This Monday, MTV will launch MTV Classic, a channel anyone who grew up in the 80s and 90s has wanted for a long time. Even if they didn’t realize they wanted it.
The Twitter page @MTVClassic has started going us hints about what will be on the channel, including music videos, Unplugged (can’t wait to watch Alice in Chains Unplugged again), Daria and, the sacred cow, Beavis and Butthead:
Now, don’t forget about Headbanger’s Ball in all this. Hell, I’d be cool if we ran a little TRL out there, maybe on the weekends.
This is exciting stuff. How long have we all (all of us, except maybe people who watch Teen Mom?) been clamoring for MTV to return to its roots? It’s taken them long enough, but rest assured I will fly by the channel Monday.
Hunt For The Wilderpeople, directed by Takia Waititi, is a fascinating examination of love and its effect on human nature. Takia examines the life of 13-year old Ricky, who has never had a family offer to be his foster parents, until now. How does a child react to the journey from years and years of rejection, to the sudden adoration every minute of the day? This film strips all cliches away, and we get a raw look at the impact love can have on a child.
Ricky immediately connects with the woman he calls Aunty Bella (Rima Te Wiata), but can’t quite connect with the man the house, whom he refers to as Uncle Hec (Sam Neill). Ricky is labeled as a problem child who doesn’t seem to fit in anywhere and living with Bella and Hec is his very last chance at not becoming a permanent member of the local orphanage. Ricky is in shock at first. Bella and Hec live off of the land; they kill what they need to eat and use the fur for blankets. Very quickly, they power of Bella’s love starts to change young Ricky, but then tragedy strikes. Ricky and Uncle Hec have to go on the run through the bush to avoid the overzealous social services who want to take Ricky now and place him in a state-run orphanage.
One of the highlights of this film was the direction of Takia Waititi. Whether it’s been Boy or Eagle vs. Shark, Waititi’s films always have strongly defined characters, and all of them seem to know where they stand socially. These characters in his films also exhibit a level of seriousness that allows them to be very matter of fact when dealing with the absurdities of life. Ricky and Hec are certainly examples of this. Ricky is a boy who’s never had a family that loves him. Hec is an elderly man who’s lived his life out in the bush and has never made time for children. When both are faced with the absurd notion that child services are going to remove Ricky from Hec’s home, they both respond in such a way that’s unique to each of them.
The comedy in the film isn’t over the top, so that does add a degree of realism. Waititi relies heavily on the comedy being channeled through the characters. His characters are always idiosyncratic and rather than relying on a set scene to garner a laugh, the characters themselves provide the humor. Of course, those laughs are contingent on the film’s narrative being expertly crafted, and lucky for us all, Waititi accomplishes this by striking a balance between the light and the poignant moments.
The cinematography in the film is stellar, which comes as no surprise with Lachlan Milne behind the camera. Going back as far Uninhabited, Milne flourishes when he shoots outdoors. He has this ability to shoot outdoors that not only respects the vastness of the characters surroundings but also highlights it’s sheer beauty. One scene that sticks out is when Ricky runs away for the very first time in the film. Instead of focusing the shot on Ricky as he scampered away, Milne backs the shot off just enough so that we could see just the enormity of the wilderness that was surrounding this home. We not only got the sense of Ricky not wanting to be with his new foster family but we also see just how vast the wilderness is surrounding their home.
Sam Neill gives an outstanding performance as Uncle Hec, but the story of this film as to be Julian Dennison. Dennison’s performance reminds me of the type of acting that we saw out of Jacob Trembly in Room last year. Both performances are very raw, powerful, and rich with an authenticity that we could be talking about this young actor again during awards season.
A brand new behind the scenes featurette for Suicide Squad has been released, titled “It’s Good To Be Bad”. Check it out down below.
The featurette includes some scenes from the film that we’ve seen in trailers and TV spots, along with some behind the scenes action of David Ayer (director) working with the cast.
“Intelligence officer Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) decides to assemble a team of dangerous, incarcerated supervillains for a top-secret mission. Figuring it has nothing to lose, the U.S. government supplies weapons to Deadshot (Will Smith), Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney) and other despicable inmates. Dubbed the Suicide Squad, the united criminals must defeat a mysterious and powerful entity while contending with the antics of the diabolical Joker (Jared Leto).”
See Suicide Squad in theaters starting August 5. Tickets are on sale now.
Disney just hired Max Winkler and Matt Spicer to pen the script for the project, which is being titled ‘The Rocketeers,’ according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Set six years after the original Rocketeer and after Cliff Secord has vanished while fighting the Nazis, an unlikely new hero emerges: a young African–American female pilot, who takes up the mantle of Rocketeer in an attempt to stop an ambitious and corrupt rocket scientist from stealing jetpack technology in what could prove to be a turning point in the Cold War.
Brigham Taylor and professional athletes Blake Griffin and Ryan Kalil are producing the film. No casting or release date have been announced at this time.
Rocketeer was created by artist/writer Dave Stevens.
What do you think about the new direction Disney is taking with the film?
Title: Star Trek Beyond Director: Justin Lin Summary: The USS Enterprise crew explores the furthest reaches of uncharted space, where they encounter a new ruthless enemy who puts them and everything the Federation stands for to the test.
The Event
This review is going to be a little different from my other reviews. It’s not often that I get to attend a major event and I was lucky enough to get a ticket to the Star Trek Beyond premiere at Comic-Con International. The tickets were given away by reaching into a bag and if you got a pink ticket you were in and able to take someone with you. After a three and a half hour wait in the sun I managed to pull a winning ticket and brought one of my new line friends with me. The movie was going to be screened outside in an IMAX screen with a live orchestra playing the soundtrack. I hadn’t attended one of these events before so I wasn’t sure what to expect.
When I arrived they told me to throw away all of my food and water which concerned me since it was hot and I still had a significant walk home. They gave us a box with a subway sandwich, a bag of chips, and a cookie. We were then able to pick up a soda and a bottle of water to take our seats. There were little bags of cheddar, caramel, and kettle corn on each of the seats. There were also two carts with ice cream bars. Conan came out and introduced the cast to everyone and there was a tribute to Leonard Nimoy and a long moment of silence for Anton Yelchin. The San Diego Orchestra took the stage and they dimmed the lights.
(Video by me)
Instead of starting the movie the orchestra began to play the theme and they pumped some smoke into the air. They began a musical light, laser, and firework show that lasted nearly ten minutes. I managed to get most of it on film. After it ended a few more words were spoken and the lights once again dimmed as they started the movie.
The Movie
I’ve never been a huge fan of the rebooted Star Trek movies. I thought the 2009 movie was saved entirely by its excellent cast and that Star Trek Into Darkness was terrible. I’ve been worried about Star Trek Beyond because the production seemed very rushed and there were rumors that they went into shooting with an incomplete script. There are few things that damn a project more than shooting without a completed script and the trailers have not done a great job of selling the movie as a Trek film.
Star Trek Beyond is the best of the rebooted trilogy that give its entire ensemble a chance to shine while remaining true to what made Star Trek so great.
The first thing that Star Trek Beyond does that works in its favor is ignore the previous two movies, Star Trek Into Darkness in particular. I cannot think of a single moment from the entire production that even acknowledged that that movie even happened which is smart. This is a movie that could have easily been the first of the new trilogy and is stronger for it. The cast is still the best part of the movie and they have an easy going chemistry that shows just how close all of them have gotten over the course of the years. The plot contrives a reason for all of them to be separated and some of the best moments of the movie come from it. This is the first time that we’ve really seen Spock (Zachary Quinto) and Bones (Karl Urban) interact one on one and every second they are on screen is compelling to watch.
The story, penned by Simon Pegg and Doug Jung, is simplistic enough that it harkens back to the original television series and its themes. There is a large space station that represents everything that Starfleet stands for (unity of races working together to better the universe) and Krall (Idris Elba) wants to destroy it. The symbolism is obvious but it being so on the nose leaves the movie no room for misinterpretation. The new character of Jaylah (Sofia Boutella) is a great addition to the cast and is a strong character that isn’t defined by the fact that she is strong. She’s a complete human being with her own goals and motivations.
The movie isn’t perfect. Chris Pine is still the weakest link in the cast but this is probably the most charisma he’s ever had on screen. The script helps him by not letting him wallow in his “daddy issues” the entire time. It is also fairly obvious that a lot has been left on the cutting room floor. Jaylah doesn’t have much of an origin aside from some expository dialogue and the origin of The Swarm is left completely out. It feels like the movie could have been a lot longer and not suffered for it much in the way of pacing. There are a few moments that don’t really work, such as the deux machina way they defeat the swarm and some coincidences that you have to ignore or the plot falls apart, but things work work well enough that you can ignore them.
Star Trek Beyond is the best of the rebooted Star Trek movies thus far. It’s the first one to really take advantage of its excellent cast and take the series in a direction that feels very true to the source material while still being its own thing. If this is the direction of the future Star Trek movies, then we’re in for a treat. It’s just a shame it took two movies for us to get there.
The Swag
The movie ended and the experience was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. It was unique enough that I was having a hard time separating the movie from the experience critically. I had never seen a movie with a live orchestra playing the soundtrack, and if you ever get the opportunity I would highly recommend it. For all of their faults the new Star Trek movies have always had an excellent score.
When we left the premiere we were told to step to the right to get our ‘goody bag’. I didn’t think much of it since I’ve seen swag from events before. The bag was a lot better than I could have anticipated with a shirt, a hat, a pin, and four blurays (Star Trek (2009), Star Trek Into Darkness, Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan directors cut, and Star Trek The Original Series Origins).
The event itself was unforgettable and was worth the three hour wait in line, but the fact that I got to see a good movie on top of it just made everything even better.
This was a fast-and-furious week of pop culture. Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con released tons of footage from Warner Bros.’ film slated, ‘Batman: The Killing Joke’ was on the big screen Monday night, and Tuesday was the press screening of ‘Jason Bourne.’
Strap yourself in buckaroos! Episode 85 of the Monkeys Fighting Robots podcast is here.
Episode 85: ‘The Killing Joke,’ SDCC Best Of, ‘Jason Bourne’
WONDER WOMAN Comic-Con Trailer
Justice League Special Comic-Con Footage
KONG : SKULL ISLAND Comic-Con Trailer
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword – Official Comic-Con Trailer
Do you have a question that you would like answered during the show?
Email your questions to matt@popaxiom.com.
If you are looking to sponsor the podcast email matt@popaxiom.com as well.
Never heard of Matt Sardo? For starters, he made the Kessel Run in less than 11 parsecs. Prior to that, he gave Doc Brown the idea for the flux capacitor and led the Resistance to victory over SkyNet – all while sipping a finely crafted IPA. As a radio host, he’s interviewed celebrities, athletes and everyone in between. He’s covered everything from the Super Bowl to Comic-Con.
Who is EJ Moreno? Is he a trained physician? No. Is he a former Miss Universe contestant? Possibly. But what we know for sure is he’s a writer, filmmaker, and pop culture enthusiast. Since film school, EJ has written & directed several short films. He’s used his passion of filmmaking to become a movie critic for MonkeysFightingRobots.com.
Title: Jason Bourne Director Paul Greengrass Summary: The most dangerous former operative of the CIA is drawn out of hiding to uncover hidden truths about his past.
I’ve never been a huge fan of the Bourne movies. I know I’ve seen all three of them but I cannot recall a single detail from all of them. I just remember that they were fun to watch at the time, but that I cannot imagine they have aged well. The rapid cut editing and shaky camera that defined the original trilogy were a novelty at the time, but compared to todays standards I had to wonder if they really could stand the test of time. This was also a movie that was on my far too long list of “movies I keep forgetting were coming out” which didn’t say a lot about how anticipated I was for it.
Jason Bourne feels like a relic of ten years ago that doesn’t bring anything new to the table and left me oddly bored.
There is a reason I often come down rather hard on action movies that rely heavily on rapid cut editing and shaky cameras; they make it hard to have a sense of space. This is a problem I have always had with the Bourne movies. We were about five minutes into Jason Bourne when I realized that I couldn’t remember a single thing that had happened in the previous four movies. This is because of the editing and the filming style; while it gives the movie a very grounded and gritty feeling it also diminishes any sense of space and you can’t remember where anyone is in reference to each other. There is a hand-to-hand fight at the end of Jason Bourne that was so all over the place that I can’t recall a single detail. I even had a hard time keeping track of who was punching whom because the camera was moving around so much.
This is something that the original Bourne movies did which is why they tend to blur together, even for fans. This type of filmmaking was new to the table when the original trilogy came out but now every movie is shot this way. The thing that made the Bourne movies unique is, ironically, the thing that makes the new movie feel extremely conventional. The plot itself is full of contrivances and double crosses, but again this is something that we see in almost all movies about the government. Jason Bourne is very much a sequel to its previous movies in that it brings nothing new to not only its series, but a genre it helped define.
There are things that work but they were so few and far between that I never really connected with the movie as a whole. There is an extended chase scene through Las Vegas and the only thing I took out of it was the massive loss of life. When I get distracted by loss of life in an action movie that means the movie is not keeping me engaged. Matt Damon is still excellent in the role and I was pleased with the direction that they took with Alicia Vikander’s new character of Heather Lee, but those moments weren’t enough to make me forgive just how bored I was by the entire movie.
Jason Bourne is a movie that hasn’t adapted to the genre it helped define. The Bourne trilogy gave us a new breed of action movie and action star so a sequel that just makes more of that cannot help but feel dated somehow. The fans of the previous movies will likely find a lot to enjoy in this new entry, but as someone who only has a passing fondness of the series this brought nothing new to the table.
The summer is almost over and the back to school specials have already appeared in stores. With another month down it’s time to look at the different titles which are coming to Netflix and pick the geeky titles you need to check out. It’s slim pickings this month but there are still a few new arrivals which will entertain you as summer comes to a close.
1. Big Daddy (August 1st)
One of the better Adam Sandler movies to come out back when people still looked forward to him making a new film. Here he tries to adopt a kid to show a girlfriend he is capable of growing up but of course it isn’t so easy. Worth a viewing just for the scene in the McDonalds.
2. Funny Or Die Presents: Donald Trump’s The Art Of The Deal: The Movie (August 1st)
It’s an election year which means there will be a lot of focus on politics. The best way to handle so much intense real world debate is to watch parodies and spoofs making fun of the candidates. In this Funny or Die presentation, Johnny Depp plays the Donald as he shows people the proper way to conduct business. The trailer alone will have you rolling on the floor with laughter.
3. The Fast And The Furious (August 1st)
The film which started it all. Watch as an officer named Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker), goes undercover in the racing world and tries to find out if Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) is behind a series of armed robberies. The third film, Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift is also coming but it’s not exactly the best of the series.
4. Sleepy Hollow (August 1st)
Sleepy Hollow returns to Netflix. The film which featured Johnny Depp as a crime solving Ichabod Crane who works to solve the murders of the Headless Horseman. This film really is one of director Tim Burton’s best works and you owe it to yourself to check it out.
5. Star Trek: Nemesis (August 1st)
Not the best Star Trek film by the opinions of many fans but still not the worst way to spend a lazy Saturday. Watch as Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) must fight his own clone who has aspirations of destroying Earth. Plot really does sound a lot more entertaining than it actually is, but still a decent movie. Plus, Tom Hardy.
6. The Little Prince (August 5th)
After much back and forth on whether this film was getting a proper theater release or not, Netflix has simply decided to release it through their service. Based on the widely popular french children’s book, it follows a boy from another world who has come to Earth to discover all he can about life, roses, and sunsets. Hopefully the new film will be able to capture the warmth and entertainment of the book.
7. No Country For Old Men (August 11th)
Thought to be one of the best films by the Coen brothers, this film has all the makings of a western but set in modern times. The film features a man who finds the aftermath of a drug deal gone bad, finds himself in possession of a large cash, and on the run from a mysterious man. Check it out and see why so many people praise Javier Bardem’s performance as hitman Anton Chigurh.
8. Blue Is The Warmest Color (August 26th)
This is one of the those films you wouldn’t know it was based on a comic book unless someone told you. Based on a French graphic novel the movie focuses on a woman named Adele as she works through her budding sexuality and her relationship with the blue haired Emma. The film features an intense look at love, addiction, and identity and really shouldn’t be overlooked.
9. Glitter Force: Season 2 (August 26th)
Did everyone enjoy the first season? Yes? No? Well either way the series, adapted from the highly popular Pretty Cure franchise continues. Watch as the team works hard to fight back the minions of the evil Emperor Nogo.
10. Once Upon A Time: Season 5 (August 28th)
The 5th season of the popular fantasy series featured the show’s 100th episode. It also introduced a plethora of new characters including Hercules, Merida, and Merlin. If you hurry, you may be able to binge watch through the entire series to be ready for when season six premieres.
What films and shows are you looking forward to coming to Netflix in August? Leave a comment below and let us know.
I think I remember something about a movie called The Great Wall. Somewhere in the recent past. But nobody was expecting to see a new trailer today, one starring Matt Damon in a role that seems wildly out of his comfort zone as an actor.
This is a fantasy epic, with dragons and all sorts of battles, and what appears to be some stunning visuals from director Yimou Zhang. It looks very cool:
This is supposedly a story about the construction of The Great Wall of China. But I doubt it’s taken from any historical texts. The Great Wall also stars Willem Dafoe, Pedro Pascal, Andy Lau, and Tian Jing.
We’ll see what this is all about February 17, 2017.
