Review: ‘Steven Universe’: Mr. Greg: Song Of Forgiveness

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July 19, 2016

Steven visits Empire City with Greg and Pearl.

Man, this one really hits right in the feels. Picking up where the previous episode left off, Steven’s dad Greg has been given a very large check because his song has been turned into a jingle for a burger joint. Deciding it’s best to splurge a bit, Greg, Steven, and Pearl head to Empire City and live it up Broadway style. All is not well in this group thought as Pearl is still holding onto negative feelings which really help to kill the mood. Will the power of song be able to bring her around?

This episode is full of singing. This shouldn’t be surprising to anyone as a character breaking out in song is common in Steven Universe but this time around the entire episode is packed with songs. It’s like the creators were trying to have a musical spectacular. Given how deep and emotional some of these songs can be it really is a spectacular.

Focusing on Pearl and Greg’s relationship really is a great place to tap into some deep drama. Pearl still hasn’t gotten over what happened between Greg and Rose and how Rose seem to abandon her to be with him. This is all portrayed through singing and stirs up some tearful emotions in all who listen to it. Luckily, by the time the episode is over, the two are able to bridge some common ground they can start walking across.

It’s good to see Pearl and Greg will finally be getting along. Considering they are the two people Steven looks up to the most in his life, it will be nice to see them interacting without a feeling of awkwardness. Sure, no action or fight scenes are present but with great storytelling like this those things aren’t really needed.

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‘My Little Pony’ And ‘Kid Rock’ Used In Defense Of Melania Trump

By

Anthony Wendel

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July 19, 2016

The news of the similarities of Melania Trump’s speech to one previously given by Michelle Obama has spread like wildfire across the internet. In an effort to try and defend the possible future first lady, Sean Spicer, the Communications Director of the Republican National Committee rushed to her aid. Unfortunately, he may have done more harm than good.

Spicer began by comparing quotes made by John Legend and Kid Rock to previous statements by Mrs. Trump. To bring his point home, he decided to pull a quote from a certain Princess of Friendship named Twilight Sparkle and made the following statement,

“Melania Trump said, ‘The strength of your dreams and your willingness to work for them.’”

“Twilight Sparkle from My Little Pony said, ‘This is your dream. Anything you can do in your dream you can do now.’”

The full section of this discussion can be found at the bottom of this article. Considering these two quotes seem to only have similar themes instead of being close to one another, it’s hard to tell what kind of a point Spicer was trying to make with this statement.

Quick to react to the use of one of her lines, Tara Strong, voice actress for Twilight Sparkle issued the following response:

Obviously not everyone is okay with Spicer’s poor attempt to prove Melania Trump’s innocence. Still, the entertainment value of it cannot be ignored.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-BaWHGEaDs

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Tom Delonge And Sekret Machines Reveal Alien Life On Earth?

By

Jen Schiller

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July 19, 2016

When you think about Blink 182 and extra-terrestrials, you may think the only connection between them is their now decades-old song “Aliens Exist.” Former guitarist Tom Delonge has made it abundantly clear that the title wasn’t a throwaway line, it’s his battle cry. Most recently, the first book in his “Sekret Machines” series reveals how deep he’s into this.

DeLonge left Blink 182 “officially” (more on that later) several years ago. His post-band project, To the Stars, is a multi-media monster which he hopes will help reveal the secrets (Sekrets?) of aliens on Earth once and for all. At the heart of the project is the “Sekret Machines” series. Here’s what you need to know about this crazy new career.

“To the Stars Inc.” is Sekret Machines Headquarters

There is one place online to catch all the DeLonge/space-related news, updates on what’s coming out, and even blog posts about NASA. To the Stars is that place. You can buy merchandise from books and music to tees and sunglasses, join the official fanclub, chat with others in forums, read press or news relating to the project… the list goes on (and on…reckless abandon…).

The Project DOES Blend Fact and Fiction

Book 1 of Sekret Machines is technically a novel, titled Chasing Shadows. However, almost everything in the novel is deeply researched, and references tons of very real people who have lived and worked in the world of U.F.Os. In almost every real-life interview with Delonge, he talks about how the early stages of the project are mostly laying groundwork for much more science-based writing in the future. More specifically according to an article in L.A. Weekly, “Two other novels, a documentary television series, nonfiction books and a new Angels & Airwaves album will follow [Chasing Shadows].” Delonge explains further in the same article: “‘We want to build on a very strong foundation of credibility by talking to very high-level people.'”

Music Has Taken a Back Seat

This particular fact is actually the hardest part of the project to determine fact from fiction so far. In official forums like interviews, articles, and even news on To the Stars, Delonge has claimed a voluntary hiatus from Blink 182, and a hold on his other musical pursuits. However, on his facebook and twitter accounts, he has been advertising personal music equipment for sale, claiming he won’t be needing any of it anymore. The equipment is also listed on To The Stars, without an explanation re: his motivation to sell. Further, when former bandmates Travis Barker and Mark Hoppus discuss DeLonge’s split, they don’t even inch towards the word “amicable.” In fact the words they chose when speaking with Rolling Stone Magazine were “ungrateful” and “disingenuous”. Oops.

So what’s really going on here? Is DeLonge going crazy? Is he secretly an alien himself? Or is he about to blow the lid on one of the government’s best-kept sekrets?

Let us know what you think in the comments below.

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The Dark Side Of Fandom: Leslie Jones Incident Exposes A Deeper Issue

By

Dewey Singleton - Film Critic

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July 19, 2016

While some might argue that the internet is a wealth of information, on Monday night the internet showed that it was a pool of hate.

Leslie Jones, one of the stars of Ghostbusters, was the target of internet bullies who channeled their hatred for the rebooted film into a mountain of racist rants meant to tear her down.

Here is one. (Disclaimer – these tweets are pretty horrible, so read at your own risk)

I just don't understand pic.twitter.com/N9xWoXPttu

— Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg) July 18, 2016

and another –

Exposing pic.twitter.com/jfSbGj3yCP

— Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg) July 18, 2016

Here’s one more example –

Exposing pic.twitter.com/jfSbGj3yCP

— Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg) July 18, 2016

and one more –

So sad pic.twitter.com/WQn097m9hn

— Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg) July 18, 2016

pic.twitter.com/XbyaGCHN77

— Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg) July 18, 2016

Now most assume that this type of vile behavior has been directed just at Leslie, but Ghostbuster director Paul Feig has dealt with this behavior as well.

.@paulfeig @Lesdoggg 2 b fair, it's yr fault too for writing such a shitty film that it exposed actors to ridicule:https://t.co/t33Ij1ROOO

— Taylor Owens (@anukasan1977) July 19, 2016

It’s one thing to critique a film, and it’s another to make this personal. It seems that the internet tough guys think that it’s their right to attack anyone associated with this film on a hurtful personal level. Some might argue that this is simply the drawbacks of being a celebrity but just because someone makes a movie that shouldn’t allow a person to be treated as less than a human being. Where do we draw the line? How do we draw the line? Is this the dark side of fandom that will never go away?

What are your thoughts? Do you think that these are just overzealous or a few bad fans that make the rest look bad? Let us know!

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REVIEW: ‘Lights Out’ delivers scares, little else

By

Felix Albuerne

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July 19, 2016

Lights Out delivers on its premise — it’s well acted and it’s got its fair share of good scares. If that’s all you’re looking for out of the film, then its unlikely you’ll be disappointed.

Just don’t look any closer at the production or think too much about what you’re actually getting. The writing is thin, and the characters are more or less one-note. An astute viewer should have the film’s ‘mystery’ figured out even before the characters literally talk it out on-screen.

Those limitations point to a certain lack of ambition and limited scope for the film. In this case, though, it’s forgivable, because the areas where the production does show ambition and inventiveness work.

What’s it about?

In Lights Out Teresa Palmer (Warm Bodies) plays Rebecca, a twentysomething who’s been on her own since her teens after leaving her home and her depression-prone mother, Sophie (Maria Bello) behind. Audiences soon learn that Rebecca and Sophie were themselves abandoned by Rebecca’s father when she was young, and his leaving took a terrible toll on them both.

As an adult, Rebecca avoids emotional entanglements, and her relationship with her mother is nonexistent. However, she’s drawn back home when her 10-year-old half-brother, Martin (Gabriel Bateman, TV’s “American Gothic“), appears to begin experiencing what Rebecca herself experienced living with Sophie years before.

In particular, Martin is seeing something in the house when the lights go out. What’s worse, it appears that Sophie, his mother, cannot or will not protect him. She seems to know what it is skulking and clawing in the dark. In fact, she talks to it like a friend.

Once Rebecca has her own encounter with what’s terrorizing Martin, she resolves to get him away from Sophie for good. But once they uncover what the entity is and its connection to their mother, they realize that they may never be safe, no matter where or how far they run.

Humble origins

Swedish director David F. Sandberg makes his feature film directorial debut with Lights Out, a project that sprang from his short film of the same. That horror short, featuring Sandberg’s wife Lotta Losten, introduced the “blink-in, blink-out” aesthetic to the being that haunts the proceedings in the full length movie. (Losten also appears in the feature-length version in a small role.)

It’s easy to see why the concept would attract the attention of producer James Wan, who himself directed Saw and The Conjuring films. The “rules” the film establishes for how the evil operates in Lights Out provide for lots of opportunities for creativity with different light sources, turning on and off at opportune or inopportune times.

To his credit, Sandberg makes the most of those opportunities. Lights go out, or in some cases turn back on, at just the right moments to build or pay off anticipation. His efforts should lead to lots of gasps and involuntary starts and maybe one or two cases of insomnia even among seasoned horror fans.

Character complexity lacking

Where Lights Out falls short is during the moments between the scares. The script by Eric Heisserer (Final Destination 5) doesn’t give the leads a whole lot to work with. The characters are more or less one-note, and while the actors make them likeable, there’s not enough there to make them truly resonate.

Are they the sort of stock characters from horror films of a bygone age that we’ve seen lampooned in modern horror films that skirt the edge of parody, like Scream and The Cabin in the Woods? Not remotely, but they and the family drama between them meant to give Lights Out depth and heart ends up just feeling like obligatory melodrama.

Thankfully, at only 81 minutes, there’s not a whole lot of it to slog through in order to get to what audiences are really paying for.

Worth seeing?

For fans of recent supernatural horror films such as The Conjuring films and Annabelle,, Lights Out should be a fun, scream-filled night out at the movies. It’s best enjoyed in a dark theater, surrounded by a receptive audience who will likely be jumping and crying out right along with you. Admittedly, though, seeing the movie alone at home with all the lights turns off might do the same trick.

However, if you’re not a horror film fan and/or you’re prone to insomnia, best give this one a wide berth. Script limitations aside, it’s done just well enough to maybe leave you hesitant about turning the lights out at bedtime.

Lights Out

Starring Teresa Palmer, Gabriel Bateman, Billy Burke, Alexander DiPersia, and Maria Bello. Directed by David F. Sandberg.
Running Time: 81 minutes
Rated PG-13 for terror throughout, violence including disturbing images, some thematic material and brief drug content.

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‘Batman: The Telltale Series’ Gets World Premiere Trailer

By

Aric Sweeny

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July 19, 2016

A new trailer for the upcoming Batman: The Telltale Series has been released.

The trailer sheds light on the tone of the game, and gives us a few looks at some villains, heroes, and supporting characters we’ll get to know in the story.

Batman: The Telltale Series will be shown off at San Diego Comic-Con International 2016, with its first five episodes titled “Realm of Shadows” being released on August 2.

“Enter the fractured psyche of Bruce Wayne and discover the powerful and far-reaching consequences of your choices as the Dark Knight. In this gritty and violent new story from the award-winning creators of The Walking Dead – A Telltale Games Series, you’ll make discoveries that will shatter Bruce Wayne’s world, and the already fragile stability of a corrupt Gotham City.”

What are your thoughts on the trailer? Drop a comment down below and let us know.

Source: Youtube (via Collider).

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Review: ‘Absolutely Fabulous’ A Smashing Good Time Sweetie

By

Dewey Singleton - Film Critic

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July 19, 2016

This weekend, Fox Searchlight Pictures is set to release Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie, in limited release this weekend. Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley return as the persistently hung over BFF’s Edina Monsoon and Patsy Stone. While the biggest obstacle facing this film is attracting an audience of new fans, Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie certainly has all the familiar elements that will thrill hardcore fans of the show. Can you name me another film this summer that includes a jacuzzi that’s described as a “smoothie of old sperm”, an elaborate drag show to the song “At Seventeen”, the murder of a supermodel, a gender fluid wedding, and the details of Jon Hamm losing his virginity?

No one will ever say that Absolutely Fabulous is a great film, but it is a smashing good time darling (Edina Voice).

While Absolutely Fabulous the television show had it focuses on more domestic issues, the film has more of an international flair. The film starts off during London’s fashion week during Giles Deacon Runway show. Saunders and Lumley show off some of their slapstick ability as they fight the models to have the best seat during the show. Edina is now 60 years old and is still muddling away as the world’s worst PR agent. She so lacks self-awareness that she writes her memoirs only to be told that her life is worth living but not worth reading. Instead of taking this as a cue to reassess her life choices, Edina decides that she needs to snag the biggest PR client possible to put her in the spotlight once more. Patsy is told that Kate Moss has fired her PR firm and is looking for representation and lets Edina know the good news. The two of them hatch a plan to woo Moss to sign with Monsoon PR but as always something happens when Patsy and Edina are involved. Edina goes to approach Kate at a fancy fashion event but only manages to push her into the River Thames appearing to kill her. Instead of staying in England to face the music, the girls decide to run away from the police or as Patsy calls them “The Pigs” and heads off to the south of France.

One of the highlights of this film was the smart script that Saunders came up with. Saunders managed to develop a narrative with the familiar beats that we’ve grown accustomed to as well as something even more. For example, throughout the film we see Edina grappling with the reality that she’s getting an old and the world is passing her by. Now, no one is saying that she handles this is the most effective manner (remember this is Edina we are talking about), but this shows a level of depth that Fabulous didn’t strive during its initial run on television. This sort of topic would have been taboo for the TV show as the deepest they indeed reached was what type of booze Patsy was going to drink next.

Where this film struggles mightily is the direction of Mandie Fletcher. This movie shows no creativity in its shot selection and what was crazy is that it wasn’t due to the movie lacking elaborate locales. Fletcher has locales ranging from the south of France to the most high-end areas of London. How can you not highlight those areas in your shot selection? The shots are constricted and tight like they’re on a TV set. The lack of creativity in shot selection caused the film to visually bland at times.

Absolutely Fabulous also falls into the same type of trap that the A-Team movie did a few years back. It’s awfully challenging to take a 30-minute show and stretch into a 90-minute film. Audiences know with A-Team that they will be given a task that seems impossible and pulls it off in the end ( while maybe shooting a few bad guys). The same can be said about Absolutely Fabulous. Everyone knows that you will get the drunken exploits of Patsy and Edina and in the end, they will stumble their way to a resolution to whatever problem they are facing. The source material doesn’t lend itself to any expansion.

This film isn’t going to blaze any trails cinematically but does provide enough fun that audiences won’t leave disappointed. Whether it’s enough to motivate groups to go see it this weekend, remains to be seen.

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REVIEW: ‘Absolutely Fabulous’ perfect cure for Brexit blues

By

Felix Albuerne

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July 19, 2016

Absolutely Fabulous: the Movie aims to deliver everything fans of the classic ’90s British sitcom adored about the show sans the laugh track. Beloved main and recurring cast members of the program return, older but not the least bit wiser, beset by new problems brought upon by life in the 2010’s in addition to the eternal problems of finding the next party and the next bottle of Bolly.

The writing is sharp, and the actors are on point delivering characters fans should remember. Those coming into the film not having seen the show shouldn’t worry, however. Absolutely Fabulous wastes no time in letting audiences know just who the characters are, their relationships to one another, and how they keep each other float while at the same time driving each other crazy.

What’s it about

For PR maven Edina “Eddy” Monsoon (Jennifer Saunders) and fashion magazine editor Patsy Stone (Joanna Lumley), life is very much what it has been for years: a neverending (hopefully) cycle of glitzy parties, bottles of champagne, and hangovers. Their selfish and hedonistic antics continue to drive Edina’s long-suffering daughter Saffron (Julia Sawalha) to look and sound twice her age, while at the same time driving everyone else they deal with to consistently wonder just what it is they actually do or what they’re good for aside from drinking and ruining social occasions.

But the end may be near, at least for Edina. The money’s running out, her PR client list lacks the starpower it once boasted (at least, in her mind), and, well, age and all that eating and drinking have started to take their toll.

An opportunity to reverse her fortunes presents itself in the chance to sign the most prized PR client in all the British Isles, UK fashion icon Kate Moss (playing herself). But when the recruiting effort goes horribly, hilariously awry, Eddy and Patsy find themselves on the run from the police and worse: the paparazzi.

Fleeing the country with Saffron’s daughter Lola (Indeyarna Donaldson-Holness) in tow, the priority for this Dynamic Duo becomes avoiding becoming the Destitute Duo. They need money to keep the party going, and if there’s one thing Eddy and Patsy are good at, it’s finding ways to keep the party going, even when that pesky thing called reality keeps trying to come calling.

Writing Top Drawer

The script for Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie of course comes from star and series creator Jennifer Saunders. Saunders’ writing effort displays all the wit and bawdy charm that made “Ab Fab” such an instant hit and its characters classics in the Brit TV lore. Fans of the original should be thrilled with the results, at the very least.

Nostalgia and the spectacle of middle-aged women behaving badly alone, however, are not all that make Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie enjoyable. Saunders has a keen eye for the absurdities of the UK pop culture, fashion, and socialite worlds that Eddy and Patsy hang on to for dear life. One particular running gag about how the nation is thrown into cultural chaos at the possible loss of a pop culture figure revered as a national treasure serves as arguably the best evidence of Saunders’ sense of these things, but there are many others in the film.

Missing the laugh track

There is, however, a downside to the production’s devoted efforts to recreate as much of the show’s magical tone and chemistry as possible.

Yes, many of Saunders’ one-liners and zingers in the script hit home. A few of them, however, fall flat simply because they’re staged as though they’ll be followed immediately by canned laughter.

Veteran TV director Mandie Fletcher (BBC TV’s “Blackadder“), who directed a number of “Ab Fab” episodes herself, alas doesn’t serve this production particularly well in terms of crafting scenes and set pieces that feel cinematic. Despite the production trading in the confines of a sitcom sound stage for lavish, majestic backdrops in London and the French Riviera, the timing and staging in many scenes still feel as though they’re meant for the small screen.

Put another way, the movie looks and feels very much just a long, well-budgeted episode of the series, for better and for worse. If that doesn’t bother you, and it probably won’t if you’re a fan of the show, well that’s fabulous, sweetie darling. Be sure to sneak in a flask of you-know-what into the theater with you to enjoy the proceedings properly.

Worth seeing?

For fans of Eddy and Patsy’ sordid escapades, yes, Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie is an absolute must-see, bordering on a moral imperative.

For everyone else? Well, if you enjoy comedy from across the pond and/or smart comedy that gleefully turns British pop culture on its ear, then don’t hesitate to dive right in, as there’s lots of fun to be had here.

Absolutely Fabulous: the Movie

Starring Jennifer Saunders, Joanna Lumley, Julia Sawalha, Jane Horrocks, June Whitfield, Chris Colfer, Kate Moss, Lulu, Emma Bunton, Robert Webb, Barry Humphries, and Indeyarna Donaldson-Holness. Directed by Mandie Fletcher.
Running Time: 90 minutes
Rated R for language including sexual references, and some drug use.

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Laura Vandervoort Interview: ‘Bitten,’ ‘Super Duper Deelia’ And Beyond

By

Matthew Sardo

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July 19, 2016

Laura Vandervoort, the star of ‘Bitten,’ called the Monkeys Fighting Robots hotline to chat about ‘Bitten: The Final Season,’ the future on Indigo on ‘Supergirl,’ and the struggles of producing her own show ‘Super Duper Deelia.’

Vandervoort also mentioned that she just wrapped on a comedy that she could not reveal. She expects an announcement shortly.

‘Super Duper Deelia’ is a live action TV series in development based on the children’s book written by Vandervoort.

The series follows the adventures of a plucky young girl who discovers she has superpowers on her 10th birthday and that super abilities run in her family. While learning to use her new skills in positive ways, Deelia turns to her wise grandmother, a superwoman herself, for advice and gets help from her inner circle of friends and her lovable canine sidekick Shadow, who has the ability to talk.

‘Bitten: The Final Season’ is available digitaly and on DVD.

#SDD Super-Duper-Deelia at #MipCom #Cannes #shaftesbury proud to see something I've created here in Cannes

A photo posted by Laura Vandervoort (@supervandie) on Apr 4, 2016 at 5:48am PDT

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The Road to ‘Jason Bourne’: ‘The Bourne Ultimatum’ Completes a Near Perfect Trilogy

By

Larry Taylor - Managing Editor

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July 19, 2016

There is a seamless, almost perfect bookend nature to the first three Jason Bourne films that so many trilogies mishandle. It tells a complete story, with a satisfying arc, and aesthetically ties itself up cleanly and with little or no “open doors” with which the franchise can continue. Now, this being Hollywood and all, there’s always a way, and they’ve proved it in the years following The Bourne Ultimatum, Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon’s incredible (and temporary) swan song.

Ultimatum‘s opening overlaps with the final moments of The Bourne Supremacy, with an injured Jason Bourne trying to fix himself before making his escape. After showing mercy with a pair of Russian police officers, it’s on to new business. The Treadstone McGuffin transforms into Blak Briar, and the plot thickens. Meanwhile, Pamela Landy (Joan Allen) is still trying to bring in Bourne, though her motivations may have pivoted. She is beginning to realize the depth of deception within the CIA, and she’s realizing Jason Bourne may not be the villain in this global scheme.

In what’s becoming tradition in the Bourne franchise, another middle-aged white actor is shuffled into the CIA bureaucrat role. It was Chris Cooper in the first film, Brian Cox center stage in the second. In the new one, it appears to be Tommy Lee Jones. Here, it’s the great (and greatly underused in general) David Strathairn, playing Noah Vosen, a devious . As the CIA works feverishly to bring down Bourne, Bourne is using his fragmented memories to piece together his former life as a programmed assassin.

The Bourne Ultimatum is, to this point, the best film in the franchise. It takes what worked in the previous film and expands on it, globalizing the action even more. This time, Bourne hops from continent to continent before ending up in Manhattan; the kinetic narrative is perfect. The CIA boardroom bickering is kept to a minimum here, where it too often distracted from the simple story at the heart of Supremacy. It also allows Jason Bourne to showcase his complete set of assassin tools. Damon is almost never stationary in the film, always walking and maneuvering and running and chasing.

Paul Greengrass also shows more confidence in his filmmaking here. He embraces the shaky cam aesthetic fully this time, even more than in Supremacy, and the story surrounding his jumpy visuals fit in concert with one another. It begins shot out of a cannon, as Bourne works feverishly to protect a journalist inside a train station, and it stops only momentarily to take a breath.

The end of The Bourne Ultimatum perfectly ties up loose ends, and the final shot – Jason Bourne floating in the sea – echoes the first glimpse of Bourne from the first film. It’s pitch perfect, and had the franchise ended here it would have been just fine. But, again, Hollywood always finds a way, and here they tried to branch off the story with a new male lead. The results were mixed.

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