I hate the Yankees. You probably do too. Whether it’s institutional hatred for the monolithic, big box dictatorship, that for nearly two decades sat atop Major League Baseball in both payroll and the standings; or something more specific — like that asshole Yankees/Lakers/Red Wings/Cowboys/Manchester United/Notre Dame/Cobra Kai “fan” from work, who continually quotes the same two lines from “Office Space” and steals lunches from the break room fridge – most of us can find something to dislike.
Remember, George Steinbrenner once actually did THIS:
That’s what makes the effusive praise heaped upon them, and specifically, GM Brian Cashman (Steve Carell’s body-double from “Foxcatcher”) for their trade deadline moves so much more annoying.
You may remember the Yankees for such poor contracts as AJ Burnett – 5 years, $82.5 million, Jaret Wright – 3 years, $21 million, Jose Contreras – 4 years, $32 million, Kyle Farnsworth – 3 years, $17 million, Kei Igawa – 5 years, $20 million, and everyone’s favorite, Carl Pavano – 4 years, $39.5 million. This is a team that has millions of dollars still tied up in the geriatric, fading nucleus of A-Rod, Mark Teixeira, and CC Sabathia. They have consistently been the macho dick-swingers, backing up truckloads of cash to free agents from all walks of life and shipping off any potential homegrown talent during deadline swaps. But apparently, no one told ESPN or any of the other Yankees Super PACs this. According to most analysts, 2016’s post-deadline Yanks are suddenly a shrewd, Moneyball-like operation that has whitewashed any semblance of their eternal win-now, haves-destroying-have-nots sheen. I for one, can’t stand it.
Not to say I think that any of the trades were bad moves. They were completely sound and defensible. This team was going nowhere in 2016, and as currently constructed, they were doomed to continue to fail. With one of the more barren farm systems in all of baseball, they had to get younger. Fast.
By trading away Aroldis Chapman, Andrew Miller, Carlos Beltran, and Ivan (insert Chris Berman General Motors or space reference here) Nova for a boatload of young and reportedly talented prospects, the Yankees should have a good foundation to contention within 2-3 years. But what the hell happened to the Yankees? These moves are soooo Marlins. Make baseball evil again!
Fittingly, as recently as two weeks before the deadline, MLB reporter, and plastic wedding cake groom Ken Rosenthal tweeted a quote from Yankees Team President and Donald Trump supporter (big surprise) Randy Levine, which seemed to follow a more predictable narrative:
“We’ve said it over and over again. All this talk of buying or selling at this point in time is just speculative. We believe in this team. The Yankees have never been quitters…”
BUT THEY JUST QUIT!
The Yankees ultimately bailed on the 2016 season, and more importantly, they quit being everything the Yankees are supposed to be. Like Levine’s buddy Trump, they blew a lot of hot air and said brash, bold things that only the dumbest among us would find reasonable in an attempt to maintain their image, only to quietly back peddle and make the only prudent decision on the table. They had to become sellers. No other option made sense, and if you need another reason, you need look no further than Queens, where the spotlight has been refocused on the Mets, the Yankees ne’er-do-well, drunk, underachieving nephews, who had previously taken the long road to rebuilding while sacrificing all but the hardest of the die hard fanbase. And it paid off!
So seriously, can we please stop giving the Yankees’ current leadership credit for something anyone saner than Donald Trump, George Steinbrenner, or (insert your other favorite fascist dictator here) would have done?
Here’s to hating the Yankees through all 19 of ESPN’s primetime games against the Red Sox for the next 10 years while we listen to Aaron Boone unzip Cashman’s Haggar wrinkle-free slacks in the booth and bloviate about his GM prowess and ALL THE YOUNG STARS.
Aaron Sanchez is having a Cy Young type of season for the Toronto Blue Jays. He is 11-1 with a 2.71 ERA, but he has already logged a career-high 139.1-innings. Due to the increase in workload, the Blue Jays have debated whether or not to move him to the bullpen at some point during the season.
There will always be debate surrounding inning limits on a pitcher coming off surgery or projected to go way over their prior seasons total, but there is little evidence on either side of the ledger to provide; I solution.
Team President Mark Shapiro was a guest on MLB Network Radio and said, “What we want to do is be respectful and continue to involve everyone in the decision.”
His statement, along with Manager John Gibbons answer to the question of Sanchez’s future asked by a reporter on Wednesday night saying “nothing is set in stone” may have foreshadowed what transpired today.
Jays’ GM Ross Atkins flew into Houston on Thursday and held meetings with coaches and players before announcing that the Jays’ immediate plan with Sanchez is to limit his innings by going to a six-man rotation.
Atkins told reporters, including MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm that there were many factors that played in the decision, “The fact that we’re getting closer to September helps. The fact that we will have a player or two with options helps. The fact that our bullpen has corrected itself and is pitching better, guys are settling into roles, helps. Francisco’s [Liriano] openness helps. We’ll be able to skip starts, we’ll be able to do even more creative things when we get into September.”
The decision to keep Sanchez in the rotation does give him an extra days rest and limits his innings. Mentally, it helps that he’ll still feel as if he’s a starting pitcher. One has to ask if this move could have a negative impact on the rest of staff.
It is well known that athletes are creatures of habit. It’s possible that the most habitual of all athletes is the major league starting pitcher whose routines and preparation for a start are crafted over a number of years. It will not be the easiest task for the remaining five starters to alter their approach. Their words may suggest a willingness to do so, but what goes on between the ears may have more of an impact on their bottom line.
I would prefer to see the Blue Jays take a different approach to the Sanchez dilemma. Rather than go to a six man rotation which impacts five of the starting pitchers. Why not maximize the flexibility mentioned by Atkins earlier and use a reliever to start the game?
According to Grosnick, “The opener would be the first pitcher to start a game, effectively replacing the starting pitcher for the first frame of a baseball game. After this reliever, ideally a strong setup guy and one of the best relievers on the team, eliminates the first three or four batters of the game, the team’s “starter” comes in beginning in the second inning and runs his normal course.”
What if…..the Blue Jays used the opener strategy but rather than have the reliever pitch one frame what if the opener were to be able to go two innings? Could Sanchez then enter the game in the third inning and work four to five innings before turning the ball over to the Jays ‘pen?
Wouldn’t this strategy have much of the same effect that the six-man rotation would have but would impact a far greater number of the starting staff?
Going back to Atkins statement, “We’ll be able to do even more creative things when we get into September.” One has to wonder if one of the creative things that the Jays’ may consider in September is going to a modified-opener strategy. Stay tuned, I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of dialogue about what to do with Sanchez as the pennant race heats up.
If you wanted more of Jared Leto’s Joker than we saw in Suicide Squad, you’re in luck.
The music video for Skrillex & Rick Ross’s Purple Lamborghini was released on the official Skrillex Youtube channel. The music video is loaded with new footage of the Joker.
If you’ve seen Suicide Squad, how did you feel about Leto’s portrayal of The Clown Prince of Crime? Be sure to let us know in the comment section down below.
See Joker in Suicide Squad, in theaters now.
It feels good to be bad…Assemble a team of the world’s most dangerous, incarcerated Super Villains, provide them with the most powerful arsenal at the government’s disposal, and send them off on a mission to defeat an enigmatic, insuperable entity. U.S. intelligence officer Amanda Waller has determined only a secretly convened group of disparate, despicable individuals with next to nothing to lose will do. However, once they realize they weren’t picked to succeed but chosen for their patent culpability when they inevitably fail, will the Suicide Squad resolve to die trying, or decide it’s every man for himself?
‘Suicide Squad’ hit theaters Thursday and the soundtrack is available now. Panic! At The Disco was given the task of covering Queen’s iconic ‘Bohemian Rhapsody.’
WHY?
This is no slight to Panic! At The Disco, the cover is very faithful to the original and rocks a little harder at some parts but why? Did we lose all the copies of Queens’ original version? Is there a Queen Apocalypse going on where all of Queen’s music is disappearing from this Earth? NOOO!!!!
Panic! At The Disco is a great band and I would have much rather listened to a rocking original song that could have been an anthem for generations to come. Instead, we got a cover. Creativity loses out to big money again.
What are your thought on Panic! At The Disco’s version of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ leave you comments below.
There isn’t as much demon slaying action as their has been in previous episodes but there is still a lot of discontent amongst the people and revelations to make this episode worthwhile. First off, Guts meets up with his old buddy the Skull Knight. For those who only watched the original series, this was the individual who swooped in during the God Hand’s slaughter and saved Guts and Casca. He’s true identity has’t been known yet, but he makes two things clear: he is an enemy of demons and one of the God Hand members may be nearby. Looks like Guts is going to have very big battle ahead of him.
There also is a glimpse into the nightlife of the refugees. It appears not all of them are suffering from starvation and have instead taken up a very weird ritual. They have begun dancing around a boiling pot which is causing them to hallucinate and have an orgy of naked dancing and sex. The use of some very odd bits of animation really helps the entire things to feel like a mind trip.Still, hopefully scenes like this will be used sparking as the it’s better to have less moments which look rushed and out of place.
Casca also has some development this issues. Sadly she hasn’t been able to recover her former mindset but instead she appears to be under the protection of the same demon which warned Guts she was in danger. Unfortunately, this aid now makes everyone think she is a witch and it’s not the best idea right now to be a witch when the local church regularly burns them at the state.
It’s a decent episode but it’s bizarre moments don’t really do much to develop the plot. Hopefully Guts’ arrival next time will result in the movement the story needs.
Each week here on Monkeys Fighting Robots, we are looking at every DC Rebirth title and tracking its progress. Books will be rated on a scale of “Buy It”, “Borrow It” or “Bin It”. Spoilers ahead.
Suicide Squad: Rebirth #1 (Rob Williams, Jonathan Glapion and Philip Tan)
Amanda Waller has always been one of the more fascinating morally ambiguous characters in DC’s repertoire. She’s the personification of Jack Nicholson’s “you can’t handle the truth” speech from A Few Good Men. If you are trying to write Suicide Squad without fully understanding Amanda Waller, then you are missing the point. As we mentioned in a previous article, this generation of comic readers were spoiled by Waller’s portrayal in Justice League Unlimited. Amanda Waller is more than just a handler for Task Force X; she is a political powerhouse and a woman who puts even the toughest DC characters in their place. This is, after all, a woman who successfully stared down Batman. To have the issue begin with her engaged in a tête-à-tête with someone who totally isn’t President Obamademonstrates that this create teams understands that her power isn’t in her physicality, but rather her intelligence.It’s rare that we agree with Waller’s conclusions, but her justifications fit within her own internal logic and appeals to our base fears. It’s the use of hard and soft power that makes her an artful manipulator and an embodiment of the dark side of American exceptionalism.The rest of the book follows Waller as she attempts to recruit Colonel Rick Flag into the squad, himself a victim of the internal politics of the military.Flag is one of those few good men tasked with leading an elite unit of villains, with Harley Quinn, Deadshot and Boomerang headlining. How does one trust such people to have your back? The Suicide Squad is a daring concept, but when the team is is composed of such big names, it always runs the risk of offering up a token red-shirt to demonstrate the dangers of their missions. Thus, while Suicide Squad is a book pitched with high-stakes, it is questionable how much writers are willing to follow through with that notion. Beautifully illustrated, this opening gambit hints at comedy, drama and tension that only this series can bring, but it will need to live up to its name if it hopes to have a lasting impact. After all, that is what made Ostrander’s legendary run such a success.
Recommendation: Buy It.
Justice League #2 (Bryan Hitch, Sandu Florea and Tony S. Daniel)
Must there be a Superman? If you are the Justice League and your planet faces existential crisis from some very Lovecraftian terrors, then your answer is probably yes. If this book was about the Justice League learning to come to terms with the existence of a Superman that looks like their friend, but has led a radically different life, then we would have a fascinating insight into what Clark meant to them. A book where each of the characters is forced to come to terms with their comrade’s death through their interactions the original Superman would have some real impact. Hitch may be able to authenticate and replicate the characters’ distinct voices in his writing, but it lacks any emotional weight. Unfortunately, that’s not what we get with Justice League, but instead we see vignettes demonstrating that the team is incapable of defending the planet without a Superman in their ranks. It’s a tired affair that could have been written at any point over the last 75 years and probably has. We don’t need another existential crisis of world shattering proportions, we’ve had plenty of those over the last few years. The readership demand a challenge, they demand something more than an episode of the Super Friends put to print. Justice League, if anything, should aspire to Bruce Timm, not Hanna-Barbera. This is nothing in this issue that demands your attention, nothing to make you care about these character. It’s just action without the heart that gives such scenes stakes. It’s a popcorn book and a low-grade one at that.
Recommendation: Bin It.
Batman #4 (Tom King, David Finch and Matt Banning)
A harrowing call-back to All-Star Superman begins this story-arc’s tragic descent from a note of hope to a chilling reminder of what Gotham City does to people. Finch’s interiors reflect this fading light, with a more darker tone and edges given to the characters. Gotham City isn’t Metropolis; it doesn’t want to be saved. A reoccurring theme throughout this run has been the effect that this pessimism has on its inhabitants. Batman wants people to take their fear and make something positive of it. Not everyone can have that fortitude and this issue acts as frightening insight into a mental breakdown. Mental health is always treated pretty shabbily in Gotham. This is understandable if your chief psychiatrist is Dr. Hugo Strange, but there is a lack of empathy in Batman’s world towards the ill. His villains are often branded as insane, but rarely do we ask what that actually means. Gotham and Gotham Girl’s mental assault at the hands of the Psycho Pirate shows the vulnerability of Gods. The hardest things to fight is one’s own mind. It is slightly worrying, however, that Gotham is able to struggle on, but his sister, Gotham Girl, is reduced to a barely functioning mess. Bad enough that a new heroine is branded Gotham Girl, now we portray her as more emotionally vulnerable than her brother. Yet, those problematic elements aside, King is writing a worth successor to Synder’s run. The intricacy of the plot shows the complex web of competition actors vying for the soul of Gotham City. In all this turmoil, only one thing is clear: The Monster Men are coming.
Recommendation: Buy It
Nightwing #2 (Tim Seeley and Javier Fernandez)
The Court of Owls is the creation that keeps on giving. Way back in “Night of the Owls,” Dick Grayson learned that his great-grandfather was one of the Court’s infamous Talons. Indeed, his destiny since he born was to become the Gray Son of Gotham, the Court’s ultimate weapon. Much has happened to the former Boy Wonder since then, but that idea of a man who walks the gray between two worlds returns. With the revelation that Dick was going to go undercover with the Parliament of Owls, the newly re-christened Nightwing ran the risk of threading old ground. However, whereas Grayson told a story that demonstrated that the gray wasn’t necessarily something to be feared, Nightwing is about walking that tightrope without losing yourself to the darkness. That the opening story arc is called “Better than Batman” is fitting on a number of levels. Firstly, it represents Nightwing’s potential to be more than his Dark Knight mentor ever could be, lacking the damage that keeps Bruce in Gotham. Secondly, it relates to Dick’s would-be teacher, the mysterious Raptor who proudly declares that everything Batman taught him was wrong. Raptor’s true motivations are unclear, but this issue suggests that he too lacks any true allegiance to the Parliament. It’s unlikely that his roguish exterior hides a noble soul, but it’s the gray within Raptor that Dick finds himself warming to – much to his discomfort. Batman taught Dick that fear was more important than trust, but Raptor challenges that assertion. He also gives the issue one of his best moments noting that in a world of superheroics, a flashy costume and gadgetry are essential to avoid the branding of common criminals. Finally, the book itself is proving to be superior to the Caped Crusader’s parent title. Javier Fernandez provides the interior artwork with the same dynamism and acrobatic flare that make Dick Grayson who he is.
Recommendation Buy It.
Superman #4 (Peter J. Tomasi, Patrick Gleason and Mike Gray)
Are you there Dan? It’s me, your average comic book fan. Look, I know things haven’t been the best between us over the last couple of months. Let’s be fair, your Superman books haven’t helped our troubled relationship. It’s rare that one can read an entire comic cover to cover, and genuinely not know what just happened. The Eradicator, a character I thought we could get past and leave to wallow in the misguided decisions of yesteryear, returned and was revealed to contain all the lost souls of Krypton. This leads, as it often does in a Superman comic, to pages upon pages of action without any real semblance of any of this being of consequence. It’s not just that its an action book without a soul, but the story is convoluted and lacks a central hook. It very much seems like the story is being made up on the fly, with pacing that defies reason and artwork that does little to assist in informing us. Superman was pitched as a coming of age story, a tale of a father helping his son to grow into the brave young man the he knows he can be. When it is given the chance to talk about that unique relationship, it is a wonderful book that reminds us why we love Clark Kent. It should be about that journey, that quest to understand your family legacy and to better yourself. Instead, you’ve chosen to sacrifice character for the sake of an ill-conceived throwbacks to a period in comic publishing that nobody remembers fondly. Over the last decade, a number of esteemed editors have spoken about family and marital life not providing the appropriate drama or suspense for superhero comics. We want to see characters enter the next stage of their relationships and all that comes with it. The story of Clark and Jon Kent is a story worth telling; it’s a new frontier that can set DC apart from its contemporaries. I only say this because I care. I know you guys can do better and, more importantly, so do you.
Recommendation: Bin It.
Harley Quinn #1 (Jimmy Palmiotti, Amanda Conner and Chad Hardin)
The last volume of Harley Quinn gained an insane amount of traction, and it’s not clear why. On paper, it had an impressive creative team behind it, but with the Suicide Squad film opening this weekend, DC seemed to think it imperative to feature the clowned princess of crime in two ongoing books. To have such stark contrasts in quality is quite telling. The creative team seems to want to channel the wackiness of a Deadpool comic without really understanding why that comics works or realizing that it doesn’t really fit this character. I get that Deadpool is a popular character and quite a lucrative part of the house that Stan and Jack built, but not every comedy series needs to take its cues from it. This opening arc sees Harley and her Gang of Harleys (seriously) deal with a zombie apocalypse. Interestingly, Deadpool’s opening arc from the Marvel Now! relaunch featured a similar plot point. It doesn’t help that you have a character who dresses and talks like Deadpool in the comic itself, acting as a fan-boy crushing on Harley. It’s not that I don’t see the need for a Harley Quinn ongoing series, but I take issue with the comics in its current form. Harley is a fascinating character – “Mad Love” is one of the finest pieces of comic storytelling in recent history – but this series doesn’t take advantage of its pedigree. I can appreciate a book that wants to help Harley get beyond the damage inflicted upon by her “Puddin,” but there is nothing about this series that makes that transition seem believable. Worse still, Harley’s complex relationship with Poison Ivy is given the least amount of attention, despite it being one of the greatest non-traditional love stories in comics history. Maybe it’s my fault. Maybe I just don’t get the joke, but that’s because they all fall flat.
Recommendation: Bin It.
It was a mixed bag this week for DC Rebirth with the Dark Knight continuing strong and the Man of Steel continuing his downward spiral. The first arcs are beginning to wrap-up, which will offer some reflection on what was worked and what hasn’t. The Book of the Week goes to Suicide Squad for capturing the magic of the original Ostrander run, and for providing the much needed medicine to offset the disappointment of its film counterpart. The Dishonourable Mention goes to Harley Quinn which wastes a great character and commits of the cardinal sin of just not being funny. Do you agree with our assessment? Let us know in the comments below and make sure you stay up to date with us here at Monkeys Fighting Robots.
Review copies were kindly provided by the publisher.
“The Extinction Machine” part two! Massive earthquakes shake cities to the ground as the ancient intelligence known as the Awakened takes control of the people of Earth, forcing them to turn against anyone with superpowers—including the Justice League! Unable to fight a war on two fronts, Batman asks for help from the one man he trusts less than anyone.
Writing
After the events of the first issue where the entire world got turned upside down, the team does their best to try to recover. There’s a lot going on right now but it makes the situation feel dire and more like the type event the Justice League would have to be called in to deal with. Points to writer Bryan Hitch for writing a story which really is worthy of team effort.
Also, after the stories which lead to this new Rebirth, it looks like Batman may have a problem with trusting the new Superman. This is just par for the course though as Batman seems like he always has to have a problem with at least one member of the team which he just can’t get along with. Seeing as how Hal Jordan isn’t around, it looks like he’ll have to settle for not liking Superman after the Convergence event.
Artwork
Artists Sandu Florea and Tony S. Daniel really pulled out all stops when making this issue. All of the heroes look perfectly beaten down and rough around the edges in very eye catching ways. The large panel of Flash grabbing all of the alien creatures all at once is a great use of effects to show just how fast he is and how much is happening all at once. They both need to keep up this level of impressive work from here on out.
Conclusion
This new story really feels like a true catastrophe has befallen the Earth and only the Justice League will be able to take care of it. With all of the new changes which have been going around it’s nice to see, people can still count on the them when the chips are down. Feels epic
After all the build up in the advertisements for this episode, it finally arrives and brings a lost Crystal Gem with it. Yes, Bismuth, the blacksmith and weapon maker of the team returns. Where she has been and why she was gone are addressed throughout the course of the episode. Without too many spoilers it becomes incredibly obvious it wasn’t for a petty or insignificant reason.
The appearance of a lost character from the past really helps to paint a picture of the way things used to be and what it was like for the Gems before Rose Quartz came into the picture. It also helps to show just how much a war can change someone, even a person who was supposed to be one of the good guys. There is a really good moment where Bismuth helps Steven to see he isn’t completely like his mother. He really needs to this more often as it seems like everyone is expecting him to be the same as leader and champion she was. Pearl even called him Rose in a past episode.
This episode also features somes changes as Bismuth outfits the Crystal Gems with new modifications to their weapons. They are subtle but at the same time will be worth looking for in the future. The fake bumpers (those things which can come before and after the commercial breaks) were kinda lame though, especially with the way the episode ended.
This episode was filled with plenty of action, emotion, and easily makes it one of the best episodes of the season if not the whole series. Of course, technically being two episodes in one does allow more story to be told. Hopefully in the future there will be more stories which use the full show run time instead of the usual 12 minute episodes.
The reviews for Suicide Squad have come in and the critical reaction wasn’t good. Despite the hype the latest movie in the DCEU has currently mustered a 29% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and the backlash from fanboys has been swift with an online petition being formed calling for the website to be shut down. Because of this, we at Monkeys Fighting Robots will look at five notorious film-related petitions that have blighted the internet.
5. Ban the Wayans Brothers from Releasing Theatrical Films
First up is a petition set up by Korey Coleman, the creator of the defunct website Spill.com and current owner of the entertainment website and Youtube channel Double Toasted. Coleman was an animator and still reviews movies and he has set up a petition to stop the Wayans Brothers from releasing theatrical movies and force them to be released on the straight-to-DVD/VOD market.
Coleman’s justification is the Wayans Brothers could make a deal similar to what Adam Sandler did, and, as he quoted on Charge.org:
‘More importantly, with Marlon Wayans’ films going straight to home video, I will not have to endure any more of his spoofs in the theatre. I literally can’t take it anymore. I see this as a win-win for Wayans and critics who have the same sentiments as myself.’
The petition was set up in January 2016 and at the time of writing has received 1,000 signatures, 500 short off its target.
4. Stop Uwe Boll Directing
The oldest petition to make it onto this list was the petition to force the infamous Uwe Boll from releasing any new movies, and it was reported that Dr. Boll would have quit if the petition reached one million signatures.
Back in the mid-to-late noughties, Uwe Boll was the king of the bad movie, often buying up cheap game licenses and adapting them into films. He was churning out crap at alarming regularity, ranging from video game adaptations, horror movies, and vigilante flicks. He was able to fund his films using a German tax loophole where investors could use any lost investments as a tax write-off.
The petition was formed in 2008 and has now ended achieving 353,835 signatures in July 2012. Stride Gum even supported the petition, offering people who signed the petition a free pack of gum if the petition reached a million signatures by May 14, 2008.
The petition is now closed, but its seems it is no longer needed because Boll has fallen into obscurity – his movies no longer get the traction they once did and his crowd funding for Rampage 3 fell flat on its face.
3. Remove Zack Snyder from DCEU
Zack Snyder is a highly divisive director, the reviews and audience reactions to his movies can attest to that. His efforts on Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice are the worst offenders where audiences are divided into two main camps – people who love or hate the movies.
Two petitions have been formed to stop Snyder from making any more movies in the DC Cinematic Universe. The first was started in the US calling on Zack Snyder to be replaced from directing the Justice League movies – the other came from India and demanded that he be removed from the DCEU entirely. The Justice League petition has over 17,498 signatures and the DCEU petition has 2,337.
These petitions have been unsuccessful, Snyder is directing Justice League and a trailer was released at Comic-Con and Snyder is attached as a producer on The Flash and Aquaman and has a story credit on Wonder Woman.
A counter-petition to keep Snyder as Justice League director was also formed on Change.org and has over 6,000 signatures.
2. PG-13 Deadpool
Earlier this year Youtube film critic Grace Randolph started a petition asking Fox to release a PG-13 cut of Deadpool. Her reasoning was the eight-year-old child of a fan was a superhero fan but was not allowed to go because it was R-rated. This petition quickly gained attention as reported on by many websites and Randolph was ridiculed for her stance – her Youtube video on the subject has 12,327 dislikes to the 1,672 likes.
The idea of a PG-13 Deadpool movie would have been an incredibly stupid idea because the character’s comic-book counterpart was very violent, crude and foul-mouthed and to anyone who has the Deadpool movie will know cutting it down to a PG-13 rating would have been a mammoth task.
Randolph has also gained a reputation for being a contrarian; she has often given good reviews to poorly received movies e.g. Jack and Jill and vice-versa. She also entered into a feud with film critic John Campea saying he was in the pay of Marvel Studios despite Campea giving Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice a positive review.
1. Rotten Tomatoes Forced to be Shut Down
The dumbest film petition is also the most recent, the one calling on Rotten Tomatoes to be shut down. This is an example of fanboy whining at its worst with people crying out there is a conspiracy that Marvel have paid off critics to give their movies good reviews and their rivals poor ones. This ignores the fact that Suicide Squad has not even been released in theaters yet, so most audiences have not seen the movie. It also ignores other sites that collate movie reviews like Metacritic which gave Suicide Squad a 43% rating.
The petition and its founders ignore the fact that Warner Brothers used to own Rotten Tomatoes and still has a minor stake in the website – if there were a conspiracy it would have been more likely that Warner Brothers would have tried to manipulate critic’s scores in their favor.
The petition to shut down Rotten Tomatoes is the worst example of people wanting to suppress opinions of people who don’t agree with their viewpoint.
Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk is already one of the most anticipated films of 2017 – and I don’t just mean for Harry Styles fans. The WWII epic is a step in a different direction for Nolan, whose spent a decade in science fiction, fantasy, and Gotham.
Now, we have a teaser for Dunkirk, and it’s as impressive as you’d expect:
And the synopsis:
Allied soldiers from Belgium, Britain, and France are surrounded by the German army and evacuated during a fierce battle in World War II.
Aside from Harry Styles, Dunkirk also stars Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Mark Rylance, Kenneth Branagh, James D’Arcy, and where do I give Nolan all of my money right now?
Dunkirk will hit theaters July 21, 2017. Let the countdown begin.
Suicide Squad: Rebirth #1 (Rob Williams, Jonathan Glapion and Philip Tan)
Justice League #2 (Bryan Hitch, Sandu Florea and Tony S. Daniel)
Batman #4 (Tom King, David Finch and Matt Banning)
Nightwing #2 (Tim Seeley and Javier Fernandez)
Superman #4 (Peter J. Tomasi, Patrick Gleason and Mike Gray)
Harley Quinn #1 (Jimmy Palmiotti, Amanda Conner and Chad Hardin)
