The MICRONAUTS are caught between a rock and a hard place–or, in this case, a FORCE COMMANDER and a BARON KARZA. With their universe collapsing around them, the MICRONAUTS must survive a deadly civil war while the cataclysmic Entropy Storm keeps expanding. And whatever enters the Entropy Storm is never seen again!
Writing
The series finally pulls itself up by taking a look at a character’s back story. This issue looks into the rise of Baron Karza to power and his time serving both the Emperor and his fame hungry son, The Red Falcon. This plot showcases just how evil and formidable the Baron is, and did so better than the previous issue did when the rogue fended off an assassination attempt. Now, Karza feels like he would trample on any who stand in his way of obtaining his goals.
Writer Cullen Bunn has found a way to make Baron Karza seem threatening and help to shed some light on why he does what he does. Considering he is supposed to be one of the central villains of the series, this was a very strategic move. This attachment and intrigue about the characters was what the book was missing and is a welcomed sight to behold.
Artwork
The action scenes in the book are very engaging and the scenes of dialogue have the perfect use of shadow to make it look like everyone is scheming as they are talking. Artist Max Dunbar does a fantastic job. The part which really stands out in the book is a two page splash depicting an epic battle.
Conclusion
Taking roots of the villain’s past helps to sell him as the cold and calculating villain he is supposed to be. Baron Karza is compelling and interesting. Now if the same can be done for the main characters, this comic will have something going for it.
Café Society, the latest from writer/director Woody Allen, works hard to emulate for the viewer the feeling of reading a novel. It also works hard at ‘c’est la vie’ sentimentality, a sweet, stinging sorrow about love unrequited and dreams unfulfilled.
Some of it works due to the winsome cast and Allen’s trademark wit. But some of Allen’s other stylistic choices for the film feel labored, and at times the film seems to lose narrative focus.
Woody Allen film lovers will no doubt be more forgiving of Café Society‘s faults. But for others, those faults are sure to drag down what could have been a more poignant and entertaining film.
What’s it about?
In Café Society, Jesse Eisenberg (Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice) plays Bobby Dorfman, a sweet Jewish kid from the Bronx with dreams of making a life for himself in 1930’s Los Angeles. His mom, Rose (Jeannie Berlin), puts in a word for him with her brother, powerful Hollywood agent Phil Stern (Steve Carell), hoping Phil can help Bobby find a job.
Phil eventually proves to be Bobby’s introduction to the area’s movers and shakers, providing a glimpse of what most consider “the glamorous life.” But more importantly, Phil introduces Bobby to his assistant Vonnie (Kristen Stewart), and the two become fast friends.
In spending time with Vonnie, Bobby finds himself smitten by her unpretentious charm and strong sense of self. She wants to make it in Hollywood, like so many other gals from the Midwest who move to L.A. do. But she sees the superficiality and emptiness of the glamorous life plain as day, and Bobby comes to love her for that insight.
Their romance is not without complications, however. Soon, with his hopes dashed and his heart broken, Bobby returns to New York and goes to work running a night club with his gangster older brother, Ben (Corey Stoll, Ant-Man).
In time, Bobby seems to find his place in the world. He also finds love again in the form of socialite Veronica (Blake Lively, The Shallows), and the two marry after a swift but sincere courtship.
All seems well; that is, until Bobby’s past life in L.A. finds its way to New York, and reminders of days gone by prove impossible to leave behind.
Vintage Woody Allen
Allen himself provides voice over narration in Café Society. Thus, he guides the narrative of the film, both literally and figuratively, and his signature tone, wit, and comic timing are everywhere.
Also here are his lifelong preoccupations with Jewish family life and familial ties, gangsters, self-absorbed celebrities, and love, bittersweet love. What would a Woody Allen film be without such themes?
However, in crafting Café Society in the way he might craft a Jazz Age novel, Allen overreaches. The long-winded, prose-style narration feels stuffy and archaic, rather than timely and nostalgic, as it was no doubt meant to.
Strong cast, beautiful costume design
What does benefit Café Society is strong casting, starting with Jesse Eisenberg. It’s not often anymore that Eisenberg opts to play naive and kind-hearted, so its a treat to see it here. Carell is also fun to watch here as non-stop wheeler-and-dealer Phil, who claims to know everyone who’s everyone but didn’t know his own nephew until Bobby showed up in his office.
The film’s female leads deliver strong performances, as well. Both Stewart and Lively are called upon to project a classic American charm characterized by perceptiveness and purity of spirit. The intent clearly was for them both to be sympathetic characters audiences could root for, and their efforts pay off.
Of course, the characters meant to serve as caricature in Café Society earn the biggest chuckles here. Jeannie Berlin’s Rose is the archetypal Jewish mom so often found in Allen productions, while Corey Stoll gives an understated performance as the loving son and brother who happens to whack people for a living. There’s one in every family, right?
Costume and production design also stand out in Café Society. The suits, the evening gowns, and settings here bring to life an immersive, gloriously nostalgic vision of old time glamour. Don’t be surprised if this film comes up in conversations for Best Costumes and Production Design, even with awards season months away.
Worth seeing?
For devotees of Woody Allen’s long filmography and favorite themes, Café Society is simply a must. It’s not his best in recent years — that distinction still belongs to Midnight in Paris. It’s not even his funniest, or his most sentimental.
But it is a charming and engrossing film thanks to its cast and unmistakable Woody Allen touch. It’s a wistful flight into the land of dreams come and gone, a place we all get to know sometime in our adult lives.
It’s about the sad sweetness of “what might have been.” Spending time with the feelings those words evoke isn’t too bad, every now and again.
Café Society
Starring Jeannie Berlin, Steve Carell, Jesse Eisenberg, Blake Lively, Parker Posey, Kristen Stewart, Corey Stoll, Ken Stott. Directed by Woody Allen.
Running Time: 96 minutes
Rated PG-13 for some violence, a drug reference, suggestive material and smoking.
When the young Han Solo film was announced awhile back, many fans began to wonder if we’ll see the character in Rogue One, as the timeline matches up. Adding to the speculation, one of the reasons behind casting the character so early before the movie hits theaters (releases in 2018) was supposedly to shoot a cameo for Rogue One. Well, that rumor has now been officially confirmed as false by Gareth Edwards himself.
“I’m not sure I’m allowed to do this but I think I should. I can put to bed, Han Solo is not in the movie.”
Are you disappointed? Glad? Be sure to let us know in the comments section of this article.
Resistance fighters (Felicity Jones, Diego Luna) embark on a daring mission to steal the Empire’s plans for the Death Star.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story hits theaters on December 16.
Sharknado: The 4th Awakens, directed by Anthony C. Ferrante, debuts this Sunday on the SyFy channel. The Sharknado franchise has quickly become a cultural phenomenon that transcends most conventional wisdom. The last three films have smashed viewership records for the Syfy network, and this one is sure to follow suit.
These films shouldn’t be judged by same measuring stick that we use to evaluate conventional releases, obviously. Ferrante isn’t trying to win the next Academy Award or even produce a quality product; for him, it’s all about good old fashion cheesy fun with a dash of horror. With that in mind, Sharknado: The 4th Awakens is a cheese lovers paradise. Rarely does a film combine homages to iconic films along with C-level action and special effects. The film is ridiculous, the narrative will cause people to question their sanity, but it’s still a lot of stupid fun.
It’s been five years since the last Sharknado attack. Billionaire high-tech guru Aston Reynolds (Tommy Davidson … yes, the guy from In Living Color) has saved us all from the Sharknado phenomenon by inventing something called an “astro-pod” that shoots isotopes into these twisters. Reynolds aims to capitalize on his newfound fame by opening an ornate Sharknado themed hotel on the Las Vegas strip. Fin Shepard (Ian Ziering) decides to leave Kansas along with his cousin, Gemini (Masiela Lusha) to attend a family reunion. The plan is for them to meet up with his son Matt (Cody Linley), his girlfriend Gabrielle (Imani Hakim), his father Gilbert Shepard (David Hasselhoff), and then attend the reunion. Fin seems to have turned his focus from slaying sharks to family first following the “death” of his wife April (Tara Reid who apparently is alive as it’s revealed in the first ten seconds of the trailer). Of course, all hell breaks lose.
One of the highlights of this film is the commitment exhibited by the cast to maintaining the campy nature of the movie. Everyone seems keenly aware that they aren’t making a serious film or even a quality film by any real metric, but they are making a movie that is as much ridiculous as it is entertaining. Ferrante demonstrates that there is joy in the absurd. For example, during the initial Sharknado attack, a group of Chippendale dancers take off their shirts and use their gyrating dance moves to combat the airborne menace. Watching this “action” sequence is flabbergasting, but hypnotizing at the same time, as one after another the pelvic thrusts cause the sharks to fly away from the hotel.
In Texas, as Fin and the family are trying to get away from this Sharknado, they happen to stumble upon the only chainsaw store for miles. Yes, a chainsaw store (which happens to be run by Dog The Bounty Hunter). As they run outside to stand their ground, it’s increasingly clear that the group will need a bigger weapon. So, of course, the store happens to have a piece of construction equipment affixed with a chainsaw. Sharknado logic.
Thunder Levin should be commend for developing a script that may have a razor thin narrative but is so full of entertaining moments. From homages to Star Wars, to The Wizard Of Oz, to borrowing famous phrases from the Las Vegas Tourism Board, his “narrative” (again using that term very loosely here) will make you giggle and leave you stunned, because Levin doesn’t believe in “not going there.” In the midst of the first Sharknado attack, Fin and Gabrielle fall 50 floors down in a car and get swept up by the high winds. Instead of accepting fate, Fin decides to windsurf using the power of the storm to help ease their decent. That isn’t even the most outrageous part. Gemini sees the car falling so she grabs a parachute and does what any rational human being would do and jumps off the building. Somehow, Gemini beats the car to the surface (Sharknado logic) and gets in the car when it lands. When fin hits the ground, he sees that Gemini made it and asks how she did it. She responds: ” What happens in Vegas, stays in vegas.” Groan.
The performances in this film are good and the cameos are plentiful (Sorry, I have been sworn to secrecy). This is the type of film that no one should overthink and just enjoy the mayhem as it unfolds. We sometimes forget that enjoyment and films go hand and hand.
Captain Fantastic, written and directed by Matt Ross, asks audiences how extreme is your love for family? Are you willing to do whatever it takes, regardless of the sacrifice, to ensure a better life for loved ones?
Ben Cash ( Viggo Mortensen) is willing to uproot his life and move into the middle of the Oregon wilderness with his wife to provide a stable home life for their six children and provide peace for his wife’s troubled mind. Ross develops a film that will give you (as a good friend of mind would state) “all the feels.” Captain Fantastic is a film that contains a rainbow of emotions that will illuminate audiences and uplift their souls. It provides the highest of highs and the lowest of lows for the Cash clan. Ross shows us all families are far from perfect, and he accomplishes this by perfectly capturing the essence of what “family” truly means.
The Cash family leads a very simple existence. They live in the middle of the woods, farming, hunting, and doing daily chores to continue their survival. Ben leads his children through a routine of regular exercise and daily studies, which they do during their down time. As the film continues, we come to find out that his wife Leslie (Trim Miller) has been in a mental hospital for a few months dealing with a profound depression. Shortly after this revelation, Ben gets word that his wife has, in fact, committed suicide. This sobering moment leads to most of the family leaving the compound and heading towards New Mexico so that they can attend the funeral.
Ross crafts an engaging narrative. While the Cash children perform their daily rituals with military-like precision, the movie has less concern with what they do and more about what they are each going through. Each child is in the midst of an impressionable period in their lives, and all are struggling with the idea that Mom’s never going to be around again. As individuals we tend to learn how to cope with issues from seeing how others deal with similar problems; but here, these children haven’t been around other people. The social norms are foreign to them and emotionally stunt them. Is it possible that love this extreme can be a detriment?
Cinematographer Stéphane Fontaine showcases the beauty of the Oregon wilderness. My favorite moment had to have been the opening scene that involving the oldest son Bo (George McKay) hunting a deer, his rite of passage. Fontaine keeps the camera in close, tight shots on Bo and the deer, engaging the audience almost immediately. She perfectly captures the intensitiy of the hunt while capturing the look of detertmination on Bo’s face. When he does eventually kill the deer, the focus drifts from the actual kill to the aftermath, as we see the whole Cash clam emerge from the woods, camflouged from head to toe.
All that is great, but the biggest takeaway from Captain Fantastic is the performance of the Captain himself, Viggo Mortensen. A very soulful performance as the patriach of the Cash family, Mortensen exhibits authenticity, and is both magnificent and heartbreaking. Ben has spent the last 17 years trying to steer these children in a way that he thought was appropriate, but now he’s coming to grips with his intense style of parenting, and that it may have ultimately done more harm than good. This is a masterful performance that will certainly be considered one of the 10 best at year’s end.
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.
