concrete. It all happened so fast and fit itself into the story I don’t really care either way. Also those insert songs were just the cutest thing I’ve ever heard. They made me want to cry so hard.
The Little Prince proves that you don’t need to have a new idea to mean something. It Just by telling its story with sincerity and broad appeal it can capture a wide net to hit all audiences. This is what the Disney Renaissance did in the early 90’s, and we all know how that worked out. The thing I like most about kids movies is when they can honestly admonish mistakes that adults make and give a kid guidance on how to be better. I’m a big fan of growth in the most literal sense and any film that is willing to embrace that idea and executes it with this level of quality, makes it a win for me. It’s on Netflix so go watch it now.
P.S. I wrote this before realizing that its based off a book adaptation, but decided to keep everything the same because I feel its irrelevant to the ultimate message.
With the premiere dates for our favourite superhero movies just around the corner, The CW has released a bunch of new images from the Legends of Tomorrow season 2 premiere, and seemingly revealed a major crossover with Stephen Amell’s Green Arrow.
As the caretaker of the DC Television Universe it’s great to see Stephen Amell getting involved in the Legends of Tomorrow season premiere. The photos not only reveal Amell’s guest appearance in the premiere, but we can also get a look at a clash between Legend Mick Rory and the Green Arrow.
Get a look at Green Arrow in the awesome premiere images below + A new teaser for Legends of Tomorrow season 2.
After the defeat of the immortal villain Vandal Savage and the corrupt Time Masters who colluded with him, a new threat emerges. Dr. Nate Heywood (Nick Zano), an unconventional and charming historian, is thrust into the action upon making a shocking discovery – the Legends are scattered throughout time. Nate must find a way to rescue season one’s beloved team of heroes and rogues, including billionaire inventor Ray Palmer (Brandon Routh), who has created an exo-suit with the power to shrink him to miniscule size, as the Atom; Sara Lance (Caity Lotz), the White Canary, a trained assassin; Professor Martin Stein (Victor Garber) and Jefferson “Jax” Jackson (Franz Drameh), who together form the meta-human Firestorm; and Mick Rory (Dominic Purcell), aka Heat Wave, a career criminal. When the Legends encounter the J.S.A (the Justice Society of America, the precursor to DC’s Justice League) in the 1940s, Amaya Jiwe (Maisie Richardson-Sellers), aka Vixen, joins the team. While the team reunites, a mystery looms – the fate of former captain Rip Hunter (Arthur Darvill).
Once reunited, the Legends continue their new mission to protect the timeline from temporal aberrations – unusual changes to history that spawn potentially catastrophic consequences. When Nate, the grandson of J.S.A. member Commander Steel, unexpectedly finds himself with powers, he must overcome his own insecurities and find the hero within himself. Ultimately, the Legends will clash with foes both past and present, to save the world from a mysterious new threat.
Legends of Tomorrow Season 2 will premiere on the CW on Thursday, October 13. Will you be watching? Be sure to let us know in the comments section below.
The season four finale of Arrow was not the last television appearance of Laurel Lance (Katie Cassidy), A.K.A. “Black Canary”, according to Heroic Hollywood.
Katie Cassidy’s Black Canary Is Everywhere
Katie Cassidy has confirmed the character’s appearance across the DC universe this year: “And I will also be—they announced at Comic-Con, which I’m safe to say—across all three shows: Flash, Legends, and Arrow, for this next year. So, I’m excited about that.”
Cassidy was a series regular on Arrow all four of its previous seasons. However, her character met an untimely death at the end of last season. As more news releases about this season in DC television programs, many crossovers and world-changing stories are revealed. Now that Supergirl is moving to the CW with the rest of the shows, perhaps Laurel will show up in National City, as well.
Based on DC characters, Arrow was created by executive producers Greg Berlanti (“The Flash,” “Supergirl”), Marc Guggenheim (“Eli Stone,” “Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters”) and Andrew Kreisberg (“The Flash,” “Supergirl”). All three are Executive Producers along with Wendy Mericle (“Desperate Housewives,” “Eli Stone”) and Sarah Schechter (“Supergirl,” “Blindspot”). The show stars Stephen Amell (Oliver Queen), David Ramsey (John Diggle), and Emily Bett Rickards (Felicity Smoak).
Arrow Season 5 begins on Wednesday, October 5 at 8/7c on The CW.
While accepting his TV Choice Award for Best Actor in The Night Manager, Tom Hiddleston was interrupted by his Thor co-stars according to Entertainment Weekly.
When Actors Attack: Tom Hiddleston Edition
Hiddleston was on set for Thor: Ragnarok in Australia during the awards, so he delivered his speech via prerecorded video. Just as he’s apparently run our of things to say, Chris Hemsworth and Idris Elba interrupt his train of thought.
Hiddleston plays former British soldier Jonathan Pine in the British-American program which broadcast on BBC One and AMC. Pine is recruited to work among British and American arms dealers and intelligence operatives. Hiddleston is part of an all-star cast featuring Tom Hollander (Pirates of the Caribbean, About Time), Hugh Laurie (House, Tomorrowland), and Olivia Colman (Broadchurch, Hot Fuzz).
Tom Hiddleston, Chris Hemsworth and Idris Elba are all returning to their roles in the MCU this year for Thor: Ragnarok. The film, the third under the Thor title, is directed by Taika Waititi. Other actors returning to their Thor roles for Ragnarok include Jaime Alexander (Sif), Anthony Hopkins (Odin), and Karl Urban (Skurge).
Thor: Ragnarok is set to release November 3rd, 2017.
If you were wondering what Mel Gibson thought about the recent state of Hollywood blockbusters, especially his take on Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, well here’s your answer. According to Mel, it’s garbage.
Not to kick more dirt on the grave of BvS, but Gibson, who is in the middle of a possible career third act with Blood Father and Hacksaw Ridge hitting festival circuits as we speak, couldn’t help himself when asked about tinseltown.
Gibson recently spoke to Deadline about Hacksaw Ridge, his supposed comeback after years of being a crazy anti-semitic asshole, and the scourge of CGI pics littering the cinema landscape these days. He had plenty to say about his film, the research and the people he met while filming; but this will all boil down to the latter portion of the interview.
When asked about the cost of tentpole pictures these days, he said “I look at them and scratch my head. I’m really baffled by it. I think there’s a lot of waste but maybe if I did one of those things with the green screens I’d find out different. I don’t know. Maybe they do cost that much. I don’t know. It seems to me that you could do it for less.”
And then, Gibson honed his targets in on Zack Snyder’s much-maligned superhero mess:
“I mean if you’re spending outrageous amounts of money, $180 million or more, I don’t know how you make it back after the tax man gets you, and after you give half to the exhibitors. What did they spend on Batman V Superman that they’re admitting to?… It’s a piece of shit.”
So, yeah, he said that. Not that it’s surprising coming from a borderline schizophrenic who’s said plenty of things worse than this in his past. He might be right about a lot of this, but does anyone really care what he thinks?
Sing it with me everyone: “Oh, Canada, thank you for all the the fantastic television!” Pretty sure that’s not how their national anthem goes, but it’s the thought that counts. Canada is not only the giant cinematic backlot of the world, but it also produces some (read: A LOT of) great shows and movies that it shares with the rest of us. One of those shows premiered on Chiller (and Super Network in Canada) in 2016. Slasher is an eight-episode series revolving around the story of a young woman haunted by the death of her parents at the hands of masked killer.
Slasher TV Series Teaser Trailer
Slasher is the first show produced by Chiller, and they did not hold back. Creator Aaron Martin combines a serial murder mystery with a classic slasher style story into something interesting and complete. Slasher’s a self-contained mini-series with NO “cliffhanger” ending or expectations for a “sequel” season. Instead, Martin’s plan is more akin to American Horror Story, and aims at making Slasher an anthology-style series.
Slasher begins with the brutal murder of two people on Halloween night at the hands of a man in an old-school executioner costume. “The Executioner” wastes little time getting his killing on, which includes a pregnant woman as one of the victims. The opening scene culminates with a twisted and horrific gut-punch before the title sequence rolls. This show is not for the feint of heart. From the opening scene and on, episodes feature one twisted kill after another. The opening scene is brutal and sets the vicious tone of the show throughout. The moment is also crucial to the story and is revisited and expanded upon through flashbacks.
The main focus of Slasher is Sarah Bennett (Katie McGrath, Morgana from BBC’s Merlin) who is one of the survivors of that brutal attack in the intro. Sarah’s parents were the victims, and it’s now 20 years later. Sarah is returning to the place where The Executioner murdered her parents. Sarah is hoping to conquer the demons that have plagued her throughout life. Instead, a new series of murders begins at the hands of a killer wearing the same executioner costume. As with any good mystery, there are a host of suspects introduced to keep viewers guessing.
Of all the slasher shows out today, like Scream Queens or Scream on MTV, Slasher is by far the most R-rated of them all. It’s the adult in this room, and the gore, sex, and themes are consistent proof of it. Slasher is also the one of the three with the least humor as it’s played like a horror thriller instead of horror-comedy. Whatever humor Slasher lacks it makes up for with thought-provoking themes, layers and degrees of evil, and a healthy mix of mystery and murderous mayhem.
Season one of Slasher aired on Chiller and Super Channel and is (as of this writing) available for streaming on Netflix.
Momoa’s involvement in the reboot means the actor will move quickly from one comic book role to another. James Wan’s Aquaman has a 2018 release date, so Momoa will have a busy few years of filming comic book movies.
Katie Cassidy has confirmed the character’s appearance across the DC universe this year: “And I will also be—they announced at Comic-Con, which I’m safe to say—across all three shows: Flash, Legends, and Arrow, for this next year. So, I’m excited about that.”
