If you’ve seen Suicide Squad this weekend, you’ve been introduced to a myriad of new characters, and the most important character is one who wears a business suit.
Waller presents Task Force X photo: WB
Amanda Waller, portrayed by Emmy winner Viola Davis, is the Director of A.R.G.U.S. and convinces the government to establish Task Force X, better known as the Suicide Squad. Waller presents a harsh reality, that with more metahumans appearing, bad things happen, and having metahumans available and under government control to combat these things is a good option.
In a world that is demanding better and more fleshed out depictions of female characters, Amanda Waller is as good as it gets. She is a fine alternative to a certain face painted glorified domestic violence victim. Amanda Waller is capable, highly intelligent, not portrayed as a sex or fetish object, and takes ZERO guff from anyone, no matter who they are or what they can do. None of the candidates for Task Force X have any reason to work for her, so she provides incentive. Time off their collective prison sentences, but not without a caveat, a micro explosive planted in their necks to prevent any escape attempts.
Viola Davis as Amanda Waller photo: Fanpop / Warner Bros.
Waller’s relationship with most anyone has her in a favorable position, holding all the cards. Sitting in a room full of generals and advisers, she commands respect. Her relationship with Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) seems softer than most, but she positioned Flag to get close to June Moone, aka Enchantress, to keep a close eye on her. She even convinces Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) to do a favor for her and even offers some advice at the end of their meeting – “maybe you should stop working nights”.
If you walk out of Suicide Squad, and don’t want to see more of Amanda Waller owning every scene she is in, then you have clearly watched a different movie, and I don’t think we can be friends anymore.
Amanda Waller holds all the cards and has most of the angles covered, and she’s going to be around for a while. Viola Davis has confirmed she has signed on to play Waller for at least 3 films.
Growing up, The Phantom Tollbooth was one of my favorite books. It captured my heart and imagination like few other books could outside of Roald Dahl’s bibliography. The 1961 children’s novel is a perfectly-suited fit for the big screen, but it, of course, doesn’t come without its fair share of challenges. Warner Bros. tried and failed to bring it to the screen with Gary Ross (The Hunger Games, Free States of Jones) at the helm, but nothing ultimately came through. But that’s not stopping TriStar from taking another swing at the bat. They’ve just acquired the rights to Norton Juster’s timeless classic.
TriStar Pictures studio executive Nicole Brown acquired the rights from WB last week, as reported by The Tracking Board (via ScreenRant), and they’ve hired rising writer Michael Vukadinovich to tackle the screenplay. Vukadinovich’s first produced film, Rememory, is set to hit theaters soon, while his spec, The Three Misfortunes of Gepetto, found its way onto the Black List a few years back before the actual script itself landed on 2014’s Young & Hungry List. He’s also currently adapting Matthew Quick’s Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock, which Channing Tatum and Reid Carolin have considered making his directorial debut.
There’s no director attached at this time. Donald De Line and Ed McDonnell are set to produce, however, and hopefully they’ll get more traction on this one than WB ever did. Of course, if it does come together, it won’t be the first time the book — illustrated by Jules Feiffer — made it onto the big screen. An animated version, directed by Chuck Jones, Abe Levitow and Dave Monahan, was made in 1970, although Juster largely dismissed that version.
Hopefully, the 87-year-old ultimately makes this one more than the last adaptation. This book has the serious potential to become something as beloved as Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz by general audiences.
Done watching Stranger Things for the third time? Great. There’s a hefty list of added titles over at Amazon Prime this month, as well, and (some) of them are calling your name.
Amazon Prime Television
Seasons four and five of House of Lies are coming August 23rd. If you’re looking for something lighthearted or family-friendly, maybe The Kicks is more your speed.
Amazon original series The Kicks premieres August 26th. The show is about a high school soccer player transferring schools and adjusting to life with a new team. While it looks like it will lean on some teenaged cliches, it may just fill the void that the Olympics leaves behind.
Amazon also offers a “Behind the Scenes” documentary on Clockwork Orange, as well as 2001: A Space Odyssey and The Shining for free. Still not enough Kubrick? They aren’t free, but Lolita, The Killing, Dr. Strangelove, Paths of Glory, Eyes Wide Shut, Fear and Desire, Spartacus and Full Metal Jacket are all available to rent or purchase, as well.
However, if Kubrick’s not your style, there’s plenty for you, too. Other titles added last week include Cloverfield, Wicker Park, and You’ve Got Mail. And there’s tons more where that came from.
Our Top Picks for What’s On the Way
Shaun the Sheep hits Prime August 10th. This stop-motion animation film from the same brilliant team behind Wallace and Grommit brings another UK sensation to the states. The result of Shaun’s travels? Critical acclaim. Shaun is a family-friendly romp with a storyline somewhat reminiscent of Babe: Pig in the City, but definitely worth a watch.
Coen Brother films Inside Llewyn Davis and No Country For Old Men were/are being added this month, on August 1st and 11th, respectively. August 11th also brings action movie satire American Ultra, and a new stand-up special from Michael Ian Black titled Noted Expert.
Clark Gregg is back in the saddle with an Avenger…kind of. Very Good Girls, starring Dakota Fanning and Elizabeth Olsen, hits the Prime waves on August 12th. The film is a coming-of-age story about best friends trying to lose their virginity before college, and features Gregg as Fanning’s dad.
Later in the month, 2011 Cannes-fave Melancholiais free to stream. This inter-planetary drama will go live August 22nd. Kirsten Dunst stars as a newlywed whose wedding kicks off a series of events related to the slow ascension of an alien planet towards Earth.
Our final pick for the month is Elvis & Nixon, an Amazon original out August 25th. According to the trailer, the photo of President Nixon and Elvis Presley in the oval office is the most requested of the national archives. The film attempts to tell one version of the story behind the photo. How much it relies on accuracy and how much on sensationalism remains to be seen.
See the list below for all other titles coming out this August at Amazon Prime:
August 1st
A Good Woman Afflicted Coffee and Cigarettes Foot Fist Way How She Move Joe the King Kalifornia Marathon Man Maxed Out Shattered Species III Tales From the Darkside: The Movie The Eclipse The Others (2001) The Piano
August 8th
Odd Squad Movie Ong Bak: The Thai Warrior The World’s Fastest Indian
Brie Larson has a very bright future ahead of her. The recent Oscar-winner has Kong: Skull Island, Ben Wheatley’s Free Fire and an adaptation of The Glass Castle set for next year. Oh yeah, and she’ll play Captain Marvel for an indie production label called Marvel Studios in the near future as well. But before she suits up for the upcoming superhero film, she’ll step into the director’s chair. The Room actress makes her directorial debut with Unicorn Store, an independent comedy written by Samantha McIntyr (FX’s short-lived Married).
Larson, in addition to directing, will also produce and star in the upcoming film, as reported by THR (via Collider). It tells the story of Kit, “who, after moving back in with her parents, receives a mysterious invitation to a store that will test her ideas of what it really means to grow up.” One assumes Larson will play Kit, but that’s not confirmed at this time. They’re currently looking into financing the film, which shouldn’t be too hard given Larson’s booming popularity of late.
Although Miguel Arteta (The Good Girl) was once attached to direct with Rebel Wilson in the lead, that fell through and producers David Bernad and Reben Fleischer (Zombieland) turned the project in Larson’s direction before she won the Oscar. She previously co-directed the short film The Arm with Jessie Ennis and Sarah Ramos, which premiered at Sundance in 2012 and won the jury prize.
Production hopes to begin in October, before Larson puts on the superhero costume and begins her longterm Marvel commitment. Much like Paul Dano, Kristen Dunst and Idris Elba, fellow actors who also announced their directorial debuts earlier this summer, Larson is a versatile, inquisitive and multi-talented performer, and that should serve her well in the director’s chair. Her desire to switch between indies, blockbusters and mid-range films is positively thrilling, and I’m excited to watch her bounce all around the Hollywood circuit in the years to come.
Indie filmmaker Shane Vader is working on a teaser for his film ‘High Powers.’ Like his role model Sami Rami, Vader wanted to use the teaser to secure funding for a feature film, but Vader needed to raise a modest sum to pay his cast and crew on the teaser. This is where the story gets interesting.
Vader launched an Indiegogo campaign with a goal of $666. With all crowdfunding campaigns, you need to promote your work shamelessly, and that is what Vader did.
Guillermo Del Toro donated $618 to fully fund Vader’s campaign and gave him a little kick in the ass to complete his project.
“I had stepped away from Twitter for a few minutes when I got an email from Indiegogo, saying someone, going by an unidentifiable jumble of letters, had donated $618. My heart started racing as I googled the email address to try and figure out who this helpful person was but I had no luck. I opened up Twitter, and there was my answer. I immediately woke up my fiancée to tell her what happened. We’re both huge fans of Guillermo del Toro’s, as an artist and as a person, and I had to let her know right away. She barely woke up, and I let her keep sleeping while I soaked in the news some more,” said Vader to Forbes.
Walt Disney Animation Studios released a new preview for its upcoming animated adventure Moana on Sunday, during NBC’s coverage of the Olympics.
The film tells the story of an adventurous teenager, Moana (voiced by Auli’I Cravalho), who goes on a daring mission to save her people. She then meets the once-mighty demigod Maui (voiced by Dwayne Johnson) who helps in her quest.
Light the torch, find your way, dive right in. 🌊🌊🌊 Watch a sneak peek of #Moana and see it in 3D this Thanksgiving!https://t.co/RpPLEzsmZE
All we’ve heard from Jared Leto during the Suicide Squad promo circus, which seems to have lasted most of my adult life, is how “crazy” and “Method” his interpretation of The Joker was; it was going to blow our minds. “They’re going to lock me away” he said, claiming he was so immersed in his Method acting that he delivered something transcendently wacko, so much so that authorities would seek him out and consider committing him to a real insane asylum.
Well, there’s no worry of that, Jared. Although, police might want to investigate you for workplace harassment.
After hearing all the insufferable stories about Jared Leto’s performance – about how he mailed dead animals and used condoms and other bullshit to Margot Robbie, Will Smith, and the rest of the Squad – and after hearing his own egocentric haughty claims that his performance was deranged for reals and stuff, this is what we end up with? A chopped up, pointless, yet mercifully brief appearance? Never mind the fact that Suicide Squad is a structural, tonal, and narrative disaster from top to bottom, what in the hell is Jared Leto even doing in this movie?
Leto’s Joker is some sort of pimp/aspiring hip-hop artist wannabe with dyed-green hair and lipstick, which is about the extent of his characterization. There’s no reason for why he is what he is, there’s no back story at all. He’s just sort of there, in Arkham, and he somehow makes Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn fall in love with him and bring him machine guns? The whole thing is fleeting and aimless. It took Leto a year of “Method” crap to get into THIS dude’s skin? Character pathos? No time for that. Motivation? Forget all that crap, we have a purple Lambo, Brah!
This is The Joker we’re talking about, the most iconic villain in all of comic history, and here he’s reduced to a glorified cameo from an actor embarrassingly hamming it up; not hamming it up like Jack Nicholson did, or hell even like Cesar Romero did back in the campy 60s. No, Jared Leto is just pushing the boundaries of what’s acceptable in a major studio film with his exercise in anti-cinema, in a performance that isn’t uncomfortable for any of the right reasons. I began to feel pity for Leto, and I didn’t want to watch his performance because it was so horrible, and because I was feeling shame on his behalf.
Maybe Leto thought all the gold chains and ice in his teeth were Method acting. But they aren’t, they’re costume props, and distractingly poor choices. What is this Joker? He isn’t insane, he’s just some corny white dude pretending to run shit on the streets and making poor tattoo choices. And here he is saying words and being scary to people, but you can’t convince me they understand much of what he’s saying with those stupid capped teeth. Besides, how can he be THAT dangerous when he spends so much time lining up knives and laptops and baby clothes (yeah, baby clothes) on the floor of his penthouse apartment? Leto has said recently, in a clear panic defense of his garbage performance, that many of his scenes were cut from the finished product. To this I say, thank God they were, and I don’t need to see them. The four or five we got was enough.
And for this absurd stunt of a performance, Jared Leto’s co-stars had to endure him being an asshole to them (staying “in character”), and mailing rats and used condoms – USED CONDOMS – to them. I wonder who the lucky bastard was who got the condom, but I’m pretty sure I’d be on the phone with the cops if I opened an envelope with a crusty semen-fulled rubber in it. He sent Will Smith a dead hog. Can you imagine Will Smith going to his front door, seeing a dead hog is lying there, and reading that the note “from The Joker” (because, ya know, staying “in character”)? I’m almost certain Smith probably just rolled his eyes and closed the door.
This guy has been incredible in plenty of work. Requiem for a Dream changed my life in more ways than one. This, however, is a complete waste of time and talent.
All of Jared Leto’s stupid antics remind me of the friend of a group of friends, that guy or girl your core group of friends don’t really know or like, but he/she keeps trying to be cool or edgy to fit in. They light a roman candle out of their ass or they throw a drink on some dude at the bar because they think it’ll give them acceptance. But the whole time it’s just kind of sad and pitiful and the core group of friends don’t feel any different. Except they’re more annoyed now.
There was no motivation behind this ten minutes of The Joker. The motivation for Jack Nicholson’s Joker was clear cut back in 1989. Ledger’s performance in The Dark Knight was motivated by a seemingly lack of motivation, a desire to create true chaos that made him unpredictable and dangerous. Jared Leto’s Joker? He just wants you and your boys to hear this hot mix tape he put together.
True, there was no motivation behind Cesar Romero in the original series, but if that’s what we’re comparing this to… let’s just not.
Maybe Jared Leto should just apologize to his co-stars – with whom, outside of Robbie, he shared zero screen time with – for harassing them the past year and change. Especially since his performance ends up being the worst of them all. This guy has an Oscar and Jai Courtney acted circles around him! But yeah, he should apologize, then maybe Warner Bros. and David Ayer can apologize to us all by cutting The Joker completely from the DVD version of Suicide Squad. Nobody will notice or care, and the movie will be shorter. Win win.
Woody Allen brings more goodness than usual in 2016. The ever-busy 80-year-old filmmaker’s latest, Cafe Society, hit theaters last month, and he’ll shoot his follow-up with Kate Winslet, Justin Timberlake and Jim Belushi later in the fall. But sandwiched in-between is his first mini-series, the Amazon-exclusive Crisis in Six Scenes, which got its premiere date and first sneak peek today, in addition to its official title.
As announced during Amazon’s Television Critics Association panel, Crisis in Six Scenes is a six-part, half-hour mini-series (as the title suggests) set to hit the streaming site in its entirety on September 30. The 1960s-based program, which will only last one season, follows turbulent times in the U.S. as “a middle class suburban family is visited by a guest who turns their household completely upside down.”
Allen wrote, directed and stars in every episode. He’s joined by Miley Cyrus (!), Elaine May (!!), John Magaro and House of Cards‘ Rachel Brosnahan, as reported by Vulture. This is Allen’s first acting appearance since John Turturro’s Fading Gigolo in 2014. It’s also the first time he’s acted under his own direction since 2012’s To Rome with Love, unless you count his narration in the aforementioned Cafe Society. I’m going to take a shot in the dark and guess that Cyrus is the “guest who turns their household completely upside down.” Let’s see if Allen proves me wrong.
In the meantime, Amazon also released our first peak at the mini-series, a barbershop sequence that suggests Allen was influenced by Louie for his first TV outing. There are certainly worse places to find inspiration, and it ultimately proves to be one of the most fruitfully funny scenes in years. I can’t wait for this thing.
All baseball fans love a good promotion. Whether it’s Justin Verlander Bobble-Head Day, Get Your Picture Taken with the Mascot Day or Free Hot Dog Day, a good promotion can help turn any day at the ballpark into a memorable moment in one’s life. Unfortunately, it took the big leagues years to hone the art of the promotion. Every drunken fan worth their salt has heard of the Ten Cent Beer Night disaster of 1974. The Cleveland Indians sold beer for a mere dime with no limits and drunken violence ensued. Here’s our look back at some of the lesser-known disastrous early attempts at baseball promotion:
Boston Red Sox – Live Rock Lobster Day sounded like a hit ( baseball pun) to the Boston Red Sox front office, only there was one catch (get it? another baseball joke). The rubber bands used to bind the lobsters’ claws were defective and as a result, the lobsters ran amok. By the end of the third inning, they had killed five and wounded dozens. In fact, the lobsters took over the stadium so effectively, they changed the team name to the Red Claws and started playing games. They had compiled a record of 41-29 and were in first place when an executive figured out that the whole stadium could be flooded, then the heating system could be rigged to boil anything unlucky enough to be caught inside. To this day, fans say you can still smell the scent of 30,000 lobsters flash-boiled when you walk into the stadium.
Minnesota Twins – Twins Get In Free Night. By itself, this may seem like a great promotion. Good publicity and it won’t cost you that much because twins are rare, and most of them like to spend their time haunting hotels rather than ball parks. What truly turned this into a calamity was that they choose the same day for this promotion as they did to debut the now-beloved Kiss Cam. It made for some pretty awkward situations.
Chicago White Sox – the White Sox had their own Ten Cent Beer Night fiasco in 1802, when they had the audacity to sell beer for 10 cents, far more than the standard six mugs for a penny. While some fatcats seemed to enjoy the exclusivity of being able to afford beers that would send an ordinary family into bankruptcy, the beatings delivered by outraged local mill workers quickly took away much of the appeal.
Seattle Mariners – Animal rights activists were less than pleased when the Mariners held Moby Dick Night. One lucky fan got to hunt a whale with a harpoon on a ship full of eccentric characters. Protests were held, but in the end, prize winner Betsy Reynolds, a 94-year-old from Walla Walla, was unable to kill even one whale with the harpoon.
Chicago Cubs – Free Bear Cub Day was one of the earliest and least thought out promotions in the long history of baseball. What would people do with a live baby bear when they got it home? Most people didn’t really have an answer for that. As a result, over 1700 bears were set loose on the streets of Chicago in 1904. Thankfully, good things can come from bad ideas. Today, Bearsville, near Wrigleyville, is one of the United States’ largest bear communities.
Arizona Diamondbacks – The most recent of our misadventures, taking place in 2001. What more needs to be said about the Ill-fated “Free Western Diamondback Rattlesnake for All Kids Under Ten” promotion? Maybe management should have seen this was a bad idea when they saw it was paid for by Shady Sam’s Antivenin Services. Maybe they should have realized that handing out live animals of any kind at a ball game was asking for trouble. Maybe they were really going through some personal problems, and they just couldn’t be bothered. Either way, with snake bites numbering in the thousands, this one turned out to be a calamity.
Well, there you have it. From too much booze to kissing your sibling, some of the worst ideas in baseball history. One can only wonder what lies ahead of us in terms colossal marketing screw ups.
From Worst To First, How Do You Rank The Spider-Man Movies?
In terms of film quality, the Spider-Man franchise has been all over the place. Ranging from razzie material to masterpiece level, I’ve decided to rank the web slinger’s films from worst to best.
5. Spider-Man 3: Yeah, I’m sure you’re not surprised. Oddly enough, I didn’t used to hate this movie; in fact, I actually liked it. After a rewatch, however, my opinion drastically changed. The attempted balance of three villains doesn’t work. The worst being the lack of development that Venom, a fan favorite character, unfortunately received. Peter Parker’s decision making is irritating to the point of not being able to take the character seriously. For these reasons, among others, the film lands as the worst on my list.
4. Spider-Man: The original Spidey blockbuster! This movie changed the game for comic book cinema. For that reason, it holds some hierarchy in the superhero movie sphere. This doesn’t mean it’s great, though. The tone of this one is not what I want out of a Spider-Man flick; it’s overly dramatic at times, while flip flopping back and forth between an action movie and a cheesy comedy. Willem Defoe does great as the Green Goblin, and J.K. Simmons nails the role of J. Jonah Jameson.
3. The Amazing Spider-Man 2: Bring on the hate! I know, I know; this is a divisive movie, and I can see why. Jamie Foxx worked as Electro for me, as did his character arc leading up to his villainous transformation. Andrew Garfield does an amazing job yet again as Peter Parker, while simultaneously nailing the snarkiness of Spider-Man. Some see the film as a set up piece to the cancelled Sinister Six movie, and I honestly don’t share those sentiments. In my view, the film stands on its own, while also pointing to future movies that could’ve been made. The main flaw in this one is the character of the Goblin. I liked the portrayal of Harry Osborn and his relationship with Peter, but it all seemed wasted when the Goblin was brought in for the third act fight. The death of Gwen Stacy was impactful because of the chemistry between Peter and her that had been building over time. Also, the comic accuracy to the death was much appreciated by Spidey readers like myself.
2. Spider-Man 2: Whatever the reason is, I just never was able to get into this movie as much as the majority of others. With that said, however, Spider-Man 2 is pretty damn good. Although I can’t stand Tobey Maguire’s performance as the web slinger, they do nail the character of Peter Parker in the script. J.K. Simmons again crushes the role of J. Jonah, but doesn’t add anything new to the character (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing). The action sequences are some of the best we’ve ever seen from a comic book movie. Mainly, the negatives I have with this one lie in the core performers: Tobey Maguire & Kirsten Dunst. The two together had no chemistry whatsoever, making the majority of their screen time together just not enjoyable to watch.
1. The Amazing Spider Man: Without question the best Spider-Man film ever. There’s just something about Garfield’s portrayal of your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man that is so appealing to me. Not only is the character’s writing great, but he brings his own interpretation while keeping the character’s core values. Uncle Ben’s death felt earned this time around. Even the eventual clash with The Lizard atop the Oscorp skyscraper was stunning. James Horner knocks it out of the park with the film’s score, which leads to many epic moments scattered throughout the movie. The lack of J. Jonah Jameson is felt, but doesn’t weigh the movie down too much. Oh, and one more thing…best Stan Lee cameo ever!
What do you think of my list?
Be sure to let me know your list in the comments down below!
The next Spider-Man film coming out is 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, which features Tom Holland as the lead.
Amazon original series 
Amazon also offers a “
Clark Gregg is back in the saddle with an Avenger…kind of. 
Our final pick for the month is 
